FRANK ABE is co-editor with Floyd Cheung of a new anthology, THE LITERATURE OF JAPANESE AMERICAN INCARCERATION, (Penguin Classics). He is lead author of a graphic novel, WE HEREBY REFUSE: Japanese American Resistance to Wartime Incarceration (Chin Music Press), and with collaborators Tamiko Nimura, Ross Ishikawa, and Matt Sasaki was named a Finalist in Creative Nonfiction for the Washington State Book Award. He won an American Book Award with Cheung and Greg Robinson as co-editor of JOHN OKADA: The Life & Rediscovered Work of the Author of No-No Boy (University of Washington Press), in which he authored the first-ever biography of Okada and traced the origins of his novel. He is currently developing a new stage adaptation of NO-NO BOY in partnership with Seattle Rep.

Abe wrote, produced, and directed the award-winning PBS documentary CONSCIENCE AND THE CONSTITUTION on the largest organized resistance in the camps, and with writer Frank Chin helped organize the first-ever “Day of Remembrance” in Seattle in 1978. He was an original member of Chin’s Asian American Theater Workshop in San Francisco and studied at the American Conservatory Theater.

FRANK ABE is co-editor with Floyd Cheung of a new anthology, THE LITERATURE OF JAPANESE AMERICAN INCARCERATION, (Penguin Classics). He is lead author of a graphic novel, WE HEREBY REFUSE: Japanese American Resistance to Wartime Incarceration (Chin Mu... Show more

Passionate about building products that solve real-world complex problems in the most simplified and
user-centric way. Have successfully built, launched, and monetized over 5 enterprise B2B SaaS products in
the domain of supply chain and fintech

Passionate about building products that solve real-world complex problems in the most simplified and user-centric way. Have successfully built, launched, and monetized over 5 enterprise B2B SaaS products in the domain of supply chain and fintech Show more

Akanshi is a community person, an Android developer & a design enthusiast. She is currently working at Gojek as a Platform Engineer (Android) in the UX Engineering team.
She is active in communities as a speaker, mentor, organizer, contributor and a participant. She enjoys participating in hackathons, read and learn about tools and developments in the field of UI/UX, contribute on stack overflow and listening to good music.
She also likes to write about her tech and non-tech thoughts, create artworks and loves animals!

Akanshi is a community person, an Android developer & a design enthusiast. She is currently working at Gojek as a Platform Engineer (Android) in the UX Engineering team. She is active in communities as a speaker, mentor, organizer, contributor and a... Show more

Before working in the Microsoft industry, Laura was working in the charity sector as a Project Assistant/Office 365 Specialist for 3 years and before that was in various support roles. She fully entered the Microsoft industry when accepting a job offer with HCL in Nov 2021. She then completed the CIT Program in March 2022, and it's been the most amazing ride of her life so far.

She loves all things creative, and Microsoft related and can't wait to see what the future holds. Laura spends her time outside of work, blogging about the Power Platform community and her journey in the hope to inspire and support others. She likes to merge her love of tech with her love of art & design, to try to bring even more fun to the topics and activities she presents to the community. Her career and general way of life have always been built around the concepts of inspiration, support, and simplifying everything! She hopes to use these concepts to make a positive impact on the Microsoft community and whoever else dares to listen.

Before working in the Microsoft industry, Laura was working in the charity sector as a Project Assistant/Office 365 Specialist for 3 years and before that was in various support roles. She fully entered the Microsoft industry when accepting a job off... Show more

Bala is playing the role of Global Engineering Platform Manager for Ford’s e-Commerce Marketing & Sales. Bala is an Engineering Growth mindset person with specialization in DevSecOps, Site Reliability Engineering (SRE), Performance Engineering (PE) and Release Management along with various in depth IT leadership experience. More in LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/balachandarnatarajan/

Bala is playing the role of Global Engineering Platform Manager for Ford’s e-Commerce Marketing & Sales. Bala is an Engineering Growth mindset person with specialization in DevSecOps, Site Reliability Engineering (SRE), Performance Engineering (PE) a... Show more

Nisanth has over 19 years of experience developing software stacks for processors in companies like Intel, AMD, Samsung, IBM, Dell and MIPS. He has worked on processor architectures such as x86, ARM, Power and RISC-V as well as DSP and GPU architectures. He has contributed to open source projects as well as holds patents.

Nisanth has over 19 years of experience developing software stacks for processors in companies like Intel, AMD, Samsung, IBM, Dell and MIPS. He has worked on processor architectures such as x86, ARM, Power and RISC-V as well as DSP and GPU architectu... Show more

Mikaela Pisani is a computer engineer with a Master's in Data Science. She is currently the chief data scientist and head of machine learning at Rootstrap. This award-winning custom software development agency has built web and mobile apps for startups, publicly traded companies and public figures.

She also runs Girls In Tech Uruguay, a global non-profit organization focused on the engagement, education, and empowerment of women and girls in tech, as well as educating children on STEAM. Mikaela is a member of a community of girls in AI called AI Wonder Girls and is also on the AI Research team at ORT University in Montevideo, Uruguay.

In addition, Mikaela plays a key role as part of the interdisciplinary group ANT. ANT aims to create artistic devices by integrating its three core disciplines - Art, Neuroscience and Technology. She also is part of Fibras, a community that supports projects using technology as a platform to generate social Impact.

For all her contributions in STEM, she won the Globant Award ¨Women That Build¨ and was selected as a finalist in Women In Tech awards under the category ¨Global AI Inclusion¨.

She’s also been featured in several publications, most recently with LifeWire, BBC news and MKAI, regarding AI. She has spoken at some conferences and events, including Women in Tech Global Conference, ValleyML, and Airflow Summit.

Mikaela Pisani is a computer engineer with a Master's in Data Science. She is currently the chief data scientist and head of machine learning at Rootstrap. This award-winning custom software development agency has built web and mobile apps for startu... Show more

"Quand tu fais appel à un zèbre, tu lui demandes pas d'enlever ses rayures !"
Ludo (Gilles Lellouche) dans Ma vie en l'air - Rémi Bezançon - 2005

Depuis 10 ans maintenant j'aime bien gratter et provoquer partout où je passe, pour comprendre comment fonctionnent les choses (organisations, interactions humaines, business model, ...) et pourquoi on ne ferait pas autrement.

Aimant toucher à tout j'interviens au sein de plusieurs collectifs, dans plusieurs domaines, pour arriver à mes fins : imaginer et se projeter dans le futur, repenser les organisations et les manières de travailler, interroger le positionnement et la valeur des offres (produits et services), travailler la prise de parole et la mise en récit.

J'aime beaucoup Gaston Lagaffe, les Casseurs Flowters, les joggings et les casquettes. Et les Dinosaurus aussi.

"Quand tu fais appel à un zèbre, tu lui demandes pas d'enlever ses rayures !" Ludo (Gilles Lellouche) dans Ma vie en l'air - Rémi Bezançon - 2005 Depuis 10 ans maintenant j'aime bien gratter et provoquer partout où je passe, pour comprendre comme... Show more

Hayleigh is the author of Lustre, Gleam's most popular frontend Web framework as well as an ecosystem of packages that support it. She is an experienced Web developer and Elm engineer. More recently, Hayleigh has spent the last few years acting as a developer evangelist; spreading the good word about types, the BEAM, and Gleam to anyone with the patience to listen to her.

Hayleigh is the author of Lustre, Gleam's most popular frontend Web framework as well as an ecosystem of packages that support it. She is an experienced Web developer and Elm engineer. More recently, Hayleigh has spent the last few years acting as a... Show more

B2B marketing leader who specializes in partner marketing, and demand generation. My passion lies in crafting out-of-the-box campaigns that tell compelling stories, create meaningful experiences, and accelerate pipeline growth.

As the host of AMBUSH On Air and Partner Marketing Lead at Netstock, I bring my energy, expertise, to every project!

When I'm not working, I'm reading a fantasy book, hanging out with my dog Ziggy, making a cocktail, or spending time with friends. I live to travel and you can find me all over the world for work and life.

B2B marketing leader who specializes in partner marketing, and demand generation. My passion lies in crafting out-of-the-box campaigns that tell compelling stories, create meaningful experiences, and accelerate pipeline growth. As the host of AMBU... Show more

Hello there! I'm Miguel, a skilled web developer known for my passion for crafting user-centric web applications. With extensive experience in front-end technologies like React, Vue.js, and JavaScript/TypeScript, as well as a strong background in back-end development using Ruby on Rails and Node.js. Throughout my career, I've been deeply involved in all aspects of web development, consistently following agile/Scrum methodologies. My primary goal is to consistently deliver exceptional products that prioritize user satisfaction, and having a background as a Product Designer in the past, helps me to bring a keen eye for user-centric design principles and a deep understanding of user needs to every project. I also have past experience on the stages of TDC (The Developers Conference) in Sao Paulo and Florianópolis, and other smaller events in the region I live. I've shown talks on various topics including UX principles, Nielsen heuristics, pair programming, and pair design. Additionally, I actively participated in an internal training program at my company, where I focused on the intersection of code and design. I delved into essential aspects such as accessibility, responsiveness, and UX, along with diving into more technical topics like databases and programming as a whole.

Hello there! I'm Miguel, a skilled web developer known for my passion for crafting user-centric web applications. With extensive experience in front-end technologies like React, Vue.js, and JavaScript/TypeScript, as well as a strong background in bac... Show more

Being part of the Microsoft Dynamics community since 1990, Erik Hougaard has worked with every version and visited all corners of the system. He has worked with NAV for the biggest companies in Denmark and across numerous industries. He is a Managing Partner in EFOQUS, a Canadian Microsoft Partner developing products and solutions with Dynamics 365 Business Central.

Erik is an active community contributor passionate about sharing his deep technical knowledge, and he has been awarded a Microsoft MVP Award for his Dynamics NAV contributions every year since 2014. He is a sought-after speaker at conferences and has been blogging about Dynamics since 2013. In 2019 he wrote the BUSINESS CENTRAL FIELD GUIDE to help customers understand the system, with or without external help. In 2020 he added a YouTube channel publishing weekly videos with hacks and insights for Microsoft 365 Business Central programming.

Being part of the Microsoft Dynamics community since 1990, Erik Hougaard has worked with every version and visited all corners of the system. He has worked with NAV for the biggest companies in Denmark and across numerous industries. He is a Managing... Show more

Guzzo is a Brazilian designer, multimodal researcher, and community architect for TikTok Tech Innovation. Previously, he worked as the Program Designer for Harvard's Applied Social Media lab, building public interest social media technology. He draws on his background in filmmaking and storytelling to build socio-technical communities and systems for collaboration and public imagination. He holds a Master of Fine Arts Degree from the University of California San Diego in Speculative Design.

Guzzo is a Brazilian designer, multimodal researcher, and community architect for TikTok Tech Innovation. Previously, he worked as the Program Designer for Harvard's Applied Social Media lab, building public interest social media technology. He draws... Show more

Hello there! I'm Peter Laughter, and 12 years ago, an experience transformed my understanding of leadership and set me on a path to fulfill my purpose. I realized that the best solutions come from those closest to the problem, not from the top down. This led me to embrace distributed decision-making, empowering individuals to help organizations become more agile and resilient in today’s rapidly changing landscape.

My purpose is to reveal the profound bonds that connect all humanity, making them visible and tangible in our daily lives. To thrive amid exponential change, organizations must shift from command-and-control to a network system of distributed authority. The traditional command-and-control orthodoxy is as harmful for corporate leaders as it is for employees, stifling innovation and engagement. Through my speaking and consulting, I guide organizations in building dynamic methods for fostering this new approach.

With over 25 years in the recruiting and staffing industry, I've founded three successful firms, served elite consultancies and banks, and pioneered the first SaaS platform for managing enterprise labor programs. My work has earned prestigious awards, including the Inc 500.

I'm a TEDx speaker on Radical Empathy and a three-time Moth Story Slam winner, with a story featured on The Moth Podcast. These experiences reflect my passion for storytelling and my ability to connect deeply with audiences.

When I'm not transforming the business world, you'll find me exploring trails on my bicycle, lost in a book, or sharing stories. And yes, I love a good laugh – after all, it’s in my name! Most of all, I love riding the Cyclone with my daughter Eddy.

Hello there! I'm Peter Laughter, and 12 years ago, an experience transformed my understanding of leadership and set me on a path to fulfill my purpose. I realized that the best solutions come from those closest to the problem, not from the top down. ... Show more

Forever DM, 18th level Party Cleric, Diablo II enthusiast, supernerd, Pokemon master.

Forever DM, 18th level Party Cleric, Diablo II enthusiast, supernerd, Pokemon master. Show more

You can save your community!

You can save your community! Show more

Father-son duo Mark and Cody Stepp are lifelong entrepreneurs, technologists, and best known for their work reshaping real estate technology through their company, Workflow Secrets.

With decades of combined experience building software solutions, they’ve created the Systems Accelerator Manager (SAM), an AI-powered platform actively replacing the traditional real estate CRM.

With a combined background in software development, systems thinking, and experience-centered design, Mark and Cody have helped agents reclaim time, improve client experiences, and grow their businesses without burning out. Now, they’re bringing those same principles to a broader audience - proving that automation can be both powerful and personal.

Mark Stepp is a recognized leader in real estate technology, the architect behind two of the most widely adopted systems in real estate tech, with a long history of developing tools that automate complex workflows and deliver measurable business impact. Cody Stepp leads the strategy, specializes in designing AI-driven strategies that enhance efficiency and elevate customer experiences across industries.

Together, they bring a wealth of knowledge on how businesses of all sizes can leverage technology to optimize their operations, reduce manual tasks, and scale faster - making them the perfect guides for businesses looking to harness AI's transformative potential.

Father-son duo Mark and Cody Stepp are lifelong entrepreneurs, technologists, and best known for their work reshaping real estate technology through their company, Workflow Secrets. With decades of combined experience building software solutio... Show more

Daniel is an event organizer and game enthusiast with a passion for creating immersive geek-themed quizzes, board game tournaments, and trading card game competitions including Disney Lorcana, Pokémon TCG, and more. With years of experience in project management, crowdfunding, and public speaking, Daniel brings a unique blend of strategic thinking and community energy to every event — from intimate game nights to large-scale competitions and nerdy pub quizzes.

The events Daniel organizes are open to everyone, with a focus on creating inclusive, welcoming spaces where geek culture becomes a platform for connection, creativity, and belonging. With a background in human rights work, Daniel approaches every gathering not just as entertainment, but as an opportunity to build empathy and shared joy.

Daniel is an event organizer and game enthusiast with a passion for creating immersive geek-themed quizzes, board game tournaments, and trading card game competitions including Disney Lorcana, Pokémon TCG, and more. With years of experience in projec... Show more

Diseñador de producto. Actualmente DesignOps lead en Brave.

Diseñador de producto. Actualmente DesignOps lead en Brave. Show more

Designer and Entrepreneur

Designer and Entrepreneur Show more

Bringing people together is something that lives on through my workshops and training. Whether they take place online or on-premise, I facilitate workshops and learning experiences that focus on high participation, on learning by doing and verifying that the concepts are integrated. I use Live Online Learning Activities to ensure people get a chance to practice their understanding of the new concepts.

What better way is there to give meaning to what we say than to draw to make our thoughts explicit? When we add visual information to what we’re saying, suddenly our intention becomes much more precise, and we can begin to work on shared understanding. This is why I love bringing people in contact with the power of Visual Thinking, of getting back to our roots and using pen and paper to bring people closer together.

Stories are another option for bringing sensitive topics to the surface, which I recently started to explore through my self-development practice, as well as during numerous Around the world in (less than) 80 days workshops throughout the past years!

Bringing people together is something that lives on through my workshops and training. Whether they take place online or on-premise, I facilitate workshops and learning experiences that focus on high participation, on learning by doing and verifying ... Show more

After 15 years as a unit production manager in the film and television industry, I’ve made the pivot to tech. Here to share my journey and insight with fellow pivoters!

After 15 years as a unit production manager in the film and television industry, I’ve made the pivot to tech. Here to share my journey and insight with fellow pivoters! Show more

Victory Aghazie is a multidisciplinary designer with deep expertise in Product, Brand, and System Design. For over six years, I’ve collaborated with early-stage startups and growth-driven teams to design MVPs and shape experiments. My work spans industries like web3, real estate, wellness, and more, at companies like Andela and The Nigeria High Commission, United Kingdom. Etc.

I am developing an AI-powered tooling system designed to reduce the gap between design and code. The goal is to bring designers and developers closer together; not just in workflow, but in shared languages.

Victory Aghazie is a multidisciplinary designer with deep expertise in Product, Brand, and System Design. For over six years, I’ve collaborated with early-stage startups and growth-driven teams to design MVPs and shape experiments. My work spans indu... Show more

At just 20 years old, Dylan brings a powerful first hand perspective on what young people need to feel seen, supported, and heard. As the co-founder of Fourddo (four-dee-do), he and his sister have served thousands by spearheading national initiatives in mental health, activism, and the arts—partnering with organizations like Nike, KIA Motors, Macy's and No Kid Hungry. He is a believer in the power of storytelling as a tool for connection, healing, and change.

Dylan has held several advisory and ambassadorial positions at the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Young Futures Org, Made By Us, Civics Unplugged, Adolescent Content, The Foundation for Social Connection, Boston Healthcare for the Homeless, the United States Tennis Association, the American Philosophical Society, and UNICEF USA. At his alma mater, Emerson College, he advises the President and the Dean on equitable and inclusive solutions for students. His creative pursuits have also recognized him as a Norman Lear and Bruno Mars Fund Scholar. This spring, he was recognized as a Finalist at Sundance and produced a premiere at Tribeca Film Festival.

At just 20 years old, Dylan brings a powerful first hand perspective on what young people need to feel seen, supported, and heard. As the co-founder of Fourddo (four-dee-do), he and his sister have served thousands by spearheading national initiative... Show more

Creator of anglez.xyz, CosmicWorlds.xyz, DynaStripes.xyz and TraxxStemz.xyz generative NFT art projects. CTO at fan3. 25 years engineering and team leading experience.

Creator of anglez.xyz, CosmicWorlds.xyz, DynaStripes.xyz and TraxxStemz.xyz generative NFT art projects. CTO at fan3. 25 years engineering and team leading experience. Show more

Folk music, bard songs, and sea shanties! Flotnar is a Croatian folk band with a diverse mix of styles. The name comes from Old Norse, meaning 'seafarers'.

Inspired by traditional Slavic and Norse music and mythology, the band blends elements from these cultures along with English and Irish folk songs. Whether it's fantasy themes or medieval tunes, Flotnar will take you on a musical journey through time.

Folk music, bard songs, and sea shanties! Flotnar is a Croatian folk band with a diverse mix of styles. The name comes from Old Norse, meaning 'seafarers'. Inspired by traditional Slavic and Norse music and mythology, the band blends elements from... Show more

Shereen Thor is a comedian turned coach who slays with hope and humor. She has shared the stage with greats like Serena Williams, Prince Harry, Pau Gasol, and Les Brown. She is also the bestselling author of Revolutionary Woman, which focuses on inspiring women and people of color to revolutionize how they see themselves to create a more equitable world. She has been featured in Forbes, TEDx, The Wall Street Journal, Insider, Medium, Spike TV, 97.1 AMP Radio, and more. When she isn’t working, she is enjoying the great outdoors, spending time with her family, coaching or playing soccer, enjoying good food with friends and leaving her cell phone in the dust for extended periods. To learn more go to www.shereenthor.com.

Shereen Thor is a comedian turned coach who slays with hope and humor. She has shared the stage with greats like Serena Williams, Prince Harry, Pau Gasol, and Les Brown. She is also the bestselling author of Revolutionary Woman, which focuses on insp... Show more

Bhuvana Meenakshi Koteeswaran is a Socio-tech Researcher and founder of Women In Tech collectives, India, she is also Internationally recognised as a Mozillian, Wikimedian, and VRAR/ multidimensional space enthusiast. She is one of the recipients of the ShuttleWorth Flash Grant awards 2021. Bhuvana initiated the Women In Tech community in India to enable more voices of women who are interested in pursuing a career in tech or want to learn tech and to give opportunities for those who lost their careers in tech due to the pandemic. As part of this initiative, she has joined hands with Coko Foundation where the organisation has collaborated to support the members of the community in furthering their careers and interest in advance technologies. She is the cofounder of EmergeAbility, an initiative to make the digital world inclusive and accessible. She has also facilitated global events like MozFest, and Hack4OpenGLAM. She had been a mentor at Creep-a-thon hosted by Codam college, Amsterdam. She was one among the International Jury panel for the Wikipedia Pages wanting Photos campaign 2021.
Bhuvana being curious to reach the global technologies and communities so she collaborated with the CityJS London team and initiated its first ever World series version in the steel city of India, Salem. She is the founder and lead the team of CityJS India 2022 with an intention connect developers and technology enthusiasts from India and all around the world. She also balances her life by pursuing performing arts, she has received Merit certificates from Annamalai University and Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing, London for her notable participation in Bharatnatyam and Kathak dance forms.
To add feathers to her cap she has been conferred with two major awards :-
* Best Poster Presentation Award by the Ministry of Science and Technology at the “India International Science Festival 2016”, New Delhi. 
​
* Dr. Kalam Young Achiever’s Award by the World Youth Federation on 15th Oct, 2016 at Anna University, Chennai.  
​
As part of her CSR efforts, she has launched the DEWI (Develop and Empower Women Interests in tech) program under the Women In Tech collectives, India initiative. In this program top giant tech companies have associated to offer mentorship and training programs for women trainers and women students. The DEWI will also cater internships and career opportunities for the trained candidates across modern industrial expectations.

Bhuvana Meenakshi Koteeswaran is a Socio-tech Researcher and founder of Women In Tech collectives, India, she is also Internationally recognised as a Mozillian, Wikimedian, and VRAR/ multidimensional space enthusiast. She is one of the recipients of ... Show more

Marie Wiese is a marketing strategist and founder of Marketing Copilot®. She is a Microsoft MVP in AI and host of the international podcast, Women Talk Tech. Marie has worked in the technology sector for 35 years and focuses on marketing automation/CRM and the digital transformation of the sales and marketing functions. Marie helps Microsoft partners, ISVs and customers build demand generation programs for their organizations.

Marie Wiese is a marketing strategist and founder of Marketing Copilot®. She is a Microsoft MVP in AI and host of the international podcast, Women Talk Tech. Marie has worked in the technology sector for 35 years and focuses on marketing automation/C... Show more

Amulet D20 is a Slovenian cultural and artistic association dedicated to fantasy, tabletop gaming, and creative storytelling. It grew into one of Slovenia’s largest and most vibrant fantasy communities.

Origins and Mission
Amulet D20 was formed as a fantasy subsection of the Fofité Arts and Culture Association, but officially became an independent association in 2023, merging with the D20 Association. Its core mission is to foster imagination, creativity, and community through fantasy role-playing games and related hobbies. Although based in Medvode, its influence spans across Slovenia, including events in Ljubljana, Koper, Maribor, Celje, Velenje, Kranj, and other cities in most regions of the country.

Weekly Thursday Meetups
Every Thursday, Amulet D20 hosts regular community meetups, which have become the beating heart of the association. Starting with just five people in a basement, these gatherings have grown into weekly events with over 100 attendees. Members from all over the country come together to paint miniatures, play D&D, wargames, board games, and more. These evenings are a cornerstone of Amulet’s mission: building a welcoming, creative, and social space for all fans of fantasy.

Events and Activities
Amulet D20 offers a rich array of events and initiatives, including:
Thematic evenings – Events organized every three months and visited by around 200 people as part of Amulet D20s four yearly themes. Decorations are crafted, dioramas built, and costumes made.
D&D Retreats – Weekend-long storytelling getaways.
Creative Workshops – For world-building, crafting, and hobby skill-building.
Amulet D20 Grand Tournament – A major wargaming event featuring titles like Conquest, Warhammer: Age of Sigmar, Star Wars: Legion, and Eldfall Chronicles.
Fantasy Ball – A majestic evening at a castle where guests dress in elaborate costumes inspired by fantasy worlds. With live music, performances, and immersive décor, the ball transforms the venue into an enchanting realm. It’s a celebration of creativity, elegance, and shared passion, drawing in both long-time members and new faces from across the country.

Community and Values
The association is built on values of inclusivity, playfulness, and shared imagination. It actively encourages people of all ages and backgrounds to explore fantasy worlds, create together, and form lasting friendships. Through its network of events, volunteer projects, and regional groups, Amulet D20 is helping shape a new generation of fantasy enthusiasts in Slovenia and beyond.

Amulet D20 is a Slovenian cultural and artistic association dedicated to fantasy, tabletop gaming, and creative storytelling. It grew into one of Slovenia’s largest and most vibrant fantasy communities. Origins and Mission Amulet D20 was formed a... Show more