Humanities & Social Sciences

Esteemed speakers contributing their insights into human culture, behavior, and societal development

Zoe Lee-Park

Zoe Lee-Park

Zoe Lee-Park is a second-year Master of Environmental Science student at the Yale School of the Environment. She studies the theory of environmental justice, within a law and society framework. Outside of academics, Zoe is a Graduate Intern at the United States Forest Service and the President of the Yale Asian Graduate Network. She is part of the Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership. Zoe will pursue her PhD in Jurisprudence and Social Policy at the University of California, Berkeley.

Zoe Lee-Park is a second-year Master of Environmental Science student at the Yale School of the Environment. She studies the theory of environmental justice, within a law and society framework. Outside of academics, Zoe is a Graduate Intern at the Un... Show more

Ian Siderits

Ian Siderits

Ian O. Siderits is a Ph.D. Candidate and primary instructor at North Carolina State University and an adjunct instructor at Southeastern Oklahoma State University and Meredith College. He has a bachelor’s degree from The George Washington University. Ian’s research focuses on employee contact with nature, organizational trust, technology in the workplace, and employee health and well-being. He has presented on various topics at conferences such as the Society for Industrial-Organizational Psychology (SIOP), the Academy of Management (AOM), the First International Network on Trust (FINT), and 21st Century Summit on Positive Psychology Women's Mental Health & Entrepreneurship.

Ian O. Siderits is a Ph.D. Candidate and primary instructor at North Carolina State University and an adjunct instructor at Southeastern Oklahoma State University and Meredith College. He has a bachelor’s degree from The George Washington University.... Show more

Kanjana Thepboriruk

Kanjana Thepboriruk

Dr. Kanjana is a linguist and an historian. She is an associate professor of Thai language in the Department of World Languages & Cultures and is a research affiliate at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at Northern Illinois University. Her work examines the notion of "Thainess" and how Thais define, perform, understand, transmit, and regulate "Thainess" both in Thailand and in the US diaspora, in the past and in the present, including the role(s) that the Thai language may or may not have in these processes.

Dr. Kanjana is a linguist and an historian. She is an associate professor of Thai language in the Department of World Languages & Cultures and is a research affiliate at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at Northern Illinois University. Her work... Show more

Amanda Kavner, PhD

Amanda Kavner, PhD

Dr Amanda Kavner is a cognitive neuroscientist with a research focus on mapping cognitive processes using neurocognitive measurements and machine learning algorithms.

As a professor, Kavner has always focused on the understanding, utilization, and teaching of current and upcoming technological innovations that are positioned to become a mainstream tool for her students' future lives, which is what has brought her to blockchain technology and NFTs.

Dr Amanda Kavner is a cognitive neuroscientist with a research focus on mapping cognitive processes using neurocognitive measurements and machine learning algorithms. As a professor, Kavner has always focused on the understanding, utilization, an... Show more

Marianna Lyulchenko

Marianna Lyulchenko

Marianna Lyulchenko is interested in identifying the key factors associated with school readiness and long-term school success from early childhood through elementary and beyond. Lyulchenko is regularly engaged in research that collects surveys, direct assessments, standardized test scores, and observational data linked to children and classrooms along with qualitative data from sources such as interviews, focus groups, and extant document reviews.

Marianna Lyulchenko is interested in identifying the key factors associated with school readiness and long-term school success from early childhood through elementary and beyond. Lyulchenko is regularly engaged in research that collects surveys, dire... Show more

Liliana Castillo -Neira

Liliana Castillo -Neira

I'm Liliana Castillo Neira, a Colombian-Mexican historian and Sr. UX Writer at Mercado Libre, working in the Cross Border Trade business unit. I'm also pursuing a master's degree in Digital Humanities, focusing on various fields such as data visualization, data painting, museums and imaginary archives, metaverse architecture, and developing digital tools for teaching history to different communities, including indigenous people and seniors.

As a content writer, I constantly strive to innovate and explore new methods to create engaging content. I believe that exploring theories from various disciplines, such as philosophy, anthropology, design, physics, and astronomy, can enrich our work and make it more interesting and productive.

In my free time, I enjoy traveling, visiting museums, painting, rock climbing, fishing, spending time with my dogs, exploring fashion, and learning new languages.

I'm Liliana Castillo Neira, a Colombian-Mexican historian and Sr. UX Writer at Mercado Libre, working in the Cross Border Trade business unit. I'm also pursuing a master's degree in Digital Humanities, focusing on various fields such as data visualiz... Show more

Caroline Kikisch

Caroline Kikisch

Caroline ist Kultur- und Sozialwissenschaftlerin, arbeitet als Coach, Mediatorin und Organisationsberaterin und unterstützt Menschen und Systeme dabei, für sich einzutreten und miteinander ins Gespräch zu kommen.

Caroline ist Kultur- und Sozialwissenschaftlerin, arbeitet als Coach, Mediatorin und Organisationsberaterin und unterstützt Menschen und Systeme dabei, für sich einzutreten und miteinander ins Gespräch zu kommen. Show more

Jodee Gibson, MA | PCC

Jodee Gibson, MA | PCC

Jodee Gibson, PCC is a leading expert on healing leadership. As a professional coach and speaker, she has created massive change and generated millions of dollars for her clients including Keller Williams Realty, National Institute of Health, the University of Michigan and the International Coaching Federation. Jodee has built award winning cultures and recently published her first book, Healing Your Map, encompassing developmental trauma.

Her holistic approach is deeply layered in developmental psychology, NLP, neuroscience, consciousness, trauma, intention, levels of energy, professional coaching and the law of vibration. This unconventional approach emerges from pairing her often tumultuous experiential education with her extensive formal education. The intersection she creates with these is beyond fascinating. Jodee resides in Oakland County, Michigan. She coaches and speaks worldwide. www.jodeegibson.com

Jodee Gibson, PCC is a leading expert on healing leadership. As a professional coach and speaker, she has created massive change and generated millions of dollars for her clients including Keller Williams Realty, National Institute of Health, the Uni... Show more

Luis Cásedas

Luis Cásedas

I am a postdoctoral researcher at the Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (University of Granada), where I recently completed my PhD studies under the supervision of Prof. Juan Lupiáñez. Currently, my research aims to advance our understanding of the neurocognitive and affective mechanisms underpinning mindfulness-related meditation practices, and of their effectiveness in enhancing cognition and emotion. For more information, please visit my personal webpage: www.lcasedas.com

I am a postdoctoral researcher at the Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (University of Granada), where I recently completed my PhD studies under the supervision of Prof. Juan Lupiáñez. Currently, my research aims to advance our understanding o... Show more

Jaqueline Santos de Souza

Jaqueline Santos de Souza

She is Benjamin's Mom, Brazilian of Salvador city, Artist and Teacher. Graduated in Languages at UCSAL, Master in Language and Culture and PhD Student in Applied Linguistics at UFBA. She has taught in a public school for 15 years and develops research in teaching and learning languages from a decolonial perspective. She currently records English classes for TV and publishes technical and literary texts. Member of Kunhã Asé - Network Women in Science and Network of the Black Researchers in Language Studies (REPENSE).

She is Benjamin's Mom, Brazilian of Salvador city, Artist and Teacher. Graduated in Languages at UCSAL, Master in Language and Culture and PhD Student in Applied Linguistics at UFBA. She has taught in a public school for 15 years and develops researc... Show more

Amar Natt, PhD

Amar Natt, PhD

Managing Director at Econ One Research, Inc. specializing in econometric modeling of Big Data and helping firms introduce data-guided decision-making. Lecturer at UCLA in the Sociology Department, teaching Data Science and Statistical & Computational Methods.

Managing Director at Econ One Research, Inc. specializing in econometric modeling of Big Data and helping firms introduce data-guided decision-making. Lecturer at UCLA in the Sociology Department, teaching Data Science and Statistical & Computational... Show more

Emily Harden

Emily Harden

Emily Harden is a knowledgeable consultant, skillful speaker, and community builder dedicated to fostering growth and impact. As the Founder and Owner of Harden Consulting, she provides tailored coaching to help people clarify what they want, navigate pivots, and thrive at work; so your passion becomes a sustainable path.
Emily draws on her deep roots in the tech ecosystem, where she previously served as Techlahoma's Executive Director, to connect challenges with creative solutions.

When she’s not working, you can probably find her playing board games, trying out new video games, or off on an adventure with her husband and their dog, Patches!

Emily Harden is a knowledgeable consultant, skillful speaker, and community builder dedicated to fostering growth and impact. As the Founder and Owner of Harden Consulting, she provides tailored coaching to help people clarify what they want, navigat... Show more

Johan Smarius

Johan Smarius

Johan has been developing software since 1996 and has worked with .NET since version 1.0. With extensive experience as a lead developer and architect for .NET solutions, he is deeply passionate about clean coding and test-driven development. At JMAC Software Solutions and Bergler, he designs architectures for .NET solutions and coaches and trains developers in the domain of software engineering in general and Microsoft technologies in particular.

Johan has been developing software since 1996 and has worked with .NET since version 1.0. With extensive experience as a lead developer and architect for .NET solutions, he is deeply passionate about clean coding and test-driven development. At JMAC ... Show more

Nicole Enders

Nicole Enders

Nicole Enders lives and breathes Modern Work.

As a Microsoft MVP and Evangelist for Microsoft based Solutions, she turns cloud tech into real‑world impact - think Microsoft Teams makeovers and Power Platform magic.

For 15 + years she’s crafted collaboration experiences that stick, blending out‑of‑the‑box features with tailor‑made code until every social intranet or digital workplace feels like it was built just for you.

Catch Nicole on conference stages, in her books, or on her blog, where she shares hands‑on tips and a healthy dose of geeky enthusiasm.

Nicole Enders lives and breathes Modern Work. As a Microsoft MVP and Evangelist for Microsoft based Solutions, she turns cloud tech into real‑world impact - think Microsoft Teams makeovers and Power Platform magic. For 15 + years she’s crafted ... Show more

Cecilia Geraldo

Cecilia Geraldo

Mobile Engineering Manager focused on building scalable platforms and AI-enabled engineering systems.
At Thoughtworks, she leads mobile teams operating across 15+ engineering teams in high-scale environments, applying modular architecture, server-driven UI, and platform-as-product thinking to enable sustainable growth and team autonomy.
Her work integrates AI agents and Model Context Protocol (MCP) into developer workflows, documentation systems, and internal tooling, bridging mobile engineering with next-generation engineering practices.
As a Latina engineering leader working in global tech ecosystems, she champions technical excellence, inclusive leadership, and knowledge-sharing as pillars for long-term impact.

Mobile Engineering Manager focused on building scalable platforms and AI-enabled engineering systems. At Thoughtworks, she leads mobile teams operating across 15+ engineering teams in high-scale environments, applying modular architecture, server-dr... Show more

Traci Sewell

Traci Sewell

Traci joined the community to take the tech down a notch! She lives in Somerset with some (very cute) cats, some horses, some sheep, and her husband, Rob. When not looking after all of those, she also works to sooth people's minds as a psychotherapist. Being tech-adjacent she has been drawn into the tech event organising world and the wider community, where she brings her life long knowledge, expertise and fearsome determination to empower and protect those who are outside of the generic majority box. Over the past few years she has also found a voice as a speaker, sharing information and insights into all things mental health and wellbeing - which has lead to providing Team Dynamics training and Project Management.

Traci joined the community to take the tech down a notch! She lives in Somerset with some (very cute) cats, some horses, some sheep, and her husband, Rob. When not looking after all of those, she also works to sooth people's minds as a psychotherapis... Show more

Erissa Duvall

Erissa Duvall

Everyone has their niche in the world where they find the most joy and fulfillment. For me that has become Accessibility. Some of my experience comes from my personal ordeals I have gone through as I have steadily learned more about what makes my brain tick and what makes my joints throw a temper tantrum. My professional experience has helped me along the way because it is where I learned just how diverse the options were for accommodations, treatment, and more.

I was initially thrown into the deep end during my amazing journey with the American Printing House for the Blind's Internal IT department. I gained insight to some of the struggles caused when environments, processes, technology, and attitudes are not accessible. However, I also experienced great joy every time I managed to help make someone's day easier by helping them be more independent and confident in themselves. Since then, I have held many other Accessibility related roles and made it my mission to spread Accessibility awareness. I've done so through by improving Code Louisville's Accessibility policies and coursework as a mentor, speaking at domestic & international events, providing support online, and so much more. I plan to continue to do what I can for as long as I am able.

Everyone has their niche in the world where they find the most joy and fulfillment. For me that has become Accessibility. Some of my experience comes from my personal ordeals I have gone through as I have steadily learned more about what makes my bra... Show more

Sarah Wimberley

Sarah Wimberley

Sarah is a detail-oriented leader with twenty years of experience in marketing and cloud-based technology, specializing in sales, marketing, customer service, and reporting tools. As principal and founder of Ulster Technologies (www.ulster-tech.com), Sarah drives innovation to foster collaborative, data-driven decisions with her clients.

She has served as an enterprise architect, product owner and program/project manager at leading regional and national healthcare institutions. Sarah led dynamic, cross-functional teams through multiple product and platform migrations, passionately improving business processes and driving sales growth.

A graduate of Rosemont College with a Master’s in Strategic Leadership, Sarah is also an active volunteer, serving on various boards and committees, including as Vice President of Communications, Technology & Marketing for Village on the Ridge and as a Board Member and Technology Co-Chair for Philanos.

Areas of Expertise
Through an intentional and winding professional path, Sarah has had the opportunity to gain expertise across a variety of industries, domains, and organizations, continually expanding her knowledge base. At the intersection of marketing, technology, and leadership, Sarah is comfortable and engaging while speaking about a variety of topics including, but not limited to: project and change management frameworks; leadership and communication styles; building trust; managing customer data and experiences; marketing technology and integrations; professional development and empowerment.

Sarah is a detail-oriented leader with twenty years of experience in marketing and cloud-based technology, specializing in sales, marketing, customer service, and reporting tools. As principal and founder of Ulster Technologies (www.ulster-tech.com),... Show more

Rockford Lhotka

Rockford Lhotka

Rockford Lhotka is VP of Strategy at Xebia. He is the creator of the widely used CSLA .NET open-source software framework, the author of numerous books, and regularly speaks at major conferences around the world. Rockford is a member of the Microsoft Regional Director and MVP programs. For more information go to https://lhotka.net.

Rockford Lhotka is VP of Strategy at Xebia. He is the creator of the widely used CSLA .NET open-source software framework, the author of numerous books, and regularly speaks at major conferences around the world. Rockford is a member of the Microsoft... Show more

Arthur Doler

Arthur Doler

Arthur (or Art, take your pick) has been a software engineer for 22 years and has worked on things as exciting as analysis software for casinos and things as boring as banking websites. He is an advocate for talking openly about mental health and psychology in the technical world, and he spends a lot of time thinking about how we program and why we program, and about the tools, structures, cultures, and mental processes that help and hinder us from our ultimate goal of writing amazing things. His hair is brown and his thorax is a shiny blue color.

Arthur (or Art, take your pick) has been a software engineer for 22 years and has worked on things as exciting as analysis software for casinos and things as boring as banking websites. He is an advocate for talking openly about mental health and psy... Show more

Ixchel Ruiz

Ixchel Ruiz

Ixchel Ruiz has been developing software applications and tools since 2000. Her research interests include Java, dynamic languages, client-side technologies, and testing. As a member of the JCP Executive Committee, Java Champion, Oracle ACE Pro, Testcontainers Community Champion, CDF Ambassador, Hackergarten enthusiast, Open Source advocate, public speaker, and mentor, Ixchel is deeply committed to fostering inclusive and collaborative tech communities. She actively mentors aspiring developers and champions initiatives aimed at increasing diversity and accessibility in the technology sector.

Ixchel’s work is characterised by a relentless pursuit of innovation, a deep understanding of user needs, and an unwavering commitment to ethical technology development.

Ixchel Ruiz has been developing software applications and tools since 2000. Her research interests include Java, dynamic languages, client-side technologies, and testing. As a member of the JCP Executive Committee, Java Champion, Oracle ACE Pro, Test... Show more

Hafedh Messaoudi

Hafedh Messaoudi

Hafedh is a professional coach, agile coach, and trainer with over 12 years of experience in guiding individuals and organizations toward resilience, adaptability, and improved performance. With a strong foundation in neuroscience, agility, and human sciences, Hafedh integrates these disciplines to offer a comprehensive approach to personal and organizational development. His work focuses on helping teams and leaders navigate change and foster growth in dynamic environments. Throughout his career, Hafedh has been committed to empowering his clients with practical, science-based strategies for achieving long-term success.

Hafedh is a professional coach, agile coach, and trainer with over 12 years of experience in guiding individuals and organizations toward resilience, adaptability, and improved performance. With a strong foundation in neuroscience, agility, and human... Show more

Ville Gullstrand

Ville Gullstrand

I inspire people to embrace the potential of today!

This is what it means to me, broken down word by word.

Inspire - This is the method I trust and believe in. By inspire first (the why), I'm confident people will find instructions after (the how).
People - I don't work with organizations. I work with people! We should listen to hear, not to be able to respond.
To embrace - For you to be fully motivated, I want you to drive your practice from within. For your own reasons. That's why it's important that you embrace.
The potential - This could be so many things! Productive ways of work, applications, methods and much more. I want you to reach your highest potential and be the best you.
Of today - Whatever potential is available, I want you to be inspired to embrace it. In an evergreen world, everything constantly changes. This keeps me on my toes and keeps you informed on the latest and greatest.

Blog: https://villezekeviking.com

I inspire people to embrace the potential of today! This is what it means to me, broken down word by word. Inspire - This is the method I trust and believe in. By inspire first (the why), I'm confident people will find instructions after (the h... Show more

Osita Ifezue

Osita Ifezue

Osita Ifezue is a researcher, international keynote speaker, and storytelling strategist. He is the founder of Njiko Storytelling, with over 25 years of experience training individuals and developing storytelling strategies. He has created the Storyboard Backcasting and Origin Story-Loop Strategic Frameworks, strategic storytelling tools designed to enhance learning in the storytelling process. Beyond entrepreneurship, Osita founded Entergrate, an NGO in Finland that focuses on social inclusion, and he hosts the podcast Think About It! With Osita Ifezue.

Osita Ifezue is a researcher, international keynote speaker, and storytelling strategist. He is the founder of Njiko Storytelling, with over 25 years of experience training individuals and developing storytelling strategies. He has created the Storyb... Show more

Alyssa Nicoll

Alyssa Nicoll

Alyssa is an Senior Developer Advocate for Progress and a Google Developer Expert for Angular. She has spoken at over 50 conferences locally and internationally. She is the host of the Angular Air podcast and emcees ng-conf as well as Monorepo World. She enjoys gaming, scuba diving, and has a little one that fondly goes by "Mr. Milks".

Alyssa is an Senior Developer Advocate for Progress and a Google Developer Expert for Angular. She has spoken at over 50 conferences locally and internationally. She is the host of the Angular Air podcast and emcees ng-conf as well as Monorepo World.... Show more

Damian Synadinos

Damian Synadinos

For over 30 years, Damian Synadinos helped “build better software and build software better” through testing. Now, through his company Ineffable Solutions (Ineffable-Solutions.com), he helps “build better people”. As a full-time, international public speaker, he delivers entertaining and educational keynotes, talks, and training that are focused on people, based on experience, and supplemented with research. His career and audiences include many diverse companies and industries including airline, retail, insurance, finance, e-commerce, and commercial realty. Damian also helped organize the "QA or the Highway" testing conference (QAortheHighway.com), performs & teaches improv, authored and illustrated a children’s book (HankAndStellaBooks.com), and draws strangers for fun (IDrawStrangers.com).

For over 30 years, Damian Synadinos helped “build better software and build software better” through testing. Now, through his company Ineffable Solutions (Ineffable-Solutions.com), he helps “build better people”. As a full-time, international public... Show more

Divya Akula

Divya Akula

Hosting 16+ years with AI, Copilot,Azure, SharePoint & M365 technologies.

Hosting 16+ years with AI, Copilot,Azure, SharePoint & M365 technologies. Show more

Kristyna Ferris

Kristyna Ferris

Kristyna Ferris is a solution architect at P3 Adaptive. Her experience includes implementing and managing enterprise-level Power BI instance, training teams on reporting best practices, and building templates for scalable analytics. Passionate about participating and growing the data community, she enjoys co-writing on Data on Wheels (dataonwheels.com) and speaking at various events. She also a co-organizer for Lexington Data Technology Group.

Kristyna Ferris is a solution architect at P3 Adaptive. Her experience includes implementing and managing enterprise-level Power BI instance, training teams on reporting best practices, and building templates for scalable analytics. Passionate about ... Show more

Lorenzo Pieri

Lorenzo Pieri

It's never easy to describe oneself, especially when one is interested in so many different topics and fields and I guess that says something about who I am afterall. I find it fun and entertaining to teach difficult subjects through exotic methods and stories and people seem to also have fun while I do so.

I believe in the union between science and human values (read fun) and I often work and participate in non-profit organization and projects which aim to bring culture and scientific knowledge.

It's never easy to describe oneself, especially when one is interested in so many different topics and fields and I guess that says something about who I am afterall. I find it fun and entertaining to teach difficult subjects through exotic methods a... Show more

Sergès Goma

Sergès Goma

Sergès Goma is a Paris-based software developer specialized in Java and JavaScript. When she's not fixing codebases, she gives motivational speeches mostly aimed at junior and would-be developers as well as participating in the tech women's empowerment association Motiv'Her.

Sergès Goma is a Paris-based software developer specialized in Java and JavaScript. When she's not fixing codebases, she gives motivational speeches mostly aimed at junior and would-be developers as well as participating in the tech women's empowerme... Show more

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