Humanities & Social Sciences

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

Kevin Wilkie

Kevin Wilkie

Kevin has been wrangling data and dodging dirty reads for over 15 years — back when SQL Server 6.5 was considered "modern" and query tuning meant praying to the optimizer gods.

His journey began as an "Accidental DBA" — one misfired report and suddenly he was deep in sys.objects, pretending sp_who2 was an actual plan. Since then, he's played nearly every role in the SQL Server ecosystem: SQL Developer, BI Associate, Production DBA, and now a Data Architect with a mission.

These days, Kevin spends his time normalizing chaos, denormalizing silos, and preaching the gospel of clean, well-modeled data. He’s been known to pivot on the fly, avoid Cartesian relationships, and bring deadlocks back to life — all while gently reminding teams that SELECT * is a cry for help.

If it involves data, Kevin's in — tuning queries, architecting solutions, or just nerding out about why surrogate keys are misunderstood. He’s not just passionate about data — he’s got a clustered index on it.

Kevin has been wrangling data and dodging dirty reads for over 15 years — back when SQL Server 6.5 was considered "modern" and query tuning meant praying to the optimizer gods. His journey began as an "Accidental DBA" — one misfired report and sud... Show more

Sana Talwar

Sana Talwar

Sana Talwar is a Product Security Engineer at ServiceNow. She works in application security and AI risk, and has experience in offensive security and penetration testing. She focuses on improving how teams build secure software at scale. Sana also teaches and mentors new talent through talks, workshops, and community work. She supports students, early career engineers, and security teams working toward stronger and more inclusive practices.

Sana Talwar is a Product Security Engineer at ServiceNow. She works in application security and AI risk, and has experience in offensive security and penetration testing. She focuses on improving how teams build secure software at scale. Sana also te... Show more

C Sarath Babu

C Sarath Babu

Hi, I'm C. Sarath Babu. I work as a cybersecurity specialist , I’ve been diving deep into the world of quantum AI research as well. Over the years, I’ve authored four books, and I’ve also had the opportunity to contribute to national-level cybercrime investigations and work on AI-driven security innovations.

I enjoy speaking at tech forums and conferences, especially where I can explore how AI, cybersecurity, and even philosophy intersect it’s a space I’m really passionate about. I’m also a big supporter of open-source security projects and spend a lot of time building secure, AI-powered systems that help shape the future of digital ecosystems.

Hi, I'm C. Sarath Babu. I work as a cybersecurity specialist , I’ve been diving deep into the world of quantum AI research as well. Over the years, I’ve authored four books, and I’ve also had the opportunity to contribute to national-level cybercrime... Show more

Nina Weimann-Sandig

Nina Weimann-Sandig

Prof. Dr. Nina Weimann-Sandig ist Professorin für Soziologie und Empirische Sozialforschung an der ehs Dresden. Als hochschuldidaktische Beauftragte setzt Sie sich seit vielen Jahren mit allen Fragen rund um innovative Lehrentwicklung auseinander, insbesondere mit digitalen Formen des Lehrens und Lernens. Sie ist zudem didaktische Mentorin der Nachwuchsforschungsgruppe "MILE".

Prof. Dr. Nina Weimann-Sandig ist Professorin für Soziologie und Empirische Sozialforschung an der ehs Dresden. Als hochschuldidaktische Beauftragte setzt Sie sich seit vielen Jahren mit allen Fragen rund um innovative Lehrentwicklung auseinander, in... Show more

Luisa Escalona

Luisa Escalona

With more than 18 years in the software industry, Luisa has evolved from being passionate about writing great code to focusing on building and nurturing high-performing teams. A Certified Encouragement Consultant and Empowering People in the Workplace Facilitator, she brings together deep technical expertise and a talent for fostering human-centered growth.

Since 2019, Luisa has delivered engaging talks and hands-on workshops that inspire teams and individuals to achieve their full potential. Her unique approach empowers organizations to drive both technological innovation and positive, sustainable change through collaboration and impactful leadership.

With more than 18 years in the software industry, Luisa has evolved from being passionate about writing great code to focusing on building and nurturing high-performing teams. A Certified Encouragement Consultant and Empowering People in the Workplac... Show more

Natalia Bielczyk

Natalia Bielczyk

Natalia Bielczyk, PhD, is a computational neuroscientist, TEDx speaker, and founder of Ontology of Value®, a talent intelligence and career development company operating across the US and Europe. After a decade researching causal systems in the human brain, she now explores one of the defining questions of our time: how to adopt AI at scale without eroding human thinking, judgment, and wellbeing. Her frameworks — including "cognitive debt" and the Brain Economy — have reached audiences across three continents, from Princeton to Groningen University to WORKTECH San Francisco.

Natalia Bielczyk, PhD, is a computational neuroscientist, TEDx speaker, and founder of Ontology of Value®, a talent intelligence and career development company operating across the US and Europe. After a decade researching causal systems in the human... Show more

Mya Tyler

Mya Tyler

Mya Tyler is a speaker, executive coach, and strategic advisor who helps leaders and organizations align work, vision, and values so they can achieve more, struggle less, and build impact that multiplies. With more than 25 years of experience leading large-scale transformation, she brings executive depth, practical insight, and a human-centered approach to leadership, growth, and change.

As the founder of Tapestry AG and Hustle to Wholeness™, Mya works with high-performing leaders and organizations who are delivering results but feel the strain of doing it unsustainably.

Known for her calm, direct, and deeply relatable style, Mya creates space for honest reflection while offering practical tools people can apply right away. She believes success and well-being do not have to compete, and that the strongest leadership is rooted in alignment, clarity, and integrity.

Mya Tyler is a speaker, executive coach, and strategic advisor who helps leaders and organizations align work, vision, and values so they can achieve more, struggle less, and build impact that multiplies. With more than 25 years of experience leading... Show more

Yaya Xia

Yaya Xia

Xiaoya Xia studies how open-source communities and infrastructure evolve around emerging AI workloads and agent infra. At Ant Group, she uses ecosystem data to connect project activity with changes in AI technology and adoption. Her recent work includes the Agentic AI Landscape and research based on OpenDigger. She is a co-chair of KubeCon China 2026 and served on the Program Committees for Open Source Summit North America and Open Source Summit Japan in 2025.

Xiaoya Xia studies how open-source communities and infrastructure evolve around emerging AI workloads and agent infra. At Ant Group, she uses ecosystem data to connect project activity with changes in AI technology and adoption. Her recent work inclu... Show more

Tajah M. Gross, PhD

Tajah M. Gross, PhD

Dr. Tajah M. Gross is Founder & CEO of Ethilect, an AI governance, risk, and decision intelligence firm helping organizations confront the hidden human risks inside artificial intelligence systems. A recognized voice in responsible AI, escalation architecture, and operational oversight, she is known for translating complex AI risk into practical governance strategies leaders can actually use.

Her expertise spans agentic AI, autonomous decision systems, human oversight design, AI governance, and enterprise risk visibility. Through her signature frameworks, Question Everything and ReasonGate, Dr. Gross challenges organizations to rethink how AI decisions are monitored, escalated, interrupted, and trusted at scale.

Blending executive strategy with real-world implementation, she helps institutions design AI systems that remain observable, accountable, and human-centered under pressure—not just efficient. Dr. Gross has delivered high-impact sessions for nationally recognized venues including AI in the New Era, Nashville Microsoft Community Day, UN Blockchain Week, North Carolina A&T University, and Morgan State University.

Dr. Tajah M. Gross is Founder & CEO of Ethilect, an AI governance, risk, and decision intelligence firm helping organizations confront the hidden human risks inside artificial intelligence systems. A recognized voice in responsible AI, escalation arc... Show more

Stephanie Colores

Stephanie Colores

Stephanie Colores Bueno is a former Fortune 100 HR executive with over 23 years at Procter & Gamble, where she led global leadership development, culture transformation, and enterprise change initiatives. In her final years, she played a key role in shaping the growth and restructuring of the Information Technology function, supporting enterprise digital transformation and the adoption of AI. She is the Founder of Strategic Connexus, a boutique advisory firm focused on strategy, transformation, and leadership development, helping founders and mid-sized organizations connect strategy, people, and technology to drive adoption, transformation, and growth. She is currently completing the Chief Human Resources Officer Executive Program at Wharton, University of Pennsylvania.
Stephanie is a sought-after speaker, facilitator, and executive coach who equips leaders and teams to navigate complexity, lead through transformation, and build high-performing, human-centered cultures. Drawing from over two decades of global experience across three countries, she brings a practical, business-driven perspective grounded in real enterprise transformation. Her sessions combine leadership, change management, and storytelling to create engaging, actionable experiences that resonate from emerging leaders to C-suite executives. Known for translating strategy into people-centered execution, she helps organizations close the gap between vision and results in today’s fast-evolving digital environment. Her work focuses on enabling founders and leaders of growing, mid-sized organizations to lead at the pace of transformation—aligning strategy, people, and technology to accelerate adoption, strengthen execution, and deliver measurable business results.

Stephanie Colores Bueno is a former Fortune 100 HR executive with over 23 years at Procter & Gamble, where she led global leadership development, culture transformation, and enterprise change initiatives. In her final years, she played a key role in ... Show more

Caleb Crable

Caleb Crable

Caleb is a Principal AI Red Team Engineer at Ethos Life, a publicly traded life insurance company, where he attacks production AI deployments and the identity infrastructure underneath them. Before Ethos he spent four years on the red team at BILL, running authorized engagements against critical financial infrastructure and the company's AI support platform, with a focus on prompt injection, tool abuse, and credential exposure in LLM pipelines.

Earlier in his career Caleb spent three years with Cylance Professional Services delivering full-scope red team engagements for clients in every business sector. Before consulting he was a senior malware analyst at Cylance and The Media Trust, doing deep file analysis, reverse engineering, and incident reconstruction, and serving as a research associate on the whitepaper "Influence Sketching: Finding Influential Samples in Large-Scale Regressions." With over 14 years in offensive security, he brings a practitioner's instinct to every layer of the stack, from physical entry and social engineering to AI red teaming and ML research.

Caleb is a Principal AI Red Team Engineer at Ethos Life, a publicly traded life insurance company, where he attacks production AI deployments and the identity infrastructure underneath them. Before Ethos he spent four years on the red team at BILL, r... Show more

Nizzar Ben Chekroune

Nizzar Ben Chekroune

Nizzar Ben Chekroune is the founder of Quantum Branding, an independent practice for companies with something important to improve, launch, rethink or build.

Making has become extraordinarily cheap. AI can produce strategies, interfaces, campaigns and software faster than most organizations can decide what is worth producing. The scarce part is judgment.

He works on the decision underneath the brief: what should change, what deserves to exist, and which direction survives contact with the market. Seventeen years across brands, institutions, technology and culture, including work connected to UNIDO, USAID, Diesel, Audi, Google Arts & Culture, TIME and the New York Times.

He speaks on judgment in an age of abundant production, on what brands are actually made of, and on where AI accelerates work and where it must not decide.

nizzar.com - thequantumbranding.com

Nizzar Ben Chekroune is the founder of Quantum Branding, an independent practice for companies with something important to improve, launch, rethink or build. Making has become extraordinarily cheap. AI can produce strategies, interfaces, campaigns... Show more

Jonathan Ward

Jonathan Ward

Ex-CEO turned author, consultant, and educator, I have spent thirty years of international leadership experience at the intersection of AI, Business Agility, and DevOps. I'm the author of The Supercharged Enterprise: Strategic Adaptation for Growth and Resilience (Business Expert Press) and Developing Agile Coaches, and I've distilled that experience into the Blueprint for Enterprise Agility — a framework built on eight Leadership Behaviours and eight Operational Processes that I teach and apply directly in client transformations.

My current work focuses on where AI meets governance and portfolio management: I've developed and deliver a course treating Lean Portfolio Management combined with AI as a control system, with AI as the sensing and optimisation layer — alongside advisory work helping financial services and other regulated organisations govern AI responsibly. I believe, and have proven repeatedly, that Enterprise Agility done well produces measurable growth and profit, not just cultural change for its own sake.

I've operated at every level from board to project team, across Financial Services, Banking, Payments, Insurance, FMCG, TV, and Retail — leading large-scale agile transformations and applying AI directly in software development and testing environments. That range across people, process, technology, and now AI governance lets me craft change initiatives that hold up under real organisational pressure, not just in the deck.

Ex-CEO turned author, consultant, and educator, I have spent thirty years of international leadership experience at the intersection of AI, Business Agility, and DevOps. I'm the author of The Supercharged Enterprise: Strategic Adaptation for Growth a... Show more

Milan Cheeks

Milan Cheeks

Milan Cheeks is the founder and CEO of SELF Labs Inc., a technology company developing AI-powered products and infrastructure designed to improve how people live, work, create, and interact with technology.

He is leading the development of SELF OS, an AI-native operating environment designed to bring intelligent agents, decentralized applications, digital identity, and user-controlled computing into a unified ecosystem. He is also developing ESSENCE, a blockchain-based utility and economic layer intended to reward verified participation and contributions within the SELF network.

Through SELF Labs, Milan works across artificial intelligence, decentralized infrastructure, robotics, real estate technology, digital economies, and next-generation human-computer interaction.

His broader mission is to build technology that gives individuals greater ownership of their data, intelligence, devices, and economic value—helping move society from centralized digital platforms toward more personalized and user-owned technological systems.

Milan Cheeks is the founder and CEO of SELF Labs Inc., a technology company developing AI-powered products and infrastructure designed to improve how people live, work, create, and interact with technology. He is leading the development of SELF OS... Show more

Erik Thorelli

Erik Thorelli

Erik Thorelli is an Engineering Leader at Cisco Meraki, leading the mobile engineering organization. He's been developing React and React Native apps for almost a decade, from startups to corporates and across sectors (defense, pharma, green, fintech, networking, and IoT)...and seen some stuff. Erik teaches courses and lectures at universities, workshops, conferences, and local tech meetups.

Erik Thorelli is an Engineering Leader at Cisco Meraki, leading the mobile engineering organization. He's been developing React and React Native apps for almost a decade, from startups to corporates and across sectors (defense, pharma, green, fintech... Show more

Mehdi Mohseni

Mehdi Mohseni

Mehdi is a senior software developer and system architect who has been designing and building production systems since 2000. Across that time he has delivered solutions in office automation, CRM, healthcare management, and industrial and logistics automation, working primarily on the .NET platform and with a strong commitment to clean, object-oriented design.

Since 2016 his work has centered on cloud computing and cloud-native architecture. More recently his main focus has become AI engineering: integrating large language models into real .NET applications through function calling and tool use, building retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) pipelines, and combining vector search with graph databases such as ArangoDB and NebulaGraph for semantic discovery and reasoning. He also applies these techniques to production problems such as AI-driven root-cause analysis in observability systems.

He writes and speaks about .NET, Azure, practical LLM integration, function calling, vector and semantic search, and graph databases, sharing much of this hands-on work at dotnet-talk.com.

Mehdi is a senior software developer and system architect who has been designing and building production systems since 2000. Across that time he has delivered solutions in office automation, CRM, healthcare management, and industrial and logistics au... Show more

Manuel Alejandro Ledezma Falcon

Manuel Alejandro Ledezma Falcon

Manuel Ledezma, known in the tech community as Tester Testarudo, is a software testing and automation specialist with a strong commitment to delivering high-quality and reliable software. Over the past years, he has focused on mastering QA practices and automation strategies, working in agile and fast-paced environments.
He has contributed to leading companies such as Mediktor, AXA, Telecom Argentina, Newfold, and Mojo Marketplace, where he implemented scalable testing solutions that improved product stability and user experience.
Manuel currently serves as the QA Automation Lead at Mediktor in Barcelona, Spain, where he leads automation initiatives to ensure robust and impactful digital products.
Beyond his professional work, Manuel empowers the QA community through Tester Testarudo, his educational project dedicated to helping newcomers learn testing in a clear, practical, and accessible way.

Manuel Ledezma, known in the tech community as Tester Testarudo, is a software testing and automation specialist with a strong commitment to delivering high-quality and reliable software. Over the past years, he has focused on mastering QA practices ... Show more

Jessica Ibarra

Jessica Ibarra

I’m a creative, people-first service and experience designer with 15+ years of transforming complex programmes into end-to-end services that leaders, boards, and delivery teams can understand, fund, and scale. I’m successful because empathy is where I start, not where I stop, to deliver quality products, services and experiences that make a positive impact.
My work bridges design thinking, service design, and systems thinking principles applied to AI enablement for products, workflows and teams. In practice, I lead service, experience, and learning design across tech-forward, AI-heavy programmes, often as the first and only designer in the room. In the past, I have helped several emerging teams and startups build a shared practice and find smarter, more inclusive ways through their most ambiguous challenges, so I’m confident as hire #1 or leading a growing team.

I’m a creative, people-first service and experience designer with 15+ years of transforming complex programmes into end-to-end services that leaders, boards, and delivery teams can understand, fund, and scale. I’m successful because empathy is where ... Show more

Emanuel Toledo

Emanuel Toledo

Emanuel Toledo is a Data Scientist and holds a degree in Public Management, specializing in the implementation of artificial intelligence and the strategic use of data in organizations.

With over 15 years of experience in the public sector, he works on designing practical frameworks for AI adoption, addressing its limitations, risks, and challenges in real-world decision-making contexts.

He is the founder of Thinking Out!, a consulting firm focused on data analytics, artificial intelligence, and digital transformation, where he supports institutions and professionals in the effective integration of these technologies.

He is currently researching how the public sector can reduce its structural gaps and improve its capabilities through the strategic adoption of technology. As part of this work, he developed a digital transition approach adaptable to different types of organizations, aimed at effectively integrating data and artificial intelligence in real-world management contexts.

Emanuel Toledo is a Data Scientist and holds a degree in Public Management, specializing in the implementation of artificial intelligence and the strategic use of data in organizations. With over 15 years of experience in the public sector, he wor... Show more

Sarah Kundla

Sarah Kundla

As a facilitator, speaker, and instructional designer, I explore human behavior, the science of how people learn, and the modern trends shaping the way we connect in today's culture. That curiosity drives everything I do, helping leaders and teams understand the people they work with, so they can work more effectively together.

My approach is shaped by research, experience, and a deep interest in how communication styles, cultural norms, and human dynamics influence the way people lead, relate, and grow in today's modern landscape.

I've delivered training for 1,800+ professionals across the U.S. and internationally, and spoken at conferences including Worthington Steel's LEARN & LEAD Conferences (2020, 2023, 2025), WitCon (2025), and CodeMash (2026). My facilitation style is practical, relatable, and focused on driving lasting behavior change, the kind that shows up long after the session ends.

As a facilitator, speaker, and instructional designer, I explore human behavior, the science of how people learn, and the modern trends shaping the way we connect in today's culture. That curiosity drives everything I do, helping leaders and teams un... Show more

Michelle Courtney Berry

Michelle Courtney Berry

Michelle Courtney Berry — The Workplace Doc™ — is a leadership consultant, keynote speaker, bestselling author, and doctoral candidate in Leadership Studies at Louisiana State University Shreveport, where her original mixed-methods research (N=186) on toxic workplace environments and employee coping behavior has been accepted twice by the International Leadership Association Global Conference and at other esteemed venues and conferences.

A Cornell MPS alumna and two-time TEDx and encore SXSW speaker, Michelle has delivered more than 5,000 talks, trainings, and facilitated experiences across four continents — for Fortune 500 companies, federal agencies, healthcare systems, hospitality organizations, and nonprofits. She is the creator of the Working Well, One Day at a Time® method and the founder and CEO of Courtney Consulting Enterprises, LLC.

An internationally-trained Usui Reiki Master Teacher and Karuna Master Teacher, Michelle is also an internationally-certified group conflict negotiator, a humorist, and the international bestselling author of Keeping Calm in Chaos: How to Work Well, Live Well, and Love Abundantly No Matter What.

Her work has appeared on Good Morning America and PBS, and she has shared stages with Dr. Maya Angelou, Howard Zinn, The Dalai Lama, Mos Def, and Amiri Baraka. She is a Cave Canem Poetry Fellow and former Second Poet Laureate of Tompkins County, NY.

Press kit: https://bit.ly/michelleEPK | michellecourtneyberry.com

Michelle Courtney Berry — The Workplace Doc™ — is a leadership consultant, keynote speaker, bestselling author, and doctoral candidate in Leadership Studies at Louisiana State University Shreveport, where her original mixed-methods research (N=186) o... Show more

Paul-Louis Nech

Paul-Louis Nech

Paul-Louis Nech is a Machine Learning engineer with 10 years of experience crafting software for a global audience.
Throughout his career, he has leveraged advanced algorithms to empower developers and users alike.
From SwiftKey to Algolia, Paul-Louis has built tools that bridge the gap between state-of-the-art algorithms (which work in the lab) and end products (which succeed in the wild).
This requires not only great technology, but more importantly great user-experience, to make sure you build something people want!

Paul-Louis Nech is a Machine Learning engineer with 10 years of experience crafting software for a global audience. Throughout his career, he has leveraged advanced algorithms to empower developers and users alike. From SwiftKey to Algolia, Paul-L... Show more

Kris Freedain

Kris Freedain

Kris Freedain (he/him) is the Senior Community Manager for the OpenSearch Project. He has decades of experience in tech, but finds connecting people to be the most fulfilling part of being a community professional.

Kris Freedain (he/him) is the Senior Community Manager for the OpenSearch Project. He has decades of experience in tech, but finds connecting people to be the most fulfilling part of being a community professional. Show more

Silvia Triboni

Silvia Triboni

Silvia Triboni is a lawyer with an MBA in Public Management from the Getúlio Vargas Foundation. She has a degree in Sustainability and Human Responsibility from the University of Lisbon and in Coaching and Mentoring from the Getúlio Vargas Foundation.

She is a lecturer, consultant and journalist focusing on the theme of active longevity and intergenerational harmony in companies, in Brazil and Portugal, and has lectured in several countries. She is columnist and international correspondent for companies linked to the interests of people 50+, working in Brazil and Portugal.

An activist against ageism, she is director of the StopIdadism Association in Portugal.

A writer, she has launched the book Employability 50+ in Portugal and Brazil, which presents useful information and strategies for a successful career in maturity, and Intentional Longevity®, with a foreword by Dr Alexandre Kalache, a book aimed at encouraging the conscious construction of a life with purpose, healthy habits and choices.

In his Centenarian Expedition project, he has explored the Blue Zones® and other regions where their inhabitants are exceptionally healthy and long-lived, in order to publicise good practices to his audience.

Silvia Triboni is a lawyer with an MBA in Public Management from the Getúlio Vargas Foundation. She has a degree in Sustainability and Human Responsibility from the University of Lisbon and in Coaching and Mentoring from the Getúlio Vargas Foundation... Show more

Lani Gonzales

Lani Gonzales

Lani Gonzales helps successful women and high achievers who look accomplished on the outside—but feel exhausted, disconnected, or unfulfilled on the inside—create success without burnout and power without losing their soul.

Many of the women Lani works with have done everything “right.” They’ve built impressive careers, achieved financial independence, and earned respect—yet inside, they feel stuck, overextended, or quietly empty. The constant pressure to perform, produce, and prove has pulled them further from their intuition, their body, and their deeper sense of purpose.

After becoming a law firm partner at 23, Lani lived that same story. From the outside, she had it all. On the inside, she was driven by subconscious survival patterns and a nervous system locked in overdrive. Her own awakening led her to leave the legal profession and devote her life to studying the subconscious mind, human behavior, and the wisdom traditions that have guided healing and leadership for thousands of years.

Today, Lani blends neuroscience-based hypnotherapy, performance psychology, and ancient wisdom traditions to help high-achieving women:
- Rewire burnout and overdrive at the root
- Break free from subconscious self-sabotage
- Reconnect to clarity, intuition, and inner authority
- Build success that feels aligned, sustainable, and alive

Her talks are known for being raw, strategic, and deeply activating—combining modern science with timeless wisdom to create real, lasting transformation. Audiences leave with tools they can use immediately to change how they lead, live, and work.

Lani Gonzales helps successful women and high achievers who look accomplished on the outside—but feel exhausted, disconnected, or unfulfilled on the inside—create success without burnout and power without losing their soul. Many of the women Lani ... Show more

Christal Chatman

Christal Chatman

Dr. Christal L. Chatman is an author, speaker, Certified Professional Life Coach, and higher education leader who is passionate about helping people create healthier, more intentional lives. Drawing from her experience in leadership, coaching, relationships, and personal development, she brings practical insight, authenticity, and encouragement to every audience.

She is the creator of the "Girl, Rest" movement and "Connection" experiences, designed to help women and couples build stronger, healthier lives. Dr. Christal is also the author of "Girl, Rest: Taking Time for God and Yourself", "Man, Be Still", "Behind the Mask", and "Connection: A 12-Week Guided Journal for Couples".

With a Doctor of Business Administration, MBA, and bachelor's degree in Accounting, Dr. Christal combines more than three decades of higher education experience with her work as a coach, author, and speaker. Her speaking topics include rest and wellness, leadership, relationships, personal growth, boundaries, purpose, and creating sustainable balance in demanding environments.

Known for making meaningful topics relatable and actionable, Dr. Christal encourages audiences to slow down, reconnect with what matters, and make intentional choices that support both personal and professional growth.

Dr. Christal L. Chatman is an author, speaker, Certified Professional Life Coach, and higher education leader who is passionate about helping people create healthier, more intentional lives. Drawing from her experience in leadership, coaching, relati... Show more

Arjun Sharda

Arjun Sharda

Arjun Sharda is the 15-year-old Executive Director of TLEEM (Arabic: تعليم), Texas's largest K-12 networking nonprofit with over 4,000 K-12 and college student members from 11 countries through 37 clubs. Aside from TLEEM, he's been programming for over seven years and has written for outlets such as the Washington Post and the Austin-American Statesman. He has received recognition from Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas State Board of Education.

Arjun Sharda is the 15-year-old Executive Director of TLEEM (Arabic: تعليم), Texas's largest K-12 networking nonprofit with over 4,000 K-12 and college student members from 11 countries through 37 clubs. Aside from TLEEM, he's been programming for ov... Show more

Nyah Macklin

Nyah Macklin

Nyah Macklin is a seasoned researcher and speaker on topics around AI, ML, Ethics, Governance, and Responsibility. Nyah serves as a Senior Developer Advocate for Artificial Intelligence at Neo4j, specializing in context engineering, knowledge graphs, and AI-driven developer tooling where Nyah has built high-impact technical communities and led initiatives that advance a critical understanding of AI and its use cases. They are also the Founder & CTO of Afros in AI, a technical community dedicated to showcasing the multifaceted nature of artificial intelligence. Beyond Nyah's technical expertise, Nyah has a background in government leadership and technology policy, having served as Chief of Staff in the U.S. state government, where they helped shape tech-driven legislative initiatives and equity-driven legislation. When not immersed in their work, Nyah cares about empowering, teaching, and tutoring engineers, live-streaming technical deep dives, and building open-source tools that make software more accessible, explainable, and community-driven.

Nyah Macklin is a seasoned researcher and speaker on topics around AI, ML, Ethics, Governance, and Responsibility. Nyah serves as a Senior Developer Advocate for Artificial Intelligence at Neo4j, specializing in context engineering, knowledge graphs,... Show more

Oliver Ewinger

Oliver Ewinger

Oliver Ewinger is an AI expert, speaker and trainer, as well as a LinkedIn Top Voice for Artificial Intelligence. As a vocational educator (Master Professional of Vocational Training) with over 38 years of experience in the automotive and mechanical engineering industries, he makes Artificial Intelligence understandable, practical and grounded in a clear stance – for conferences, companies and educational institutions.

In his keynotes and trainings he speaks about generative AI in everyday work, the EU AI Act and AI literacy, building AI competence within organizations, and the future of work and corporate learning. His approach: human-centered AI that empowers people rather than replacing them.

Oliver is a co-creator of the "KI-Führerschein" (AI Driving License) at the HR-RoundTable Academy, a core team member of the Corporate Learning Community (over 11,000 members across the DACH region), co-founder of CLC0711 Stuttgart, a startup advisor at Startnetz Reutlingen. Learn more at the-ai-laend.net.

Oliver Ewinger is an AI expert, speaker and trainer, as well as a LinkedIn Top Voice for Artificial Intelligence. As a vocational educator (Master Professional of Vocational Training) with over 38 years of experience in the automotive and mechanical ... Show more

Ted Johnson

Ted Johnson

Ted Johnson is a software architect, entrepreneur, and researcher exploring the future of human-computer interaction in the age of AI. Over the past 25 years, he has built enterprise software and collaboration systems across multiple industries, with a focus on turning complex technology into practical tools that people actually use.

He holds a Master's degree in Computer Science with a focus on human-computer interaction (HCI), intelligent systems, and how people collaborate with technology. Long before the current AI boom, his academic work explored many of the questions that are now re-emerging around usability, intelligence, and human-machine collaboration.

Ted is currently co-founder of JoinIn.ai, where he is researching conversational AI, multi-party interaction, turn-taking, interruption handling, theory of mind, and what it would mean for AI systems to participate naturally in human conversations rather than simply respond to prompts. His work sits at the intersection of HCI, cognitive science, conversation research, and modern AI.

He believes the next major breakthrough in AI may not be smarter models, but more human-compatible interfaces.

Ted Johnson is a software architect, entrepreneur, and researcher exploring the future of human-computer interaction in the age of AI. Over the past 25 years, he has built enterprise software and collaboration systems across multiple industries, with... Show more

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