Humanities & Social Sciences

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

Nick Nisi

Nick Nisi

Nick Nisi is an elite software engineer who is a veteran of open source web development, a lover of karaoke, an advocate for diversity in tech, a conference organizer extraordinaire, a lover of new experiences, and a beacon of expertise, kindness and hope for his development team.

Nick Nisi is an elite software engineer who is a veteran of open source web development, a lover of karaoke, an advocate for diversity in tech, a conference organizer extraordinaire, a lover of new experiences, and a beacon of expertise, kindness and... Show more

Michael Allison

Michael Allison

Michael Allison, is a U.S. Marine Purple Heart Veteran, award-winning entrepreneur, best-selling author, and international keynote speaker. A globally recognized expert in identity-driven leadership and organizational resilience, Michael transforms adversity into strategic advantage. Over two decades, he has led Marines in combat, managed multi-million-dollar government projects, directed higher-ed programs, and scaled an INC 5000 franchise to successful exit. Michael equips leaders and teams to break internal limitations, guard energy, and thrive under pressure. His signature frameworks—Break The Bottle and Protect The House—blend combat-tested leadership, trauma-informed coaching, and enterprise execution discipline. Michael has delivered transformational keynotes, workshops, and consulting for world-class organizations globally. He empowers professionals to align technical brilliance with human resilience and lead with clarity, creativity, and conviction.

Michael Allison, is a U.S. Marine Purple Heart Veteran, award-winning entrepreneur, best-selling author, and international keynote speaker. A globally recognized expert in identity-driven leadership and organizational resilience, Michael transforms a... Show more

Ken Chase

Ken Chase

Ken Chase has over 25 years of experience working with Microsoft technologies related to infrastructure and end user computing. He has worked with and led teams that have spanned multiple geographic areas and whose team members have spanned generational, geographical, and social differences. Ken is married and with his wife shares the joy of raising four daughters. Ken takes joy in being active in his community by supporting the local schools and politics.

Ken Chase has over 25 years of experience working with Microsoft technologies related to infrastructure and end user computing. He has worked with and led teams that have spanned multiple geographic areas and whose team members have spanned generatio... Show more

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

Ashley Stallings

Ashley Stallings

Hey there—I’m Ashley, the voice behind Audibly Ashley. I’ve spent over a decade in the nonprofit world, building things from scratch, standing up for kids and families, and cheering on the helpers who make it all happen.

In addition to founding and running Upper Valley Child Advocacy Center, I speak, consult, and create space for people to rediscover their why—especially when the work gets heavy. I’m all about heart-led leadership, honest conversations, and reminding folks they don’t have to lose themselves to make a difference.

If you’re into purpose-driven work and real talk—let’s connect.

Hey there—I’m Ashley, the voice behind Audibly Ashley. I’ve spent over a decade in the nonprofit world, building things from scratch, standing up for kids and families, and cheering on the helpers who make it all happen. In addition to founding an... Show more

Anastasiya Zhu

Anastasiya Zhu

Synergy creator | Initiator Generalist | All-rounder | With people. For people.
I am an Employer Branding Specialist & your personal HR Business Partner. I stand for diversity, equity & inclusion. Passionate about exploring future trends, digitalization & technologies, and their innovational potential for business developments and society.

Synergy creator | Initiator Generalist | All-rounder | With people. For people. I am an Employer Branding Specialist & your personal HR Business Partner. I stand for diversity, equity & inclusion. Passionate about exploring future trends, digitaliza... Show more

Tamas Piros

Tamas Piros

Tamas is a Google Developer Expert in Web Technologies and a seasoned Developer Evangelist. He is a passionate advocate for modern web technologies, helping people understand and unlock the latest & greatest features of web development.

Tamas is a Google Developer Expert in Web Technologies and a seasoned Developer Evangelist. He is a passionate advocate for modern web technologies, helping people understand and unlock the latest & greatest features of web development. Show more

Sam Cranford

Sam Cranford

Long-time agile jiggler, eXtreme programmer and agile catalyst, amateur bon vivant. Bilingual EN/FR - fr_US

Long-time agile jiggler, eXtreme programmer and agile catalyst, amateur bon vivant. Bilingual EN/FR - fr_US Show more

Selam Moges

Selam Moges

I'm Selam and I'm currently a software engineer at Apella. I've always been fascinated by technology and its potential to make our lives better and more equitable. As an advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), I'm committed to making tech a come inclusive place for everyone.

I'm passionate about computer ethics and ensuring that technology is developed and used in ethical and responsible ways. I believe that technology can be a powerful force for good, but only if we approach it with a thoughtful and ethical mindset.

When I'm not working, you can usually find me reading, out for a run, or at a museum. I also love to connect with other tech professionals who share my passion for DEI, accessibility, and computer ethics.

I'm Selam and I'm currently a software engineer at Apella. I've always been fascinated by technology and its potential to make our lives better and more equitable. As an advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), I'm committed to making tec... Show more

Emna Ouali

Emna Ouali

As a certified professional coach and enterprise agile coach, I support leaders, managers, and teams in driving sustainable transformation across industries and cultures. With 15+ years of experience, I bring an integrative approach that blends agile frameworks, systems thinking, neuroscience, positive psychology, sociology, and collective intelligence.

I help organizations surface implicit team dynamics, assess their maturity, and design tailored strategies to foster collaboration, performance, and meaningful impact. I’ve worked with clients in the tech, retail, and public sectors — including scale-ups and organizations navigating crisis or restructuring.

My coaching and facilitation style is grounded, pragmatic, and focused on real-life challenges. I create safe spaces for reflection and experimentation, while making complex concepts accessible and actionable. I strongly believe in embodied agility — an agility that embraces tension, context, and human complexity.

As a speaker, I share case-based insights, tools to align strategy with action, and systemic lenses to better understand organizational behavior. My sessions are designed to spark awareness and equip participants with ideas they can implement immediately.

I’m particularly passionate about helping leaders “connect the dots” between strategic intent and collective execution — and about enabling teams to grow through clarity, ownership, and trust.

As a certified professional coach and enterprise agile coach, I support leaders, managers, and teams in driving sustainable transformation across industries and cultures. With 15+ years of experience, I bring an integrative approach that blends agile... Show more

Sami Diaf

Sami Diaf

Sami is an experienced, polyvalent data scientist with a strong background in statistics, computer science and economics. He has held various positions at the intersection of industry and academia. He worked as a research associate on an interdisciplinary project at the University of Hamburg. His expertise ranges from applied statistics to advanced AI applications. He holds several degrees and has published in top journals.

Sami is an experienced, polyvalent data scientist with a strong background in statistics, computer science and economics. He has held various positions at the intersection of industry and academia. He worked as a research associate on an interdiscipl... Show more

Frank Köhne

Frank Köhne

Frank Köhne is co-head of viadee's Data Science division. He has a research background and has spent the last 15 years coordinating the company's collaborations with universities in the region, but he has also spent a lot of time on software development and architecture, often in insurance or logistics.
He is currently leading a BMBF-funded consortium with the goal of leveraging process workarounds in the context of Industry 4.0 for process innovation.

Frank Köhne is co-head of viadee's Data Science division. He has a research background and has spent the last 15 years coordinating the company's collaborations with universities in the region, but he has also spent a lot of time on software developm... Show more

Arthit Suriyawongkul

Arthit Suriyawongkul

I'm a PhD candidate in topic of AI governance at Trinity College Dublin, funded by Research Ireland Centre for Research Training in Digitally-Enhanced Reality (d-real). I also volunteer for Thai Netizen Network, a digital civil rights group based in Bangkok, and help maintain SPDX system bill of materials projects.

My interest is in software engineering standards and how it can facilitate interactions between the technical layer and the legal layer for an accountable AI. Part of my PhD work is around system trustworthiness and accountability vocabulary.

I'm a PhD candidate in topic of AI governance at Trinity College Dublin, funded by Research Ireland Centre for Research Training in Digitally-Enhanced Reality (d-real). I also volunteer for Thai Netizen Network, a digital civil rights group based in ... Show more

Massimiliano Luca

Massimiliano Luca

I am a Senior Researcher at Bruno Kessler Foundation and Chief Scientific Officer at Pulse.io. I obtained my PhD in November 2023 from the Faculty of Computer Science at the Free University of Bolzano. During my PhD, I was a Visitor Researcher at MIT Connection Science and a Visiting Ph.D. Student at CSIC-IFISC. I am currently working on socially aware foundation models, human-intelligent agents cooperation and spatially-aware deep learning for urban, transportation and mobility.

I am a Senior Researcher at Bruno Kessler Foundation and Chief Scientific Officer at Pulse.io. I obtained my PhD in November 2023 from the Faculty of Computer Science at the Free University of Bolzano. During my PhD, I was a Visitor Researcher at MI... Show more

Oliver Larsson

Oliver Larsson

My PhD journey in the cold of northern Sweden has led me down a path to much of the latest cloud-native tech. Between that and my somewhat alarmingly high interest in homelabbing, I really live in the cloud-native ecosystem. But those are just side-hustles, cat-dad is my main occupation.

My PhD journey in the cold of northern Sweden has led me down a path to much of the latest cloud-native tech. Between that and my somewhat alarmingly high interest in homelabbing, I really live in the cloud-native ecosystem. But those are just side-h... Show more

Alex Wolf

Alex Wolf

Alex is a Systemic Engineer from Cologne, Germany in their 30s.

They have extensive experience designing complex distributed systems, complex team topologies, and care deeply about the human component in tech. They are always looking for ways to create a more inclusive, psychological safe, and productive work environment, all to enable engineers to become the best versions of themselves. In the past decade they successfully worked as a colleague to, manager of, and mentor for many engineers and stakeholders.

Alex is a Systemic Engineer from Cologne, Germany in their 30s. They have extensive experience designing complex distributed systems, complex team topologies, and care deeply about the human component in tech. They are always looking for ways to c... Show more

Cyril Clergeau

Cyril Clergeau

Depuis plus de 15 ans, je valorise les forces humaines pour transformer les défis en leviers d’innovation. Expert certifié en coaching d’entreprise (ICP-ENT), facilitation (ICP-ATF) et Approche Appréciative (IFAI), j'accompagne les organisations vers des dynamiques agiles, collaboratives et résilientes.

Grâce à une approche centrée sur l’humain et l’intelligence collective, je conçois des solutions sur mesure qui libèrent le potentiel des organisations, des équipes et favorisent un impact durable. Visionnaire et inspirant, j'aide les entreprises à bâtir un avenir aligné sur leurs histoires, leurs valeurs et leurs ambitions.

Je suis certifié Facilitateur, Coach d'Organisation et d'Entreprise par ICAgile et Praticien en Appreciative Inquiry par l'IFAI, berceau de la démarche AI en France.

Depuis plus de 15 ans, je valorise les forces humaines pour transformer les défis en leviers d’innovation. Expert certifié en coaching d’entreprise (ICP-ENT), facilitation (ICP-ATF) et Approche Appréciative (IFAI), j'accompagne les organisations vers... Show more

Dr. Amanda Fernandez

Dr. Amanda Fernandez

Dr. Amanda Fernandez is a seasoned education leader with a dynamic career spanning traditional district and county office roles, charter schools, and higher education. She brings extensive experience in designing and leading programs that elevate student achievement, educator development, and organizational effectiveness.

Dr. Fernandez has successfully led cross-functional departments, developed teacher mentoring programs, and collaborated with the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) as part of a multi-industry task force to design innovative credentialing pathways. Her work reflects a deep commitment to building sustainable systems that support both teaching and leadership pipelines.

Currently serving as Chief Fiscal Officer for a network of charter schools, Dr. Fernandez oversees financial operations, strategic budgeting, and alignment of fiscal resources with educational priorities. She also leads the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) process and facilitates the Parent Advisory Committee, ensuring inclusive engagement and data-driven decision-making.

A Board Certified Coach (BCC) and ACSA Leadership Coach, Dr. Fernandez is passionate about empowering education leaders to create cultures of trust, learning, and impact, where feedback is valued, teams are developed, and every dollar advances student success.

Dr. Amanda Fernandez is a seasoned education leader with a dynamic career spanning traditional district and county office roles, charter schools, and higher education. She brings extensive experience in designing and leading programs that elevate stu... Show more

Simon Juma

Simon Juma

I'm an renowned author in biology mainly specializing in botany. Additionally I'm also a cyber security authentic mainly specializing in penetration testing and nertwork security.

I'm an renowned author in biology mainly specializing in botany. Additionally I'm also a cyber security authentic mainly specializing in penetration testing and nertwork security. Show more

Matthew Oluwaniyi

Matthew Oluwaniyi

Matthew is passionate about helping individual and organizational talent unlock their full potential and embrace the transformative power of digital innovation. With over a decade of experience in cloud architecture, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence, he specializes in the design and implementation of digital ecosystems driven by efficiency, security, and data-driven decision-making.
Matthew is an experienced consultant and trainer dedicated to capacity development, helping organizations and teams succeed in today's fast-changing digital environment with the necessary tools and strategies. With postgraduate degrees in Project Management and Manpower Training and Development, his holistic approach assures the achievement of sustainable progress and a competitive advantage, whether leading cloud migrations, improving cybersecurity frameworks, or driving the adoption of artificial intelligence. He is dedicated to transforming digital landscapes and helping organizations stay ahead of the curve.

Matthew is passionate about helping individual and organizational talent unlock their full potential and embrace the transformative power of digital innovation. With over a decade of experience in cloud architecture, cybersecurity, and artificial int... Show more

Falene McKenna

Falene McKenna

Falene McKenna is a product manager with a strong background in software development, conversational experience design, and data analysis. Specializing in Robot VUIs, she is passionate about using technology, particularly social robots and Conversational AI, to improve people's lives.

Coming from a background Linguistics, Falene began her Social Robotics career at Intuition Robotics, working on their flagship project ElliQ—an AI-powered social companion robot for older adults—and developing in-car voice experiences. She later collaborated on a proof-of-concept for Fur Hat Robotics and Microsoft PVA before serving as the Head of Product for Aico, an AI-driven early childhood learning robot by Curiosity Robotics.

In October of 2023, Falene started her own company, Lingua Robotica, with the hopes of bringing ethical and holistic design into multimodal development.

A voice in the conversational AI space, Falene has presented at various events, including the Conversation Design Festival 2022, emphasizing the importance of bot building standards, language expertise in AI experiences, and persona building. She is also an active member of Women in Voice, promoting gender diversity in the voice technology industry.

Falene McKenna is a product manager with a strong background in software development, conversational experience design, and data analysis. Specializing in Robot VUIs, she is passionate about using technology, particularly social robots and Conversati... Show more

Oscar Cariceo

Oscar Cariceo

Ingeniero de Software con formación académica en antropología y ciencias sociales. Interesado en las posibilidades que ofrece la inteligencia artificial generativa y el desarrollo de aplicaciones orientadas mejorar la experiencia de los seres humanos con los sistemas computacionales. Actualmente se despeña como Manager de UX Research en Scotiabank.

Ingeniero de Software con formación académica en antropología y ciencias sociales. Interesado en las posibilidades que ofrece la inteligencia artificial generativa y el desarrollo de aplicaciones orientadas mejorar la experiencia de los seres humanos... Show more

Juan Reséndiz

Juan Reséndiz

Ingeniero de Software y Devops, llevo 10 años de diversión en el área de sistemas.
Me encanta enseñar, aprender y crear soluciones, buscando la mantenibilidad, disponibilidad y resiliencia de los sistemas.

Actualmente estoy como Engineer Manager en Pinterest, para la vertical de Ads Review

Soy fanático de no morir de hambre.

Ingeniero de Software y Devops, llevo 10 años de diversión en el área de sistemas. Me encanta enseñar, aprender y crear soluciones, buscando la mantenibilidad, disponibilidad y resiliencia de los sistemas. Actualmente estoy como Engineer Manager... Show more

Lazetta Braxton

Lazetta Braxton

Lazetta Rainey Braxton, MBA, CFP® is a high-impact, solution-oriented founder with a proven track record of building successful entrepreneurial ventures, driving innovation, and navigating the complexity of cultural competency in the financial services industry.

As Founder and Principal of The Real Wealth Coterie, a financial planning and wealth management firm, and Lazetta & Associates, a speaking and business consulting firm, Lazetta equips individuals and leaders to align their finances with their vision and values and achieve sustainable wealth. She is passionate about amplifying culture, talent, life, and money, and extends her expertise through public speaking, writing, consulting, and coaching.

Lazetta was named one of Crain's New York Business Notable Black Leaders and Executives and one of the top 10 of Investopedia’s 100 Top Financial Advisors for three consecutive years. Lazetta's national media presence includes TV appearances on NBC, CNBC, and CheddarNews and mentions in the WSJ, NY Times, LA Times, and Black Enterprise.

Lazetta Rainey Braxton, MBA, CFP® is a high-impact, solution-oriented founder with a proven track record of building successful entrepreneurial ventures, driving innovation, and navigating the complexity of cultural competency in the financial servic... Show more

Andrea Portuese

Andrea Portuese

15 years working on several HR roles in both international enterprises and italian companies. 3 years of experience in Spain. In ConTe.it I felt i love for Agile and currently involved into agilization projects and DevOps transition in IT.
Release Train Leader/Field Manager since March 2021

15 years working on several HR roles in both international enterprises and italian companies. 3 years of experience in Spain. In ConTe.it I felt i love for Agile and currently involved into agilization projects and DevOps transition in IT. Release T... Show more

Ewa Antczak

Ewa Antczak

Dr. Ewa Antczak is an internationally recognized Behavioral Scientist, psychologist, and AI innovator dedicated to creating safer and more empathetic digital environments. With over two decades of professional experience, she has guided more than 15,000 individuals through her clinical and educational work, with expertise in emotional intelligence, gifted behavior, and youth mental health.
A published author of several books and peer-reviewed papers on behavior and attitude change, she completed her doctorate at the age of 24 while serving as a researcher and lecturer at the Polish Academy of Sciences and University of Social Sciences and Humanities, specializing in personality and the role of narrative mode in behavior change.
She is the founder of Felixa, a pioneering AI-powered platform that proactively detects and transforms harmful behavior in online communities, strengthening trust, collaboration, and inclusion. Her work uniquely bridges behavioral science with advanced technology, setting new standards for how societies can address digital safety and human well-being.
Dr. Antczak also created IdealMe, a personal development system that builds emotional intelligence and resilience in individuals and teams, and Talk2Alex, an app that has supported thousands of young people in regulating emotions and behaviors, particularly during the pandemic. She also serves on the Boards of Resilient Children Canada and the Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario (LDAO).
A frequent speaker at global conferences, Dr. Antczak continues to influence leaders, innovators, and policymakers at the intersection of psychology, technology, and human progress.

Dr. Ewa Antczak is an internationally recognized Behavioral Scientist, psychologist, and AI innovator dedicated to creating safer and more empathetic digital environments. With over two decades of professional experience, she has guided more than 15,... Show more

John Geraghty

John Geraghty

John Geraghty is an Optimal Performance Coach, Speaker, and the author of The Prism of Perspective as well as the host of its accompanying podcast.

But before becoming the leader people turn to for growth, he faced life-threatening challenges that forced him to rethink everything. His journey led him to rebuild his health, reshape his mindset, and redefine success—learning hard-won lessons in business, relationships, and personal mastery that aren’t typically discussed online.

Now, John helps seasoned business leaders align their decisions, relationships, and well-being with a long-term vision of fulfillment and impact. He challenges limiting beliefs about aging, proving that peak performance isn’t just for the young—it’s a lifelong pursuit. As the creator of Fitness Presence, he’s also redefining how we approach exercise, making it more effective, efficient, and injury-free.

Through his coaching, speaking, and The Prism of Perspective podcast, John inspires others to tap into their full potential, cultivate deeper connections, and step into a life of purpose, joy, and impact.

John Geraghty is an Optimal Performance Coach, Speaker, and the author of The Prism of Perspective as well as the host of its accompanying podcast. But before becoming the leader people turn to for growth, he faced life-threatening challenges that... Show more

Ayobami ⚡

Ayobami ⚡

Ayobami Atolagbe
Founder & Executive Director, BitKwa | Co-Founder & CEO, Demohub

Ayobami Atolagbe is a visionary entrepreneur, educator, and growth marketing executive on a mission to empower 10 million Africans through Bitcoin, education, and technology. He is the Founder and Executive Director of BitKwa, a nonprofit organization driving Bitcoin education, adoption, and circular economy initiatives across Africa. Through BitKwa, Ayobami has educated over 10,000 individuals and empowered grassroots movements via merchant onboarding programs, community workshops, and strategic partnerships that advance financial inclusion.

He is also the Founder and CEO of Demohub, an AI-powered EdTech platform making globally relevant digital skills accessible to African youth. Ayobami’s leadership bridges education, innovation, and economic empowerment at the grassroots level.

Ayobami previously served as Head of Growth at Paycrest (San Francisco), helping build fintech products for the Global South, and held key roles at Paxful and NoOnes, where he expanded Bitcoin’s reach across Africa through ambassador programs, market expansion strategies, and community-driven campaigns. He also volunteered with Built With Bitcoin to support the construction of a school in Kaduna, Nigeria, demonstrating Bitcoin’s real-world impact on education and community development.

Personal Philosophy: Always Thrive Towards Greatness

Ayobami Atolagbe Founder & Executive Director, BitKwa | Co-Founder & CEO, Demohub Ayobami Atolagbe is a visionary entrepreneur, educator, and growth marketing executive on a mission to empower 10 million Africans through Bitcoin, education, and t... Show more

Jihan Johnston-McGlotten

Jihan Johnston-McGlotten

Jihan Johnston-McGlotten is a visionary Cultural Technologist, Entrepreneur, and Senior Ph.D. Researcher specializing in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). As the founder of BeatBotics, she leads research-driven, human-centered technology initiatives that integrate emerging tech, AI, and digital media to create experiences that are both innovative and empathetic. Passionate about making technology more humane, Jihan explores how culture, media, and research can inform design that truly serves people. A mother, mentor, and thought leader, she also lends her expertise to initiatives across the tech ecosystem, helping expand access, opportunity, and human-focused innovation.

Jihan Johnston-McGlotten is a visionary Cultural Technologist, Entrepreneur, and Senior Ph.D. Researcher specializing in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). As the founder of BeatBotics, she leads research-driven, human-centered technology initiatives ... Show more

Laura Maguire

Laura Maguire

Dr. Laura Maguire is an expert on the cognitive work of software developers and work system design to handle the socio-technical complexity of large-scale distributed software systems.

As a Cognitive Systems Engineer & Researcher who studies complex, high-value work, she supports better human-machine teams by providing evidence-based designs for tooling, processes, and work systems. Her work is both theoretical and practical and offers insights into both individual strategies and organizational design that can optimize performance in software engineering.

She holds a Master's degree in Human Factors & Systems Safety from Lund University and a Ph.D. in Integrated Systems Engineering from Ohio State University.

Dr. Laura Maguire is an expert on the cognitive work of software developers and work system design to handle the socio-technical complexity of large-scale distributed software systems. As a Cognitive Systems Engineer & Researcher who studies comp... Show more

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