Humanities & Social Sciences

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

Heidi Waterhouse

Heidi Waterhouse

Heidi is an advocate for progressive delivery, organizational transformation, technical communication, and marketing you hate slightly less. She is a nerd about industrial psychology and patterns of progress. One of her favorite hobbies is talking to developers about things they already knew but had never thought of that way before. She sews all her conference dresses so that she's sure there is a pocket for the mic.

Heidi is an advocate for progressive delivery, organizational transformation, technical communication, and marketing you hate slightly less. She is a nerd about industrial psychology and patterns of progress. One of her favorite hobbies is talking to... Show more

Mike Torreano

Mike Torreano

Mike Torreano is a multiple award-winning author of historical fiction and traditional western mysteries set primarily in the Colorado and New Mexico Territories. In the fifth grade he read his first Zane Grey novel and has been hooked on the Old West ever since.
His debut western mystery, The Reckoning, was released in 2016 by The Wild Rose Press and the sequel, The Renewal, was released in 2018. Both are set in South Park, just west of the front range. He’s just released the third in the South Park series, The Return.
An interest in the Goodnight-Loving cattle trail inspired his first stand-alone western, A Score To Settle, which was set on that trail and came out in 2020.
A friend’s suggestion prompted Mike to write a second stand-alone western mystery, White Sands Gold, which was released by The Wild Rose Press in September 2022. It has received five literary awards.
His first historical novel, Fireflies at Dusk, is a multiple award-winning, coming-of-age tale about a young man torn between his pacifist family and his urge to fight against slavery as the Civil War breaks out.
Mike is a trustee of the Western Museum of Mining and Industry and belongs to several western organizations. He also speaks at clubs and organizations about the timeless values of the Old West and The Code of the West, and how those values are still relevant today.
He lives in Colorado Springs with his wife, Anne.

Mike Torreano is a multiple award-winning author of historical fiction and traditional western mysteries set primarily in the Colorado and New Mexico Territories. In the fifth grade he read his first Zane Grey novel and has been hooked on the Old Wes... 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

April Williams

April Williams

April Williams is a Recruitment Marketing Specialist at Grady Health System, dedicated to enhancing employer branding, candidate engagement, and talent acquisition strategies. With an MBA and a passion for storytelling, she creates impactful recruitment campaigns that connect job seekers with meaningful career opportunities.

April specializes in recruitment marketing, employer branding, event planning, and talent pipeline development. She has successfully led networking events, built strong talent communities, and developed innovative strategies to attract top talent.

As a speaker, she shares insights on building a compelling employer brand, engaging candidates through strategic marketing, and optimizing the job seeker experience. Whether she’s hosting hiring events, mentoring job seekers, or collaborating with talent acquisition teams, April is committed to helping organizations stand out and making job searching more approachable for candidates.

Let’s talk about how to elevate recruitment strategies and create a seamless candidate journey!

April Williams is a Recruitment Marketing Specialist at Grady Health System, dedicated to enhancing employer branding, candidate engagement, and talent acquisition strategies. With an MBA and a passion for storytelling, she creates impactful recruitm... Show more

Daniel Walsh

Daniel Walsh

Daniel Walsh is a Lean and Agile consultant, product development coach, international keynote speaker, professional facilitator, and systems engineer. He passionately advocates for Lean, Agile, and applied complexity methods and practices with 25+ years of engineering and product development experience. He was an engineering manager and a product manager at Intel Corp. for 18 years and has developed heuristics for successful, sustainable Lean & Agile transformations. Walsh led and coached diverse groups' transformation efforts, including digital transformation in the tech, energy, finance, and pharmaceutical sectors.

Walsh is a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) graduate with an M.S. in Engineering Systems and an M.B.A. from the MIT Sloan School of Business. He drives business results while cultivating work environments where people thrive and do their best work. He specializes in Lean, Agile, Product Management, OKRs, JTBD, Cynefin, strategy, culture change, Kanban, and other heuristics. These methodologies emphasize agility, autonomy, and capacity-building, empowering clients to become more effective, efficient, and resilient.

Daniel Walsh is a Lean and Agile consultant, product development coach, international keynote speaker, professional facilitator, and systems engineer. He passionately advocates for Lean, Agile, and applied complexity methods and practices with 25+ ye... Show more

Kayla Ooms

Kayla Ooms

Kayla Ooms has been serving as the Social Media Specialist at Purdue University Northwest since 2022. In her role, she manages the university's primary social media platforms, coordinates marketing events, and oversees digital marketing assets. Kayla is passionate about using marketing and public relations to achieve significant results in the digital landscape. With a strong background in social media management, she enjoys creating engaging content and developing strategic campaigns to enhance the Purdue Northwest brand and foster meaningful connections with current students, prospective students, parents, alumni, and the community.

Kayla Ooms has been serving as the Social Media Specialist at Purdue University Northwest since 2022. In her role, she manages the university's primary social media platforms, coordinates marketing events, and oversees digital marketing assets. Kayla... Show more

Tim Clarke

Tim Clarke

Tim is driven by a passion for harnessing cutting-edge technologies to bridge the gap between humans and machines, transforming the way we understand, interpret, and interact with information. Holding an MA in Religious Anthropology and an MSc in Data Science, Tim has had a diverse career, initially working internationally in the Oil Industry before shifting his focus to the tech sector. His expertise now centres on Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Knowledge Graph techniques to link complex datasets, facilitating more efficient data mining.

His background in Anthropology equips him with a profound understanding of human behaviour, cultural dynamics, and societal structures—skills that have been invaluable in his role as an NLP Engineer. This awareness allows Tim to design NLP systems with a deep appreciation for context, cultural nuances, and diverse perspectives.

Tim is driven by a passion for harnessing cutting-edge technologies to bridge the gap between humans and machines, transforming the way we understand, interpret, and interact with information. Holding an MA in Religious Anthropology and an MSc in Dat... Show more

Héctor Vicente Delgado

Héctor Vicente Delgado

Un historiador del Arte reconvertido al mundo de los datos que trabaja con tecnología Microsoft y disfruta creando comunidad.

Un historiador del Arte reconvertido al mundo de los datos que trabaja con tecnología Microsoft y disfruta creando comunidad. Show more

Julia Ludwig

Julia Ludwig

Business Administration & Business Psychology (B. Sc.)
Agile Coach, Senior Consultant

Business Administration & Business Psychology (B. Sc.) Agile Coach, Senior Consultant Show more

Lucy Allison

Lucy Allison

Research Assistant, Bouve College of Health Sciences, Northeastern University

Research Assistant, Bouve College of Health Sciences, Northeastern University Show more

Øystein Brager

Øystein Brager

UNG TEKST er Unge Viken Teaters satsning på unge dramatikere.

UNG TEKST er Unge Viken Teaters satsning på unge dramatikere. Show more

'Tine Zekis

'Tine Zekis

Christine ('Tine) Zekis is an educator turned software engineer, international speaker, and author. She is the Founder and CEO of Getting Black Women Paid, which empowers Black women professionals to change the trajectory of their careers, dramatically increase their lifetime earning potential, and achieve financial freedom. 'Tine is a sought-after speaker on panels and at tech conferences where she discusses salary negotiation, career changers, imposter syndrome, and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging in the industry.

Christine ('Tine) Zekis is an educator turned software engineer, international speaker, and author. She is the Founder and CEO of Getting Black Women Paid, which empowers Black women professionals to change the trajectory of their careers, dramatical... Show more

Ludmila Tomperi

Ludmila Tomperi

Speaker, Coach, DEI enthusiast
Passionate TA, recruiting and Sourcing Enthusiast with a flair for empathy. People and community advocate.
Over the last 8+ years, I have been actively engaged in the Tech Recruitment world. During this time, I successfully nurtured the growth of Zalando Helsinki's Tech division and currently supporting the global growth of the Aiven Tech Product (+) team.
As a firm believer in candidates' journeys and meaningful relationships, my team and I always strive to add a personal touch to our approach.
Additionally, I have a passion for coaching, open source, and communities.

Speaker, Coach, DEI enthusiast Passionate TA, recruiting and Sourcing Enthusiast with a flair for empathy. People and community advocate. Over the last 8+ years, I have been actively engaged in the Tech Recruitment world. During this time, I succes... Show more

Pierre Gervois

Pierre Gervois

Pierre Gervois is a crypto-poet exploring the relations of power in our society. His work is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Wild and Newfangled Art (NYC) and in the Tezos Foundation collection.

Pierre Gervois is a crypto-poet exploring the relations of power in our society. His work is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Wild and Newfangled Art (NYC) and in the Tezos Foundation collection. Show more

Tim Fowler

Tim Fowler

Tim Fowler is a Offensive Security Analyst with Black Hills Information Security has over a decades of experience working in information security. He has worked for Fortune 100 financial institutions as well as a consultant, providing penetration testing and red team services. Tim is passionate about sharing his knowledge with others and has had the pleasure of speaking at multiple security conferences across the county. When not hacking away as a clients network or writing the subsequent report, Tim loves spending time with his wife and son swimming endless laps in the pool and making things with his CNC router and Co2 laser cutters.

Tim Fowler is a Offensive Security Analyst with Black Hills Information Security has over a decades of experience working in information security. He has worked for Fortune 100 financial institutions as well as a consultant, providing penetration tes... Show more

Nupur Tevatiya

Nupur Tevatiya

Nupur Tevatiya is a Product Designer with four years of experience bridging technology, culture, and human-centered design. Passionate about the intersection of design and AI, she has worked with global teams to create user experiences that resonate across cultures. Their work emphasizes the power of design as a transformative force—one that goes beyond pixels and prototypes to shape communities, economies, and futures.

Having traveled extensively and collaborated with designers from Asia, Africa, Latin America, and India, she brings a rich, cross-cultural perspective to the conversation. She has engaged with indigenous artisans, digital innovators, and grassroots creators to understand how design is valued differently across geographies and economies.

A firm believer that design is more than a profession—it’s a language that connects humanity— Nupur is on a mission to redefine the narrative around design’s value. She seek to democratize design knowledge and inspire the next generation of creative thinkers worldwide.

Nupur Tevatiya is a Product Designer with four years of experience bridging technology, culture, and human-centered design. Passionate about the intersection of design and AI, she has worked with global teams to create user experiences that resonate... Show more

Berekou Abdou Rafiou

Berekou Abdou Rafiou

UX Researcher, UX Writer, Community Advocate de Friends of Figma Togo et Ambassadeur Notion Togo.

Je pense que si on tenait compte de certains critères (même les plus minimes), on peut créer un monde un peu vivable...

UX Researcher, UX Writer, Community Advocate de Friends of Figma Togo et Ambassadeur Notion Togo. Je pense que si on tenait compte de certains critères (même les plus minimes), on peut créer un monde un peu vivable... Show more

Emanuele Moscato

Emanuele Moscato

I spent several years working in large companies in different areas (business development, marketing, sourcing, organization, digital innovation) measuring myself in different fields, from software simulation and validation, to strategic sourcing and finally to organizational methodologies. In these experiences I was able to put into practice what I learned in my studies and learn new things using my ability to see and my propensity to think out of the box. Now is the time to help companies improve themselves by providing them with an external, competent and sometimes visionary, point of view. That's why I decided to take care of companies, and even before the people who make them live, from outside as a consultant.

I spent several years working in large companies in different areas (business development, marketing, sourcing, organization, digital innovation) measuring myself in different fields, from software simulation and validation, to strategic sourcing and... Show more

Pietro Maffi

Pietro Maffi

I started as a Java developer, I immediately became passionate about development methodologies and since 2003 I have had the opportunity to collaborate with cutting-edge companies in the agile world. This allowed me to become Scrum Master certified in 2008. I then applied scrum ideas in different sectors to improve my human skills and since 2020 I have been collaborating in Worldline, a leading digital payments company.

I started as a Java developer, I immediately became passionate about development methodologies and since 2003 I have had the opportunity to collaborate with cutting-edge companies in the agile world. This allowed me to become Scrum Master certified i... Show more

Cipson Thomas

Cipson Thomas

I'm a humane, pragmatic, and passionate Agile Kanban Coach, Trainer, Facilitator, Consultant and Public Speaker who helps improve peoples' work and organizations' services.

I'm a humane, pragmatic, and passionate Agile Kanban Coach, Trainer, Facilitator, Consultant and Public Speaker who helps improve peoples' work and organizations' services. Show more

Wim Dammans

Wim Dammans

For more than 12 years, I have worked as a sourcer and recruiter. I use my background in IT, Pschology and marketing to find the candidates and turn them into colleagues. The last few years, I've specialised in sourcing and all things recruitment tooling and technology.

For more than 12 years, I have worked as a sourcer and recruiter. I use my background in IT, Pschology and marketing to find the candidates and turn them into colleagues. The last few years, I've specialised in sourcing and all things recruitment t... Show more

Kelly Cuesta

Kelly Cuesta

Kelly, multi-award winning Brand Marketing and Communications leader in tech, excels in driving DEIB.
With vast experience in Spain and the UK, she's led teams for major clients and focused on organisational culture at Ingram Micro.
Her commitment to DEI is evident in her role as the founder of Latinas In Tech Madrid, mentoring young professionals and entrepreneurs.

Kelly, multi-award winning Brand Marketing and Communications leader in tech, excels in driving DEIB. With vast experience in Spain and the UK, she's led teams for major clients and focused on organisational culture at Ingram Micro. Her commitmen... Show more

Nicolò Cambiaso Erizzo

Nicolò Cambiaso Erizzo

Communications expert, event organizer, community gatherer. OSS contributor, sailing the K8s ocean since 2019. Marketing Director @Mia-Platform.
Strong believer that better software engineering brings to better development for the planet.

Communications expert, event organizer, community gatherer. OSS contributor, sailing the K8s ocean since 2019. Marketing Director @Mia-Platform. Strong believer that better software engineering brings to better development for the planet. Show more

Derald Dudley

Derald Dudley

As the Transportation Theme Lead of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure, Derald works to maximize the utility of public geospatial transportation information by making it easier to create, publish, discover, access, integrate, exchange, and analyze.

Derald has been a geographer with the Federal Government since 1996. He holds a Geography degree from Towson University, a Computer Science degree from Hood College, and is currently a PhD student in the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Derald’s geography career started at the GIS lab at Virginia Tech in 1992 where he digitized stream orders and soil types for the state of Virginia.

Starting in 1996 he worked as a cartographer at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Marine Chart Division where he managed source data used in the construction of Nautical Charts.

Derald started at the USDOT in 2001; His early work focused on developing geospatial-transportation data, cartographic automation, and application development. He currently Leads the Transportation Theme of NSDI and chairs the Geospatial Transportation Subcommittee. The subcommittee is authorized by the Federal Geographic Data Committee and sponsored by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

As theme lead he helps maximize the benefit geospatial-transportation resources for the nation. Specifically, he coordinates the efforts of federal partners and facilitates their compliance with legislative and executive directives directed at improving geospatial data management.

As the Geospatial Transportation Subcommittee Chair, he facilitates cooperation and fosters awareness among federal, state, local, tribal, and private organizations to ease geospatial data discovery, collection, construction, publication, integration, analysis, and archival.

As the Transportation Theme Lead of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure, Derald works to maximize the utility of public geospatial transportation information by making it easier to create, publish, discover, access, integrate, exchange, and anal... Show more

Stephen Folan

Stephen Folan

Stephen is a long-time Agile evangelist whose first exposure was through Kent Beck’s „Extreme Programming“ book. He now works for Pixida GmbH as an Agile Coach as well as a Scrum Master to some of Pixida’s clients. Previously he was the Chairman of the Lewis Carroll Society in the UK and believes there are strong links between the creative arts and software development at all levels.

Stephen is a long-time Agile evangelist whose first exposure was through Kent Beck’s „Extreme Programming“ book. He now works for Pixida GmbH as an Agile Coach as well as a Scrum Master to some of Pixida’s clients. Previously he was the Chairman of t... Show more

Omid Motamedisedeh

Omid Motamedisedeh

Phd student in QUT, Australia and author of book : The Ultimate Guide to Functions in Power Query: Turn Raw Data into Actionable Insights

Phd student in QUT, Australia and author of book : The Ultimate Guide to Functions in Power Query: Turn Raw Data into Actionable Insights Show more

Nutsa Kuprava

Nutsa Kuprava

I'm Nutsa Kuprava, an Agile Coach originally from Georgia but currently living and working in Greece. With a background in psychology, I specialize in understanding team dynamics, promoting effective teamwork, and helping teams reach their full potential in the Agile world.

Presently, I have the privilege of contributing my skills to Sitecore, a San Francisco-based company, where I work as an Agile Coach.
My professional journey spans over 10 years, with over 5 years dedicated to the dynamic roles of Scrum Master and Agile Coach. I've successfully navigated diverse career paths, transitioning from roles such as project manager to instructional designer, which enriches my ability to approach Agile transformation with a holistic perspective.

In my role of Agile Coach/Scrum Master, I've had the opportunity to work with numerous teams, guiding them through the adoption of the Scrum framework, instilling Kanban practices, and navigating various scaling frameworks, including SAFe, Less, and customized approaches tailored to meet diverse organizational needs.

Beyond my extensive hands-on experience, I hold several certifications, showcasing my commitment to continuous learning and excellence in the Agile domain. These include ICP-ACC (Agile Coaching), ICP-ATF (Agile Team Facilitation), PSM I and PSM II (Professional Scrum Master), PSPO I (Professional Scrum Product Owner), and Kanban System Design.

I'm Nutsa Kuprava, an Agile Coach originally from Georgia but currently living and working in Greece. With a background in psychology, I specialize in understanding team dynamics, promoting effective teamwork, and helping teams reach their full poten... Show more

Luca Montanari

Luca Montanari

I am passionate about transformations—personal, digital, and agile. I love driving myself and others to become better versions of themselves through effort, learning, and change. I believe in embracing diversity and strive to create inclusive and supportive environments as a key to enabling people to fully express their potential. I enthusiastically support and promote agility since discovering that its underlying values align with my own and foster widespread well-being.

I am a multipotential individual with a spiky personality. This gives me unique strengths and vulnerabilities. I have an analytical mind and enjoy exploring and generating ideas. I am drawn to peculiarities, which sometimes makes me hyperfocus or completely lose focus. My socio-emotional reciprocity is quite unconventional—you may see me struggling when I am the center of attention, or I might completely miss your cues.

I am passionate about transformations—personal, digital, and agile. I love driving myself and others to become better versions of themselves through effort, learning, and change. I believe in embracing diversity and strive to create inclusive and sup... Show more

Leisa Reid

Leisa Reid

As the Founder of Get Speaking Gigs Now and the CEO of the International Speaker Network, Leisa trains entrepreneurs how to use public speaking as a soul-fulfilling business growth strategy. As a self-proclaimed “Talk Doula” she facilitates the birth of new talks all around the world in her “Get Your Talk Ready to Rock” sessions.

Throughout her years of working with speakers, the most frequent confessions she hears are: “I’ve always wanted to be a speaker,” but “I’m still working on my talk,” and “I’m not sure where to get booked.” It is her mission to collaborate with her clients so they can quickly and easily create their talks and deliver them to audiences that are a right fit.

Leisa has booked and delivered over 600 speaking engagements, is a 7-time author, podcast host and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate. Although she has both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s Degree in Speech Communication, she assures her clients those degrees are NOT required in order to be a speaker. She is a mom, a wife, a dog-lover and loves live rock concerts.

As the Founder of Get Speaking Gigs Now and the CEO of the International Speaker Network, Leisa trains entrepreneurs how to use public speaking as a soul-fulfilling business growth strategy. As a self-proclaimed “Talk Doula” she facilitates the birth... Show more

Lorenz Wackerle

Lorenz Wackerle

The scalable impact of IT solutions drew Lorenz toward completing a B.Sc. in Business Information Systems, which provided him with a strong foundation in data science, IoT and IT strategy. This expertise allowed him to drive digital transformation initiatives within Deutsche Telekom, one of Europe’s largest telecommunications companies. However, he came to realise that much more is theoretically technologically possible than is applied in companies or society at large. Therefore, he completed a Master of Studies in Social Innovation at Cambridge Judge Business School to complement his technical expertise, focusing on change management and social dynamics in innovation.

As the AI & Innovation Lead for both Procurement and Real Estate Management at Deutsche Telekom, Lorenz bridges cutting-edge AI technologies with strategic business objectives. Lorenz leads cross-functional teams to develop intelligent solutions that improve efficiency, align with sustainability goals, and address the needs of diverse stakeholders, ensuring Deutsche Telekom's innovations are both advanced and socially responsible.

The scalable impact of IT solutions drew Lorenz toward completing a B.Sc. in Business Information Systems, which provided him with a strong foundation in data science, IoT and IT strategy. This expertise allowed him to drive digital transformation in... Show more

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