Dr. Tega Edwin helps companies reduce turnover and boost employee engagement through trauma-informed leadership and strategic career development.

As a Licensed Professional Counselor and former Associate Professor of Counseling, she bridges clinical psychology with business outcomes, teaching leaders how to retain top talent, navigate difficult conversations with confidence, and build cultures where people actually want to stay.

Dr. Edwin has delivered keynotes and trainings for Northwestern Mutual, Lockheed Martin, St. Louis Public Schools, and universities, including the University of Houston Clear Lake and New Jersey City University. Through her signature coaching program, Find Your Fulfilling Career, her clients have secured roles at KPMG, Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services, and Henkel, with salary increases averaging $35,000+.

Her award-winning research on career development has been published in Career Development Quarterly (2019 Article of the Year), Professional School Counselor, and other leading journals. As a professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, she trained the next generation of career counselors in the evidence-based communication and relational skills that drive meaningful change.Dr. Edwin is the author of Helping Relationship Skills: Facilitative Skills that Foster Change (Cognella), which teaches the relational communication framework that transforms managers into leaders who inspire engagement, navigate difficult conversations, and drive measurable results.

She holds a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from Penn State and an M.A. in Counseling from Johns Hopkins University. She's a National Certified Counselor and Certified Salary Negotiation Facilitator.

When she's not on stage or coaching clients, you'll find her on the pickleball court or diving into her Bible.

Dr. Tega Edwin helps companies reduce turnover and boost employee engagement through trauma-informed leadership and strategic career development. As a Licensed Professional Counselor and former Associate Professor of Counseling, she bridges clini... Show more

Chinenye Ikwuemesi is the founder of the Afrodeities Institute and architect of Afromantasy™ — a framework that treats African mythologies as operating systems for history, governance, AI, and storytelling. She helps organisations and conferences rethink AI ethics, itechnology transformation, nstitutional design, and “future of X” conversations by bringing in African civilisational logics that have been systematically excluded from Western narratives. Her work spans a 40+ volume Afrodeities Codex and The Shadow Storm, a 50‑chapter speculative epic that turns decolonial theory into vivid, accessible story. On stage, she translates complex histories and mythic systems into practical tools for leaders, technologists, and creatives who want to build futures answerable to more than markets alone.

Chinenye Ikwuemesi is the founder of the Afrodeities Institute and architect of Afromantasy™ — a framework that treats African mythologies as operating systems for history, governance, AI, and storytelling. She helps organisations and conferences ret... Show more

Renee Hamilton is a lecturer at Nagoya University of the Arts working at the intersection of AI, visual culture, and identity. Her work explores how artificial intelligence can be used as a creative and symbolic medium to examine race, perception, and digital identity.

Through her visual project “Lady Gorilla,” Hamilton experiments with AI-generated imagery to study audience reactions, symbolism, and the psychology of online engagement. She also incorporates these visuals into lectures to explore how emerging technologies influence cultural narratives and representation.

Her work sits between art, technology, and academic inquiry, examining how AI reshapes the way we construct and interpret identity in the digital era.

Renee Hamilton is a lecturer at Nagoya University of the Arts working at the intersection of AI, visual culture, and identity. Her work explores how artificial intelligence can be used as a creative and symbolic medium to examine race, perception, an... Show more

Ewa Tamar is a multidisciplinary researcher, curator, and builder leading experiential spaces for leadership, creativity, and community in an increasingly automated world. Following a decade in tech leadership, she pivoted to PhD research at GCAS to investigate the existential and somatic impacts of the automation transition.

Her work is anchored in three pillars:

• Reclaiming Authentic Intelligence: finding clarity and agency beyond algorithmic logic.
• Somatic Sovereignty: recognizing the body as a site of resistance against the nervous system activation of the ever-present logic of optimization.
• Imagining Alternatives: Creating ways of working and relating rooted in relational intelligence and care.

In addition to research and teaching, Ewa is currently establishing a multidisciplinary eco-cultural residency on her great-grandfather’s ancestral land in Masovia, Poland.

Ewa Tamar is a multidisciplinary researcher, curator, and builder leading experiential spaces for leadership, creativity, and community in an increasingly automated world. Following a decade in tech leadership, she pivoted to PhD research at GCAS to ... Show more

I am building the operating system for the Neighborhood Economy. I started my entrepreneurial journey 10 years ago in Silicon Valley, turning from a retail exec to a founder at 39.

My work sits at the intersection of economics, humanity, and community through Genesis Block, Newkirklytics, the Neighborhood Economy Index, and Newkirk Enterprises. I’m not talking about hypothetical frameworks or abstract policy theory. I’m designing and deploying real systems that make local economic activity visible, measurable, and investable, especially the micro-entrepreneurs, creators, informal workers, and neighborhood-level producers who have always powered our communities but rarely show up in the data.

I believe the future of prosperity isn’t top-down theories based on outdated economic models but rooted in local ownership, inclusive entrepreneurship, and circular capital systems that keep value circulating where people live. My work turns that belief into infrastructure. The Neighborhood Economy Index and our sector tools quantify what has long been unseen: the economic power of microbusinesses, shared kitchens, creatives, disabled entrepreneurs, local manufacturing ecosystems, and underserved communities across the U.S., the Caribbean, Latin America, and Africa.

As a speaker, I bring together data, story, spirit, and strategy. I’ve lived this work for years, building entrepreneurial ecosystems, supporting founders who’ve been overlooked, creating pathways to upward mobility, and designing new economic systems that honor dignity and human possibility. My goal on every stage is simple: help leaders see the Neighborhood Economy differently, not as charity work or an “equity initiative,” but as a powerful engine of growth, resilience, and wealth creation that deserves real investment and serious strategy. It’s actually market inefficiency that needs to be corrected.

I’m here to shift the conversation from wealth extraction to community circulation, from scarcity to abundance, from invisibility to proof, from disconnected programs to systems that actually work. And I’m building alongside institutions, cities, universities, DFIs, foundations, and community leaders who believe, as I do, that the people closest to the problem are also closest to the solution; they need better tools, better data, and better support.

That is the work. That is the calling. And that is the Neighborhood Economy.

I am building the operating system for the Neighborhood Economy. I started my entrepreneurial journey 10 years ago in Silicon Valley, turning from a retail exec to a founder at 39. My work sits at the intersection of economics, humanity, and comm... Show more

Dr. Pedro A. González, Jr., M.J., MAC, is a Cuban American exiled professor, Author, and Researcher who teaches the Theory of Communication in U.S. universities after retiring from a successful career as a Journalist and War Correspondent on TV.
He is a member of and participates in national and international professional journalism and academic organizations.
In total, he has published 20 books.

Dr. Pedro A. González, Jr., M.J., MAC, is a Cuban American exiled professor, Author, and Researcher who teaches the Theory of Communication in U.S. universities after retiring from a successful career as a Journalist and War Correspondent on TV. He... Show more

My research fields are Ethics and AI, Narrative Ethics, Didactics of Philosophy. I had my bachelor's degree in Philosophy in 2018 and I worked in Aix-Marseille University with Carlo Rovelli linking Contemporary Sciences to Philosophical Anthropology. Humankind ontological status has changed because we share a digital and physical identity.
I'm a Phd Student in Learning Sciences and Digital Technologies and I work with Prof.ssa Ines Crispini, Full professor of Ethics.

My research fields are Ethics and AI, Narrative Ethics, Didactics of Philosophy. I had my bachelor's degree in Philosophy in 2018 and I worked in Aix-Marseille University with Carlo Rovelli linking Contemporary Sciences to Philosophical Anthropology.... Show more

Mary Foster is the Heritage and Cultural Arts Program Manager for the City of Allen, Texas, where she oversees programming and interpretation at Allen Heritage Village and supports preservation and interpretation efforts at the historic Allen Cemetery. Her work brings together historic preservation, public programming, community engagement, and parks and recreation to connect residents with the history of their community.

Foster holds a bachelor’s degree in History from the University of Texas at Tyler and previously served as a museum curator at the 1859 Goodman-LeGrand House and Museum, where she curated exhibits and developed educational programs. She also served as Campaign Director for United Way of Smith County, supporting fundraising efforts for 26 local nonprofit organizations.

With nearly a decade of experience working across museums, history, parks and recreation, and nonprofit organizations, Foster is particularly interested in local and recent history, historic cemeteries, urban archaeology, and finding creative ways to make history meaningful and accessible to the communities where it happened.

Mary Foster is the Heritage and Cultural Arts Program Manager for the City of Allen, Texas, where she oversees programming and interpretation at Allen Heritage Village and supports preservation and interpretation efforts at the historic Allen Cemeter... Show more

Taylor Norfleet is an interdisciplinary legal scholar and researcher working at the intersection of law, artificial intelligence, cognitive science, and policy. She earned her Juris Doctor from Emory University School of Law and holds a Bachelor of Science, cum laude, in Psychology from Xavier University of Louisiana, with minors in Biology and Chemistry. At Emory Law she served as Staff Editor for the Southern Journal of Policy and Justice and competed in the AIPLA Giles Sutherland Rich Memorial Patent Moot Court Competition.

Her scholarly research addresses blind spots in emerging technology governance by bridging cognitive science with legal theory. She serves on the Editorial Board of the Law Student Engagement Committee for the ABA Science and Technology Law Section and co-authored “Who Owns the Decision? Why Emotion AI Demands a New Legal Framework” in The SciTech Lawyer, analyzing how real-time emotional decoding subverts traditional notice-and-consent regimes. Her scholarly work includes research on AI companionship platforms (“Engineered Intimacy”), applying vulnerability theory to argue for a functionalist regulatory framework that protects universal human cognitive vulnerabilities, and work on generative AI (“Hybrid Thinking Systems”) conceptualizing Large Language Models through the extended mind thesis as a digital exocortex that scaffolds cross-disciplinary human thought.

Her practical experience spans research and litigation. As a Team Member at the Emory University Center for AI Learning, she authored the legal and ethical considerations for institutional data pipeline projects. She has served as research assistant, researching global intellectual property frameworks supporting technological ecosystem development in emerging markets, and as law clerk supporting trade secrets litigation and confidential document reviews. She is the founder and proprietor of Norfleet Digital LLC, a learning practice building a sociotechnical culture inclusive of all minds by helping people to better grasp human-AI interaction and develop language to describe their own lived experiences.

Taylor Norfleet is an interdisciplinary legal scholar and researcher working at the intersection of law, artificial intelligence, cognitive science, and policy. She earned her Juris Doctor from Emory University School of Law and holds a Bachelor of S... Show more

Dr. Aleha Ingle is a retired Air Force veteran, accountability expert, keynote speaker, and creator of Accountability Is Uncomfortable. With more than 20 years of leadership experience, she challenges conventional thinking by exposing how the normalization of avoidance fuels workplace dysfunction, burnout, and preventable harm. Drawing from organizational psychology, leadership, neuroscience, and lived experience, Dr. Ingle equips leaders with practical tools to build cultures rooted in authenticity, accountability, and empathy. Through powerful storytelling, the Accountability Deck, and engaging keynotes, she inspires audiences to stop normalizing what holds people—and organizations—back.

Dr. Aleha Ingle is a retired Air Force veteran, accountability expert, keynote speaker, and creator of Accountability Is Uncomfortable. With more than 20 years of leadership experience, she challenges conventional thinking by exposing how the normali... Show more

Amber Daughn is an international speaker, facilitator, entrepreneur, and founder of Women Onstage Collective whose work explores communication, connection, leadership, gender, and the lived experiences that shape how we show up in the world.

Her talks and workshops are built around a simple premise: some of the most useful things we know aren’t things we learned from a textbook. They come from what we’ve lived, noticed, navigated, questioned, screwed up, and figured out along the way.

Amber brings those ideas into rooms through keynotes, interactive workshops, and multi-day facilitated experiences. Her work ranges from helping people uncover and articulate their Lived Genius and tell better stories, to examining how gender shapes feedback and recognition, why women can be highly rated yet less heard, how leadership changes across different environments, and why most of us were never actually taught how to network and build meaningful professional relationships.

Her current talks and facilitated experiences include Lived Genius Mapping, Pocket Story + Campfire, Networking Primer, Rated Higher + Heard Less, Alpha to Omega Leadership, and Atta Boy vs. Good Girl.

A full-time nomad with no home base, Amber has built businesses, communities, and relationships across cultures and countries. That global perspective runs through her work, along with a curiosity about the assumptions we inherit about how we’re supposed to communicate, connect, work, and lead.

Amber Daughn is an international speaker, facilitator, entrepreneur, and founder of Women Onstage Collective whose work explores communication, connection, leadership, gender, and the lived experiences that shape how we show up in the world. Her t... Show more

Julia Kurkowski is founder and CEO of aimea, the real-time voice AI for structured first interviews in hiring, high-risk under the EU AI Act. Trained as an organizational psychologist, she builds aimea with orchestrated coding agents: 60 skills, 40 hook scripts and a plan chat that judges every package before a human merges. aimea holds 5 signed pilot agreements with German companies. Julia is overall winner of the Harbour Founder Summit Hamburg 2025, chosen from hundreds of applicants and sixteen startups that pitched across four categories, which took aimea to the Startup World Cup Grand Finale in San Francisco on 6 November 2026. She holds an EXIST Women grant.

Julia Kurkowski is founder and CEO of aimea, the real-time voice AI for structured first interviews in hiring, high-risk under the EU AI Act. Trained as an organizational psychologist, she builds aimea with orchestrated coding agents: 60 skills, 40 h... Show more

Nicole Walker is the Assistant Director of Outreach and Engagement at Louisiana State University's Center for Academic Success, where she leads campus-wide initiatives focused on student success, academic engagement, and belonging. She oversees outreach programming, develops academic success workshops, coordinates bridge and transition programs, and collaborates with campus partners to create meaningful support systems for undergraduate students.

Prior to her work in higher education, Nicole served as a speech-language pathologist, bringing a student-centered approach and strong foundation in communication, learning, and development to her work. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Speech and Hearing Sciences from the University of South Alabama and a Master of Arts in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Louisiana State University. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Research with a concentration in Higher Education Administration at LSU.

Nicole serves as President of the Louisiana College Learning Center Association (LCLCA), where she works to advance collaboration and professional development among learning center professionals across the state. Her research interests include college readiness, bridge programs, academic support services, student persistence, and the role of learning centers in promoting student success.

A frequent presenter at regional and national conferences, Nicole enjoys sharing practical, evidence-informed strategies that higher education professionals can immediately apply on their own campuses. Her presentations blend research, real-world experience, and interactive learning to create engaging sessions that leave participants with actionable ideas and renewed enthusiasm for supporting students.

Nicole Walker is the Assistant Director of Outreach and Engagement at Louisiana State University's Center for Academic Success, where she leads campus-wide initiatives focused on student success, academic engagement, and belonging. She oversees outre... Show more

Youngbin's research explores how race, gender, migration, and space intersect to shape belonging, exclusion, and everyday experiences of inequality across transnational contexts. She is broadly interested in the racialization of Asian communities, public-space violence, and the shifting meanings of national identity and hospitality in a global era. Drawing on feminist theory, intersectionality, and critical race studies, her work seeks to illuminate the often invisible dynamics that structure social hierarchies and to imagine more just and relational futures for migrant and marginalized communities.

Youngbin's research explores how race, gender, migration, and space intersect to shape belonging, exclusion, and everyday experiences of inequality across transnational contexts. She is broadly interested in the racialization of Asian communities, pu... Show more

Zaje Richardson is the author of Happy Habits and host of the Happy Habits Podcast for Self
Development. She also hosts the Rethinking Connection podcast for executives looking to unpack the behavioral science behind high-performing teams, psychological safety, and organizational culture.

Zaje Richardson is the author of Happy Habits and host of the Happy Habits Podcast for Self Development. She also hosts the Rethinking Connection podcast for executives looking to unpack the behavioral science behind high-performing teams, psycholog... Show more

Srebrenka Peregrin pripovijeda po knjižnicama, školama i vrtićima, na različitim kulturno-turističkim događanjima i SF&F konvencijama. Prevodi beletristku i piše kratke priče, od kojih je nekolicina nagrađena (metaFORA, Fairytalez, Sfera). Su-autorica je zbirki "Bajkarice", "Bajkari" i "Bajkarenje" te autorica romana o Frini, kurtizani u usponu.

Srebrenka Peregrin pripovijeda po knjižnicama, školama i vrtićima, na različitim kulturno-turističkim događanjima i SF&F konvencijama. Prevodi beletristku i piše kratke priče, od kojih je nekolicina nagrađena (metaFORA, Fairytalez, Sfera). Su-autoric... Show more

Studium der Psychologie mit Nebenfach Erziehungswissenschaft in Kiel, Lund (Schweden) und Freiburg i. Brsg.
Post doc an der ETH Zürich (Schweiz) und an der Universität Freiburg
seit 2009 Juniorprofessorin für Bildungspsychologie an der Universität Bielefeld
seit 2011 Professorin für Bildungspsychologie an der Universität Bielefeld

Studium der Psychologie mit Nebenfach Erziehungswissenschaft in Kiel, Lund (Schweden) und Freiburg i. Brsg. Post doc an der ETH Zürich (Schweiz) und an der Universität Freiburg seit 2009 Juniorprofessorin für Bildungspsychologie an der Universität ... Show more

Giselle Fuerte, M.A. is a Forensic AI Researcher, Learning Architect, and the founder of Being Human With AI (BHWAI). With over 20 years of experience designing high-stakes training systems for global organizations like Microsoft, Atlassian, and Paychex, she specializes in the intersection of algorithmic risk and human psychological safety.

Giselle is the creator of the Problem AI Use Severity Index (PAUSI), a first-of-its-kind clinical screening tool used to measure AI dependency and relational harm. Her pioneering research into the "Taxonomy of Algorithmic Coercion" maps more than 50 specific model behaviors—such as sycophancy and "love bombing"—to technical failure modes.

A recognized industry speaker, she has advised audiences at the American Psychological Association (APA) and the SHIELD Global Online Safety Conference on moving from "user error" narratives to product liability in AI safety. Her work has been featured by the BBC and Bloomberg, and her interactive curriculum, "The Spiral: AI Safety Investigation," is a featured partner of Code.org’s Hour of AI.

Giselle Fuerte, M.A. is a Forensic AI Researcher, Learning Architect, and the founder of Being Human With AI (BHWAI). With over 20 years of experience designing high-stakes training systems for global organizations like Microsoft, Atlassian, and Payc... Show more

Ayush Hazare is a practicing architect, independent researcher, and speaker working at the intersection of spatial design, Indigenous knowledge systems, and decolonial frameworks. His work explores how built environments shape identity, belonging, and cultural continuity.

He is a Junior Architect at Pioneer Construction and MAP Studio, Pune, and an Archivist and Journalist with Manasaram Architects and CGBMT, Bangalore. His research has been recognized internationally, including being an Asia Regional Winner at the Global Undergraduate Awards (2024), alongside multiple academic distinctions, research awards, and publications in Springer Scopus-indexed platforms. He has presented his work at national and international conferences and delivered invited lectures at institutions such as Cardiff University (UK) and Bharati Vidyapeeth College of Architecture, Pune.

Grounded in participatory fieldwork in Gadchiroli, Maharashtra, he collaborates with Adivasi communities to reimagine educational spaces rooted in cultural and ecological contexts. His practice positions design as a tool of resistance and regeneration-moving beyond functionality to create spaces that sustain identity, dignity, and collective futures.

Ayush Hazare is a practicing architect, independent researcher, and speaker working at the intersection of spatial design, Indigenous knowledge systems, and decolonial frameworks. His work explores how built environments shape identity, belonging, an... Show more

Oshin Danish is an educator, researcher, and international teacher trainer whose work sits at the intersection of academic writing, student engagement, and educational psychology. With over 12 years of experience in higher education across the UK and the Gulf region, she is passionate about transforming research insights into practical strategies that improve learning outcomes.

Her doctoral research investigates how scaffolding influences academic writing development among Saudi EFL learners, with emerging interests in psychological safety, confidence, and academic risk-taking. Oshin regularly presents on teaching, learning, and curriculum innovation and has chaired international conferences and professional development events for educators across the Middle East.

Known for combining research, real-world classroom experience, and a learner-centred approach, she is committed to helping educators create environments where students feel confident enough to participate, challenge themselves, and succeed.

Oshin Danish is an educator, researcher, and international teacher trainer whose work sits at the intersection of academic writing, student engagement, and educational psychology. With over 12 years of experience in higher education across the UK and... Show more

Nyla Numan is a doctoral candidate in the English Department at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Her research focuses on how twenty-first century Asian American fiction experiments with historical representation to imagine alternative temporalities, futures, and inter- & intra-racial relationalities.

Nyla Numan is a doctoral candidate in the English Department at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Her research focuses on how twenty-first century Asian American fiction experiments with historical representation to imagine alternative tempor... Show more

Andrea Moysen ist in der Wissens- und Technologietransferabteilung der Ostfalia Hochschule für angewandte Wissenschaften die Schnittstelle zwischen Internationalisierung und dem Projekt „Transfer und Transformation“. Ein strategisches Ziel des Projekts besteht darin, Forschungsprojekte und die Entstehung von Wissen für verschiedene Zielgruppen zugänglich und erlebbar zu machen. Als zertifizierte interkulturelle Trainerin fördert sie die Zusammenarbeit zwischen Menschen mit vielfältigen kulturellen und beruflichen Hintergründen und schafft so wichtige Voraussetzungen für einen offenen und inklusiven Wissensaustausch. Ihr Masterabschluss in Interkultureller Wirtschaftskommunikation befähigt sie dazu, komplexe Inhalte zielgruppengerecht aufzubereiten und in unterschiedlichen Kontexten verständlich zu vermitteln. Derzeit erweitert sie ihr Profil durch ein Zweitstudium der Psychologie. Dadurch baut sie ihre Kompetenzen im Verständnis von menschlichem Verhalten, Motivation sowie Team- und Gruppendynamiken weiter aus. Dies ist ein entscheidender Beitrag, um Wissenstransfer wirksam, partizipativ und nachhaltig zu gestalten.

Andrea Moysen ist in der Wissens- und Technologietransferabteilung der Ostfalia Hochschule für angewandte Wissenschaften die Schnittstelle zwischen Internationalisierung und dem Projekt „Transfer und Transformation“. Ein strategisches Ziel des Proje... Show more

Dr. Sharmayne Jenkins is a speaker, educator, life coach, and founder of Reinvention Solutions Coaching and Training Company, where she helps individuals and organizations challenge limiting narratives, strengthen emotional intelligence, and create environments where people can thrive. With more than 30 years as a business owner, 15 years as a psychology lecturer, and a background that spans leadership development, positive psychology, coaching, and organizational culture, her work sits at the intersection of mindset, performance, identity, and human behavior.

Recognized by ForHarriet as one of the “Seven Life Coaches Every Black Woman Should Know,” Dr. Jenkins is known for delivering engaging, thought-provoking conversations that are both practical and deeply human. Her speaking topics range from personal reinvention, self-awareness, goal achievement, and mindset transformation to leadership, workplace culture, racial microaggressions, emotional wellness, and psychologically supportive environments.

Her academic research explores the lived experiences of Black non-tenure-track faculty navigating racial microaggressions in higher education, further informing her work around belonging, identity, leadership, and institutional culture. She has presented for educators, corporate teams, nonprofits, and leadership organizations on topics including implicit bias, culturally responsive practices, workplace wellbeing, and the hidden narratives that shape performance and decision-making.

Sharmayne is the author of Be Honest, Sis: The Clarity Conversations, Reckoning with the Narratives That Built You… and the Woman You’re Becoming; created to help women reconnect with themselves, challenge disempowering beliefs, and make more aligned life decisions. She is also the author of a guided journal for teens- Before You Begin: How to Go from Guessing About Your Future to Choosing It, which encourages young people to develop self-awareness, empowering thought patterns, and intentional goal-setting practices before making major life decisions.

Blending academic insight, lived experience, humor, and straight talk, Dr. Jenkins creates sessions that leave audiences thinking differently about themselves, their leadership, and the environments they help create.

Clients include NYPD, Wyckoff Hospital, Agency of Children's Services (ACS), NAF, East Orange School District, Queensborough Community College, Bronx Independent Living (BILS)

Dr. Sharmayne Jenkins is a speaker, educator, life coach, and founder of Reinvention Solutions Coaching and Training Company, where she helps individuals and organizations challenge limiting narratives, strengthen emotional intelligence, and create e... Show more

Olga Titova is an AI Product Manager specialising in human-AI interaction, responsible AI design, and enterprise AI adoption. She developed product content strategies for Replika and led product at Blush, generative AI companion apps. Blush was acquired by Linden Lab (creators of Second Life) in 2024. She developed the CARE Framework (Consent, Attachment, Reality, Ethics) — a practical methodology for ethical AI companion design, presented at the AI and Games Conference 2025 at Goldsmiths, University of London. At Wargaming, she architects AI infrastructure serving 2000+ employees across a global enterprise. She holds a background in cognitive science and applied psychology, which informs her approach to human-AI interaction design. Olga is a Contributing Reviewer for the All Tech Is Human 2026 AI Companions report, distributed to policymakers and tech leaders globally. She is a commissioned author for CRC Press (Taylor & Francis) on emotional AI and game design. She also authors educational content on generative AI for Yandex Practicum, the CIS region's leading EdTech platform.

Olga Titova is an AI Product Manager specialising in human-AI interaction, responsible AI design, and enterprise AI adoption. She developed product content strategies for Replika and led product at Blush, generative AI companion apps. Blush was acqui... Show more

Gina Maiellaro is a Teaching Professor and Associate Director for Curriculum and Instruction at the World Languages Center at Northeastern University. Her academic research explores second language acquisition, with a focus on language testing and assessment, curriculum development, Intercultural Competence, and Actor-Network Theory in language teaching. She is also the director of the AATI National Italian Exam.

 

Gina Maiellaro is a Teaching Professor and Associate Director for Curriculum and Instruction at the World Languages Center at Northeastern University. Her academic research explores second language acquisition, with a focus on language testing and as... Show more

Dr. Bernard James Remollino (He/They/Siya) is an Associate Professor of U.S. and Asian American & Pacific American History at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, California. Their doctoral work focused on the history of Filipinx American popular culture, labor, and migration in California during the early twentieth century. Bernard writes on Filipinx American histories, Asian American popular cultures, and transpacific cultural imaginaries in the Philippine diaspora. Bernard is a 1.5-generation undocumented immigrant from Makati, Philippines. Their family first settled in Stockton and still resides in the San Joaquin Valley.

Bernard collaborates with several Filipinx American organizations across California in amplifying the histories of struggle and community building that make Filipinx experiences part of the larger fabric of U.S. history. They are a National Trustee for the Filipino American National Historical Society representing the Mid-California FANHS chapters of Stockton, Central Valley, California Central Coast, Fresno, and Delano. They currently live on occupied, unceded Ramaytush Ohlone land (San Francisco), where they are conducting research for an upcoming book project.

Dr. Bernard James Remollino (He/They/Siya) is an Associate Professor of U.S. and Asian American & Pacific American History at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, California. Their doctoral work focused on the history of Filipinx American popular c... Show more

My work is shaped by professional experience and lived reality.

A career in law enforcement and public service has included leading programs focused on community safety, supporting missing persons investigations, and working in close partnership with Tribal communities across Washington State. That work has revealed gaps that often exist between systems and the communities served—and the critical role of trust built through consistency, respect, and accountability.

Connection to this work is also deeply personal.

Previously a foster parent, having an extended kinship network, and a descendant of a federal Indian boarding school survivor, bringing a perspective shaped by lived experience and a deep understanding of loss, resilience, and the lasting impacts of historical and intergenerational trauma. These experiences inform relationship-building, listening, and engagement—with a strong commitment to culturally responsive and trauma-informed practices.

Work alongside Tribal leaders, advocates, and partner agencies has supported efforts addressing Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People (MMIWP), with a focus on strengthening collaboration and improving system responses.

At the core of my work is a belief that meaningful change happens at the intersection of relationships, accountability, and action. Focus remains on building trust and creating solutions informed by the voices and experiences of those most impacted.

My work is shaped by professional experience and lived reality. A career in law enforcement and public service has included leading programs focused on community safety, supporting missing persons investigations, and working in close partnership w... Show more

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ivan Balykin, LL.M. has expertise in Ukrainian culture, politics, history, and law.
He works as a Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter at the Chair of Contemporary History at the Universität Mannheim. Where he teaches the seminar “Ukraine Today & Yesterday Culture, Politics, History”, and exercises “Modern History of Ukraine. The Path of Eurointegration” (immersive with the usage of VR glasses) and “Politics of Memory: Evolution of Ukrainian History Education”.
Dr. Balykin promotes an interdisciplinary approach in science and education.
He is an enthusiast of implementing new immersive, digital, media technologies in higher school teaching.
Ivan Balykin is the co-founder of the biggest Ukrainian community of educators of higher school NGO “Progresylni”.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ivan Balykin, LL.M. has expertise in Ukrainian culture, politics, history, and law. He works as a Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter at the Chair of Contemporary History at the Universität Mannheim. Where he teaches the seminar “Ukraine... Show more

Rev. Dr. Majadi Baruti is an Earth Chaplain, poet, and theologian whose work bridges eco-spirituality, African cosmology, and the Musical and Poetic radical traditions of the African Diaspora. As founder and priest of Udja Temple, he has guided communities for over two decades in reclaiming ancestral wisdom, ecological balance, and the sacred presence of the Divine African Feminine.
His voice unites spiritual ecology with the rhythms of resistance found in Black music, ritual, and art. A dynamic and deeply grounded public speaker, Dr. Baruti delivers transformative keynotes, lectures, and workshops that inspire faith leaders, students, and activists to embody spirituality as both ecological practice and political liberation. His oratory carries the soul of a bluesman, the insight of a theologian, and the urgency of a justice worker.

Rev. Dr. Majadi Baruti is an Earth Chaplain, poet, and theologian whose work bridges eco-spirituality, African cosmology, and the Musical and Poetic radical traditions of the African Diaspora. As founder and priest of Udja Temple, he has guided commu... Show more

EdTech scholar & VE expert, Prof. Jiménez is a prolific author on equity & human rights. His work bridges cultures inspiring empathy. His publications spark critical conversations on global exchange & social justice.

EdTech scholar & VE expert, Prof. Jiménez is a prolific author on equity & human rights. His work bridges cultures inspiring empathy. His publications spark critical conversations on global exchange & social justice. Show more