Emily Hemingway is the Founding Executive Director of TechSTL and the Wedge Innovation Center. A 20-year veteran in building innovation ecosystems around the country, Emily is driving economic growth across the St. Louis metro by catalyzing tech jobs, tech startups, and tech innovation. She is the lead organizer for STL TechWeek.

Emily Hemingway is the Founding Executive Director of TechSTL and the Wedge Innovation Center. A 20-year veteran in building innovation ecosystems around the country, Emily is driving economic growth across the St. Louis metro by catalyzing tech jobs... Show more

Hi I’m Chris, the Principal Technologist at Transform Labs (formerly AWH) and the CTO of IncludeHealth, a healthcare start-up changing the face of Virtual Physical Therapy.

When I speak about technology, I like to keep it accurate and relatable. I share stories and insights that matter to tech enthusiasts and anyone interested in how technology intersects with our daily lives and work. It’s about making sense of tech and making it understandable.

Hi I’m Chris, the Principal Technologist at Transform Labs (formerly AWH) and the CTO of IncludeHealth, a healthcare start-up changing the face of Virtual Physical Therapy. When I speak about technology, I like to keep it accurate and relatable. I... Show more

As a child, I was fascinated by technology and began programming at the age of 9 to create my own video game. This passion led me to pursue computer science, and in 2009,I transitioned to cybersecurity. I work with Big Data and AI. My current objective is to unleash the vast potential of technology, particularly in the fields of cloud computing and Human-Data Interaction,to drive digital progress.

As a child, I was fascinated by technology and began programming at the age of 9 to create my own video game. This passion led me to pursue computer science, and in 2009,I transitioned to cybersecurity. I work with Big Data and AI. My current objecti... Show more

geek@FLOSS.Slackware

Experienced Telecommunications Technician with a demonstrated history of working in the computer hardware industry. Skilled in Linux System Administration, Storage, Bash, and Event Management. Strong professional with a Diploma In Physics from University of Mauritius.

geek@FLOSS.Slackware Experienced Telecommunications Technician with a demonstrated history of working in the computer hardware industry. Skilled in Linux System Administration, Storage, Bash, and Event Management. Strong professional with a Dipl... Show more

Hey, I’m Shivam a theoretical physicist who somehow ended up deep in the world of tech, startups, and cloud-native systems. I co-organize CNCF Kolkata and Grafana and Friends Kolkata, and I’m also part of the CNCF TAG for Developer Experience, where I contribute to improving how developers build and ship software.

I’ve always been obsessed with what’s happening under the hood from low-level systems and kernel-level programming to how distributed infra runs at scale. I absolutely love working with Rust and Go, and you’ll usually find me tinkering with Kubernetes, cloud platforms, and open-source tools. That’s my happy place.

I am part of a company that’s currently incubated at T-Hub Hyderabad, and we’ve been fortunate to be supported by the Department of Science and Technology (Delhi), AWS Startups, the NVIDIA Inception Program, and we’re also proud to be Meta Business Partners for our product wisemelon.ai, which is helping businesses rethink how they use AI bots.

More than anything, I care about showing young engineers especially students just entering college what real-world engineering actually looks like. There’s so much more than just writing code on a laptop. Systems, scale, and building things that people actually use that’s where the fun begins.

Hey, I’m Shivam a theoretical physicist who somehow ended up deep in the world of tech, startups, and cloud-native systems. I co-organize CNCF Kolkata and Grafana and Friends Kolkata, and I’m also part of the CNCF TAG for Developer Experience, where ... Show more

Linda is a Strategic Advisor specializing in the field of enterprise innovation. She is co-founder and MD at Experience One, a digital agency focusing on innovative technologies for designing and scaling new and better CX for companies like Mercedes-Benz, BOSCH, AOK and FI. She focuses on strategic consulting and positioning of changemakers as well as in the implementation of customer centric change programs to create a sustainable culture of innovation. She benefits from her many years of experience in rollout and architecture consulting for the major digital platforms of large enterprises.

Linda is a Strategic Advisor specializing in the field of enterprise innovation. She is co-founder and MD at Experience One, a digital agency focusing on innovative technologies for designing and scaling new and better CX for companies like Mercedes-... Show more

Alexandre é escritor, professor e cofundador do Lean Coffee Brasília, com sólida atuação em metodologias ágeis, transformação organizacional, auditoria e governança. Ao longo de sua carreira, atuou como gerente de projetos e contratos, auditor, coordenador de auditoria e Scrum Master, formando e desenvolvendo times e líderes em Scrum, métodos ágeis e modelos modernos de gestão.
Possui pós-graduação em Governança em Tecnologia, MBAs em Auditoria Interna e em Gestão de Operações e Serviços, além de graduação em Tecnologia em Processamento de Dados e pós-graduação em Redes de Computadores. É autor de livros amplamente utilizados sobre agilidade, auditoria ágil, reuniões eficazes e papel do Scrum Master.
Sua abordagem combina rigor técnico, vivência prática e linguagem acessível, conectando agilidade, governança e resultados concretos. Em suas palestras, provoca reflexões e entrega ferramentas aplicáveis para profissionais e organizações que buscam evoluir sua forma de trabalhar, gerir e decidir.

Alexandre é escritor, professor e cofundador do Lean Coffee Brasília, com sólida atuação em metodologias ágeis, transformação organizacional, auditoria e governança. Ao longo de sua carreira, atuou como gerente de projetos e contratos, auditor, coord... Show more

Equipping leaders to regulate pressure, repair trust, and lead in the age of uncertainty.

Shawntà Hooks is an award-winning global keynote speaker, author, and Leadership & Clarity Strategist known for unlocking clarity in high-pressure cultures. With a background as a former Fortune 100 Vice President of Automation Transformation and Certified Public Accountant, she brings rare executive credibility to the human side of leadership.

Through neuroscience-backed, multisensory experiences — integrating music, movement, mindfulness, and storytelling — Shawntà teaches leaders the bio hacks of presence, regulation, and influence. Her work reveals what’s felt but rarely named in modern organizations: how overstimulation, unregulated pressure, and emotional misalignment quietly erode performance, trust, and decision-making.

She is the founder of The Clarity Lab™ and creator of the Catch → Convert → Create™ system of nervous system regulation.

Equipping leaders to regulate pressure, repair trust, and lead in the age of uncertainty. Shawntà Hooks is an award-winning global keynote speaker, author, and Leadership & Clarity Strategist known for unlocking clarity in high-pressure cultures. ... Show more

I wrote my first lines of code on a Commodore 64 in Basic when I was 10 years old. It was love at first sight! Eventually I earned a degree in electronic engineering and a Masters degree in software engineering at Università Politecnica delle Marche in Italy in 2002, with a thesis about pattern recognition at UPC in Barcelona, Spain. My career has spanned several roles in software and services businesses, encompassing development and testing, system management, and support, particularly centered around databases and distributed systems. As a Senior Product Manager at Redis, I drive the roadmap and strategy for database client libraries and ecosystems.

I wrote my first lines of code on a Commodore 64 in Basic when I was 10 years old. It was love at first sight! Eventually I earned a degree in electronic engineering and a Masters degree in software engineering at Università Politecnica delle Marche ... Show more

Heather Cook is Principal PM Manager for the Microsoft 365 Customer Advocacy Group within Microsoft’s Collaborative Applications and Platform Group. She leads engagement, evangelism, and growth strategies, building programs and connections between Microsoft and its global community. A former Microsoft MVP for Microsoft 365 Apps and Services, Heather brings over two decades of experience as a marketing executive for leading tech companies and as Founder of Creative Maven, her impact consultancy. As a consultant, executive event producer, and fractional Chief Marketing Officer, she has delivered thousands of events, campaigns, and experiences across high‑tech and entertainment. Heather is a seasoned keynote speaker, moderator, and host, and an avid writer who publishes Maven Musings on LinkedIn and her cultural Substack, Heddas Mix Tape. Her Microsoft origin story is featured in The Women of Microsoft. Based in Marina del Rey, California, she travels globally to speak on healthy workplaces, power skills, community, and inclusion.

Heather Cook is Principal PM Manager for the Microsoft 365 Customer Advocacy Group within Microsoft’s Collaborative Applications and Platform Group. She leads engagement, evangelism, and growth strategies, building programs and connections between Mi... Show more

Grace Okubo uses strategic foresight to tackle complex problems for organisations.

Grace Okubo uses strategic foresight to tackle complex problems for organisations. Show more

Hi, I’m Mohi — Senior Software Engineer at NativeWaves AG, Austria.
I love building Android apps with Kotlin and have been doing it since 2014.
I'm also a mentor, speaker, and tech event planner, helping others grow in tech, mainly focused Android & Kotlin.
I wrote a book on Spring + Android, and since 2018, I focus fully on Kotlin and KMP.
I lead the Kotlin User Group Bangladesh and organize Droidcon Bangladesh to build strong dev communities.

Hi, I’m Mohi — Senior Software Engineer at NativeWaves AG, Austria. I love building Android apps with Kotlin and have been doing it since 2014. I'm also a mentor, speaker, and tech event planner, helping others grow in tech, mainly focused Android ... Show more

Chad Hester has more than 20 years of development experience and 10 years focused primarily on accessibility. He combines his experience with leadership of people, processes and projects together to provide you with expertise in implementing strategies to be a better developer for your company.

Chad Hester has more than 20 years of development experience and 10 years focused primarily on accessibility. He combines his experience with leadership of people, processes and projects together to provide you with expertise in implementing strategi... Show more

Johannes is motivational and influential Technical leader working to design, develop, and apply Cloud , AI and Data Driven methodologies to create successful solutions and products for customers the digital economy. At Google I focus on Enterprise Data and AI architecture on distributed and multicloud.
Former researcher (Siemens ) , Lead Enterprise Architect @Oracle, , PM @Microsoft for Azure DevOps & Service Fabric , Lead architect @Swisscom, Lead of Engineering @Volksbank , more than 27 years of experience helping organizations succeed in their digital journey by applying Agile methodologies, architecture best practices, and building the Technical Innovation Pipeline.
Johannes is specialized in the Enterprise Cloud and Data Architecture and integration since cloud are born, high-scale backends with Microservices and distributed data platforms.
Build multiple Patterns and Practices groups and re-usable strategy execution for – Platform Modernization, Cloud native Integration, Data & Ai Platform. Participating in Design and build of multiple Cloud Services and features across multiple hyperscalers .
Creative, strategic thinker with an entrepreneurial spirit and experienced with professional speaking engagements, as author, and results-oriented problem solver with the skills to maintain focus in high-demand situations.
Committed to the development and support of positive team dynamics that lead to the creation of diverse successful products, projects, and multi-cultural groups of people.
Out-of-the-box thinker who believes in digitalization as the key factor to improving quality of life, looking for innovation that generates opportunities to design and build solutions for our environment and our communities.

Johannes is motivational and influential Technical leader working to design, develop, and apply Cloud , AI and Data Driven methodologies to create successful solutions and products for customers the digital economy. At Google I focus on Enterprise D... Show more

Rico is a senior security consultant at adesso SE. His main security areas are in application security, cloud security, offensive security and AI security.

For him, general security intelligence in various aspects is a top priority. Today’s security world is constantly changing and you should always familiarize yourself with the most up-and-coming technologies and methodologies.

As a husband and father of two, he enjoys spending time with his family and exploring the world with them.

Rico is a senior security consultant at adesso SE. His main security areas are in application security, cloud security, offensive security and AI security. For him, general security intelligence in various aspects is a top priority. Today’s securi... Show more

Joachim has been at Amazon Web Services since 2019 and supports Enterprise customers with the adoption and use of AWS services. He enjoys speaking on stage and spreading cloud knowledge. His favorite topic in the cloud area is cost optimization and high scale events. You should ask him about it! Before joining AWS, he worked at Adidas, Sivantos, and a smaller travel software company as a Solution Architect, Development Lead and Senior Developer. When he isn’t supporting customers on their inevitable journey to the cloud, he is enjoying playing and watching Sports.

Joachim has been at Amazon Web Services since 2019 and supports Enterprise customers with the adoption and use of AWS services. He enjoys speaking on stage and spreading cloud knowledge. His favorite topic in the cloud area is cost optimization and h... Show more

Jan Klein, Researcher | Architect of Understandable Ai | UAI | Quantum Physics | Computer science | Artifical intelligence | Software, Web & App Development | On the Energy of Moving Bodies in the Presence of Fields - Unified Synthesis of Mass, Motion and Field Energy | CEO at devucoz.org, bix.pages.dev & WAI

Jan Klein, Researcher | Architect of Understandable Ai | UAI | Quantum Physics | Computer science | Artifical intelligence | Software, Web & App Development | On the Energy of Moving Bodies in the Presence of Fields - Unified Synthesis of Mass, Motio... Show more

With over 15 years in the Java ecosystem, I focus on growing and supporting global communities across the Java and Jakarta EE landscape. My work centers on creating opportunities for learning, collaboration and open source participation, helping individuals develop their skills, advance their careers and play a more active role in the Java community.

I have led educational initiatives, community programs and industry events that bring together developers, open source contributors and technology teams. A regular speaker at Java and open source conferences, I collaborate closely with Java Champions and ecosystem leaders to amplify community voices and encourage knowledge sharing.

As one of the original team members at Payara, I helped shape the company’s brand and grow its global user community from the ground up. Today, as a Senior Developer Advocate at Azul, I continue to support and strengthen communities around Payara Community Edition, Jakarta EE and OpenJDK, driving education and collaboration while bringing community insight back into the evolution of enterprise Java technologies.

With over 15 years in the Java ecosystem, I focus on growing and supporting global communities across the Java and Jakarta EE landscape. My work centers on creating opportunities for learning, collaboration and open source participation, helping indi... Show more

Bryan is not your average speaker. He is a professor, worked as a consultant, authored two international bestseller books, serial entrepreneur and now with a mission: to teach 1 million innovators by 2027.

He has built companies in 6 countries, and trained 40,000+ leaders.

He’s also a former professional racquetball player turned mathematician, a United Nations professional who speaks four languages.

A researcher who has published on innovation, alignment, and social-media addiction. He’s co-created books with 50+ experts worldwide, including the international bestsellers CYCLES and The Generative Organization.

Bryan has lived on a beach with startups, painted huts in Africa, and sat in boardrooms on five continents. Wherever he goes, it’s people first: show up, do the work, keep your word.

Core belief: innovation isn’t about tools or technology. It’s about helping people believe they can make things better.

Bryan is not your average speaker. He is a professor, worked as a consultant, authored two international bestseller books, serial entrepreneur and now with a mission: to teach 1 million innovators by 2027. He has built companies in 6 countries, a... Show more

I’m a technical writer turned software developer. I’ve always had a knack for technical things so at some point I got interested in learning how to code. My first choice was Python. The knowledge of Python opened up new career possibilities for me and sped up the process of picking up other languages. After 8 years of writing technical documentation I became a documentation tools developer. I’m currently working at Guidewire Software where I take care of the tools and infrastructure that enables writers to deliver high quality docs and clients to get information they need when they need it. In my free time, I’m the producer and a co-host of a podcast about technical aspects of delivering software documentation - “Tech Writer codes” (in Polish). I’m also a co-admin of techwriter.pl, the only Polish site about technical communication. A few years ago I wrote a short guide for tech writers who want to start coding in Python - “Tech Writer codes in Python” (in Polish). Occassionally, I publish articles related to my work, for example: https://techwriterkoduje.pl/git-team

# Speaking experience
- CAKE Conf 2025, Kraków, Poland: "Git for docs: basics, not only for beginners" (workshop)
- Content Bytes meetup 2025, Kraków, Poland: "Shocking discovery: self-organized distributed teams actually exist!"
-Soap! Conference 2022, Kraków, Poland: “Is tech writing in Central and Eastern Europe growing? This talk contains only facts”
- TC World Conference 2020, online: “Semantic testing in DITA“
- Soap! Conference 2019, Kraków, Poland: “Doing docs like code in the real world – a case study” (recording)
- Lecture for students at Silesian University 2019, Sosnowiec, Poland: “Technical Writer profession”
- Annual Translators Conference 2019, Lublin, Poland: “Technical writer profession”
- MeetContent meetup 2017, Kraków, Poland: “Automate documentation publishing with Jenkins”
- “Career in IT” work fair 2017, Kraków, Poland: “Does a good application need documentation?”

I’m a technical writer turned software developer. I’ve always had a knack for technical things so at some point I got interested in learning how to code. My first choice was Python. The knowledge of Python opened up new career possibilities for me an... Show more

Todd has a passion for promoting a healthy product and engineering culture, collaboratively exploring ways to solve both organizational and engineering needs, as well as holding regular discussions around how to evolve the software engineering craft. Todd believes in a human centered approach to engineering, where the experience of those creating and evolving the product is just as important as those that use the product.

A native to California's bay area, Todd’s journey into programming started over two decades ago and he has been privileged to work with many technologies as well as some leadership roles over the years. With his experience as a Principal of Software Engineering Practices at Pluralsight, Todd supported both individual software engineers and the technical leadership team in helping to continually improve and work together in a way that enables everyone to do their best work.

Todd loves to play the guitar, and is always open to jamming out and often enjoys paired programming with strangers.

Todd has a passion for promoting a healthy product and engineering culture, collaboratively exploring ways to solve both organizational and engineering needs, as well as holding regular discussions around how to evolve the software engineering craft.... Show more

Prae is a UX Engineer, on a mission to help people create more accessible web experiences.

She speaks about crafting user interactions, accessibility, playing nice with other disciplines, and growing front-end capabilities.

Prae spends her free time on Kyudo (Japanese archery), and eating around town.

Prae is a UX Engineer, on a mission to help people create more accessible web experiences. She speaks about crafting user interactions, accessibility, playing nice with other disciplines, and growing front-end capabilities. Prae spends her free... Show more

Ed leads the Americas Microsoft AI and Data practice and the Americas Microsoft Fabric & AI Platform CoE, steering analytics and AI initiatives within the Microsoft Azure ecosystem. His focus is on Analytics Modernization, GenAI, accelerating complex projects and enhancing value for clients. Ed is a experienced in design thinking and product/solution development, as well as a specialist in data visulization and business intelligence.

Ed has 30+ years of industry and technology consulting experience with the last 12 years dedicated to the Microsoft AI & Data ecosystem. Industry sector experiences include Life Sciences, Healthcare, Engineering & Construction, Media & Entertainment, and Consumer Goods.

Ed leads the Americas Microsoft AI and Data practice and the Americas Microsoft Fabric & AI Platform CoE, steering analytics and AI initiatives within the Microsoft Azure ecosystem. His focus is on Analytics Modernization, GenAI, accelerating complex... Show more

Patrick Wahlmueller is an IT professional, Microsoft MVP, and Community Organizer of Experts Live Austria, with a strong focus on AI-driven automation and Microsoft cloud technologies. His background spans classic IT operations and service management as well as modern, cloud-native and low-code solutions.

Today, Patrick works primarily with Copilot Studio, GitHub Copilot, Microsoft Foundry, and intelligent automation, helping organizations move beyond AI hype toward practical, secure, and responsible implementations. He is especially interested in how large language models can be integrated into existing IT landscapes to simplify processes, improve decision-making, and create measurable value.

Known for his clear, pragmatic approach, Patrick enjoys breaking down complex technical topics and making them accessible to both technical and non-technical audiences. As a long-time community contributor and conference organizer, he strongly believes in knowledge sharing, open discussion, and continuous learning.

Based in Austria, Patrick regularly speaks at events and conferences across Europe, sharing hands-on insights on AI, automation, security, and the future of IT.

Patrick Wahlmueller is an IT professional, Microsoft MVP, and Community Organizer of Experts Live Austria, with a strong focus on AI-driven automation and Microsoft cloud technologies. His background spans classic IT operations and service management... Show more

Work in agile since 9 years. Certified SM, PO, SAFe & org-topologies.
Organise the parisian meetup "eXtreme Agilité".
Work at OCTO-Technology.

Work in agile since 9 years. Certified SM, PO, SAFe & org-topologies. Organise the parisian meetup "eXtreme Agilité". Work at OCTO-Technology. Show more

A results-driven and hands-on Analytics Leader with 15+ experience in leading customer,marketing and digital analytics engagements for global brands and Retail Media Networks. Adept at developing innovative analytics & AI/ML solutions that optimize marketing spending, enhance customer experience, and boost revenue, aligning with business objectives. Skilled in building and managing large cross-functional teams of data analysts and data scientists in Data Engineering, BI, and Data Science.

A results-driven and hands-on Analytics Leader with 15+ experience in leading customer,marketing and digital analytics engagements for global brands and Retail Media Networks. Adept at developing innovative analytics & AI/ML solutions that optimize m... Show more

Kurtis Kemple is a formerly incarcerated tech leader whose extensive experience across software engineering, developer relations, platform experience, and agent design has made him a leading voice in the field. His work is unified by a relentless focus on clarity—whether that means making implicit system dynamics explicit through frameworks and programs, removing friction along the developer journey, or teaching developers, designers, and product managers how to build best-in-class agentic experiences.

Through his work at Integral Ad Science and Major League Soccer he built deep foundations in real-time analytics, ETL infrastructure, and delivering integrated experiences across digital and physical interfaces. Apollo GraphQL and AWS sharpened his understanding of developer-first product thinking, API infrastructure, and platform engineering at genuine scale. Slack and Salesforce brought it all together—putting him at the center of platform experience and agentic AI at the exact moment they became the most consequential challenges in the industry. Now he's channeling that accumulated expertise into writing as the author of Effective DevRel, releasing in May 2026 through Apress, with two more in the works—currently titled "Platform Engineering for AI" and "Agentic Experience Design."

Currently, Kurtis leads developer strategy for the Slack platform as Sr. Director of Developer Relations, where he focuses on agentic systems, experience design, and platform strategy. Outside of work, he pursues independent research at the intersection of mathematics and physical systems, street photography, riding his motorcycle where he shouldn't, and enjoying time with his family.

Kurtis Kemple is a formerly incarcerated tech leader whose extensive experience across software engineering, developer relations, platform experience, and agent design has made him a leading voice in the field. His work is unified by a relentless foc... Show more

Alex Levin is an American entrepreneur, strategist, and design innovator. He is the Founding Partner of L+R, a global technology design and strategy firm where interdisciplinary teams of designers, engineers, and consultants help organizations integrate emerging technologies. L+R's work has earned recognition from the Red Dot Design Awards, Webby Awards, and other industry honors.

Since founding L+R in 2012 after graduating from Parsons School of Design, Alex has led the firm’s consulting practice and its luxury-focused special business unit, Liquid Crystal. He’s partnered with clients like Amazon Web Services, Google, Hilton Worldwide, Printemps New York, and the Estée Lauder Companies to bring emerging tech into real-world applications.

In 2017, Alex launched LookSee, an iOS mobile VR prototyping tool later adapted for Louis Vuitton. The following year, in collaboration with AWS, he led the creation of SeeLook, a 3D and AR iOS and Android mobile app powered by Amazon Sumerian. His team’s design frameworks have contributed to the Meta Spatial SDK and resulted in the fully in-house development of Media View, an open-source app for the Meta Quest, built entirely in Kotlin. L+R continues to partner with Meta to support mobile designers entering the spatial computing space with Meta’s Device Access Toolkit SDK for the Ray-Ban Meta and Oakley Meta AI Glasses.

Alex also founded Meridian, a global spatial computing meetup with chapters in Berlin, Nairobi, Brooklyn, and beyond. He serves on the Parsons Alumni Committee Board, mentors at XRC Labs, advises the Ad Council, and is an alum of the Luxury Education Foundation. He was recognized in Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2019.

Alex Levin is an American entrepreneur, strategist, and design innovator. He is the Founding Partner of L+R, a global technology design and strategy firm where interdisciplinary teams of designers, engineers, and consultants help organizations integr... Show more

Arne Kittler is co-founder of Hey Clarity, where he helps scale-ups and corporates build product organizations that really work. His approach centers on Contextual Product Leadership – adapting his work as a consultant, coach, or interim leader based on what each organization needs.

With over 25 years building digital products and 15 years leading product organizations as VP Product at XING and CPO at Facelift, Arne now partners with leaders and teams to find clarity about their direction, organization, and ways of working.

He is also co-founder of Product at Heart, one of Europe's leading product conferences.

Arne Kittler is co-founder of Hey Clarity, where he helps scale-ups and corporates build product organizations that really work. His approach centers on Contextual Product Leadership – adapting his work as a consultant, coach, or interim leader based... Show more

He works as a Support Engineer at Chronosphere, helping both customers and the Fluent community. He's been a developer and support engineer for 20+ years.

He works as a Support Engineer at Chronosphere, helping both customers and the Fluent community. He's been a developer and support engineer for 20+ years. Show more