Mrinal Jain is an Engineering Manager at STAGE OTT with 7+ years of experience building scalable full-stack and Flutter applications. A recognized tech speaker and Meta Community Lead, he has led impactful developer communities and shared insights at major tech events. Known as the Introvert Influencer, Mrinal combines deep technical expertise with community-first leadership to empower developers and scale product success.

Mrinal Jain is an Engineering Manager at STAGE OTT with 7+ years of experience building scalable full-stack and Flutter applications. A recognized tech speaker and Meta Community Lead, he has led impactful developer communities and shared insights at... Show more

Marc Robertz-Schwartz is a multi-award-winning media and marketing executive and entrepreneur. He has helped dozens of best-in-class businesses and organizations build their brand through traditional and digital marketing strategies. He has been honored and recognized with three regional Emmy awards, 19 Telly awards, International Incubator Business of the Year (2012), twice named to the Gator 100 for fastest growing companies owned by University of Florida grads, and his agency – Red Apples Media – was named a “Best Place to Work” right before he completed the sale of the agency in 2024. Marc is also the author of "The RED APPLES Way" (named an Amazon "Top New Release" in February, 2026) - a candid and entertaining story of "how nine core values turned a company founded on fear and desperation into one of passion and purpose."

Marc Robertz-Schwartz is a multi-award-winning media and marketing executive and entrepreneur. He has helped dozens of best-in-class businesses and organizations build their brand through traditional and digital marketing strategies. He has been hono... Show more

As a leading brand builder and speaker on experience, content, and audience engagement. Baron's work has contributed to the marketing success of many leading brands, including Royal Bank of Canada.CA, Visa, Conagra, Ontario Tourism, Unilever, TD Bank, and other brand leaders. Baron continues to lead his team of marketing and brand experience designers at the firm he founded in 2016, Per Se Brand Experience (PSBX).

Baron was part of Ontario Tourism's 2003/2004 SARS Recovery Program. In 2006, he was awarded the key to the City of Niagara Falls for Tourism Promotion and Innovation in the region. In 2025, he co-authored the best-selling business book, The Ripple Effect, a book featuring business networking stories across professional categories.
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In 2026, Baron was named a Catalyst Member at the Stanford Center on Longevity. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Marketing at Seneca Polytechnic in Toronto, and Baron holds an MBA from the Schulich School of Business in Toronto. Since 2020, Baron has split his time between Toronto, Canada and Naples, Florida.

As a leading brand builder and speaker on experience, content, and audience engagement. Baron's work has contributed to the marketing success of many leading brands, including Royal Bank of Canada.CA, Visa, Conagra, Ontario Tourism, Unilever, TD Bank... Show more

I'm Mithun A. Sridharan, an entrepreneur, author and keynote speaker on Strategy, Management Consulting and Digital Transformation. I'm a Forbes Technology Council Thought Leader and a Member of Harvard Business Review Advisory Council. As a strategy and technology executive, I advise senior leaders and corporations derive value from their strategic technology investment portfolios. I am a TEDx speaker and regularly share insights at industry conferences and corporate events. I have also contributed thought leadership to high-impact journals and magazines, such as the World Economic Forum, the American Banker, Wired, Bloomberg, etc. I hold an MBA from ESMT Berlin, a Master of Science from Christian Albrechts University of Kiel, both in Germany and a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Madras, India.

I'm Mithun A. Sridharan, an entrepreneur, author and keynote speaker on Strategy, Management Consulting and Digital Transformation. I'm a Forbes Technology Council Thought Leader and a Member of Harvard Business Review Advisory Council. As a strategy... Show more

Andrew Schiffman, Head of Artist Relations at LGND Music, an NFT music platform. He was previously the Vice President of Business Development at YellowHeart, a NFT Ticketing and Marketplace platform and Music partnership Ambassador at Rally.io.
He has over 20 years in the music industry working at various global companies like MTV, VEVO and UMG. His passion for music and tech allowed Andrew to become a master programming strategist and curator across platforms from broadcast to digital. He has worked on many groundbreaking campaigns, events, series and album releases from the MTV Video Music Awards, MTV2 120 Minutes and artists like Muse, Linkin Park, J. Cole and The Black Keys.

Andrew Schiffman, Head of Artist Relations at LGND Music, an NFT music platform. He was previously the Vice President of Business Development at YellowHeart, a NFT Ticketing and Marketplace platform and Music partnership Ambassador at Rally.io. He ... Show more

Michael Hidalgo has spent more than 25 years leading, building, and speaking. He has spoken to over 50,000 people, from intimate C-suite retreats to audiences of 2,500+.

He is a GiANT-certified 5 Voices Guide and award-winning author of two books. Michael has led fast-growing organizations and served as an advisor to the Denver Mayor's office and the Colorado Governor. His film school and screenwriting background means his keynotes aren't talks, they are experiences.

His past clients include Alvarez & Marsal, Canes Midstream, ATD, InTempo Software, along with corporate leadership teams across multiple industries.

Michael Hidalgo has spent more than 25 years leading, building, and speaking. He has spoken to over 50,000 people, from intimate C-suite retreats to audiences of 2,500+. He is a GiANT-certified 5 Voices Guide and award-winning author of two books... Show more

Karen Riley-Love is a hyper-local tourism strategist and entrepreneur who has helped transform Anna Maria Island into a sought-after wedding destination through local-first partnerships and marketing. She is a CO—100 Honoree, recognized as one of the Top 100 Small Businesses in the nation by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and one of only ten businesses awarded the Customer Champion distinction. Karen is a multi-time Visit Florida Flagler Award winner, including Best of Show, and was named Tourism Ambassador of the Year by the Bradenton Area CVB and featured in First for Women Magazine. She is a featured speaker at The Digital Marketing Conference, sharing how community-driven brands scale with authenticity. Karen blends creativity with strategy to promote sustainable, high-value tourism, leveraging community, culture, and local charm to create visitor experiences that resonate far beyond the shoreline.

Karen Riley-Love is a hyper-local tourism strategist and entrepreneur who has helped transform Anna Maria Island into a sought-after wedding destination through local-first partnerships and marketing. She is a CO—100 Honoree, recognized as one of the... Show more

Lead UX/Digital Product Designer with over 20 years of experience and certification in design strategy. My career spans major tech hubs, including New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and London, where I've delivered impactful digital solutions across diverse industries.

Beyond client work, I'm committed to advancing the design community through thought leadership and mentorship. I regularly publish insights on UX and product design, speak at industry conferences and events, and mentor emerging designers. My work has built an engaged audience of 10,000+ followers across Medium, LinkedIn, and X.

Lead UX/Digital Product Designer with over 20 years of experience and certification in design strategy. My career spans major tech hubs, including New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and London, where I've delivered impactful digital solutions acro... Show more

Depuis plus de 20 ans, j’interviens dans des contextes où il faut faire avancer des projets impliquant plusieurs métiers, plusieurs temporalités et souvent plusieurs niveaux de décision.
J’ai évolué dans des environnements liés au design, au print, à la fabrication, à l’événementiel, au marketing B2B, à la communication ou encore aux appels d’offres complexes.
Ces expériences m’ont appris à développer une vision globale des projets tout en restant attentive aux détails qui peuvent créer des blocages ou fragiliser la relation client.

Depuis plus de 20 ans, j’interviens dans des contextes où il faut faire avancer des projets impliquant plusieurs métiers, plusieurs temporalités et souvent plusieurs niveaux de décision. J’ai évolué dans des environnements liés au design, au print, ... Show more

Lauren Mucciolo has produced and/or directed more than a dozen documentaries for PBS Frontline -- many as international co-productions with the BBC’s Storyville, Panorama and Current Affairs programs, and Channel 4 in the UK. Her most recent films for Frontline are the Emmy-nominated documentaries "Born Poor" and "Alaska's Vanishing Native Villages," both released in 2025.

A seven-time News & Documentary Emmy nominee and two-time Grierson nominee, Lauren has won two RFK Journalism Awards, one Online Journalism Award, a Best Director Award from the Royal Television Society, a SXSW Film Festival Jury Prize, among many other honors for her films. She came to the Cronkite School in 2019 from Brooklyn, New York to help launch the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism as its inaugural executive producer. During her tenure, national multimedia investigations from the Howard Center have been published in top national news outlets like PBS NewsHour and The Associated Press, and recognized with dozens of awards. She was an editor on the Howard Center's collaboration with The AP, PBS Frontline and the University of Maryland on the multi-platform "Lethal Restraint," a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize in investigative reporting and a Murrow Award winner.

Lauren Mucciolo has produced and/or directed more than a dozen documentaries for PBS Frontline -- many as international co-productions with the BBC’s Storyville, Panorama and Current Affairs programs, and Channel 4 in the UK. Her most recent films fo... Show more

Calypso is a versatile professional with a unique background in theatre, education, and tech. After years of experience in theatre and teaching, Calypso recently transitioned into the tech industry, working with innovative startups where she applies her skills in communication, design, and collaboration to fast-paced, high-growth environments. This blend of creative and technical experience has equipped Calypso with a deep understanding of how to foster constructive feedback, empower teams, and drive continuous improvement. Calypso also thrives on building strong, connected communities. She brings a fresh perspective on collaboration, communication, and community building in both creative and tech spaces.

Calypso is a versatile professional with a unique background in theatre, education, and tech. After years of experience in theatre and teaching, Calypso recently transitioned into the tech industry, working with innovative startups where she applies ... Show more

Hi, I’m Rasagy Sharma. I love making data meaningful, and I’ve spent 12+ years leading design teams & building data-heavy products.

I currently head the design team for DataLabs at Capital One, and was earlier heading the design team at Gramener. I’ve designed apps & data visualizations at large orgs like Microsoft & Barclays, and been one of the first designers at early-stage startups like Sundial, Mapbox (Data team) & Capillary Technologies.

In my free time, I love to make sense of knowledge through sketchnoting, create art using data & code, and support design communities through speaking, teaching & volunteering. I’m an Adjunct Assistant Professor at IDC, IIT Bombay, and I regularly teach for NID’s M.Des. in Information Design program (my alma mater).

I’m currently diving deep into design leadership & knowledge management, and I’m passionate about data visualization, cartography, creative coding & sketchnoting.

Hi, I’m Rasagy Sharma. I love making data meaningful, and I’ve spent 12+ years leading design teams & building data-heavy products. I currently head the design team for DataLabs at Capital One, and was earlier heading the design team at Gramener. ... Show more

Ana Sarmiento is a senior media executive and an expert in navigating the complexities of the post-AI media landscape. Her focus extends beyond content creation to the critical mechanics of performance: using AI to unlock deeper audience insights and solving the real-world challenges facing modern media companies. From combating the traffic implications of liquid content to standing out in increasingly saturated creator marketplaces, Ana provides real world data-backed tactics. She draws on her deep experience in revenue operations to help organizations identify hidden costs and implement the emerging business models required to thrive in a synthetic media world.

She is the Director of AI Revenue at Advance Local and has an extensive background at industry giants including Disney, Paramount, and HBO. She has an EMBA from UCLA Anderson and a BBA from The University of Georgia. She brings a rare trifecta to the stage: creative media intuition, technical product rigor, and the high-stakes financial strategy of management consulting. Ana provides an action-oriented blueprint for turning Generative AI innovation into commercial success.

Ana Sarmiento is a senior media executive and an expert in navigating the complexities of the post-AI media landscape. Her focus extends beyond content creation to the critical mechanics of performance: using AI to unlock deeper audience insights and... Show more

Elliott is the CEO of Current, a full-stack digital agency that builds, optimizes, and markets digital products in a continuous cycle — ensuring the work never stops performing after launch.

Since joining Mediacurrent in 2021, Elliott has moved quickly through the organization — from Creative Strategy Director to Head of Product to CEO — before building Current through the strategic combination of Mediacurrent and Rhythm. That journey reflects a through-line he's carried across his career: the belief that great digital products and smart marketing shouldn't live in separate worlds.

It's a conviction he's put into practice across education, financial services, and media and entertainment — and one he developed long before Current. At EY Design Studio and Doberman NY, Elliott's work ranged from reimagining the grocery store of the future for the world's largest retailer, to building an accessible technology ecosystem for a New York City arts institution, to crafting an award-winning digital platform for a national fast-casual brand. Different problems, same instinct: making complex systems feel invisible for the people who use them.

Elliott is the CEO of Current, a full-stack digital agency that builds, optimizes, and markets digital products in a continuous cycle — ensuring the work never stops performing after launch. Since joining Mediacurrent in 2021, Elliott has moved qu... Show more

My goal is to help people develop media literacy in an environment where culture is accelerating faster than most people can interpret.

My work focuses on the systems underneath contemporary digital life: how memes encode cultural behavior, how algorithms reorganize attention, how advertising collapses spatial boundaries, and how the underlying protocols of media shape what we believe, share, and understand.

I’m a digital culture analyst and media theorist and I’ve spent my life moving through every major shift in digital culture. I began on a Commodore Vic20 writing BASIC programs on loose-leaf paper. I discovered the early web through Netscape in art school, studying Intermedia when digital experimentation was still a fringe idea. I worked through the rise of social platforms, the marketing era of Web2, the speculative creativity of Web3 and I’ve now arrived in the AI era as an educator and media theorist trying to explain what all of this means.

My work explains the systems behind contemporary digital life: meme dynamics, protocol aesthetics, algorithmic influence and the collapse of traditional media logic. Rather than focusing on tools, I work to uncover the deeper structures that shape how people think, communicate and create.

I’ve spent my life moving through every major shift in digital culture. I began on a Commodore Vic20 writing BASIC programs on loose-leaf paper. I discovered the early web through Netscape in art school, studying Intermedia when digital experimentation was still a fringe idea. I worked through the rise of social platforms, the marketing era of Web2, the speculative creativity of Web3, and I’ve now arrived in the AI era as an educator and media theorist trying to explain what all of this means.

I’m not teaching people how to use tools. I’m trying to map the deeper structures.

I believe in what I’m talking about because I’ve been there to see it form:

A student in Web1.
A practitioner in Web2.
An educator in Web3.
A theorist in the AI era.

Everything I publish - talks, videos, essays, posts and digital projects is an attempt to make digital culture legible.

My goal is to help people develop media literacy in an environment where culture is accelerating faster than most people can interpret. My work focuses on the systems underneath contemporary digital life: how memes encode cultural behavior, how al... Show more

Marcia is a Principal Developer Advocate at AWS with over 20 years of experience building and scaling software. She specializes in Serverless, cloud architecture, and AI agents — and is known for making complex technical concepts approachable and practical.

She is also the founder of Desplegando.cloud, a YouTube channel, newsletter, and community focused on AWS Serverless in Spanish, where she helps thousands of developers across Latin America and Spain build real projects in the cloud.

Marcia is a Principal Developer Advocate at AWS with over 20 years of experience building and scaling software. She specializes in Serverless, cloud architecture, and AI agents — and is known for making complex technical concepts approachable and pra... Show more

Jo Hasenau is an open source veteran who has been building, maintaining, and scaling community-driven software ecosystems for more than two decades.

He started out in the early days of the internet, moved from a late-80s designer background to digital media production in the 90s, and then shifted his focus to large-scale platforms and integration problems - from corporate environments such as T-Systems and Deutsche Telekom to long-running open source projects such as TYPO3, maintained in the open.

He is known for shipping pragmatic tools and growing communities, as a maintainer of widely used extensions, a trainer and coach, a speaker at conferences, developer days, and camps, and an organizer of formats such as the User Experience Week. He has also contributed through publications, including the O’Reilly TYPO3 Cookbook.

After serving as CTO at InnoCoding, he now works at the next layer beyond websites as a Big Picture Brainiac at Cybercraft, focusing on AI-enabled content infrastructure, interoperability, and digital sovereignty.

Jo Hasenau is an open source veteran who has been building, maintaining, and scaling community-driven software ecosystems for more than two decades. He started out in the early days of the internet, moved from a late-80s designer background to dig... Show more

Daniel Stanica is a Romanian SEO, AI Visibility, and digital assets advisor. As the founder of Competico, he helps digital businesses adapt to AI-driven search by building frameworks that define what it means for brands to be discoverable in the LLM era. With 15+ years in the WordPress, hosting, and affiliate ecosystems, he's a recurring presence at CloudFest, Domain Days Dubai, and WordCamp Europe.

Daniel Stanica is a Romanian SEO, AI Visibility, and digital assets advisor. As the founder of Competico, he helps digital businesses adapt to AI-driven search by building frameworks that define what it means for brands to be discoverable in the LLM ... Show more

Kerem Demirayak is an award-winning creative producer specializing in immersive technologies, spatial computing, and AI-driven media experiences. He leads next-generation interactive media production at FIELD.IO, merging artistic vision with technical expertise in XR, generative design, and real-time systems.

With a proven track record of scaling emerging tech solutions for Fortune 500 brands and cultural institutions, Kerem has brought innovative experiences to life for IBM, BMW, Nike, and more. His work bridges the gap between concept and delivery, transforming immersive and interactive ideas into engaging, real-world experiences. He is also exploring investment opportunities in creative AI and immersive tech infrastructure.

Kerem Demirayak is an award-winning creative producer specializing in immersive technologies, spatial computing, and AI-driven media experiences. He leads next-generation interactive media production at FIELD.IO, merging artistic vision with technica... Show more

David Lohner is an educationalist and learning experience designer with many years of experience in media education at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). His affiliations include the National Institute for Science Communication (NaWik), the German Association of Academic and Educational Developers (dghd) and the [[notizlab]].
A key focus for him is the promotion of individual skills development. In his work, he combines sociocultural, pedagogical and technical perspectives to design effective and sustainable teaching and learning processes in the digital age. In addition, he conducts research on topics relating to digital higher education, the design of learning and knowledge processes, and concepts of digital note-taking and personal knowledge management.

David Lohner is an educationalist and learning experience designer with many years of experience in media education at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). His affiliations include the National Institute for Science Communication (NaWik), the... Show more

a Senior Developer Relations Engineer at Google, focused on advancing the core Android camera and media ecosystem. With over a decade of experience across the full tech stack, he currently partners with engineering teams at Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat to implement high-end media capabilities and HDR technologies. Throughout his career at both startups and tech giants, Mozart has contributed to products used by millions, including Lyft, Plex, and Google Chrome. He is a Dolby Vision and Atmos Certified professional with deep technical expertise in C++, Kotlin, and the JUCE framework.

a Senior Developer Relations Engineer at Google, focused on advancing the core Android camera and media ecosystem. With over a decade of experience across the full tech stack, he currently partners with engineering teams at Instagram, TikTok, and Sna... Show more

Joeri is a Belgium-born, Portugal-based Fractional CMO, AI Visibility Strategist, and author of The Future CMO. He advises founders and executive teams on marketing leadership, brand positioning, and visibility in AI-driven markets. He helps companies become discoverable, accurately represented, and recommended by both customers and the AI systems that increasingly mediate them: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Google's generative search.

Philip Kotler endorsed his last book 'The Future CMO': The best update that I have read on the role and work of CMOs. A must-read for leaders ready to embrace financial accountability.

Philip Kotler, S.C. Johnson & Son Distinguished Professor of International Marketing, Kellogg School of Management

Joeri is a Belgium-born, Portugal-based Fractional CMO, AI Visibility Strategist, and author of The Future CMO. He advises founders and executive teams on marketing leadership, brand positioning, and visibility in AI-driven markets. He helps companie... Show more

A reference in the world of design and product, creator of La Conf Qui Tue Le Game, and a key contributor to the rise of user- and product-centered culture at France Télévisions for over 10 years, Michael Baeyens (“Mitch”) is currently National Director of Product and Design Practices at eXalt, leading a community of more than 200 product and design professionals (since June 2024).

Following the success of Human After All — closing keynote at UX Conf 2023 (800+ attendees) and subsequently performed 8 times across France for a total audience of over 3,500 — Mitch established himself as a distinctive voice on the ethical, cultural and strategic impacts of AI, drawing a parallel between the career of Daft Punk and our relationship with automation, robotics and generative systems.

Since then, he has created and delivered two major conferences:

UI0 – Interface Zero: The Rise of Invisible Products in the Age of AI,
an exploration of how AI agents are reshaping product design by shifting from user-facing interfaces to products designed for agent-consumers. The talk examines the deep impact of this paradigm shift on design and product roles, methods and responsibilities. UI0 has been presented more than 16 times across France and internationally (including LPC Paris and PMF Zurich), reaching over 8,000 attendees and generating more than 8,000 video views.

FAMOUS – Lessons Learned on Brand, Values and Resilience from the Most Iconic (and Maybe the Most Underrated) Product of Our Times (FLUPA 2025),
a cultural and strategic analysis of Taylor Swift’s career as a product ecosystem, extracting concrete lessons on brand consistency, long-term vision, value systems and resilience that modern product teams can apply to their own work.

Recognized for mastering the art of storytelling, Mitch brings audiences along through a distinctive mix of sharp insight, humor, personal anecdotes and pop culture references. Sitting at the intersection of strategic planning, design leadership and product expertise, he delivers talks that are both intellectually rigorous and highly engaging — making him an unmissable speaker on the future of product, design and culture in the age of AI.

A reference in the world of design and product, creator of La Conf Qui Tue Le Game, and a key contributor to the rise of user- and product-centered culture at France Télévisions for over 10 years, Michael Baeyens (“Mitch”) is currently National Direc... Show more

Dr. Sandesh Lamsal is a practising physician and public figure from Nepal. He helps audiences and organisations bridge medicine, digital influence, and social impact. He translates clinical knowledge into clear, actionable health education using real patient stories and both Nepali and global perspectives. This enables individuals and communities to make informed decisions on prevention, well-being, and daily resilience.

As a social media creator, philanthropist, and author, Dr. Lamsal delivers practical insights on digital wellness, youth empowerment, public health innovation, and community leadership. His talks and programmes connect health education with responsible online habits and measurable social action. They inspire individuals, NGOs, schools, and healthcare partners to collaborate and create lasting change.

Dr. Sandesh Lamsal is a practising physician and public figure from Nepal. He helps audiences and organisations bridge medicine, digital influence, and social impact. He translates clinical knowledge into clear, actionable health education using real... Show more

Alberto Lucas López is a Spanish-born journalist who, since 2016, has served as Senior Artist – New Narratives at National Geographic Magazine. In this role, he specializes in the development of innovative approaches to visual storytelling and graphic journalism. His individual work has been honored with more than 200 international awards from Webby, SPD, WAN-IFRA, IIBA, DJA Global Editors Network, SND and CaGIS, among other organizations. It is worth highlighting he has been awarded with the Best of Show Malofiej—that distinguishes the best infographic in the world published of the year—, two Human Rights Award Malofiej, the Best Map of the World Miguel Urabayen Award, and the Impressive Individual Award from Information Is Beautiful Awards. Occasionally, he serves as a jury in journalistic contests such as the Premio GABO, WAN-IFRA World Media Awards or the Society of Publishers in Asia Awards, and leads talks and workshops internationally on visual storytelling.

Prior to joining National Geographic, he was Graphics Director at Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Society for News Design and, in recent years, has devoted a significant portion of his time to doctoral research in Arts and Education. He also regularly delivers international lectures and leads workshops on visual storytelling.

Alberto Lucas López is a Spanish-born journalist who, since 2016, has served as Senior Artist – New Narratives at National Geographic Magazine. In this role, he specializes in the development of innovative approaches to visual storytelling and graphi... Show more

Born in Colombia and forged in the media hubs of Miami and Washington, D.C., I am a Senior Strategist operating at the intersection of cultural identity and global operations. For 12 years, I’ve built digital ecosystems for giants like Disney, NBCUniversal, and National Geographic. I was the mind behind the award-winning Nat Geo en Español YouTube channel—pioneering a strategy that earned a Gold Creator Award and surpassed 1 million subscribers in less than a year. From Executive Producing documentaries like Puerto Rico: Surviving María to co-founding the National Geographic Hispanic Employee Inclusion Group (EIG), my mission is to use technology as a megaphone for authentic representation. Currently, I am merging a decade of high-level strategy with AI certifications from NVIDIA and Google, ensuring that as the industry redesigns itself, inclusion is baked into the foundation, not added as a footnote.

Born in Colombia and forged in the media hubs of Miami and Washington, D.C., I am a Senior Strategist operating at the intersection of cultural identity and global operations. For 12 years, I’ve built digital ecosystems for giants like Disney, NBCUni... Show more

Angie is a multidisciplinary educator, director, and wellness innovator whose work brings together neuroscience, awareness, and the performing arts through Learning HOW to Age™. This curriculum-based program integrates research on brain health with experiential practices from acting, voice, and movement, offering engaging, skill-based approaches to lifelong vitality and presence.

She serves as administrator for the Expressive Avenues Wellness YouTube channel, where she shares lessons designed to support active, independent aging. Angie holds an MFA from the University of Louisville and brings decades of experience in education, performing, directing, and media production. Angie leads experiential breakout sessions at aging conferences like the National Council on Aging, sharing results from a two-year implementation of Learning HOW to Age™ with independent living adults averaging 81 years old. She will present “Learning HOW to Age™: An Experiential, Intergenerational Program—Skills for Every Generation” for the first time at the Mid-Atlantic Intergenerational Conference, expanding the curriculum into an actionable intergenerational model across the lifespan.

A survivor of a catastrophic car accident, Angie chronicles her journey through coma and back into consciousness in her memoir Emerging: From Coma to Presence. With honesty, humor, and candor, she reflects on what she encountered in that liminal space and later with a numinous bearded iris—offering a deeply human perspective on resilience, awareness, and what it means to truly be present.

Angie is a multidisciplinary educator, director, and wellness innovator whose work brings together neuroscience, awareness, and the performing arts through Learning HOW to Age™. This curriculum-based program integrates research on brain health with e... Show more

Ming Johanson works with businesses across the globe from training social media to managing (with her team) complex digital strategies that deliver tangible and desirable financial returns. She is dedicated to shaping the landscape for leaders to adapt their management, sales and marketing culture to fit into the modern day world of hyper-connectivity.

Recently recognised and awarded for her ongoing contribution to the technology industries in the 2019 Women In Technology Tech [+] 20 Awards. Ming is a passionate mental health Ambassador for R U OK? Day, a co-facilitator in Startup Weekend Perth and a regular Australian Media Commentator as a Tech Evangelist on a range of topics in Mental Health, Social Media & Technology. 

Ming Johanson works with businesses across the globe from training social media to managing (with her team) complex digital strategies that deliver tangible and desirable financial returns. She is dedicated to shaping the landscape for leaders to ada... Show more

Khayri has over a decade of engineering experience, from co-founding a Knight Foundation award winning security startup to leading engineering at Al Jazeera America, The Atlantic, and Axios. He has spent his career building products that reach millions. Now he's building the digital layer that recreational sports has always been missing.

Khayri has over a decade of engineering experience, from co-founding a Knight Foundation award winning security startup to leading engineering at Al Jazeera America, The Atlantic, and Axios. He has spent his career building products that reach millio... Show more

Abdifatah Hassan Roble is Somali technologist, writer, and advocate from the Bay region of Somalia. Abdifatah brings incredible experience, perseverance, and expertise as an online platform builder, writer, and activist for the education of Somali youth and greater Somali community through technological empowerment. Abdifatah was born in Sanca, Yemen while his family was internally displaced from the civil war in Somalia. He hails from Mogadishu. Abdifatah embodies Somali values and is committed to lifting the Somali community as a whole.

Abdifatah graduated from Salaam University with a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (2025), focusing on Cybersecurity, Cloud Computing, and Artificial Intelligence. Abdifatah is the first university graduate in his family. He is studying for his Master’s and PhD in Cybersecurity and AI, with the intention of contributing to global research and policy making.

Abdifatah Hassan Roble founded Somali Tech Digest in 2025, aiming to educate Somali speaking populations and a global audience on technology policies, digital security, and the innovation shaping the region. Abdifatah critically examines laws and policies pertaining to cybersecurity in countries which matter most to Somali tech stakeholders, and writes original content in both English and Somali for his readers. By drawing parallels to similar trends in the West, Abdifatah consistently delivers smart, accessible coverage of rapid digital transformation for Somali Tech Digest readers.

Professionally, Abdifatah is a Sales Representative at Premier Bank as well as Shaakir Furniture where he gained key skills such as business communication and building customer trust while utilizing technology to effectively engage in promotional activities. Abdifatah combines expertise in this field while emphasizing the importance of effective communication that links to the technical knowledge that the customer is seeking.

Abdifatah is dedicated to serving the Somali population and the global community at large. He is deeply involved in the local community and is an avid promoter of youth empowerment and growth. Abdifatah is an avid reader and publisher of law review articles, particularly in the realm of cybersecurity law. In his free time, Abdifatah enjoys learning about cultural differences and exploring the lives of rural Europeans. Abdifatah is a persistent, motivated, and hopeful individual that thrives in the face of adversity. Most importantly, Abdifatah is driven by a desire to leave a lasting legacy. As such, he strives to achieve the maximum potential of every endeavor that he pursues.

Areas of Expertise

Cybersecurity & Artificial Intelligence

Digital Strategy & Business Agility

Editorial Leadership & Community Engagement

Stakeholder Analysis & Communication

Comparative Cybersecurity Law

Sessions

1. Database-Last Design in Somali Context
For decades, software started from the database out, with the database at the core and the rest of the application circling around it. In modern application design, we start from the user tasks and work our way out, trying to be as flexible as possible. In this talk, I will highlight to Somali developers and organizations how “database-last” design can be used to build sustainable, scalable, and user-centric software systems.
You’ll learn:
The transition from database-centric to user-centric design

Architecture of CQRS, microservices, NoSQL (practice)

How agile, cross-functional teams succeed with loosely coupled components

Life After Story Points: Somali Agile Planning

Story points are often the focus of much consternation during sprint planning. This talk presents alternative planning techniques that actually use real numbers and has been validated with Somali developers with strict, fixed capacity limits.
You’ll learn:
Put some real numbers behind your decision making

Ways to structure your time so that you get the most out of it

Agile Requirements: Building What Somalia Needs
Requirements gathering is a hard problem

too rigid in traditional approaches and too fuzzy in early agile adoption. In this talk, a balanced approach will be presented for capturing requirements to improve productivity in Somali organizations.
You’ll learn:

Writing clear, simple user stories

Using acceptance criteria to capture details

Balancing analysis with responsiveness

The value of documenting conversations and decisions

Great Retrospectives that Drive Change
This interactive session explores how to keep the ritual fresh and go home with real improvements!
You’ll learn:

Setting goals and benefits for retrospective session

Feedback Best Practices for Improved Outcomes

Formats that generate actionable outcomes

Methods to measure success beyond intuition

Scrum vs. Kanban: Lessons for Somali Teams
Scrum vs Kanban? Both methods have been used successfully in many environments and contexts. In this meeting we will go through the strengths and weaknesses of Scrum and Kanban so Somali teams can decide which method suits them better.
You’ll learn:

Misconceptions about both methodologies

Visibility of work and planning timelines

Handling work in progress and shifting priorities

Mixing and blending traditional and modern methods

Hunting Down the Elusive MVP
One of the biggest challenges when creating a new product or service is defining a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). This interactive session gives Somali startups and innovators tools to identify and deliver a relevant MVP.
You’ll learn:

Visioning, personas, and user journeys

Story mapping and risk evaluation

Creating a realistic release plan

Building a canvas that ties everything together

When traditional sizing is not useless

Abdifatah Hassan Roble is Somali technologist, writer, and advocate from the Bay region of Somalia. Abdifatah brings incredible experience, perseverance, and expertise as an online platform builder, writer, and activist for the education of Somali yo... Show more