Andy Crotty is a TS/SCI-cleared cybersecurity professional with over a decade of experience in cyber threat detection, incident response, and security engineering across federal, financial, and enterprise environments. He currently serves as a Cyber Network Defense Analyst 3 with Leidos, supporting the Department of Homeland Security in a 24x7x365 NOSC environment. In this role, Andy leads high-impact investigations, develops and optimizes detection logic aligned to MITRE ATT&CK, and mentors junior analysts to strengthen operational readiness and cyber defense capabilities.

A U.S. Army Warrant Officer with over 15 years of military service, Andy has led teams in advanced persistent threat (APT) analysis, cyber threat hunting, and defensive operations for the Department of Defense. His civilian career includes senior roles in security operations for Wells Fargo and the State of Arizona Department of Homeland Security, where he enhanced detection strategies, streamlined incident response workflows, and strengthened enterprise security postures.

Beyond his operational work, Andy is passionate about cybersecurity community engagement and mentorship. At DEFCON 33, he served as a staff member for Noob Village, where he coordinated community-focused activities including volunteer outreach, CTF raffle setup, and securing sponsors to provide prizes. Through his YouTube channel GingerHacker and mentorship initiatives, Andy continues to guide aspiring cybersecurity professionals, sharing practical insights on breaking into the field, building technical skills, and navigating a rapidly evolving threat landscape.

Andy Crotty is a TS/SCI-cleared cybersecurity professional with over a decade of experience in cyber threat detection, incident response, and security engineering across federal, financial, and enterprise environments. He currently serves as a Cyber ... Show more

Marc Dekeyser is a seasoned cloud architect and 10-year veteran of Microsoft, where he most recently served in the Azure engineering group. During his tenure, he worked closely with enterprise customers, startups, and product teams to shape, deploy, and optimize cloud solutions to be reliable, secure, scalable and cost-efficient.

Today, as the founder of his own consultancy, Marc helps organizations design and implement scalable, reliable, and cost-efficient Azure environments. With a unique blend of deep platform expertise and hands-on field experience, he brings a pragmatic, engineering-driven perspective to modern cloud architecture and networking.

Marc Dekeyser is a seasoned cloud architect and 10-year veteran of Microsoft, where he most recently served in the Azure engineering group. During his tenure, he worked closely with enterprise customers, startups, and product teams to shape, deploy,... Show more

Kiruthika Subramani is an aspiring AI professional with a robust foundation in developing and implementing AI solutions. She works as a Data Scientist in Bell Canada. She holds industry certifications in Data, Machine Learning, and Cloud, and is recognized as an IBM Dual Champion and Google Developer Expert. Kiruthika is a prolific speaker and author, having delivered over 200 AI talks and published 100 blogs. She is committed to driving innovation and ethical AI practices, ensuring responsible and impactful advancements in the field.

Kiruthika is currently pursuing a Master’s in Computer Science at Université de Montréal (MILA), Canada, and holds a B.Tech in Artificial Intelligence and Data Science from M.Kumarasamy College of Engineering, Karur, India. Her technical skills span across programming languages (Python, Java, C++), machine learning, deep learning, NLP, computer vision, responsible AI, cloud platforms, and various tools and frameworks.

Authored two books on AI and holds several professional certifications. She has been recognized as a Google Developer Expert, IBM Dual Champion, and Google Cloud Champion Innovator. Her key accomplishments include winning multiple hackathons and receiving the Best Outgoing Student Award. She has also been spotlighted as Today’s Architects by IBM and has delivered numerous global tech talks and authored a popular blog series on Medium

Kiruthika Subramani is an aspiring AI professional with a robust foundation in developing and implementing AI solutions. She works as a Data Scientist in Bell Canada. She holds industry certifications in Data, Machine Learning, and Cloud, and is reco... Show more

Yuvraj Pradhan is an AI Systems Engineer specialising in cost-efficient GenAI and secure multi-agent architectures. He is the first author of research published in Springer Nature on architecting a 125M-parameter NanoLLM for STEM tasks that outperforms significantly larger models. His work spans scalable enterprise RAG pipelines and AI security, building open-source systems for reliable, safe, and efficient AI in production.

Yuvraj Pradhan is an AI Systems Engineer specialising in cost-efficient GenAI and secure multi-agent architectures. He is the first author of research published in Springer Nature on architecting a 125M-parameter NanoLLM for STEM tasks that outperfor... Show more

Jason specializes in brand strategy, corporate identity systems, and brand architecture for organizations navigating growth and change. He helps companies clarify their structure, unify sub-brands, and build design systems that scale across teams, channels, and markets.

With decades of experience leading rebrands, product launches, and multi-channel campaigns, Jason brings a strategic yet creative approach to solving complex brand challenges. He has partnered with corporations, startups, and nonprofits alike, blending structure with personality to ensure brands are both organized and human.

A Louisville native, Jason has led award-winning projects recognized with Gold ADDYs, AIGA Louisville’s Best of Branding, and the organization’s only Visionary Award. He was also named one of Business First’s 20 People to Know in Advertising.

Jason’s talks explore branding as an essential business function that drives clarity, culture, and growth. He speaks on topics including brand architecture for growing companies, agile creative process, and how to align legacy with evolving markets.

He has presented at CreativeMornings, AIGA Louisville, AAF, and on panels covering branding, AI, and leadership.

Jason specializes in brand strategy, corporate identity systems, and brand architecture for organizations navigating growth and change. He helps companies clarify their structure, unify sub-brands, and build design systems that scale across teams, ch... Show more

Mateo is an expert at bridging cutting-edge AI research with practical developer tools. With a background in computational biology and experience in both research and engineering, he now focuses on making LLMs more useful by connecting them to systems developers already use. At Arcade, Mateo creates tutorials, SDKs, and open-source examples that help developers move beyond chatbots and into fully agentic applications.

Mateo is an expert at bridging cutting-edge AI research with practical developer tools. With a background in computational biology and experience in both research and engineering, he now focuses on making LLMs more useful by connecting them to system... Show more

I started as a developer. I automated thousands of tests — because I had no interest in testing manually.
At some point I realized: the biggest problems in software teams are not technical. They are habit problems.

Today I guide companies through software modernization at Gepardec — and I give keynotes on the habits behind code quality, stress, and long-term performance.

My book FutureHabits is out fall 2026.

🎤 https://futurehabits.at/keynotes

I started as a developer. I automated thousands of tests — because I had no interest in testing manually. At some point I realized: the biggest problems in software teams are not technical. They are habit problems. Today I guide companies through... Show more

Cloud Architect & DevSecOps Engineer con más de 7 años de experiencia práctica en el diseño e implementación de soluciones escalables y nativas en la nube. Especializado en arquitectura cloud para aplicaciones web, microservicios, plataformas serverless y cargas de trabajo de big data. Gran entusiasta tecnológico explorando el vasto y oscuro mundo de la IA.

Cloud Architect & DevSecOps Engineer con más de 7 años de experiencia práctica en el diseño e implementación de soluciones escalables y nativas en la nube. Especializado en arquitectura cloud para aplicaciones web, microservicios, plataformas serverl... Show more

Speaker Biography: Balaji Venkatasubramaniyar
Balaji Venkatasubramaniyar is a Technical Lead with over 12 years of experience in software development, specializing in architecting scalable enterprise solutions. As his career has evolved alongside the AI revolution, Balaji has developed deep expertise in understanding how AI technologies integrate into modern software architectures and business workflows.
As a Technical Lead, Balaji excels at evaluating emerging technologies and translating complex technical concepts into practical implementation strategies. His extensive background in distributed systems, API design, and software architecture provides a unique lens for analyzing AI orchestration patterns. He has studied how leading AI applications are built, examining the architectural decisions behind successful products like GitHub Copilot, ChatGPT, Perplexity AI, and Notion AI.
Balaji's technical foundation spans full-stack development, cloud infrastructure, microservices architecture, and system design—skills that are increasingly critical as organizations integrate AI capabilities into their existing platforms. He brings a pragmatic, engineer-focused perspective to AI adoption, emphasizing practical patterns, common pitfalls, and realistic implementation strategies rather than theoretical ideals.
Passionate about continuous learning and knowledge sharing, Balaji has invested significant time researching AI orchestration frameworks, studying production AI systems, and understanding the engineering challenges teams face when building with LLMs. He believes that successful AI integration requires solid software engineering fundamentals combined with an understanding of AI-specific patterns and constraints.
At the Optimized AI Conference 2026, Balaji will share comprehensive insights into AI orchestration patterns, drawing from extensive research and analysis of well-orchestrated applications in production today.

Speaker Biography: Balaji Venkatasubramaniyar Balaji Venkatasubramaniyar is a Technical Lead with over 12 years of experience in software development, specializing in architecting scalable enterprise solutions. As his career has evolved alongside th... Show more

After bachelor in Electronics and M.Sc inComputer Science, especially in Embedded System in Ensimag, Grenoble, France I worked for 10 year for several companies on various embedded environment from baremetal to Embedded Linux throught Real Time OS.

I also worked on Electronic Design Automation Software, FPGA/Chip Design in Verilog/VHDL and even SoC Design.

Currently, I am a so called "Embedded Practice Leader" (Embedded Software Expert) at SII, a French software contractor company in Grenoble, France and working also as Senior Embedded Linux/Yocto at Eaton, Montbonnot, France.

After bachelor in Electronics and M.Sc inComputer Science, especially in Embedded System in Ensimag, Grenoble, France I worked for 10 year for several companies on various embedded environment from baremetal to Embedded Linux throught Real Time OS. ... Show more

Rama Samantapudi is a Sr. Staff AI/ML Architect at ServiceNow, specializing in Search, Ranking, Recommendations, Conversational AI, Generative AI, and Agentic AI. With over 13 years of experience across Walmart, Zillow, State Street, and FactSet, Rama has led large-scale AI initiatives that bridge applied research and production systems. His work focuses on building intelligent search, ranking, reasoning and structured extraction models that enhance user experience, automation and decision-making at scale.

Rama Samantapudi is a Sr. Staff AI/ML Architect at ServiceNow, specializing in Search, Ranking, Recommendations, Conversational AI, Generative AI, and Agentic AI. With over 13 years of experience across Walmart, Zillow, State Street, and FactSet, Ram... Show more

27 years-old Cloud Solution Architect at Microsoft. Masters in AI from the KU Leuven. Passionate about data, cloud & edge computing, Machine Learning & sports.

27 years-old Cloud Solution Architect at Microsoft. Masters in AI from the KU Leuven. Passionate about data, cloud & edge computing, Machine Learning & sports. Show more

Elisa Love is a marketing strategist, speaker, and community connector who believes clarity changes everything. As the founder of Hourglass Strategy, she helps organizations and individuals turn ideas into direction, and direction into momentum.

Her work is rooted in more than twenty years of experience in media, marketing, and community engagement. Elisa is known for making strategy feel accessible and for helping people move past self-doubt into confident, visible leadership.

She speaks on imposter syndrome, personal branding, leadership, and marketing strategy, with sessions that combine practical tools, honest storytelling, and meaningful interaction. Her approach resonates especially with women leaders, entrepreneurs, and purpose-driven professionals navigating growth and change.

Elisa is a Boettcher Foundation Doers & Difference Makers Fellow and a frequent speaker at regional business and leadership events.

Elisa Love is a marketing strategist, speaker, and community connector who believes clarity changes everything. As the founder of Hourglass Strategy, she helps organizations and individuals turn ideas into direction, and direction into momentum. H... Show more

Hrefna Thorisdottir is a Senior Business Central Consultant at Wise in Iceland with over 25 years of experience in the ERP ecosystem, ranging from AS/400 to modern SaaS solutions.
What sets Hrefna apart is her unique journey: having spent years working hands-on within ERP systems before recently transitioning to consulting, she understands both sides of the equation. This front-line experience provides her with invaluable insights into how businesses actually use ERP systems, the challenges end-users face, and what truly drives success. Her dual perspective enables her to design and deliver solutions that are not only technically sound but also practical and user-friendly in real-world business environments.

Hrefna Thorisdottir is a Senior Business Central Consultant at Wise in Iceland with over 25 years of experience in the ERP ecosystem, ranging from AS/400 to modern SaaS solutions. What sets Hrefna apart is her unique journey: having spent years work... Show more

Markus is Senior Consultant at TNG Technology Consulting. From OR planning systems at the University Hospital Erlangen to evaluation and simulation of X-ray experiments at the Technical University of Munich, he has always been interested in complex software problems. At TNG, besides full-stack development, he also likes to deal with software architecture and requirements analysis, preferably in the environment of modern cloud technologies. Currently he supports a customer in the development and delivery of software for the visualization of vehicles.

Markus is Senior Consultant at TNG Technology Consulting. From OR planning systems at the University Hospital Erlangen to evaluation and simulation of X-ray experiments at the Technical University of Munich, he has always been interested in complex s... Show more

Carol Palombini is an Executive Coach, Leadership Consultant, and psychologist who helps tech leaders accelerate career growth, visibility, and influence at the C-level.

With over 10 years of experience coaching senior tech executives and a background as CHRO in a tech company, she supports leaders in strengthening executive presence, communicating with impact, and positioning themselves strategically for executive success.

Through Palombini Consulting, Carol also partners with tech organizations to build emotionally intelligent leadership and align culture with performance.

Carol Palombini is an Executive Coach, Leadership Consultant, and psychologist who helps tech leaders accelerate career growth, visibility, and influence at the C-level. With over 10 years of experience coaching senior tech executives and a backg... Show more

Aivars Kalvāns is a FinTech developer, software architect, and consultant. He spent more than 18 years developing and architecting payment card software for acquiring and issuing, as well as for accounting and utility payments, through mobile phones, ATMs, and POS terminals. At the moment, he is a contractor exploring Foreign Exchange, SWIFT, SEPA, ledgers, and other areas of the FinTech landscape.
The rest of the time is spent smashing with BJJ team Jelgava and participating as a Linux team member for Latvia in Locked Shields.

Aivars Kalvāns is a FinTech developer, software architect, and consultant. He spent more than 18 years developing and architecting payment card software for acquiring and issuing, as well as for accounting and utility payments, through mobile phones,... Show more

Rodney is an experienced Senior Software Engineer, teacher, and JavaScript evangelist with nearly a decade of experience. He demonstrates a profound interest in solving complex problems focusing mainly on front-end and cloud technologies. In his spare times he spend most of his time with his kids, games, tinkering with the latest tech and observing modern user interfaces.

Rodney is an experienced Senior Software Engineer, teacher, and JavaScript evangelist with nearly a decade of experience. He demonstrates a profound interest in solving complex problems focusing mainly on front-end and cloud technologies. In his spar... Show more

Trey Johnson is a life-long Microsoft Data Platform enthusiast.

Having been involved with Microsoft Data and Analytics technology for 30+ years, starting with SQL Server on OS2/Warp, Trey has held the roles of Executive leader, Advisor, Consultant, Product Owner, Developer and IT team member. For the last 25 years, Trey has been speaking at conferences globally such as PASS, Microsoft Events, VS Live and many others. Trey remains passionate about the Data Community having been involved in the earliest stages of things like SQL Saturday and the Professional Association for SQL Server (PASS).

He has spent the last 16 years focused on ERP and CRM customers helping them do more with their data.

Today, he works with upwards of 200 customers a year to help them architect the best path forward on their Data Journey and now gets to do so with Microsoft Fabric!

When not focused on Data & Analytics, Trey spends his spare time restoring classic Porsche motorcars and boats from his home base in Florida, USA!

Trey Johnson is a life-long Microsoft Data Platform enthusiast. Having been involved with Microsoft Data and Analytics technology for 30+ years, starting with SQL Server on OS2/Warp, Trey has held the roles of Executive leader, Advisor, Consult... 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

Andrew is a Lecturer in Computer Engineering at San Jose State University, a Lecturer in Computer Science at Sonoma State University

Andrew is a Lecturer in Computer Engineering at San Jose State University, a Lecturer in Computer Science at Sonoma State University Show more

Biography
Sarita Gupta as a versatile portfolio to bring to a balanced world with 12 years of software design and development experience at Microsoft in Redmond WA with prior software development experience of 3 years in startups and 2 years of experience on model based computing on government sponsored research projects. Sarita Gupta went to Vanderbilt University from where she graduated with Masters Degree in Computer Science. Sarita Gupta has been a Research Assistant working for government Space agency sponsored projects on manned mission to Mars and on fault detection system of f15 fighter planes. Sarita Gupta has published formal research papers and has technical awards and U.S. goverment patent on software object synchronization.

Biography Sarita Gupta as a versatile portfolio to bring to a balanced world with 12 years of software design and development experience at Microsoft in Redmond WA with prior software development experience of 3 years in startups and 2 years of expe... Show more

I have over 15 years of platform engineering experience mainly with macOS but recently with Linux as well. I am a contributor to the macOS Security Compliance project and the macOS CIS Benchmarks and very active within those communities. I have been a planning member of the Greater Philadelphia Mac Admins since 2017 and I'm an avid Philly sports fan.

Outside of work I enjoy tabletop gaming, animals, breweries, and vide games. Ask me about my office I share with my partner's snakes :)

I have over 15 years of platform engineering experience mainly with macOS but recently with Linux as well. I am a contributor to the macOS Security Compliance project and the macOS CIS Benchmarks and very active within those communities. I have been... Show more

Patrick is a true pioneer—credited with coining the term DevOps, co-authoring the DevOps Handbook, and launching the very first DevOpsDays back in 2009. Since then, he’s been shaping the tech industry with his unmatched ability to bring development, operations, and now GenAI together in truly transformative ways. He now works at Tessl where he shapes up Product Devrel and the AI Native Dev community.

Here’s why you don’t want to miss this:
🔹 Independent consultant at the cutting edge of GenAI and DevOps
🔹 Fractional CTO, advisor, and workshop leader
🔹 Former VP of Engineering, Distinguished Engineer, CTO
🔹 Guided teams at industry giants like Atlassian and Snyk
🔹 Active speaker, community builder, and lifelong learner

Patrick is all about raising the bar—helping companies embed engineering rigor into their GenAI journeys, inspiring teams to embrace AI for automation, and advising GenAI platforms on how to truly deliver value. He bridges the gap between management and engineering with a rare mix of deep tech expertise and people-first thinking.

💬 Ready to hear where the future of DevOps, GenAI, and software delivery is headed? This is your chance.

Patrick is a true pioneer—credited with coining the term DevOps, co-authoring the DevOps Handbook, and launching the very first DevOpsDays back in 2009. Since then, he’s been shaping the tech industry with his unmatched ability to bring development, ... Show more

Ricardo Magalhães is a DevOps Engineer at xgeeks. He is responsible for driving the infrastructure for one of the top automotive companies in today's world. Always striving for bigger and better, Ricardo has an unmatched will to take projects to the next level and of course, make a great story along the way. Because everything is better with a good story.

Ricardo Magalhães is a DevOps Engineer at xgeeks. He is responsible for driving the infrastructure for one of the top automotive companies in today's world. Always striving for bigger and better, Ricardo has an unmatched will to take projects to the ... Show more

For more than a decade, Maurice Harary has been tearing down the barriers that keep small- and medium-sized businesses from winning major government and corporate contracts. As the co-founder and CEO of The Bid Lab, he built a streamlined RFP response system that has won multi-million-dollar deals across nearly every major industry, transforming the high-stakes world of public contracts into scalable wins for his clients. In 2023, Maurice launched Bid Banana, a subscription software that strips the friction from bid discovery for growing businesses. His strategic edge earned The Bid Lab a spot on the 2025 Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing private companies. A charismatic authority featured in Forbes, HubSpot and DevX, Maurice is a rising voice on the podcast circuit and a frequent speaker, recognized for his sharp insights on SaaS, government contracting, and the science of business growth.

For more than a decade, Maurice Harary has been tearing down the barriers that keep small- and medium-sized businesses from winning major government and corporate contracts. As the co-founder and CEO of The Bid Lab, he built a streamlined RFP respons... Show more

I am an award winning quality leader. I build high-performing teams who actually like working together. I care deeply about how testing, automation, and team dynamics shape real user experiences. Quality isn't a checkbox. It's a culture.

I've spoken at conferences, built cool things, broken a few (intentionally, I swear), and I’m always learning. If you're into real conversations about testing, leadership, or failing forward with a little style and sarcasm, we’ll get along just fine.

I am an award winning quality leader. I build high-performing teams who actually like working together. I care deeply about how testing, automation, and team dynamics shape real user experiences. Quality isn't a checkbox. It's a culture. I've spok... Show more

Varsha Das loves helping developers bridge the gap between AI experimentation and production-ready services. After seven years as a backend engineer in healthcare and fintech, she shifted from being just a consumer to becoming a creator—writing Medium articles, producing YouTube videos, mentoring developers, and publishing her first e-book on Spring Boot. As a Developer Advocate for Java + AI at AWS, she focuses on translating enterprise Java complexity into digestible narratives through storytelling that transforms confusing concepts into "aha!" moments. Varsha believes most technical concepts aren't inherently complex—they're just poorly told stories waiting for better narrators. Outside of work, you'll find her cafe-hopping with a good book, pizza, and hot chocolate, or writing personal essays exploring neuroscience and psychology.

Varsha Das loves helping developers bridge the gap between AI experimentation and production-ready services. After seven years as a backend engineer in healthcare and fintech, she shifted from being just a consumer to becoming a creator—writing Mediu... Show more

Batyrkhan is a passionate Android Engineer who specializes in building scalable, high-performance mobile applications. With a strong focus on clean architecture, Jetpack Compose, and Kotlin Multiplatform, he enjoys tackling complex engineering challenges like Backend-Driven UI frameworks and robust state management.

Batyrkhan is a passionate Android Engineer who specializes in building scalable, high-performance mobile applications. With a strong focus on clean architecture, Jetpack Compose, and Kotlin Multiplatform, he enjoys tackling complex engineering challe... Show more

Consultant senior et formateur certifié SAFe Practice Consultant, ElMehdi Safraoui est un expert passionné par la transformation digitale et Lean Agile, particulièrement dans le secteur public. Fondateur du cabinet Arrioph, il accompagne des organisations basées entre Paris et Casablanca dans leurs parcours de transformation Agile et numérique, en plaçant l’humain et l’innovation au cœur de la performance.

Consultant senior et formateur certifié SAFe Practice Consultant, ElMehdi Safraoui est un expert passionné par la transformation digitale et Lean Agile, particulièrement dans le secteur public. Fondateur du cabinet Arrioph, il accompagne des organisa... Show more