Region & Country

Valued speakers who focus on the geopolitical and cultural aspects of different regions and countries, exploring topics like regional development, international relations, and cultural identity

Qishen Sam Liang

Qishen Sam Liang

Qishen Sam Liang
samliangsk@gmail.com | https://www.linkedin.com/in/qishen-sam-liang/

EDUCATION
University of California, Santa Barbara | September 2019-June 2023
Bachelor of Arts, Asian American Studies
Honors: Distinction in Asian American Studies & College of Letters & Science Highest Honors

University of Southern California | August 2023-May 2025
Master of Science, Computer Science (Computer Networks)

University of California, Santa Barbara | September 2019-June 2023
Bachelor of Science, Computer Science

RELEVANT RESEARCH & PROJECT EXPERIENCE
Researcher | UCSB Department of Asian American Studies | August 2022-June 2023
Research Project: The Transformation of Asian and Asian American Stereotypes and Representations in the United States

Conducted media content analysis to investigate how dominant narratives about Asians and Asian Americans have been constructed to serve shifting national interests and maintain racial hierarchies.
Analyzed a diverse range of sources, including magazine articles like “How to Tell Japs from the Chinese,” political cartoon “The Honorable Fifth Column,” and COVID-19 anti-Asian news reports.
Argued that while modes of expression evolve, the underlying hegemonic frameworks of stereotype persist, demonstrating the shift from overt to subtle forms of representation in the modern era.
This research, which drew upon frameworks of racial formation and stereotype theory, culminated in a 30 pages paper and a departmental presentation.

Project Manager & Game Developer | University of Southern California | January 2025-May 2025
Project: Area 31: A Horror Maze Game

Led the design and development of a 2D narrative game in C# and Unity, gaining practical experience in the creation of interactive media and player-driven storytelling.
Engineered systems for managing player state and progression, directly informing research into how player agency and interactive systems shape understandings.
Managed the project lifecycle using Agile methodologies, demonstrating leadership in a collaborative, creative-technical environment.

SKILLS & INTERESTS
Research Areas: Asian American Studies, Games, Stereotypes, Computer Networking, Security
Technical Skills: Python, Unity, C#, Git, Data Curation, Data Analysis
Languages: English (Fluent), Mandarin (Fluent), Cantonese (Fluent)

Qishen Sam Liang samliangsk@gmail.com | https://www.linkedin.com/in/qishen-sam-liang/ EDUCATION University of California, Santa Barbara | September 2019-June 2023 Bachelor of Arts, Asian American Studies Honors: Distinction in Asian American ... Show more

B Aurora Rz Valles

B Aurora Rz Valles

Lider Regional.
LATAM.

Consultorias en Español para la Comunidad Hispanoamericana.

Lider Regional. LATAM. Consultorias en Español para la Comunidad Hispanoamericana. Show more

Kazi Hossain

Kazi Hossain

Hi! My name is Kazi, and I'm currently pursuing computer science at Queens College with a growing interest in AI, product management, and software engineering.

I bring strong experience in technical program management and software engineering through my work at Pure Storage, Sparc, and Conatix Cysana. This upcoming summer, I'm interning at Google as a technical program manager on the security team.

My major areas of focus are distributed systems, backend development (Java, Flask), and mobile app development (Kotlin) to underrepresented individuals! I’m also experienced in assembly language, Python, and SQL.

I have ~ 2 years of experience in venture capital, working with GoAhead Ventures at Stanford University to source 10+ tech startups.

I’m deeply committed to increasing representation in tech. I co-founded the BISESJ Mentorship Program, where I served as a tutor and mentor for 3 years along with 10 other students. I love to mentor college students break into tech from underrepresented backgrounds!

I’m excited to continue exploring AI, product and program management, software engineering, and consulting. Feel free to reach out via email at Kazihossain416@gmail.com

Hi! My name is Kazi, and I'm currently pursuing computer science at Queens College with a growing interest in AI, product management, and software engineering. I bring strong experience in technical program management and software engineering thr... Show more

Brittany Leonard

Brittany Leonard

Brittany is a yoga and mindfulness instructor, committed to providing wellness strategies to people of all ages. Brittany has a passion for mindfulness and nature, which are embodied during her alignment-based Hatha Vinyasa style yoga, meditation, and mindfulness workshops. She’s also a high school teacher in the Cowichan Valley, and has published several fiction and wellness books to accompany her other wellness practices.

Brittany is a yoga and mindfulness instructor, committed to providing wellness strategies to people of all ages. Brittany has a passion for mindfulness and nature, which are embodied during her alignment-based Hatha Vinyasa style yoga, meditation, an... Show more

Chris Stanbury

Chris Stanbury

The countryside is where my heart truly belongs. There's nothing quite like the feeling of fresh air on my face, the crunch of leaves underfoot, and the opportunity to connect with the world around me. And, of course, the chance to meet interesting people along the way! I'm passionate about sharing my love for walking and the spirit of adventure with audiences across the UK.

My story is one of endurance, determination, and a deep commitment to making a difference. At the age of 70, I embarked on an extraordinary journey: a walk from Land's End to John o'Groats, and then back to Land's End! This incredible feat covered a staggering 2,645 miles, completed over a period of just five months.

This wasn't just a personal challenge; it was a mission of the heart. My walk was dedicated to raising funds and awareness for Hope and Homes for Children, a charity I've been proud to support for over twenty years. Their vital work focuses on liberating children from the often-harsh realities of institutional care and placing them in loving, supportive families within their own countries.

My talks are more than just accounts of my epic walk. They are a celebration of the joy of walking, the thrill of adventure, and the power of setting ambitious goals. I share the lessons I learned, the challenges I overcame, and the breathtaking beauty I witnessed along the way. My presentations are designed to inspire and encourage, reminding us all that we are capable of achieving far more than we might imagine.

The talks are tailored to be suitable for a wide variety of groups, including: U3A (University of the Third Age) Walking groups Village halls Rotary Clubs Anyone with a zest for life and an interest in personal growth.

And the best part? All of the fees I receive, beyond covering direct expenses, are donated directly to Hope and Homes for Children. So, when you book a talk, you're not only getting an inspiring presentation but also contributing to a very worthy cause.

The countryside is where my heart truly belongs. There's nothing quite like the feeling of fresh air on my face, the crunch of leaves underfoot, and the opportunity to connect with the world around me. And, of course, the chance to meet interesting p... Show more

Saim Safder

Saim Safder

I'm a DevOps & Cloud Native engineer who is passionate about learning and sharing knowledge on Cloud Native Technologies. Spent 4 years 🌟 developing the skills to increase velocity, reliability, and quality with a high focus on security to help startups and enterprise businesses to become successful. Deep experience with EKS, AKS, GKE, Docker, Kubernetes, Service Meshes, Git-Ops and Open-stack, helping organizations instill DevOps for the modern age. I’m passionate about making open-source more accessible, creating technology to elevate people, and building communities. I’m also a Community Ambassador at Layer5/Cloud Native Islamabad & Cloud Native Expert at Ortelius Open Source Community.

I'm a DevOps & Cloud Native engineer who is passionate about learning and sharing knowledge on Cloud Native Technologies. Spent 4 years 🌟 developing the skills to increase velocity, reliability, and quality with a high focus on security to help star... Show more

Ashwin Iyer

Ashwin Iyer

I am a seasoned cybersecurity professional with over 11 Yrs of experience, specializing in areas such as PCI DSS compliance, red teaming, and threat modeling. My contributions have been recognized across various domains, including co-authoring industry-standard guidance documents, presenting at international conferences like the Pacific Hackers Annual Summit, and mentoring the next generation of cybersecurity experts through platforms like EC-Council CodeRed. With a proven track record of innovative problem-solving and leadership in safeguarding critical infrastructure, I aim to further advance cybersecurity practices that protect global business ecosystems.

I am a seasoned cybersecurity professional with over 11 Yrs of experience, specializing in areas such as PCI DSS compliance, red teaming, and threat modeling. My contributions have been recognized across various domains, including co-authoring indust... Show more

Randy Justin Garcia Jr

Randy Justin Garcia Jr

Meet Randy, a dynamic Director of Sales and Realtor with a passion for empowering his team and clients alike. With over a decade of experience and a track record of serving 300+ families, Randy leads a team of 20+ agents in creating amazing careers to be proud of. His journey began in the Bay Area, where his upbringing instilled in him integrity, honesty, and an unwavering work ethic. From starting multiple thriving businesses in his early twenties to facilitating over 100 real estate transactions, Randy's entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to excellence shine through. With a commitment to continuous growth and providing the best for his family of three, Randy is driven by the desire to make every day 1% better.

Meet Randy, a dynamic Director of Sales and Realtor with a passion for empowering his team and clients alike. With over a decade of experience and a track record of serving 300+ families, Randy leads a team of 20+ agents in creating amazing careers t... Show more

Elvis Moreland

Elvis Moreland

A driven and strategic security leader with proven experience in delivering assurance for business systems and operations. Insightful and innovative in reducing enterprise risk, operational risk, and cyber risk using proven people, process, and technical methods. Expertise in implementing security and privacy policy, plans, processes, tools, procedures, and governance for both on-premise and the cloud. Expert in solid statutory and regulatory policy and governance programs to meet or exceed mandates such as CISA, FISMA, FFIEC, HIPAA, CMS, DFARS, DHS TSA, GDPR, and CCPA. Currently retooling and pursuing an MBA in Cyber Security Management.

A driven and strategic security leader with proven experience in delivering assurance for business systems and operations. Insightful and innovative in reducing enterprise risk, operational risk, and cyber risk using proven people, process, and techn... Show more

Ellie Rahimi

Ellie Rahimi

I began my journey in software development as a game developer, publishing my own game and gaining valuable experience working with several small game companies. Over time, I transitioned into backend development, where I have continued to build my career as a software engineer specializing in .NET technologies.

Academically, I hold a bachelor's degree in Physics, which has provided me with a strong foundation in analytical thinking and problem-solving. I later pursued a master's degree in Artificial Intelligence, further enhancing my expertise in cutting-edge technologies and innovative solutions.

This journey has allowed me to continuously learn and grow while contributing to meaningful projects.

I began my journey in software development as a game developer, publishing my own game and gaining valuable experience working with several small game companies. Over time, I transitioned into backend development, where I have continued to build my c... Show more

Mohit Jain

Mohit Jain

I work at the intersection of big data and ML, making Spark and Flink faster while scaling real-time, batch, and ML workloads. Whether it's optimizing distributed computing, streamlining data pipelines, or building intuitive tools, my goal is to turn complex data challenges into seamless, high-performance solutions.

I work at the intersection of big data and ML, making Spark and Flink faster while scaling real-time, batch, and ML workloads. Whether it's optimizing distributed computing, streamlining data pipelines, or building intuitive tools, my goal is to turn... Show more

Darshan Madhu

Darshan Madhu

Darshan Madhu is a Technical Product Manager – AI at Mercari India, focused on building practical AI-driven solutions for real-world problems. Passionate about Generative AI and product innovation, he explores how prompt engineering can make AI more intuitive and impactful.

Darshan Madhu is a Technical Product Manager – AI at Mercari India, focused on building practical AI-driven solutions for real-world problems. Passionate about Generative AI and product innovation, he explores how prompt engineering can make AI more ... Show more

Ripple Bora

Ripple Bora

Ripple Bora is a security engineer and builder with over two decades spent securing everything from cloud platforms to connected cars. Lately, his focus has shifted to AI security, especially the new world of agentic systems. He co-founded Unbolt AI, where he’s working on ways to make autonomous agents safer through zero-trust design, policy-as-code, and smarter guardrails. Ripple is happiest when he’s breaking things in the lab to figure out how to secure them in production.

Ripple Bora is a security engineer and builder with over two decades spent securing everything from cloud platforms to connected cars. Lately, his focus has shifted to AI security, especially the new world of agentic systems. He co-founded Unbolt AI,... Show more

Kjetil Jørgensen-Dahl

Kjetil Jørgensen-Dahl

Software is flooding the world, we churn out more than we can handle, and we need every trick in the book to try to keep up. Fighting the entropy and the cognitive load is a preoccupation for Kjetil, a developer and agilist for a couple of decades.

Software is flooding the world, we churn out more than we can handle, and we need every trick in the book to try to keep up. Fighting the entropy and the cognitive load is a preoccupation for Kjetil, a developer and agilist for a couple of decades. Show more

Zak H

Zak H

Zak Hussein is the CEO of ORKA AI and founder of AUTM8, where they help organizations adopt AI by integrating digital employees and orchestrating hybrid human + AI workforces. He also hosts CanadianPodcast.ca, sharing stories of leadership and innovation across the country, and is the founder of the AI Chamber of Canada, a national initiative to accelerate responsible AI adoption.

Zak’s work spans industries from real estate and HR to municipalities and agriculture, always with a focus on turning AI into measurable business value.

Recognized as Top40Under40, Top20 Business Leaders and one of Canada’s trusted voices in AI strategy, he brings a unique blend of practical frameworks, business insight, and forward-looking vision to the conversation on the future of work.

Zak Hussein is the CEO of ORKA AI and founder of AUTM8, where they help organizations adopt AI by integrating digital employees and orchestrating hybrid human + AI workforces. He also hosts CanadianPodcast.ca, sharing stories of leadership and innova... Show more

Seger Steele

Seger Steele

Seger is a Lead Security Engineer with 6+ years experience across security engineering, operations, incident response, IAM, and vulnerability management in both enterprise and startup environments.

Armed with a passion for the Defense sector and Cyber Warfare and hours of research; we'll dive into a informative and collaborative session around the evolution of combined arms to include the cyber domain!

Seger is a Lead Security Engineer with 6+ years experience across security engineering, operations, incident response, IAM, and vulnerability management in both enterprise and startup environments. Armed with a passion for the Defense sector and ... Show more

Ram Grandhi

Ram Grandhi

A technology leader and entrepreneur, Ram specializes in building and coaching multicultural engineering teams, with expertise spanning software architecture, modern engineering practices, IT operations, values-based leadership, and cross-cultural collaboration. With a focus on FinTech, Mobile, IoT, Cloud, Data Management, AI, and DevOps, Ram practices a “people-first, business-next, technology-later” philosophy, leveraging collective wisdom to drive innovation and growth.

Drawing on diverse experiences across consulting, product development, and customer-facing organizations, Ram currently leads several engineering teams and oversees product engineering for an upcoming payments digital bank in the Dutch market. Previously, as Founder & CTO, Ram led FlyBy, an autonomous drone delivery startup recognized as a Top 30 Finalist in an EU-wide competition.

A technology leader and entrepreneur, Ram specializes in building and coaching multicultural engineering teams, with expertise spanning software architecture, modern engineering practices, IT operations, values-based leadership, and cross-cultural co... Show more

Rishi Nareshbhai Lad

Rishi Nareshbhai Lad

Rishi Nareshbhai Lad is a Principal Integration Engineer with over 8 years of experience specializing in building connected and automated business systems using cutting-edge software and integration technologies. Based in the Greater Boston Area, Rishi currently serves as a Principal Integration Engineer at Moderna, where he architects and develops critical integration solutions that support vaccine development and distribution.
At Moderna, Rishi has made significant contributions to the company's integration infrastructure, including architecting a secure API gateway for clinical trial data processing and establishing robust EDI systems for vaccine distribution. His work has directly supported the rapid commercialization of life-saving vaccines, with one of his notable achievements being the development of a patient clinical data system that facilitated over 400 patient enrollments for cancer treatment trials.
Prior to Moderna, Rishi worked at PerkinElmer Health Sciences, where he developed Lead-to-Cash integrations for the ViaCord division, supporting stem cell treatments and advancing healthcare options. His career journey also includes roles at Kuebix LLC, where he managed over 100 integration processes and developed solutions for the transportation industry.
Rishi's technical expertise spans numerous integration platforms, including Boomi, SoftwareAG WebMethods, MuleSoft, IBM AppConnect and Azure Logic App. He is well-versed in various architecture approaches, from microservices to event-driven systems, and has extensive experience with multiple data formats, protocols, and API technologies.
His contributions to the field have been recognized with several prestigious awards, including the 2023 Boomi Platinum Innovation Award for creating IT infrastructure that enables Moderna to operate efficiently at scale, the Titan Business Technology Award for excellence in integration engineering, and the Globee Award for technological innovation in healthcare. Rishi holds a Master of Science in Computer Science from Texas A&M University-Kingsville and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from Gujarat Technical University, complemented by multiple professional certifications including AI Awareness from Carnegie Mellon University and several Boomi certifications.
Known for his collaborative approach, strategic business focus, and commitment to continuous learning, Rishi brings a unique blend of technical expertise and business acumen to his work in integration engineering.
Digital Transformation in Personalized mRNA Cancer Vaccines: Enhancing Manufacturing Efficiency by 67% Through Integration Automation

Rishi Nareshbhai Lad is a Principal Integration Engineer with over 8 years of experience specializing in building connected and automated business systems using cutting-edge software and integration technologies. Based in the Greater Boston Area, Ris... Show more

Praveen Kumar Myakala

Praveen Kumar Myakala

Praveen Kumar Myakala is a Senior Lead Software Engineer at JPMorgan Chase and an independent AI researcher specializing in AI, federated learning, and intelligent cloud-native systems. With over 18 years of experience across financial services, technology, and government sectors, he has led large-scale data and AI initiatives that combine technical depth with business impact. He has co-authored research articles in IEEE, Springer, and Elsevier, delivered talks at international conferences, and actively mentors students and professionals. His current work focuses on sustainability in AI, multi-agent systems, and real-world applications of federated and decentralized intelligence.

Praveen Kumar Myakala is a Senior Lead Software Engineer at JPMorgan Chase and an independent AI researcher specializing in AI, federated learning, and intelligent cloud-native systems. With over 18 years of experience across financial services, tech... Show more

Mayank Joshi

Mayank Joshi

I try to find and do the hard things before they get harder.
Believe in building guard-rails and than patching potholes later. Make the secure obvious and the insecure difficult.
Build trust through a bias towards action and enablement.

I try to find and do the hard things before they get harder. Believe in building guard-rails and than patching potholes later. Make the secure obvious and the insecure difficult. Build trust through a bias towards action and enablement. Show more

Wanda Serkowska

Wanda Serkowska

Global infrastructure sales professional. I have spent 19 years working in 5 different countries and have seen how digital physical infrastructure can change our life and the improve developments of communities.

Global infrastructure sales professional. I have spent 19 years working in 5 different countries and have seen how digital physical infrastructure can change our life and the improve developments of communities. Show more

Vicki Swan

Vicki Swan

Vicki Swan works with PreparedBC, the public education team at the BC Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness. After joining the Ministry, she asked to coordinate the Master of Disaster program. Vicki is inspired by the positive impact MOD has on students, their households and communities and appreciates that students will have this emergency preparedness knowledge for life. Vicki has 25 years’ experience delivering experiential workshops and has worked in public school and adult education settings.

Vicki Swan works with PreparedBC, the public education team at the BC Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness. After joining the Ministry, she asked to coordinate the Master of Disaster program. Vicki is inspired by the positive impact... Show more

Callian Berends

Callian Berends

Callian is a passionate DevSecOps Engineer with a developmental background rooted in securing systems.

His journey is marked by continual curiosity, and he is enthusiastic about embracing new challenges that contribute to personal and organizational growth.

As an unwavering learner and leader of the DevSecCon Cape Town community, Callian is dedicated to fostering collaboration and knowledge-sharing within the DevSecOps and Application Security space.

Callian is a passionate DevSecOps Engineer with a developmental background rooted in securing systems. His journey is marked by continual curiosity, and he is enthusiastic about embracing new challenges that contribute to personal and organizatio... Show more

Christian Wolff

Christian Wolff

10 Years of Experience in Data Analytics on Microsoft Platforms. Started with Data Warehousing moving into Data Platform architecture.

10 Years of Experience in Data Analytics on Microsoft Platforms. Started with Data Warehousing moving into Data Platform architecture. Show more

Kelvin Le Ngoc Nguyen

Kelvin Le Ngoc Nguyen

Kelvin Le Ngoc Nguyen is a Staff Software Engineer at Knoetic, where he leads the design and implementation of cutting-edge multi-agent AI systems.

With a background in full-stack web development and distributed systems, he has built resilient, scalable platforms, ranging from real-time news aggregators to knowledge-driven chatbots that leverage RAG and LangGraph. Prior to his current role, Kelvin held engineering positions at Apple, Zuellig Pharma, and several tech startups.

He is passionate about translating complex machine-learning workflows into production-ready services, mentoring engineering teams, and contributing to open-source tooling that empowers developers to move faster.

Kelvin Le Ngoc Nguyen is a Staff Software Engineer at Knoetic, where he leads the design and implementation of cutting-edge multi-agent AI systems. With a background in full-stack web development and distributed systems, he has built resilient, sc... Show more

Bella Markovich

Bella Markovich

With four years of experience as a DevOps engineer at Tikal Knowledge, I bring an IT background that fuels my passion for innovation and efficiency in the technology sector.

With four years of experience as a DevOps engineer at Tikal Knowledge, I bring an IT background that fuels my passion for innovation and efficiency in the technology sector. Show more

Charos Abdukayumova

Charos Abdukayumova

Charos is a Lead developer specializing in Outsystems, AI integration, and AWS cloud solutions. With more than 7 years of experience in different industries, she has built solutions that connect cloud solutions to low-code tools, AI integration, and developed solutions for clients worldwide. Passionate about sharing knowledge, Charos regularly writes about AI and low-code, ways of optimizing integration and real use case scenarios to help developers build smarter, faster, and more resilient applications.

Charos is a Lead developer specializing in Outsystems, AI integration, and AWS cloud solutions. With more than 7 years of experience in different industries, she has built solutions that connect cloud solutions to low-code tools, AI integration, and ... Show more

Ebunoluwa Adebanjo

Ebunoluwa Adebanjo

I am a Data scientist passionate about building intelligent systems that drive business value and social impact.

I am a Data scientist passionate about building intelligent systems that drive business value and social impact. Show more

Andrés García

Andrés García

A Deaf Software Engineer with 6+ years of mobile and web development experience, specialized in Flutter.
As a digital accessibility advocate, works as a freelancer on tech projects while actively contributing to open source projects and creating technical content for the deaf developer community.
Andres is an active member of the CNCF Deaf and Hard of Hearing Working Group.
See more in the links of my social networks

A Deaf Software Engineer with 6+ years of mobile and web development experience, specialized in Flutter. As a digital accessibility advocate, works as a freelancer on tech projects while actively contributing to open source projects and creating te... Show more

Srikiran Bandhakavi

Srikiran Bandhakavi

Kiran Bandhakavi is a technology leader with over 20 years of experience at the intersection of Artificial Intelligence, Knowledge Management, and scalable workforce enablement. He has designed global knowledge strategies and trained more than 12,000 professionals across four countries in AI/ML systems, achieving $18M+ in business impact through automation and responsible AI practices.

Kiran led the deployment of an enterprise AI learning platform, launching 150+ courses in just 90 days. His approach—grounded in gamified learning and data integrity—resulted in a 93% reduction in onboarding time and a 15% improvement in dataset quality metrics post-training. At Fannie Mae, he pioneered a “Responsible AI” governance framework adopted enterprise-wide, enabling fairer ML models and regulatory alignment, including the prevention of 3,000+ housing evictions.

Kiran’s work blends technical depth with people-centered design. He has implemented AI automation using IBM Watsonx, migrated ML infrastructure to AWS with 99.99% uptime, and led distributed teams across India, the U.S., and Europe. His initiatives have consistently advanced ethical, high-quality data labeling and AGI-aligned training frameworks.

Kiran holds a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Wichita State University and is certified in AWS Machine Learning Specialty.

Kiran Bandhakavi is a technology leader with over 20 years of experience at the intersection of Artificial Intelligence, Knowledge Management, and scalable workforce enablement. He has designed global knowledge strategies and trained more than 12,000... Show more

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