Duke Valentour works as an Industrial and Systems Engineer at Ball Aerospace, a division of BAE Systems in Boulder, Colorado. Ball Aerospace, now known as Space & Mission Systems, develops technology and solutions for space missions, supporting national security, intelligence, and civilian efforts.

Duke holds a Commercial Pilot License and is a Certified Flight Instructor. His interest in aviation was sparked early by his grandfather, who significantly encouraged his passion for flying.

In his engineering role, Duke analyzes workflow processes within assembly and fabrication operations to identify cycle times and improve efficiency. He leads projects that enhance procedures across Research and Development, Production, and Depot Programs for Optical Systems. His responsibilities include performing root cause analyses to identify and address production challenges. He works closely with production technicians to implement process and product improvements.

Duke began his career at Ball Aerospace as an intern in 2020 and later earned a full-time position. In 2024, he was promoted to his current role. That same year, Ball Aerospace was acquired by BAE Systems and incorporated into the Space & Mission Systems division.

Jonathan Wayne Valentour’s passion for aviation developed during childhood visits to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force near Dayton, Ohio, with his grandfather, Colonel Wayne Basset. These visits deepened his interest in military aviation. While interning at Ball Aerospace in 2021, Jonathan passed his private pilot check ride and earned his instrument rating by late 2023.

In early 2024, Jonathan earned his commercial pilot license and flight instructor certification. He began working as a tow pilot and flight instructor at Mile High Gliding in Boulder.

Duke holds endorsements for complex airplanes, high-performance aircraft, tailwheel operations, and glider towing. He has logged roughly 800 flight hours, including 250 in tailwheel aircraft and 10 in complex airplanes. His experience includes flight instruction at Journeys Aviation and glider towing at Mile High Gliding, where he provides flight and ground instruction.

Jonathan attended Archbishop Alter High School in Kettering, Ohio, where he played baseball and football. His football team qualified for the state playoffs during his sophomore, junior, and senior years. In 2017, he enrolled at Ohio State University in Columbus and earned a Bachelor of Science in Integrated Systems Engineering. While at OSU, Jonathan served as Business Development Lead for the Buckeye Space Launch Initiative from 2020 to 2021.

Duke worked at the Ball Packaging facility during college, where he first became familiar with Ball Aerospace. His persistence helped him secure an internship with the company, laying the foundation for his aerospace engineering career.

Jonathan Wayne Valentour volunteers with the Experimental Aircraft Association’s Young Eagles program, offering free introductory flights to youth aged 8 to 17 to inspire interest in aviation. Jonathan conducts pre-flight briefings, pilots flights, and leads post-flight question sessions. This volunteer work reflects his dedication to sharing his passion for flying, inspired by his grandfather and father.

Outside of his professional and aviation pursuits, Duke enjoys hiking and skiing. He values the physical challenge and connection to nature that these activities provide. His appreciation for the outdoors complements his passion for flying, giving him a unique perspective on the landscapes he explores from the ground and the air.

Duke Valentour works as an Industrial and Systems Engineer at Ball Aerospace, a division of BAE Systems in Boulder, Colorado. Ball Aerospace, now known as Space & Mission Systems, develops technology and solutions for space missions, supporting natio... Show more

Leonard is a Microsoft Power Platform Certified Solutions Architect holding 10 Microsoft certifications and 5 years of specialized expertise in Dynamics 365, Power Platform, and Azure development. As the leader of a 40-developer team, he architects and delivers enterprise-grade solutions encompassing custom plugins, Azure Functions, Power Apps, and complex system integrations.

His experience spans the full development lifecycle—from Business Process Flow implementation and plugin architecture to CI/CD pipeline design and Azure-based automation.

Leonard has successfully led numerous enterprise deployments and modernization initiatives, bringing deep technical knowledge and proven patterns to organizations navigating the Microsoft ecosystem.

A dedicated technical educator, Leonard regularly conducts bootcamps and training programs, equipping development teams with the skills and best practices needed to build robust, scalable solutions on the Microsoft platform.

Leonard is a Microsoft Power Platform Certified Solutions Architect holding 10 Microsoft certifications and 5 years of specialized expertise in Dynamics 365, Power Platform, and Azure development. As the leader of a 40-developer team, he architects a... Show more

I am a US Navy Veteran and leading Reputation Management and Social Selling thought leader who is the
architect of the official state websites of Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, which are powered by Microsoft SharePoint technologies. I served a key technical advisory role in the successful re-election campaign of a US governor.

I am the author of the Microsoft Thought Leader Blueprint, published by Apress.

I am the leader of the longest-running Microsoft training and User group community in Maryland and
host of Community Days Baltimore, an annual one-day conference which is currently in its 18th year

I specialize in high-visibility, public-facing consulting engagements with a key focus on information and platform architecture on-premises to cloud migrations, enterprise social media, governance, instructional systems design, and information worker training.

I am a graduate of Goldman Sachs' 10,000 Small Business program and serve as program Ambassador.

I am a US Navy Veteran and leading Reputation Management and Social Selling thought leader who is the architect of the official state websites of Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, which are powered by Microsoft SharePoint technologies. I serve... Show more

An active contributor to open source, content creator on Medium and YouTube, focusing on practical, scalable solutions in cloud-native environments. DevOps and Platform Engineering practitioner and advocate.

An active contributor to open source, content creator on Medium and YouTube, focusing on practical, scalable solutions in cloud-native environments. DevOps and Platform Engineering practitioner and advocate. Show more

I am speaker advocate for Mobile app development

I am speaker advocate for Mobile app development Show more

Chronically data-enthusiast, engineer and consultant on the Microsoft-stack (Azure, Fabric & Power Platform) and all things SQL or Spark, with some expertise on other data-solutions as well like TimeXtender, and Qlikview. I like sharing my stories on adoption strategies, and ideas for implementation on Fabric-Adoption on the road to data maturity.

With the aim of improving organisations, processes and people I am data-experienced in the Benelux-geography since 2004 with Amsterdam Airport Schiphol/Royal Schiphol Group, Royal Heijmans (building contractor), Nabuurs Supply Chain Solutions, Micromedia Benelux (wholesale), Provelu (data-consulting), Danone Nutrition-products and Heart for Arts (agency and ICT-consultancy for NGO's). I am the proud holder of degrees in Logistics, and Business Economics, and Microsoft-certificates.

My motto's are: Be yourself, try the best you can, take some time to become aware of the situation, make contact with others, help others, imagine, create, learn, and last, but not least, adapt. I live for tech, the tech- and performing arts- community and helping people. I am an event organizer, speaker, and volunteer as well in data-usergroups, and performing arts.

Demolished my first IBM AT-model with 80286 Intel in 1988. Created my first database with gameplays of Civilization in 1991. Build my first hardware components and drivers for model railways in 1993. Hooked on Excel and VBA since 1995 in secundary education. From Access, Excel and Filemaker dba’s via Qlikview to Power BI/Azure in 2017.I love music and theatre production, hence I find NGO’s are great at helping others so I help them as well!

Chronically data-enthusiast, engineer and consultant on the Microsoft-stack (Azure, Fabric & Power Platform) and all things SQL or Spark, with some expertise on other data-solutions as well like TimeXtender, and Qlikview. I like sharing my stories on... Show more

Michelle is a Design Advocate at zeroheight and has worn several hats throughout her UX career. Her diverse experiences have equipped her with a toolkit to adapt her design work to various contexts and challenges. She co-hosts a few podcasts including UX IRL, Design Systems WTF, and Design Systems: Beyond the Button. Additionally, she offers career coaching, helping underrepresented and marginalized community members navigate their careers in tech. Michelle lives in Oakland, California, where she advocates for tree equity in the city.

Michelle is a Design Advocate at zeroheight and has worn several hats throughout her UX career. Her diverse experiences have equipped her with a toolkit to adapt her design work to various contexts and challenges. She co-hosts a few podcasts includin... Show more

Driven by a Big-Picture mindset, I bridge design-first thinking with open-source and AI innovation. Specialising in building human-centred systems that empower communities, startups, and independent professionals to scale with clarity and confidence.

Driven by a Big-Picture mindset, I bridge design-first thinking with open-source and AI innovation. Specialising in building human-centred systems that empower communities, startups, and independent professionals to scale with clarity and confidence. Show more

Nick Acosta is a Developer Advocate at Collate, where he is helping to make the OpenMetadata community the best place for open-source data discovery, observability, and governance. Nick lives in Los Angeles, California, and started in Developer Relations at IBM before leading devrel at Fivetran and Tecton.

Previous speaking engagements include sessions with:
O’Reilly
Coalesce
Airflow Summit
PyData
ODSC
MDSCon
AWS Dev Days
PyCon
DataScienceSalon
Open Source Summit

Nick Acosta is a Developer Advocate at Collate, where he is helping to make the OpenMetadata community the best place for open-source data discovery, observability, and governance. Nick lives in Los Angeles, California, and started in Developer Relat... Show more

Alain (Al) Schneiter is one of the scopewyse founders and an Microsoft Secuirty MVP. As an experienced solutions architect he is supporting clients and partners in training, concepts, designs and implementations using cloud solutions from Microsoft Azure and Microsoft 365. Alain is focused on Microsoft Technologies, especially on Microsoft 365 Security, Identity and Compliance. He supports communities with his Microsoft 365 know-how. He is a regular speaker at national & international events and conferences and drives a local user groups with focus on security services based on the Microsoft products.

Alain (Al) Schneiter is one of the scopewyse founders and an Microsoft Secuirty MVP. As an experienced solutions architect he is supporting clients and partners in training, concepts, designs and implementations using cloud solutions from Microsoft A... Show more

Dominic Vogel is a well-respected cyber security thought leader appearing on media news
outlets across the world. As a veteran cyber security expert and thought leader, Dominic
holds a proven track record across multitude of industries (financial services, logistics,
transportation, healthcare, government, telecommunications, and critical infrastructure).
Dominic is a firm believer in delivering sustainable security that supports and protects
business goals. Having worked within large and globally diverse organizations he has
extensive security experience that has been forged over the past two decades as an
information security professional.
Dominic is a 2x founder who has focused on providing unbiased actionable cyber security
strategic guidance and advice to startups and small businesses across North America.
Dominic is the President at Vogel Cyber Leadership & Coaching, a Vancouver-based
leadership advisory company specializing in cyber risk management
He is also a self-professed positive troll and professional hype man and believes in the power
of uplifting others through his high-energy coaching practice.

Dominic Vogel is a well-respected cyber security thought leader appearing on media news outlets across the world. As a veteran cyber security expert and thought leader, Dominic holds a proven track record across multitude of industries (financial s... Show more

- Cofounder & CTO @ Forward Labs
- South Park Commons alum
- Ex-Founding Engineer & Tech Lead @ Xendit (YC S15, Stripe, 1st YC fintech unicorn in Asia) from no product to unicorn
- Youngest VP @ Spenmo (YC S20, YC Growth, Brex for Asia) from seed to series B

- Cofounder & CTO @ Forward Labs - South Park Commons alum - Ex-Founding Engineer & Tech Lead @ Xendit (YC S15, Stripe, 1st YC fintech unicorn in Asia) from no product to unicorn - Youngest VP @ Spenmo (YC S20, YC Growth, Brex for Asia) from seed ... Show more

Karan Sharma is a Software Engineer passionate about crafting delightful and scalable mobile experiences. He works with Kotlin Multiplatform across iOS and Android, and has built products at Cash App and Afterpay. Karan also created KRAIL, an open-source public transport app for Sydney, Australia.

Karan Sharma is a Software Engineer passionate about crafting delightful and scalable mobile experiences. He works with Kotlin Multiplatform across iOS and Android, and has built products at Cash App and Afterpay. Karan also created KRAIL, an open-so... Show more

Data Engineer, Google Developer Expert -Data Cloud

Data Engineer, Google Developer Expert -Data Cloud Show more

Gerhard loves infrastructure: 100gbit homelabs, CI/CD that ships straight into production within minutes, an open-source CDN that serves TBs of requests every single day 10x faster than the incumbent.

Gerhard loves infrastructure: 100gbit homelabs, CI/CD that ships straight into production within minutes, an open-source CDN that serves TBs of requests every single day 10x faster than the incumbent. Show more

I am been working in highly complex systems since 2002, leading multidisciplinary teams in the development of software solutions in the areas of retail, aerospace, logistics, education, health, and finance. Specializes in Digital Transformation, Solution Architectures, and On-line available content;

I am been working in highly complex systems since 2002, leading multidisciplinary teams in the development of software solutions in the areas of retail, aerospace, logistics, education, health, and finance. Specializes in Digital Transformation, Solu... Show more

Meet Brad Foot, the Chief Operations Officer and Fenwick Apps Product Manager. A true champion of quality, Brad has dedicated over 20 years to developing, implementing and supporting Navision/Nav/Business Central with unwavering precision.

Brad is on a mission to deliver the highest standards to his clients. He approaches every project with a determination to find solutions and leave no challenge unmet. With his sharp mind and focus, he is a force to be reckoned with in the world of technology.

But don't let Brad's relentless pursuit of perfection fool you, he's also got a playful side. In his off-hours, you'll find him indulging his creative side with intricate woodworking projects or revving the engine of his beloved Datsun 260z. Whether he's tackling a new project or sharing a laugh with friends, Brad always makes time for a good time.

Meet Brad Foot, the Chief Operations Officer and Fenwick Apps Product Manager. A true champion of quality, Brad has dedicated over 20 years to developing, implementing and supporting Navision/Nav/Business Central with unwavering precision. Brad is... Show more

I’m Donato De Tullio a facilitator and coach based in Germany.

After earning a PhD in Innovative Materials and spending over ten years leading complex operations for global companies like IKEA, Decathlon, and Essity, I have realized that the real challenge in organizations isn’t technology or process, it’s clarity and collaboration.

Today, through Plan B | The Bridge, I help teams and professionals bridge the gap between strategy and execution. My approach combines analytical thinking from my scientific background, practical leadership from years in operations, and the human empathy that drives lasting change.

I speak about facilitation, decision-making, and the power of structured collaboration in the AI era, how to move from chaos to clarity, from meetings to meaningful action. My sessions are always energetic, reflective, and focused on real-world impact.

I’m Donato De Tullio a facilitator and coach based in Germany. After earning a PhD in Innovative Materials and spending over ten years leading complex operations for global companies like IKEA, Decathlon, and Essity, I have realized that the real ... Show more

31 years old, Peruvian software engineer, certified Cloud Architect in Azure, ex-Microsoft Student Partner, former Microsoft MVP working with technologies like .NET, Kubernetes, Azure and AWS. Author on www.somostechies.com.

31 years old, Peruvian software engineer, certified Cloud Architect in Azure, ex-Microsoft Student Partner, former Microsoft MVP working with technologies like .NET, Kubernetes, Azure and AWS. Author on www.somostechies.com. Show more

Awarded the BQF Excellenteer accolade by HRH The Princess Royal at Wembley Stadium in March 2025, and named the Lean Competency System Global Champion 2025, I am passionate about building high-performing cultures where people leadership, continuous improvement, and operational excellence thrive.

Alongside receiving a Global Recognition Award™ 2025 for outstanding impact in leadership and continuous improvement, I bring over 25 years of hands-on experience leading transformation across industries, including major tenures with Amazon and Royal Mail, proving that when people thrive, performance follows.

As a globally recognised voice in Leadership and Continuous Improvement, I hold elite qualifications including Lean Mastery (MBB), Lean Six Sigma Post-HBO Black Belt (Post-Bachelor’s level – ISO 18404), and Lean Leader (ISO 18404). My leadership philosophy combines CI principles with core role-model behaviours, driving lasting high performance and meaningful cultural change.

I am the author of The Emergence of an Unexpected Leader and Building the Bridge to Inspirational Leadership, and host of the multi-award-nominated Ever-So-Lean Podcast, where I simplify complex CI concepts into actionable insights that inspire and enable real progress.

My frameworks — such as The Bridge to Inspirational Leadership — help leaders engage, inspire, and elevate teams, achieving sustainable results. Whether transforming large-scale operations or coaching individuals, I build environments where people and performance thrive together.

A finalist for Excellence in People Development & Engagement at the Excellence Awards 2025, I’ve developed the Ever-So-Lean Learning Series and Rising Stars™ Programmes, accredited initiatives that equip emerging leaders and change professionals with the mindset, skills, and confidence to drive long-term success.

My passion is unlocking potential, in individuals and organisations alike, removing barriers to success and creating spaces where people feel valued, respected, and empowered to drive meaningful change.

Whether leading transformation, coaching executives, or shaping the next generation of leaders, I bring clarity, energy, and authenticity to every engagement.

If you’re ready to unlock your people’s full potential and build a culture of excellence, let’s talk.

Awarded the BQF Excellenteer accolade by HRH The Princess Royal at Wembley Stadium in March 2025, and named the Lean Competency System Global Champion 2025, I am passionate about building high-performing cultures where people leadership, continuous i... Show more

Shivendu is a Software engineer at Qdrant. He loves search, distributed systems, observability, and AI. He has been building developer tools for the last 3 years and has worked with different startups and institutes like Qdrant, SuperTokens (YC 20), FamPay (YC 19), Inria (Paris), etc.

He lives in Bangalore (India) and loves trying different cuisines and learning about different cultures.

Some of his previous talks can be found at https://talks.kshivendu.dev

Shivendu is a Software engineer at Qdrant. He loves search, distributed systems, observability, and AI. He has been building developer tools for the last 3 years and has worked with different startups and institutes like Qdrant, SuperTokens (YC 20), ... Show more

Ant Blair is the creator of the Authority Optimization framework and founder of Webspinners - the first black-owned digital marketing firm in Michigan - with two decades of practical experience across major Google algorithm updates. He applies that experience in the age of AI search to turn entity modeling, schema/JSON-LD, and citation workflows into small, measurable engineering experiments. His methods are validated in production, including a documented health-practice case that produced durable revenue and verifiable results.

Ant Blair is the creator of the Authority Optimization framework and founder of Webspinners - the first black-owned digital marketing firm in Michigan - with two decades of practical experience across major Google algorithm updates. He applies that e... Show more

Shanti Greene is the leader of Data Science and AI Innovation at Answer Rocket.. A passionate technologist, over the past 2 decades he has helped countless organizations transform their disorganized data into valuable business insights. His teams have utilized leading-edge technologies (large language models, computer vision, neural network-based forecasting) to improve business outcomes. Shanti’s expertise extends to cloud and data engineering, having architected the data ingestion, storage, and retrieval for a fully containerized, poly-cloud capable, near real-time analytics platform. In addition to his consulting role, Shanti is a professor at the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, where he teaches graduate-level analytics.

Shanti Greene is the leader of Data Science and AI Innovation at Answer Rocket.. A passionate technologist, over the past 2 decades he has helped countless organizations transform their disorganized data into valuable business insights. His teams ha... Show more

Jaz is a product leader and systems thinker exploring how human cognition shapes modern engineering. As Chair of Women in Motion at EROAD, she drives global initiatives that advance equity, innovation, and technical leadership.

Known for transforming complexity into clarity, Jaz mentors emerging product managers and female engineers, helping them lead with confidence and intent. Her work challenges teams to design not just scalable systems, but scalable understanding, building technology that empowers both users and builders.

Jaz is a product leader and systems thinker exploring how human cognition shapes modern engineering. As Chair of Women in Motion at EROAD, she drives global initiatives that advance equity, innovation, and technical leadership. Known for transform... Show more

Iván Olivares es un software developer y emprendedor apasionado, actualmente Tech Director en Globant dentro del Media & Entertainment AI Studio y construyendo su emprendimiento MediaCreators (una plataforma SaaS para empoderar a los creadores para ser dueños, monetizar y crecer con su comunidad). Con más de 15 años de experiencia, disfruta construir productos digitales explorando el ecosistema JavaScript, la nube y la inteligencia artificial. Comparte sus ideas, artículos y proyectos personales en iolivares.com, donde promueve la innovación y el aprendizaje continuo.

Iván Olivares es un software developer y emprendedor apasionado, actualmente Tech Director en Globant dentro del Media & Entertainment AI Studio y construyendo su emprendimiento MediaCreators (una plataforma SaaS para empoderar a los creadores para s... Show more

I have a proven track record in transforming, scaling and managing large and distributed organisations operating in complex regulatory environments. What sets me apart is my ability to drive change at the intersection of business and technology. With a legacy of scaling engineering teams and managing complex transformations, I excel in integrating strategic thinking with hands-on expertise in AI, DevOps, and cloud solutions.

Over the last 15 years I have built and led engineering teams in Financial Services and Insurance, cloud infrastructure and startups. I also contributed to global communities such as Linux Foundation and Cloud Native Computing Foundation(CNCF), co-authored several research papers on AIOps and Decision Making and publicly spoken on different events such as Kubecon, Deloitte NextGen(AI) Cloud Transformation Summit and Cloud Native Days.

I have a proven track record in transforming, scaling and managing large and distributed organisations operating in complex regulatory environments. What sets me apart is my ability to drive change at the intersection of business and technology. With... Show more

I’m Parekh Vaibhavi, a 3rd-year Computer Science and Engineering student at Sardar Patel College of Engineering (GTU) and a Google Student Ambassador. I’m passionate about exploring how AI and technology can empower students and developers to build better and grow faster. I’ve led campus sessions, workshops, and hackathon projects focusing on web development, UI/UX, and AI integration. My work revolves around bridging the gap between learning and real-world impact — helping peers understand how to use tools like Gemini to create smarter, AI-driven projects. I believe technology is not just about code — it’s about curiosity, creativity, and collaboration.

I’m Parekh Vaibhavi, a 3rd-year Computer Science and Engineering student at Sardar Patel College of Engineering (GTU) and a Google Student Ambassador. I’m passionate about exploring how AI and technology can empower students and developers to build b... Show more

Technology Leader with a track record of effectively leading cross-functional teams and improving product delivery ecosystems across large organizations. Consistently empowers organizations to reduce costs, standardize processes, and manage operational risk. My mission is to cultivate a culture of safety, trust, and innovation within the organization and empower and enable teams to deliver value and quality predictably. My

Technology Leader with a track record of effectively leading cross-functional teams and improving product delivery ecosystems across large organizations. Consistently empowers organizations to reduce costs, standardize processes, and manage operation... Show more

I’m a technology leader who thrives at the intersection of architecture, strategy, and organizational design. For over a decade, I’ve led platform transformations, built distributed systems at scale, and helped companies rethink how they build, deliver, and operate software.
I work hands-on with engineering teams, coach leadership, and speak at conferences to challenge outdated assumptions and share lessons from the field.
🗺️ International experience. Polyglot. Opinionated, but always curious.
🎤 Speaker on topics like digital platforms, team dynamics, and sustainable software.
🌻 Occasionally philosophical

I’m a technology leader who thrives at the intersection of architecture, strategy, and organizational design. For over a decade, I’ve led platform transformations, built distributed systems at scale, and helped companies rethink how they build, deliv... Show more

Fabian is a Software Engineer at HMS Analytical Software GmbH, where he’s designing and building enterprise analytics platforms. With deep expertise in modern data technologies like Snowflake, Microsoft Fabric, Databricks, and Dremio, he helps organizations turn complex data landscapes into scalable, cloud-native solutions. Fabian is a passionate advocate for clean architecture, efficient data engineering workflows, and the thoughtful use of emerging tools. He’s an active contributor to several internal Centers of Excellence and enjoys sharing practical insights from real-world projects.

Fabian is a Software Engineer at HMS Analytical Software GmbH, where he’s designing and building enterprise analytics platforms. With deep expertise in modern data technologies like Snowflake, Microsoft Fabric, Databricks, and Dremio, he helps organi... Show more