
Frederic Bertley, PhD
President, CEO
Center of Science and Industry (COSI)
Dr. Bertley is a scientist, scholar, immunologist and educator. His passion for science and innovation brings the joy of discovery to people of all ages where they live, learn and lounge.
His innovation has led to experiences including the COSI Science Festival, The Color of ScienceTM and EiPIC, as well as the COSI STEM kits. Under his leadership, COSI has been voted the nation’s #1 science museum for four consecutive years in the USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards and been awarded the prestigious 2023 IMLS National Medal.
After graduating from McGill University where he studied Physiology, Mathematics and the History of Science, and earned a Ph.D. in Immunology, Bertley worked internationally in preventative medicine and basic vaccines. He continued this focus in a research group at Harvard Medical School, focusing on the development of DNA vaccines for HIV/AIDS. Before COSI, Dr. Bertley served as SVP for science and education at The Franklin Institute.
Bertley co-created and hosts the prime time television show QED with Dr. B, in partnership with PBS-WOSU Public Media. He also created the animated online series, Dr. B in 3. These science literacy creatives have won a combined six EMMYTM awards.
He has presented at The United Nations, The White House, the National Academy of Sciences, NASA and in Europe, Africa and the Caribbean. Dr. Bertley has received honors including: the Spirit of Columbus Award, the George Washington Carver Award, Columbus CEO of the Year and blooloop 50 Museum Influencer (UK). He was also awarded honorary degrees from McGill University, Otterbein University, Columbus State and the Presidential Medal of Service from The Ohio State University.

Richard Ford, PhD
Vice President of Engineering, CyberCube
Dr. Richard Ford has over 25 years of experience in computer security, specializing in both offensive and defensive cybersecurity technologies. He currently serves as VP of Engineering at CyberCube, the world’s leading source of cyber risk quantification. Throughout his career, he has held leadership technology roles at organizations such as Praetorian, Forcepoint, Virus Bulletin, IBM Research, Command Software Systems, and NTT Verio.

Michelle Maldonado
Delegate
Virginia House of Delegates, 20th District – Technology Caucus
Delegate Michelle Lopes Maldonado represents Virginia’s 20th House District in Northern Virginia. Her expertise is in technology, workforce development, and strategic partnerships. She is a former technology lawyer and tech leader who founded and chairs the General Assembly’s bipartisan and bicameral Technology & Innovation Caucus, chairs its AI work group subcommittee, and is a steering committee member for a national AI work group comprised of state legislators from around the country. Delegate Maldonado also sits on the Joint Commission on Science and Technology (JCOTS) and the Southern Region Education Board (SREB) AI In Education Commission.
Delegate Maldonado serves as Chair of the Affordable Housing Policy Committee for the House Democratic Caucus as well as Chair for the Judicial Subcommittee of the Courts of Justice and the Insurance and Financial Institutions Subcommittee for Labor and Commerce. She also is a member of the Privileges & Elections and Communications and Technology & Innovation Committees. Her other Board and Commission memberships include the Health Insurance Reform Commission (HIRC) and the Virginia Commission on Coal & Energy.
In her non-elected capacity, Delegate Maldonado has deep experience in strategic partnerships and business development, along with technology, and workforce development. As a result of her work, Michelle has been recognized as “Woman of The Year,” “Top Corporate Leader,” among the “12 Powerful Women in the Mindfulness Movement” (Worldwide), a “2024 Impact Maker” by Virginia Magazine, and was inducted into the Golden Key International Honor Society. Delegate Maldonado’s work has been featured in the DQ Institute in association with the World Economic Forum, United Nations Global Engagement Summit, Human Capital Institute, the Mindful Leader Summit, Leadership Excellence, Huff Post, and Thrive Global.
She is a proud graduate of Barnard College at Columbia University and The George Washington University School of Law. She and her husband, Roberto, have one son who attends George Mason University.

Todd Mostak
Founder, CTO
Heavy.AI
Todd is the CTO and Co-founder of HEAVY.AI. Todd built the original prototype of HEAVY.AI, a GPU-accelerated database and visual analytics platform, after tiring of the inability of conventional tools to allow for interactive exploration of big datasets while conducting his Harvard graduate research on the role of Twitter in the Arab Spring. He then joined MIT as a research fellow focusing on GPU databases before turning the HEAVY.AI project into a startup.

Amethyst Edmond
Technology Consultant
BIT SWVA Member
Amethyst Edmond is a technology consultant who supports life science companies in system implementation as a Master Data Analyst. Her resume includes pharmaceutical companies: Pfizer, Astellas Gene Therapies, and RegenXBio. Amethyst is a two-time Norfolk State University graduate. There she received a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Masters of Computer Science in Cybersecurity. During her academic career, she has focused on research and design. Her first year studies were centered on using distributed ledger technology to secure mobile healthcare applications; her second year of research and design looked at combining synthetic immune cells and nanocircuits to build resilient computer hardware. Following her studies, Amethyst moved to Southwest Virginia, which she currently calls home, to be closer to her family. While in the area she has begun to explore new passions and is focusing on recentering herself in research.

Jack Shanahan
Retired Lieutenant General, Former Director
U.S. Air Force, DoD Joint AI Center
Lieutenant General (ret.) Jack Shanahan, former Director of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC), and first Director of the Algorithmic Warfare Cross-Functional Team (Project Maven). Lt Gen (ret.) Shanahan has served in a variety of operational and staff positions in various fields including flying, intelligence, policy, and command and control. He has commanded at the squadron, group, wing, Agency, and Numbered Air Force levels.

Brett Malone, PhD
CEO
UT Research Park at Cherokee Farm
Dr. Brett Malone is a triple Hokie with 20 years of executive experience in growing engineering, biotech, and software business. Malone learned firsthand what it was like to build a company in Virginia Tech’s Blacksburg-based research park, led then by longtime Corporate Research Center President and CEO Joe Meredith.
As co-founder of Phoenix Integration, a firm that creates software for engineering, Malone helped build a notable company that is still part of the Corporate Research Center and serving the aerospace industry. Malone has led multiple companies based around the country since graduating from Virginia Tech in biotech, robotics, engineering, and software. He has a broad background working successfully with early-stage companies and with related funding sources.
Malone is respected in the regional entrepreneurship community and across the country, with engaging ideas on how to best position companies to continue positive impact going forward.

Drew Hunt
Director
Dreamit Ventures
Drew Hunt is a cybersecurity investor and venture capitalist with over a decade of experience spanning investment and operational roles in early-stage startups. As a Director at Dreamit Ventures, Drew leads the investment and portfolio support platforms, focusing on transformational Pre-Series A cybersecurity, anti-fraud, GRC, and physical security startups. Prior to Dreamit, Drew was the VP of Business Development and Strategy at Conceal, a browser and network security startup. As an early employee, he played a pivotal role in corporate strategic planning, product development, and business operations, supporting both commercial and government customers. Drew began his career at CGI Federal as a consultant in the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Acquisition Management. He holds an MBA from Georgetown University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Management from Clemson University. Drew is a Virginia native and currently resides in Falls Church, VA.

Katie Beach
Founder
Katie Beach Consulting
With over 20 years of experience working with teams and developing leaders, Katie has honed her ability to work with a variety of people in a variety of settings. Katie’s career journey began with the hustle and grind of Division I athletics, traveled through healthcare, career services, economic development, and now launched into entrepreneurship. This equips her with a unique blend of perspectives and stories that resonate with a variety of audiences.
As a speaker, facilitator, and leadership coach, Katie is all about creating momentum and inspiring others. She’s high-energy, action-oriented, and thrives when collaborating with clients to tackle their toughest challenges. Whether you’re leading a small team or a large organization, Katie can help you unlock your full potential.
Katie is passionate about improving the employee experience and believes that developing strong leaders is the key to creating engaged and successful teams. She is a certified executive coach through the Center for Executive Coaching and a Certified Red Team Coach. Katie has both an undergraduate and master’s degree from East Carolina University and utilizes Everything DiSC®, Gallup CliftonStrengths®, and other resources in her work as a coach and facilitator. Katie lives in Salem, VA with her wife Bri and two children, Cayden and Riley.

Stephen Morgan, MD, CMIO
SVP, Chief Medical Information Officer
Carilion Clinic
A board-certified physician in family medicine, Dr. Morgan graduated with a BS in biology and chemistry from The Virginia Military Institute in 1982 and earned his medical degree from the University of Virginia School of Medicine in 1986. Dr. Morgan spent six years in private practice before joining Carilion in 1996. In 2010, Dr. Morgan transitioned from a full-time family medicine practice to work in informatics and information technology. He was appointed chief medical information officer in 2010 and was promoted to senior vice president in 2012. His areas of responsibility include data analytics, data science, research reporting, digital health, and clinical informatics. His teams are committed to advancing and transforming patient care and the patient experience through data, efficient workflows, technology, and digital solutions.

Nick Rider, DO
Associate Chief Medical Information Officer, Professor
Carilion Clinic, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine (VTCSOM)
Nicholas L. Rider is a board-certified clinical immunologist and clinical informaticist. He has longstanding expertise in the clinical management of patients with complex immunologic disease and in clinical data science approaches for optimizing patient care. Dr. Rider serves as a Professor in the Department of Health Systems & Implementation Science at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. Additionally, he is an Associate Chief Medical Information Officer focused on research data operations and a Clinical Immunologist at the Carilion Clinic. Dr. Rider’s overarching research goals focus on leveraging diverse computational approaches to improve diagnostic rates, real-time care and clinical outcomes for patients with primary immune disease (aka inborn errors of immunity). He and his team meld clinical immunology domain expertise and the technical aspects of AI research, machine learning and statistics to solve problems facing the patients seen in clinic.

Guy DeCorte
Founder, Chief Technology Officer
Gravy Analytics
Guy DeCorte is a technology leader with a career focused on data and building systems that solve complex challenges. Guy has delivered solutions solving complex data integration, distributed and heterogeneous database access, big data factories and systems involving complex algorithms. Most recently, he has been involved with projects using generative AI and retrieval-augmented generation to deliver natural language access to analytics. In his spare time, Guy pursues his passion: research into human learning mechanisms and their application to AI. Guy is based out of Virginia but also spends time on the West Coast.
Guy’s client list is rather eclectic as it includes: the World Health Organization (WHO), National Gallery of Art, Federal Reserve, US Treasury Department, Applied Materials, NOAA, Aon, American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), and various organizations within the United States Department of Defense. Guy is published and holds a patent, “System for Analyzing and Improving Device Location as a Function of Time”. Member of the Future of Privacy Forum (FPF).

David Bates
Director of Innovation
Ozmo
David Bates is the Director of Innovation at Ozmo, where he shapes the company’s technical vision and guides the development of innovative solutions to solve complex challenges. Partnering with customers and industry leaders, he ensures that Ozmo stays at the forefront of technological advancements by tailoring solutions to meet unique needs. David is driven by a passion for discovery and believes that innovation thrives on collaboration and continuous learning. As a recognized thought leader, he contributes to industry advancements through conferences, open-source projects and strategic partnerships.
With over 15 years of experience, David has deep expertise in software development, cloud platforms, and designing cutting-edge systems. Known for mentoring fellow technical leaders, he plays a key role in fostering growth and excellence across the organization. Outside of work, David is a hands-on creator, enjoying 3D printing, CNC, laser cutting, and woodworking in the small town of Floyd, VA with his wife and four kids. His love for making reflects his innovative spirit—always exploring and pushing boundaries.

Charlie O’Brien
Operations
757 Collab
Charlie O’Brien is a multidisciplinary professional with academic roots in Psychology Research, Economics, and Computer Science from McGill University. His fascination with artificial intelligence sparked during a graduate-level course in his senior year, guiding him towards its innovative applications in business. Currently, he is revolutionizing back-office operations by automating the due diligence process for the 757 Angel Network. This cutting-edge project reduces due diligence time from two weeks to a mere 5 minutes and increases the production of high-quality analyses by 700%, showcasing the transformative potential of AI in streamlining critical business processes.

Jeff Pompeo
President & CEO
Caretaker Medical Corp
Jeff Pompeo is a serial entrepreneur with deep experience leading global corporate organizations as well as innovative technology start-ups. He got his first taste of entrepreneurship while CIO of General Electric’s Industrial Automation unit, when he was appointed as founding President and CEO of a joint venture between GE and Cisco Systems focused on Industrial data networks. Having been smitten by the entrepreneurial bug, he left GE help launch a Telecom startup, raising $60M in venture capital and growing to over 150 employees before exit. Jeff then went on to help build numerous other Start-Up firms in the Telecom, MedTech, and Electronics Engineering spaces.
Currently, Jeff serves as President and CEO of Caretaker Medical Corp, a Medical Device startup that has launched an FDA-Cleared Wireless Wearable patient monitor that remotely monitors Continuous Blood Pressure, Hemodynamics, and Fluid Response in high-risk patients. Previous to starting Caretaker Medical, Jeff served as President & CEO of PocketSonics Ultrasound, a spin-out from the University of Virginia that developed a novel Handheld Ultrasound platform for guiding vascular access procedures, which was acquired by Analogic Corporation.
A Virginia native, Jeff holds a degree in Computer Information Systems from James Madison University and an MBA from Virginia Tech. He lives in Charlottesville, VA with his wife Lisa. He served on the board of directors of TSO3 Corporation through their acquisition by Stryker, is Vice Chair of the Virginia Biotechnology Association, serves on the Virginia Catalyst oversight panel, and is an active advisor to numerous startups in the MedTech ecosystem.

Ryan King, PhD
Innovation Manager, Assistant Professor of Medicine
Carilion Clinic, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine (VTCSOM)
Ryan King, PhD is the Innovation Manager at Carilion Clinic and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine (VTCSOM). Dr. King completed his PhD in Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health at Virginia Tech and received his BS from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. At Carilion Clinic, Dr. King’s research interests lie in the development of medical devices to fill unmet clinical needs, often identified through direct clinical observation. Dr. King is an alumnus of the RBTC’s Regional Accelerator and Mentorship Program (RAMP) and currently serves as a mentor in the RBTC on-RAMP program.

Tara Newberry
Oncology Rehabilitation Coordinator, COTA/L,CLT, OCC
Carilion Clinic
With 25 years of experience in the Occupational Therapy field, I have developed a robust background in rehabilitation and leadership. I have always possessed a strong desire and skill for creating innovation, new techniques, and new devices. As the founder of LymphaVibe, LLC, I designed and helped develop a cutting-edge wearable therapy device for lymphedema patients, inspired by my years of working with patients and recognizing their unmet needs.
Throughout my career, I have successfully merged clinical expertise with strong business acumen, leading and growing specialty healthcare programs. Notably, I spearheaded the expansion of a lymphedema and oncology rehabilitation program at Carilion Clinic, growing it from 5 therapists at 4 locations to a comprehensive team of 40 certified lymphedema therapists and 41 oncology-certified therapists across 5 hospitals, 13 outpatient clinics, and 7 regions in the home health setting in just 3 years. This initiative significantly enhanced patient care and demonstrated my ability to lead large-scale programs.
In addition to program development, I have had the privilege of speaking nationally on cutting-edge clinical pathways for oncology patients. These experiences have deepened my understanding of the evolving landscape in oncology rehabilitation and honed my ability to communicate complex ideas to diverse audiences.
One of the most rewarding aspects of my career has been my role as a national mentor for oncology-based rehab therapists. Guiding the next generation of therapists, providing them with the tools and knowledge they need to succeed, and watching them grow into skilled professionals has been incredibly fulfilling.

Shawn Gomez, PhD
Associate Chair for Research in the Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pharmacology Professor
UNC Chapel Hill/NC State, UNC Chapel Hill
Dr. Shawn Gomez is a Professor and the Associate Chair for Research in the Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering at UNC-Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University as well as a Professor in the Department of Pharmacology at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is also a member of the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center in the UNC School of Medicine and the Comparative Medicine Institute at the NCSU College of Veterinary Medicine. He received his BS and MS degrees in Aerospace Engineering Sciences from the University of Colorado at Boulder and his Doctorate of Engineering Sciences in Biomedical Engineering from Columbia University in New York City. His postdoctoral training in bioinformatics and computational biology was conducted at the Judith P. Sulzberger Columbia Genome Center and later at Institut Pasteur in Paris, France where he was a Florence Gould Scholar and Pasteur Foundation Fellow. Since 2017, Dr. Gomez has been the Executive Director of FastTraCS, a component of the North Carolina Translational and Clinical Sciences Institute (NCTraCS), funded through the NIH CTSA Program. FastTraCS is a Medtech incubator composed of a team of engineers, clinicians and businesspeople focused on the rapid identification, validation, and translation of unmet clinical needs within UNC Health. Dr. Gomez’s laboratory conducts research in the broad areas of systems biology and translational AI. His work aims to enhance the development of therapies, innovative diagnostics, and clinical decision-making processes, ultimately leading to improved patient outcomes.

James Ramey
Managing Director, Fund Manager
Middleland Capital, VTC Ventures
James Ramey is a Managing Director and Fund Manager at Middleland Capital where he manages VTC Ventures. VTC Ventures invests in high growth Seed, Series A, and Series B-stage companies across the country, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and within the broader Virginia Tech, Carilion, and Roanoke / Blacksburg ecosystem. Prior to joining Middleland Capital, James was a Vice President at Tyton Partners, a leading ed-tech investment banking firm located in the greater New York City area. James’ unique background, which includes practicing law, investment banking, and prior venture capital experience, provides a holistic and multi-faceted approach to venture capital investing. In addition to traditional investment activities, the VTC Funds aim to help established and aspiring entrepreneurs and actively participate in the growth of the Roanoke / Blacksburg & Virginia Tech / Carilion entrepreneurial ecosystems.

Kalaina Anderes
AI Software Engineer
DORIS
Hello from San Diego! When I am not surfing or reading, I am a lead developer for an oncologist-AI platform based out of New Zealand. We aim to use our clinically tailored approach to LLM-training our models to connect cancer patients and their teams of doctors to the most up to date and reliable information. This includes drugs, biomarker testing, and clinical trials. The company has team members all over the world and I am excited to share my experiences with Virginia’s tech community. I look forward to talking about cybersecurity to user experience – ai-driven and inspired.

Anna Gutowska
AI Advocate
IBM
Anna is a software developer and technical content writer with a strong focus on artificial intelligence, data science, and education. With a background in Computer Science and Cognitive Science, she is particularly interested in the intriguing parallels between AI agents and human cognition and decision-making. Anna’s work is dedicated to empowering developers to effectively leverage advanced AI technologies in a user-friendly manner that enhances efficiency. Driven by her curiosity and commitment to innovation, she has concentrated much of her efforts on developing AI agents. Anna believes that these agentic systems can be utilized to free human resources for more complex and impactful tasks, rather than routine activities. Passionate about both sharing her expertise and learning from others, she holds the conviction that the best educators are those who continually seek knowledge.

Bret Danilowicz
President
Radford University
Since assuming the presidency of Radford University in July 2022, President Bret Danilowicz has ensured that the transformative benefits of higher education are readily accessible to students across Virginia.
Under his leadership, Radford University reversed a five-year enrollment decline in fall 2024, successfully completed a $100 million fundraising campaign, and initiated a two-year strategic plan to better serve Southwest Virginia’s educational and economic needs.
Danilowicz has 24 years of leadership experience in higher education; prior to Radford, he was provost and vice president for academic affairs at Florida Atlantic University.
Danilowicz earned his B.S. in biology from Utica College of Syracuse University, a Ph.D. in zoology from Duke University, an M.A. in education from The Open University (England) and an MBA from Georgia Southern University.

Lee Adcock
Director of Software Engineering
Capital One
Lee Adcock has spent almost 12 years advancing technology initiatives at Capital One. Currently serving as a Director of Software Engineering, Lee spends his day exploring the possibilities and potential of artificial intelligence to advance and enhance Capital One’s business, teams, and culture. Lee previously spent time in technology roles with Tridium, Media General, and Cierra Technologies. He is an alum of Georgia Tech and a former college radio DJ for WREK 91.1 FM.

Nick Serfass
CEO
Richmond Technology Council
Nick has been at the helm of the Richmond Technology Council
(rvatech/) since early 2019 and has worked to shepherd the growth
of programs across the board for the Council. Most
recently he worked to position Richmond as a potential Tech Hub in
artificial intelligence and machine learning through a US federal grant
program. Additionally, he recently launched a new brand platform for the Richmond tech community aimed at attracting and retaining talent in “Tech’s Most Creative City”. He is a Virginia Wahoo, Miami Hurricane and Auburn Tiger. His preferred programming language is Pascal.

Todd Dube
Senior Architect AI/ML, Data & Analytics Engineering
CarMax
Todd has over 25 years of experience in technology across a variety of industries and companies. For nearly 7 years, he has been at CarMax, developing AI and Machine Learning platforms and teams. Todd played a pivotal role as the technical lead in establishing CarMax’s first Data Science and Machine Learning team, which now comprises over 50 technical and data science professionals. He has successfully implemented large-scale Enterprise Cloud solutions, including Data Lakes, Data Warehousing, and Data Engineering, aiding in the modernization and growth of CarMax’s Data Analytics Teams. Todd is recognized for his exceptional interpersonal and teamwork abilities. Additionally, he is an active community volunteer, contributing to non-profits in athletics and participating actively in the Richmond technology scene, including serving as Co-Chair for the RVATech Data/AI summit for the second year.

David Townsend, PhD
Schulze Distinguished Professor of Entrepreneurship, Academic Director
Virginia Tech, Pamplin College of Business
David Townsend (Ph.D., Oklahoma) serves as the Schulze Distinguished Professor of Entrepreneurship and the Academic Director of the Apex Center for Entrepreneurs in the Department of Management in the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech. He is also the founding faculty director of VT Tech Fellows, an interdisciplinary technology commercialization fellowship program focused on the development and growth of ‘deep tech’ ventures. He primarily teaches courses in technology strategy, artificial intelligence, and technology entrepreneurship in Pamplin’s graduate business programs. He also serves as the Editor-in-Chief of Entrepreneur & Innovation Exchange (EIX.org) and Family Business (familybusiness.org), the leading global platforms connecting evidence-based entrepreneurship research with practicing entrepreneurs, serving more than 15 million readers per year. His research explores fundamental questions at the intersection of artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship, and organization theory, and has been published in a variety of premier academic journals and profiled in the business press. He currently advises numerous startups and corporate ventures in the ‘deep tech’ space.

David Longo
CEO, Co-Founder
Ordaōs
David Longo is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ordaōs. As CEO of Ordaōs, Longo leads a strong scientific team to design novel mini-proteins that help drug hunters deliver safer and more effective treatments.
Longo brings to Ordaōs, broad experience in innovation and technology, that compels him to approach protein design in a unique way. His expertise in AI and machine learning is incorporated into Ordaōs’ Design Engine, driving the rapid creation of never-before-seen mini-proteins with improved probability of more therapeutically effective candidates. Prior to Ordaōs, this entrepreneur led a series of companies which he grew into successful entities.
Longo has an MS in biotechnology from Harvard University, graduate certificates in AI, Machine Learning, Innovation and Technology from Stanford University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and a master’s Certificate in Music Production from Berklee College of Music. He has a Bachelor of Science in Computational Mathematics from Rochester Institute of Technology. David is a learner, triathlete, and an inspirational leader.

Marty Martin
CEO, Founder
LOCOMOTIVE Agency
Marty Martin is the CEO and founder of LOCOMOTIVE® Agency, a leading digital marketing firm (founded in Roanoke, Virginia in 2012). With over 25 years of industry experience, Martin has led LOCOMOTIVE to multiple accolades, including multiple “Best SEO Agency” and “Best PPC Agency” at the U.S. Search Awards in the last 5 years. Under his leadership, the company has expanded internationally to over 50 employees, with North American operations headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, and European operations based in Galway, Ireland.
As an expert in international brand expansion, ROI-driven paid media campaigns, and enterprise SEO strategy, Marty has guided LOCOMOTIVE to become one of the few recommended Enterprise Technical SEO agencies. The firm serves a diverse client base, from publicly traded companies to local businesses, a branch of the US military to multi-billion dollar privately owned companies, and has been recognized on the Inc. 5000 list the past 2 years. Marty’s approach focuses on operational excellence, team development, and strong client relationships, driving innovation in the digital marketing landscape.

Anthony Young
Director of Solution Engineering
Tableau Software
Anthony Young is a Director of Solution Engineering, a thought leader, and Ambassador of Data Culture in the Global Public Sector at Salesforce, where he leads a dynamic team of engineers who support State & Local Government across North America.
Anthony is a proven leader and people developer with more than 25 years of demonstrated success in Management Consulting and Enterprise Software. Anthony is creative, curious, and passionate about data and the power it has to change the world. Anthony has spent the entirety of his career working with Public Sector customers in State, Local, and Federal Government. Anthony is an expert at crafting dynamic go to market strategy and leads offerings from idea to assessment that generate success and tangible outcomes.
In his free time, Anthony loves to watch Premier League football, take long road trips with his family, coach youth sports, and serve the community through volunteering opportunities with his family.

Angela Dickerson
President
Blacks in Technology Southwest Virginia
Angela Dickerson is a passionate advocate for tech equity. As the President of Blacks in Technology Southwest Virginia and a seasoned Customer Experience Manager with over 25 years of experience, she champions the belief that technology can be a powerful tool for social and economic good.
Angela envisions a future where everyone in her community has access to technology and its potential to bridge the wealth gap. She is a firm believer in continuous learning and growth, both for herself and the communities she serves.
Her extensive career spans leading technology companies like AT&T Wireless, PowerSchool, and block.one, where she honed her expertise in customer experience management within the ever-evolving tech landscape.

Eddie Amos
Chairman – Region 2
GO Virginia
Eddie is a visionary leader dedicated to creating a better future through the power of technology. With an accomplished career spanning key roles at General Electric, Microsoft, Meridium, and Torc Robotics, Eddie has consistently turned ideas into impactful results. His leadership has driven the development of pioneering products and services, fostering a culture of excellence and innovation.
With extensive experience in Software Engineering, Data Science, Asset Performance Management (APM), and Transformation Management, Eddie guides organizations to adapt and excel in a rapidly evolving landscape. In his roles as Corporate Officer/Senior Vice President of Engineering at GE Digital and Chief Transformation Officer at Torc Robotics, he has led strategic initiatives that deliver meaningful outcomes, leaving a lasting positive impact on the industry.
In addition to his professional achievements, Eddie is dedicated to community and economic growth. As Chairman of GO Virginia Region 2 and a Roanoke-Blacksburg Technology Council board member, he actively supports job creation and regional development. Eddie is also committed to fostering future leaders through mentorship and regularly shares his insights as an international speaker on data and transformation.

Adam Goode
General Surgery Resident
Carilion Clinic
I am a general surgery resident at Carilion Clinic. I leveraged my engineering background with the help of Carilion Clinic Innovations to found Allis Innovations, a Sterile Processing Department (SPD) technology company. We have developed the Instreyed surgical instrument detection platform that leverages AI-computer vision to improve the efficiency and quality of tray assembly, the most labor-intensive step in surgical instrument processing. Our long-term vision is to automate SPD.

Missi Zhang, PhD
Research Scientist
Virginia Tech
Dr. Xuemei (Missi) Zhang is a research scientist at the Center for Biostatistics and Health Data Science at Virginia Tech. She is a data scientist with ten years of data analysis experience in the biological sciences. She completed her PhD at Virginia Tech, where she gained expertise in applied statistics, bioinformatics, and machine learning. Her postdoctoral research focused on developing automated plant disease detection systems in collaboration with mechanical, biochemical, and biosystems engineers. Dr. Zhang applies her expertise in bioinformatics, statistical analysis, and image data analysis to support collaborators across diverse domains, including medical sciences, psychology, biochemistry, engineering, and plant sciences. Her understanding of biological sciences allows her to apply data science techniques to solve complex biological problems and communicate effectively with biological scientists. She is particularly interested in leveraging data science and AI to tackle real-world healthcare challenges to improve point-of-care testing, disease diagnosis, and patient prioritization while addressing health disparities. Outside of work, she finds inspiration and enjoyment in languages, cultures, and art.

Braden Croy
Program Director
Dominion Energy Innovation Center
Braden has over a decade of experience supporting startup communities and building entrepreneurship programs at R1 institutions; taking the Syracuse University Blackstone LaunchPad from zero to 4,000 entrepreneurs in 3 years. He has presented training on entrepreneurship ecosystem development internationally (China, Indonesia) and published a novel entrepreneurship ecosystem canvassing method. He has coached 500+ entrepreneurs from idea stage to acquisition and currently spends a significant portion of his time helping advanced energy startups commercialize cutting edge technology.

Sam Steidle, PhD
Director of the Venture Lab & Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship, Leadership, and Strategy
Radford University
With over 20 years of experience and a deep commitment to innovation and emerging technology, Dr. Steidle has been instrumental in advancing entrepreneurship in the Roanoke-Blacksburg region, co-launching key hubs like CoLab and RAMP alongside numerous partners before leading the Venture Lab. She also leads Radford University’s annual Truist Innovation Challenge, a high-impact event that fosters creative problem-solving and prepares students for real-world challenges.
Passionate about the power of university and community college networks as catalysts for building emerging workforce skills, Dr. Steidle has created entrepreneurship education best practice courses for the National Association of Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE), available to over 600 colleges across the United States. She regularly shares her expertise on generative AI, entrepreneurial ecosystems, and designing business models for positive societal impact, most recently at AACSB’s Deans Conference, the Americas Accreditation Conference, and in discussions with university boards.
Her previous work includes serving as a contractor for the U.S. Treasury’s $10 billion State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) and as Innovation Officer at Virginia Western Community College, reflecting her commitment to fostering equitable economic growth and opportunity through strategic, scalable, and tech-driven partnerships.

Santosh Iyer
Founder & CEO
MOONSHOT
Santosh Iyer is a deep tech innovator and entrepreneur with over a decade of experience in medical technology, healthcare, and AI. Santosh is passionate about training next-generation innovators that will drive 10X change in healthcare, and started MOONSHOT to solve the gap in high-tech skills training in healthcare tech.
Santosh Iyer is a Silicon Valley-trained engineer and Harvard MBA with an MS and BS from The University of Toronto.

Wesley Faulkner
Podcaster, Public Speaker, Advocate for Social Change
Wesley Faulkner is a podcaster, public speaker, advocate for social change, and a developer relations professional. He has a background in technology, working for companies like AMD, Atlassian, Dell, IBM, and MongoDB. Wesley co-hosts two podcasts: Community Pulse, which explores the challenges and opportunities of community building in Developer Relations, and Radical Respect, which features conversations with Kim Scott on creating more inclusive and equitable workplaces. Wesley is passionate about racial justice, workplace equity, and neurodiversity.

Ollie Howie
Managing Partner, Founder
Mount Auburn Venture Partners
Ollie Howie is Managing Partner and Founder of Mount Auburn Venture Partners, a multi-stage Venture Firm. As a part of the Firm’s incubation strategy, Ollie is CEO of American Entertainment Worldwide, a global media company last valued at $1 billion as of its last priced external investment round, and CEO of AI Regent, an AI technology company. He is a Harvard University graduate with a BA in Economics. He also spent time on the investment team at Greenspring Associates. Ollie has received numerous awards and recognition, including 200 most powerful in Grand Rapids 2022 and 2023, Grand Rapids Business Journal 40 under 40, and HBCUVC 31 under 31 Venture Capital. Ollie is a Forbes Business Council Member, a Ron Brown Scholars Council Member, a board member of the Roanoke City Economic Development Authority, an advisor and board member for multiple startups, and was a Growing Michigan Together Council Member

Natesha Ross
Technology Trainer
Carilion Clinic
Natesha Ross is a dedicated educator and community leader born and raised in Roanoke, Virginia. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Roanoke College and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Mary Baldwin University. Currently, she serves as a Trainer at Carilion Clinic, specializing in EPIC’s electronic medical record system, where she develops and delivers training programs to enhance user proficiency. With 7+ years of experience in K-12 education, including a role as a middle school mathematics teacher in Roanoke City Public Schools, Ross is committed to creating enriching learning environments. Passionate about empowering students, Ross states, “My goal is to help learners unlock their full potential and introduce them to the diverse opportunities available to them.” She values diversity, equity, and inclusion, striving to create positive experiences for all learners. Ross is deeply involved in community service and enjoys traveling, exploring new cuisines, reading, and cooking.

Scott Acton
Professor
University of Virginia
Scott T. Acton is the Lawrence R. Quarles Professor and Chair of Electrical & Computer Engineering at the University of Virginia, where he directs the Virginia Image and Video Analysis laboratory. He previously served as Program Director and acting Deputy Division Director at the NSF Computer and Information Science and Engineering Directorate. He received the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees at the University of Texas at Austin, and he received his B.S. degree at Virginia Tech. Professor Acton is a Fellow of the IEEE “for contributions to biomedical image analysis.” Professor Acton was Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Transactions on Image Processing (2014-2018). At UVA, he perform AI research for image and video analysis and serves as AI Advisor to the Provost.

Anton Toutov, PhD
CEO
Astranav
Deep tech entrepreneur, scientist, inventor, and successful multi-time founder. Award-winning PhD from a Nobel Laureate’s lab at Caltech with 12 scholarly, peer-reviewed publications and over 60 patent applications and grants. Dr. Toutov’s scientific discoveries have been described as a “Black Swan” and have been spotlighted nationally and internationally by Nature Magazine, NASA, Scientific American, Royal Society (UK), and National Science Foundation (US). He has written for WIRED, TNW, The Conversation, and other top publications.

Creed Jones III, PhD
Collegiate Professor & Director of MS Programs
Virginia Tech, Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Creed Jones is a Collegiate Professor of Computer Engineering at Virginia Tech. He is director of the Master of Science programs in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Dr Jones teaches upper-division and graduate courses in computer vision, machine learning and software development.
Dr. Jones is also the CTO for Globe Biomedical LLC, a startup company in Riverside, California, developing wearable technology for non-contact monitoring of eye diseases and eye condition using imaging and machine learning technologies. Globe’s flagship product, BlinkFrames™, has recently received FDA clearance and is being deployed through optical clinicians and professionals in the pediatric and adult markets.
Dr. Jones’ professional experience includes over 25 years in technology development for computer vision, predictive modeling and image processing. He holds ten US and international patents and often serves as an expert witness in areas related to biometric identification, image processing and machine learning.

Aidong Zhang, PhD
Professor of Computer Science
University of Virginia
Prof. Aidong Zhang is Thomas M. Linville Professor of Computer Science, with a joint appointment in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and School of Data Science at University of Virginia. Prof. Zhang’s research interests include machine learning, data science, bioinformatics, and health informatics. Prof. Zhang is a fellow of ACM (Association for Computing Machinery), fellow of IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), and a fellow of AIMBE (the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering). Dr. Zhang is also a member of the Virginia Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine.

Fred Epstein, PhD
Associate Vice Provost for Research
University of Virginia
Dr. Epstein is recognized for his contributions to the field of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. He has been a world leader in advancing MRI myocardial strain imaging by developing and applying the cine DENSE (displacement encoding using stimulated echoes) MRI method. He has also made important contributions to accelerated MRI methods and to methods and applications of preclinical MRI in mouse models of heart disease.
Dr. Epstein has chaired the Science Committee of the Society for Cardiovascular MRI (SCMR) (2008) and the ISMRM Cardiac Study Group (2009). He served as an ad hoc member of the NIH NIBIB Board of Scientific Counselors in 2012 and as an international reviewer for the South African Medical Research Council 5-year review of the University of Cape Town Medical Imaging Research Unit (2010). He was recently a member of the Board of Trustees for the SCMR (2013-2015), and he recently served as a standing member of the NIH Study Section Biomedical Imaging Technology A (2012-2016). He is currently a Deputy Editor for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (2011 – present, the leading technical journal devoted to MRI physics and engineering), and is a member of the American Heart Association Mid-Atlantic Affiliate Research Committee (2014-2017).

Mona Kasra
Associate Professor of Digital Media Design
University of Virginia
Mona Kasra is an Iranian American new media artist, interdisciplinary scholar, and Associate Professor of Digital Media Design at the University of Virginia. Her practice-based research questions, critiques, and experiments with the affordances of media technologies within artistic forms and in a variety of improvisational framings. She frequently collaborates with artists, musicians, choreographers, and theater-makers to explore the confluence between performance and new media, particularly the emerging aesthetic possibilities for enriching narrative and enhancing audience immersion in live events. Mona’s artwork has been exhibited widely in galleries and film festivals across the US and worldwide, and she has juried, curated, and programmed for many exhibitions, film festivals, and conferences. Her recent virtual reality piece Dwelling in the Enfolding, in collaboration with composer Matthew Burtner, was exhibited at Anchorage Museum of Art and ACM SIGGRAPH Digital Arts Community (DAC) Exhibition The Earth, Our Home: Art, Technology, and Critical Action. This interactive, immersive experience alludes to the complex relationship between humans and nature/environment, problematizing the possessive notion of the earth as ‘our’ home. Mona’s publications can be found in several journals including New Media & Society, The Communication Review, Journal of Dance Education, and Media and Communication. At the University of Virginia, she lectures and teaches courses on new media art, projection design, integrated interactive media, and immersive media. Mona currently serves on the board of ACM SIGGRAPH and New Media Caucus. She holds an MFA in Video Art and a PhD in Arts & Technology.

Chris North, PhD
Associate Director, Sanghani Center for AI and Data Analytics
Professor, Department of Computer Science and Center for Human-Computer Interaction
Virginia Tech
Dr. Chris North is a Professor of Computer Science at Virginia Tech. He is Associate Director of the Discovery Analytics Center, and leads the Visual Analytics research group (http://infovis.cs.vt.edu). He was principle architect of the GigaPixel Display Laboratory, one of the most advanced display and interaction facilities in the world. He also participates in the Center for Human-Computer Interaction, and the Hume Center for National Security. He was awarded Faculty Fellow of the College of Engineering in 2007, and the Dean’s Award for Research Excellence in 2014. He earned his Ph.D. at the University of Maryland, College Park, in 2000.
He served as General Co-Chair of IEEE VisWeek 2009, and as Papers Co-Chair of the IEEE Information Visualization (InfoVis) and IEEE Visual Analytics Science and Technology (VAST) Conferences. He served on editorial boards of IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics (TVCG) and the Information Visualization journal. He was awarded over $15M in grants, co-authored over 100 peerreviewed publications, and delivered 5 keynote addresses at symposia in the field. He graduated 14 Ph.D. and 19 M.S. thesis students, 4 receiving outstanding research awards, and advised over 80 undergraduate research students. He led efforts to advance data science education, founded the Graduate Certificate in Data Analytics, and co-organized the Computation Modeling and Data Analytics (CMDA) major.

Abhijit Sarkar, PhD
Senior Research Associate
Virginia Tech Transportation Institute
Dr. Abhijit Sarkar is a Senior Research Associate in the Division of Data & Analytics at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. He currently leads the Computer Vision and Machine Learning team. Dr. Sarkar is an affiliated faculty member at the Sanghani Center for AI and Data Analytics and the Center for the Future of Work. His research centers on the application of AI to enhance transportation safety and mobility. His recent projects emphasize perception systems for autonomous vehicles, sensor fusion, driver cognition, data privacy, remote health monitoring, and multimodal naturalistic driving data. As a PI and Co-PI, he has led projects sponsored by agencies such as NHTSA, FHWA, NSF, FMCSA, Safe-D UTC, NASA, and NCHRP, as well as multiple private sponsors, with total funding exceeding $18 million. Dr. Sarkar holds a Ph.D. from Virginia Tech, USA, a master’s degree from IIT Kharagpur, and a bachelor’s degree from Jadavpur University, India, all in Electrical Engineering.
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