Speakers

Kai Tran has over 10 years of design experience. Her design journey has spanned from game cinematics to environmental design, and from print to interactive. In all her diverse experiences, one thing has been central: innovation.

Erin Weigel delivers impactful, user-centric products and tells stories about how she does it. Her career started in customer service when she worked retail and waited tables. This experience developed her service mindset, which guides her unique design approach.

Tim Yeo (@timyeo) coaches introverts to have impact and influence without pretending to be extroverts at The Quiet Achiever. He's also a design leader, speaker and bookbinder; best known for saying complex things simply. Most recently Design Director @ IBM, formerly Head of Design at fintech startups @Finder, @OFX, @Prospa

Lori has extensive experience in finding creative solutions to client needs that also meet user needs through extensive research and cross- department collaboration.

Cassidy loves to make memes and dreams and software. She's currently the CTO at Contenda. She's worked for a variety of companies, large and small, advises startups, and she's had the honor of working on the board of various non-profits.

Bryce is an inclusive designer for Microsoft Devices where he is devoted to ensuring Microsoft products are accessible. Bryce initiated and designed the Inclusive Tech Lab at Microsoft, which has now hosted over fifteen thousand visitors; it is a facility where people can explore how people with disabilities interact with Microsoft products and services.

Shannon Soper, Senior Product Designer, mentor, and former Head of Learning, brings 10+ years of experience in leadership and team development.

Alec is the CEO and cofounder of Learners, a platform and community for UX professionals aiming to make career learning free for everyone. Prior to that, Alec has extensive experience in user research roles in startups of all kinds, and specializes in bridging the gap between founders and their early users.

Katrina Alcorn is a global product design executive and award-winning author. She has built the UX practice at Hot Studio, a boutique agency that was acquired by Facebook, and then at Autodesk, where she centralized the digital design and research teams and her team's work led to a 5x increase in global ecommerce. Most recently, Katrina led one of the world’s largest design practices at IBM.

Sheetal T. Patel was named the Assistant Director of the CIA for the Transnational and Technology Mission Center in January 2022. Prior to that position, Sheetal T. Patel was the Assistant Director of the CIA for Counterintelligence in 2019. Ms. Patel served as Deputy Chief of Station and Chief of Analysis in South Asia.