Thursday, December 4
Alice SiuKeynote Speaker, Moderator
Associate Director Deliberative Democracy Lab Stanford University Alice Siu received her Ph.D. from the Department of Communication at Stanford University, with a focus in political communication, deliberative democracy, and public opinion, and her Bachlor of Arts in Economics and Public Policy and Master of Arts in Political Science, also from Stanford. Siu has advised policymakers and political leaders around the world, at various levels of government, including leaders in China, Brazil, and Argentina. Her research interests in deliberative democracy include what happens inside deliberation, such as examining the effects of socioeconomic class in deliberation, the quality of deliberation, and the quality of arguments in deliberation.
Dorothy Lianlian JiangPanelist
Assistant Professor C. T. Bauer College of Business Professor Dorothy Lianlian Jiang is an Assistant Professor in the Decision & Information Sciences Department at the C. T. Bauer College of Business and the Co-Director of the Human-Centered AI Institute at the University of Houston. Her research focuses on human–AI interaction, digital platform design and strategy, and health care IT. She uses a diverse set of empirical and experimental methods—including econometrics, natural experiments, lab experiments, and modern AI/ML methods such as deep learning—to examine how technology shapes decision-making and organizational outcomes. She is the recipient of the 2025 INFORMS Information Systems Society (ISS) Gordon B. Davis Young Scholar Award, the highest honor for early-career scholars in the information systems discipline. She also received the Bauer College Excellence in Research Award and the Excellence in MIS Research Award in 2024.
Seth FewellPanelist
AI Workforce Specialist Microsoft Seth Fewell is a passionate, impact-driven leader with 20+ years of experience driving digital transformation and delivering the highest standard of education through technology. His expertise in project/program management, learning & development, change management, and organizational success has been honed through leading and teaching educators, administrators, corporations, and small businesses to push boundaries and think outside the box. As an AI Workforce Specialist at Microsoft, Seth empowers educational institutions through strategic adoption of AI technologies to improve teacher productivity, enhance student engagement, streamlining administrative workflows, and redefine what’s possible in modern-day education in a safe, equitable, ethical, and inclusive way.
Lennart KoopmanPanelist
Founder Nzyme Lennart Koopman is the founder of Nzyme, where he develops systems that detect and defend against modern cyber-physical threats targeting high-value assets. He was also the creator of Graylog2, a widely used open-source machine data analytics tool. With over a decade of experience in software development, he has held roles including software architect and engineer at XING, and software developer at Jimdo, where he worked on distributed systems, APIs, and web platforms. His work spans building innovative tools for startups and enterprises globally, with a focus on software design, development, and open-source solutions.
Friday, December 5
Mike YatesKeynote
Senior Designer Teach for America Mike Yates is a Senior Designer at the Reinvention Lab at Teach for America. He's figuring out where learning is going and pointing Teach for America in that direction. Right now, that looks like leading AI for the organization. He runs hackathons, designs unique and engaging workshops, and trains staff to use AI in novel ways to better their work. He's also using AI to reimagine what it means to teach and learn. Realizing a bright, innovative, and equitable future of learning is why he gets up in the morning.
