Game On: Reimagining Career Exploration Through Play

Benedetta Naglieri

Education Director

Benedetta Naglieri is Learning Undefeated’s Director of Education, leading dynamic laboratory and deep-impact programs that inspire middle and high school students to explore and excel in STEM. She earned her Ph.D. in molecular biology from Columbia University and completed postdoctoral research at the National Institutes of Health, where she studied gene regulation. Her passion for informal science education was sparked while volunteering as a science instructor, leading her to STEM educator roles at the Children’s Science Center (Herndon, Virginia) and the Liberty Science Center (Jersey City, NJ) before joining Learning Undefeated. In her free time, she enjoys running and is a dedicated fan of classic movies.

Brian Gaines

CEO

Brian Gaines has served as CEO of Learning Undefeated since 2012, advancing its mission and vision. An entrepreneurial leader at the intersection of the for-profit and nonprofit sectors, he has led community-focused and social change organizations including the Washington Commanders Foundation, Peer Forward (formerly College Summit), and KaBOOM! Earlier in his career, Brian opened the first Ben & Jerry’s retail chain in the Bay Area and served as Founding Executive Director of Joshua Venture, a national philanthropy fund backing emerging nonprofit leaders.

Asha Varghese

President

Asha Varghese is the President of the Caterpillar Foundation. In her role, she leads Caterpillar Inc.’s global CSR strategy to build resilient communities by investing in the skills people need for the workforce and the natural and vital infrastructure they depend on. Prior to Caterpillar, Asha spent 15 years at GE, where she held various leadership roles, including at the GE Foundation. She holds a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering and computer science from the University of Louisville and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. She is a 2018 graduate of the Presidential Leadership Scholars Program, a joint initiative of the presidential centers of George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Lyndon B. Johnson. She resides in Washington, D.C.

Jeremy Weir

Teacher

Jeremy Weir is in his fifth year as the Engineering teacher at Seguin High School. Throughout his time at Seguin, he has focused on strengthening the engineering program and building connections with industry professionals to expand opportunities for his students. He emphasizes bridging classroom learning with real-world experiences through hands-on projects and certifi cation programs that prepare students for success beyond high school.

Waterloo Ballroom 4

Early Days Again: What AI Makes Possible for New Schools

Unleashing Students' Tech Genius to Improve Mental Health

Manufacturing is high-tech, high-paying, and full of opportunity—yet this vital industry still ranks last among teens’ career choices. By blending game-based learning, Dimensions of Success, and authentic career experiences shaped by SMEs and teachers, a futuristic learning pod is reshaping how students view advanced manufacturing. After one semester, students are 75% more likely to consider careers in the field, and 63% want further learning. Discover how a global industry leader, a nonprofit, and educators are sparking new enthusiasm and transforming perceptions of technical careers.

GAME ON: REIMAGINING CAREER EXPLORATION THROUGH PLAY


Health Moonshot: Healthy Students, Educators, Communities

Judi Clarke

In addition to Chair of the National Fitness Foundation, Dr. Judith Brown Clarke is the Vice President for Equity & Inclusion and Chief Health Equity Officer for Stony Brook University and Health System. She reports directly to the University President and sits on the university’s senior leadership teams, including the President’s Cabinet, University Council, Vice Presidents Council and Campus Climate. Clarke has experienced great athletic success, she is a 4-time national collegiate champion, 12-time Big Ten Champion, 3-time Pan American Games gold medalist, 1984 Olympic Silver Medalist, and 1987 Sports Illustrated Woman of the Year.

Steve Amos

CEO

Steve is a social entrepreneur with 40+ years in technology, US/Global marketing, advertising, education, healthcare, and nonprofits. Founder/CEO of the nonprofit HealthCode, whose mission is to empower people to live healthier, happier lives free from preventable chronic disease.

Earned an M.B.A. from Wake Forest University, a BA from Florida State University, graduate studies in London and in Oceanography at the University of Guam, and serves as a Texas A&M University Center for Public Health and Aging Affiliate.

Strait

PanelPicker & More: Engaging at SXSW EDU 2027 Meet Up

Our students, educators, schools, and nation face a health crisis—our diets and inactivity are killing us. Over 70% of youth are unfit for military service. 71% of girls, 58% of boys don’t meet activity guidelines. By 2030, Americans will be half as active as in 1965.
This Meet Up unites cross-sector changemakers ready for a Moon Shot: bold, collaborative action to improve the health of students and educators.

HEALTH MOONSHOT: HEALTHY STUDENTS, EDUCATORS, COMMUNITIES


American Exchange Project: Experiential Civics in Action

David McCullough III

Co-Founder & CEO

David McCullough III is the cofounder and CEO of the American Exchange Project, a first-of-its-kind domestic intercultural exchange program. McCullough was inspired to launch the project after he spent two months traveling 7,100 miles across the country in 2016. In collaboration with PBS NewsHour Economic Correspondent Paul Solman and the late Harvard Business School Professor Robert Glauber, McCullough founded the American Exchange Project in 2019 and has since sent more than 1,000 students to nearly 40 states to create a more connected America. McCullough holds a BA in American Studies from Yale and an MPhil in Economic and Social History from the University of Cambridge. In 2022, he was named to Forbes’s 30 Under 30 list in Education.

Paramount III

CTRL + SHIFT: Reimagining School Engagement Through Esports

The Art Gallery is the New Gym: Get Creative, Get Smarter

Reducing the Cognitive Cost of Change to Drive Innovation

Picture this: Students from 8 different towns across the U.S. are watching the sun set in L.A. Among them is a line-dancing photographer from Texas, an aspiring chef from south L.A., and an avid reader becoming a real-life main character. Through the American Exchange Project, a free domestic exchange program, students get a greater understanding of themselves, their new friends, and the country we all share. In this solo talk, David McCullough III explores how domestic exchanges are the interactive civics lesson students need at this crucial time in American history.

AMERICAN EXCHANGE PROJECT: EXPERIENTIAL CIVICS IN ACTION


Empowering Students for the Jobs of Tomorrow

Kristi Kirk

President & CEO

Dr. Kristi Kirk was appointed the 10th President and CEO of Concordia University Texas in November 2024, becoming the first woman to lead the institution in its 100-year history. With more than 30 years of experience in higher education, she has dedicated her career to expanding access and opportunity, especially for underserved communities in Central Texas.

Dr. Kirk began her Concordia journey in 1993 as an admissions office manager. Over the decades, she rose through the ranks, eventually becoming Provost and Executive Vice President, a role she held for nine years before assuming the presidency.

Her story, from student worker to president, reflects a deep, enduring commitment to the higher education industry and private, Christ-centered institutions.

Waller Ballroom B

AI’s Rise, Talent’s Fall: Fixing the Skills Deficit

Cracking Higher Ed: Why Startups Miss the Mark

Reigniting STEM Interest: A 7,700-Student Study

Startup Lessons from the Baby-Sitters Club

The Future is Low-Tech: Lessons from the Early 2000s

As higher education faces shifting expectations, the value of a college degree is being challenged like never before. This session explores how institutions of all sizes can expand access and align degrees with workforce needs to stay relevant in changing local and federal landscapes. Learn practical strategies to remove barriers, serve diverse students and adapt programs to meet evolving demands.

EMPOWERING STUDENTS FOR THE JOBS OF TOMORROW

Workplace track sponsored by University of Cincinnati


Austin Eastciders Giddy Up Tasting

Giddy Up & Go at SXSW with Austin Eastciders! We'll be slinging samples of our newest 11% ABV Giddy Up Electric Punch lineup: Tropical Blast & Blue Raspberry. We lassoed that party magic with none of the mixing - just crack it up and let the good times ride.

https://austineastciders.com/


A Flavor-Filled Experience

You’re invited to a flavor-filled experience, where nature meets delicious. Come sip, sample, and explore everything from bold flavor innovations to functional hydration and premium teas. No artificial stuff. Just pure, crafted taste, and a few fun freebies you don't want to miss!


Einstein Energy Super Snack Bars - Think You're A Snack Genius?

Think You’re a Snack Genius?
Einstein Energy Super Smart Snack Bars bring brainpower to SXSW with The Einstein Game Show—fast, buzzer-style trivia hosted by an Albert Einstein look-alike. Win exclusive merch and bars, snap iconic photos, and fuel up with smarter snack breaks guided by brand ambassadors. Live screens, social moments, and QR-powered rewards keep the energy high—plus a special birthday celebration for Albert on March 14.

EINSTEIN ENERGY SUPER SNACK BARS - THINK YOU'RE A SNACK GENIUS?

Einstein Energy Inc.

Einstein Energy is built for ambitious thinkers. More than a snack bar, it’s a smarter snack break. Decadent flavor meets brain-boosting power with Lion’s Mane, Citicoline, L-Theanine, and green tea caffeine to support clarity, focus, and sustained energy. Available in Double Chocolate and Chocolate Peanut Butter. Einstein Energy is the only snack bar officially licensed by the Albert Einstein Estate—fueling curiosity, one breakthrough at a time.

1 Blackfield Dr. #275, Tiburon, CA 94920 (or just Tiburon, California)


Aguasol Tasting

Come sip Aguasol! We’ll be offering complimentary samples of our smooth, additive-free tequila, plus Aguasol cocktails for purchase at the bar. Pure sunshine, spring water, and agave—no shortcuts. Refresh, recharge, and keep the SXSW energy going.
www.aguasol.com


Congress Avenue Block Party

The Congress Avenue Block Party (formerly known as the Registrant Lounge) is the go-to space for all SXSW attendees to maximize their SX experience, offering daily complimentary drinks, food, and sponsor swag. Open throughout the conferences & festivals, this convenient and relaxing meeting point near the hub of SXSW action is an ideal spot to unwind and connect with other attendees. New for 2026, the Block Party is free and open to the public!

TooFar Media

World Premiere of Xiphactinus – An Immersive Storyworld Experience!

TooFar Media is an award-winning Arts Technology company, based in Silicon Valley, that creates Immersive Storyworlds, which combine Book, Music, Art, Animation and Film, to reimagine how stories are told and experienced.

Step inside TooFar Media’s Immersive Portal Experience @ Creative Industries Expo, and at TooFar Media’s PopUp @ Congress Ave Block Party, and discover the world premiere of Xiphactinus!

Plus, download the FREE TooFar Media app!


My/Mochi, the original and world's largest mochi ice cream brand, is inviting SXSW-goers to Taste the Joy! Our delightfully delicious ice cream wrapped in pillowy sweet rice dough comes in more than 20 flavors like Cookie Dough, Strawberry and Mango. So stop by our Joyfully Chill Ice Cream Shoppe at the Congress Ave Block Party Mar 12-18 to experience the joy for yourself!

MY/MOCHI JOYFULLY CHILL ICE CREAM SHOPPE

My/Mochi

Treat Yourself to a Taste of Joy at the My/Mochi Joyfully Chill Ice Cream Shoppe!

My/Mochi is the original and world's largest mochi ice cream brand - and we are inviting SXSW-goers to Taste the Joy! Our delightfully delicious ice cream wrapped in pillowy sweet rice dough comes in more than 20 flavors like Cookie Dough, Strawberry and Mango (and all are gluten free, nut free and 90 calories or less!). So stop by our Joyfully Chill Ice Cream Shoppe at the Congress Ave Block Party Mar 12-18 to experience the joy for yourself!


SXSW Community Service Awards Recognition: The Bell

Taylor McGraw

Executive Director

Hilton Grand Ballroom (Salon HJK)

Featured Session: Moonshots that Move the Needle

Featured Session: Strategy in the Times of Chaos: Imagining Futures of Education

Featured Session: How to Support Resilient Youth in an AI World

Featured Session: Social Health Trends & Predictions: Connection is the New Frontier

The SXSW Community Service Awards celebrate leaders and non-profit organizations from Austin and around the world who work tirelessly to improve the standing of the specific groups and causes that they serve.

Taylor McGraw is a journalist and educator dedicated to giving young people the tools to tell their own stories. Prior to co-founding The Bell in 2017, he spent five years teaching and coaching in New York City schools, where he recognized that the voices most impacted by education policy were the ones least involved in shaping it.

Under his leadership, The Bell has grown from a podcast project into a nationally recognized leader in youth-led journalism. The organization’s student reporting has shifted from the classroom to the halls of power: its coverage of school segregation and inequity has been cited in citywide policy discussions and featured on national airwaves. The Bell’s student reporters have twice been named finalists for the National Awards for Education Reporting, competing against professional newsrooms of all sizes.

Beyond producing impactful youth-led storytelling, Taylor is a driving force for systemic change in journalism education. In 2022, he spearheaded the formation of the NYC Youth Journalism Coalition, a collective effort to strengthen the journalism career pipeline. Through the Coalition's ""Journalism for All"" initiative, The Bell and partners are actively expanding journalism programs to dozens of schools that historically lacked them, democratizing access to the field for thousands of students.

Now based in Jackson, Mississippi, Taylor is scaling The Bell's work through the Jackson Youth Newsroom, a program focused on building a new generation of civic-minded journalists in the Deep South.

Taylor holds an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School, an MA in Teaching from Relay GSE, and a BA in Public Policy Leadership from the University of Mississippi. His love for journalism began at his own high school newspaper in Oxford, Mississippi, and he remains committed to ensuring that every student has a platform to speak truth to power.

SXSW COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARDS RECOGNITION: THE BELL


“The Reading Reboot” Screening & Q&A

Lisa Dodge

Reading Teacher

Johanna Vega

Executive Producer

Scott Barnett

Director

Waller Ballroom A

Texas High School Shorts Screening & Q&A

From Who to What to You: The Weird AI-Infused Future of the Creator Economy

From Viral to Viable: Building IP as a Creator

Big Ideas, Tiny Budgets: How Creativity Wins

We are in the worst reading crisis in American history, a reflection of an education standard that has stagnated for almost half a century, yet the system is now being transformed through the Science of Reading. Author James Patterson takes us on a journey with several elementary schools throughout Florida that have implemented curriculum based on the Science of Reading provided by the UFLI Foundations program led by Dr. Holly Lane.  This new system is rebooting the entire way we teach reading to our kids, and these are the emotional stories from the front lines of The Reading Reboot.


German DeepTech and AI Innovation Unleashed: Day 1 at German Haus

Speakeasy

Future in Focus: Meet Germany’s Top AI Startups

Innovation for Everyone: Day 2 at German Haus

MediaTech Morning: Breakfast, Networking & Beyond Screens – MediaTech as the New Infrastructure

AI that Ships: A Tech Lunch on Moving from Policy to Pilot

Join us for the grand opening of the German Haus 2026 during the landmark 40th edition of SXSW! We kick off Day 1 with a high-energy German Happy Hour, the ultimate hub for founders, investors, and global ecosystem players to connect. Experience the synergy of German engineering and digital creativity as we showcase the next generation of industry disruptors. Engage with expert-led discussions, gain fresh perspectives, and cap off your day on the German Haus Rooftop as the sun sets over Austin. Whether you are seeking your next big investment, a strategic partnership, or world-class insights, the German Haus is your essential SXSW destination.

For more information please visit: https://www.german-haus.com

GERMAN DEEPTECH AND AI INNOVATION UNLEASHED: DAY 1 AT GERMAN HAUS

German Haus

The GERMAN HAUS is the main venue of the joint German presentation at SXSW and it features a
variety of curated networking events, roundtables, presentations, and music performances, creating a unique environment for professional exchange, international networking, and the discovery of new creative partnerships.

GERMAN HAUS AT SXSW 2026
March 12 – 16, 2026
SPEAKEASY, 412 Congress Avenue, Austin, TX 78701

Speakeasy, 412 Congress Avenue, Austin, TX 78701

Berlin House: Party, Pitches & Perspectives - Day 3 at German Haus


The Learning Geeks: How to Think When Machines Think Faster

Dana Koch

Learning Scientist

With a forty year career in professional education, Dana has used his academic training in the learning sciences to create effective learning experiences that factor in the neuroscience of learning. He led the Institute for the Learning Sciences a team of researchers that supported the creation of effective evidence-based learning interventions. He has authored and co-authored several articles and book chapters.

Tessa Forshaw

Co-Founder & Researcher, Next Level Lab

Tessa Forshaw, PhD, is a cognitive scientist and co-founder of the Next Level Lab at Harvard University, where she studies the cognition of learning and working through design-based research practices. She teaches design thinking, creativity, and innovation at the Harvard Innovation Lab and Harvard University DCE, and served on the Teaching Faculty at Stanford's d.school for several years. Previously, Tessa has worked as a Design Fellow at IDEO's CoLab and in Accenture's Strategy, Insight, and Innovation team. Tessa is the co-author of Innovation-ish, an accessible and cognitive science-informed book on how real people, in the real world, can engage in creative problem solving.

Bob Gerard

Director, Learning Ingenuity

Bob Gerard is a thirty-year-plus learning industry veteran who has held pretty much every role imaginable in the learning space at one time or another. Currently, Bob leads the Learning Ingenuity team within Accenture’s HR organization, which is essentially “research and development for how Accenture people learn better.” Bob is also the co-host of The Learning Geeks podcast, a program that reaches thousands of learning professionals around the world. He lives in Long Beach, California with his wife Sherri, a cat, and a pretty cool home arcade.

Jake Gittleson

Learning Lab Leader

Jake is a learning design and innovation leader with over 18 years of experience in the L&D profession. As the co-founder and leader of McKinsey’s Research and Innovation Learning Lab, Jake oversees a team specializing in experimentation, research, learning science, apprenticeship, and emerging trends. He is a passionate people developer dedicated to building top-tier experts who design cutting-edge upskilling initiatives that drive impact across the Firm. Jake is also a co-host and producer of an industry-leading podcast, The Learning Geeks. He has written various articles for McKinsey.com and has served as a speaker, conference committee member, and contributor for various industry institutions, including the Association for Talent Development (ATD) and The Learning Forum.

Waterloo Ballroom 3

Hsu Untied: Beyond Numbers: Decision-Making in the Math Classroom

Chalk & Gavel: Navigating the Tides of an Education Law Sea Change

Beyond Voting: Defending Truth in Education: AI, Equity, & Power

Forget Moments Marketing: Welcome to Worldbuilding

Tradwives, Throuples, Trends: What Modern Love Means for Ads

AI helps us work faster than ever—but are we sacrificing how we develop? In this live podcast, we discuss why metacognition—how we think, feel, and learn—is the human advantage when partnering with AI in our work. We’ll unpack how intentional thinking helps people decide when to offload to AI, when to lean in, and how to grow through the process. Expect practical insights, geeky discussions, and evidence-based strategies you can immediately apply to monitor, evaluate, and optimize your learning and working as AI increasingly influences our lives.

LEARNING GEEKS: HOW TO THINK WHEN MACHINES THINK FASTER


The Climate Paradox of AI Education

Angel Hsu

Associate Professor & Founding Director

Dr. Angel Hsu is an Associate Professor of Public Policy and the Environment at UNC-Chapel Hill and the founder and director of the Data-Driven EnviroLab. Her research explores the intersection of science and policy and the use of data-driven approaches, including AI, to advance understanding and action on environmental sustainability, particularly in the areas of climate change, energy, urbanization, and air quality. She leads the CLAIM Center (Center for Climate Leadership and AI-driven Integrity in Mitigation), a new initiative focused on examining how generative AI tools like large language models are shaping—and complicating—the credibility, communication, and governance of climate action.

Vijay Gadepally

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Mit) & Radium

Senior Scientist & Chief Technology Officer

Vijay Gadepally is a Senior Scientist and Principal Investigator at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Lincoln Laboratory. At Lincoln Laboratory, Vijay leads the research efforts of the Lincoln Laboratory Supercomputing Center. His research interests include high-performance computing, AI, high-performance databases and environmentally-friendly computing. Vijay is also the CTO of Radium Cloud – a company focused on providing high-performance cloud computing for AI workloads – and advises multiple early-stage venture-backed startups.Vijay’s research in high-performance computing, artificial intelligence and environmentally-friendly computing has been featured in numerous articles in the popular press and has received numerous scholarly awards at various conferences.

Betsy Beck

Director, Energy Markets - Americas

Betsy Beck serves as Director of Energy Markets at Microsoft, bringing deep expertise in energy policy and market development to support the company's expanding AI and cloud infrastructure needs. Beck previously spent almost three years in Global Energy Markets and Policy at Google. Her career includes leadership roles at Enel Green Power North America as Director of Regulatory Affairs, overseeing corporate strategy across major power markets, including the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), Southwest Power Pool (SPP), and others. She also held positions at the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) with extensive Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) experience. Betsy holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Materials Science, from the University of Pennsylvania.

Rebecca (Becky) Boyles

Deputy Director, RENCI; Professor of the Practice, Data Science & Society

Rebecca Boyles (Becky) is the Deputy Director of Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI), a collaborative research institute at UNC Chapel Hill that develops and deploys data science cyberinfrastructure that helps researchers use data to drive discoveries, innovate, make informed decisions, and spur economic development, where she leads the Research Division. Becky is a Principal Investigator for the NHLBI BioData Catalyst Coordinating Center, overseeing the FAIR data framework for a cross-cloud cyberinfrastructure that integrates genomics workflows, community tools, and secure workspaces. Previously, she was the Founding Director of RTI International’s Center for Data Modernization Solutions and a data scientist at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS).

Waller Ballroom C

From TikTok to Toolbelt: Preparing Gen Z for Work

Higher Ed's Losing Global Talent & the Bill Is Coming Due

It Takes a Region: Cybersecurity Pathways in Rural Alabama

Rethinking Discovery Algorithms for the Creator Economy

Breaking the Sound Barrier: Making Creativity Accessible to All

As AI transforms climate education with personalized learning and interactive simulations, we face an uncomfortable truth: the data centers powering these solutions are driving massive energy consumption that threatens to undermine our climate goals. With data center electricity use projected to double by 2030, how do we justify using energy-intensive AI to teach climate solutions? We'll examine real trade-offs, share concrete solutions, and propose a path toward AI-powered climate education that helps rather than harms our environmental future.


Mentor Session: Alex Levine (Xebec)

Alex Levine

CEO

Alex Levine is the CEO and co-founder of Xebec, a consumer tech brand started in 2018 that has raised over $1.5 million across multiple crowdfunding campaigns and scaled into a thriving DTC business. Alex brings a rare combination of product obsession as the company’s lead engineer, financial strategy, operational precision, and brand-building savvy.

At Xebec, he leads product development, marketing and go-to-market strategy across several category-defining launches. He’s passionate about helping other founders navigate the messy middle, especially when it comes to using crowdfunding as both a launch engine and growth tool.

Room 400-402

Mentor Session: Ali Tager (National Cryptocurrency Association)

Mentor Session: Aniesia Williams (dreambloc)

Mentor Session: Avantika Bagri (Centana Growth Partners)

Mentor Session: Brittan Heller (Stanford Law School)

Meeting with this mentor is highly recommended if you're interested in Entrepreneurship, Future of Work, Marketing/Advertising/PR, Funding.


Mentor Session: Melissa Wood (Formus)

Melissa Wood

Founder/CEO

Melissa Wood is an award-winning executive and the 2025 Austin Business Women Real Estate Professional of the Year, bringing more than 25 years of strategic and creative leadership. She began her career in college at a proptech firm that grew into a Fortune 500 company and later helped scale startups acquired by Google and Apple. Today, as CEO and Founder of Formus, Melissa is redefining the design-build industry with an AI-powered platform that unifies planning, design, and collaboration. Her mission is to help professionals plan smarter and build better while scaling their business.

Meeting with this mentor is highly recommended if you're interested in Entrepreneurship, Art, Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning.


Mentor Session: Sean Herrity (US Trade Consult LLC)

Sean Herrity

CEO

Sean Herrity is an international business executive specializing in U.S. market entry strategies and global business development. As Founder and CEO of US Trade Consult, based in Austin, Texas, he advises European and Asia-Pacific government agencies and corporations on bilateral trade, market entry, and growth initiatives. He also mentors startups on sales development, customer acquisition and capital raising.

Meeting with this mentor is highly recommended if you're interested in Business Development, Entrepreneurship, Food/AgTech, Funding, Sports, MedTech.

MENTOR SESSION: SEAN HERRITY (US TRADE CONSULT LLC)


Mentor Session: Emily Gupton (SKG)

Emily Gupton

Chief Technology Officer

Emily Gupton is a forward-thinking technology executive with a multidisciplinary background and a passion for driving meaningful innovation. As Chief Technology Officer at SKG in Austin, Texas, she oversees the company’s entire technology ecosystem, including hardware, software, cybersecurity, and AI implementation, aligning digital strategy with business growth in one of the country’s fastest-growing MillerKnoll dealerships.

Emily also serves as Chief Operations Officer at FOLIO, a SaaS platform she helped build and launch within SKG’s family of companies. Her leadership helped take FOLIO from concept to operational reality, offering scalable tech solutions for the commercial furniture industry. Emily’s career journey reflects her adaptability and vision, having made three major professional pivots, from radiology to commercial construction to executive leadership in tech, each marked by her ability to lead high-performing teams across industries and disciplines.

Emily is deeply engaged in the Austin community. She serves as Board President of Austin Women in Technology, a Board Member for Workforce Solutions Capital Area, an Advisory Board Member for Truist Bank, and Events Co-Chair for the Austin AI Alliance. Her impact has also been recognized through multiple honors, including being named an Austin Woman Magazine Changemaker (2024) and a Women in Business Awards Nominee by the Austin Business Journal (2023, 2025). These roles and accolades reflect her commitment to advancing workforce development, innovation, and gender equity in tech.

She holds dual Bachelor of Science degrees in Neuroscience and Business from the University of Texas at Dallas, an MBA from Texas Woman’s University, and most recently completed a program in Digital Transformation at MIT. In her personal time, Emily finds energy in travel, quality time with loved ones, and training for her next triathlon, living her belief in balance, resilience, and continuous growth.

Meeting with this mentor is highly recommended if you're interested in "Diversity, Equity & Inclusion", Entrepreneurship, Future of Work.


Featured Session: Strategy in the Times of Chaos: Imagining Futures of Education

Marina Gorbis

Exec Director

Marina Gorbis, Executive Director of the Institute for the Future, has brought a foresight and futures perspective to hundreds of organizations in business, education, government, philanthropy, and civic society. Marina’s current research focuses on transformations in the world of work and new forms of value creation. Marina's book, The Nature of the Future: Dispatches from the Socialstructed World, explores many of these themes and draws connections between the changes in our technology infrastructure and our organizational landscape, from education to governance and health.

Maisha T. Winn

Professor

Maisha T. Winn is the Excellence in Learning Graduate School of Education Professor and Faculty Director of the Stanford Accelerator for Learning's Equity in Learning Initiative. She is the Principal Investigator for the Futuring for Equity Lab. Her scholarship examines how non-dominant youth and communities have developed literate trajectories across a range of historical and contemporary settings within and outside formal schooling. She seeks to understand how communities that have been depicted as under resourced create practices, processes, and institutions of their own—and what we can learn from those examples to build more just, more collaborative, and more equitable futures. An ethnographer by training, Dr. Winn also engages in historical research focused on social movements in education.

Hilton Grand Ballroom (Salon HJK)

Featured Session: Moonshots that Move the Needle

SXSW Community Service Awards Recognition: The Bell

Featured Session: How to Support Resilient Youth in an AI World

Featured Session: Social Health Trends & Predictions: Connection is the New Frontier

Daily, we wake to the unimaginable becoming reality: the highest temperatures in recorded history, technology acquiring human-like communication capabilities, realignment of global alliances and ideologies. Such times of upheaval are opportunities to reinvent the institutions, ways of thinking, and modes of doing. Sociologist John Fabian Witt said, these are “occasions in which people remake the world.” In this conversation, experts with decades of experience in future-facing strategies, will share foresight techniques for imagining radically different futures and detecting signals of reinvention and scholarship on how communities depicted as under-resourced create practices and institutions of their own—as examples for building more just and equitable futures.

American Sign Language
Open captioned
Closed captioned

FEATURED SESSION: STRATEGY IN THE TIMES OF CHAOS: IMAGINING FUTURES OF EDUCATION


PanelPicker & More: Engaging at SXSW EDU 2027 Meet Up

Hannah Davis

Programmer

Cheyenne Quintela

EDU Programmer

Strait

Health Moonshot: Healthy Students, Educators, Communities

As SXSW EDU comes to an end, we are already prepping for 2027! Want to speak on the program or participate at the event? Stop by for information and tips, and learn about the many ways to get involved at next year’s event.

PANELPICKER & MORE: ENGAGING AT SXSW EDU 2027 MEET UP


Mentor Session: Anna-Laura Sullivan (Anna-Laura Art)

Anna-Laura Sullivan

Creator, Founder

Originally from Nebraska and now based in Brooklyn, Anna-Laura Sullivan is a watercolor comic artist whose work finds magic in the mundane and celebrates presence. Her gentle, childlike aesthetic evokes relearning and quiet joy, earning her a following of over half a million and features in The New York Times and Forbes. Her comics, often viewed by millions, have been shared by figures like Lil Nas X and Daniel Kwan. In 2024, she was honored by the Museum for the U.N.’s Culture for Impact list. She also hosts workshops and runs a web store featuring prints and apparel.

Meeting with this mentor is highly recommended if you're interested in Art, Content Strategy/Production.

MENTOR SESSION: ANNA-LAURA SULLIVAN (ANNA-LAURA ART)

Creator Economy track sponsored by Yamaha


Mentor Session: Rachel Masters (Masters Collective)

Rachel Masters

Founder & Managing Partner

Rachel Masters is a creator economy strategist with 20+ years of experience building high-impact communities, campaigns, and events for global artists, tech leaders, and consumer brands. She’s advised clients with a combined 500M+ followers, including Linkin Park, Hearst, and SoundHound AI. A former VP at Mighty Networks and Ning, Rachel helps creators and companies scale learning, influence, and revenue through community-powered growth.

Meeting with this mentor is highly recommended if you're interested in Business Development, Marketing/Advertising/PR, Storytelling.

MENTOR SESSION: RACHEL MASTERS (MASTERS COLLECTIVE)


Hidden Brilliance Revealed: Reimagining Leadership in a Fragmented World

Joe Pardavila

Director Of Podcast

Podcaster | Author of Good Listen | Where pop culture meets business | Proud Weiner Dog Dad

Tony Martignetti

Chief Illumination Officer

Tony Martignetti is a leadership and workplace culture advisor and change catalyst who helps leaders and teams navigate complexity without losing themselves in the process. With over 30 years of experience across high-tech and life sciences, Tony has worked in organizations where innovation, pressure, and uncertainty collide. Along the way, he discovered a truth that now defines his work: brilliance doesn’t disappear in organizations; it goes dormant when people are asked to fragment themselves to perform.
Through his company, Inspired Purpose Partners, Tony designs transformational experiences that unlock what he calls multidimensional leadership: the ability to integrate purpose, presence, creativity, and connection while making a meaningful impact. His work helps leaders gain clarity, make better decisions, and lead in ways that are both human and sustainable.
Tony is the best-selling author of Climbing the Right Mountain and Campfire Lessons for Leaders, the host of The Virtual Campfire Podcast, and a sought-after global keynote speaker. He is known for creating spaces, often described as “campfires,” where people can speak honestly, think expansively, and reconnect with who they are becoming. His work blends proven leadership frameworks with storytelling, design thinking, and deep relational practice to turn insight into action.

Next Stage (Manchester Ballroom)

Exploring the Future of Space and Japan's Deep-Tech

Frontier Firms in Action The Playbook for AI Skills Adoption

Pitches to Pipelines: Accelerating Circular Water Economy

Most leaders are taught to narrow themselves to fit the world. But what if innovation requires the opposite? In this intimate fireside chat, Tony Martignetti shares insights from his latest book, Illuminating Hidden Brilliance, revealing how reclaiming the sidelined parts of our identity is the key to creativity, connection, and transformative leadership. Through stories, research, and practical tools, Tony shows how multidimensional thinking becomes a catalyst and why the future belongs to leaders who bring all of themselves to the table. Attendees will learn why a multidimensional perspective is a strategic advantage, how to spot hidden brilliance in themselves and others, and how organizations can create environments where people can think and lead beyond the one-dimensional demands of modern work.

HIDDEN BRILLIANCE REVEALED: REIMAGINING LEADERSHIP IN A FRAGMENTED WORLD


Mentor Session: Ashley Neville (Carta)

Ashley Neville

Director of Insights

Ashley Neville is the Director of Insights at Carta, where she turns proprietary data into compelling insights that guide founders, investors, and operators across the private markets. She leads a team responsible for 20+ annual reports and creates award-winning visualizations that challenge conventional wisdom. She also writes Data Minute, Carta’s newsletter with 25K+ subscribers and a 60%+ open rate. Prior to Carta, Ashley spent over a decade at Tableau, where she led global data literacy initiatives and helped launch the award-winning Visualize No Malaria campaign. A recognized expert in data storytelling, Ashley studied International Economics at Georgetown and is based in Seattle. When not decoding data, she’s hiking the Pacific Crest Trail with her Pomsky, Aspen.

Room 400-402

Mentor Session: Ali Tager (National Cryptocurrency Association)

Mentor Session: Aniesia Williams (dreambloc)

Mentor Session: Avantika Bagri (Centana Growth Partners)

Mentor Session: Brittan Heller (Stanford Law School)

Meeting with this mentor is highly recommended if you're interested in Entrepreneurship.


Mentor Session: Julia Wezio (ATX Grand Prix Club)

Julia Wezio

Co-Founder

Julia Wezio is a creative strategist and motorsport community builder based in Austin, TX. She currently leads global media strategy in her "9 to 5" at a major gaming publisher and is the co-founder of ATX Grand Prix Club, Texas’ fastest-growing motorsport community. Her work sits at the intersection of fandom, culture, and marketing, with a track record of elevating rising voices, shaping fan-first campaigns, and turning grassroots events into cultural impact. Whether she’s producing watch parties, leading international product launches, or advising other emerging creators, Julia is driven by spaces where people feel seen, inspired, and part of the story.

Meeting with this mentor is highly recommended if you're interested in Entrepreneurship, Marketing/Advertising/PR, Storytelling.

MENTOR SESSION: JULIA WEZIO (ATX GRAND PRIX CLUB)


Mentor Session: Brance Hudzietz (Capital Factory)

Brance Hudzietz

Director of Government Programs (DARPA Commercial Accelerator)

With a decade of experience at the intersection of startup, corporate, and government innovation, Brance helps high growth organizations accelerate strategic initiatives. Brance maintains a robust network of corporate, government, startup, and capital partners across the country who are key to and share a common vision of a world radically evolved via emerging technologies.
Brance has led strategic government initiatives for multiple startups and played a key role in the scale up of Army Applications Lab, the US Army’s leading innovation organization. Prior to this, Brance advised Fortune 1000 organizations on how to best leverage early-stage technologies for meaningful innovation at Capital Factory, Texas’ most active venture fund. He currently serves as the Director of Government Programs at Capital Factory, where he leads the DARPA Commercial Accelerator program. Through this, he connects world-changing startups with the resources they need to rapidly accelerate time to market. His career began in academic research with a focus on autonomous helicopters, materials science, and computational mathematics.
Brance’s areas of interest include no-code/low-code, bootstrapping, and the intersection of technology and art. He lives in Austin, TX, where in his spare time he enjoys hammock camping, sci-fi audiobooks, and accidentally killing houseplants.

Meeting with this mentor is highly recommended if you're interested in Business Development, Entrepreneurship, Policy, Storytelling, Funding.

MENTOR SESSION: BRANCE HUDZIETZ (CAPITAL FACTORY)


Leading the AI Future: How to Think Exponentially in a Chaotic Decade

Jeff Duncan

CEO

Kian Gohar

CEO

Room 410

Technology Convergence: Winning the Exponential Upswing

CTRL + ALT + CREATE: How AI Is Reshaping the Creative Process

How Anyone Can Help Create Social Change: A Conversation with the authors of Somebody Should Do Something

Breaking Cultural Codes That Keep Latino Leaders Silent

AI is accelerating markets, work, and entire industries faster than most leaders can process. In this Core Conversation, Kian Gohar (former Singularity University Executive Director) joins Jeff Duncan, CEO of Ingenuity Live, to explore how leaders must shift from linear thinking to exponential thinking. Drawing on experience with NASA, XPRIZE, and Fortune 500 companies, Kian shares mental models for navigating uncertainty, reframing risk and opportunity, and building a “future operating system” to lead confidently in an AI-driven decade.

LEADING THE AI FUTURE: HOW TO THINK EXPONENTIALLY IN A CHAOTIC DECADE


Afraid of AI? In Cleveland, It’s Enabling Economic Mobility

Michelle Rose

CEO

Michelle Rose serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Greater Cleveland Works. In this role, she leads workforce development programming and strategy for employers and jobseekers in Cuyahoga County. Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb appointed Michelle to lead this organization in June 2022, and she has shepherded it through the process to re-launch as a nonprofit while improving delivery of services and embarking on a new strategic direction. In this role, she also established the Built Environment Collaborative, securing $10 million to connect more Clevelanders to good jobs in the skilled trades and remove barriers to success. Prior to this role, she spent most of her career at the United States Department of Labor as a senior advisor on legislative and intergovernmental affairs.

Michael Rosenbaum

Founder & CEO

Mike is the Founder and CEO of Arena, which applies AI to labor markets to improve career trajectories within and across industries. Earlier in his career Mike was a John M. Olin Fellow in Law and Economics at Harvard Law School and a Teaching Fellow and Instructor in the Harvard Economics Department, and he served at the White House as an economist. His publications and research focused on the application of data to the most subjective areas of human endeavor. Mike has a JD from Harvard Law School, an MSc in Economics from the LSE, and a BA from Harvard College.

Waterloo Ballroom 1-2

Engineering Confidence: Raising Girls to Build Companies

Glowing Brains & Robosuits: Terminating the AI Cliché

Higher Ed Needs Caring & Liberatory Leadership to Thrive

A tale as old as time: employers need talent but can’t see who’s job-ready, and job seekers need quality jobs but have limited visibility into what’s available and pathways to get there. We’re changing that in Cleveland by coming together around a shared vision of what works and what will drive better outcomes for everyone—especially those who’ve been systemically excluded. By leveraging AI (without sacrificing any existing jobs!), we’re transforming how we connect people to opportunity and advancing economic opportunity and mobility through a smarter, more equitable workforce infrastructure.

AFRAID OF AI? IN CLEVELAND, IT?S ENABLING ECONOMIC MOBILITY


Code Switch: Defending Black EdTech amid AI Crackdowns

Tiffany Green

CEO

Tiffany Green is a licensed psychotherapist and founder of Uprooted Academy™, a -tech non-profit that is using AI to democratize college access. Their AI powered platform uses neuroscience and mental health research to provide a psychologically safe process for students applying to college. She has 15 years of experience in high schools (both domestically and abroad) and colleges in a first-year counseling center and as a former adjunct professor of Psychology. She is a graduate of UCONN and Howard University. Her doctoral research focuses on the impact of an AI tool to mitigate the stress that comes with applying to college. She has been featured in Forbes for her tech innovation. Tiffany currently lives in Los Angeles and has traveled to over 80 countries.

Shauna Knox

Founder & CEO

Dr. Shauna Knox is a leading voice in global Black Humanities, decolonial curriculum theory, and education. Her two books, published by Routledge, are used in doctoral programs nationwide. She has served as SVP of the National Black Child Development Institute, Co-Chair of the UN Permanent Forum for People of African Descent Civil Working Group, and Board Member for Maryland Humanities. At the U.S. Department of Education, she earned a Breakthrough Award and served as Subject Matter Expert on Human Trafficking and Child Labor. She was keynote speaker at the 2023 Bergamo Conference and received an Honorable Mention from AERA for her first book, Engaging Currere Toward Decolonization: Negotiating Black Womanhood through Autobiographical Analysis.

Symone Campbell

Internal Research Fellow

Symone Campbell is an Internal Research Fellow at Siegel Family Endowment, where she conducts original research at the intersection of technology, equity, and learning. She brings expertise in Responsible K-12 EdTech, Public Interest Technology, and AI Ethics, with a focus on supporting underrepresented students. Driven by a mission to expand Black representation in education, Symone also teaches AI Ethics as an adjunct professor at Howard University. She holds a B.A. from Buffalo State University, an M.A. from the University at Albany, and a Ph.D. in communication, culture, and media studies from Howard.

Angela Romans

Executive Director

Angela N. Romans is the founding Executive Director of Innovation For Equity, a national network advancing life outcomes for Black learners and increasing Black leadership in education. With 20+ years in nonprofit and public sector leadership, she has supported organizations and senior leaders in strategy, governance, DEI, adaptive leadership, and higher ed access. A former high school math and science teacher, Angela holds degrees in biomedical engineering and education from Harvard. She is an Annie E. Casey Foundation Children and Family Fellow and Vice Chair of the National Civic League. Based in Washington, DC, she brings deep expertise in equity-focused systems change and cross-sector collaboration.

Paramount I-II

AI & the Brain: As We Embrace AI, Let’s Not Forget Our Minds

Pedagogy, Politics, & Place: Video PD for a Polarized Age

As AI takes center stage and political resistance to equity accelerates, Black-centered EdTech stands at a crossroads. This panel spotlights philanthropic, nonprofit, product, and platform leaders working to protect the cultural, pedagogical, and digital infrastructure of Black EdTech. One year into new AI regulations and increasing DEI rollbacks, we’ll explore how to build for resilience – embedding protections into platforms, pedagogy, and policy. What does it take not just to survive, but to lead and thrive in the face of erasure?

CODE SWITCH: DEFENDING BLACK EDTECH AMID AI CRACKDOWNS


A Model for Culturally Responsive STEAM Ecosystems

Chris Melissinos

Principal Evangelist, Video Games & Immersive Technologies

With more than two decades of experience in the global video game industry, from mobile games to server infrastructure, and everything in between, I am privileged to assume the role of the Principal Evangelist across the global AWS Game Tech organization.

Kirk Knutsen

Graduate Teaching Assistant, Professionalism in Computing

Kirk is a Computer Science Ph.D. student researching the societal impact of artificial intelligence and language through machine learning, and statistical and qualitative analysis. In addition to his work in academia, Kirk supports curriculum development and serves as the lead instructor for Code Rising's summer camp programs.

Latoya Smith

VP, Employee Experience & Talent Strategy

Responsible for the strategic oversight of employee experience programs and initiatives, talent acquisition compliance, student employment program, staff augmentation program, workforce development, talent management, employee & leader development programs, HR technology strategy & analytics, and HR shared services.

Michelle Millben

CEO

Michelle Millben is the CEO of Code Rising, a transformative STEM-focused workforce preparation program dedicated to empowering underserved students with equitable access to STEM education. Michelle served as a White House advisor to President Obama, an attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice, counsel to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, and former Higher Ed Academic Advisor, with over 16 years of experience, she has driven impactful civil rights, education, and technology policies across government and private sectors. Michelle is currently pursuing a Master of Theological Studies at Harvard Divinity School, adding to her Juris Doctor and her Bachelors in Music Performance in the Violin and Piano, and minor in Business Administration.

Waterloo Ballroom 5-6

Building a New, Future-Proof University in 2026

Future-Ready Frameworks for Higher Ed's Title IX Challenges

How to Raise Changemakers: Lessons from Brazil’s Youth

How can gaming unlock access to STEAM careers for underrepresented youth? This panel explores the story of STEAM in Alexandria, VA, and a proven model that blends culturally responsive teaching, bilingual support, SEL, and industry exposure to create belonging. Participants will learn our scalable framework for building culturally responsive STEAM ecosystems through partnerships with higher ed, industry, and gaming partners. The session will also explore research-based strategies using gaming, project-based learning, and cultural content to build belonging in historically excluded students.

MODEL FOR CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE STEAM ECOSYSTEMS


Hospitality as Pedagogy

Shruthi Manjula Balakrishna

Director, Design & Research

Shruthi Manjula Balakrishna is a designer, educator, strategist, and researcher exploring how storytelling, space, and systems shape human behavior. She is the Director of Design & Research at FÖDA in Austin, TX, and a Doctor of Design candidate at North Carolina State University, where her research investigates how design influences trust, perception, and decision-making in hospitality environments. Shruthi has led brand and spatial design projects across various industries, from Michelin-starred chefs to fashion startups, and frequently speaks on the intersection of emotion, experience, and design.

Paramount III

CTRL + SHIFT: Reimagining School Engagement Through Esports

American Exchange Project: Experiential Civics in Action

The Art Gallery is the New Gym: Get Creative, Get Smarter

Reducing the Cognitive Cost of Change to Drive Innovation

What if classrooms were designed like hospitality spaces—hotels, restaurants, places of welcome, rhythm, and care? In this talk, designer-researcher Shruthi Manjula Balakrishna explores how hospitality frameworks such as arrival sequence, wayfinding, sensory design, and emotional arc can reshape the rituals and environments of learning. Drawing from design psychology and service strategy, this session offers a fresh lens for fostering trust, comfort, and connection in education.


Deeply Human in an AI World

Dayamudra Dennehy

Professor

Dayamudra is tenured ESL faculty at City College of San Francisco with 3 decades of global classroom teaching experience. Her current area of interest is the ethical use of Generative Artificial Intelligence in higher education. She has served as a Stanford University EPIC Fellow and founded an educational non-profit with an India-based team, launching an educational residence in south India for caste-oppressed students. She has led community projects with Guatemalan Mayan weavers and Hungarian Gypsy/Roma artists, taught in Indonesia and studied in Japan and Mexico. She holds a doctorate in Educational Leadership, focused on Equity and Social Justice, and is an ordained Buddhist, teaching meditation and yoga workshops around the world. Her name means "Gesture of Compassion".

Denise Maduli-Williams

Professor

Dr. Denise Maduli-Williams is a dedicated community college educator and expert in online and accessible learning. With a doctorate in Educational Leadership, her research focuses on the impact of social presence and relationships in supporting minoritized students of color. Currently teaching at San Diego Miramar College, Denise excels in developing engaging online, hybrid, and on-ground courses. She has extensive experience in AI, accessibility, and online learning, integrating these technologies to promote social-emotional wellness and equitable access. Denise is passionate about leveraging technology to create inclusive and supportive educational environments.

Guadalupe

What We’re Unlearning on Supporting Education Systems

Shaping Education in a Culture x Tech World

Independent Film Publicity: How to Earn Media Attention

4D Volumetric Video & Gaussian Splats for XR Creators

In an AI-driven world, this meet-up invites on-the-ground educators to share what’s working, to keep teaching deeply human. Human relationships are at the heart of learning. Warmth and presence matter more than ever. Let’s talk connection, creativity, and the skills students can’t get from machines. Bring your heart, your joy, and your wisdom. Leave with new tools, real strategies, and inspiration. Participants will also have the chance to share their insights with the wider educator community.


Rethinking Higher Education to Build an AI-First Workforce

Lydia Logan

VP, Global Education & Workforce Development

Lydia Logan leads IBM's community and university skilling initiatives that create more inclusive and effective schools and workforces. Her programs help fulfill IBM’s pledges to skill 30 million people worldwide by 2030, and to train two million learners in AI through 2026.

Evan Silberman

Interim Senior University Dean Of Academic Innovation, Chief Academic Technology Officer (Cato), & Office Of Academic Affairs

Tequila Lamar

Education Engagement Lead

As the Education Engagement Lead at Google.org, Tequila drives New York and national social impact initiatives. A passionate advocate for excellence in education, she is committed to accelerating equitable, technology-enabled improvements in student outcomes. This work is informed by strategic grantmaking and the cultivation of systems-level partnerships.  Tequila is a respected mentor, coach, and a sought-after speaker and panelist on critical topics in education, technology, and leadership. She currently serves as Chair of the NYC Public Schools Technology Industry Commission and is an active member of the NYC Student Pathways Advisory Council. Underscoring her dedication to the city's future, she was selected as a David Rockefeller Fellow with the Partnership for New York City.

Kiersten Barnet

Executive Director

Kiersten Barnet is Executive Director of the New York Jobs CEO Council, where she leads a coalition of Fortune 100 CEOs from companies including JP Morgan, Google, and Citigroup, committed to hiring 100,000 low-income New Yorkers into family-sustaining jobs by 2030—and they’re already more than 50% of the way there. Prior to this, she spent 15 years at Bloomberg, where she led Gender-Equality Index, helping shape how major companies globally report on social sustainability. Kiersten also co-founded the U.S. 30% Club, a group of influential CEOs, including Warren Buffett and Larry Fink,  and sits on several nonprofit and advisory boards.

Waller Ballroom D

Media That Matters: Nuclear Weapons & the Next Generation

The Big Blur: Rethinking the Transition from School to Work

Building AI Pathways for HBCU Talent & Community Impact

The Fandom Force: How to Create a Fan-First Social Approach

From Field to Fan: The Future of Sports Storytelling

AI's rapid integration risks leaving entire groups—and vast talent pools—behind. In this panel, explore the awareness gaps impacting low-income communities and actionable strategies to cultivate an inclusive, future-ready workforce. Learn how collaborations between today’s leading companies, nonprofits, and colleges/universities will prepare students for AI-driven careers. Ask important questions like, “should degrees even be required?,” hear real-world examples of employer-backed training to equip students with applied skills, and discover how initiatives like these can be replicated.

RETHINKING HIGHER EDUCATION TO BUILD AN AI-FIRST WORKFORCE


Cracking Higher Ed: Why Startups Miss the Mark

Philippos Savvides

Director of Venture Acceleration

Philippos Savvides, Ph.D., leads venture acceleration at ASU RealmSpark, supporting early-stage EdTech startups in achieving traction with higher education institutions. With 15+ years at ASU, he’s worked across instructional design, digital learning, and startup innovation. He’s advised over 200 EdTech teams and developed ASU’s framework for evaluating and deploying learning technologies at scale. Originally from Cyprus, Philippos is an Ironman-in-training, passionate home cook, and loves traveling the world with his wife and three kids.

Waller Ballroom B

AI’s Rise, Talent’s Fall: Fixing the Skills Deficit

Empowering Students for the Jobs of Tomorrow

Reigniting STEM Interest: A 7,700-Student Study

Startup Lessons from the Baby-Sitters Club

The Future is Low-Tech: Lessons from the Early 2000s

Why do early-stage EdTech startups stall in higher ed? They build for assumptions, not real institutional needs. This talk introduces the Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) framework to help founders validate demand early, avoid false positives in pilots, and align products with urgent 2026 campus priorities. Fast. Focused. Brutally useful.

CRACKING HIGHER ED: WHY STARTUPS MISS THE MARK


Innovating in Science & Tech When Budgets are Tight

Susan Reed

Director of IT Solutions / Acting Division Head of IT / Deputy Division Head of IT

With 30+ years in Information Technology, Susan Reed brings deep expertise in innovation, strategy, and operations. Since 2015, she has served in multiple leadership roles at the Space Telescope Science Institute, now acting as Division Head of IT. She leads mission-critical operations supporting groundbreaking astronomical research, including the successful adoption of ServiceNow. Susan excels at aligning IT with organizational goals, driving service excellence, and leading cross-functional teams. She’s passionate about building resilient systems, fostering collaboration, and enabling scientific discovery through technology. A certified Cultural Change Facilitator, she values learning from every interaction and championing continuous improvement.

Vanessa Smith

President of ServiceNow.org

Vanessa Smith is President of ServiceNow.org, where she leads efforts to bring the power of technology to nonprofits tackling the world’s toughest challenges. A tech executive with 25+ years of experience, she joined ServiceNow in 2020 as SVP of Strategic Go-to-Market, leading Business Value, Industries, and Solution Sales. Previously, Vanessa spent 16 years at SAP in leadership roles, including Managing Director of North America SuccessFactors and Chief of Staff to CEO Bill McDermott. She serves on the Board of Fastly, Inc. and as Board Chair for Teach For America Greater Philadelphia. She holds an MBA from the University of Maryland and a B.S. from the University of Virginia.

Salon B

How To Meaningfully Connect in a World That Has Gone to Sh*t

It's a Whole Thing: Gen Z Work Relationships in the Age of AI

Better Leadership Starts with Understanding the Stressed Brain

Forget Recruiting. Design Your Own Workforce.

When public funding becomes unpredictable, how can organizations boost efficiency without stifling innovation? This fireside chat explores how the Space Telescope Science Institute, home of the Hubble and Webb telescopes, revolutionized access to space data. The lessons, born before today’s budget pressures, offer a powerful blueprint for any organization facing resource constraints. Whether you're advancing science, education, or social impact, the message is clear: Transformation is possible, even in lean times.

INNOVATING IN SCIENCE & TECH WHEN BUDGETS ARE TIGHT


Thrive or Survive: Why Creativity is the Key to an AI-Future

Ned Johnson

President

Ned Johnson is the president and founder of PrepMatters. A professional tutor-geek since 1993, Mr. Johnson has devoted in excess of 35,000 hours in one-on-one test prep for nearly the entire alphabet of tests. His experience includes work with all ages and abilities in preparation for SSAT and ISEE to ACT and SAT to GMAT, GRE and LSAT.

Considered by many to be the most sought-after instructor in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, Mr. Johnson has served area students as well as clients from across the country and around the globe.  In addition to his time with clients, Mr. Johnson oversees instructor hiring and training, curriculum development, business management, and coffee purchases.

A 1993 graduate of Williams College, Mr. Johnson has a BA in Economics and Political Science. Originally from Connecticut (he can drive in snow), Mr. Johnson now resides with his wife and children in Washington, DC.

People often believe standardized tests are IQ tests.  They aren’t.

You have to know what’s on the tests.  You have to know how to do what’s on them.  And, you have to be able to do your best on any given day.  All are knowledge and skills that you can develop — that’s what I help you do.  Along the way, we might even help you learn more about the ways you study, think and perform that can could be meaningful to you long after you have forgotten what your test scores were.

Ifeoma Ajunwa

Associate Dean

Dr. Ifeoma Ajunwa is a tenured professor, Associate Dean at Emory Law, and Founding Director of its AI and Future of Work Program. A Yale Law and Columbia Ph.D. graduate, she’s a leading scholar on the ethical governance of workplace tech. She has advised Fortune 500 companies, testified before Congress, and written for top law journals, Forbes, and major media outlets. Her book The Quantified Worker is forthcoming from Cambridge University Press.

Mike Pell

Envisioneer. Author. Outlaw.

Bold, insightful, and uncompromising, Mike Pell regularly disrupts the thinking, strategy, and business models of the world’s most successful companies and organizations. Widely recognized as a world-class Designer and industry thought leader in the fields of Innovation, Visualization , and Data + AI, Pell currently leads The Microsoft Garage in New York City. His evolution from intrepid entrepreneur, to VC-backed startup veteran, to corporate man for Adobe and Microsoft has given him a unique perspective on how to combine business, design, and technology to create breakthrough experiences.

Learn more at https://Mike-Pell.com

Andrea Virgin

Chair & CEO

Andrea Virgin is a visionary leader whose life and work exist at the crossroads of creativity and resilience. A former professional ballerina turned civil engineer, entrepreneur, and nonprofit founder, her journey embodies the power of reinvention—and how creativity, when embraced across every field of life, can be profoundly transformative.

After performing with Houston Ballet II and Ballet Florida, Andrea earned degrees from Florida Atlantic University and Cornell University, transitioning from the stage to the built environment. She went on to launch her own firm, Virgin Design, where she infused human-centered creativity into land development. Once an anomaly for bridging the arts and engineering, she became determined to make creativity the rule in a future that demands more imagination, not less.

That mission inspired her founding of The Center, where she serves as Chair & CEO. Under her leadership, The Center has raised nearly $25 million, engaged Pritzker Prize-winning Renzo Piano Building Workshop, and positioned itself to redefine creativity and its role in society for the 21st century.

A sought-after speaker on creativity, resilience, and technology, Andrea has been featured at CreativeMornings, BitBasel, Leading Between the Lines, Launching Simplified, and Quantum Beach 2025. Her work has been recognized by Palm Beach Illustrated’s Women On Top, The Palm Beach 100, and Boca Magazine’s Fantastic Four.

When she’s not leading transformative initiatives, Andrea finds creative renewal with her daughters and husband—or on the ballroom dance floor at Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Boca Raton.

Salon D

Who’s Funding the Future—and Who’s Getting Left Out

The Story of Stories—The Million Year History of Storytelling

Skills You’ll Need To Succeed in the Post-AI Age

Through the Noise: The State of Science Storytelling

How Death Became the New Wellness Frontier

AI may make life easier, but at what cost to our imagination? Like a bike we stop riding, our creativity weakens when we overrely on AI. Still, while adults may feel rusty, we can get back on. For children, the risk is even greater: if they never build that muscle in the first place—never learn to ride at all—there’s nothing to return to. This all comes just as jobs are being disrupted, problems grow more complex, and we need more imagination, not less. This panel explores how we can grow creatively with AI (versus be diminished by it) and what we must build now to make that future possible.

THRIVE OR SURVIVE: WHY CREATIVITY IS THE KEY TO AN AI-FUTURE


Convene, Collaborate, & Cultivate Connection: Moms Meet Up

Loraine Martinez Bellamy

Lawyer and Life & Business Coach

Loraine Martinez Bellamy, is a Puerto Rican lawyer turned life and business coach
dedicated to helping fellow women of color do less, make more, and be more present in
their beautiful lives. Through her private coaching practice and social media presence,
she helps lawyers and leaders own their expertise, outsource their weaknesses, and
develop empowered and effective teams. Many of Loraine’s clients also decide to
expand beyond their successful careers into more creative endeavors with her coaching
support. Loraine’s work is couched in a deep understanding of the tension between
having an analytical, often-anxious, type-A brain, while also craving freedom,
connection, and creativity.

Erica Rooney

CEO & Founder | Chief Human Resource Officer

Erica Anderson Rooney is a C-suite executive, keynote speaker, bestselling author, and unapologetic ceiling-shatterer. With over 15 years of HR and leadership experience—including her role as Chief People Officer—Erica has built her career helping organizations transform cultures and helping women claim their rightful seat at the table.
She’s the founder of HER Collective, a thriving digital community designed to help women advance their careers, amplify their voices, and unlock their full potential—without sacrificing authenticity or well-being. Erica also hosts the top-rated Glass Ceilings & Sticky Floors podcast and is the author of the bestselling book Glass Ceilings & Sticky Floors: Shattering Limiting Beliefs and Toxic Behaviors to Uncover Infinite Possibilities.
Her work has been featured in Forbes, SUCCESS Magazine, and CBS News, and she’s taken the stage at SXSW, SHRM, and CHIEF. Recognized with multiple leadership awards, Erica is known for her dynamic storytelling, tactical takeaways, and ability to ignite change.
Whether in the boardroom, on stage, or behind the mic, Erica is on a mission to empower women everywhere to rise above the sticky floors, break through the glass ceiling, and lead with limitless possibility.

Calling all Moms: Join women from diverse backgrounds, all united by their shared experience of balancing professional ambitions and motherhood. Here, we aim to create a supportive and empowering environment where moms can network, share insights, and build lasting connections. Expect: Networking Opportunities to exchange ideas, experiences, and strategies that help you thrive, collaborative discussions about the unique strengths and skills moms bring to the table, and cultivate connections with women who can offer advice, encouragement, and friendship long after SXSW ends.

CONVENE, COLLABORATE, & CULTIVATE CONNECTION: MOMS MEET UP


Growing Intelligence: Youth, AI, and the Future of Ag

Maab Ibrahim

Head of Economic Opportunity

Maab is the Head of Economic Opportunity for the Americas at Google.org, a data-driven, human-focused philanthropy powered by Google. Through a blend of funding, products, and technical expertise from Google volunteers, she accelerates the work of nonprofits that create pathways for people to gain the technical and AI skills they need to thrive in the digital economy. Prior to Google, Maab worked on community partnerships for the federal government at the White House and Department of Health and Human Services. She later joined Values Partnerships, a social impact agency that connected foundations and companies with grassroots influencers. A native of Richmond, Virginia, Maab received a degree from Duke University and a dual MBA/MPP from the University of Michigan.

Winston Fan

High School Student And 4-H’er

Winston Fan is a senior at West High School in Iowa City who is passionate about using AI and psychology to improve mental health. Since his freshman year, he has been actively involved in scientific research, spending more than two years developing AI-based tools to better understand and support emotional well-being. He has been named Grand Champion at both regional and state science fair competitions in Iowa and has competed at the International Science and Engineering Fair twice, placing 4th in the Behavioral Sciences category during his second year. Beyond research, he enjoys mentoring younger students, exploring emerging technologies, and finding creative ways to make a positive impact in his community.

Dr. Mark Light

4-H Specialist

I am a faculty member at North Carolina State University and previously served at The Ohio State University, with a career specializing in STEM and technology education, particularly in creating equitable access for underserved and rural communities. As a 4-H STEM Specialist, I lead Artificial Intelligence literacy, coding, and digital equity initiatives, including a Google-funded national effort to develop inclusive AI curricula.

I also direct mobile outreach programs that bring robotics, coding, and hands-on STEM experiences directly to youth. My mission is to ensure all learners—regardless of background—have the skills and confidence to thrive in a rapidly changing, technology-driven world. As the 4-H STEM Specialist at North Carolina A&T University, I am passionate about working with youth and helping them develop into adults who can create, innovate, and solve problems with technology.

Jill Bramble

President & CEO

Jill Bramble, 4-H alum and President & CEO of National 4-H Council, embodies the transformative power of youth development. Formerly Chief Growth Officer, she led efforts to expand access to 4-H through strategic partnerships and innovation. Today she leads the Beyond Ready initiative, which aims to equip 10 million young people with essential skills for the future. Under her direction, 4-H is expanding career readiness and mental health programs, activating its extensive alumni network, and partnering with educators nationwide to ensure 4-H continues to prepare youth to be beyond ready to thrive in our rapidly-changing world. Jill received a BSc in Kinesiology from the University of Colorado and a Master of Science in Nonprofit Administration from the University of Maryland.

Salon E

Turning Up the Heat: Climate Content That Clicks

Mall Rats Reborn: How Hot Topic is Using Entertainment to Revitalise Retail

Culture Under Fire: Storytelling for Public Power

How to Win Friends and Overthrow Systems

AI is revolutionizing the world around us, from how we grow food and educate our children, to how we deliver care – and it’s happening fast. So how do we ensure the next generation is empowered to thrive in an unknown future? Since 2017, 4-H and Google have equipped nearly 1.5M youth with the skills to succeed in an AI-powered world. Join this session to explore why equitable access to AI education and support for youth-led innovation are essential to building prosperity and resilience across communities and industries.

GROWING INTELLIGENCE: YOUTH, AI, AND THE FUTURE OF AG


The Creative Power of Letting Go: Why Quitting Can Be Your Biggest Breakthrough

Kerry Flynn

Media Reporter

Kerry Flynn is a media reporter at Axios and co-runs Media Trends Executive, a new membership program with Sara Fischer that provides exclusive news, data and analysis for media professionals. She keeps a close eye on advertising, marketing, digital media and the creator economy. She frequently moderates at events and conferences, including Advertising Week, SXSW and Cannes, and speaks on TV news, radio and podcasts. Kerry joined Axios from CNN, where she covered the business of media for CNN.com and the Reliable Sources newsletter. She previously reported on tech and social media at Digiday and Mashable. Kerry lives in Greenpoint, Brooklyn with her husband and their dog, Falkor. Her handle across social media platforms is @kerrymflynn

Charlie Engelman

Creator

Charlie Engelman is an Emmy-winning television producer, content creator, and science communicator. His project, Odd Animal Specimens, featuring natural history specimens from museums around the United States, has generated over 4 billion views and over 10 million followers across platforms. He was recently named to TIME's list of the 100 most influential creators on the internet and also holds an academic position at the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.

Salon A

Charmageddon: Robots That Steal Hearts and Jobs

Shortchanged: Gen Z, the Economy, and Brands

SWIFTYNOMICS: How Women Mastermind and Redefine Our Economy

Prune or Perish: Cut Toxic Leadership for a Thriving Culture

In a culture built on hustle, knowing when to walk away can be a Creator’s most powerful advantage. Emmy-winning Creator and TIME Next 100 honoree Charlie Engelman joins Axios Media reporter Kerry Flynn for a candid conversation exploring the surprising role that quitting plays in creative success.  After eight years chasing projects that never took off, Charlie found success only when he stepped back and started fresh. Together, they’ll explore how to recognize when a project is holding you back, why letting go is not failure but a strategic move, and how smart quitting can be an essential skill for anyone building a sustainable career in today’s Creator Economy.

CREATIVE POWER OF LETTING GO: WHY QUITTING CAN BE YOUR BIGGEST BREAKTHROUGH


Early Days Again: What AI Makes Possible for New Schools

Neerav Kingsland

Head Of Strategic Initiatives

Neerav Kingsland works at Anthropic, shaping how advanced AI systems are deployed responsibly in the real world. Before Anthropic, Neerav spent more than a decade leading large-scale civic and education systems change. He previously served as Managing Partner at The City Fund and as CEO of New Schools for New Orleans, where he helped guide the city’s post-Katrina transformation of its public education system.

Marlon Marshall

CEO

Marlon Marshall is Chief Executive Officer of City Fund, where he leads efforts to ensure all students have access to high-quality public schools. He brings deep experience from government, national campaigns, and organizational leadership to advance transformative change in public education. Prior to City Fund, Marlon was a founding partner at 270 Strategies and served in senior roles in the Obama White House Office of Public Engagement, the 2012 Obama reelection campaign, and the 2016 Hillary for America campaign. He currently serves on the board of the Equitable Facilities Fund.

Frances Messano

CEO

Frances Messano is CEO of NewSchools Venture Fund, a venture philanthropy that builds a better education system by connecting people, resources, and ideas. Throughout her 10 year tenure, Frances has served as President, created the Diverse Leaders investment strategy, and led the Innovative Schools team. Before joining NewSchools, Frances had senior roles at Teach for America and Monitor Institute.
Frances, a first-generation college graduate, earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and A.B. from Harvard College. She is an alum of Prep for Prep, MLT and SEO, nonprofits that profoundly influenced her trajectory, and she serves on numerous non-profit boards centered on increasing access to opportunity. Frances lives in San Francisco with her husband and their three children, who attend NewSchools portfolio schools.

Adeel Khan

Founder & CEO

Adeel Khan is the Founder and CEO of MagicSchool AI, a platform used by educators to support planning, feedback, and instruction through responsible AI tools. Before founding MagicSchool, Adeel was a teacher, assistant principal, and founding principal of a high-performing public high school in Denver. His work focuses on helping educators integrate AI in ways that strengthen teaching practice and reduce workload.

Waterloo Ballroom 4

Game On: Reimagining Career Exploration Through Play

Unleashing Students' Tech Genius to Improve Mental Health

AI tools are improving quickly, and educators are already finding meaningful uses for them. What hasn’t been defined yet is the school model that makes AI work for students and teachers in a coherent, reliable way at scale.

This session examines what early adopters of AI in public education are learning in real classrooms and school systems, the concrete design choices and conditions behind early success, and the operational, instructional, and governance questions that must be resolved over the next five years for AI to strengthen public education rather than fragment it.

EARLY DAYS AGAIN: WHAT AI MAKES POSSIBLE FOR NEW SCHOOLS


Workforce Innovation in Production & the Creative Economy

Kate Berezo

Director of  Workforce Programs & Partnerships

Kate Berezo is a workforce strategist working at the intersection of education, social capital, and the entertainment industry. As Director of Programs at Hollywood CPR, she oversees strategy and workforce partnerships that connect emerging talent to high-wage below-the-line union careers in film, television, and live events. Her work focuses on how informal hiring systems, access to networks, and capital shape who gets hired, and who doesn’t. Previously, Kate scaled national workforce initiatives at Thrive Scholars, expanding employer partnerships and job placement outcomes across technology, finance, and other sectors in multiple markets. Her work translates complex labor systems into practical strategies for educators, institutions, and employers navigating rapidly changing industries.

Ashlee Hypolite

Executive Director

Ashlee Hypolite is the Executive Director of Hollywood Cinema Production Resources, a nonprofit training individuals from various backgrounds in production crafts and technical skills for the entertainment industry. With over a decade of experience across nonprofit, entertainment, and philanthropy, she brings strategic leadership to inclusive workforce development. Previously, Ashlee led 30+ celebrity-guided funds at the Entertainment Industry Foundation, managed high-impact charitable initiatives including Social Change Fund United, and supported social impact projects at the CAA Foundation, including TIME’S UP. She began her career advising foundations and major donors at the Boston Foundation and is a graduate of Brandeis University.

Room 405

Human Futures: Learning in a Tech-Shaped World

How can we reimagine training and workforce development in film, media, and the creative industries as technology, production models, and industry needs rapidly evolve? This meetup convenes educators, workforce leaders, and entertainment professionals to explore innovative approaches for preparing set-ready talent and upskilling current professionals. Participants will share strategies, examine gaps, and discuss how policy levers like film tax credits, emerging technology, and cross-sector collaboration can create scalable, equitable pathways from education to sustainable careers.

WORKFORCE INNOVATION IN PRODUCTION & THE CREATIVE ECONOMY


SXSW Innovation Clubhouse

Innovation Clubhouse

Vibrating Music Hammocks

Parker Hertzberger - Multisensory sound installations

The historic Brazos Hall is the official Innovation Clubhouse for 2026. It's the perfect place to connect with attendees looking to gain insights and inspiration from like-minded conference-goers. Each day the Innovation Clubhouse will host meetups and networking events as well as activations.


SXSW Film & TV Clubhouse

The Film & TV Clubhouse is located at 800 Congress Ave, just steps away from the Paramount Theatre, where some of the most exciting screenings of the Festival are set to premiere. It will serve as the home base for the film community to gather, discuss, and network. Each day the Film & TV Clubhouse will host meetups and networking events as well as activations.


Invincible VS Arcade Pop Up

Invincible VS, a new 3x3 tag fighter launching on April 30, 2026, is appearing at SXSW with an exclusive arcade pop up featuring a roster of 10 playable characters including a new unannounced fan favorite fighter. Free swag and giveaways will be available for all who come to play the most epic and bloody fight in the universe, with a special gift for fans who pre-order the game onsite or show proof of preorder.

Invincible

Invincible VS is a brutal superhero 3v3 tag fighting game set in the Invincible universe, where you can battle to the death as a team of fan-favorite characters in iconic locations.
Invincible VS is rated M for Mature. Must 17 or older to play.


Vibrating Music Hammocks

The Music Hammock transforms its fabric into a speaker, resonating your body with the frequencies of the music so you feel as if you’re lying inside a sound system.
In our fast-paced society, we often disconnect from our bodies. This installation offers a full-body listening experience, shifting your attention from mental chatter into physical awareness. Experience sound not only through your ears, but through your entire body.
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The Art Gallery is the New Gym: Get Creative, Get Smarter

Brian Evans

Professor Emeritus of Art (retired)

Brian Evans is a digital artist and composer. His artwork and music animations are exhibited and screened internationally. Evans has published and presented extensively on his research in the integrating of image and sound. He also explores metaphoric thinking across domains and the computational modeling of creativity. He has presented on his work at SIGGRAPH, The Society of Neuroscience Conference and ACM Creativity and Cognition. Evans is a Professor Emeritus from the University of Alabama where he directed the program in digital media in the Department of Art and Art History.

Paramount III

CTRL + SHIFT: Reimagining School Engagement Through Esports

American Exchange Project: Experiential Civics in Action

Reducing the Cognitive Cost of Change to Drive Innovation

Engaging art is a creative act. There are art galleries and museums everywhere. Let's use them well. Art objects aren't puzzles to solve, but rather invitations to experience something new and make it personally meaningful. As Josiah McElheny explains, “The experience of art is a kind of fusion of your experience of yourself and of the object.” In doing this personal creativity is exercised and you get smarter. This session will get you started on doing it well, showing how to exercise effectively.

ART GALLERY IS THE NEW GYM: GET CREATIVE, GET SMARTER


Redbreast Unhidden Box Office

The Redbreast Unhidden Box Office lands in Austin this SXSW, from March 12–14 on Congress Avenue, across from the iconic Paramount Theatre, celebrating exceptional Irish whiskey and cinema. Collect your ticket from our Redbreast concierges for an exclusive Redbreast Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey tasting and enjoy the chance to win prizes.

Attendees must be over 21. On-site registration required.

Redbreast

Redbreast Unhidden: Unearthing films worth talking about.

Discovering Redbreast is a revelation. That thrill of unearthing a hidden gem isn’t limited to whiskey bars – it lives wherever curious minds search for their next great find. That spirit brings us to the SXSW Film & TV Festival 2026 and year two of Redbreast Unhidden, our platform championing bold, original storytelling in film.

We’ve partnered with Irish actor Andrew Scott to spotlight exceptional talent in the Narrative Short competition and share it with the world. The must-see films of the category will be highlighted as our Redbreast Unhidden Selects, with one filmmaker receiving the prestigious Redbreast Unhidden Award at the SXSW Film & TV Awards on March 18th.

Join us March 15th at the Redbreast Unhidden Showcase for screenings of our selected films. You’re also invited to discover the Redbreast Unhidden Bar, tucked away in a secret Austin location from March 13th–14th, and attend an exclusive on-stage conversation between Andrew Scott and Deadline at the Omni Hotel on March 13th. And if that wasn’t enough, visit our surprise pop-up on Congress Avenue from March 12th–14th and experience our acclaimed Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey firsthand. For full details, scroll down or visit our website.


Keynote: Jennifer B Wallace

Jennifer B. Wallace

Bestselling Author

Jennifer Breheny Wallace is an award-winning journalist and bestselling author.   Her first book, Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic — And What We Can Do About It, was a New York Times Bestseller, an Amazon Best Book of the Year, and a Next Big Idea selection. Her forthcoming book Mattering: The Secret to a Life of Deep Connection and Purpose, was published in January 2026.

Wallace is the founder of The Mattering Institute, whose mission is to create cultures of mattering in workplaces and communities, and co-founder of The Mattering Movement, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating cultures of mattering in schools. Jennifer is a Special Advisor to University Health & Counseling (UHC) at the University of Michigan and a member of their Well-being Collective Advisory Council. She is also on the Advisory Board for Making Caring Common, a project of the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Wallace is a Journalism Fellow at The Center for Parent and Teen Communication at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She also served as a guest lecturer for NYU’s Fall 2025 course, Education, Mattering, and the American Dream: Understanding Achievement Culture.

Wallace is a maternal mental health advocate at Calm, the mental health app, a consultant at Netflix, and a BCG  BrightHouse Luminary. She has also partnered with The LEGO Group on its global "Play Unstoppable" campaign, aimed at addressing perfectionism and fostering confidence through play.

Wallace started her journalism career at CBS's “60 Minutes” and was part of the team that won the Robert F. Kennedy Awards for Excellence in Journalism. She is a contributor to The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post and frequently appears on national television programs.

Wallace serves on the board of the Coalition for the Homeless in New York City, where she lives.

Hilton Grand Ballroom (Salon HJK)

Featured Session: Moonshots that Move the Needle

SXSW Community Service Awards Recognition: The Bell

Featured Session: Strategy in the Times of Chaos: Imagining Futures of Education

Featured Session: How to Support Resilient Youth in an AI World

Featured Session: Social Health Trends & Predictions: Connection is the New Frontier

Bestselling author Jennifer Wallace explores mattering — the human need to feel valued and add value — as the secret ingredient to lifelong wellbeing and the key to deep connections and purpose. Drawing on global research and powerful stories, she reveals how mattering offers a potent antidote to loneliness and burnout, and delivers practical takeaways to help people unlock mattering at home, at work, and in the wider world.


Japan Meetup in cooperation with JTB

Manchester Ballroom

SXSW Expo: International Innovations

SXSW Expo 2025 - Photo by Melissa Bordeau Mark

SXSW Expo: International Innovations (Free & Open to the Public)

Precision Camera & Video and Fujifilm Presents: Free Professional Headshots

Coffee, culture, and connection! Head to the Japan Pavilion at the International Innovation Expo for a unique networking mixer.  This is your chance to meet Japan’s most creative exhibitors and connect with Japanese attendees over a cup of coffee. Everyone is welcome — don’t miss the chance to spark new ideas and new friendships!


In Search of Hope: Teaching Climate Emotions Through Story

Mary-Katherine Menikheim

5th Grade Classroom Teacher

Mary-Katherine is a fifth grade classroom teacher. She has been on the faculty at Marin Country Day School since 1998.

Colleen Redmond

PhD Student, Graduate Instructor, Research Assistant in Literacy Education, & Co-Founder paleBLUEdot

Colleen is a PhD student in Literacy Education at the University of Minnesota, where she also works as a graduate instructor in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction and a research assistant to the Marguerite Henry Professor of Children’s and Young Adult Literature. With a background in teaching, educational programming, and youth climate engagement, Colleen is passionate about expanding climate education to better address students’ emotional well-being. Her current research focuses on identifying hope in children’s climate literature as a pathway for supporting youth experiencing ecological grief and creating emotionally responsive, story-based classroom practices. Colleen is also the co-founder and youth and community engagement director at the climate consulting firm paleBLUEdot.

Brazos I-III

Division Defiance: Building Cross-Racial Solidarity

Beyond Borders: Diverse Alliances for Immigrant Wellbeing

Future-Proof Your Strategy: An AI Test and Learn Lab

Pitch Camp! How To Win Creative Pitches by Being More Human

Marketing Without a Map: Building in the Age of Chaos

Climate change impacts students not just physically, but emotionally as well. This session introduces the H.O.P.E. Framework (Healing Opportunities for Processing Eco-Grief), a practical, story-based approach for helping teachers and students recognize and respond to climate emotions. Rooted in hope theory and literature, the framework offers tools to spark meaningful conversations and build emotional resilience. Participants will explore current research, hear from educators using the approach, and leave with ready-to-use resources for emotionally responsive climate education.

IN SEARCH OF HOPE: TEACHING CLIMATE EMOTIONS THROUGH STORY


Steal C-Suite Tools to Reset Schools, Like a Boss

Emily Fammartino Quast

Director, People & Culture Business Partnering

Based in Portland, OR, Emily is Director of Business Partnering for People & Culture at lululemon, where she has spent the past 16 years shaping how leaders and teams grow, collaborate, and innovate. She began her lululemon journey in retail, developing a deep understanding of frontline leadership and the power of culture in action. That foundation continues to inform her work today as she partners with executive leaders across the Americas and Global Guest Innovation teams.

James Miles

Assistant Professor

James Miles worked as an educator in the New York City public schools for almost 20 years prior to moving to Seattle in 2017. Miles has worked internationally as an artist and educator, and his work has been featured in magazines, books, podcasts, and newspapers. Miles is an assistant professor at Seattle University, Chief Strategy Officer at Path with Art, and on the advisory board of SXSW EDU. His work has been featured in media including Complex magazine, the New York Times, Billboard Magazine, CBS, NBC, the US Department of Education, and more. His acclaimed Tedx Talk focuses on his mission to narrow achievement gaps using the arts as a tool to navigate systems of educational inequality. He is the author of Gotta Stay Fresh and you can learn more about James at FreshProfessor.com.

Kristy Fammartino

Teacher, 5th Grade

An experienced professional with 20+ years of leadership expertise as a print designer and brand manager, lead buyer and design director. She has successfully led branding and design initiatives for academic institutions, luxury goods retailers, non-profit organizations and small businesses. Kristy was a Director of Retail Development and Director of Styling in the apparel industry and regularly attend trade shows and industry events in Paris, New York and Seattle. She returned to public school teaching in 2019. She is well tuned in the management of humans to maximize both productivity and individual successes, through her work in both the corporate world and classroom, and she is dedicated to bridging the gap between what corporations do and what schools CAN do.

Rio Grande Ballroom AB

Augmented Reality & Place-Based Learning: Layers of Place

This session challenges the school culture status quo by showing how educators can borrow the proven systems, tools, and communication practices that power high-performing workplaces. We’ll unpack how school teams can move from burnout and dysfunction to clarity and cohesion—using corporate strategies that work. It’s not about turning schools into businesses—it’s about building better environments for people who care.

STEAL C-SUITE TOOLS TO RESET SCHOOLS, LIKE A BOSS


From Burnout to Bandwidth: Using AI to Reclaim Your Day

Jennifer Ferrari

CEO

Jennifer Ferrari is a distinguished leader in the educational sector, uniquely positioned at the intersection of education and business. As the CEO & President of ERDI, she has married her extensive background in public education with her sharp business acumen to drive transformative solutions that meet the evolving needs of PK-12 education.

Before ascending to her current role, Jennifer served as the VP & Chief Schools Officer for a pioneering education management organization, where she spearheaded strategic planning and organizational growth. Her 25-year public education background, spanning roles from middle school teacher to superintendent, with expertise in curriculum and instruction, leadership development, change management, and strategic planning, provides her with a unique perspective on the intersection of education and business, enabling her to lead with insight and innovation.

Jennifer earned her doctorate in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies from Loyola University in Chicago

Jeff Mccoy

Chief Education Officer

Jeff McCoy is Chief Education Officer for the Education Research & Development Institute (ERDI), leading national engagement with district leaders to shape innovative K-12 solutions. Previously, he served over 20 years with Greenville County Schools, SC, most recently as Associate Superintendent for Academics. He led key initiatives including a K-12 Literacy Framework, Virtual School, and AI implementation. Jeff has been nationally recognized as a Top 100 Education Leader and is a frequent speaker on digital transformation and equity.

Room 604-605

Designing the Partnership Ecosystem: Five Systems Missions

Future Tense: A Vibecoding Experience for Educators

Drowning in emails, planning, paperwork, and those boring (but necessary) administrative tasks? In this hands-on session, discover practical AI tools that automate routine tasks, generate content, analyze data, and simplify communication, freeing you to focus on students and strategy. Leave with real-world examples, ready-to-use ideas, and strategies to reduce burnout, improve efficiency, and reignite your creativity. Learn how AI can help you save time on low-level tasks so you can focus on the high-level tasks that bring maximum impact to your job.

FROM BURNOUT TO BANDWIDTH: USING AI TO RECLAIM YOUR DAY


From Insight to Impact: Superintendents Share What Works

Regina Thompson

Superintendent

Jim Rosebrock

Superintendent

Doug Roberts

CEO & Founder

A Princeton graduate, Doug is a former public high school social studies teacher and EdTech business development executive who earned his EdM in Teaching and Curriculum from Harvard Graduate School of Education. For nearly 20 years, he worked with district leaders and EdTech entrepreneurs, eventually founding the Institute for Education Innovation (IEI) in 2018 to bridge the gap between these groups. IEI supports 100+ members, hosts national conferences, and runs programs like IEI:Lead, equity workshops, and the Supes’ Choice Awards, judged exclusively by superintendents. Passionate about equity, inclusion, and high-quality education, Doug connects K-12 leaders to foster innovation and student success.

Room 403-404

Innovation Without Borders: The World’s Top EdTech Startups

Want to understand how superintendents make purchasing decisions? Join leaders from the Institute for Education Innovation (IEI), a national superintendent think tank committed to fostering meaningful partnerships between districts and ed tech innovators. IEI superintendents will share candid insights and firsthand experiences to help founders and executives design solutions that truly support student success. The conversation will be guided by a superintendent emeritus and a 20-year industry veteran who has helped hundreds of ed tech companies grow and scale effectively.

FROM INSIGHT TO IMPACT: SUPERINTENDENTS SHARE WHAT WORKS