Zeinab Chalang is a driven student pursuing her Master of Science in Information Systems at Rider University, building upon her recent graduation with an undergraduate degree in December 2023. Currently employed as a Platform Engineer at Campbell Soup Company, Zeinab leverages her technical expertise to contribute to the company’s technological advancements. Alongside her professional role, she is deeply engaged in extracurricular activities, serving as a Student Ambassador for Shetek and holding the position of Vice President of Internal Affairs within the Data Analytics and Information Systems Club at Rider University. Zeinab is passionate about promoting diversity and inclusion in the tech industry, actively organizing events such as panel discussions and career events to provide opportunities for women in technology, showcasing her commitment to both her field and her community.

Pat is an investor, advisor and the author of Meet 100 People. Inspired by meeting thousands of people in an over thirty-year career, Pat wrote Meet 100 People to encourage us all to proactively, and consistently meet people in person or by video. Her goal is not only to inspire, but to provide practical steps to expanding your network. Pat speaks regularly at colleges, to alumni groups and to corporations. She gave a TedX Talk at Dartmouth College in 2018.

As the founder and CEO of The Path Ahead, Pat identifies high growth companies in which she invests and takes on either formal or informal advisory roles. Since 2016, Pat has invested in over a dozen innovative private companies, more than half led by women. She currently advises the CEOs of several growth companies. Pat is a former judge for EY’s Winning Women Program.

Prior to her current role, Pat spent 30 years with global growth investor, General Atlantic, most recently as managing director. She began her career as a consultant with Bain & Company. Pat is a graduate of Dartmouth College with a degree in computer science and holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School.

Kristin Malek serves as the Senior Manager of Supplier Diversity at CDW. In this capacity, she drives CDW’s strategies to achieve supplier diversity objectives. She is responsible for CDW’s $1.9+ Billion Dollar annual Supplier Diversity spend initiatives. Kristin is the architect of the CDW’s diverse supply chain which today is defined as more than 800+ suppliers that serve the needs and offers solutions to CDW and their customers.

Kristin brings more than 16 years of senior leadership experience making her a SME on diversity growth and development. As the Director of Field Projects for a Fortune 200 company, she was responsible for establishing and executing the organization’s diversity objectives, initiatives, and strategies, as well as focusing on the company’s optimization & localization initiatives.

Most recently Kristin served as the Chief Operating Officer for a National Non for Profit organization, where she created and led the vision and strategy for the organization in partnership with the National Board of Directors and other senior leaders. In her role as COO, Kristin placed a large focus on identifying, on boarding and managing strategic partnerships of all kinds. Kristin is a graduate of Western Illinois University for her undergrad and holds her MBA from WIU.

SheTek is a PamTen program spearheaded by Chaya to create opportunities for women to develop, expand, and grow their careers in IT. From education in the classroom, to decisions made within the boardroom, the mission of SheTek is to have women equally represented in the technology industry.

Chaya is President and CEO of PamTen. She is a technologist, philanthropist, visionary, mentor, entrepreneur and, above all, a passionate human being. She holds a MBA and an Executive Education Certificate from Harvard University.

PamTen Inc., founded in 2007 provides technology information services to a diverse set of clients, from small businesses to large corporations and has been ranked as an Inc. 5000 company, placing them among the fastest growing private companies in the U.S. PamTen is a certified Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprise (MWBE).

Chaya is currently serving as a board member on many professional and women empowerment associations. Her expertise has led her to be an honored speaker at programs across the world. Some of her engagements include: Commission on Status of Women – CSW, United Nations, USA; Inspiring Young Girls-Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, NJ; Access to Justice-India’s Unique Challenges – Harvard Business School, USA; Cultivating Leadership Skill in For-Profit & Not-For-Profit Sectors – Harvard Law School, USA; Risk Management in the Global Era of Uncertainty -Humber Chapter, Canada; Money Vs Mysticism-Inter-spiritual Global Conference-Italy; and and many others. Recently she was a panelist at the NJBIA Women Business Leaders Forum. And she is the moderator of SheTek’s Outlet Webinar Series.

SheTek is a PamTen program spearheaded by Chaya to create opportunities for women to develop, expand, and grow their careers in IT. From education in the classroom, to decisions made within the boardroom, the mission of SheTek is to have women equally represented in the technology industry.

Chaya is President and CEO of PamTen. She is a technologist, philanthropist, visionary, mentor, entrepreneur and, above all, a passionate human being. She holds a MBA and an Executive Education Certificate from Harvard University.

PamTen Inc., founded in 2007 provides technology information services to a diverse set of clients, from small businesses to large corporations and has been ranked as an Inc. 5000 company, placing them among the fastest growing private companies in the U.S. PamTen is a certified Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprise (MWBE).

Chaya is currently serving as a board member on many professional and women empowerment associations. Her expertise has led her to be an honored speaker at programs across the world. Some of her engagements include: Commission on Status of Women – CSW, United Nations, USA; Inspiring Young Girls-Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, NJ; Access to Justice-India’s Unique Challenges – Harvard Business School, USA; Cultivating Leadership Skill in For-Profit & Not-For-Profit Sectors – Harvard Law School, USA; Risk Management in the Global Era of Uncertainty -Humber Chapter, Canada; Money Vs Mysticism-Inter-spiritual Global Conference-Italy; and and many others. Recently she was a panelist at the NJBIA Women Business Leaders Forum. And she is the moderator of SheTek’s Outlet Webinar Series.

Daley Epstein represents cryptocurrency, blockchain, FinTech, and web3 companies in litigation and regulatory matters. She specializes in helping crypto and web3 builders, investors, and other market participants navigate an emerging and rapidly-evolving regulatory landscape. Daley is a versatile problem solver with broad experience helping clients navigate complex and novel legal issues using creative, practical strategies to achieve their objectives. Recognized as “One to Watch” in New York for 2023, Daley is distinguished by her solutions-orientated approach to her clients’ legal challenges and her passion for the incredible innovations they are building.

Her practice includes prosecuting and defending cutting-edge blockchain and digital asset litigation, defending government investigations, and counseling clients on securities and banking regulations and intellectual property issues. Daley also advises cryptocurrency and FinTech companies on federal and state licensing issues. Daley’s broad experience – from strategizing winning court briefs to helping clients launch NFT marketplaces – makes her uniquely equipped to help her clients accomplish their goals.

Daley also has experience in complex commercial litigation and government investigations involving private equity, energy, real estate, media, and other technology clients. She has represented clients in all stages of litigation, from initial case assessment through appeal and in mediation and arbitration. Daley began her career as a Judicial Clerk at the Fifth District Court of Appeals in Dallas, TX, and regularly draws upon the experience to develop arguments that resonate with decision makers and to convey those points in a clear and persuasive manner.

Daley maintains an active pro bono practice. She also advises clients through McDermott Rise, providing free legal services to founders and entrepreneurs of color to help reduce systematic inequity in tech.

Senior Vice President and Chief Information officer for Bausch + Lomb. She is the executive owner for delivering technology services including infrastructure, applications, cybersecurity, and enabling the digital workspace.

Stacey brings 30 years of diverse strategic and operational experience in IT Management, Data Engineering & Analytics, and Supply Chain. Stacey has worked in many functions in technology enabling digital innovations, mergers and acquisitions, large scale ERP deployments and infrastructure modernization. She has held transformational roles at Johnson & Johnson, Bristol-Myers Squibb, American Standard and PWC. Stacey is a passionate advocate for women in technology and a frequent speaker in various forums to promote interest in STEM related careers. Stacey received a Bachelor of Science cum laude from the University of Delaware with a degree in Economics and Management Information Systems.

Prior to this role, Pamela was a Client Executive at Cisco for 12 years supporting a Fortune 50 Insurance firm globally. Pamela grew the business relevance for Cisco and expanded the portfolio presence of solutions to solve business issues for the Insurer, making the case to displace incumbents and expand the Cisco footprint.

Prior to Cisco Pamela successfully led Sales and Marketing teams for Avaya, Lucent Technologies and AT&T.

Pamela graduated from Pace University with a Marketing degree, and has since augmented her education with certificates from Warton School of Business, NYU and the School of Practical Philosophy. Pamela lives in Larchmont NY with her husband Tom, 2 daughters Sophia and Grace and Vito, a Golden Retrievers.

Ms. Coler is a Licensed Site Remediation Professional (LSRP) with the State of New Jersey and an alumna of the Goldman Sachs 10K Small Businesses program and the NYC Economic Development Corporation’s Offshore Wind Pathways Program. As chair of the Brownfield Coalition of the Northeast Scholarship Committee, she founded the Brownfields, Books, and Brew club, dedicated to exploring the lessons of the iconic environment sagas. As technical advisor to the Waterfront Alliance, she advocates for the elevation of brownfields in the Waterfront Edge Design Guidelines. She is currently designing a Brownfields Certificate Program with the New Jersey Institute of Technology and will teach a course on brownfields there in Spring 2024.

Ms. Coler has overseen the remediation of hundreds of sites, including work on the largest redevelopment in U.S. history–Hudson Yards in Manhattan.

Ms. Coler seeks to nudge the industry into the 21st century. She has developed a comprehensive suite of proprietary software to manage her firm’s operations and data, retain institutional knowledge, and generate cost-risk models. Her blue-sky goal is to facilitate the crowdsourcing of the remediation of the planet by harnessing the power of big data, streamlining work-flow processes, and designing standardized methodologies. Ms. Coler unveiled her proprietary tools Brownfields 2019, the the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfields Training Conference in 2019 and 2023.

Finally, Ms. Coler enjoys paying it forward by routinely hosting science and engineering student interns with the aim of advancing women in STEM

Kye is a highly sought-after Consultant and Advisor, providing guidance to startups, established companies, and federal governments, utilizing her experience across:
• Revenue Growth
• Digital Transformation
• Big Data and AI Solutions
• Talent Management
• M&A and Integrations

Kye co-founded and launched VistaRMS, a private IT consulting firm, where she rapidly grew the business to 700+ employees and was identified by Inc Magazine as the #2 Fastest Growing Private Firm. In 2004, Kye played a leading role in the strategic acquisition by Kforce, including leading the company valuation and negotiations, before transitioning to Kforce as VP and working into the Chief Operations Officer role of $1.6B organization.

Nicole was a Strategy & Operations Business Analyst at Deloitte Consulting and Finance Teacher at iXperience, an experiential education startup based in Cape Town, South Africa.

For the past two years, Nicole served as a volunteer Executive Director of Brighter Children, a global venture philanthropy that raised over $1 million to fund the education of over 2,500 children across three continents. She remains actively involved with Brighter Children through her role on the Board Nominations Committee. Nicole also recently joined How Women Invests’ Disruption Committee to focus on making venture investing and funding more accessible to women.

Nicole holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Virginia McIntire School of Commerce, where she graduated with distinction.

Ram is a distinguished technologist as well as an accomplished innovator instrumental in buildingindustry-first solutions. He developed the first-ever market-making system outside of an exchangefloor for the US capital market system. Expert in building trading systems and ticker plants that aredesigned to handle massive market data streams, and electronic stock exchange systems (NY,Boston, Philadelphia) in the US. He is also part of the team that built the first online trading platform(PC Financial Network) – a significant market disruptor. Under Ram’s leadership, Pershing launchedaward-winning, open architecture-based wealth management products (NetX360®, NetXInvestor®and NetXServices) in the US.

Prior to assuming his current role, Ram served as managing director and chief technology officer atDLJdirect and CSFB direct, pioneers in online internet brokerage. During the late 90’s to 2000, he led the efforts to establish BNY Mellon India Technology (iNautix). Prior to that worked as a consultantfor IBM in building their OS/360, CICS, and MQ.

As a spokesperson on technology trends and issues, Ram has been featured in a number oftechnology and financial publications including InvestmentNews, ThinkAdvisor, and BloombergRadio. He is a regular keynote speaker and panelist at industry events and conferences. Additionally,Ram was recognized by ComputerWorld as a Premier 100 IT Leader and by the New JerseyTechnology Council as “CIO of the Year.” Most recently, Ram was the first technology leader toreceive the Bank Insurance & Securities Association’s (BISA) Circle of Excellence Award, their mostprestigious recognition.

In his role, Kannan leads efforts to transform the Procurement organization and the enterprise Source-to-Pay process.

He and his team provide change management, knowledge management, people development, risk management, sustainability and lead implementation of digital and analytics solutions.

Kannan also in actively engagement in the community. He serves as the President of the local school board and coaches’ soccer.

Alexandra regularly advises cryptocurrency and blockchain companies on emerging federal and state regulatory issues. Alexandra also advises companies in the emerging field of AI and its applications in Fintech. Alexandra’s practice also involves regulatory strategy and structuring and negotiating transactions involving blockchain and cryptocurrency companies and has focused on the use and implementation of blockchain technology in platforms for derivatives, structured finance and securitization. Alexandra advises a wide range of market participants across multiple industries, including early-stage and established companies developing blockchain solutions, investors, foundations, exchanges, broker-dealers, private equity firms, family offices, mining companies consulting firms, on securities laws, commodities laws, state and federal money transmitter licensing and registration, payments, custody, SEC and CFTC regulatory inquiries, as well as on state and international regulation.

From 2017-2019, Sally led the nationally recognized Douglass Project for Women in STEM, now known as Douglass WISE, as they implemented and expanded multiple gender equity initiatives at the undergraduate level in the Engineering, Computer Science and Technology, Public Health, Pre-Med, and Scientific Research areas.

Prior to her retirement from PSEG in 2016, she had over 35 years’ experience in a diverse range of operational, technical, and managerial positions for the company. As the Manager of Workforce Development, Sally was responsible for overseeing a cross section of talent acquisition pipeline initiatives for PSEG including the college relations and diversity outreach functions, which included the company’s recruitment initiatives for women, people of color, veterans and individuals with disabilities. During her tenure, she led the design and implementation of many award winning, best practice and industry recognized outreach and recruiting programs, as well as multiple internal Diversity, Equity and Inclusion trainings and initiatives.

In 2013, Sally was appointed by the governor to serve on the NJ State Employment and Training Commission (SETC), on which she still serves today, and was named the chair of the NJ State Energy Sector Partnership Council, SESP, where she oversaw the allocation of grant funding for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Training Programs. Sally was also appointed to serve on the NJ Council on Gender Parity in Labor and Education, of which she served as chair through 2019.

She has been honored by PRWeek (Hall of Fame), PRSA Foundation (Paladin Award), PRSA (Paul M. Lund Award for Public Service), New York Women in Communications (Matrix Award), Girl Scouts of Greater New York (“GOLD Achievement” and “Women of Distinction” Awards), Asian Women in Business (Entrepreneurial Leadership Award), University of Hawaii (“Distinguished Alumni Award), among others.

Patrice has served as a trustee and volunteer for many organizations committed to youth development, girl- and women’s leadership development, economic empowerment, and gender equity. She is also a vocal advocate for the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community and for diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.

She has lived in New York City for most of her adult life but calls Hawaii “home” and is committed to living her life with the “Aloha Spirit.”

Nexaida holds a B.A. from Regina Apostolurum Institute (Madrid, Spain) and a M.A. from Seton Hall University in South Orange, NJ. She holds additional IT certifications in Computer repair, Website design, CompTIA A+, iTil v4, among others.

Nexaida is a technically minded professional with a passion for helping others with their technical needs. Coming for an educational background, she fully transitioned to the IT field in 2014 where she escalated to a management position in a short period of time. The motto she lives by is “Always try the best you can to help others with a sense of urgency and keep smiling no matter what!”.

Prior to joining the World Bank, Hyea Won was working at Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) where she participated in the global Internet governance and cybersecurity policy dialogues in multilateral organizations. While at KISA, she was seconded to Ministry of Science and ICT to support Korea’s engagement in Internet governance discussion.

Hyea Won holds Master’s in International Economics and Bachelor’s in Economics and International Affairs. She is a photography enthusiast.

Dixiana holds a B.A. from The University of Alabama and an M.A. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. She holds additional executive certifications in Banking, Finance, Project Management and Payments. In her roles,

Dixiana has a proven track record of implementing new technology solutions that drive operational efficiency, reduce risk and support growth. She is currently in the midst of a major digital transformation project. When not driving change, Dixi as she is better known, is the proud mother of two very opinionated teenagers, enjoys reading science fiction with leading heroines, and travel with her family.

Julie also has experience providing cyber advisory services including cybersecurity assessments, risk mitigation strategies, breach response, and threat actor reports. Previously, Julie was a Chief Information Security Officer for a $640M community bank, developing a strong information security program working within the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) framework. Her most notable success is in directing operations of safeguarding information system assets by identifying and solving both potential and actual security problems.

She is certified in Cybersecurity (CC), is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), a Certified Ethical Hacker and Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator v8.

Julie volunteers with Habitat for Humanity (currently in two locations) and Family Service Association as a board member. She is also a member of the advisory board of the Center for Cyber Defense Education at the University of North Carolina Wilmington where she also serves as a student mentor in cybersecurity courses.

​You’ll find her paintings in the collections of museums, corporations, executives,professional athletes and philanthropists. Her artwork has helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for charities across the country.

​Cortney has appeared on numerous TV and radio programs. ​She is most proud of her partnership with Fanatics and a proud philanthropic partner with the Women’s Sports Museum of which she is also on the Board of Directors. Her work has helped raise money for The Joe Namath Charitable Foundation, The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, The Players Alliance, The Baltimore Orioles Foundation, Building Homes for Heroes, Bernie Williams and the All Star Band raising awareness for IPF, The Perfect 33 Foundation, The David Cone Foundation, The Git-R-Done Foundation, The Ferguson Jenkins Foundation, The Chris Canty Foundation, Morristown Memorial Hospital, and Hackensack University Medical Center where five of her murals are hanging to uplift the patients and all who pass through the halls.

John is Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC), Certified Data Privacy Practitioner (CDPP), and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). He is an active member of various professional groups including: Project Management Institute (PMI) and ISACA.

In 2021, her entrepreneurial spirit motivated Sejal to launch a second company called CloudWerxe designed to offer small to mid-sized MSPs a top-of-the-line, secure cloud environment. Sejal’s innovation earned her a Gold Stevie Award, 2023 NJBIZ Leaders in Digital Technology award, and recognition as an ROI Power List Influencer and NJBIZ Best 50 Women in Business.

Prior to her entrepreneurial career, Sejal spent 12 years traveling the country working for leading financial firms and is currently on the Board of Entrepreneurs’ Organization and Connect 4 Business Exchange. Sejal is also part of several Mastermind groups, is an avid supporter of St. Jude’s and works with organizations that support victims of Human Trafficking.

Today, Sejal finds her calling on the stage helping organizations cost-effectively improve their security.

Chaya is a technologist, philanthropist, a visionary, mentor, an entrepreneur and more. She has over 25 years of Information Technology experience, as President and CEO of PamTen, Chaya conceptualizes innovative software products for PamTen and its clients and oversees them from development to implementation.

Her passion to empower women in the field of Technology led her to found SheTek in 2018. SheTek’s mission is to raise the percentage of women represented in the technology industry. This is done by mentoring and encouraging women that are in or returning to the tech field and pairing these talented women with companies who need technology services and staff.

Chaya combined her business acumen and passion for charity to found SOFKIN (sofkin.org), a non-profit organization that creates loving and caring homes for destitute and under privileged children. SOFKIN operates in The United States and in India and supports over 100 beautiful children. SOFKIN has youth groups established In New Jersey, Philadelphia, and India, where the students from local high schools and colleges volunteer for the organization.

Douglas Vargo is a seasoned digital leader and strategist helping clients digitally transform their organizations and re-imagine ways of working to accelerate their growth and gain operational efficiencies. Doug believes the ability to introduce and scale emerging technologies is the keystone building block of innovation. Doug is significantly invested in emerging technologies and leads an Emerging Technologies Practice in the U.S. He and his team support clients as they embrace new strategies and technologies to digitally transform how their organization does business.

Jean-Philippe Gerbi holds the position of Senior Vice President and Chief Digital Officer at Metropolitan Commercial Bank. With an extensive background spanning over 25 years in Information Technology, primarily within the Financial industry, Mr. Gerbi has spearheaded strategic transformative initiatives. Throughout his professional journey, he has consistently promoted the utilization of technology to optimize operational efficiency, enhance security, and elevate customer satisfaction, as well as designed innovative solutions to drive business development. Since 2021, Mr. Gerbi has actively participated as a member of the Banking and Finance Committee of the French American Chamber of Commerce, New York Chapter. Additionally, he maintains affiliation with the Independent Community Bankers of America.

Dr. William Keepin is co-founder of Gender Equity and Reconciliation International, and he has co-led intensive gender diversity trainings in several countries. He is a physicist with extensive research on sustainable energy for mitigating climate change, and is author of four books, including Divine Duality: The Power of Reconciliation Between Women and Men, and Song of the Earth: A Synthesis of Scientific and Spiritual Worldviews.

Cynthia Brix, PhD (hon) is co-founder of Gender Equity and Reconciliation International, and she has co-led intensive gender diversity trainings in several countries.  She is an ordained interfaith minister with a background in public relations, wellness management, gerontology, women’s issues, and race relations. She is contributing author of Divine Duality: The Power of Reconciliation Between Women and Men, and co-author of Women Healing Women: A Model of Hope for Oppressed Women Everywhere.

Currently, Krishna is the Head of Digital, Data and Analytics  at Zoetis. Krishna leads digital and analytic transformations that reshape the organization with a focused strategy, recruiting top talent, creating a clear vision, and building lasting partnerships with business unit leaders.

Before joining Zoetis in 2020, Krishna served as chief data officer and head of enterprise digital strategy at Bristol Myers Squibb for 5+ years. He established and built a world-class data and analytic organization from the ground up and advanced digital capabilities while expanding data leadership. Additionally, he served as an executive leader for global IT service provider relationships.

In prior roles, Krishna contributed by overseeing commercial data, leading business architecture and business intelligence, consulting on strategy, and serving in other progressive leadership roles. Krishna has served on the board of directors at Gartner Research, is a founding member of the IEEE Fair Trade Data Standards Group, and is a featured leader in the recently published book TRUST: The winning formula for digital leaders.

In addition to his digital and technology, Krishna serves as a digital and data strategy adjunct faculty member at Carnegie Mellon University’s Executive Education Program. He mentors 15+ chief data officers and chief data analytics officers, is a sought-after industry forum speaker, and has produced several digital and analytic transformation publications.

Krishna’s education accomplishments include securing a Master of Business Administration degree from New York University’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business. Krishna completed his Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Electronics Engineering at the University of Kerala.

Maria is also the owner of MFR Securities, Inc., the Broker Dealer subsidiary of MFR. MFR Securities is a certified Woman-Owned Minority Broker Dealer. It participates in underwritings of equity and debt securities and executes fixed income product transactions for its many institutional clients.

In the not-for-profit sector, Maria has been Director or Trustee for 25 entities currently including the Board of Brooklyn Hospital, Morris Museum and for several years was on the boards of The Brooklyn Community Foundation, Notre Dame Highs School, Lupus Research Foundation & More Project Brazil. Maria graduated from Pace University and was honored as a distinguished alumna of the Pace University Lubin School of Business.

Kristin brings more than 16 years of senior leadership experience making her a SME on diversity growth and development. As the Director of Field Projects for a Fortune 200 company, she was responsible for establishing and executing the organization’s diversity objectives, initiatives, and strategies, as well as focusing on the company’s optimization & localization initiatives.

Most recently Kristin served as the Chief Operating Officer for a National Non for Profit organization, where she created and led the vision and strategy for the organization in partnership with the National Board of Directors and other senior leaders. In her role as COO, Kristin placed a large focus on identifying, on boarding and managing strategic partnerships of all kinds. Kristin is a graduate of Western Illinois University for her undergrad and holds her MBA from WIU.

• Put customers at the center of our design of all research products and services;
• Use cutting-edge digital technology to improve data accessibility and broaden the customer base;
• Extract maximum meaning from performance and other administrative data for continuous program improvement and strategic decision making.

Her 25-year career has been dedicated to using research to inform policies and programs, with an emphasis on improving the lives of low-income people. Prior to coming to LWD, she was the founding director of the NYC Labor Market Information Service (NYCLMIS) at the CUNY Graduate Center. The NYCLMIS provides research and consulting to policy makers and providers in the region’s workforce development system.  Before NYCLMIS, Lesley was the research director of the Education Law Center in Newark, New Jersey, a public interest law and advocacy firm that successfully sued the State of New Jersey for equitable school finance on behalf of 300,000 of New Jersey State’s poorest schoolchildren. She is a graduate of Barnard College at Columbia University and has completed all but the dissertation in political science/public policy at the CUNY Graduate Center. Ms. Hirsch also has taught political science and public policy courses at the City College of New York.

Jackie lives in Moorestown with her husband and two sons.

Mr. Doran is an accomplished development, hosting and managed services executive with deep experience in the telecommunications industry building products at scale for over 20 years. He possesses extensive architecture, software development, hosting and international management experience in large scale telecommunications and internet/intranet products. His responsibilities include leading our architecture, development, testing, hosting, IT and services organizations that successfully leverage talent around the globe.

Prior to his current position, Mr. Doran served in various roles at Synchronoss, including VP of Development, Chief Architect and Senior Software Engineer. Before joining Synchronoss, Mr. Doran was a Senior Development Engineer at Agility Communications from 2000 to 2002 and a Member of Technical staff at AT&T/Lucent from 1996 to 2000.

Mr. Doran received a bachelor’s degree in Computer and Systems Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a master’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University.

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Denise sees the Future of Work as an unprecedented opportunity to reimagine work in a way that allows us to live balanced, purposeful, and meaningful lives; and has a burning desire to develop a Future of Work mindset in the everyday person.

As an undergraduate from the University of Limerick in Ireland, Denise came to New York on a one-way ticket to embark on a ten-year Wall St. career in financial oversight and operational controls at Merrill Lynch & Goldman Sachs.

As an eternal optimist and a keen innovator with a desire for flexibility, Denise transitioned to the startup world as a founding team member of a successful high growth technology startup company.

Denise holds an MBA from Fordham University and a BBS in Finance & Economics from the University of Limerick, Ireland. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and three children.

Buteas also serves as the Executive Director of the NEW JOBS PAC, the State’s largest and most influential ideological business political action committee.

Prior to joining NJBIA, Buteas served as the president and CEO of the Home Care & Hospice Association of New Jersey, representing New Jersey home health agencies, hospices and health care service firms servicing the state’s Medicare, Medicaid and private pay patients. She serves on the board of trustees of Middlesex College, Girl Scouts of Heart of NJ and is a member of the Northern Board of Junior Achievement whose mission is to inspire and prepare young people in grades K-12 to succeed in a global economy through real world relationships with business, government, and education partners that can help them develop the employability and financial literacy skills needed to succeed in the 21st century.

Buteas is also the former president and current board member of the Women’s Political Caucus of New Jersey, a statewide nonprofit dedicated to advancing women in government.

Buteas serves as a member of the New Jersey Medical Assistance Advisory Council, New Jersey Small Employer Health Benefits Program and the New Jersey Mandated Health Benefits Advisory Commission, which responds to requests from the State Legislature to provide independent analysis of the medical, financial and social impacts of proposed health insurance benefit mandates.

Buteas served on the Murphy-Oliver Transition 2018 Healthcare team. She also serves on the board of Focus NJ, an independent research non-profit conducting timely, innovative, nonpartisan economic and workforce research.

Previously, Buteas served as vice president of the Capital Impact Group, a public affairs and business development firm that advocates on behalf of nonprofit organizations and Fortune 500 companies. She was also a policy specialist at the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities.

In 2021, Buteas was named a Woman of Distinction by the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore, NJBIZ’s 2021 Next Generation of Leaders, a Barrier Breaker as part of Jersey’s Best magazine’s Spring issue honoring trailblazing women in the state and recognized on ROI-NJ’s Influencers: Power List for Government Affairs. In 2018, Buteas was named to NJBIZ’s Best 50 Women in Business list. She was named to NJBIZ’s “40 Under 40” and “Power 50 Health Care” lists in 2017, as well as the 2017 “Insider 100 Policymakers” list by Insider NJ.

Buteas holds an MPA from the School of Public Affairs and Administration at Rutgers University-Newark and a BA from Rowan University. She is also a graduate of Leadership NJ, a leadership development program, and served as a Raimondo Fellow at the Eagleton Institute of Politics. She is a member of the Rowan University Alumni Association and Eagleton Institute of Politics Alumni Association.

She is experienced in all aspects of business from start up to scale up. Dr Dosunmu is passionate about helping the professional woman thrive in leadership and entrepreneurship, without sacrificing her personal health or family commitments.

Dr. Ronke Dosunmu, is a board certified pediatrician and the founder and Medical Director of Foundation Pediatrics, a 26 year old private practice providing quality care to an underserved urban population in Essex County, New Jersey.

She has worked in management as well as in consulting in the field of drug safety, for many major multinational pharmaceutical companies. She also works to increase minority representation in clinical trial research.

She is a serial entrepreneur who has built many thriving business ventures in the retail, beauty and healthcare spaces, and is experienced in all aspects of business from start up to scale up.

She is passionate about helping women build their brand and business so they can harness their training, experiences, passion and purpose to generate wealth, leave a legacy and make a social impact in their communities.

She has followed her own advice and turned this passion into her newest business venture called Maven CEO, where she provides coaching for leaders and entrepreneurs.

Dr. Dosunmu has been married for over 30 years and is the mother of 3 adult children.

Mr. Jain holds a master’s degree from the Indian Institute of Technology and was part of the Fellows Program at The Wharton School of Business.

Prior to joining Accenture, Shail was CEO of Knowledgent – a leading data and analytics company that Accenture acquired in December of 2018. Shail Jain is a serial entrepreneur and has helped build three technology services firms successfully over the last twenty-five years. The companies he co-founded and co-led were aimed at transforming businesses through technology and data in the Life Sciences, Healthcare, Financial Services and Communications industries. Shail has also held senior leadership positions at Fijustu and EMC Corporation.

Dr. Dorai was an IBM Fellow (first woman of Indian origin to receive this recognition in the globe). She received IBM’s highest honor – the Gerstner Award for Client Excellence; was recognized as an IBM Distinguished Engineer and was appointed by the IBM CEO as an IBM Fellow. Her ground-breaking work on customer focused analytics and AI solutions in mortgage servicing saved thousands of struggling homeowners. She was profiled as a “Societal Innovator” in the IBM HQ and she received “The Visionary” award from the National Association of Women in Real Estate Business.

She is the co-inventor of 48 patents and has been recognized as a Master Inventor thrice at IBM. She has presented keynote addresses and technical talks at academic research conferences, industry symposia and panels. She is frequently interviewed or cited in press, news and blogs, and YouTube video on a wide variety of topics from AI, Machine Learning, Blockchain, Big Data and Analytics to human technology balance.

Following a highly decorated career at IBM, Dr. Dorai is currently focused on her entrepreneurial ventures and her continued passion to make AI accessible to everyone.

Julie Dabrowski is the Chief of Staff for Microsoft’s Northeast Enterprise Commercial region. Her responsibilities include business strategy, operations, communications, customer and partner engagement, and internal stakeholder management across a multi-billion business. Julie has been at Microsoft for 9 years in a variety of sales and sales leadership roles across account and solution area sales, services, and now Operations. She is active in women in technology and with Microsoft’s Aspire (recent college and MBA grad) mentorship programs. Julie is a co-sponsor for the newly formed Microsoft US Ambassador council for the DC offices and also serves as a sponsor for the Northeast inclusive hiring program and Northeast Leadership Excellence forum.

Prior to joining Microsoft, Julie held various Sales and Sales Leadership roles at EMC as well as VMware. Julie has her degree in Business Administration with a concentration in marketing and statistics from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She has also continued her education through Wharton and INSEAD Executive education certifications focused on Executive selling and Business Strategy & Financial Acumen.

Myra Kinds is the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) Lead and Trainer with GERI. She is a licensed American Baptist Minister to Youth, and a recognized leader in underserved communities, specializing in addiction and recovery, mental health, and domestic violence. Myra collaborates with The Black Ministerial Alliance and The Institute for Global Youth Programs and is a certified instructor in Mental Health First Aid and Recovery Coaching.  Prior to entering the non-profit sector, Myra held executive-level positions responsible for hundreds of employees, as well as working in local government, where she led several initiatives for the City of Boston.

Previously, Niki worked at Synchronoss Technologies as a Technical Business Analyst where she was first exposed to the inner workings of Product Management. At Synchronoss, she not only helped define the business case for product features and development but influenced higher-level product strategy and vision. Additionally, she developed multiple models and metrics to help her team make data-driven decisions and measure the success of existing accounts.  

In her spare time, Niki sits on the Life After NYU Committee at NYU where she helps plan and execute events to help transition graduating seniors to post-graduate alumni life. She’s helped create “Life After NYU” week where students and recent graduates can attend sessions that cover important graduation and early adult career information. Through this committee, she is able to keep the alums from the most recent graduating years involved in the NYU Community.  

Niki is a graduate from NYU, with a degree in Computer Science and the Business of Entertainment, Media, and Technology. 

She represents change makers including entrepreneurs, companies, investors, and nonprofits in the social impact and sustainability space. Her passion is to bring their vision to reality. Her experience covers diverse industries and transactions valued at over $50 billion in the aggregate. Anusha’s practice covers a broad range of general corporate and transactional matters, including venture capital financing, strategic transactions, public offerings, corporate and non-profit governance matters, and regulatory compliance. For her trailblazing pro bono efforts, Anusha was awarded the Pro Bono Publico Award from the Casa Cornelia Law Center, which provides legal services to victims of human and civil rights violations worldwide. 

Anusha is also a Member of the Board of Trustees, for Support Organization for Kids in Need (SOFKIN), a nonprofit in New Jersey and Hyderabad, India that cares for destitute children and women, and has assisted in operations and fundraising for over a decade. Prior to co-founding Radicle Law, Anusha was a corporate associate at Cooley LLP and Shearman & Sterling LLP.  

Anusha enjoys dancing, exploring the outdoors, traveling, reading and cooking.  

Bar Admissions: California and New York  

Grace joined Edison Partners earlier this year. At Edison she focuses on identifying and evaluating investment opportunities in software, fintech, and healthcare. Grace started her career as an Investment Banking Analyst at Evercore in their Technology Mergers & Acquisitions Group. While at Evercore, Grace worked on a variety of sell-side and buy-side transactions across Software, Industrial Technology and Tech Enabled Services. After Evercore, Grace joined the investment team as an Associate at Brighton Park Capital, a late-stage growth equity firm focused on B2B Software, Tech Enabled Services, and Healthcare IT.  At Brighton Park, Grace was responsible for sourcing new opportunities, deal execution, and portfolio support. Grace was closely involved in Brighton Park’s investment in HTEC, a software engineering and digital product development firm with delivery out of Eastern Europe.

Melanie Franco is an experienced Training Leader, Women’s Empowerment Coach, Mentor, Keynote Speaker and Influencer with a dynamic history of successful change management strategies. With certifications in Coaching, Speaking, Training and Crucial Conversations, Melanie is a passionate leader who focuses on leveraging all forms of communication to elevate and drive self confidence and self esteem to add value and significance to the lives of others. Melanie is an energetic, creative, and exciting visionary with extensive experience in driving engagement and positive team building experiences. As a Change Agent, Melanie serves as an ambassador for cultural strategy and helps to initiate positive relationships with individuals from different generational and cultural backgrounds.

Mikey Piro is the COO of Club CPG and co-founder of 2Cents Audio.

Prior to joining Club CPG and founding 2Cents, Mikey spent five years at Meta (previously Facebook) in various capacities. Most notably, he led a global team of workers across product development, operations and infrastructure to manage and deploy disaggregated hardware and software solutions. He was also the co-lead of the Facebook Global Employee Resource Group for Veterans and Allies, as well as was a contributing member of the Product Diversity Council.

Before his tenure at Meta, Mikey held various roles across an array of software companies from 2012 to 2016. 

Mikey is a graduate of West Point and combat Veteran who served active duty within Infantry and Cavalry units as Company Commander, Executive Officer, and Platoon Leader. Mikey was deployed to Korea from 2002 – 2003 and twice to Iraq between 2003 and 2006. 

He’s a proud dad to 3 children and is deeply passionate about fostering genuine inclusive communities and giving creators a safe platform to own their work. There’s rarely a day you won’t find him tweeting out “gm!” on twitter.

Shaomei Wu is the founder and CEO of AImpower.org, a tech non-profit that researches and co-creates technologies for and with marginalized communities to dismantle barriers and deliver tangible benefits. Previously, Shaomei was a staff research scientist at Facebook and Instagram, leading and driving various “tech for good” initiatives from Accessibility, AI for Inclusion, to Equity. Throughout her career, Shaomei worked closely with users from marginalized and/or low-resource communities – such as people with disabilities, people with limited literacy skills, and racial minorities in the US – to understand their technology experiences and build AI-powered products to meet their needs. One of such products is automatic alt-text, a computer-vision powered service that describes images on Facebook and Instagram to screen readers in real time. Prior to Facebook, Shaomei received her Ph.D in Information Science from Cornell University, studying the spread of information and behaviors in large social networks. Shaomei publishes her work in HCI, accessibility, and Computational Social Sciences venues such as CHI, CSCW, theWebConf, and ICWSM.

Shaomei is a person who stutters and is still exploring this part of her identity. She frequently volunteers her time mentoring students and junior researchers from underrepresented groups, organizing academic conferences, and sharing her technical expertise with other nonprofit organizations.

Cara Murray is a Vice President and Cyber Specialist in the Management & Professional Solutions Group at Alliant Insurance Services, Inc. As an Executive Risk Broker, Cara provides full insurance lifecycle assistance to clients, including stewardship and renewal strategy presentations, policy coverage analysis, the design, negotiation and placing of Commercial and Financial Institutions Directors and Officers Liability, Professional Liability, Employment Practices, Fiduciary Liability and Commercial Crime (Fidelity) products.

Cara’s insurance career over the last decade has had a particular focus on Cyber and Privacy Liability and Technology Errors and Omissions products and exposures, and these lines remain a specialization at present. Cara maintains comprehensive analytic comparisons of policy language currently in the market; advises on ever-evolving cyber and privacy threats, exposures, and regulation; and specializes in policy wording and enhancements.

Cara is a graduate of Boston College with a BA in International Studies, with concentrated study of cyber law and cyber security, and holds a NY State Brokers License.

As a sought-after motivational speaker, Myra has spoken for TEDx, the Consul General of India, was a Keynote Speaker for the United Nations Week of Spirituality, Values & Global Concerns, and has been invited all over the US and internationally to share her message. She has spoken to hundreds of global organizations and companies on purpose, wellness, effective leadership and the UN’s sustainable development goals.

Myra’s style is one that empowers listeners and leaders, motivating and inspiring them to try new things and make meaningful changes in life and in business. Myra is a best-selling mind body wellness author, regular TV and media contributor and the CEO of Jaya Jaya Myra Productions, a communications company helping shape the brands and message of people and companies being a force for good in the world.