2020 Tech It Out Speakers & Topics

• Rich DiGeronimo – Chief Product and Technology Officer, Charter Communications, & Cynthia Carpenter – VP/Human Resources and Employee Experience, Charter Communications
  • In Conversation: Cynthia Carpenter and Rich DiGeronimo: Charter execs Cynthia Carpenter and Rich DiGeronimo discuss what it took to survive and thrive during the extraordinary events of 2020 – including what positive developments arose from the worldwide shelter-at-home transition, and what innovations are helping to shape Charter for the future.
• Jan Hofmeyr – Executive Vice President and Chief Network Officer, Comcast Cable & Leslie Ellis, Technology Writer
  • In Conversation: Leslie Ellis and Jan Hofmeyr: Comcast EVP and Chief Network Officer Jan Hofmeyr joins technology writer Leslie Ellis in a candid conversation about the year so far, innovations prompted by the pandemic, relevant new technologies, and what’s coming next.
• Dana Filip-Crandall – Senior Vice President, Customer Experience and Call Center Operations, Comcast West Division & WICT Rocky Mountain’s 2020 Woman of the Year
  • Current Events at the Intersection of Customer Care & 2020: Dana Filip-Crandall speaks about what it’s like when you need to very quickly pivot thousands of care employees into home-based workflows. Also: How consumer behaviors and demands are changing, coincident with the freakish events of 2020 – and what’s working to adapt along with them.
• Jana Henthorn –  President and CEO, The Cable Center, & Janice Silver, Vice President, Programs and Marketing, The Cable Center
  • MythBusters: Innovation Edition: Are entrepreneurs responsible for the majority of groundbreaking innovations? Are most innovations the result of that “light-bulb” moment? Are innovators born or made? Join us as the Cable Center duo, Jana Henthorn and Janice Silver, examine 6 common innovation beliefs, a la MythBusters style, to determine if they’re fact or fiction, and how intrapreneurship can be your key to success.
• Rama Sreenivasan – Cofounder & CEO – Blitzz Inc.
  • TECH TALK: Part customer care evangelist, part scientist, part Zen master, Rama exudes a passion for service that is powerful and infectious. Hear how his company, Blitzz, is helping industries to adapt to mid- and post-pandemic customer realities using Artificial Intelligence and Augmented Reality.
• Teresa Elder – Chief Executive Officer and Director, WideOpenWest, Inc., & Camilla Formica, Chief Revenue Officer of NCTI
  • In Conversation: Camilla Formica and Teresa Elder: Camilla Formica interviews Teresa Elder about her journey (so far!) as a female leader, pro tips for overcoming obstacles, and what it means to lead an organization heart-first – with compassion and kindness.
• Joe Hunt – GVP, Software Development and Architecture, Charter Communications
  • TECH TALK: As a film enthusiast with a proclivity for “future-facing” themes, Joe shares what ideas from the movies made it into our day-to-day lives, and reflects on what’s coming next.
• Rachel Beisel – Senior Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer, CableLabs
  • What COVID Is Teaching Us About Leadership: As CableLabs’ first-ever Chief Marketing Officer, Rachel Beisel is a powerhouse of ideas, action, and energy. Learn what the COVID pandemic taught her about the human side of leadership, how COVID gave new depth to the WICT Touchstones, and what matters when communicating during a global pandemic.
• Ruha Benjamin – Education Equity Advocate; Sociology & African American Studies Scholar; Author; Princeton University
  • KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Ruha imparts actionable wisdom about biases in technology, and recommendations about challenging predispositions when building new products and services.
• Dr. Jennifer Andreoli-Fang – Distinguished Technologist, CableLabs & WICT Rocky Mountain’s 2020 Technology Woman of the Year
  • TECH TALK: When she was growing up, Jennifer Andreoli-Fang thought it was normal to get to school an hour early to help her physics teacher get set up for class, and to attend science and math camps in the summer. Since then, she’s risen to become our industry’s leading technologist when it comes to the inevitable intersections between mobile and fixed networks. She’s also an artist, and will illustrate her journey with some of her own sketches.
• Jessica O. Matthews – Founder and CEO, Uncharted Power
  • KEYNOTE SPEAKER: She invented a soccer ball that provides off-grid energy for the developing world – when she was 19. At 22, she founded Uncharted Power, a global, full-service power technology company that builds, owns and operates renewable power infrastructure. Jessica is a dynamo! Don’t miss this … powerhouse (ahem) of a keynote.

2019 Tech It Out Speakers & Topics

• WICT Champions – Shane Portfolio
  • How Tech can Leverage Diversity and Inclusion to Win
• Morning Keynote – Dr. Davidson
  • Leadership/Facing Challenges Head On
• Panel Discussion – Maria Rothschild (Moderator) with Kate Tummarello (Engine,) Debbie Fitzgerald (CableLabs,) Chris May (Comcast,) Manish Jindal (Charter)
  • Oh Gs! Wired and Wireless at the Edge
• Tech Talk – Eilisa Reed, Woman in Technology Winner
  • Perspectives from the Engine Room: IT Operations at a Major Cable Operator
• Tech Talk – Daisy Henderson, Young Woman in Technology Winner
  • Being a Young, Ambitious Woman in Tech
• Tech Talk – Sarah Vergara
  • Near Future Video and Behind the Tech
• Fireside Chat – Leslie Ellis interviewing Stephanie Mitchko
• Show & Tech Demo – Jodi Robinson
  • Demo Tech House
• Leadership Talk – Cynthia Carpenter
  • Dare to Shine
• Tech Talk – Rebecca Rusk
  • Ethics in Design – How do we Keep Human-Centered Design Human?
• Tech Talk – Mona Kessel
  • How to Communicate Effectively in Male-Dominated Fields
• NextGen – Shreya Nallapati
  • Never Again Tech – Using Machine Learning Algorithms to Detect Markers of Mass Shootings
• Tech Talk – Lisa Schwab
  • The Innovator vs The Entrepreneur: Why we Need Both
• Keynote Speaker – FlyGirl

2018 Tech It Out Agenda

• 8:00am – 8:45am: Registration and Breakfast
• 8:45am – 8:50am: Opening Remarks
• 8:50am – 9:00am: Reimagining the News, Kyle Clark, Reporter for 9News
• 9:00am – 9:30am: Interview with Suma Nallapati, CIO for State of Colorado
• 9:30am – 9:45am: Tech Talk #1 with Laura Moche, IP Video/IP Streaming for Charter
• 9:45am – 10:00am: Break
• 10:00am – 10:15: Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock
• 10:15am – 10:25am: Tech Talk #2 with Cathleen T. Quigley, Technology Leader, Innovator, & Motivator
• 10:25am – 10:35am: An Interview with Leslie Ellis and Cathleen T. Quigley, Technology Leader, Innovator, & Motivator
• 10:35am – 10:50am: Break
• 10:50am – 11:35am: Show and Tech Panel

Moderator:
Leslie Ellis, President for Ellis Edits

Panelists:
Patti Loyack, VP of IP Services for Comcast
Josh Seide, VP of Comcast Innovation Labs
Kat Schelonka, Data Engineer for Wicket Labs
Daisy Henderson, Software Engineer for Comcast

• 11:35am – 11:45am: Tech Talk #3 with Elena Ritchie, GVP of Video Content Management for Charter
• 11:45am – 12:25pm: Networking & Lunch; Student Breakout Session (upstairs)
• 12:25pm – 1:00pm: Extended Tech Talk with Danielle Shoots, VP of Business Operations for Comcast
• 1:00pm – 1:30pm: The Power of Equity: Women Leading the Way with Nita Mosby Tyler, PhD., Chief Catalyst for The Equity Project
• 1:30pm – 2:00pm: Fireside Chat with Shane Portfolio, SVP of Engineering for Comcast, and Nita Mosby Tyler, PhD., Chief Catalyst for The Equity Project
• 2:00pm – 2:10pm: Tech Talk #4 with Jane Rhodes Wolf, Chief Security Officer for Charter
• 2:10pm – 2:30pm: Break
• 2:30pm – 2:45pm: Tech Talk #5 with Kathy Kirchner, SVP of Xfinity Mobile
• 2:45pm – 3:55pm: Keynote with Colette Carlson, Human Connection Expert
• 3:55pm – 4:00pm: Closing Remarks