Premier Conference / rvatech

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About rvatech/Edge

rvatech/Edge is an event series focused on building a community around modern engineering best practices that are powering innovation and disruption.

Kick-Off Event

Join the community on April 15, 2021, as we launch our inaugural 2-hour kick-off event featuring Keynote Speaker Yefim Natis, a Distinguished Vice President and Fellow in Gartner Research. Yefim will introduce us to topics such as the Future of Applications, Intelligent & Composable Architectures, and Key Trends in Enterprise Platforms as the building blocks for innovation in the enterprise.

Conference Tracks

#1 | DevOps

Fuel the breakthrough for enterprises and organizations in their DevOps maturity by shedding light on structural changes they are making and practices/solutions they are adapting to exploit modern engineering excellence on the edge.

#2 | Cloud

Get ready to uncover automation within Cloud Centric and Cloud Native transformations + discover how using on-demand scalable cloud models accelerate innovation and secure digital business transformation.

#3 | Enterprise Architecture

Enable modern composable architectures through the sharing of cutting-edge topics and best practices. To provide information to accelerate digital transformation in a time- and budget-constrained environment, as enterprises move beyond current architecture frameworks.

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Kick-off Agenda

11 AM | Welcome

Conference will begin after opening remarks from our Edge Committee Chair, Gaurav Chawla.

11:15 AM | Keynote - Yefim Natis

Presentation Title – “Strategic Architecture Roadmap for Composable Enterprise”.

12:25 PM | Breakout Sessions

Tune in to your favorite breakout session featuring a panel of community builders + tech leaders.

Available Sessions:

Lessons Learned in DevOps

Leading Edge in Cloud

What’s Next in Enterprise Architecture

View Breakout Sessions

Meet the Keynote

Yefim Natis | Distinguished Vice President + Fellow at Gartner Research

Yefim Natis is a Distinguished Vice President and Fellow in Gartner Research. His main research themes include the Future of Applications, Composable Enterprise, and Intelligent Composable Business; also the key trends in enterprise platforms and PaaS; event-driven and service-oriented computing architectures. He leads Gartner’s PaaS, Composable Future of Applications, and event-driven computing research communities. Mr. Natis’ work spans key trends, best user practices, and vendor strategies across these research themes. He regularly presents at Gartner conferences, executive briefings, and webinars.

Prior to joining Gartner, Mr. Natis worked at Magna Software, a software startup where he was the Director of Software Architecture and the principal architect of Magna X, a generator of service-oriented enterprise transaction processing applications. His experience also includes IT architecture and IT management positions at Hogan Systems and Citi Group. He has over 35 years of experience in enterprise IT.

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Breakout Sessions | 12:25 - 1 PM

Breakout #1 | Scars from DevSecOps

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Breakout #2 | Leading Edge in Cloud

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Breakout #3 | What's Next in Enterprise Architecture

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Breakout #1 | Scars from DevSecOps

Join Session

Breakout #2 | Leading Edge in Cloud

Join Session

Breakout #3 | What's Next in Enterprise Architecture

Join Session

Speakers + Community Builders

Chair - Gaurav Chawla

Senior Director | Software Engineering

Anthem

Chair - Alex Otanez

Chief Executive Officer

Shockoe | Mobile by Design

Deborah Cassidy

Global Chief Information Officer

PRA Group

Gurushyam Mony

Director | DevOps and Quality Engineering

Markel

Ian Tyndall

Sr. Director Digital Strategy and Innovation

Altria Client Services

Steve Fuller

Enterprise Account Manager

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Matthew Douglas

Chief Enterprise Architect

Sentara Healthcare

Learn More

Chandra Ragyari

Asst Vice President, Software Engineering

PRA Group

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Atul Chowdhory

Business Intelligence Architect

Virginia Lottery

Learn More

Chris Tignor

Chief Information Security Officer

PRA Group

Learn More

Victor Andrade

Head of Software Engineering

PRA Group

Learn More

Rob Pollard

Enterprise Architect

Virginia Lottery

Learn More

Chris Burroughs

Chief Technology Officer

PRA Group

Learn More

Steve Wisner

Director of Enterprise Data Management and Solution Architecture

Genworth Financial

Learn More

Paul Busick

Vice President, Software Engineering

Capital One

Learn More

What's Coming Up -

Date

August 12, 2021

Time

9:00 AM – 4:30 PM

Attend

Registration Opening Soon!

Upcoming Summer Series Events

Round Tables

Workshops

Panels

Round Tables

Workshops

Panels

Edge Topics

Cloud Data Management and Analytics
Modern Application Development
Chaos Engineering - Infrastructure | Network | Application | Security
Serverless and Event-Driven Architecture

Cloud Native and Cloud Centric
Edge Computing and Distributed Architecture
Collaborative, Efficient, Secure and Autonomous Design
Prioritizing Edge

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2021 rvatech/Edge Kick-off

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Conference Details

About the Event

Join us in Richmond, Virginia for EdgeConRVA! A conference focused on building a community around modern technology best practices that are powering innovation and disruption! Join us for a day of innovative speakers + groundbreaking case studies enabling you to walk away with the essential building blocks for innovation in the enterprise.

Date + Time

February 17, 2023 / 9am – 5pm

Venue

Bar-ti-zan Event Venue

4035 Whittall Way

Henrico, VA 23060

Complimentary parking garages surround the venue.

Tracks

Emerging Tech

Investigate the technologies that are on our doorstep – technology we know is coming that will advance the business of tomorrow.

Mainstream Tech

Explore where our current technologies are taking us and how businesses might utilize edge technology to differentiate, grow, and advance their value propositions.

Predictive Tech

Discover steps beyond the edge and the potential of our current technology to evolve, change, and morph into possibilities we haven’t yet imagined.

Keynotes

Marla Schuchman

Emerging Tech Keynote

I thrive in the messy beginning of things. I am part-futurist, part-realist, and a full-time creative generalist.

As of Feb 2022, I am now heading up Research and Tech Partnerships for Jefferson Lab, a Department of Energy National Laboratory. Tasked with shepherding our research and technology innovations to industrial and commercial applications, I am excited to build connections for the Lab with diverse innovation partners. My DMs are open for creative ideas and conversation.

I have been a part of several early-stage companies, and founded three of my own companies as well. My most recent company, Made in 757, is a marketplace for creative entrepreneurs in Hampton Roads.

For over a decade I have built & executed strategic plans and led go-to-market efforts for startups, small biz, and existing companies launching new ventures. I work with executives, technologists, researchers, developers, marketers, and sales professionals to understand their end users/customers in order to deliver products and services that customers truly want and are ready to buy.

I am passionate about entrepreneurship education and developing the entrepreneurial mindset, empowering individuals to become competent, well rounded business leaders. I love to teach and have enjoyed the opportunity to instruct at community colleges, universities, accelerators, and other institutions.

Rishad Tobaccowala

Predictive Tech Keynote

Rishad Tobaccowala is an author, speaker, teacher, and advisor with four decades of experience specializing in helping people, organizations and teams re-invent themselves to remain relevant in changing times. He specializes in unleashing talent and turbo-charging productivity by delivering perspectives, points of view, provocations and plans of action but no PowerPoints!

Rishad’s best-selling book “Restoring the Soul of Business: Staying Human in the Age of Data” was published globally by HarperCollins and focuses on helping people think, feel, and see differently about how to grow their companies, their teams and themselves in transformative times. The Economist Magazine called it perhaps the best recent book on stakeholder capitalism and Strategy Magazine named it among the five best business books and the marketing book of the year. Rishad’s weekly thought-letter, “The Future Does Not Fit in the Containers of the Past” is read by over 25,000 leaders every week across industries and around the world.

Read More about Rishad

Tom Walker

Mainstream Tech Keynote

Tom is the founder and CEO of DroneUp. DroneUp provides drone delivery and flight services to organizations and communities. Tom has also brought a singular purpose to the Unmanned Transportation (UTM) market - to bring the economic benefits of drones that are essential for communities and our competitive standing in the world to market safely.

Tom is a UAS industry pioneer with patents on mobile app technology. He has led pandemic drone delivery testing under FAA Part 107 Regulations with the State of Virginia, which established the partnership team focused on free COVID-19 test kit delivery with Walmart. Soon after that, under Tom’s leadership, the first drone airport, the DroneUp Hub, was founded. And in addition to developing a robust pilot network, Tom and his team are informing a rapidly growing ground infrastructure with the industry’s leading UTM, which provides services for as many as 100,000 international daily flights.

Agenda

9:00 - 9:30 AM / Registration

Registration / Networking - Doors Open at 9 AM

Light breakfast and coffee provided.

9:30 - 9:45 AM / Welcome

Room A

Welcoming remarks from rvatech/

9:35 - 10:15 AM / Predictive Tech Keynote - Keeping Yourself and Your Business Relevant in Transformative Times
Rishad Tobaccowala, Author + Former Global Strategist & Chief Growth Officer @ Publicis Groupe

Room A

Rishad Tobaccowala will distill 40 years of experience to identify key trends we need to align with, how to manage change so it sucks less, how to lead with soul while upgrading our mental operating system.

Actionable. Inspiring. Thought-provoking.

10:20 - 11:05 AM / The Good, Bad and The Ugly - The Current Blockchain and Web3 Climate
Speakers: Ian Major - Joltz, Amyli McDaniel - MINTangible + Andrew Elliott - RoundlyX

Emerging Tech Breakout / Room A

Hear perspectives from Virginia’s top Blockchain projects making waves across the country.
• Joltz
• RoundlyX
• Mintangible

All of these companies are getting national exposure. All have been funded To some degree from VIPC

10:20 - 11:05 AM / Exploring the Potential of ChatGPT: Real-World Applications and Future Possibilities in Business, Education, and Entertainment
Speakers: Kim Mahan - MAXX Potential, Paul Chin Jr - Serverless Guru, William Benton - VCU, Edwin Huertas - Shockoe (Moderator)

Predictive Tech Breakout / Room B

Join us for a panel discussion on the revolutionary natural language processing model, ChatGPT. Hear from experts in the field who have successfully implemented the technology in various industries, including business, education, and entertainment. Learn how they have leveraged the capabilities of ChatGPT to drive innovation and improve efficiency. The panel will also delve into the potential risks and benefits associated with the technology and discuss what the future holds for ChatGPT and its applications. This is a unique opportunity to gain insights and inspiration from those who are leading the way in this exciting field.

11:10 AM - 12 PM / Emerging Tech Keynote - Your Neighborhood National Lab:
Marla Schuchman, Chief Innovation Officer @ Jefferson Lab

Room A

Why Entrepreneurs and Established Companies Need to Pay Attention to Emerging Tech From Basic Science R&D.

12:40 - 1 PM / Lunch + Networking

Room B

12:40 - 1 PM / WTF are NTFs?!
Meet the Artist: Hamilton Glass

Room A

1 - 1:50 PM / Pig Butchery + Crypto Fraud from the FBI
Speakers: Stuart VonCanon and Sean McDermott

Mainstream Tech Breakout / Room A

1 - 1:50 PM / XR IRL: Taking Your Business to the Edge
Speaker: Kevin Harrup, Senior Manager of Emerging Technologies & Innovation at Altria

Emerging Tech Breakout / Room B

Learn how Altria is leveraging Extended Reality (Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality) to tackle real-world business challenges.

· Dive into Extended Reality (XR) enterprise use cases, such as Remote Assistance and Augmented Reality (AR) Work Instructions

· Hear how Altria is thinking about leveraging XR with other technologies, like Digital Twins

· Get a chance to see some of the latest devices firsthand

2 - 2:50 PM / If You're Not Living on the Edge You're Taking up Too Much Data: From ML-enabled Data Platforms to Foundation Models
Speakers: Paul Hurlocker, Chief Technology Officer at Spring Oaks Capital, LLC

Mainstream Tech Breakout / Room A

The Evolution of Enterprise Machine Learning: From ML-enabled Data Platforms to Foundation Models

Paul will share his perspective on how enterprise machine-learning models, tools, and platforms have evolved and are applied in the real world. He will also look ahead at the opportunities and implications of rapidly emerging machine learning capabilities, including foundation models, that are expected to shape the road ahead.

3 - 3:40 PM / Mainstream Tech Keynote -Breaking Down the Complex World of Drone Operations
Tom Walker, Founder + CEO of DroneUp

Mainstream Tech Keynote / Room A

Join an exciting fireside chat between Bob Stolle, CEO & President of Virginia Innovative Partnership Corporation and Tom Walker, CEO of DroneUp breaking down the complex world of commercial drone operations. During the event, Tom and Bob will discuss what goes into drone operations, how DroneUp began, where it is now with its delivery operations partnered with Walmart, and the many benefits that drones bring to communities, organizations, businesses, and the planet. The fireside chat will also touch on what the future holds for this quickly growing industry from an infrastructure perspective along with a regulatory one.

3:45 - 4:45 PM / Happy Hour

2023 Speakers

Ian Major

Co-Founder, Co-CEO

Joltz

Learn More

Paul Hurlocker

Chief Technology Officer

Spring Oaks Capital, LLC

Learn More

Amyli McDaniel

CEO

MINTangible

Learn More

Andrew Elliott

CEO

RoundlyX

Stuart VonCanon

Detective

FBI

Learn More

Sean McDermott

Intelligence Analyst

FBI

Learn More

Bob Stolle

CEO & President

Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC)

Learn More

Nick Bawa

Founder, CTO

Warehowz

Learn More

Bob Stolle

Connect with Bob

Bob Stolle is President and CEO of the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC) in Virginia. Bob leads VIPC in its mission to create and execute strategies to accelerate innovation, imagination, and the next generation of technology and technology companies. He is responsible for overall strategic planning, financial management, and employee engagement for the organization. He is also directly accountable for outreach to and collaboration with the business and education communities and the Commonwealth of Virginia government.

Previously Bob Stolle held the position of Senior Vice President of Policy and Regional Initiatives at VIPC. His responsibilities included coordinating programs and policy initiatives across four VIPC service lines that work to expand commercialization, capital formation, market development, and revenue generation services in Virginia.

Representing VIPC, Bob serves on the GO Virginia Guideline Workgroup, he is on the executive committee of the University-Based Economic Developers (UBED), the GENEDGE Alliance, and is on the Boards of eight regional technology Councils in Virginia. He co-chaired “Technology, Innovation & Startups” for the Virginia Chamber’s “Blueprint Virginia” strategic plan. He serves on the Investment Advisory Board for the Launch Place Seed Fund in Danville.

Bob served in several key positions for the Commonwealth of Virginia during the administration of Governor George Allen, including Secretary of Commerce and Trade, where he was responsible for 15 state agencies and promoting economic and community development in the Commonwealth.

Since then, he has served on the technology transitions teams for Governors Warner, Kaine, McDonnell, McAuliffe, and Northam.

He started and grew the Greater Richmond Technology Council (now RVA Tech) to 400 corporate members in the private sector. Bob was Executive Vice President and COO of Richmond-based Core Consulting and, previously, engineering director for the global leader in military and space simulation and training systems.

Bob has an engineering degree from the US Naval Academy. He served on active duty and in the Reserves as a Navy pilot and retired with the rank of Commander.

2022 Sponsors

Sponsor EdgeConRVA

Explore Sponsorship Opportunities

Get Your Live (or virtual) Tickets to rvatech/Edge!

rvatech/Edge is a brand-new conference focused on building a community around modern engineering best practices that are powering innovation and disruption! Join us on December 8th as we reconnect for a day of innovative speakers + groundbreaking case studies enabling you to walk away with the essential building blocks for innovation in the enterprise.

Get Tickets Today

10 AM | Registration

Registration + Welcoming Remarks

11 AM | Emerging Trends of Successful Innovators

Location: Hippodrome Theater

Keynote Speaker: Max Furmanov – Global Managing Director / Partner at Accenture

In today’s digital economy technology is not just a business enabler, industry leading organizations lead by employing technology differently and lead the business with it. Hear how successful organizations are transforming their technology estate, using and setting counter intuitive emerging trends, and driving innovation at unprecedented speed. We will discuss examples from across industries and explore common misconceptions that are pervasive in tech.

12 PM | Lunch

1 PM | DevOps Case Studies

Location: Speakeasy

Case Study #1 | Deploying an OpenShift Application in the AWS Gov Cloud

Speakers: Dennis Sharpe – CTO of Ippon Technologies | David Elizondo – DevOps Engineer at Ippon Technologies

Learn about the challenges we faced deploying an OpenShift Application in the AWS Gov Cloud. We talk about FedRAMP High compliance and the additional challenges that brought. Learn about FIPS compliance and the implications of using CoreOS for OpenShift. We tell a story about starting with a heavily open source based application and converting that to FedRAMP High compliance. We discuss some lessons learned and provide a list of things to think about early so they do not delay your project later.

Case Study #2 | Terraforming the Way to Scalable Architecture

Speakers: Scott Miller, Software Engineer at Invoice Cloud |Gurushyam Mony, Senior Director – Platform Engineering at Invoice Cloud

We plan to take you down the path we traveled to implement Infrastructure as Code (IaC) at scale using Terraform. We’ll go over the architectural patterns that we found to be successful, as well as work through the challenges we faced, including remote state storage, security and secret management, and policy enforcement. We’ll also touch on some of the finer points of IaC, such as testing, monitoring, automation, and meeting audit/compliance standards. Our goal is to educate participants on what’s needed to run IaC effectively at any size organization, primarily using open source tooling. Apart from Terraform, we will be using Jenkins and Azure Blob Storage, although any of these tools could be swapped for another that fulfills the same role.

1 PM | Richmond: Destination Cloud Computing

Location: Hippodrome Theater

Speakers: Drew Firment – SVP, Cloud Transformation at A Cloud Guru and Chris Barker – Assistant Vice President at The Federal Reserve

While 70% of CIOs plan a cloud-first strategy only 16% of organizations have the required skills to succeed. The primary impediment to scaling the adoption of cloud computing at enterprises is the lack of a cloud-fluent workforce. Learn how local companies like The Federal Reserve are going from zero to thousands of cloud certifications in under a year — empowering individuals, business outcomes, and our community to become the Silicon Valley of the South.

2 PM | Event Driven Architecture with Quarkus, Kafka, and Kubernetes

Location: Hippodrome Theater

Speaker: Jeremy Davis – Chief Architect at RedHat

Event-Driven Architectures are distributed, asynchronous, and scalable. The rise of real-time decision-making, the on-demand economy, the explosion of data, and the adoption of microservices have all driven the adoption of event-driven architectures.
This presentation is built on an event-driven coffee shop built with Quarkus and Kafka and deployed to Kubernetes.

We will cover the basic building blocks of event-driven architecture and tackle the most common pitfalls of adoption EDA:

* Domain-Driven Design
* Event Storming
* Kafka or REST (or other things)
* Asynchronous testing
* Deploying to Kubernetes

At the end of this session, you will have an understanding of how to get started building your own event-driven, streaming applications, how Domain-Driven Design and Event-Driven Architectures fit together, and a few takeaway tips for TDD in an event driven Kubernetes world.

2 PM | Cloud Case Studies

Location: Speakeasy

Case Study #1 | Cloud Transformation

Speakers:

Diane Schnupp – EVP & CIO at Kinsale Insurance

Stephen Colebrook – Cloud Architect at Kinsale Insurance

Kinsale Insurance is in the midst of a cloud transformation journey to increase speed to business value and support significant business growth. After months of planning and testing, we did a major migration over Labor Day weekend 2020 that involved all our production databases and about 50% of our custom applications. Since then we’ve been migrating additional applications and leveraging cloud technologies to develop new apps. We’ll discuss our journey, the approach to designing and implementing the target state architecture, challenges we’ve encountered along the way, and benefits we expect to achieve.

Case Study #2 | Altria’s Cloud Transformation Goals

Speakers:

Kevin Hazzard – Cloud Strategist at Altria

In this conversational session, we will discuss how public cloud computing technology supports Altria’s vision and fosters competitiveness through innovation.

3 PM | Mobile CI/CD Pipeline

Session Location: Hippodrome Theater

Speakers:

Alex Otanez | CEO of Shockoe

Andrew Rumbley | Senior Mobile and Web Applications Developer at Shockoe

Session details coming soon!

3 PM | Five Pitfalls to Avoid During Your Transformation Journey

Location: Speakeasy

Case Study | Five Pitfalls to Avoid During Your Transformation Journey

Speaker: Darrell Norton – Principal at CapTech

You’ve got the future vision and approval to proceed. You know technical details for specific things you want to do. But how do you go from vision to implementation, and what problems can occur on the way? This talk will give you tips to avoid five common pitfalls in your digital transformation.

4 PM | Happy Hour w/ DJ Andrew Hypes

DJ Andrew Hypes + Networking Happy Hour

Conference Agenda

Meet the Keynote

Max is a Global Managing Director leading both Accenture’s Emerging Technology practice and network of Liquid Application Studios.

Max’s teams are responsible for R&D, innovation thought leadership and delivering pioneering engagements to disrupt how our clients run their business. Max is an innovation thought leader and has extensive experience with Internet of Things, Cloud Integration, Lightweight Architectures and Liquid, Connected, and Intelligent Applications. Max regularly works with CIOs of large Global 2000 companies to develop comprehensive technology strategy and has frequently served as chief architect and engagement director for many complex, large-scale programs across multiple industries including Financial Services, Public Sector, Telecom and Media/Entertainment. Max is one of < 100 Master Architects at Accenture. Max’s experience also spans Accenture’s global presence; he has pioneered distributed delivery when launching Accentur’s India Delivery Centers, opened Emerging Technology practice in APAC, and setup Liquid Studios leveraging “New IT” delivery methods such as Design Thinking, Lean Engineering, and DevOp

1 PM | Case Studies | Speakeasy

Case Study #1 | Deploying an OpenShift Application in the AWS Gov Cloud

Speakers – Dennis Sharpe, CTO of Ippon Technologies and David Elizondo, DevOps Engineer at Ippon Technologies

Case Study #2 | Terraforming the Way to Scalable Architecture

Speakers: Scott Miller, Software Engineer at Invoice Cloud | Gurushyam Mony, Senior Director – Platform Engineering at Invoice Cloud

Case Study #1 Details

Learn about the challenges we faced deploying an OpenShift Application in the AWS Gov Cloud. We talk about FedRAMP High compliance and the additional challenges that brought. Learn about FIPS compliance and the implications of using CoreOS for OpenShift. We tell a story about starting with a heavily open source-based application and converting that to FedRAMP High compliance. We discuss some lessons learned and provide a list of things to think about early so they do not delay your project later.

Case Study #2 Details

3 PM | Mobile CI/CD Pipeline Expert Session | Theater

Speakers: Alex Otanez | CEO of Shockoe and Andrew Rumbley | Senior Mobile and Web Applications Developer at Shockoe

Session Details

1 PM | Richmond: Destination Cloud Computing | Theater

Speaker: Drew Firment – SVP, Cloud Transformation at A Cloud Guru and Chris Barker – Assistant Vice President at The Federal Reserve

Session Details

2 PM | Case Studies | Speakeasy

Case Study #1 | Cloud Transformation

Speakers:

Diane Schnupp – EVP & CIO at Kinsale Insurance

Stephen Colebrook – Cloud Architect at Kinsale Insurance

Case Study #2 | Altria's Cloud Transformation Goals

Speakers:

Kevin Hazzard – Cloud Strategist at Altria

Case Study #1 Details

Case Study #2 Details

In this conversational session, we will discuss how public cloud computing technology supports Altria’s vision and fosters competitiveness through innovation.

2 PM | Event Driven Architecture with Quarkus, Kafka, and Kubernetes | Theater

Speaker: Jeremy Davis – Chief Architect at RedHat

Session Details

Event-Driven Architectures are distributed, asynchronous, and scalable. The rise of real-time decision-making, the on-demand economy, the explosion of data, and the adoption of microservices have all driven the adoption of event-driven architectures. This presentation is built on an event-driven coffee shop built with Quarkus and Kafka and deployed to Kubernetes.

We will cover the basic building blocks of event-driven architecture and tackle the most common pitfalls of adoption EDA:

* Domain-Driven Design
* Event Storming
* Kafka or REST (or other things)
* Asynchronous testing
* Deploying to Kubernetes

3 PM | Five Pitfalls to Avoid During Your Transformation Journey | Speakeasy

Speaker: Darrell Norton – Principal at CapTech

Session Details

Darrell Norton is a Principal at CapTech Consulting based out of the Richmond, VA office. He has over 20 years of experience in Enterprise Architecture, cloud integration, and SaaS system development. Darrell has built solutions for a wide range of industries including healthcare, financial services, defense, retail, and government. With significant experience implementing Microsoft solutions, Darrell earned the Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professional) award for 10 consecutive years.

Hosted at RVA's Edge

Historic Hippodrome Theater

The Hippodrome Theater is located in Jackson Ward; known as the “Harlem of the South,” no doubt a reference to the quality musical talent that it attracted. In its heyday, Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong performed at the HIPP. The theater has been beautifully restored with meticulous attention to detail. This is truly a one-of-a-kind venue and entertainment mecca for all.

Address

Hippodrome Theater – 528 N 2nd St, Richmond, VA

Common Questions

Where exactly am I going?

The Hippodrome is located at 526-528 North 2nd Street, between Clay and Leigh Streets.

Where do I park?

Street parking is available (two hour limit until 4:00pm), in addition to Public Parking Lots, which account for over 5,000 spaces within a 2 block radius.

You may also view a detail parking map here.

I want to learn more about the Hippodrome.

Visit their website at – https://hippodromerichmond.com/

2021 Speakers

Keynote - Max Furmanov

Managing Director / Partner

Accenture

Learn More

Drew Firment

SVP, Cloud Transformation

A Cloud Guru

Learn More

Kevin Hazzard

Cloud Strategist

Altria

Learn More

Diane Schnupp

EVP & CIO

Kinsale Insurance

Learn More

Jeremy Davis

Chief Architect

RedHat

Learn More

Dennis Sharpe

Chief Technology Officer

Ippon Technologies

Learn More

David Elizondo

DevOps Engineer

Ippon Technologies

Learn More

Scott Miller

Software Engineer

Invoice Cloud

Learn More

Chris Barker

Assistant Vice President

The Federal Reserve

Learn More

Darrell Norton

Principal

CapTech

Learn More

Title Sponsors

Conference Sponsors

About the Conference

Central Virginia’s premier technology conference, rvatech/Women in Technology is back at the Dominion Energy Center!

rvatech/Women in Technology is a technical conference for all technologists + business professionals, curated and presented by our rvatech/Women in Technology committee. Aimed at bringing together professionals on a wide range of relevant topics to learn, engage, and collaborate, this event will feature a robust panel of keynote speakers, fascinating breakout sessions, and ample opportunities for networking.

Venue

Dominion Energy Center

600 East Grace Street

Parking

Parking information and directions to the Dominion Energy Center can be found here.

Registration

Meet the Speakers

Nazzic Keene

CEO

SAIC

Charly Prinsloo

Vice President - Salesforce

CGI

Belinda McDowell

Vice President, Head of Operations

Capital One Software

Shalini Goyal

Senior Manager Team Lead - Cyber Technical

Capital One

Nick Anderson

AVP, Data Science

Carmax

Ashley Ford

Director, Data Science

Carmax

Amy Braden

Director Security Governance

VITA

Debi Smith

Security Architecture Manager

VITA

Diane Carnohan

CISO

Virginia Department of Education

Stephanie Williams-Hayes

CISO

VDH

Ayisha Minter

Flight Instructor

Wing

Terry Ellis

Vice President, Government & Regulatory Affairs

Comcast

Amelia De Jesus

Vice President of Workforce Solutions

Wireless Infrastructure Association

Tamarah Holmes

Director, Office of Broadband

Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development

Neera Jain

Technical & Team Lead, Enterprise Directory Services

AIS Network

Keira D'Amato

Athlete & Owner

PR Run & Walk by Keira D’Amato

Laurie Head

Owner & CMCO

AIS Network

Jessica Beavers

Information Security & Risk Management Officer (ISRMO)

Library of Virginia

Heather Walker

Managing Director

Deloitte

Agenda

2023 rvatech/Women in Technology Sponsors

Title Sponsors

Conference Sponsors

Happy Hour Sponsors

Academic Sponsor

This Event Is Currently Accepting Sponsors

Download Sponsor Details

Contact Mary Case for Sponsorship.

Conference Tickets on Sale Now

Purchase Tickets

About the Conference

Central Virginia’s premier technology conference, rvatech/Drive is back LIVE + in-person on Friday, October 29th at the Science Museum of Virginia!

2021 rvatech/Drive is a technical conference for all technologists + business professionals, curated and presented by our rvatech/Women in Technology committee. Aimed at bringing together professionals on a wide range of relevant topics to learn, engage, and collaborate, this event will feature a robust panel of keynote speakers, fascinating breakout sessions, and ample opportunities for networking.

Venue

The Science Museum of Virginia – Dewey Gottwald Center

2500 W Broad St, Richmond, VA 23220

Parking:

Dewey Gottwald Center parking is located behind the museum. Parking lot entrance located off of West Leigh Street – view detailed instructions.

GPS Address: 2301 W Leigh St Richmond, Va 23220

Student Tickets

For student ticket pricing contact Lindsay Money at Lindsay@rvatech.com

The 2021 MLM Awards

The Margaret Lyn McDermid Awards recognize women technologists in the greater Richmond area. The awards program is named after Margaret Lyn McDermid who has had a direct impact on Central Virginia’s tech economy, Virginia’s image across the country, opportunities for women and young people in technology, and most especially our continued growth as an organization at RVATECH.

Apply / Nominate Today

Conference Schedule

8:30 AM | Registration + Morning Cocktail Hour

Welcome to 2021 rvatech/Drive! Grab a mimosa and/or a bloody morning at our morning brunch
bar + reconnect with Richmond’s technology community!

Take time to engage with the #rvatech community + our conference sponsors by visiting the
exhibition booths with a cocktail in hand – Cheers!

9:05 AM | Keynote - "What Rocket Science & Banking Have in Common"

Melanie Frank | Managing Vice President – Cyber Engineering at Capital One

What Rocket Science & Banking Have in Common

When you think of Rocket Science and Banking you probably don’t think of them as interchangeable careers, but they actually have a lot more in common than you might imagine. Join Melanie Frank as she talks about how her dream to become an astronaut led her down the unanticipated path to software engineer.

9:35 - 10:10 AM | How Data Analytics Was Used to Address the ‘Twindemic’: COVID-19 and the Opioid Epidemic

Track Category | DRIVE to SECURE

Speaker:

Lyd Paull-Flores Sr. Director at Qlarion

The impact of COVID-19 on the opioid epidemic has been well established. Called the “twindemic” among public health service professionals, people with addiction and mental health needs were deeply impacted by enforced social isolation. While this has led to increased challenges for health and safety professionals, the silver lining is that it has accelerated the adoption of technology, data exchanges, predictive analytics, and programs that center around social determinants/informants of health to formulate a response that supports individuals battling both addiction and the pandemic. For instance, the Affordable Care Act and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act resulted in the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) and the collection of data that shines a light on prescribers whose practices contributed to addiction.

In this session, Lyd Paull-Flores, Senior Director of Healthcare at Qlarion, will highlight:

• How states, localities and healthcare organizations have leveraged data analytics to combat the “twindemic”: COVID-19 and the opioid epidemic

• Combining data exchanges with social determinants/informants of health

• How predictive analytics can change provider behavior Additionally, she will cover key trends that have proven effective for health and safety professionals looking to improve the quality of life for patients needing addiction support in the age of COVID-19.

These include:

• Housing as a vector of healthcare

• Healthcare infrastructure modernization

• Non-punitive collaborative social support programs

10:10 - 10:45 AM | Building for Reliability Panel

Track Category | DRIVE to BUILD

Speakers:

Nicole Carry | Principal Infrastructure/Operations Engineer – ADP

Briana Augenreich | Sr Software Engineer – HubSpot

Join the conversation as Nicole Carry and Bri Augenreich talk us through building reliable products, both from the hardware and software engineering perspectives. They’ll discuss change management, resilient architecture, and some of the key lessons learned over their careers so far. Moderated by Dana Haddon.

11 - 11:35 AM | Cyber Roles w/ Kristi Horton

Track Category | DRIVE to SECURE

Speaker:

Kristi Horton | Founder | Horton Innovations

“All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players;” – William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”
Shakespeare wrote of a different set of roles, but the diverse needs in cyber security and related disciplines might surprise you!

Learn about the different functions in cyber security and related fields and the skills valued in each.
Everyone has something to contribute. Discover how to identify the positions that suit your abilities and interests, how to spot candidates with unconventional talents, and how to connect the two.

11:40 AM | Break for Sponsor Booths/Networking Table Cards

Break time – 11:40 AM – 12:25 PM

Lunch will be served at 11:45 PM in the sponsor exhibition room.

12:25 - 1 PM | The Cloud: It’s Not just Someone Else’s Computer Anymore

Track Category | DRIVE to BUILD

Speaker: Allison Boulais | VP – Architecture Strategy & Governance at Capital One

1-1:35 PM | Drive to Innovate Panel

Track Category | DRIVE to INNOVATE

Speakers:

Rashonda Adkins | Director, Project Delivery & Quality Assurance at Ferguson

Jamie Sanderson Reid | Director, Cyber Governance, Risk and Compliance at The AES Corporation

1:40 - 2:55 PM | Cyber Carnival

To celebrate Cyber Security Awareness Month (CSAM) and the critical role of Cyber Gaming in building a strong workforce, Katzcy Cyber Games has assembled a virtual festival filled with games of skill and chance, scheduled thrilling performances, and lined up activities and drawings that bring home the sights, smells, and tastes of the carnival!

After our final session, enjoy some time in the exhibition hall to play games, win prizes and strengthen your cyber skills!

3 PM | Closing Remarks

Meet the Keynote -

As a Managing Vice President in Technology at Capital One, Melanie Frank leads Cyber Engineering for the enterprise. Her teams innovate boldly to secure the enterprise. Her team obsesses over excellence. Melanie has been with Capital One for over 20 years in roles of increasing responsibility within Technology. She also proudly serves as the accountable executive for CapitalOne’s Women in Technology business resource group.

Previously, Melanie led Associate Experience Technology and held leadership positions in Card Technology where she led Customer servicing, Fraud & Disputes, and Payments for Capital One. Before that, in Retail Bank Tech she supported teller and servicing solutions for retail branches as well as integration of two large acquisitions. Melanie was also a leader in Digital Software Engineering, where she drove platform, portfolio management and development. She also spent eight years in Capital One’s Quality Services organization.

Melanie is passionate about encouraging women to pursue their interest in STEM. Through Capital One’s Women in Technology initiative, she serves as a role model for women across the company, fostering a diverse and inclusive environment across her teams. In addition, Melanie speaks to diversity organizations on college campuses across the country, and participates in programs like Techsters, a Richmond-based initiative designed to get young girls involved in STEM.

Prior to joining Capital One in 2000, Melanie worked at Honeywell on a government contract at NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center where she tested software that conducted the scheduling, command, and control for Space Network communications satellites.

She graduated from the University of Virginia with a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering, and has a Masters in Systems Engineering from the University of Maryland College Park.

s as the Board Chair for Full Circle Grief Center, putting in countless hours and supporting families who have lost children, parents, and loved ones. Melanie is also a member of the Westhampton Woman’s Club where she helps support a wide range of charities. She finds at least one charity each month where she can do something to help and make a difference.

Breakout Sessions

DRIVE to SECURE Tracks

Track #2

DRIVE to BUILD

Track #3

DRIVE to INNOVATE

DRIVE to SECURE Tracks

Track #2

DRIVE to BUILD

Track #3

DRIVE to INNOVATE

Featured Speakers

Melanie Frank

Managing Vice President – Cyber Engineering

Capital One

Learn More

Lyd Paull-Flores

Senior Director of Healthcare

Qlarion

Learn More

Rashonda Adkins

Director, Project Delivery & Quality Assurance

Ferguson

Learn More

Nicole Carry

Principal Infrastructure Engineer

ADP

Learn More

Lyd Paull-Flores

Connect on LinkedIn

Track Category | DRIVE to SECURE

Session Title: How Data Analytics Was Used to Address the ‘Twindemic’: COVID-19 and the Opioid
Epidemic

Lyd has 15 years of experience utilizing analytics to drive process improvement programs across the healthcare continuum. As an analyst at the Massachusetts General Hospital, she developed programs to support patients in the oncology department ensuring that those receiving medical care also had access to the financial vehicles available under the MassHealth Program, the precursor to the Affordable Care Act.

She later moved into the chronic condition space at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, working with physicians to build programs to address quality, affordability, and patient satisfaction measures for patients with Hypertension, Diabetes, and Asthma.

Transitioning to healthcare policy, Lyd worked at the Pacific Business Group on Health where she supported the work of the Covered California insurance platform for the Affordable Care Act, addressing the patient satisfaction measures and the Medicare Advantage measures used to qualify products offered on the exchange. While there Lyd also worked with FQHCs and Safety Net Programs funded by Medicaid and MediCal to care for the 7 million under and uninsured Californians.

At Stanford HealthCare Lyd developed and implemented a comprehensive and integrated program to drive value-based care delivery with a focus on staying healthy and managing chronic conditions. More recently Lyd supported startups and medical-devices as they built their US market share and developed business strategies including developing white papers and tool kits, pricing for reimbursement in the commercial healthcare space, data collection methodologies, and actionable Key Performance Indicator reports that can be used to drive improvement.

As the Senior Director at Qlarion, Lyd oversees the FAACT (Framework for Addiction Analysis and Community Transformation) platform that allows data to be shared and compiled across government agencies to address complex Social Determinants of Health by identifying need and opportunity for public health and public safety programs as well as the rapidly growing Healthcare Practices Portfolio.

Lyd has a BA, MA, & MBA

Briana Augenreich

Senior Software Engineer

HubSpot

Learn More

Allison Boulais

VP – Architecture Strategy & Governance

Capital One

Learn More

Kristi Horton

CEO

Horton Innovations, LLC

Learn More

Jamie Sanderson Reid

Director, Cyber Governance, Risk and Compliance

The AES Corporation

Learn More

2021 rvatech/Drive Sponsors

Title Sponsors

Margaret Lyn McDermid Award

Conference Sponsors

Register For This Event

rvatech/Data Virtual Kickoff

Date: March 11, 2021

Time: 9:00 am until 12:00 pm

Location: TBD

Sponsor: TBD

Register For This Event

Register for the rvatech/Edge Kick-off

About

On November 5th, 2020, rvatech/Women curated a one-of-a-kind virtual experience that pairs all the things you love about rvatech's live events - keynotes, seminars, workshops, expo - with new virtual platforms, new ways to engage, new ways to learn, and new ways to celebrate the technology community in Richmond.

More than any other year, 2020 has seen the need for all of us to continue to drive forward in everything we do. None of us can afford to stand still. We must continue to evolve the technologies we use, how we use them, and how we create new ones. Whether you're a technology leader, a technology business owner, a technology practitioner, or simply a technology enthusiast, there is something for you.

Intro & Keynote

Keynote Speaker:

Christina Hollingsworth
Hamilton Beach VP, Information Technology

DRIVE your Education, Technology & Career

It can seem challenging at times to Get Stuff Done in today’s world! Come listen to our keynote speaker, Christina Hollingsworth – VP, Information Technology at Hamilton Beach Brands, on how she has led through chaotic times and DRIVE Education, Technology & Career pillars with her peers, teams, and leaders. Learn how she is an active DRIVER and how she launched #GSD movement in her life and career!

WATCH NOW

Track #1: Drive with Data

Big Data

Cloud

Privacy

Big Data

Cloud

Privacy

Track #2: Drive your Skills

Automation

Dev

Cyber Security

Automation

Dev

Cyber Security

Track #3: Drive the Journey

Program/Product

UX/UI

Agile

Program/Product

UX/UI

Agile

Executive Panel

How do you drive your career to the Executive Level? What does it take to drive an organization through uncertainties? How do you influence your peers and drive your team to Get Stuff Done? Come listen to our team of Executive Panelists to learn more about a day in their lives and how they drove their career success.

WATCH NOW

Panelist: Charlene Mowery

Charlene Mowery
Red Hat, Director, Strategic Initiatives

Panelist: LaLisha Hurt

LaLisha Hurt
GDIT, Deputy Chief Information Security Officer

Panelist: Elaine Cheng

Elaine Cheng
VP and Chief Information Officer for Shentel

The 2020 MLM Awards

WATCH NOW

Breakouts

D&I Breakout

Effective Allyship, Advocacy, and Activism

As companies strive to create a diverse and inclusive workforce and work to address issues pertaining to race, gender, class, ability, age and sexual orientation how can you take individual action to support a culture of inclusion and diversity? Can your actions help build sustainable and systematic change?

Click here for Breakout Resources

Grow Your Developer Network Breakout

Developing a larger network of engineers, developers, analysts, and more!

What tools and technologies are you most excited about working with? Which learning methods work best to stay up to date with the latest release? What are some common pitfalls and how can we collaborate to solve them?

Data Driven Mindset Breakout

Data, data everywhere – let’s meet to network and talk about data and data analytics

How to drive positive outcomes with data available? When is it just too much data that it is unusable? How can analytics help? What are unintentional consequences of data and how can we avoid them?

Product People Breakout

Grow your Product Network Do you value the outcome over the output? Do you OBSESS over your customer? Are you always wondering “Can’t there be a better way?” and then going to build that better way? Let’s be friends – or at least LinkedIn connections. Bring your digital business card and any questions for the panelists of our product and program management sessions – they’ll be joining us for this session too!

Job Fair

Our Title Sponsors will spend a few minutes each discussing available positions that they are currently seeking. You'll also be able to learn a little bit more about what it's like to work at these companies and what they look for in candidates.

Event Speakers

Christina Hollingsworth

VP, Information Technology

Hamilton Beach

Courtney Rowell

Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Leader

Thomson Reuters

Elaine Cheng

VP and Chief Information Officer

Shentel

Emma MacMullan

Cyber Intelligence Analyst

Federal Reserve

Jimma Elliot-Stevens

Chief Privacy Officer

Thomson Reuters

Johanna “Jojo” Leasiolagi

Senior Technical Advisor

Defense Intelligence Agency

Katia Mastropas

Senior Data Scientist

James River Insurance

Lauren Hill

Product Lead

Capital One

Mary Glerum

Director of Product Management

InRythym

Megan Overton

Product Management Consultant

The Mom Project

Santhi Sridharan

Head of Engineering, Open Source Office

Capital One

Sara Demeria

VP, Business Information Security Officer

Federal Reserve

Teresa Washburn

Senior Manager, User Experience Design

Workday

Crystal Harris

Agile Transformation Coach

CapTech

Karen Rodd

Agile Transformation Coach

CapTech

LaLisha Hurt

Deputy Chief Information Security Officer

GDIT

Tanya Madison

Chief Privacy Officer

Aristocrat Technologies

Charlene Mowery

Director, Strategic Initiatives

Red Hat

Viji Natarajan

Enterprise and Solution Architecture Leader / Director

Veracity / Women Who Code

Partner Expo

Welcome to Drive's Partner Expo! Take the time to learn about our conference sponsors by clicking on the links below. Each link will take you to a customized virtual booth that highlights everything from the company's leading women in tech to current job openings!

2020 Title Sponsors

2020 Drive Sponsors

Conference Details

8-8:40 AM
REGISTRATION

what does registration entail

8:40-8:50 AM
WELCOME | Emcee | Kelli Lemon

Kelli Lemon (Instagram)

Kelli Lemon has created a name for herself as a self-proclaimed “social entrepreneur” that can be seen and heard all over Richmond, Virginia! Formerly the Business Manager of Mama J’s restaurant, Kelli is now working for herself (Like The Fruit, LLC) and is passionate about creating events and opportunities for people to socially interact, through food, sports, education or the arts. Late 2018 she made her dream into a reality and open her social cafe, Urban Hang Suite, at 304 East Broad Street in historic Jackson Ward. Kelli adores Richmond and makes sure she does her part in exposing the city! She is a change agent and cheerleader for RVA and is excited to see the city progress and become more inclusive.

Well where can you find Kelli? Every Monday morning, you can catch Kelli talking to various Richmonder’s about how they “live” the city as she hosts the podcast and web series Coffee with Strangers. During the evenings and weekends you can find her out and about either hosting and/or attending the many festivals and events held all over RVA. Kelli is a part time on air personality with Radio One Richmond. Fridays you can catch her with The Heavy Hitter DJ Lonnie B and Danja Mowf during “The Weekend” on Kiss FM and on Sundays with DJ Lonnie B on “Sunday School” on iPower Richmond.

Kelli can also been seen hosting various major events around Richmond including the annual Richmond Jazz Festival, After Hours at The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Family Day at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens and Controversy History at The Valentine Museum. She’s also assisted in creating unique urban events in RVA including Hip Hop BINGO, Ready 2 Give Charity Events, The Art of Noise, Made By RVA Creative Market, HeART & Soul Brew Fest, Virginia (Richmond) Black Restaurant Experience.

Lastly, Kelli makes time to give back by serving on the Advisory Board for the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club, Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens and Virginia Union University’s Center for Undergraduate Research. She also is on the External Affairs Commitee for the Better Housing Coaliltion and newly appointed to the Virginia Tourism Corporation Board of Directors. Kelli received her bachelor’s in Science degree from the University of Virginia and Master’s in Education in Sports Leadership from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Quick Lemon fun facts:

She eats 100% of her meals out and prefers local. NO CHAINS!
She could eat cheese pizza and blue crabs for the rest of life.
She does not want to meet her favorite musicians because she doesn’t want them to be real people.
She has vivid dreams… so no scary movies.
Please don’t flush the toilet while she’s in the shower. She will have to start all over again.
When you cry …. she cries.
She hits the snooze button for two hours before she can officially get out of the bed.

9-9:45 AM
KEYNOTE | Elizabeth Lindsey | Executive Director | Byte Back

Elizabeth Lindsey (LinkedIn) | Executive Director | Byte Back

Elizabeth Lindsey is the Executive Director of Byte Back, a Washington, DC based nonprofit providing a pathway of inclusive tech training that leads to living-wage careers. Elizabeth earned her bachelor’s from Swarthmore College and a master’s in public affairs and urban and regional planning from Princeton University. As a recognized leader in tech, Elizabeth was selected in 2019 for Washington Business Journal’s most competitive list – 40 Under 40. She was named an Enterprising Woman by Tagg Magazine, a 40 Under 40 Queer Woman by the Washington Blade, and a Tech Titan by theWashingtonian. She led a panel at SXSW in 2018 and was named a top 100 leadership speaker in Inc.

Elizabeth serves on the Federal Communications Commission’s Advisory Committee on Diversity and Digital Empowerment and is a member of the Washington, DC Mayor’s Innovation & Technology Inclusion Council. Elizabeth is on the Board of Directors of The Workplace DC, the Goodwill Excel Center, The Engine Room, and the National Digital Inclusion Alliance.

Under Elizabeth’s leadership, Byte Back’s innovative training is earning national attention and expanding, helping even more people thrive in a digital society and change the face of the tech sector.

10:00-11:15 AM
TECH BREAKOUTS 1.0

Breakout 1.1 CEO Discussion: Women Who Wear Real Capes
Speakers: Mary Kopczynski, Founder & CEO, RegAlytics (LinkedIn);Paige Wilson, Founder/CEO Naborforce LLC (LinkedIn); Karen Townsend, CEO, Sea Island Software, Inc. and Kelley W. Powell, CEO of MacLaurin Group (LinkedIn)

Tune in as this panel of female CEO’s talk candidly about their journeys to the “C-Suite” and share lessons learned, successes, sources of inspiration and moments when the cape maybe did not fit perfectly along their career journey’s.

Breakout 1.2 You Don’t Have to be Loud to Lead
Speaker: Rica Rosario, Design Lead, Deloitte Digital

Let’s talk about quiet people and quiet leadership. These aren’t new concepts, but they often don’t get the attention they deserve. Just because you don’t have the loudest voice in the room, doesn’t mean people won’t listen to you. You can still be heard. This session will celebrate value and impact of quiet people, quiet confidence and quiet leadership; share some tips how to be or work with quiet leaders; and generate some ideas on making workplaces more inclusive of quiet colleagues, so everyone can be and do their best.

Breakout 1.3 Talk Nerdy to Me
Speakers: Sara Perry, Team Lead, Artivest (LinkedIn) and Fiona Towner, Data Scientist, Luck Companies (LinkedIn)

Join us for an interactive session as our data science enthusiasts share various experiences regarding their professional career journey or “seasons” they encountered that lead them to the current path they are on today. In addition, they will also provide a live demo of a data set side-by-side built using Python and R to showcase the differences and similarities between the two languages.

11:30 AM-1 PM - LUNCH

menu could go here

1-2:00 PM
TECH BREAKOUTS 2.0

Breakout 2.1 Authentic Leadership
Speaker: Adrienne Whitaker, Senior Level Business Development Executive, SOAR365 (LinkedIn)

Adrienne Whitaker is a business development executive with SOAR365. She also serves as a strategic advisor to the Richmond City Sheriff’s Office, serves on the Advisory Board of C&F Bank and is appointed to the Minority Business Enterprise and Emerging Small Business Advisory Board for the City of Richmond. Come join as Adrienne facilitates a session on authentic leadership, leveraging the lessons of author and motivational speaker Simon Sinek

Breakout 2.2 Creativity + UX Design Session
Speaker: Alicia Lane , Design Strategist for People Development – Director, Capital One (LinkedIn)

TBA

Breakout 2.3 Tech Prep for Hack Track –> Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Overview
Experience? Not needed here.

What to Expect –

Background on RPA’s Evolution
What is RPA?
Why you should consider and learn RPA
How to Structure Your Center of Excellence
Preparation for the Automation First Era

2:15-3:45 PM
WORKSHOP | Hack Track | RPA or Robotic Process Automation

Hack Track – Hands on with RPA

RPA is taking the world by storm. Thinking automation first enables your company to move faster and more effectively. It helps you serve customers better. It enables you to operate more efficiently.It unburdens your employees from mundane, repetitive work, allowing them to focus on solving problems and creating value.

In this session, you get an immediate in-depth introduction to RPA, hands-on experience when you build your first bot, and support from some of the best RPA engineers in the world so that you too can put automation first. Again, no technical experience required.

Please note the following requirements:

PC preferred; Will have additional PCs available for use.
Install UiPath Community Edition
Acess to Microsoft Excel
Internet access
Access to Internet Explorer

2:15-3:45 PM
KEYNOTE | Sue Choe | Chief People Officer | Petal

Sue Choe (LinkedIn) | Chief People Officer | Petal

Motivating people to do their best work is a seemingly Sisyphean challenge — and that’s why Sue loves it. Sue aspires to create organizations that exhibit consistently high levels of individual / team performance AND professional fulfillment.

How? By engaging in direct and clear communications; understanding issues from multiple angles; diagnosing root causes; identifying patterns; benchmarking; experimenting and iterating; collecting feedback and results, and continuously improving. We can call this “HR”, “People Ops”, or by its components — talent acquisition, onboarding, learning/development, career pathing, recognition and rewards, employee relations, culture / community-building, organizational development, etc. — but it all boils down to this: problem-solving rigor + an open mind.

Add a ton of elbow grease, a touch of empathy, lots of listening, and a focus on systems and process, and that’s what Sue brings to fast-paced, ideals-driven companies where people and culture are paramount to business success (however you choose to define it).

4:00-4:45 PM
KEYNOTE | Rhonda Vetere | Global CIO/CTO

Rhonda Vetere (LinkedIn) | Global CIO/CTO

Rhonda Vetere is a seasoned leader across industries, working in global executive positions at Santander Bank, nThrive / Pamplona Capital Management, Estée Lauder Companies, AIG, HP Enterprise Services, Barclays, Bank One / JPMorgan Chase, and several telecommunications companies.

She has lived and worked internationally – in New York, Hong Kong, Singapore, London, Mumbai, and across India – and has managed teams of up to 20,000 people. Vetere is also the co-author of an HP special edition book, “Enterprise Service Management for Dummies”.

Rhonda contributes her perspective and knowledge by serving on boards for professional, educational, and athletic institutions, including the US Olympics and Paralympics, The Canadian Cloud Council, Longwood University, George Mason University School of Business, SWAAY Magazine, Miss Fashion Week, and Xcelocloud Inc.

Outside of work, Rhonda is very active as an athlete and regularly competes in IRONMAN triathlons (among other events). She recently ran in the Serengeti as part of a girls and women’s empowerment fundraiser.

5:00-6:00 PM
RECEPTION & BOOK SIGNING

Other details

Central Virginia’s premier technology conference, hosted by the RVATECH Women in Technology, brings together professionals on a wide range of technology topics to learn, network, and collaborate.

Join us on Friday, October 18th for RVATECH’s eighth annual Women in Technology conference, highlighting leading women in the technology industry. This year’s theme “Seasons” encompasses various changes throughout the career lifecycle. This event will feature a robust panel of keynote speakers, fascinating breakout sessions, and ample opportunities for networking. Our speakers will touch on a variety of topics experienced during their career and professional journeys, share stories and examples of successes, challenges and lessons learned. Whether you are just starting your career journey, considering a transition into the technology realm, or working your way up the leadership ladder, this conference provides perspective into each “season” of your path.

Title Sponsor

Another Sponsor Title Example

One More

Replay the Webinar

View 2021 rvatech/DataSummit Video Archive

Date

April 21, 2021

Time

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

About the Event

In March of this year, Virginia signed into law the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA) joining California (CCPA) as the second state to enact comprehensive data privacy legislation. Other states are also working on their own privacy laws. Data Privacy legislation means more than just legal and business challenges for corporations, it means empowering the consumer to have more access and control over their data which is a valuable commodity.

In this rvatech/Data Summit series’ event, come and join the discussion as business leaders share their thoughts on what the recent Data Privacy legislation means for the business community as well as for you, the consumer.

Webinar Speakers

Moderator | Jeanine Cook

Manager

CapTech Consulting

Kyle Fondren

Senior Manager, Consumer Identity Management and Privacy

Altria Client Services

Caroline Stapleton

Assistant General Counsel

West Creek

John Duncan

Director + Head of Data Governance and Master Data

CarMax

Christopher Jones

Attorney

Sands Anderson

Register For This Event

Join the conversation via Zoom – Click Here to Register

Purchase Tickets | View the Conference Schedule | Sponsor ProductFest RVA

ProductFest RVA promises a full day of skill development, new ideas, and connections to supercharge your product career.

Join us for Richmond’s one and only Product Management conference, ProductFest RVA, created for Product Managers by Product Mangers. Enjoy a day surrounded by the most forward-thinking voices in the industry as we gather for incredible presentations and working sessions given by a diverse lineup of speakers that will leave you feeling inspired and motivated.

View Last Year's Event Photos

Conference Details -

About the Event

Join us in Richmond, Virginia, and let’s stray away from your average workday and dedicate some time towards you. Get ready for a day of innovative sessions focused on connecting with the Richmond product community and growing your career.

ProductFest RVA promises a full day of skill development, new ideas, and connections to supercharge your product career.

Date + Time

May 24, 2023 | 9 AM – 5 PM

Venue

Dominion Energy Center

600 E Grace St Suite 400, Richmond, VA 23219, USA

Parking Info

The Dominion Energy Center is located in downtown Richmond, between 6th and 7th Streets, and Broad and Grace Streets.

Detailed parking instructions + available lots can be found at https://www.dominionenergycenter.com/visit/directions-parking

Register for the Conference

One Room,
Two Stages + Simultaneous Content.

Welcome to our Silent Conference. Powered by Silent Events® – we’re bringing our attendees a conference experience they’ve never seen before. Each attendee will receive their own headset enabling you to listen to whatever speaker you want by tuning into that channel via your headset.

We’re making it easier for the product community to come together to learn, engage, and have fun!

Love both speakers – there’s no need for FOMO, just switch the channels.

There’s no breakout commitment – change the channel and check out what’s happening on the other stage!

Feeling Social? That’s cool too – take off your headset + chat it up without fear of disruption.

Silent Events | DJ Service Niagara | Liquid Entertainment

2023 Conference Agenda

2023 Speakers

Marty Cagan

Founder & Partner at SVPG | Advisor | Speaker | Author

SVPG - Silicon Valley Product Group

Learn More

Ann Yauger

AVP, Product Management

CarMax

Learn More

Ben Nelson

Product Manager and Consultant

Learn More

Carly Buxton, PhD

Founder

Nessle

Learn More

Paige Wilson

Founder

Naborforce

Learn More

Julien Reininger

Founder

Jacked! Jackfruit Jerky

Learn More

Joe Belsterling

CEO

MajorClarity

Learn More

Matthew O'Connell

Co-Founder

Vistaly

Learn More

Aaron Forrester

Director, Product Design

CarMax

Learn More

Antony Pegg

Vice President of Product Management

Fandom

Learn More

Lauren Thacker

UX Consultant, E-commerce Business Analyst & Project Manager - ProfitOptics, Inc

Owner - MadDope Digital Design Agency

Learn More

Jessica Hall

VP, Design

CoStar Group

P. Bradley Robb

Manager, Product Manager - Digital Messaging Products

Capital One

Learn More

Jen Finn

Co-Founder & CEO

Project Mongoose, LLC

Learn More

Alex Otanez

CEO

Shockoe | Mobile by Design

Learn More

Travis J. Bjorklund

Principal Product Manager, Innovation

Achieve

Learn More

2023 Sponsors

Title Sponsors

Conference Sponsors

This Event Is Currently Accepting Sponsors

Download Sponsor Details

Click Here to Contact Mary Case for Sponsorship Details

Thank You for a Great Event!

Huge thank you to our sponsors, committee + volunteers, and, of course - our attendees!

View the Event Photos!

About the Event | Meet our Speakers | Learn about our Sponsors

Introducing rvatech/ ProductFest RVA

Join us for Richmond’s inaugural Product Management conference, ProductFest RVA, created for Product Managers by Product Mangers. Enjoy a day surrounded by the most forward-thinking voices in the industry as we gather for incredible presentations and working sessions given by a diverse lineup of speakers that will leave you feeling inspired and motivated.

Conference Details -

About the Event

ProductFest RVA promises a full day of skill development, new ideas, and connections to supercharge your product career.

Date + Time

June 8, 2022 | 9 AM – 5 PM

Venue

Science Museum of Virginia – Thalhimer Pavilion

2500 West Broad Street

Richmond, VA 23220

Parking: 2301 W Leigh Street Richmond, VA 23220

Science Museum parking is ample and free. Spaces near the front of the building are designated for guests with mobility challenges. All other guests should park in the lot located directly behind the Science Museum off West Leigh Street or DMV Drive. Signage will provide you with WALKING directions to the Thalhimer Pavilion.

You may also view a detailed parking map here.

One Room,
Two Stages + Simultaneous Content.

We’re making it easier for the product community to come together to learn, engage, and have fun!

Love both speakers – there’s no need for FOMO, just switch the channels.

There’s no breakout commitment – change the channel and check out what’s happening on the other stage!

Feeling Social? That’s cool too – take off your headset + chat it up without fear of disruption.

Silent Events | DJ Service Niagara | Liquid Entertainment

2022 Agenda

9:00 - 9:30 AM / Registration

Registration / Networking – Doors Open at 9 AM

9:30 - 9:45 AM / Welcome

Welcoming remarks from rvatech/ + ProductTank Organizers

9:45 - 10:30 AM / Morning Keynote -
RVA as a Product Town
Speakers: Garret Westlake - VCU, Bill Harney - Keeping Current Matters, Casey Humphries - UNOS + Shannon Eastwood - Aquent

RVA as a Product Town – Past, Present + Future

Speakers:

Garret Westlake – Executive Director at VCU da Vinci Center for Innovation

Bill Harney – CEO at Keeping Current Matters

Casey Humphries – Logistical Products Service Line Leader at UNOS

Moderator – Shannon Eastwood – Senior Product Manager at Aquent

Over the years, Richmond has grown significantly as a product and technology town. Our Morning Keynote panelists will share their experience and perspective regarding how the product scene has evolved in RVA, past, present, and future.

10:40 - 11:25 AM / "It Pays to Discover… Properly"
Speakers: Amy O'Callaghan - Vangst + Victoria Lawson - CarMax

Speakers:

Amy O’Callaghan – Head of Product at Vangst

Victoria Lawson – Director, Product Management at CarMax

Discovery is an incredible tool, but it’s all too easy for bias and assumptions to derail our efforts. Join Victoria and Amy as they share how cognitive shortcuts show up in discovery, and how to build a learning agenda to outwit them. You’ll walk away with actionable techniques that you can immediately apply – whether you’re an experienced pro refining an established toolkit, or just starting out.

10:40 - 11:25 AM / Storytelling with Product Analytics

Speakers:

Chandler Tyler – Product Strategist at Shockoe

With hundreds of different data analysis tools and the allure of “big data” superpowers, it’s easy to get lost in a sea of meaningless reports and graphs. As product people, we have to not only make sense of the data we collect, but also tell a compelling story about what the data actually means to the customer or the business. In this session, Chandler will explain how to effectively leverage data to tell product stories using a combination of visualizations and narratives that create actionable outcomes.

11:35 AM - 12:20 PM / "The Value of Building Inclusive Product Teams"
Speakers: Dr. Kendra Cabler - Etsy, Somiah Lattimore - U of R + Charlotte Dales - Inclusively

Speakers:

Dr. Kendra Cabler – Senior Manager, DEI at Etsy

Somiah Lattimore – Director, Creativity, Innovation & Entrepreneurship at University of Richmond

Charlotte Dales – CEO of Inclusively

Moderator – Shannon Morales

It’s easy to build high-performing product teams that get the job done. But what’s the value in the team if it doesn’t reflect its’ users or generally is not inclusive? Today, we want to unpack some of the stories, experiences, and perspectives on building inclusive product teams – from the team itself all the way to the organizational level of inclusion and diversity.

11:35 AM - 12:20 PM / "Driving Decisions From Experience Data"
Speakers:Ann Marie Guzzi - Koalafi, Jordan Silton - Apartments.com + Odean Maye - Capital One

Speakers:

Jordan Silton – Senior Director of Product, SE at Apartments.com

Ann Marie Guzzi – Senior Product Manager at Koalafi

Odean Maye – Director of Technology at Capital One

Our world is full of data. From the things we read, the content we watch, and the products we interact with daily. We need data to help understand our customers and products that help us make decisions to drive your business forward.

Making decisions with data is great in theory, but what does it mean to be data-driven in practice? Join Ann Marie, Jordan, and Odean as they share how they share some of their experiences on using data (or lack thereof) to build products and drive decisions forward. From their experience, hear how data-driven decision-making can enable you to be a more effective product leader in your organization or entrepreneur in your venture.

12:20 - 1:20 PM / Lunch + Live-cast

Lunch / Networking / LIVE Product Podcast

Lunch will be provided by local food trucks!

1:20 - 2:05 PM / "Building Healthy Product Manager Teams"
Speaker: Abhi Agrawal - VP of Product Management, Ceridian

Speakers:

Abhi Agrawal – VP of Product Management at Ceridian

A lot of time is spent discussing how to build the right roadmap (“Outcomes over Outputs!”) or the right process (Agile vs. SCRUM vs. SAFe), but little time is spent on leading healthy product teams. In this talk, Abhi will discuss some of the principles that have worked for him in the past, and the tactics that you can try as you build your PM team.

1:20 - 2:05 PM / "The Path to Yes"
Speaker: Lauren Fox - Director of Product Management, Capital One

Speakers:

Lauren Fox – Director of Product Management at Capital One

Influence is the skill of the 21st-century workplace. As a product manager, you wrangle and bring together stakeholders from numerous functions, businesses, and in many cases external partners to deliver your vision to the market. In this talk, we break down what goes into influencing successfully, especially when you aren’t leading from a position of hierarchical authority, and build you a roadmap to successfully get a “yes” to your great ideas.

2:25 - 3:00 PM / Afternoon Keynote -
The Art of Being Ridiculous
Grayson Scott @ Sony Music Entertainment

Speaker:

Grayson Scott – Director of Product Design at Sony Music Entertainment

There is a power within that endows us with a healthier, more productive, and less stressed-filled life. This superpower grants the user the ability to lead teams better, communicate more effectively, and protects them from career burnout. It even generates additional neural connections within the brain leading to a boost in memory.

However, this power has a dark side. When used inappropriately, it isolates you from your family and your coworkers. If left unchecked, it will have a corrosive effect on everyone around you. So how do you harness this amazing power without becoming a supervillain?

At the end of the session, attendees will understand:

What multiple scientific studies and even Albert Einstein attributed to becoming brilliant
Increase your verbal and non-verbal intelligence while managing stress and adversity
Open the learning centers of your brain and become more creative
Know when it’s time to save the day, and when it’s time to walk away

3:00 - 4:30 PM / Happy Hour

2022 Speakers

Amy O'Callaghan

Head of Product

Vangst

Learn More

Abhi Agrawal

VP of Product Management

Ceridian

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Victoria Lawson

Director, Product Management

CarMax

Learn More

Jordan Silton

Senior Director of Product, SEO

Apartments.com

Learn More

Grayson Scott

Director of Product Design

Sony Music

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Shannon Eastwood

Senior Product Manager

Aquent

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Lauren Fox

Director of Product Management

Capital One

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Garret Westlake

Executive Director

VCU da Vinci Center for Innovation

Learn More

Dr. Kendra Cabler

Senior Manager, DEI

Etsy

Learn More

Isaiah Harvin

Product Manager

HBO Max

Learn More

Charlotte Dales

CEO

Inclusively

Learn More

Casey Humphries

Logistical Products Service Line Leader

UNOS

Learn More

Shannon Morales

CEO

Tribaja

Learn More

Bill Harney

CEO

Keeping Current Matters

Learn More

Ann Marie Guzzi

Senior Product Manager

Koalafi

Learn More

Odean Maye

Director, Technology

Capital One

Learn More

Chandler Tyler

Product Strategist

Shockoe

2022 Sponsors

Title Sponsors

Conference Sponsors

Register For This Event

About the Event

Welcome to the first full-day DigitalRVA conference. Here Richmond’s digital marketing community will come together to learn, share, and network.

Who Should Attend:

The DigitalRVA conference was designed for digital marketers, by digital marketers. No matter where you are in your career you’ll gain insights from industry leaders at organizations like CarMax, The Martin Agency and Meta.

What You’ll Learn:

Throughout the day speakers will share the latest in cutting-edge digital marketing tactics and strategies with an eye towards AI and automation, marketing technology, and analytics. You’ll leave with a better understanding of the tools and techniques you can apply to your daily work to move the needle.

Date + Time

September 7, 2023

9:00 – 9:30 AM – Doors open & light breakfast

9:30 AM – 5:00 PM – Conference

5:00 – 5:30 PM – Happy Hour

Venue

The Park RVA

2601 Durham St., Richmond, VA 23220

Registration

2023's Featured Keynote Speaker Jaclyn Ruelle

About Jaclyn
Work that transcends culture. That’s what you get with the lightening-in-a-bottle mind and personality of Jaclyn Ruelle, a 16+ year industry vet with an earned-first brand approach that’s catapulting brands into consumers’ hearts and minds. Still talked about, Jaclyn was the strategic storyteller behind one of the most famous viral campaigns: “World’s Toughest Job,” by American Greetings during her time at MullenLowe. She created the first-ever Cultural Impact Lab at the Martin Agency, deploying earned media to the forefront of innovative, cultural storytelling for brands like Buffalo Wild Wings, CarMax, DoorDash, Old Navy and GEICO— to name a few. The Cultural Impact Lab was a fusion of specialists, including comms strategy and paid media experts who create magnetic campaigns engineered for global impact. Now in her first brand-side role at Papa Johns, Ruelle is paving the way for a more humanity driven, pizza-eating occasion brand platform.

What's On Tap

9:30 – 9:45 a.m.

Intro + Welcome

More Details

Kick off the conference with a welcome from Workshop Digital’s Andrew Miller.

9:45 – 10:15 a.m.

Embracing Change: An Optimistic Future for Digital Marketers in a Data-Driven World

Andrew Miller, Workshop Digital

More Details

Andrew will explore how machine learning and analytics are not just shaping, but revolutionizing, the field of digital marketing and how marketers can adapt to stay relevant. Can our strategies evolve fast enough to stay ahead of the tide? Or will we be left behind? The future might be built on silicon chips and algorithms, but it’s also brimming with promise for humans that can embrace the change.

10:15 – 11:00 a.m.

The Tipping Point of Social: How the Landscape is Shifting for Brands and Creators

Meg Craig and Bradley Wells, The Martin Agency

More Details

Unmasking the Challenges
In an era where digital transformation is the norm, we find ourselves at the tipping point of social media. As culture rapidly evolves, algorithms do too. We’re seeing content saturation and creator fatigue like never before. But in the midst of these challenges, how do brands and creators adapt and flourish?

The Martin Agency’s Edge
At CIL, we view these challenges not as obstacles, but as cues for innovation. We take on the battle against invisibility, injecting audience insights and cultural moments to bring brands to the top of the feed.

The Future of Social Media Engagement
The next evolution of social is an exciting realm of possibility, one that’s set to redefine brand and audience connection. We’re seeing audiences and influencers command a larger seat at the table, requiring in-depth audience segmentation, and continued integration of public relations and storytelling.

11:00 – 11:15 a.m.

Break

More Details

Grab some coffee and catch up with friends, old and new.

11:15 – 12:00 p.m.

Auditorium Stage: Know When Strangers Need to Buy

Chris Gatewood, Name Warden

More Details

Use public data to identify strangers’ specific moments of need. Specific events drive specific demand. Unsolicited marketing can be a nuisance, unless it is actually something you need, when you need it. Many of those events can be found in public records, once they are captured and organized.

Business events drive demand. Knowing about those events will drive revenue. Years ago, we started an automatic deadline-tracking service for lawyers. We don’t do that anymore. We now only sell event-driven demand. This is based on publicly reported events that we capture and organize so that a service provider only addresses a current and real need. This is our example. Across many industries, data from other licensing bodies and regulators show events that create demand. We will talk through a few examples such as professional service providers, auto dealers, equipment leasing companies, and high-growth startups.

11:15 – 12:00 p.m.

Beer Garden Stage: AI/Automation Panel

Chris Busse, Terazo, Subhash Jaini, Keiter, Ren Lacerda, CarMax, Patrick Cusumano, Workshop Digital

More Details

Details coming soon!

12:00 – 1:00 p.m.

Lunch

More Details

Need we say more? Grab some lunch and enjoy the good food, great networking, and awesome venue.

1:00 – 1:45 p.m.

Auditorium Stage: Whole Human-Centered Marketing: Personalizing the Customer Journey Using Modern Data Platforms and Sales Tactics that Return a More Holistic Customer View

Amee Mungo, Terazo

Victoria Flood, Terazo

More Details

The world is steadily continuing its shift from reliance on third- to first-party customer data, and new privacy legislation, including Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and California’s Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), have created unique and sometimes business-altering obstacles for marketers. With these challenges, however, come great new opportunities that, if leveraged correctly, can increase sales, trust, and customer loyalty.

In this session with Terazo’s Chief Strategy Officer Amee Mungo, you’ll gain insights on developing a whole human-centered marketing engagement strategy. Customize your modern data platform to gain a holistic view of your customers, track them across their sales journey, and personalize marketing touchpoints while meeting them where they are on their terms.

1:00 – 1:45 p.m.

Beer Garden Stage: The Future Of SEO Content: How To Rank & Stay On Top Of The SERPs

Bernard Huang, Clearscope

More Details

Google wants to serve users helpful content. What are the characteristics that make content relevant to searchers? And what does this mean for your SEO content strategy moving forward? We’ll cover the evolution of Google’s stance on SEO content and where we’re heading. Come prepared to learn about topical authority, information gain, ranch-style SEO, and the implications of AI generated content.

1:45 – 2:30 p.m.

Auditorium Stage: Influencers 2.0

Rosalie Morton, Padilla

More Details

Just a few years ago, trust in online influencers was at an all-time low, as many were exposed for boosting their follower counts with bots. Initially this led to backlash for the burgeoning industry, but eventually created an opportunity for micro-influencers to take centerstage. These authentic, often locally-focused influencers not only have highly engaged followers, they are usually more cost effective for brands. Their content easily can be repurposed as ads, sharing brand messages more meaningfully than typical advertising. Rosalie will show first-hand case studies of how Padilla has used influencers effectively to drive results, whether it’s for signatures on a petition, creating content that goes viral (yes, actually viral), or simply driving brand engagement.

1:45 – 2:30 p.m.

Beer Garden Stage: Go Beyond Reporting and Uncover the True Impact of Marketing

Brad Goldschmidt, KJ Travis, Zeke Brody, CarMax

More Details

The customer journey is only getting more complicated. Media consumption as at an all-time high and Marketers are tasked with identifying the most optimal way to allocate their spend to drive a true impact to sales. Join Brad Goldschmidt, KJ Travis and Zeke Brody from CarMax, the largest used car retailer in the Nation and find out how their Marketing Analytics team leverages data and Advanced Analytics techniques to measure the effectiveness of Marketing and drive spend decisions.

2:30 – 2:45 p.m.

Break

More Details

Stretch your legs and share your takeaways from the sessions during the afternoon break.

2:45 – 3:30 p.m.

Auditorium Stage: Herding Cats: Getting Organized for an Omnichannel MarComm Strategy

Casey Prentice, The Hodges Partnership

More Details

Gone are the days where marketers could get away with focusing on just a channel or two to get their message across. Now, there are half a dozen social media networks, a website or two, maybe even a mobile app or brick-and-mortar to account for. Whether you’re in-house or agency, when it comes to managing an omnichannel MarComm strategy, you’re juggling about a 1,000 parts and pieces. This presentation will cover off on three steps to getting organized and building a foundation before you write your first line of copy or bid on your first digital ad.

2:45 – 3:30 p.m.

Beer Garden Stage: Engage Your Audience Creatively with Instagram

Gibran Jones, Meta

More Details

Engage Your Audience with Meta

In Engage Your Audience with Meta, you’ll learn how to craft and optimize engaging content on Facebook and Instagram. You’ll discover best practices for communicating with your audience and creating content to maximize your business presence online.

In this session, participants will:

Identify what tools and creative formats to use to form a community on Facebook and Instagram.
Learn best practices for creating engaging content on Facebook and Instagram.
Learn best practices for communicating with your audience on Facebook and Instagram.

3:30 – 4:00 p.m.

The Bright Future of Black Boxes: Navigating Paid Media in the Age of AI and Invisible Attribution

Susan Wenograd

More Details

This talk will cover:

The warning signs no one wanted to see, and how it’s culled the pack for successful brands.
How we know more than we think about doing more with media and less data.
The inflection points of where computers outperform us – and how it empowers media buying humans to do our jobs even better.
Why this is all actually good for the future of marketing as a whole.

4:00 – 4:45 p.m.

Keynote: Innovation in Pizza: Creating Brand Differentiation

Jaclyn Ruelle

More Details

We’ll take a look at the innovative marketing efforts by Papa Johns, who is one of the brands leading the way in the mass pizza category.
How does product + consumer + marketing innovations create unique points of differentiation for the brand to stand out and breakthrough.

4:45 – 4:50 p.m.

Conclusion

Nick Serfass, CEO, rvatech/

More Details

Let’s close out the conference together.

4:50 – 5:30 p.m.

Happy Hour

More Details

Need we say more? Let’s end with a great happy hour and networking!

About DigitalRVA

DigitalRVA was founded in 2017 as a series of community meet-up events aimed at bringing together data-driven marketers of all levels of experience, from freelancers to Fortune 500, to create a welcoming, inclusive, diverse set of voices and perspectives to boost Richmond's growing digital marketing community.

This Event Is Currently Accepting Sponsors

Download Sponsor Details

Click Here to Contact Mary Case for Sponsorship Details

Apply to Become a Speaker!

Data and AI experts and innovators are encouraged to apply to speak at the sixth annual Data/AI Summit. This is a great opportunity to share your insights with hundreds of attendees from the tech community.

Submit Your Proposal

View the 2023 Agenda | Meet our Past Speakers | Learn about our Sponsors

RVA's leading Data Conference Returns March 28

Join the technology community in March, for our next conference full of innovation, in-depth workshops, and incredible presentations given by a diverse line-up of expert speakers + thought leaders at rvatech/DataSummit. Get immersed in the world of Data & discover the trends, and innovations shaping the future of technology!

About the Event

Tech is continuously evolving and innovating, making it essential to stay ahead of the curve and explore the year’s trending technology. In 2023, artificial intelligence and data science are continuing to move from the realm of university research to be a critical part of a software developers’ toolkit and a key differentiator for forward-leaning companies.

Event Details

9:00 AM – 5:oo PM

Hosted at the Science Museum of Virginia – Dewey Gottwald Center

2301 W Leigh Street Richmond, VA 23220

Student Tickets

Discount Rate – The special discounted rate for student tickets is 25% off. That’s $50 off the regular ticket price!

Discount code: DATA23STUDENT

**All student tickets must provide a student .edu email address when registering**

Common Questions

Where exactly am I going?

The Dewey Gottwald Center is located behind the museum. Parking lot entrance is located off West Leigh Street or DMV Drive.

Where do I park?

You may also view a detailed parking map here.

2023 Conference Agenda

Rewatch Conference Session Highlights

2023 Speakers

Keegan Hines

VP of Machine Learning

Arthur AI

Danica Fine

Senior Developer Advocate

Confluent

Kevin Feasel

Engineering Manager, Predictive Analytics

ChannelAdvisor

Hala Nelson

Associate Professor of Mathematics at JMU

Author of "Essential Math for AI"

Logan Selby

Co-Founder and President

DataShapes

Shailvi Wakhlu

Head of Data | International Keynote Speaker | Angel Investor

Lee Adcock

Director, Software Architecture

Capital One

Mehul Garnara

Senior Engineering Manager, Sr. Lead Software Engineer

Capital One

Ken Pfeil

Chief Data Officer for the Commonwealth of Virginia

Commonwealth of Virginia Office of Data Governance and Analytics

Steven MacLauchlan

Head of Data

Ippon USA

2023 Title Sponsors

2023 Conference Sponsors

This Event Is Currently Accepting Sponsors

Download Sponsor Details

Click Here to Contact Mary Case for Sponsorship Details

This Event Is Currently Accepting Proposals

Download Proposal Abstract

Click Here to Learn More

View the Agenda | Meet our Speakers | Learn about our Sponsors

RVA's leading Data Conference Returns March 2022.

Join the technology community March 2022, for our next conference full of innovation, in-depth workshops, and incredible presentations given by a diverse line-up of expert speakers + thought leaders at rvatech/DataSummit. Get immersed in the world of Data & discover the trends, and innovations shaping the future of technology!

About the Event

Tech is continuously evolving and innovating, making it essential to stay ahead of the curve and explore the year’s trending technology. In 2022, artificial intelligence and data science are continuing to move from the realm of university research to be a critical part of a software developers toolkit and a key differentiator for forward-leaning companies.

Schedule

9:30 AM – 5:oo PM

Student Tickets

Discount Rate – The special discounted rate for student tickets is 25% off. That’s $50 off the regular ticket price!

Discount code: DATA22STUDENT

**All student tickets must provide a student .edu email address when registering**

Conference Registration

Purchase Your Tickets

Venue

Science Museum of Virginia – Dewey Gottwald Center

2301 W Leigh Street Richmond, VA 23220

Common Questions

Where exactly am I going?

The Dewey Gottwald Center is located behind the museum. Parking lot entrance located off of West Leigh Street or DMV Drive.

Where do I park?

You may also view a detailed parking map here.

Meet the Keynotes

Dr. Scott Penberthy

Director, Applied AI, Office of the CTO

at Google

Session: Thinking like Newton

Dr. Scott will share his perspective and personal experience on the journey from being a kid playing baseball and writing code in Midlothian Va, to the rise of AI and Machine Learning, its use in business and most recently the discovery of the source code to life. He’ll show how simple curiosities can lead to grand discoveries, often by making naive observations and asking what at first appear to be stupid questions. These are now leading to the vaccination of millions against terrible disease, the prevention of cancer, and soon perhaps a cure for gray hair.

Dr. Timothy Haas

Professor of Statistics and Wildlife Conservation

Author at University of Wisconsin

Session: How Firms can Apply Data Science to Save Species

Ecosystem loss, extinctions and climate change are ongoing challenges to life on Earth, and coming up with a plan to tackle their effects requires an accurate picture of what’s happening where, and who is involved.

Prof Tim Haas, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, has taught and refined such models for years. In his latest paper, he lays out the case for a model unifying human behaviour, climate and ecosystem data, the computational power required to run it, and the credibility criteria any model should meet to prove its worth.

Conference Agenda

9:30 - 10 AM
Registration + Morning Networking

10 - 10:50 AM | Keynote - Dr. Timothy Haas
"How Firms can Apply Data Science to Save Species"

Speaker: Dr. Timothy Haas – Univ. of Wisconsin

10:50 - 11:20 AM | Keynote - Ovetta Sampson
V.P Machine Learning Experience Design & Responsible AI at Capital One

11:25 AM - 12:05 PM | Breakout Session #1
"Machine Learning Orchestration with Airflow"
Data Ethics Panel

Session: Machine Learning Orchestration with Airflow

Speaker: Dr. Santona Tuli – Astronomer

While more popular as a ETL and data engineering tool, Airflow is also extremely powerful at orchestrating machine learning pipelines. In this talk, I show how you can write complete end-to-end pipelines starting with retrieving raw data to serving ML predictions to end-users, entirely in Airflow.

A plethora of tools have flooded the field of data science, many of which have overlapping functionality. As a data scientist‚ especially as one from a traditionally disenfranchised background with limited resources‚ selecting and learning the right tools in order to maximize one’s competitiveness in the job market, can be intimidating and, possibly, challenging. In this talk, I will walk through an end-to-end data science workflow using only easily accessible open-source software (OSS). Many of these OSS in fact form the basis of the enterprise products that companies purchase as tools for their data professionals to use. Knowing the underlying software can give data scientists the competitive advantage of being tool-agnostic and quick at picking up new tools in an ever-evolving landscape. We will use OSS for data featurization, machine learning model training and serving as well as validation and visualization of results.

Session: Panel on Data Ethics

Speakers:

Abigail Byram – Data Engineer at SingleStone Consulting

Jodi Kuhn – Director, Office of Data Quality and Visualization at Commonwealth of Virginia

Zachary Knitter – Data Engineer, Office of Data Quality and Visualization at Commonwealth of Virginia

12:05 - 1 PM
Lunch Break + Networking
Live Data Privacy Podcast Session

Lunch provided by Groovin’ Gourmet

Live Podcast on Data Privacy and Governance

Featured Guests:

Marcus Thornton, Deputy Chief Data Officer – Virginia Office of Data Governance and Analytics

Souj Narasimhacharya, Senior Vice President of Engineering – Koalafi

Ford Prior, Principal Cloud Engineer – CarMax

1- 1:45 PM | Breakout Session #2
"From Model to Micro-service - ML Deployments At Scale"
"Achieving Data Acumen: Improving Workforce Literacy"

Session: From Model to Micro-service – ML Deployments At Scale

Speaker: Ed Shee, Head of Developer Relations at Seldon

Until recently, the data science / machine learning field has been pretty immature in it’s adoption of DevOps tools and processes. That’s now changing rapidly as engineering teams realise that, in order to gain any value from their ML models, they need to get them into production.

In this talk, Ed will introduce the open source Seldon Core library and show how it simplifies the steps required to containerise, serve, log and monitor an ML model during deployment. Ed will demonstrate live how to build a model using popular machine learning tools, save and store the model artefact and then deploy it to Kubernetes to handle production traffic.

You will learn how to turn an ML model into a production microservice that handles REST/gRPC traffic and how to scale your deployment. You’ll also learn how to use complex model deployment techniques and how to monitor both the infrastructure and the models themselves, spotting drift and outliers as they take place.

Session: Achieving Data Acumen: Improving Workforce Literacy

Speaker: Peter Aiken – VCU & Anything Awesome

1:50- 2:25 PM | Breakout Session #3
"Sculpting Data for Machine Learning"
"Principles of Building Greenfield Data Platforms"

Session: Sculpting Data for Machine Learning

Speakers:

Jigyasa Grover, Machine Learning Engineer at Twitter

Rishabh Misra, Machine Learning Engineer at Twitter

In the contemporary world of machine learning algorithms – “data is the new oil”. For the state-of-the-art ML algorithms to work their magic it’s important to lay a strong foundation with access to relevant data. Volumes of crude data are available on the web nowadays, and all we need are the skills to identify and extract meaningful datasets. This talk aims to present the power of the most fundamental aspect of Machine Learning – Dataset Curation, which often does not get its due limelight. It will also walk the audience through the process of constructing good quality datasets as done in formal settings with a simple hands-on Pythonic example. The goal is to institute the importance of data, especially in its worthy format, and the spell it casts on fabricating smart learning algorithms.

Session: Principles of Building Greenfield Data Platforms

Speaker: Sam Portillo, Data Engineer at Ippon

2:30 - 3:15 PM | Breakout Session #4
"The Pre-cloud to Multi-Cloud journey with Cassandra on Kubernetes"
"Not-so-good-vibrations: Electric Grid Oscillations and Unearned Data Wisdom"

Session: The Pre-cloud to Multi-Cloud journey with Cassandra on Kubernetes

Speaker: Raghavan “Rags” Srinivas, Lead multi-cloud Developer Advocate at Datastax

Although some of today’s cloud properties, like elasticity, scalability, self-healing, durability, DR, etc. seemed revolutionary during the pre-cloud days, Cassandra had many of these properties already. With the ever growing popularity of Kubernetes, the k8ssandra open source project is intended to bring Cassandra’s advantages to the cloud and help simplify operations.

The biggest challenge in the Kubernetes world today is multi-cloud. Although it is easy to conceptualize, it is hard to implement. Attend this session for a quick overview of Cassandra, k8ssandra and Astra (DBaas). You will see how the worlds of Cassandra and Kubernetes on the cloud collide in a remarkably cohesive way to incorporate the best of both.

After attending this primarily demo driven session, attendees will walk away with a good understanding of the k8ssandra project and how it is evolving to support multi-region and multi-cloud. Along this journey we will look at one-off deployments on GKE, EKS including multi-cloud (GKE and EKS). On EKS, we leverage EKS Kubefed.

Session: Not-so-good-vibrations: Electric Grid Oscillations and Unearned Data Wisdom

Speaker: Kevin Jones, Manager – Electric Transmission Operations Engineering Support at Dominion Energy

This will be a fun and novel session that will expose participants to new flavors of data as well as electric grid use cases that address some of the more pernicious challenges of decarbonization. The talk will be grounded (no pun intended) for the practitioner audience by then exploring the perils of applying unearned wisdom on data-focused digital transformation through the lens of this unique set of use cases and data types. It will conclude by providing a (possible) alternative framework, as well as its contemporary significance and necessity, for the transfer and application of such wisdom.

3:20 - 3:55 PM | Keynote - Dr. Scott Penberthy - Director of Applied AI, Office of the CTO at Google
"Thinking like Newton"

Session: Thinking like Newton

Speaker: Dr. Scott Penberthy, Director of Applied AI, Office of the CTO at Google

2022 Speakers

Dr. Scott Penberthy

Director, Applied AI, Office of the CTO

Google

Learn More

Dr. Timothy Haas

Professor

University of Wisconsin

Learn More

Ed Shee

Head of Developer Relations

Seldon

Learn More

Dr. Santona Tuli

Staff Data Scientist

Astronomer

Learn More

Sam Portillo

Data Engineer

Ippon

Learn More

Peter Aiken

Associate Professor of Information Systems

VCU + Anything Awesome

Learn More

Abigail Byram

Data Engineer

SingleStone Consulting

Learn More

Jigyasa Grover

Machine Learning Engineer

Twitter

Learn More

Rishabh Misra

Machine Learning Engineer

Twitter

Learn More

Raghavan Srinivas

Lead multi-cloud Developer Advocate

Datastax

Learn More

Kevin Jones

Engineering Analytics & Modeling

Dominion Energy

Learn More

Marcus Thornton

Deputy Chief Data Officer

Virginia Office of Data Governance and Analytics

Learn More

Souj Narasimhacharya

Senior Vice President of Engineering

Koalafi

Learn More

Jodi Kuhn

Director, Office of Data Quality and Visualization

at Commonwealth of Virginia

Learn More

Zachary Knitter

Data Engineer, Office of Data Quality and Visualization

at Commonwealth of Virginia

Learn More

rvatech/Data Summit Series Happy Hour

Register For This Event

Click Here to Register

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Time

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What to Expect

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Register for DataSummit '21

Join the technology community on September 16, 2021, as we come full circle with our first in-person conference since Data Summit '20! Get back into live events + explore a day of incredible presentations given by a diverse line-up of expert data thought-leaders!

About

Tech is continuously evolving and innovating, making it essential to stay ahead of the curve. So join the Richmond Data community on September 16th, as we come together to exchange ideas, explore data career opportunities + advance your technology skillset!

Date

September 16, 2021

Location

The Virginia War Memorial

621 S Belvidere St, Richmond, VA 23220

Schedule

8:30 AM | Networking + Sponsor Exhibition

9 AM | Keynote Abhijit Bose

10:15 AM | Data Career + Growth Panel

11 AM | 2020: COVID, Politics and Civil Unrest - What did it Mean for a Data Scientist?

11:35 AM | Lunch + LIVE! Podcast with feat. guest David Der of Spring Oaks Capital

1 PM | Data Mesh - Scalable Data Architecture

1:35 PM | VA's Consumer Data Protection Act - Following California Into the Privacy Frontier

2:20 PM | Encrypted Traffic Analysis with Machine Learning: Cybersecurity for all Network Traffic

2:55 PM | Machine Learning in Production

3:30 PM | Happy Hour + Networking

This is your must attend conference if you're a....

Student

Data Practitioner

Data, Tech, or Business Leader

Data Summit '21 Speakers

Abhijit Bose

Andrew Fast

Rob Phillips

Paul Hurlocker

Todd Dube

Reginald Leonard II

Vida Williams

Susan Gorney

Beth Burgin Waller

Rick Vasko

Mike Carpenter

Title Sponsors

Conference Sponsors

Speak at the 2021 Data Summit

Submit Your Proposal

What We're Looking For

Past Speakers

Hilary Mason

Carlos Rivero

Adam Wenchel

Chris Peterson

Ranju Das

Renee M. P. Teate

Vida Williams

David Der

Rob Finnegan

Miriam Friedel, Ph.D

Ben Harden

Beth Waller

Keynote - Dr. Laurie Forlano

Keynote - Tim Powell

Renee Teate

Mentor - Gabriel Rushin

Mentor - Courtney Layman

Mentor - Kerry Jones

Mentor - Todd Dube

Mentor - Vida Williams

Mentor - Andrew Fast

Mentor - Paul Hurlocker

Mentor - David Der

Mentor - David Moxley

Mentor - Malcolm Charles

Mentor - Zach Anglin

Mentor - Dr. Miriam Friedel

Mentor - Julia Barnhart

Join the technology community on September 16, 2021, as we come full circle with our first in-person conference since Data Summit '20!

Get back into live events + explore a day of incredible presentations given by a diverse line-up of expert data thought-leaders!

Breakout #1 | Scars from DevSecOps

Join Session

Breakout #2 | Leading Edge in Cloud

Join Session

Breakout #3 | What's Next in Enterprise Architecture

Join Session

Breakout #1 | Scars from DevSecOps

Join Session

Breakout #2 | Leading Edge in Cloud

Join Session

Breakout #3 | What's Next in Enterprise Architecture

Join Session