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March 23, 2023
Highlights of SXSW Interactive & Future Austin Forum Programming 5:30 p.m. CDT | In-Person |
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Location
In-Person Austin Community College Rio Grande Campus 1212 Rio Grande Auditorium Austin, TX 78701 |
Agenda
5:30 - 7:00 p.m. | Discussion |
Moderators
Jay Boisseau, Executive Director, Austin Forum on Technology & Society; Jeff Brooks, Director of America, Helena Group Foundation; Mike Carr, Lead Adviser, FMP Wealth; Hugh Forrest, Chief Programming Officer, SXSW; Jenalea Howell, VP, Informa Tech; Susan Meredith, CEO, MentaMorph Money; Keiarra Ortiz-Cedeno, Computer Science Student; Maxime Peabody, Senior Software Engineer, Wombo.ai; Kristin Pilsner, Transition Specialist, Realty Austin; Michael Scharf, Co-Host, Austin Next LLC; and Ryn Wilcox, Product Manager, Artemis Health |
Event Summary
SXSW has become one of the largest conferences/festivals in the world, and “SXSW Interactive’ content forms the largest portion of the conference programming, drawing tens of thousands of techies from around the world. The technology programming at SXSW has a strong focus on how these technologies impact all aspects of society. Join us for a recap and discussion of some of the technology news, highlights, discussions, and more from SXSW 2023, moderated by Austin Forum director Jay Boisseau. This meetup will enable everyone who attended SXSW to share information and perspectives, and for everyone who attends to collectively discuss what the Austin Forum should cover in future programming.
SXSW has become one of the largest conferences/festivals in the world, and “SXSW Interactive’ content forms the largest portion of the conference programming, drawing tens of thousands of techies from around the world. The technology programming at SXSW has a strong focus on how these technologies impact all aspects of society. Join us for a recap and discussion of some of the technology news, highlights, discussions, and more from SXSW 2023, moderated by Austin Forum director Jay Boisseau. This meetup will enable everyone who attended SXSW to share information and perspectives, and for everyone who attends to collectively discuss what the Austin Forum should cover in future programming.
About the Moderators
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Jay is the executive director and founder of The Austin Forum on Technology & Society, which he started in 2006 and is now the leading monthly technology outreach and engagement event in Austin--and starting to attract national and even international attendees online. The Austin Forum is one of the pillars of the Austin tech scene, providing connections to information, ideas, collaborations, and community overall. Through Vizias, Jay also founded the Austin Smart City Alliance (July 2015, formerly Austin CityUP Consortium) and currently serves as the Executive Director, with a vision of creating an integrated smart city fabric throughout Austin—leveraging mobile devices and IoT data collectors, as well as supercomputers and AI for predictive analytics and scenario simulation—in the years ahead to address city issues, empower city planning, and improve city life in general.
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Jeff Brooks
Director of America Helena Group Foundation |
Jeff is an avid policy wonk and tech entrepreneur who has spent his career solving pressing public policy issues through technological and organizational innovation.
Jeff is the Director of America in One Room at the Helena Group Foundation (HGF). HGF is a non-profit that advances prosocial technology solutions to existential problems threatening democratic institutions, infrastructure, and health. His America in One Room portfolio includes events, technologies, and media projects that increase engagement, equity, agency, and trust in democratic societies. Before HGF, Jeff was Founder and COO of Mapware, a geospatial intelligence and AI software company supporting environmental and infrastructure analysis missions for the DOD. Mapware’s UAS 3D modeling technology was an awardee of the US Air Force’s first-ever Strategic Finance Increase (STRATFI) program, a highly-selective tech innovation program reserved for critical technologies that advance national security. |
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Mike Carr is an economist who does improv on the weekend. He started his first business at age 14 and has been a student of finance and economics ever since. Along the way he has worked with a Texas State Representative, two U.S. Senators, three Global Financial Firms, and several small business (most of which he owned with varying degrees of success). Throughout his career, Mike has lead some of the most successful teams in Texas including his favorite – his family of 10. He can be found reading Stoic Philosophy, Japanese history, and Calvin & Hobbes. Mike is currently a partner in private financial firm, FMP Wealth, and speaks internationally to companies large and small about leading teams through turbulent times, economic outlooks, and finding the future.
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Hugh Forrest is Chief Programming Officer for SXSW. He oversees content for the SXSW Conference, as well as the Music Festival, Film Festival and EDU aspects of the program. Hugh was named “Austinite of the Year” in 2012 by the Austin Chamber of Commerce and in 2014, he and other SXSW Directors were named Austin Entrepreneurs of the Year by Ernst & Young. He recently received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Kenyon College, his alma mater.
Beyond SXSW, he has served on the National Advisory Board for the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida. He is part of the Board of Directors for Austin Habitat for Humanity and also serves on the Board of Directors for the Austin-based accessibility company Knowbility. Before joining the SXSW team, he founded The Austin Challenger and wrote for several other newspapers and publications. |
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Jenalea is the VP for Informa Tech’s Applied Intelligence Group, driving the collaboration and opportunity Informa as a whole offers to the AI, IoT & Quantum Computing community. Her product portfolio includes events, media (AI Business, IoT World Today and Enter Quantum), and research, as well as the global members community, VisionAIres.
Over the past 12 years, Jenalea has held a range of roles through consulting, product management and business development focused on Transformative Technologies and industrial markets. Previously, in collaboration with colleagues across the IHS Markit organization, Jenalea drove the strategy to inform relevant industries of digital trends, including AI, IoT, and 5G and adoption across more than 12+ verticals. This alignment of technology and verticals is critical for supporting clients in developing strategic digital transformation initiatives Jenalea holds a Masters of Business degree from the University of Texas at Arlington with a Bachelor’s in Public Relations from the University of Texas at Austin. |
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Susan Meredith is the CEO and inventor of MentaMorph Money, a financial game and workshops to “mentally morph millions of mindsets about money.” It provides numerous business and personal scenarios to practice financial decisions where it isn’t costly.
Susan previously founded Human Excel, a corporate education firm helping organizations reduce wastes, improve efficiencies and save multi-millions of dollars. She co-founded and ran Go Green Squads for seven years, providing energy efficiency upgrades for single family, multi-family and commercial properties; it continues to operate under new owners since 2015. She is author of the award-winning book “Beyond Light Bulbs: Lighting the Way to Smarter Energy Management.” Susan has an MBA from University of Texas and a BS in Engineering from University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. |
Keiarra Ortiz-Cedeno
Computer Science Student |
Keiarra Ortiz-Cedeno is currently a computer science student, returning to school after running a startup for a few years. She is curious about new and impactful technologies, and enjoys listening to conversations on the intersection of technology, sociology and politics. After working SXSW in various capacities for years, she is elated to finally be able to simply attend and appreciate the festival!
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Maxime Peabody is a Senior Software Engineer at Wombo.ai, which is a consumer app company that focuses on democratizing AI. He's worked on both AI and Blockchain, and has a passion for discussing how technology can shape our future. Previously, he worked at Google - on the Google Assistant and on Youtube Music. In his spare time he is a musician, playing under the pseudonym Arthur Lane.
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Kristin is a Texas native who calls Austin home. She was born and raised in Corpus Christi, where she shares roots with her favorite Tejano singer, Selena. She's the Transition Specialist with Realty Austin | San Antonio's (all female) Tech Team. She strives to make the onboarding and transitions processes as seamless and fun as possible for Agents, Assistants, and Employees, so they can focus on doing what they do best!
Kristin graduated from Texas State University with her BFA in Studio Art and minor in International Studies. Art history and famous architecture fueled her interest in exploring the world and she’s has been a fearless solo traveler since her first trip to Italy in 2015. She later went on to lead new hire classes for the public sector with Austin 3-1-1, solidifying her passion for this city. In her free time, Kristin is learning Spanish and likes exploring parks and trails, endless comedy podcasts, decorating cakes, and cooking for friends and family. |
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Michael Scharf serves several companies as an advisor and independent member of their board of directors. His focus is on the environmental and energy sectors. Over his 40+ year career, he has become a recognized business leader, succeeding with early-stage entrepreneurial partnerships as well as Fortune 500 Companies and leading ~$5+ billion in financings, mergers, and acquisitions.
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Ryn Wilcox is an Austin-based technologist and healthcare disrupting Skunkworks Product Manager at a digital health analytics company by day. Integrating their Bachelors of Science background in International Nutrition from UT Austin with 5+ years in tech positions and currently leading a lean app initiative at Artemis Health. On the side, they’re a multi-faceted artist, writer, and creator under the name, RYN DEL PAPA, encouraging the belief of creativity’s power. Through creative expression, we can catalyze curiosity, connection, and empower collective learnings. Their mediums span from physical to digital, including NFT, artworks that speak on and advocate for sustainability, accessibility, racial and gender equity, and consciousness.
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