Adam Klivans

Adam Klivans is a recipient of the NSF Career Award. His research interests lie in machine learning and theoretical computer science, in particular, Learning Theory, Computational Complexity, Pseudorandomness, Limit Theorems, and Gaussian Space. He also serves on the editorial board for the Theory of Computing and Machine Learning Journal.

Lou Senko

An engineer by trade and coach by passion, Lou Senko has over 30 years of experience leading enterprise-wide solutions to meet global business, financial, and market demands. At Q2, he oversees the availability, performance, security, and compliance of delivered solutions, ensuring high-quality IT operations. Known for reengineering organizations, Lou has successfully aligned teams with strategic roadmaps to build scalable and resilient services. With expertise in corporate mergers and acquisitions, he has played a key role in 30+ M&A deals, from due diligence to post-merger integration. Before Q2, he served as Director of Technology at the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and spent 12 years at Activant Solutions, continuing with Epicor Software Corp. after its merger.

Megan Murray

Megan Murray is a seasoned leader in finance and technology, specializing in Outsourced CFO & HR services for startups and emerging tech companies through her venture, Leoluna Finance Collective. As a committed community leader, she holds key roles with ATX DAO, ATX Women in Web3, and the Austin AI Alliance, where she drives initiatives to advance the adoption of blockchain and AI technologies, and supports female founders in emerging technologies. Megan is dedicated to fostering innovation and promoting inclusivity within the tech ecosystem in Austin.  She has been recognized twice as one of the 100 Most Inspirational Women in Web3 & AI, an Austin Women in Tech Boss Lady, and featured in Forbes and Axios.

Michael Wharton

As Vice President of Engineering at KUNGFU.AI, Michael Wharton leverages his expertise in computer vision and remote sensing to lead cutting-edge artificial intelligence initiatives. Following his studies in aerospace engineering and computer science at the University of Texas at Austin, he spent five years at SpaceX developing test systems for flight hardware. Moreover, at Applied Research Laboratories, he pioneered deep learning algorithms for terrestrial, airborne, and space-based sensing platforms. Over the past five years, Michael has architected numerous production-level AI systems spanning computer vision, natural language processing, and predictive analytics, as well as served as a recurring guest on the Hidden Layers podcast.

Michael Shepherd

Michael Shepherd is a Sr. Distinguished Engineer at Dell Technologies with 30 years of experience driving emerging technologies. A recognized thought leader in AI and Machine Intelligence, Michael established Dell's first AI Center of Excellence and Services AI Research team.  He serves as a technical evangelist and global speaker on the Age of AI and Web 3.0, leading innovation and research teams focused on transforming data into intelligence. Michael's expertise also extends to data management, business intelligence, and predicting emerging technologies. He holds multiple patents in hardware and software across eight countries and serves on the Patent Committee at Dell Technologies and the Advisory Council for the UT McCombs School of Business MSBA program.

Tahir Ekin

Tahir Ekin is Fields Chair in Business Analytics and Professor of Analytics at McCoy College of Business, Texas State University. He also serves as the founding director of the TXST Center for Analytics and Data Science. His areas of expertise include healthcare fraud analytics and decision modeling under uncertainty. His research has been funded by many agencies including the National Science Foundation, Air Force Scientific Office of Research, and Texas Health and Human Services.  Dr. Ekin holds a Ph.D. in Decision Sciences from The George Washington University. 

Vanessa Fuentes

Mayor Pro Tem Vanessa Fuentes represents District 2 on the Austin City Council, advocating for health equity, affordability, creative arts, and quality of life since taking office in 2021. As Chair of the Public Health Committee, she has championed legislation on displacement prevention, reproductive justice, mental health, and food access. A Central Texas native with a background in criminal policy reform and healthcare advocacy, she has fought for higher wages, expanded childcare access, and environmental justice, co-sponsoring the Austin Climate Equity Plan and pushing for affordable flood mitigation. Following the 2023 Ice Storm, she led efforts to explore burying power lines in city-funded projects. Vanessa also serves on the Community Advancement Network Board and multiple city committees, working to build a more resilient and equitable Austin.

About the Speakers