Philly Tech Week 2018

Ellen is responsible for managing and leading the development and implementation of the City’s first smart city strategy for the City of Philadelphia’s SmartCityPHL initiative. She is driving the creation of the City’s first smart city roadmap that will provide guidance on how the city will build its next generation and future technology infrastructure. This work includes the establishment of: a project prioritization model; investment strategies; a collaborative governance model; diverse cross-departmental and cross-sector relationships; flexible standards for interoperable technology adoption and data integration; and stronger community and university partnerships to spur research and innovation in service delivery, economic development, environmental stewardship, and digital inclusion. She supports the work of the innovation strategy portfolio which is aimed in increasing internal capacity for innovation in municipal government. As a Temple University alum, she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Master of Science degree in City and Regional Planning.

Eric is a user experience designer who helps create straightforward solutions that address a person’s practical, physical, cognitive, and emotional needs using accessible, performant, device-agnostic technology. You can check out his work at ericwbailey.design.

Christina Lopes is a co-founder of The One Health Company. Previously, Christina was a Managing Director of Cerberus Capital Management and since Cerberus, Christina has been working on deals in the innovation space including Biotech for AIMCO. Christina has served on the Board of International Planned Parenthood for the Western Hemisphere, participated in The United Nations Commission for the Status of Women, and lectured at Columbia University. She was selected by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader in March 2010. This honor is bestowed each year to recognize the most distinguished young leaders nominated below the age of 40 from around the world. Christina was also honored a Rising Talent by the Women’s Forum in 2014. She holds a B.A. from the University of Massachusetts, a Masters in International and Political Affairs from Columbia University, and Doctoral Coursework in Ethics at Princeton University.

Dan has been working with youth for the past two decades in a variety of capacities, working as a teacher, school administrator, and organizational leader. Beginning in the juvenile justice field, Dan has developed extensive expertise in the use of restorative practices and trauma informed methodology both inside the classroom and in the larger community.

Over the years, Dan has been recognized numerous times for his work with young people, including a Meritorious Service Award from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, the Distinguished Educator of the Year for Eastern North America, the United Way’s Reis Community Advocate Award, and the Campbell Soup Foundations “Seek the Power of Different” Award.

At Hopeworks, Dan is responsible for the overall implementation of the learning culture of Hopeworks throughout the entire Hopeworks organization, managing all program aspects of Hopeworks and corresponding staff, including Hopeworks’ training program, residence, and social enterprises.

Recently, Hopeworks was honored to be recognized as the 2016 Greater Philadelphia Non Profit of the Year, and the 2016 South Jersey Non Profit of the Year, as well as winning the prestigious 5th Annual Scattergood Innovation Award.

A CHSP certified professional, Adria is the Program Assistant for the Information Systems & Technology department at the Camden Coalition. Prior to joining the Coalition, Adria was a trainee and intern at Hopeworks’n Camden, overcoming tremendous obstacles to achieve her current level of success. Her journey is described in the award-winning documentary Hope Works Here, which recently won first place at the Philadelphia Freedom Shorts Film Festival.

Josh is the founder and CEO of Bluecadet, an experience design agency that works with cultural institutions, universities, and mission-driven organizations.

With offices in both Philadelphia and New York, Josh built Bluecadet’s interdisciplinary team to unite revolutionary innovations with a sense of human craftsmanship. He has overseen the design and development of interactive experiences and planning strategies for clients such as MoMA, The Smithsonian Institution, Doctors Without Borders, National Geographic, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

As a pioneer in the technological transformation of the cultural sector, Josh is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and symposia, has appeared on CNN, CBS News, and NPR, and has been featured in publications including The New Yorker, USA Today, HOW magazine, Communication Arts, and People magazine. His work has been widely recognized with top awards including an Emmy from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, as well as honors from the American Alliance of Museums, the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, The American Institute of Graphic Arts, and South by Southwest.

Josh holds a B.A. from Tufts University and studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts. He lives with his wife and two children in Philadelphia, where he is an active member of the design and technology community.

Everette Taylor is serial entrepreneur and marketing executive who founded 4 million-dollar companies before the age of 28. After overcoming homelessness as a teenager, he started his first company at the age of 19 and successfully sold it 2 years later. Since then he has founded the social media software company PopSocial and marketing firm MilliSense where he both currently serves as CEO and also co-founded GrowthHackers in 2013.

As a marketing executive, he led both Qualaroo (acquired by Xenon Ventures) and Skurt (acquired by Fair.com) to successful exits and StickerMule to unprecedented growth as CMO.

His most recent work includes serving as the National Brand Ambassador of NASA's Startup Initiative, launching the media company BESE with Zoe Saldana which highlights the stories and voices of the LatinX community and Hayver, an app to prevent drug and alcohol addiction. He was most recently named "one of the most influential African Americans in 2017" by The Root and Forbes 30 under 30 for 2018.

Scott Vinkle is a Canadian front end developer and accessibility advocate living in Canada. He spends his days assessing, consulting, and fixing accessibility issues on all the things at Shopify. Find out what else Scott is up to at svinkle.me.