Haslam College of Business - Sessions

Rebecca Hinds is the head of the Work AI Institute at Glean, where she leads cutting-edge research on how AI is reshaping work. She is the bestselling author of Your Best Meeting Ever and a leading expert on work transformation and the future of work. Rebecca earned a B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. from Stanford University. In 2022, she founded the Work Innovation Lab at Asana, a first-of-its-kind think tank that conducts actionable research to help leaders and organizations navigate the growing challenges and changes of work. In 2025, she founded the Work AI Institute at Glean. Rebecca’s award-winning research and insights are consistently featured in places like Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Inc., and Time. Rebecca is a co-instructor for the CNBC Make It course, How to Use AI to Be More Successful at Work, and a columnist at Inc. and Reworked. She’s also on the Board of Advisors for the Remote Work Institute and Doodle Time Institute.

Matthew Kittrell is a leading advocate for building an AI-ready workforce in the greater East Tennessee region. As Director of the CGI Knoxville Center, he is leading the development of CGI Knoxville into a Global Center of Excellence for the delivery of AI solutions for CGIs and their clients. This mission has led him to foster multiple partnerships between industry, academia and community organizations. In his role as President of the Knoxville Technology Council, Matthew champions technology education and workforce development programs that prepare students, professionals and businesses for emerging technologies. He is a strong advocate for the pursuit of non-traditional pathways, like apprenticeship, for the expansion of the potential tech workforce. Additionally, as Vice-Chair of Talent for the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce, he works to align regional strategies with future workforce needs, ensuring East Tennessee remains competitive in the rapidly evolving digital landscape. Through these leadership positions, Matthew is driving a collaborative vision to position the region as a hub for innovation and AI readiness.

Kang Zhao is the Leonard A. Hadley Professor of Business Analytics and Senior Associate Dean at the Tippie College of Business at the University of Iowa.

His research centers on data science, with particular emphasis on mining, predictive modeling and simulation of social and business networks. He has published more than 50 journal articles, and his work has been supported by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. His research has also been featured by public media outlets in more than 25 countries. He has served as Chair of the INFORMS Artificial Intelligence College, Co-chair of the INFORMS Data Science Workshop and an editor for multiple academic journals.

In his administrative role, he oversees academic departments, teaching and learning, faculty affairs and collegiate data analytics. He also champions Tippie’s AI initiatives, advancing AI-enabled education, curriculum innovation and broader efforts to prepare students and programs for a rapidly changing business environment.

Jason Bennett Thatcher is the Tandean Rustandy Esteemed Professor at the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado Boulder and a Full Professor of Management Science at Alliance Manchester Business School. His research examines how people, organizations and senior leaders respond to emerging digital technologies, with recent work focused on artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, social media, digital transformation and digital leadership. His AI-related research studies AI orientation in firms, executive and board involvement in digital strategy and the effects of generative AI on knowledge work and scholarly practice. Thatcher’s work has appeared in MIS Quarterly, Information Systems Research, Journal of Applied Psychology and other leading journals. He has served as Senior Editor for MIS Quarterly, Information Systems Research and the Journal of the Association for Information Systems, and is an AIS Fellow and AIS Senior Scholar.

Kevin J. Jones is an Associate Professor of Management and AI Strategist at Indiana University Columbus, where he helps advance AI literacy, innovation and workforce readiness across higher education and industry. Currently serving as Faculty and AI Strategist, he is a recognized international speaker, researcher and thought leader on artificial intelligence and organizational transformation. He has delivered keynote presentations and workshops at major conferences across North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, focusing on AI strategy, workforce transformation, leadership and the future of work.

Jones is the creator of the Age of Accelerated Transformation (AoAT) framework, which examines the convergence of rapid technological, social, economic, legal, political and environmental change and its implications for organizations, education and society. His work has been featured through global conference presentations, scholarly publications, executive briefings and media appearances.

In addition to his speaking and research activities, Jones hosts the AI and You podcast with Indiana Public Media and is a frequent guest on podcasts and media programs exploring artificial intelligence, leadership, education and the future of work. With more than three decades of experience spanning higher education, telecommunications, healthcare, consulting and organizational leadership, he brings a practical and strategic perspective to helping individuals and institutions thrive in an AI-enabled world.

Che Guan is a Director of AI Research at AllianceBernstein, where he actively engages in research and development in natural language processing. His expertise spans supervised fine-tuning of large language models, reinforcement learning alignment and graph neural networks, as well as generative and autoregressive AI models for time series forecasting. Che joined AB in 2021, following an accomplished career in data science and quantitative research. From 2018 to 2021, he served as Principal Data Scientist at Raymond James, where he specialized in portfolio rebalancing and optimization, multi-asset simulation and robust asset allocation strategies. Prior to that, he worked as a quantitative strategist at a startup fund from 2017 to 2018, developing advanced algorithms for foreign exchange and digital assets. From 2013 to 2017, he was a founding member of J.P. Morgan Chase’s Intelligent Solutions team, where he applied machine learning and big data technologies across various business lines. Che earned his MS in Information and Data Science from the University of California, Berkeley, as well as an MS in Statistics and a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Connecticut, with a focus on forecasting applications.

Jack Nelson is Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and Deputy General Counsel at Ivanti, where he spearheads Ivanti’s security policy and global risk management framework. In this dual role, Jack oversees critical programs that safeguard Ivanti’s infrastructure, products and customer data against evolving threats.

With extensive experience in legal and security governance, Jack plays a pivotal role in aligning Ivanti’s objectives with cybersecurity measures and regulatory compliance. Jack’s expertise includes global litigation management, human resource oversight, cyber and data privacy risk management, incident response, vendor risk assessments and policy development.

Konstantin Cvetanov is a Global Field Technologist for AI Factories at NVIDIA. For the past 9 years Konstantin has accelerated the implementation of NVIDIA AI infrastructure and software platforms in Enterprise and Public Sector organizations. Moving AI from theory to deployment presents unique technical, organizational, regulatory and ethical challenges that require deep collaboration with key partners from industry, governments and academia. Konstantin’s team works at the forefront of those engagements.

Pal Narayanan is Chief Digital and Information Officer at Kenco, where he leads the company’s digital strategy, information technology, data science and business intelligence organizations. He is responsible for advancing the use of AI, automation, analytics and digital innovation to improve supply chain performance and customer outcomes.

With more than 30 years of technology leadership experience, including nearly 15 years in supply chain and logistics, Pal has led large-scale business and technology transformations that drive growth, operational excellence and competitive advantage. Prior to Kenco, he served as Executive Vice President and CIO for the Americas at GEODIS.

Pal is passionate about helping organizations translate AI from experimentation into measurable business value through intelligent automation, predictive analytics and data-driven decision-making.

He holds a Master of Science in Accounting and Information Systems from Middle Tennessee State University and an MBA from PSG College of Technology.

Keith Moore is the Chief Executive Officer for AutoScheduler.AI, and is focused on bringing the future of technology into warehousing. He works with top consumer goods, beverage, retail and distribution companies to drive efficiency in manufacturing and distribution centers.

Prior to launching AutoScheduler.AI, Keith was voted by Hart Energy Magazine as an Energy Innovator of the Year in 2020 and as a Pi Kappa Phi 30 under 30 member. He holds multiple patents in the fields of neural architecture search and supply chain planning. Keith has been published by journals and groups like Forbes, SupplyChainBrain, Inbound Logistics, ISSA and OTC for his work on logistics & AI applications.

Keith attended the University of Tennessee, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering.

Jason is a technology leader with over 19 years of experience delivering mission-critical programs in machine learning and supply chain optimization. He is distinguished for his ability to build and lead high-performing global teams, having scaled organizations to over 700 people. His expertise covers inventory planning, forecasting and managing 24×7 software operations, bringing together product, engineering and data science to achieve key business goals.

David Lee is AVP of Applied AI Research and Development at Cox Communications, where he co-founded the company’s AI team and AI Council. His team delivers change in three ways: (1) building front-of-curve applications that test the effectiveness and impact of AI, (2) providing trusted AI tooling so people across Cox can harness AI in their daily work and (3) cultivating the internal communities that help employees navigate the AI learning journey.

Before launching the AI practice, David led early-stage incubation inside Cox’s New Growth team. Prior to Cox, he was the first Global Head of Innovation and Venture at UPS and first Head of Innovation Programs at SunTrust Bank (now Truist). His early career at Bank of America spanned strategy and technology across Wealth Management, Capital Markets and Card Products.

David’s TED Talk, “Why Jobs of the Future Won’t Feel Like Work,” addresses the need to reshape work for an age of intelligent machines. It has more than 2 million views and was named one of the 15 Most Watched TED Talks of 2017. He is a frequent guest speaker on AI and innovation at Emory’s Goizueta Business School and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. David is also co-inventor on six patents.

David earned an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a BA in Economics from the University of Virginia.

Cox Communications is the largest privately held telecommunications company in America, delivering broadband internet, mobile, managed cloud and institutional fiber to 8 million customers.

Will Croushorn is a product leader at Wendy’s, where he led FreshAi, the first generative AI drive thru ordering platform deployed at enterprise scale. Built with Google Cloud, FreshAi grew from a back of the napkin idea to more than 500 restaurants, with 3,000 additional locations committed, and was recognized by NBC Nightly News, Forbes, Fast Company and MIT. Will is also an instructor in AI product management at Caltech, where he teaches executives how to build AI products. His work has led him to explore a broader question: How can AI help businesses understand the human moments behind physical commerce, rather than simply record the transaction? He is pursuing that question through an early-stage company building the understanding layer for physical commerce.

Johannes Habel is a scientist, educator and keynote speaker specializing in agentic AI and its application to sales organizations. He is professor of marketing at the University of Houston’s Sales Excellence Institute, where his research and teaching focus on helping organizations leverage artificial intelligence to improve sales performance.

Johannes has received numerous awards for his academic research and participant-centered teaching. He is recognized as one of the most prominent researchers on AI in sales and as one of the most productive sales scholars by ScholarGPS. His seminal article, “AI Agents, Agentic AI, and the Future of Sales,” was the first to introduce the concept of agentic AI to the academic sales literature.

A sought-after keynote speaker and executive educator, Johannes helps organizations demystify agentic AI and accelerate their AI transformation. He has designed executive education programs for dozens of organizations and has taught executives at leading business schools, including the Stanford Graduate School of Business, Yale School of Management, Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management, the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business and ESMT Berlin.

Johannes serves on the Editorial Review Boards of the Journal of Marketing, the Journal of Marketing Research, the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science and the Journal of Retailing. He is also an Associate Editor of the Journal of Service Research and a Senior Editor of the Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management. In addition, he serves as Director of Research at ESMT Berlin’s Bringing Technology to Market Center.

Before joining the University of Houston, Johannes was a Professor at Warwick Business School in the United Kingdom and an Associate Professor at ESMT Berlin in Germany. He earned a doctorate in marketing from Ruhr University Bochum and a degree in management from the University of Mannheim. Prior to his academic career, he worked as a management consultant at Booz & Company (now strategy&) and as a radio news anchor.

March Liao is a strategic marketing executive with more than 15 years of experience scaling and modernizing marketing operations for global B2B technology and services companies. He has held senior leadership roles at TriNet, Workday, Zenefits and Citrix, with responsibilities spanning marketing strategy, planning, operations, performance management, marketing technology, organizational transformation and data and analytics.

A thought leader and practitioner in marketing AI, March has focused since 2023 on AI transformation and the practical application of AI across marketing. His work in marketing innovation, analytics and AI has been recognized by Gartner, Forrester, IEEE and other industry organizations. March holds an MBA from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.

Kristin H. Darby is a nationally recognized technology executive, board director and public sector leader with more than 25 years of experience leading enterprise transformation across government, healthcare, finance, cybersecurity and regulated industries. She currently serves as Chief Information Officer for the State of Tennessee, where she leads statewide technology strategy, cybersecurity, digital services, artificial intelligence governance and enterprise modernization initiatives supporting more than 7 million citizens.

As CIO for one of the largest U.S. state governments, Ms. Darby advises executive leadership on technology modernization, cyber resilience, operational transformation, AI strategy and enterprise risk management, helping position Tennessee as a national leader in digital government and responsible innovation.

A recognized authority on emerging technology governance, Ms. Darby serves as Co-Chair of both the Tennessee AI Council and the Tennessee Cybersecurity Council, where she helps shape statewide strategy on responsible AI adoption, cybersecurity preparedness, critical infrastructure protection and innovation policy. Her work focuses on balancing innovation, operational efficiency, public trust and enterprise risk oversight.

Ms. Darby also brings extensive corporate governance and board leadership experience. She currently serves as an Independent Director for the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati, a $160+ billion financial institution, where she chairs the Business, Operations & Technology Committee and serves on the Risk, Human Resources and Compensation and Nominating and Governance Committees. She previously served on the board of Addgene, where she chaired the Audit Committee.

Ms. Darby is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), NACD Certified Director and Certified Bank Director. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and Management Information Systems from the University of South Florida and an MBA from Henley Business School in Oxfordshire, England.

Timothy Fitzgerald is an economist appointed as associate professor in the Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs at the University of Tennessee.

Shaun S. Gleason is an experienced senior leader of science and technology organizations with a focus on research and development, innovation, technology transfer, leadership development and education. He has 37 years of service at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) across three different directorates (Energy Science and Technology, Computing and Computational Sciences and National Security Sciences) and has experience as R&D staff, Group Leader, Institutional Planning Director, R&D Division Director and Interim Associate Laboratory Director. He has an extensive professional network across the DOE laboratory system, academia, industry and government agencies.

Shaun is currently the Director of Partnerships at ORNL, responsible for mission areas including technology transfer, commercialization, economic development, industry and government partnerships and research security. He previously served as the Director of Science-Security Initiative Integration within the Lab Director’s S&T Office. In that role, he led lab-wide integration efforts for some of ORNL’s strategic initiatives such as quantum, AI, self-driving labs and institutional computing. From 2018 to 2023, he was the founding Director of the Cyber Resilience and Intelligence Division at ORNL. In this role, he was responsible for an R&D portfolio focused on Advanced Intelligence and Resilient Cyber-physical Systems. From 2013 until 2018, Shaun was the Director of the Computational Sciences and Engineering Division at ORNL. From 2011 to 2013, he was Director of ORNL’s Office of Institutional Planning and was responsible for ORNL’s strategic planning process and discretionary R&D investment.

Shaun has 30 years of experience in applied image processing, data science and machine learning for energy, industrial, security and medical imaging applications. In 1998 he co-founded and became the VP of a preclinical medical imaging company, ImTek, Inc., that successfully transferred ORNL-developed technology into the commercial sector. After ImTek, Inc. merged with Siemens Medical, he became the Director of the Preclinical Research Division of Siemens Medical until 2008, when he returned to ORNL. He has authored and coauthored 120 publications and four book chapters and has been issued 10 patents. He is a Fellow of AAAS and a Senior Member of the IEEE.

Pamela Snyder is a distinguished leader in the enterprise software industry, with over 33 years of experience, including a remarkable 31-year tenure at Oracle. As the Group Vice President of Oracle’s Higher Education Sales Organization, Pamela is at the forefront of driving Oracle’s go-to-market strategy, sales execution, and partner engagement within the higher education sector. Her leadership encompasses four specialized teams dedicated to delivering innovative solutions tailored to the unique needs of educational institutions.

Pamela’s career is marked by her commitment to helping organizations embrace digital transformation through Oracle’s cutting-edge technology. Her efforts have enabled hundreds of customers to achieve operational excellence and long-term success. Before her current role in Higher Education, Pamela was instrumental in advancing Oracle’s Public Sector business, fostering growth and strategic partnerships.

Aalok Mehta currently serves as the director of the Wadhwani AI Center at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, where he oversees the program’s projects and research on a wide range of AI policy topics. He previously served as the responsible AI policy lead at Google, where he oversaw policy development and analysis for a wide range of global AI governance, testing, evaluation and legislative issues. Prior to that, he served as senior adviser to SeedAI and was OpenAI’s U.S. policy lead, where he ran policy operations during the launches of DALL-E 2 and ChatGPT. Previously, as a senior appropriations staffer in the House of Representatives, he oversaw a portfolio of technology, cybersecurity and financial regulators. Mehta worked on emerging technologies, including AI, 5G and autonomous vehicles, at the National Economic Council and the Office of Management and Budget, and advised senior leadership on wireless and competition issues at the Federal Communications Commission. He is a 2025 presidential leadership scholar and a 2023 Eisenhower USA fellow, for which he traveled to India and Sweden to study social safety net programs that can help manage technology-driven job shifts. He has a PhD from the University of Southern California, where his dissertation focused on U.S.-China AI great power competition, as well as an MA and MPP; he also has a BA from Rice University. Prior to working in public policy, he served as a technology journalist for a variety of outlets in Washington, D.C., including National Geographic and the Washington Post.