Speakers
Sourcing speaking talent from across the state, Valley TechCon.23 brings together entrepreneurs, academics, and developers to present the latest on a diverse tech industry.
TechCon.23 speakers will be announced soon. Below is the lineup from TechCon.19.


Jared Burden
Partner, GreeneHurlocker PLC
In 2016, Jared launched the OPENgc service, which provides flat fee general counsel services on an outsourced basis to small and medium-sized businesses which do not have full-time “in-house” counsel. Jared began his legal practice in California almost three decades ago, serving clients from large law firms in San Francisco, Washington, DC, and Tysons Corner, including Pillsbury and Williams Mullen. A veteran of the technology scene in NoVA during Internet 1.0, he relocated to the Shenandoah Valley in 2002, where he was General Counsel to a diversified corporation based in Harrisonburg. Jared earned his undergraduate degree (magna cum laude) at Duke University and his J. D. at the University of Virginia School of Law.
Ideas Are Just That @ 9:15am

Michael Szul
Principal Software Engineer, University of Virginia School of Medicine
https://michael.szul.us
Conversational Software and What it Means for the User Interface @ 9:15am

Renée M. P. Teate
Data Scientist, HelioCampus
https://twitter.com/becomingdatasci
SQL for Data Science @ 9:15am

Mike Forster
COO, Chiedo Labs
How to Launch a Software Startup without a Tech Co-founder @ 10:15am

Tom Stiehm
CTO, Coveros, Inc.
Shifting Security Left – The Innovation of DevSecOps @ 10:15am

Chris O’Brien
UX Team Lead & Senior Designer, Jenzabar
Innovate, Enhance Brand & Avoid Lawsuits by Embracing Web Accessibility (a11y) @ 10:15am

Dr. Morgan C. Benton
Associate Professor, ISAT, James Madison University
https://morphatic.com
The “Offline First” Approach to Cross-platform App Development @ 11:15am

Dr. Eric Korn
Director of Sales and Business Dev, Innovative Refrigeration Systems
https://safetyamp.com
Other speakers: Jared Mullenax and Parker Dell


Can Software Change a Corporate Culture? @ 11:15am

Precious Williams
The philosophy of her “killer” pitch is evident in the strategic and personalized creative communications and presentations solutions Williams puts forth. As serial entrepreneur, international professional speaker, and coach, Williams is equipped to bring life, authenticity, strategy, and boldness to all your oral and written communication needs.
Williams is a graduate of Spelman College and Rutgers School of Law. She currently lives in Brooklyn, New York.
The Art of the “Killer” Pitch @ 11:15am

Bud Ritchie
Cybersecurity Instructor, Massanutten Technical Center
Lunch Keynote Speaker @ 12:15pm

Dan OBrien
GO VA Cyber Security Program Manager, Blue Ridge Community College
Lunch Keynote Speaker @ 12:15pm

Evan Pettrey
Founder, Converge Local
Flush out of cash after bringing the product to market he only had two choices: fail or learn everything he possibly could about digital marketing and grow it himself.
Armed with everything he’d learned making Snuggin a success, Evan launched Converge Local, a full-service print and marketing agency. He’s grown Converge from a solo operation to a team of 10 passionate and driven professionals who provide service to more a hundred clients across the Shenandoah Valley and beyond, including Augusta Health, SHD Airport, the Shenandoah Valley Partnership, Sigora Solar, 3xF Fitness, and Consumers Auto Warehouse.
Building a Marketing Machine @ 1:30pm

Sam Johnson
Lead Digital Marketing Specialist, Immerge
Grow Your Search Opportunities with Rich Search Results @ 1:30pm

Lily Maley
Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Brand, Visme
http://www.lilymaley.com
As a CMO, Lily is creating thought leadership, speaking and writing, on brand strategy, remote and global management, design thinking, female leadership, and self-empowerment. Her experiences have included an international rebrand, IPO launch on the New York Stock Exchange, brand-building amidst acquisitions, and unifying under a single master brand while building a world-class, in-house creative agency of “brand warriors”. Lily has been nominated for several awards, including the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.
Brand-Building Online, In-App, and Offline: how marketing, tech, and sales teams can work together to craft and embody a single brand narrative. @ 1:30pm
Bernadette Gagnon
CEO/CTO, Bluemont Technology & Research, Inc.
Other speaker: Dr. Edward Stoker
Edward Stoker, PhD, is the V.P. of Innovative Technology of Bluemont Technology & Research, Inc. He has over 35 years of experience with Networking, Data Analysis and Information Technology. Dr. Stoker has worked for major corporations (GTE, Verizon), aggressive network innovators (BBN, Comsat), and smaller businesses (ManTech/GrayHawk). His background is a mix of commercial (retail, embedded, network management and back office applications) with a focus on data and computational intensive applications. He has a PhD in Electrical Engineering and MBA in Accounting and Finance.
The Next Generation of Visualization in the Workplace @ 1:30pm

Michael Raschid
Chief Legal Officer & VP – Operations, Perrone Robotics
Autonomous Shuttles: Solving Real-World Micro-Transit Problems @ 1:30pm

Elaine Cheng
Chief Information Officer, Shentel
For the past 8 years, Elaine has served as Chief Information Officer & Managing Director, Global Strategic Design, for CFA Institute in Charlottesville. Prior to her time at CFA Institute, Elaine held a number of different roles over 16 years with M&T Bank in Buffalo, NY including Group Vice President, Technology Business Services, Vice President of Retail Operations and Project Office and Assistant Vice President, Web Product Owner. Elaine is also a founding board member of Charlottesville Women in Tech, a non-profit organization which encourages more women to join and thrive in technology careers. Additionally, Elaine serves as Board Vice Chair for the Virginia Institute of Autism in the Charlottesville area. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Vassar College and her Masters of Business Administration from the University of Rochester.
Design Thinking for Innovation @ 2:30pm

Ian MacRae
President, E-N Computers
Since 1997, MacRae has helped over 120 individuals develop their IT education through internship and employment opportunities. Inspired by Ian, six of these individuals have become entrepreneurs founding their own technology companies. Seeing a value in continued education, MacRae instituted a $4,000 training reimbursement program at E-N Computers which has been utilized by dozens to complete their college degree or an advanced certification including Cisco CCSP, CCSP, MCSE, and Project Management Professional (PMP).
Ian MacRae has pursued servicing organizations with 10 to 300 users for 22 years. Small IT teams are spread thin, and E-N Computers allows companies to augment their IT function with a proven team with integrated tools and processes. One of Ian MacRae’s goals is to simplify managing IT, so that the small to mid-sized businesses we are responsible for never have to worry.
8 Roles in IT support you must fill to get business results @ 2:30pm

Tracy Gregorio
President, G2 Ops
Under Ms. Gregorio’s leadership, G2 Ops has grown at a double-digit pace, providing model-based systems engineering (MBSE) and security engineering solutions to the US Navy, US Coast Guard, US Air Force, and numerous small, medium, and large businesses. G2 Ops customer base employs systems within some of the most challenging environments imaginable – relying on G2 Ops for cyber resiliency, systems and data modeling, and risk analysis solutions. G2 Ops has expanded its offices in Virginia Beach, Arlington, and San Diego this past year and is the recipient of numerous awards from the Department of Defense for innovation in engineering and was awarded the Patriotic Employer Award in 2018. G2 Ops was recently notified of its 2nd selection to the Inc. 5000 List of the nation’s fastest growing companies.
Ms. Gregorio is committed to maintaining a strong community presence, serving as Cybersecurity Committee Chair of the Virginia Ship Repair Association and sits on the boards of the Virginia Maritime Association and the Virginia Cyber Alliance. She most recently served on the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative representing industry in Coastal Virginia. Ms. Gregorio holds an M.S. in Computer Science from Old Dominion University and a B.S. in Computer Science from Virginia Tech. She is a recent graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program and received a certificate in Cybersecurity: Technology, Application, and Policy from MIT.
She enjoys golfing, boating, and spending time with her family.
Breakfast Speaker @ 8:45 am

Todd B. Waldo
Founder and Principal Consultant, Hugh Helen, LLC.
All of this carries over in his service and advocacy in the Richmond community with his work for various organizations. With passion for social justice, Todd serves on the Board of Directors for Better Housing Coalition, the President of the Board of the Robinson Theater Community Arts Center, Board Chair for Afrikana Independent Film Festival as well as the the Richmond Symphony Community Council. He also serves on the VCU School of Engineering Industrial Advisory Board.
Closing Speaker @ 3:30 PM