Impact Conference 2024: July 24 - 26
Join us for Impact, Westmont's annual technology and thought-leadership conference, co-hosted with Salesforce. On Westmont's beautiful campus in Montecito, you will hear from luminary education and technology keynotes and be challenged to reimagine what's possible using the Salesforce platform in the education sector.
Registration is limited to 150 guests.
July 24: Pre-Conference Session
July 25: Presentations - Keynote speakers: Julia Freeland Fisher, Vala Afshar
July 26: AI Day
Keynote Speakers
Julia Freeland Fisher is the Director of Education at the Clayton Christensen Institute, where she leads a team researching the effects of disruptive innovation on the public and private education landscape. She has published and spoken extensively on topics including the EdTech market, new school models, and competency-based education policies and practices. Most recently, her research focuses on emerging tools and practices that leverage technology to expand students' social capital by enhancing their access to new networks and their ability to navigate those networks.
Vala Afshar is the Chief Digital Evangelist for Salesforce. Afshar is the author of The Pursuit of Social Business Excellence and Boundless. He is also the co-host of DisrupTV, a weekly show covering the latest digital business and innovation market trends.
Speaker Highlights
With over two decades of experience in the field, Josh Tepen has a deep understanding of all things IT. For the past 6 years, he's been fully immersed in the world of cloud architecture, software development, and game-changing innovation. Currently, as the Executive Director of Design and Development at Maryville University, Josh is leading a dynamic team of professionals who oversee all enterprise applications and develop custom applications and data integrations. Always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve the student experience, Josh and his team are at the forefront of cutting-edge technology.
Ash Black is a creative technologist and educator with a long track record of innovation from the early days of the web to the AI and XR era of today. A specialist in student engagement, he is passionate about experiential learning and champions a hands-on approach to mastering technology. At the University of Arizona he presently directs the Institute for Computation & Data-Enabled Insight, coordinates Artificial Intelligence outreach strategies, and is working to build internships, jobs, and economic expansion across Arizona.
Phil Komarny is the Chief Innovation Officer at Maryville University of Sait Louis. He led a significant reimagining of Maryville's IT department, moving away from traditional approaches and towards a data-centric strategy. This revolutionary perspective on IT management resulted in the creation of a unique system known as Collective Technology, a unifying force that binds the university together through the strategic use of data. Komarny is also the founder and CEO of the My LifeTrek Network, a Lifegraph-powered network that leverages data to connect universities and businesses in a trusted learning ecosystem.
As the CIO for the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, Charles Peyton oversees the school’s technological infrastructure and strategy. He also focuses on on enhancing multimedia and broadcast news infrastructure as well as enterprise information systems to support the school's diverse educational needs – ultimately driving digital transformation through technology, communication, and journalism. He has 20+ years of experience leading IT teams, programs, and projects.
Emilio Reyes Le Blanc is an Azure Core Solution Specialist at Microsoft. He is an experienced technical sales leader with expertise in data strategy, analytics, AI, and cloud platforms. He has sold cloud technology for Microsoft, Salesforce, and Oracle. He has received several awards from Microsoft for his outstanding work with the company.
Our AI Day on July 26 is sponsored by the Fletcher Jones Foundation and presented by Westmont's Center for Technology, Creativity, and the Moral Imagination.
