Meet the Speakers
Learn more about all the PIF alumni available for speaking opportunities.
Contact outreach.piffoundation@gmail.com to connect with a PIF.
Gil Alterovitz
Washington, D.C.
Gil Alterovitz
Washington, D.C.
Affiliation: Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School, Director of the Biomedical Cybernetics Laboratory, Brigham and Women's Hospital
Areas of Expertise: AI/ML, Clinical, Genomics and Informatics Research
Bio: Gil Alterovitz, PhD, FACMI, FAMIA, is an internationally recognized leader in artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies with extensive experience across academia, industry, and government. He currently serves as an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and in the Division of General Internal Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH). His innovative work has been featured in over 100 peer-reviewed publications and four books, a couple of which are bestsellers. He is also president and on the board of the Presidential Innovation Fellows Foundation.
Dr. Alterovitz has garnered international recognition, including multiple Fulbright awards facilitating global collaborations. His work has been featured in international media. His contributions have been honored with several prestigious awards, including the Fed100 Award, the Government Innovation Award, and the Fedscoop 50 Award for federal AI leadership.
Rob Baker
Washington, D.C.
Rob Baker
Washington, D.C.
PIF Affiliation: USAID and Political Appointee
Currently consulting
Areas of Expertise: International Development, Mobile Technology, Human Centered Design, Agile Management, Open Data, Mindfulness
Michael Balint
Washington, D.C.
Michael Balint
Washington, D.C.
PIF Affiliation: Census, NCI, OMB, GSA
Currently HPC at NVIDIA
Areas of Expertise: Accelerated Analytics/Big Data, Software Engineering, Data Science
Sarah Brooks
Washington, D.C.
Sarah Brooks
Washington, D.C.
PIF Affiliation: Veterans Affairs
Currently at IBM Design
Areas of Expertise: Service & Regenerative Design, Design Research, Facilitation, Co-Design, Design Strategy, Applying a Living Systems Perspective to Complex Adaptive Challenges, Social Innovation, Social Enterprise, Mindfulness
Eric A. Daimler
New York
Eric A. Daimler
New York
PIF Affiliation: OSTP
Currently a venture capitalist
Areas of Expertise: Technology and Policy for Artificial Intelligence, Autonomous Vehicles, Venture Capital Funding
Ross Dakin
New York City
Ross Dakin
New York City
PIF Affiliation: Census, Commerce, USDA, OCIO (OMB)
Currently at Microsoft and working with startups
Areas of Expertise: Software Engineering and Policy
Scott Hartley
New York
Scott Hartley
New York
PIF Affiliation: DPC, USAID
Currently Venture Capitalist & Author of "The Fuzzy and the Techie"
Areas of Expertise: Future of Work, Venture Capital, Human + Machine, Limits of Technology
Michelle Hertzfeld
Tucson, AZ
Michelle Hertzfeld
Tucson, AZ
PIF Affiliation: DOI
Currently at 18F
Areas of Expertise: Product Strategy, Research, Government, Data Services, Workshopping, Leading Iterative Teams, Building Design Orgs, Water Policy
Ashley Jablow
Arlington, VA
Ashley Jablow
Arlington, VA
PIF Affiliation: National Archives, EPA, White House, OSTP, Open Ebooks Launch
Currently launching Vizzuality, First US Office for Data Design
Areas of Expertise: Design Thinking, Technology Strategy, Innovation Coaching and Facilitating
Ian Kalin
San Francisco, CA
Ian Kalin
San Francisco, CA
PIF Affiliation: Department of Energy & Department of Commerce
Currently Chief Data Officer at eHealth, Inc.
Areas of Expertise: Data, Healthcare, Smart Cities, Technology Policy
Jackie Kazil
Washington, D.C.
Jackie Kazil
Washington, D.C.
PIF Affiliation: FEMA, GSA
Currently Tech Advisor to Executives at Capital One
Areas of Expertise: Python, Data Science, Complexity Science, Machine Learning, Building Consensus, FOIA, Open Records and Data, Journalism, Building Communities, GIS/GE
Erren Lester
Fort Washington, MD
Erren Lester
Fort Washington, MD
PIF Affiliation: FBI, USDA, Commerce, NDU
Currently still serving as a PIF
Areas of Expertise: Software Product Management, Design Thinking, Software Development, Lean Startup, Health IT, Large Scale Consumer Web Apps
Diego Mayer
New York, NY
Diego Mayer
New York, NY
PIF Affiliation: Smithsonian
Currently at Inventively
Areas of Expertise: Entrepreneurship, Intrapreneurship, Product Management, Service Design, Open Data, Digitization, Innovation and Product Strategy, Leadership
Geoff Mulligan
Colorado Springs, CO
Geoff Mulligan
Colorado Springs, CO
PIF Affiliation: NIST - Smart America Challenge
Currently Chairman of the LoRa Alliance; Private Consultant, IoT
Areas of Expertise: Networking, Protocols, Security, Embedded Systems, IoT, Smart Cities, Smart Home
Alexandra Pelletier
Boston, MA
Alexandra Pelletier
Boston, MA
PIF Affiliation: NCI, DOE, EPA
Currently Digital Health Consulting
Areas of Expertise: Healthcare, Digital Tech for Health, Organizational Change
Robert L. Read
Austin, TX
Robert L. Read
Austin, TX
PIF Affiliation: GSA, DoLabor, Social Security
Currently Founding a Charity
Areas of Expertise: Agile, Programming, Robotics, Databases, Science, Mechanics, Computer Science, Algorithms, Performance, Management, Leadership, Culture Change
Adam Riggs
Washington, D.C.
Adam Riggs
Washington, D.C.
PIF Affiliation: Treasury and State
Currently Building www.metamap.me
Areas of Expertise: Bureaucracy Hacking, Product Design, Org Building and Management, Building Teams
Jason Shen
Brooklyn, NY
Jason Shen
Brooklyn, NY
PIF Affiliation: Smithsonian Institution & Open Data
Currently CEO of Headlight - a performance-based hiring platform
Areas of Expertise: Hiring & Recruiting, Product Management, Asian American Advocacy, Workshops & Facilitation
Clara Tsao
Washington, D.C.
Clara Tsao
Washington, D.C.
PIF Affiliation: DHS, Treasury, GSA, FBI
Currently still serving as a PIF
Areas of Expertise: Civic Innovation, STEM Education, Cyber/National Security, Entrepreneurship, Product Management/Government Acquisitions, Women in Tech, Diversity/Inclusion/LGBTQ, Global/Domestic Broadband Access/Connectivity, Counting ISIS/Extremist Groups with Digital Tools, Strategic Partnerships
Robert Zakon
New Hampshire
Robert Zakon
New Hampshire
PIF Affiliation: OSTP, DoD, Treasury, NDU
Currently Entrepreneur, Consultant, Developer, FLL Coach, SCORE Mentor
Areas of Expertise: Emerging and Advanced Technologies, Cybersecurity, Open Data/Science, Fintech, Cognitive Science, Internet History