Wharton DC

Keynote Panel Speaker: Opening Keynote Panel

Isabella Casillas Guzman was sworn in as the 27th Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration on March 17, 2021. She serves as the voice for America’s 30 million small businesses and innovative startups in President Biden’s Cabinet.
Administrator Guzman grew up in a small business family and has been an entrepreneur herself. She has spent her entire career advising entrepreneurs, launching ventures, helping small businesses navigate government, and creating policies and programs to help advance entrepreneurship and innovation.
Most recently, she served as the Director of the California Office of the Small Business Advocate where she helped small businesses and innovative startups in the world’s fifth largest economy start, expand and grow. She advocated fiercely for financial relief for small businesses and focused on expanding assistance to entrepreneurs in underserved communities. In addition, she served as the economic recovery support function coordinator for the state, where she spearheaded the small business recovery effort during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keynote Panel Speaker: Opening Keynote Panel

Alex Iams is the Executive Vice President at the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA). Most recently, he has led FCEDA’s work on the Fairfax County Economic Recovery Strategy and a regional economic development strategy for the National Capital Region. His career experience includes the recruitment of Amazon HQ2 and development of the Crystal City Sector Plan in Arlington. Previously, Iams worked for the Council of Development Finance Agencies and the International Economic Development Council. Lams holds a graduate degree in City and Regional Planning from the Ohio State University and an undergraduate degree from the University of Washington.

Keynote Panel Speaker: Opening Keynote Panel & Session Panelist: Future of Transportation & Logistics

Melissa King serves as the Director of the Office of Innovation and Engagement in the Office of the Secretary for the Department of Transportation. The primary services for her office include management of the department-wide innovation program and engagement services offered to the organization to enrich the employee experience.

Before this assignment, Melissa served as the Executive Director of Talent Development and Chief Learning Officer at the Federal Aviation Administration where she led FAA Leadership and Learning Institution (FLLI). She and her team brought over 11,000 students through instructor-led management curriculum in over 30 courses with goal of driving a high-performance culture through learning. Her team implemented a leadership model with a focus on building transformational leaders who understood the responsibility of encouraging innovation.

Prior to joining the FAA, Melissa directed Intelsat Global University for the preeminent global fixed satellite services provider. In that position, she focused on the transformation needed to take the former International Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) into an Initial Public Offering (IPO). She also led talent management functions with MeadWestvaco, a global Fortune 500 manufacturer, stabilizing the post-merger workforce by focusing on the 10 capabilities, including innovation, needed to enhance organizational performance.

Melissa’s strategic acumen is evident in her dedication to guiding people and organizations through change. Melissa holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication Arts from the State University of New York at Plattsburg and a Master's degree in Human Resources Management from Rochester Institute of Technology. She is also nearing completion of a doctorate with a dissertation titled: Strategies for Safely Adopting Digital Transformation in Aviation.

Keynote Panel Speaker + Moderator: Opening Keynote Panel & Session Panelist: Future of Infrastructure

Stu Solomon is currently the President and CEO of Connected DMV. He is an experienced Chief Executive Officer with a demonstrated history of working on complex programs and strategies for critical infrastructure initiatives. Skilled in Power Industry, Security, IT Strategy, Business Transformation, Management, and Leadership.

Stu has served on a variety of non-profit and civic boards including the Economic Club of Washington DC (Officer), Greater Washington Board of Trade (Chair), Federal City Council, KIPP DC, Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, Junior Achievement of Greater Washington, and Baylor University Advisory Board of the Hankamer School of Business. He was also named one of the Washington Business Journal’s Power 100, an annual list of the most influential regional business leaders. Stu has a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Baylor University - Hankamer School of Business.

Keynote Speaker: Is Your Company Fundable? & Session Panelist: Future of Funding

Alan Brody is the "Dean" of Digital Startups and founder of Startupalooza, the pitching forum and Capital Raising Workshop, that runs in 8 cities and helped entrepreneurs raise millions. He is author of The Startup Funding Formula and Are You Fundable? books that help Entrepreneurs understand the mindset of investors and get them to write a check.
Brody is CEO of Convean, the business strategy and event company that produces Angel Week, Cannavest and Blockchain Breakthroughs, the leading roadshow for Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Startups.
He is the founder of the iBreakfast, New York and L.A.’s longest running Digital Media Executive Networking Group. He created the Marcom Awards, the first awards program for online advertising & marketing (now ADWEEK's Icon Awards). He has been a columnist for divisions of Advertising Age and ADWEEK.
Brody is one of the leading personalities in a new Startup series on the worldwide ZeeTV network entitled, Break Through The Crowd.

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Nundy

Shantanu Nundy, MD, MBA, is a primary care physician; Chief Medical Officer at Accolade, which helps over 2 million people navigate the health system; and the author of Care After COVID: What the Pandemic Revealed is Broken in Healthcare and How to Reinvent It https://www.careaftercovid.org/.. Dr. Nundy practices primary care at a safety net clinic in the greater Washington, DC, area and serves as a senior advisor to the World Bank and a lecturer in health policy at the George Washington University Milken Institute for Public Health. He received his B.S. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, his M.B.A. from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and his M.D. from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Keynote Speaker: Gitanjali Rao

Gitanjali Rao was recognized as America's Top Young Scientist and received an EPA Presidential award for inventing her device "Tethys"—an early lead detection tool. Gitanjali is also the inventor of “Epione”—a device for early diagnosis of prescription opioid addiction using genetic engineering, and "Kindly"—an anti-cyberbullying service using AI and Natural Language processing.

She was honored as Forbes “30 Under 30 in Science” in 2019 and TIME’s “Top Young Innovator” and "TIME Kid of the Year" for her innovations and STEM workshops she conducts globally, which has inspired over 48,000 students in the last two years across four continents and 25 countries. In her sessions, she shares her own process of innovation that can be used by students all over the world. She often presents in global and corporate forums on innovation and the importance of STEM.

Gitanjali is the author of the book "Young Innovator's Guide to STEM", which guides students, educators, or teachers with a prescribed 5 step innovation process. She was honored as one of America's Top Youth Volunteers by Prudential in 2021 for her workshops.