Meet Our Visionary
Speakers

Bette Smith

Bette Smith serves as the Director of the Center for Innovation and Collaboration at Ball State University, where she leads initiatives that bridge technology, education, and community engagement. With extensive experience in fostering collaborative environments, Bette specializes in creating partnerships that drive innovation and meaningful change. Her work focuses on leveraging technology to enhance educational outcomes and build stronger connections between academic institutions and the communities they serve. Through her leadership, she has championed programs that empower individuals to harness the transformative potential of technology in education and beyond.

Sonya Chapin

Sonya Chapin is a seasoned technology professional with a passion for building and nurturing tech communities. With years of experience in revenue generation, process creation and improvements, she has dedicated her career to empowering the next generation of tech leaders through strategic community building and mentorship. Sonya's expertise lies in creating inclusive environments where professionals can connect, learn, and grow together. She has been instrumental in developing programs that bridge the gap between education and industry, helping aspiring technologists navigate their career paths and achieve their professional goals.

Fatemeh Hajizadeh

Fatemeh Hajizadeh is an empathetic and impact-driven engineering manager at Salesforce. She is passionate about building high-performing, inclusive teams and specialized in driving equity through innovation, data-informed solutions, and remote team leadership. She is a dedicated advocate for leveraging technology for positive social impact and is a frequent speaker at technology conferences, including the WWiT (Women Working in Tech) conference. She holds a degree from Ball State University.

Jeni McIntosh-Elkins

Jeni McIntosh-Elkins is a workforce educator, leadership strategist, and doctoral candidate in Adult and Community Education at Ball State University, where her research explores how life transitions shape leadership and learning. She holds a Master of Business Administration from Indiana University Northwest, a Master of Science in Information and Communication Sciences from Ball State University, and an undergraduate degree from Indiana University Northwest. Jeni serves as Director of Programs and Operations for TechIndiana, where she supports workforce initiatives designed to prepare individuals for success in today's technology-driven economy. She is also the CEO and Founder of Fetch Happiness, where she works as a resiliency trainer, coach, consultant, and author, helping individuals and organizations grow through change, challenge, and transition. In addition, she is the Co-Founder of Torn In Half, a long-standing blog and community supporting early widows as they navigate grief, identity, and the process of rebuilding their lives. Working at the intersection of education, technology, and workforce development, Jeni helps people build the confidence, adaptability, and professional skills needed to thrive in evolving workplaces. Drawing from both professional experience and personal resilience, she believes that growth often begins in life's hardest moments and lives by the philosophy:
"When you cannot change the world, make your corner smile."

Alex Smedley

Alex Smedley is a Senior IT Examiner with Indiana's Department of Financial Institutions. For nearly nine years, Alex has supervised and conducted complex regulatory examinations of banks, credit unions, and financial service providers to ensure information technology and security compliance and to protect Indiana depositors and consumers. Alex is also the Chair of her department's Enrichment Committee, where she focuses on employee engagement and fostering positive relationships across the agency's divisions. Alex is passionate about mental health, leadership, and creating spaces where everyone feels welcome. When not focusing on others, Alex is working on making her life happier, healthier, cozier, and more productive.

Nathan Hiscock

Nathan is Vice President of Solution Architecture at Uturn Data Solutions, a Cloud, Data, and AI consulting firm. He has served as Adjunct Faculty of cloud for Ball State University. Nathan earned a B.S. in Computer Science and M.S. in Information and Communication Sciences from Ball State University. With a technology career spanning 27 years, he has been a programmer, architect, practice leader, 4-time entrepreneur, and growth leader for consulting firms and cloud partners. Active in the Indianapolis technology community, Nathan volunteers his time leading the AWS user group in Indianapolis, participating in the Indiana CIO network, supporting TechPoint, evaluating grant applications for the state of Indiana's technology education programs, and other state-level initiatives to attract and retain tech talent. When he's not clouding around, Nathan can be found playing trumpet and serving on the board for the Indianapolis Symphonic Band, supporting his kids in show choir and theater by serving with the pit crew or playing in the pit orchestra, or serving his community by managing emergency communications, participating in storm weather reporting, and numerous other activities.

Christine Stiles

Christine Stiles has spent over 20 years in IT education, serving as both a college professor and corporate education manager. For the last five years, Christine has been a Senior Principal of Education, Training & Assessment for Infosys, a global IT services company, where she manages and delivers training for employees, clients, and educational partners across the Americas. With a wide range of experience spanning programming, data science, AI, cloud computing, metaverse, managing, and consulting, Christine has a unique gift for simplifying challenging IT topics in an engaging and meaningful way for audiences from novice to expert alike. She holds a bachelor's degree in education and a CICS master's degree, both from Ball State University.

Riyaz Usman

With over 20 years of experience in instructional design and systems management, Riyaz Usman is a seasoned learning consultant and certified instructor specializing in the intersection of enterprise cloud and artificial intelligence. He has a distinguished track record of leading large-scale digital transformations and designing university programs, specifically focusing on the strategic implementation and educational delivery of Enterprise level Artificial Intelligence solutions. Having authored training content for over 10,000 learners and led initiatives resulting in thousands of industry certifications, he brings a wealth of practical expertise in upskilling global workforces for an AI-driven future.