The Design Futures Workshop and Social Change course at the University of Houston's graduate program in Strategic Foresight is taught by Dr. Cindy Frewen, FAIA, an architect and urban futurist. With a focus on the nexus of complexity, technology, and people, she also publishes, speaks, and advises on the future of cities and design. UNESCO, US AID, Hallmark Cards, IBM,... read full bio
With more than 15 years of experience working with executive teams in the nonprofit and corporate sectors, Crystal offers a unique blend of strategic rigor, systems thinking, and emotional intelligence, all of which are based on a multifaceted identity and a cross-disciplinary education. Crystal relies on the conflicts and knowledge of both worlds as a South Asian woman who grew... read full bio
Author and speaker Alexandra Whittington is a futurist who studies how society and humans will develop in the future. She works with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) as a part of the Future of Business team, where she assists in navigating the challenging and unpredictable future. She co-authored and co-edited a number of books, including A Very Human Future, Aftershocks and... read full bio
Carol is an executive, AI roboticist, and engineering entrepreneur. She advises, invests in, and/or serves on the board of numerous businesses in the fields of diversity, AI, and healthcare. Known affectionately as the "Mother of Robots," she has been recognized as one of the "Top 50 Women in Tech" by Forbes, the "World's 50 Most Renowned Women in Robotics" by... read full bio
The UN Future Forum, the Korean Node of the international future study group Millennium Project, is represented by Park Young-sook. She spent ten years as the director of public diplomacy at the Australian Embassy in Korea, where she was exposed to future vision, and more than twenty years as a senior diplomat at the British Embassy in Korea. She then... read full bio
As a Scientist in Residence, Maria Konovalenko works for Formic Ventures, a diverse venture capital firm that invests in early-stage biotechnology startups that aim to extend human lifespans, as well as technology startups and businesses that enhance the quality of human life. Through a collaborative program between the Buck Institute for Research on Aging and the University of Southern California,... read full bio
The Boston Consulting Group's Center for Sensing and Mining the Future, led by Alison Sander, monitors over 100 megatrends that are changing the strategic landscape of the world. CEOs, prime ministers, boards of directors, prestigious international institutions, and companies looking to handle global complexity are just a few of the varied clients Alison has worked with. Alison finished a study examining... read full bio
Kristina is a businesswoman, educator, and creative who is enthusiastic about creating tactics and experiences that change the world. She has over ten years of experience as an educator, having developed curricula, creative programs, and professional trainings in diversity, equity, inclusion, and team building. She is an expert in using experiential education to promote curiosity and teamwork in both online... read full bio
Shara's keynote addresses integrate the most recent technological advancements and innovative research initiatives, connecting them to business-specific strategic insights. In addition, Shara frequently appears on television programs like Sky News, ABC's Q&A, The Project, Weekend Sunrise, Lateline, and others. She is also frequently interviewed by print, radio, and internet media on technology-related topics. Additionally, she was listed by Forbes as one... read full bio
How do top companies keep their audiences engaged Deloitte, JP Morgan, Boston Scientific, Wells Fargo, and Amazon all have the same answer. They hire Christophe Fox, the multi-award-winning mentalist, magician, and keynote speaker. He appears on CBS, Fox, ABC, TEDx, and MSNBC. Christophe has over one million followers on social media and has been featured in publications such as Modern... read full bio
Stanford University's Hoover Institution is home to Michael Auslin, PhD, the Payson J. Treat Distinguished Research Fellow in Contemporary Asia. He is a historian by profession and focuses on Indo-Pacific geopolitics and US policy in Asia. Among Auslin's six works are the best-selling Asia's New Geopolitics: Essays on Reshaping the Indo-Pacific and The End of the Asian Century: Dangers to the... read full bio
Advance Notice is a vision studio and dreaming collective founded by Emily Empel, a spiritual futurist who is committed to helping their community move toward the future they envision. Her job mostly involves the role of a futurist, helping different organizations envision and bring to life creative futures. Empel's responsibilities center on helping clients create a strong connection with the... read full bio
In a time of high-tech hype, Jennifer is a global thought leader and supporter of human-centered futures. Her outstanding work, mature wisdom, and grounded knowledge of people in the midst of an increasingly unpredictable world set her apart in the Futures community. Her uplifting, human-centered observations resonate with all audiences and provide constructive, yet optimistic, methods for building better futures. The establishment... read full bio
With over 18 years of experience, Jody Turner is a human-centered innovation-focused insight consultant, entrepreneur, strategist, and storyteller. She has provided Fortune 100 and 500 businesses with motivational viewpoints on lifestyle technologies, cutting-edge packaged goods and products, eCommerce, and retail experience design. She has worked as a consultant for well-known businesses like Apple, IDEO, Dell, Nike, Old Navy, and Starbucks. Turner... read full bio
Known as the Futures Alchemist, Charlotte Kemp is a futurist keynote speaker that works with corporations to create desired future outcomes. She currently holds the positions of Vice President of the Global Speakers Federation and President of the Professional Speakers Association of Southern Africa. Additionally, Kemp belongs to the Association of Professional Futurists as a professional member. Among Kemp's literary accomplishments... read full bio
Carl is a world-renowned authority on the study, management, and settlement of international conflicts and the author of Raising Global IQ: Preparing Our Students for a Shrinking Planet. He co-founded and currently serves as Chief Education Officer of Secure Communities Group, a Boston-based organization that provides critical security threat assessments and recommendations, including cybersecurity attack preparation and prevention, to corporations,... read full bio
Robert is an internationally renowned entrepreneur and thought leader who blends a strong academic background with practical experience. He is dedicated to using concrete data and strong evidence to create long-lasting social change. Robert has an i100index of 206 and an h-index of 52, making him a top-tier political scientist according to research.com. He has spent more than 20 years... read full bio
Jonathan Alpeyrie, who was born in Paris in 1979, immigrated to the US in 1993. He studied medieval history at the University of Chicago, where he eventually earned his degree after graduating from the Lycée Français de New York in 1998. While still an undergraduate, Alpeyrie began his career as a photographer for local Chicago newspapers. Over the course of his... read full bio
The creator of the Emerging World weekly, Afshin Molavi, is a Senior Fellow at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies' Foreign Policy Institute. Molavi has logged hundreds of thousands of kilometers around the world as a former journalist, geopolitical risk analyst, and World Bank employee, documenting our reality in unexpected ways. Molavi talks extensively about geopolitical risk, global... read full bio
With over ten years of experience in TV, radio, and digital journalism, Suzanne Kianpour is an Emmy-nominated journalist who has been on the front lines of some of the biggest breaking news stories in the world. She offers insight and analysis on important political and foreign policy issues based on her extensive on-the-ground experience both domestically and abroad, as well... read full bio
