The Impact Forum
Presented by Penn State
April 8–9, 2027
The Penn State Impact Forum brings together leaders from education, industry, government, and community organizations to explore solutions that drive workforce readiness, innovation, economic growth, and social impact. Building on the success of The Global Impact Forum (TGIF), this event creates opportunities for collaboration and action.
Past Featured Speakers
Neeli Bendapudi
President, Penn State
Mark Cuban
Entrepreneur and Investor; Founder, Cost Plus Drugs and Mark Cuban Foundation
Hadi Partovi
Founder and CEO, Code.org
Saquon Barkley
Running Back, Philadelphia Eagles; President, Michael Ann & Saquon Barkley Hope Foundation
Arndrea Waters King
President, Drum Major Institute
Slava Rubin
Managing Partner, humbition
Esther Wojcicki
Journalist, Educator, and "Godmother of Silicon Valley"
Jerome Bettis
Pro Football Hall of Famer, Entrepreneur, and Philanthropist
Fotis Sotiropoulos
Executive Vice President and Provost, Penn State University
Michael Wade Smith
Senior Vice President for External Affairs and Chief of Staff, Penn State University
Tonya Johnson
Vice President, Michael Ann & Saquon Barkley Hope Foundation
Aaron Feuer
CEO and Co-Founder, Panorama Education
Brett Davis
U.S. Chief Innovation Officer, Deloitte
Ray Martinez
CEO, EVERFI
Gary Brito
Retired U.S. Army General; Founder, The Brito Group, LLC
Karen Quintos
Former Chief Customer and Marketing Officer, Dell Technologies
Nathan Flood
President and CEO, KINBER
Rita Ferrandino
Founding Principal, Arc Capital Development
Anthony Matarazzo
Head of Physical AI & Solutions, Synopsys
Roberto Clemente Jr.
CEO, RCJ Global Impact
Rachael Pritzker
CEO, Pritzker Law Group
Scott Beatty
President and CEO, SoftWriters
Kendra Ross
Head of Social Impact, Duolingo
Haroon Choudery
Co-Founder and CEO, Autoblocks AI
Gregg Behr
Executive Director, The Grable Foundation; Founder and Chair, Remake Learning
Sara Allan
President, Valhalla Foundation
Tony Watlington
Superintendent, School District of Philadelphia
Thomas Murray
Director of Innovation, Future Ready Schools, All4Ed
Jonathan Dambrot
CEO, Cranium AI, Inc.
Kara Shure
Senior Manager of Global Policy Development, Airbnb
Jean-Claude Brizard
President and CEO at Digital Promise
John Thornton
CEO, Astrobotic
Michael Reed
President, Pennsylvania College of Technology
Abby Smith
President & CEO, Team PA
Jose Garcia
Future of Work(ers) Program Director, Ford Foundation
Lisa Dughi
Chief Executive Officer, NAF
Adeel Khan
Founder and CEO, MagicSchool AI
Philip Moyer
President and Chief Executive Officer of McGraw Hill
William Shaw
Executive Vice President, Britebound
Amy Loyd
Chief Executive Officer, All4Ed
Patrick Methvin
Interim President, U.S. Program, Gates Foundation
