Opportunity at the Speed of Trust
The Penn State Impact Forum brings together Penn State leaders, researchers, faculty, students, and alumni with leaders from industry, government, philanthropy, and communities to explore the ideas, technologies, and partnerships shaping the future of Pennsylvania and beyond.
Wednesday, September 9
Pre-Conference
TIME
EVENT
LOCATION
5:30–7:30 PM
Nittany Lions & Owls Clean Up
Join fellow Nittany Lions and Temple Owls for a community cleanup and an opportunity to connect before the conference begins.
Learn More →
FDR Park
Thursday, September 10
Artificial Intelligence & Innovation
TIME
SESSION / PRESENTER
ROOM
9:00–11:00 AM
Registration
—
10:00–11:30 AM
Networking Brunch
Connect with leaders and attendees from across Penn State, education, industry, government, technology, philanthropy, and communities.
—
11:30–11:40 AM
Welcome and Opening Remarks
Justin W. Aglio
Associate Vice President, Penn State Outreach; Executive Director, Readiness Institute at Penn State
Gary Liguori
Chancellor, Penn State Abington
Deloitte Main Stage
11:40 AM–12:15 PM
Preparing Students for an AI-Ready Workforce
Moderator
Erica Fleming
Assistant Teaching Professor and Faculty Lead for Teaching and Learning, Penn State College of IST
Panelists
Andy Hunsucker
Associate Teaching Professor, Penn State College of IST
Chris Gamrat
Associate Teaching Professor, Penn State College of IST
Patrick Dudas
Associate Teaching Professor, Penn State College of IST
How do we prepare students not simply to use AI, but to think critically, adapt, innovate, and lead in an AI-powered world?
Impact Award Recognition
Charlotte Dungan
Chief Learning Officer, Mark Cuban Foundation
Deloitte Main Stage
12:15–12:50 PM
Trust in the Future
Moderator
Thomas C. Murray
Director of Innovation, Future Ready Schools, All4Ed
Panelists
Aaron Feuer
Co-Founder & CEO, Panorama Education
Nathan Flood
President & CEO, KINBER
Tony B. Watlington Sr.
Superintendent, School District of Philadelphia
A cross-sector conversation about creating opportunities for students and communities through education, technology, connectivity, and trusted partnerships.
Deloitte Main Stage
12:15–1:00 PM
Student Workshop: Workshop for K-12: Explore Technology
Chris Gamrat
Associate Teaching Professor of Information Sciences and Technology
Jocelyn Bennett Garraway
Associate Dean for Student Success
Synthesis
1:00–1:30 PM
High School Student Spotlight
Presented by Panorama Education
Philadelphia-area students take the stage to share their projects, ideas, passions, innovations, and perspectives on the future.
CYTO|PHL
1:30–2:20 PM
Interactive Breakout Sessions
One-on-One Fireside Chat: Meet the Founder
Aaron Feuer
Co-Founder & CEO, Panorama Education
Synthesis
AI and Quantum Ready Network Innovation and Pipeline in Pennsylvania: Building the Next Generation Infrastructure and Network in Commonwealth
Jennifer Oxenford
Chief Relationship Officer, KeystoneREN
Scott Ambrose
Chief Technology Officer, KeystoneREN
Deloitte Main Stage
Mark Cuban Foundation
Biotic
2:30–4:00 PM
Impact Award Recognition
Shane White
Director, Compliance, Integra LifeSciences
Special Remarks
Gary Liguori
Chancellor, Penn State Abington
Opportunity at the Speed of Trust: Innovating What’s Next
Moderator
Fotis Sotiropoulos
Executive Vice President and Provost, The Pennsylvania State University
Panelists
Karen H. Quintos
Retired Chief Customer and Marketing Officer, Dell Technologies
Anthony Matarazzo
Head of Physical AI, Synopsys
Shane White
Director, Compliance, Integra LifeSciences
Brett Davis
Principal and U.S. Chief Innovation Officer, Deloitte
AI, advanced technology, research, and entrepreneurship are moving faster than ever. But innovation only creates opportunity when people and organizations trust one another enough to act. Together, they will explore AI, Physical AI, responsible innovation, emerging technologies, scaling innovation, the future workforce, and how trust can accelerate the journey from innovation to impact.
Closing Remarks
Deloitte Main Stage
Thursday Evening | Philadelphia Experiences
Evening
Philly EdTech Meetup
Continue the conversation with Philadelphia’s education, technology, entrepreneurship, and innovation communities.
Register separately →
Tradesman's
Evening
East Coast Premiere: The Godmother of Silicon Valley
Join the Penn State community for the East Coast premiere of The Godmother of Silicon Valley and an evening celebrating innovation, entrepreneurship, and impact.
Register separately →
Penn State Abington
Friday, September 11
Workforce Development & Opportunity
TIME
SESSION / PRESENTER
ROOM
8:00–9:30 AM
Welcome and Opening
Start the day with breakfast and connections across the Impact Forum community.
—
9:30–9:50 AM
Welcome, Opening Remarks & Impact Award
Dane Zdunowski
President, Penn State Alumni Association Philadelphia Chapter
Impact Award Recognition
John New
CEO/Founder, WorkMerk and 98 Octane
Deloitte Main Stage
9:50–10:25 AM
Trust in Partnerships & Innovation
Moderator
John New
CEO/Founder, WorkMerk and 98 Octane
Panelists
General Gary M. Brito
General, U.S. Army (retired) and founder, The Brito Group, LLC
Kara Shure
Senior Manager of Global Policy Development, Airbnb
Rita Ferrandino
Founding Principal, Arc Capital Development
Grant Dull
Executive Director, KeystoneREN
How can leaders across sectors build trusted relationships that move beyond conversation and create meaningful, lasting impact?
Deloitte Main Stage
10:30–11:10 AM
Opportunity at the Speed of Trust: The Power of Partnerships
Moderator
Michael Wade Smith
Senior Vice President for External Affairs and Chief of Staff, The Pennsylvania State University
Panelists
Roberto Clemente Jr.
CEO, RCJ Global Impact
Ray Martinez
CEO, EVERFI
Today’s biggest opportunities cannot be addressed by any one institution, company, or sector. This conversation explores how trusted partnerships create opportunity, strengthen communities, and accelerate impact.
Deloitte Main Stage
11:15–11:50 AM
Building Pennsylvania’s AI Ecosystem
Moderator
Jen Gilburg
Deputy Secretary for Technology and Entrepreneurship, Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development
Panelists
Michael Borda
Associate Vice Provost for Research Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives, University of Pennsylvania
Ilena Key
Chief Information Officer and Associate Vice President for Information Technology Services, Lehigh University
Guido Cervone
Director, Institute for Computational and Data Sciences, Penn State University
Deloitte Main Stage
11:50 AM–12:40 PM
2026 Susan Wojcicki Legacy Empowerment Award
Rachael Pritzker
CEO & Founder, Pritzker Law Group; Board Member, Michael Ann & Saquon Barkley Hope Foundation
Networking Lunch
Deloitte Main Stage
12:40–1:15 PM
Show, Don’t Tell: How Penn State AI Fellows Are Shaping AI-Native Talent
Presented with Deloitte
A conversation featuring Penn State AI Fellows and Deloitte exploring artificial intelligence, innovation, leadership, and the opportunities ahead.
Featuring
Penn State AI Fellows, Deloitte, and Dean Mather
Deloitte Main Stage
1:15–4:00 PM
Higher Education Student Spotlight
Presented by EVERFI
Higher education students from across the region showcase their ideas, research, innovations, projects, and passions while connecting with leaders from education, industry, technology, government, and communities.
CYTO|PHL
1:35–2:25 PM
Interactive Breakout Sessions
AI Ecosystem
Vincent Perez
Founder and Managing Partner, Long View Partners
Bob Brumley
Tempest Carter
Tim Dodd
Gloria Bell
Catalyst
The 15-Minute Advantage: How Relationships Become Opportunity
Jennifer Kebea
President, Campus Philly
Joe Robus
Director, Talent Acquisition, Comcast
Alyson Picione
Talent Acquisition Supervisor, Hanwha
Krystal Burgess
Senior Early Career Talent Partner, The Campbell’s Company
Synthesis
Faculty-Industry Partnerships in Course-Based Experiential Learning
Penn State College of IST
Biotic
The Essential Partnership for Creating Financially Prepared Students
Dan Zapp
Sr. Director of Research, EVERFI — Moderator
Eileen Marks DiFabio
Director of Financial Literacy, NYC Public Schools
Letty Perez
Strategic Philanthropy Lead, Corporate Impact, The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America
Deloitte Main Stage
2:30–3:20 PM
Interactive Breakout Sessions
From Pilot to Playbook: Scaling AI-Native Talent Collaboration
Deloitte
Deloitte Main Stage
Building the Workforce for What’s Next
How can leaders in education, industry, government, and workforce development use labor market intelligence to identify workforce bottlenecks early and act before they become crises?
Shakir Cannon-Moye
Vice President, Julius Education
Greg Blair
Vice President, Julius Education
Biotic
Don’t Just Hire the Future Workforce—Help Build It: AI/Digital Twins
Penn State College of IST
Synthesis
3:30–4:30 PM
Closing Keynote
Impact Award Recognition
Tonya Johnson
Vice President, The Michael Ann & Saquon Barkley Hope Foundation
Presented by
Rachael Pritzker
CEO & Founder, Pritzker Law Group; Board Member, Michael Ann & Saquon Barkley Hope Foundation
Special Guest
Saquon Barkley
Penn State alumnus and Philadelphia Eagles running back
Closing Remarks
Justin W. Aglio
Associate Vice President, Penn State Outreach; Executive Director, Readiness Institute at Penn State
Deloitte Main Stage
Friday Evening | Penn State Philadelphia Celebration
5:00–11:00 PM
Roar Tour
Join the Penn State community at Cira Green, overlooking the Philadelphia skyline, for an evening of connections, conversation, celebration, and Penn State pride.
Register separately →
Cira Green