We are busy planning our 2023 topics. View featured topics and focuses here or scroll down to see featured speakers.
Join attendees and speakers for a casual Welcoming Happy Hour in the historic King Arthur’s Court – an homage to the regal 1920’s architecture Chicago is famous for. Enjoy specialty cocktails, good food, and great networking while also finding secret alcohol cabinets and back entry stairs from Prohibition times!
Hear a fascinating keynote from Idris Brewster about augmented reality use at Kinfolk, a nonprofit bringing underrepresented history of black and brown people to light through interactive storytelling followed by a Q&A with attendees.
Explore what’s on the forefront of artificial intelligence in nonprofits including predictive modeling, ChatGPT, and more with Microsoft Philanthropies.
Enjoy 5 minute lightning talks from nonprofits sharing exciting tech use and projects to give you inspiration.
Schedule TBD
Schedule TBD
Celebrate our 2023 TIA winner on stage
Enjoy an all-included party at a neighboring Chicago classic bar for bites, drinks, and jazz. A Tech Forward favorite!
Hear from Sixto Cancel, CEO of Think of Us, who as a 2023 grantee of the Audacious Project, housed at the nonprofit TED, was recognized for their research and design lab focused on the foster system
Explore how nonprofits can be more involved and integral to the shaping up AI technologies with a talk from Emily Yu.
Hear more 5 minute, inspiring lightning talks from nonprofit tech leaders sharing ideas and updates.
Schedule TBD
We are busy planning our 2023 topics. View featured topics and focuses here or scroll down to see featured speakers.
Lee works with non-profit organizations to improve their use of data, define data requirements and develop strategic technology plans. She is skilled in Salesforce admin and development and in Data Exploration, helping partners to better articulate their outcomes through the use of data visualization tools such as Power BI. Lee is a chronic planner, so she makes a great project manager!
She is addicted to travel, passionate about food (both eating and cooking) and a wanna-be artist (watercolor painting and found object jewelry).
Kenny Mellor is a seasoned professional in the realm of nonprofit finance and operations, currently serving as the Finance and Operations Officer at the Team Gleason Foundation, a prominent national nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering those living with ALS. He plays a pivotal role in his organization by overseeing all aspects of financial management.
Kenny’s influence extends far beyond finance, as he also takes charge of the organization’s IT domain. He adeptly develops and manages IT personnel, strategies, vendors, and policies, fostering an environment of technological innovation and seamless operations. His collaborative leadership style ensures that the IT and financial functions align with the broader organizational goals, facilitating enhanced efficiency, productivity, and accessibility. In his free time, you can find him volunteering with the Men’s Club at his daughter’s school or helping coordinate the Gleason Life Skills Sports Clinics.
Dan is an ocean advocate, anti-racist, avid surfer, and serial social entrepreneur who has worked alongside NetHope’s members for over a decade and a half to leverage technology to improve the state of the world and the lives and livelihoods of the species that call it home.
Dan is currently CEO and Co-founder of threshold.world and b.world, a key Microsoft Tech for Social Impact partner and NetHope corporate partner. While leading threshold.world, Dan has been a contributor to the Common Data Model for Nonprofits as well as the Frontline Humanitarian Logistics initiatives. Previously, Dan was CEO and Co-founder of roundCorner, a key Salesforce.com partner in the social impact, nonprofit, and healthcare foundation markets. roundCorner was purchased by Salesforce in 2019.
Barbara Rykaczewski is an ardent Chicagophile with over two decades of experience in the nonprofit world. After serving as an AmeriCorps VISTA post-college, Barbara’s career grew to include work with youth, immigrants, domestic violence survivors, job seekers, and mature workers, all of whom have stories and voices integral to the Chicago tapestry. Barbara’s love of technology and all things data moved her from direct service into administration. She has served in director-level positions at Chicago nonprofits in the areas of Quality Assurance and Evaluations for fifteen years, always looking for ways to embrace technology to work smarter, not harder. Barbara currently serves as the Director of Data and Evaluations at Mikva Challenge.
Dave Ford serves as Chief Community Investment Officer at REACH Riverside, leading a historic effort to transform 40 acres of land in Northeast Wilmington into community-serving assets. In his role, Dave leverages more than 40 years of experience in consulting, where his technical skills and creative approach led clients to results. His resume includes successful tenures providing financial leadership services to small businesses as a Principal at Strategy House, Inc., and 15 years as a VP guiding a CPA and consulting firm from a trusted local institution to ranked in the top twenty nationally. Dave has received a Master of Taxation from Widener University and a Bachelor of Accountancy from University of Delaware. In his spare time, Dave serves on several local boards, where he devotes his talents, time, and treasure to the Wilmington community.
A native of Atlanta, Bianca has been living in Philly and working in Wilmington, DE for the past year. She is the Community Investment Analyst at REACH Riverside, a community development corporation formed in 2017 to remove the barriers to prosperity and well-being facing residents of Wilmington’s Riverside neighborhood. In her role, she leads the RESTORE (Real Estate Strategy To Obtain Racial Equity) program and the organization’s data and metrics. Outside of work, Bianca enjoys being outside, all things food-related, and reading.
Erin McHugh Saif serves as Microsoft Tech for Social Impact’s Global Director for Product Development and is a member of the TSI leadership team. Erin leads TSI’s product management and user experience design teams who are responsible for delivering social impact-focused products to Microsoft partners and over 325,000 nonprofit organizations and international NGOs worldwide. Erin’s teams are responsible for developing Microsoft Cloud for Nonprofit, including Fundraising and Engagement, Constituent marketing journeys and Marketing Insights, Volunteer Management, Volunteer Engagement, Community Training, Fundraising Performance Dashboard, Program Impact Dashboard, and other first-party applications that leverage Microsoft Business Applications, Modern Workplace, and Azure technology to support nonprofit mission delivery.
Prior to joining Microsoft, Erin served in product and engineering leadership roles at Salesforce.com and Salesforce.org, roundCorner, TIBCO Spotfire, Blackbaud, Target Analysis Group, and Grenzebach Glier & Associates. She has spent 22 years building market-leading products for the nonprofit and commercial business-to-business, CRM, analytics, and data visualization sectors, all products and portfolios connected by her passion for delivering valuable software, actionable insights, interoperable data, and AI-driven automation built to simplify the way back office and frontline workers deliver impact.
Erin is a graduate of Wellesley College and Western Reserve Academy. She currently serves on the Advisory Council of B Generous. Erin has served on the Board of the Boston Product Management Association (BPMA), the Advisory Committee of ArtsBoston, and advocacy committees of CARE.org and the ONE Campaign.
Francis serves as Chief Technology Officer at Tech Impact, a nonprofit on a mission to use technology to better serve the world. In this role he oversees the delivery of all technology infrastructure projects and cybersecurity, compliance, and support services, and leads a team of engineers and analysts supporting the work of thousands of nonprofit staff and volunteers across hundreds of organizations nationally. Through managed IT, cybersecurity, consulting services, unbiased research, and educational resources, Tech Impact has partnered with thousands of nonprofit organizations since 2003.
Francis is an avid believer in the power of technology to help nonprofits and communities thrive. He is extremely passionate about helping nonprofits build their technology and operational capacity to serve more constituents and communities effectively and securely and is constantly seeking new ways for organizations to fully adopt cost-effective technologies that strengthen their missions.
Wojciech (Wojtek) Rustecki is currently the Vice President of Solutions and Services at TechSoup. He has played a crucial role in driving the development and delivery of the Solutions & Services program in Europe. His responsibilities include identifying strategic goals, building service delivery teams, designing solutions, and managing digital transformation projects. His expertise in partner sourcing has been vital in establishing key partnerships.
Previously, Wojtek served as the Senior Director of Program and Operations, and later as the Deputy Director of FTS (TechSoup’s entity in Europe). During this time, he focused on building TechSoup’s programs in Europe, defining strategies, fostering organizational development, and achieving operational excellence.
Earlier in his career, Wojciech was the Vice President and Managing Director of the Unit for Social Innovation and Research “Shipyard.” In this role, he successfully planned, launched, and managed one of the most innovative organizations in Poland. Additionally, he held managerial positions in non-profits in both Poland and Belgium. Wojtek has been a long-time consultant for new business development, applying his knowledge in management, finances, technology, and operations.
Wojciech holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from the University of Warsaw. He has also pursued postgraduate studies in Project Management and is currently enrolled in an Executive Master of Business Administration program in Global Executive Management at Central European University in Vienna
Idris Brewster is an artist, creative technologist, and educator that disrupts traditional narratives through immersive experiences, all the while empowering others to do the same. Idris is the Chief Creative Officer at Movers and Shakers NYC, which has created Kinfolk, an augmented reality archive with the aim of unearthing narratives from history for classrooms across the country. Idris is also a member of the Forbes 30 under 30 class of 2021, the creator of quantum summer, an immersive audio-visual WebVR experience that premiered at Sundance New Frontiers 2021, and the star of the award-winning documentary, American Promise.
Sixto Cancel is the Founder and CEO of Think of Us. Think of Us (TOU) is a Research + Design Lab driving systematic change in child welfare. Through focused projects and sweeping initiatives, TOU drives structural change in child welfare policy and practice.
Sixto was named as Forbes Top 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneurs and is on the 2021 Forbes Under30 Lister Board. Sixto has been recognized by the White House as a “White House Champion of Change”, a “Millennial Maker” by BET, and named “Top 24 Changemakers in Government under 24” by the Campaign for a Presidential Youth Council and Sparkaction. Sixto has served as a Young Fellow at Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative since 2010 where he has played a key role in the initiative’s work of extending foster care permanency for older youth.
Sixto is a Clinton Global Initiative University Alum, a FastForward Alum, an
Ashoka Fellow, a Board Member of Adventr – an interactive SMART video tech company – and most recently on the Advisory Board for Box, Inc. Sixto and the team at Think of Us are working to ensure that every person has the conditions they need to heal, develop and thrive.
Emily is committed to driving innovations that ensure everyone can be healthy and thrive. A social entrepreneur, speaker, and published author with more than 20 years of experience in strategy development, partnerships, communications, and tech for good, Emily is changing how change is made to tackle society’s most pressing challenges.
An outspoken advocate for developing responsible AI applications for the social sector, Emily created AI PRIORI(TM)—a B2B and B2C SaaS platform that helps changemakers review their documents at scale and generate insights to translate their ideas into impact. Prior to launching AI PRIORI, Emily served as the Executive Director of The BUILD Health Challenge® and Managing Director of Partnerships at the de Beaumont Foundation. In these roles she raised a $10 million fund to support the advancement of health equity in more than 55 communities across the US. These community-led and cross-sector partnerships resulted in more than 100 new legislative policies, organizational policies, and funding opportunities.
Honors include being chosen as a 2020 Center for Community Investment Field Catalyst Fellow and a 2018 Terrance Keenan Institute Fellow. Emily formerly served on the Grantmakers in Health Board and co-chair of the Asian American and Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy, DC Chapter. She earned her MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business and her BS from Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service.
Hugo is a results-oriented leader with 16 years of management experience in multicultural settings. He is the Executive Director of FRESHFARM, a nonprofit working to produce innovative solutions to solve critical problems in the regional food system in partnership with local communities and organizations.
Under Mr. Mogollon’s leadership, FRESHFARM has become the third-largest network of farmers markets in the country. He has also conceptualized and developed a unique and innovative low-infrastructure food distribution model that connects historically underserved communities to sustainable, locally grown farm food, creating hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue for family farms.
Mr. Mogollon has a Masters in Natural Resources and Leadership from the Center for Leadership in Global Sustainability at Virginia Tech, where he concentrated on Collective Impact. He is proud to serve as a member of the Food and Agriculture Regional Member (FARM) Policy Committee at the Metropolitan Council of Governments. He has served as the Board Chair at the Farmers Market’s Coalition and the Virginia Farmers Markets Association.
Junell Felsburg is an experienced IT leader and the current Sr. Director of Cybersecurity and Infrastructure at The Columbus Foundation, where she is responsible for governance, compliance, risk management, and developing solutions with an impact. With a passion for technology, education, inclusion, and personnel development, she believes that emotionally intelligent leadership and interpersonal development are key to the success of technical and operational teams. Junell has a proven track record of success, having grown teams, built programs, passed compliance audits, reduced costs, and developed products that saved money and improved performance. She is also committed to her own growth, pursuing an MBA, multiple certifications, and volunteering on advisory boards.
Kaitlin Canalichio is a Data Scientist at Tech Impact’s Data Innovation Lab where she focuses on data-driven projects for social good. Kaitlin holds a B.S. in Quantitative Biology, an M.S. in Data Science, and a graduate certificate in Biomedical Informatics & Data Science all from the University of Delaware. She is passionate about the intersection of data science with health-related and human-centered research.
Héc Maldonado-Reis (they/them/elle) is the Director of Research Development and Analytics at Tech Impact’s Data Innovation Lab, where they leverage data and technology for social impact. They are an engineer turned data scientist experienced in governing & translating analytics into actionable insights. Experienced in data collaborations across the non-profit and government sectors, they lead the design and implementation of technology solutions that advance social good. Héc holds a BS and MPH from Rutgers University, an AM in Population Health Sciences from Harvard University and currently is a member of the Executive Program in Social Impact Strategy at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy & Practice. They are a board member of several state and national non-profit organization boards, connecting and learning from communities on how to best support them through data-centric and impact-driven efforts.
Jon Lehtinen specializes in both the strategy and execution of Identity & Access Management transformation in global-scale organizations. He builds diverse, passionate teams that deliver automated, future-oriented Identity solutions that provide the bedrock for information security, governance, and new opportunities for business. Moreover, Jon is dedicated to the growth and maturity of IAM as a profession and serves on the Board of Directors of IDPro.org. He’s served as an advisor to multiple identity vendors and is a member of ISC2, the OpenID Foundation, and Women in Identity. Presently, Jon owns the workforce, customer, and federal identity implementations used by Okta as its Senior Director of Okta on Okta.
Kristen is the Director of Operations and Client Experience for the Bridgespan Leadership Accelerator, a series of online- and team-based programs for nonprofit executive teams. In this role, she focuses on delivering and improving programs that help executive teams tackle strategy and management challenges with guidance and support. Since joining Bridgespan in 2015, Kristen has worked with a wide range of philanthropic and nonprofit clients using her expertise in strategy development and organizational effectiveness. She has also served as a coach and facilitator in Leading for Impact, Bridgespan’s two-year consulting and capacity-building program, where she partnered with over 30 nonprofits in Seattle, Detroit, and Chicago. Prior to joining Bridgespan, Kristen worked for Deloitte Consulting, where she focused on organizational transformation and change management. Kristen holds an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School and a BS in Human and Organizational Development and Economics from Vanderbilt University.
Matthew Bonn is on a mission to help non-profit leaders decode the process of digital transformation. Matthew has spent the last 10 years in leadership positions with international nonprofits leading digital transformation initiatives. He helped a previous non-profit save over $80,000 in expenses by bringing the organization through a digital transformation. Most of his previous employers have been remote, cloud-based, and in dozens of countries. In working through our own digital transformation, we found some solutions I think may help other non-profits. Currently, Matthew is working for the Zuri Group as a consultant in the non-profit technology sector.
Dr. Taj Carson is the founder and CEO of Inciter. Since 2003, Inciter has made complicated and labor-intensive data challenges more manageable for nonprofits and public agencies. Dr. Carson has over 20 years of experience working with nonprofits to help them better understand their data and reporting challenges and identify the best solution given their resources. She has a Master’s degree in Information Visualization from the Maryland Institute College of Art (2015), a certificate in technology entrepreneurship from the University of Maryland-Baltimore County (2010), and a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Delaware (2000).