FEATURED SPEAKERS
John Maeda
Microsoft
American technologist. Product experience leader across consumer and enterprise. Early catalyst for generative art and computational design for commercial applications across Web2 and Web3. First recipient of White House’s National Design Award for algorithmically-generated visualizations informed by data + AI. Noted book author, online influencer, and investor in diverse startups.
Formerly chief technology officer of Everbridge, Sonos board of directors, Wieden+Kennedy board of directors, Kleiner Perkins partner, MIT Media Lab data visualization lead, Automattic head of design + inclusion, Publicis Sapient executive vice president and chief experience officer, and 16th president/ceo of Rhode Island School of Design (RISD).
Author of five books including a gentle intro to AI/ML "How To Speak Machine" and the tech bestseller of 2006 "Laws of Simplicity." Writings, interviews, or talks include WSJ, NYT, TED, BBC, WEF, COP, CNN, The Economist, Forbes, USA Today, Fortune, Fast Company, Esquire. Honors include three honorary doctorate degrees, TIME Best Twitter 140, White House National Design Award, Fast Company Masters of Innovation, LinkedIn Top 10 US Influencer, Esquire 75 Most Influential of the 21st Century, and Tribeca Film Festival Disruptor Award for launching the STEM to STEAM movement in the US.
Joseph Joseph
Gensler
Joseph is the Chief Digital Officer of Gensler, the world’s most influential architecture and design firm. Since 2016, he has spearheaded digital transformation at the global practice known for its bold creativity, incisive research, and meaningful positive impact.
With a deep belief in a people-led, digitally powered future, Joseph leads a dynamic and high-performing team that drives cutting-edge advances at the intersection of technology, design, and experience. Bringing together artificial intelligence, automation, data-driven design, and other creative technologies, his work creates sophisticated, future-focused solutions for Gensler’s clients and team members. Joseph’s passion for empowering people, innovating around process, and disrupting traditional business models has had wide-ranging effects across Gensler’s global footprint.
Prior to joining Gensler, Joseph held a senior role with Walt Disney Imagineering, where he developed and implemented a digital transformation strategy for capital projects around the world. His work has spanned diverse industries — from entertainment, oil and gas, and healthcare, to sports, aerospace, and federal government — but has always centered on enhancing the capabilities and impact of organizations and their teams. Joseph serves on Gensler’s Board of Directors, Leadership Operations Committee, and Design Synergy Management Committee, in addition to his role as CDO. A sought-after thought leader, he is on the board of several industry organizations and stealth companies and — as both a supporter of the Testicular Cancer Foundation and a survivor — is a strong advocate for cancer education and awareness.
Leon Rost
Bjarke Ingels Group
Leon Rost is a Partner at Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and leads the Los Angeles office,
overseeing projects that span masterplans, workplaces, higher education, and residential design. He oversaw the masterplanning and design of over 3 million square feet of Google’s next generation workplace in Silicon Valley and in London, for Deepmind and Cloud.
Additionally, Leon led the visioning of Toyota’s Woven City, a prototype smart city exploring the future of mobility, robotics, and urban life. His institutional work includes integrating campus planning and architecture at UC San Diego and Claremont McKenna College campuses, including the recently completed Robert Day Sciences Center. Last year he also completed the Bloomberg Student Center at Johns Hopkins, the university’s first mass timber structure, and a dynamic hub for academic and social life. Leon has also been a visiting studio instructor at UCLA Architecture and Urban Design.
Jenna Fizel
IDEO
Jenna leads IDEO's AI and emerging technology lab. They guide clients in transforming abstract concepts into tangible experiences using AI, XR, and digital fabrication, believing these technologies unlock fresh perspectives in design. Jenna founded a learning community of 100+ people dedicated to making technical skills accessible across IDEO's diverse workforce.
Previously, they were a partner at an agency specializing in data visualizations in physical-digital environments. Jenna also co-founded a fashion tech startup and served as CTO for an intimate apparel brand. With a background in computational geometry from MIT, they view software as a way of exploring and solving complex design challenges.
Brett Steele
USC School of Architecture
Brett Steele became the dean of the USC School of Architecture and the holder of the Della & Harry MacDonald Dean’s Chair in Architecture on February 1, 2024. Steele is an architectural scholar, teacher, writer, and leading voice on architecture, cities, and education. He has served on national and overseas arts and architecture commissions, juries, and policy planning initiatives. Steele’s academic work focuses on the modern and contemporary conditions of arts education and culture. He has written extensively on the expansive circumstances of today’s electronic computational design studios.
Steele served as the first architect appointed as dean of the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture. Prior, Steele was the director of the Architectural Association School of Architecture (AA) in London, where he led a decade-long transformation and expansion of one of the world’s most renowned architecture schools. A graduate of the AA School of Architecture, Steele is the first in his family to attend university. He advocates the role of the arts in higher education to promote social mobility and cross-cultural exchange.
Warrington Parker
Crowell & Morings
Warrington Parker, the managing partner of Crowell & Moring’s San Francisco office, is an experienced first-chair trial lawyer and former federal prosecutor. He has successfully tried over 20 cases encompassing a diverse range of civil and criminal matters, such as securities fraud, money laundering, employment discrimination, wrongful termination, copyright, trade secret, violation of California bond measures statutes, product liability, product defect, and breach of contract. Warrington is also a member of the firm’s Litigation, White Collar and Regulatory Enforcement, and Investigations groups.
The Daily Journal named Warrington as a “Top Artificial Intelligence Lawyer” in California in 2024, recognizing his significant contributions to artificial intelligence law. Other notable recognitions include American Lawyer’s Litigation Daily recognizing Warrington’s litigation prowess by awarding him the “Litigator of the Week” accolade for his representation of a multinational computer technology corporation in its pay discrimination suit (2020). He has also been a member of a trial team that Law360 recognized as Legal Lions (2019) after obtaining a favorable verdict in a product liability case in California. Warrington has been consistently named by California Super Lawyers for civil litigation and criminal defense (2006–2007, 2012–2020).