Agenda/Schedule

The central hub for AfroTech badge pick-ups. Attendees can also get assistance with schedule access, venue navigation, and general event questions.

Missed the first orientation? Join the team in another official AFROTECH™ sponsor orientation and welcome including important lead retrieval training leveraging Blavity's proprietary Talent Infusion platform.

Kick off your AfroTech experience with an overview of the conference, key programming highlights, and tips to make the most of your time. Meet fellow attendees, get familiar with the schedule, and set yourself up for a successful and inspiring week.

Agentic AI handles what rigid workflows cannot: messy inputs, ambiguous requests, and processes spanning multiple systems. This live demo shows agentic AI acting as adaptive middleware, connecting and orchestrating systems in real time, interpreting intent, and adjusting when conditions change. Built for engineers, architects, and technical leaders designing trustworthy AI systems at scale.

Solve for Gen Z.

Build a real, tech-enabled solution to a problem facing your generation. Defend it live on the AfroTech stage in Houston. Winner takes all.

To RSVP: https://futureofxyz.propelcenter.org/afrotech

For professionals responsible for revenue, risk, and community impact, moving fast with AI means more than knowing how to prompt. In this workshop, Daphne Charles demos a real five-step AI pipeline she built and shipped, then shows attendees how to map their own workflows onto the same pattern, translating organizational values into system constraints that hold up when real stakes are on the line.

Production-ready agentic AI demands more than a good model. It demands data architecture built for what agentic systems actually require. This session shows how edge computing, vector databases, event brokers, and frameworks like Spring AI combine to move AI from proof-of-concept to production with real resilience and low latency. If AI initiatives keep stalling before they ship, this session answers why.

Louis Carr has spent four decades generating over $10 billion in advertising revenue, developing leaders, and making the case that Black audiences are among the most valuable and underestimated consumers in America. He has been right every time. This session is a working conversation about what it takes to lead at scale over the long term, how to build deep audience intelligence, develop real talent pipelines, and stay indispensable across every era of industry change.

 Why is it that a great salary doesn't always translate to peace of mind? As your career grows, so do the financial decisions. Promotions, equity compensation, changing markets, supporting family, buying a home, and life's unexpected turns can leave even high earners wondering if they're making the right financial decisions. In this session, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional Kofo Akosile will explore how holistic financial planning can help you move from simply reacting to life's uncertainty to responding with confidence. You'll walk away with practical strategies to make more informed financial decisions, align your money with the life you're building, and create a plan that evolves alongside your goals. Because true wealth isn't measured by what you earn, it's measured by the freedom and confidence to navigate whatever comes next.

Better outputs start with better inputs. This session introduces context engineering, the discipline of designing, optimizing, and managing the information you send to an AI model. Context engineering shapes up to 99% of an AI's effective data footprint. Attendees leave with a framework for mapping their own workflows and techniques for building reliable, scalable AI integrations.

Dr. Olukunle Owolabi, ML Engineer at Meta AI, has taken products from zero to production at scale inside one of the largest AI organizations in the world. This session covers what nobody tells you about building real AI products: aligning stakeholders early, why your eval framework matters more than your model choice, and the privacy and cost tradeoffs behind decisions that look purely technical.

As America’s largest publisher with over 40 iconic brands, People Inc. is transforming how people find inspiration, make decisions, and take action. In this session, People Inc.’s Chief Technology Officer, the VP of Talent Development, Culture & Belonging, and the Editor at Large of People Magazine discuss how the company is building the next chapter of media experiences through new technology.

This conversation will look at how companies are restructuring work in practice: which roles are being created, which are disappearing, how expectations for early-career talent are shifting, and what employers need to rethink as they build the workforce of the future.

Facillitator: TBD

AI won’t replace your judgment, but it may be eroding it.

As AI becomes embedded in everyday decision-making, leaders are offloading more cognitive work than they realize, introducing a new and largely unexamined risk to performance.

Dr. Murray, a neuropsychologist working at the intersection of brain science and executive function, will help attendees understand how AI is reshaping cognition and what leaders must recognize to remain effective.

This focus is not about rejecting AI. It’s about recognizing the cognitive tradeoffs and knowing where reliance becomes risk.

Salesforce invites you to dive headfirst into the newest technology with our hands-on bootcamp focused on Building Your Agentic Future. This immersive 4-hour, bring-your-own-laptop session is your launchpad into the Salesforce ecosystem and the latest in artificial intelligence.

Whether you are new to tech or looking to rapidly expand your skill set, this session is designed to empower you with the knowledge and practical experience needed to thrive in an AI-driven world. During this interactive bootcamp, you’ll learn to:

• Discover the Salesforce Ecosystem: Learn exactly what Salesforce does and learn how to leverage resources. You'll earn your very first Trailhead badges right in the room!
• Explore Headless 360 & The Future of AI: Dive into the very latest in Salesforce technology by building your own agent through conversation with Headless 360, and get an exclusive look at the current landscape and exciting future of AI at Salesforce.

This isn't just about learning; it's about doing. By mastering these foundational AI and Salesforce concepts, you are positioning yourself at the forefront of the tech industry. Our trainers will ensure you leave with actionable next steps for your career growth. 

Bring your laptop, bring your ambition, and get ready to build your agentic future! Space is limited, so arrive early and power up!

For generations, real estate was the primary vehicle for building and transferring wealth. Today, your voice, likeness, content, and personal brand can do what property once did: generate income, appreciate in value, and be passed down. Denise Bailey-Castro and Thai Randolph have built companies on this thesis. This conversation is about how to structure your IP as a real wealth-building asset and what to do right now to start.

Most teams buying compute have no framework for right-sizing it, and the cost of that gap is real. Drawing on experience at AWS and NVIDIA, this session walks through how GPUs perform in real systems, when a CPU is the better call, and what the difference means for budget and runway. A practical, scenario-based playbook for founders and builders who want smarter AI infrastructure decisions.

Join us for a dynamic gathering designed to celebrate and connect students from HBCUs. This meetup is a space for students to build community, exchange ideas, and network with peers who share a common academic and cultural experience. Attendees will have the chance to foster meaningful relationships, share resources, and gain inspiration from one another. Whether you’re seeking mentorship, collaboration, or simply a supportive environment, this meetup is all about honoring the legacy of HBCUs while creating new pathways for success.

This conversation brings together the people responsible for closing the talent gap to examine which leadership and pipeline programs are actually producing results, what has been lost as programs and investments have been cut, and where the strongest models are emerging.

Facilitator: TBD

Using Microsoft Fabric as the foundation, this session shows how unified data architecture and governance tools make it possible to build AI solutions that are technically sound and inclusive. The focus: connecting data across sources, applying transparency labels, and using visualization and storytelling to make analytics accessible and actionable for the people who need to act on them.

Every channel is saturated. AI has made content creation nearly free. Consumer loyalty is harder to earn than ever. Shannon Womack and Keena Grigsby are leading brand strategy at three of the most recognized names in business and navigating these pressures at scale every day. This conversation examines what it actually takes to cut through, build lasting consumer trust, and lead creative teams when the rules of brand are being rewritten in real time.

Every decision a company makes runs on data nobody is watching, until it breaks. Now AI is writing into that record faster than anyone can verify it. Rani Johnson has held the CIO seat five times. With Michelle Grover, she gets into where verification belongs, why an untraceable output is worse than a wrong one, and what it costs to build the check instead of auditing the damage later.

MCP is quickly becoming the standard for connecting AI assistants to the tools, data, and systems they need to take action. This session introduces Model Context Protocol servers in clear, accessible terms: what they are, what problems they solve, and how to apply them to real business workflows and automations. Useful for engineers building the infrastructure and leaders who need to understand it.

Behind every AI breakthrough are datasets collected without consent, workers paid pennies to label training data, and communities bearing costs they never agreed to. Timnit Gebru, founder of the DAIR Institute, brings her research on algorithmic harm and AI power directly to the AfroTech stage. This conversation challenges every leader in the room: if your organization is building with AI, who is it actually built for?

Most AI models were not trained with the Black community in mind. Esosa Osa, Founder and CEO of Onyx Impact, takes the Main Stage for the first public look at AiSHA, an AI chatbot trained to reflect the truth, culture, and lived experience of Black America. Osa spent years fighting disinformation aimed at our communities. Now she is building the alternative. See what changes when the technology is designed with us at the center.

Dr. Andrew Forde leads AI research at KPMG, where he tracks how AI is reshaping industries, roles, and career paths across client organizations worldwide. In this opening session, he brings the data: where work is changing fastest, which skills and functions are gaining value, and what professionals can do right now to position themselves ahead of a labor market being rewritten in real time.

King Willonius turned a crowdsourced lyric into BBL DRIZZY, one of the most viral AI-generated songs of the past decade, earning a TIME 100 Most Influential in AI nod and a response from Drake. In this 15-20 minute mainstage moment, he does it again, live. He will pull sounds, prompts, and ideas directly from the audience and build a track in real time. No slides. No lecture. Just the process, unfiltered, in front of thousands.

See a list of all Official AFROTECH™ Event Partners HERE

The central hub for AfroTech badge pick-ups. Attendees can also get assistance with schedule access, venue navigation, and general event questions.

The tactics used to compromise critical infrastructure, satellite systems, and supply chains are now showing up inside enterprise environments. Senior technical leader Candice Scarborough-Sanchez brings a national security lens to the decisions every builder is making right now, breaking down how AI-enabled attacks are evolving and what it takes to design systems built to hold up against them.

Getting a medical innovation from prototype to market remains one of the hardest paths in business. This conversation brings together the people navigating that process to discuss what is getting funded, what is getting cleared, where promising products stall, and what it actually takes to build and scale in today’s regulatory and investment environment.

Facilitator: TBD

This discussion will explore how technology is helping create more personalized, accessible, and empowering financial experiences. Through both innovation and personal stories, we will examine how technology can support financial wellness, break down barriers to opportunity, and help individuals and families build greater confidence in their financial future. From the engineers who create these solutions to the customers whose lives are impacted by them, we will discuss how technology is shaping a more inclusive path to financial well-being and wealth creation.

In the AI era, competitive advantage runs on people, not just tools. Who leads matters as much as what you adopt. This session delivers a practical framework for inclusive leadership, intentional reskilling, and workforce development as the real differentiators, with an AI reskilling roadmap, leadership tactics, and a tool for aligning people, process, and technology within any organization.

 AiSHA is an AI chatbot built to reflect Black culture and lived experience. Here, Esosa Osa opens up the build: the training data decisions, the infrastructure tradeoffs, what broke between concept and shipped product, and what she would do differently. The back half is yours. Bring questions about the stack, the model, and the real cost of building culturally informed tech. Made for builders and technologists.

Used strategically, informational interviews are one of the most powerful career tools available at any level. This session reframes them as a long-term asset. Drawing on years in Strategy and Operations and fielding high-volume outreach, Fola shares what separates a conversation that leads somewhere from one that goes nowhere, and how to turn a 30-minute call into a lasting relationship.

Building on last year's high-impact AfroTech session, this workshop evolves the conversation from inclusion to performance. Attendees explore how ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and related cognitive differences function as high-performance architecture in complex, fast-moving environments, leaving with practical frameworks for leveraging those strengths in leadership and concrete strategies for managing the challenges.

AI is rewriting how developers build software but speed without guardrails creates risk. This session explores how AI coding assistants are accelerating development while introducing new cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Attendees will learn about prompt injection, insecure coding patterns, hallucinated libraries, and the “32% problem” of over-trusting AI outputs. The talk also covers practical strategies for embedding security into AI-assisted workflows and designing guardrails that protect innovation without limiting creativity.

Robotic surgery is no longer experimental. It is where complex care is increasingly delivered. Dr. Irlna Tantchou, a colorectal surgeon with more than 700 robotic cases and one of very few Black women operating at this level, covers how AI and data analytics are reshaping surgical outcomes, what it takes to build a high-performance robotics program, and how to expand access beyond academic medical centers into underserved communities.

Telehealth has expanded rapidly, but significant gaps persist in who actually benefits. Dr. Kevin Johnson examines the populations still underserved by digital health, including rural communities, older adults, Medicaid patients, and those facing language or digital literacy barriers, and outlines evidence-based strategies to design and scale more inclusive telehealth solutions without sacrificing clinical quality.

Tech careers are not built on coding skills alone. This session makes the hidden rules of hiring and opportunity more visible for students and early-career professionals, especially those without mentors, industry connections, or a clear roadmap. In a market shaped by AI, layoffs, and tougher competition, attendees learn how to build a skill stack, create proof of work, build relationships, increase visibility, and leave with a 12-month action plan.

As AI makes scams, deepfakes, and cyberattacks more sophisticated, protecting financial assets has never been more critical. In this session, Morgan Stanley leaders Devon Rollins, Sherette A. Constant, & Millicent Auma explore how AI is reshaping the threat landscape and how financial institutions are using AI to fight back. Learn how emerging technologies are changing fraud, trust, and wealth protection, and what individuals and organizations can do to stay secure in an increasingly AI-powered world.

Remote patient monitoring and digital therapeutics are extending care beyond traditional clinical settings and creating new models for continuous, data-driven intervention. Dr. Charles DeShazer provides a practical framework for implementation across cardiometabolic and behavioral health conditions, covering patient selection, workflow integration, data governance, and how to distinguish FDA-regulated digital therapeutics from consumer wellness tools.

CEOs and senior leaders, off the record. The kind of conversation that only happens when there are no cameras and everyone at the table has been in the chair.

Facilitator: Erica Terry Derryck, VP Global Communications, Global Business Solutions Group at Intuit

Geography used to define opportunity. Carrol Chang, CEO of Andela, brings a global lens to that shift. Andela's developers have operated in distributed environments out of necessity for years, adapting and upskilling long before distributed work became a Silicon Valley talking point. This session explores how leading organizations are rethinking hiring and workforce strategy in an AI-first world.

Bias in healthcare AI begins before training, embedded in decisions about missing data, labels, and success metrics. Waverly Rose Brim demonstrates how a clinical prediction model with strong global performance can still fail Black patients and the underinsured, then walks through a fairness-aware correction workflow. Attendees leave with a practical framework for equity-first dataset design and go/no-go deployment standards.

King Willonius takes input from the room and builds a video live. The audience calls out words, vibes, and references, and he feeds them into his AI video workflow on screen, narrating every decision as he goes. Before he went viral, he was making an AI film every week, including King Kendrick. This demo makes the method transparent: what a good prompt actually looks like, what the tools do with it, and what King Willonius adds that the AI can't.

AI tools are moving from pilot to deployment across healthcare, and the stakes around bias, governance, and oversight are no longer theoretical. Dr. Tiffani J. Bright provides a practical roadmap for implementing trustworthy AI, covering how to evaluate algorithmic bias, assess data representativeness, build governance structures, and sustain continuous monitoring.  Attendees leave with concrete strategies for deploying equitable, high-performing AI in real clinical settings.

When software can move, mistakes cause real harm. As robots and autonomous systems enter workplaces and public spaces, old security models fail. This session examines why trust breaks down and what must change before consequences scale.

This session is intended to provide insights into key security considerations for organizations and individuals using agentic AI, explore effective use cases and potential benefits of adopting agentic AI within CISO organizations and security departments, and address additional AI-related security measures to help safeguard enterprises. 

If you have ever used public WiFi, reused a password, or clicked a link that felt slightly off, you are already a target. This session breaks down three real cyberattacks: a fake public WiFi network, a password exposed in a data breach, and a spoofed AfroTech login page. Security engineer Lamarr Henry walks through how each attack works and exactly what you can do to stop it. No jargon required.

There's a moment in every company's growth when the product stops being the whole strategy, and leadership has to build a business bigger than it. Jason Bennett, who leads the AWS Worldwide Startups and Venture Capital organization, moderates a conversation with two executives who've led that shift: scaling a product customers love into a company built to last. The panel digs into the product bets that create real defensibility, why the strongest leaders get specific about the problem they solve and expand across an industry instead of building one-off features for every new customer, and how to hold the line when growth tempts the organization to chase every direction instead of doubling down on what works.

Dave Salvant did not set out to disrupt an industry. He walked into barbershops, listened, and built what was missing. As co-founder of SQUIRE, he turned a deeply cultural community space into a $750M platform serving barbers nationwide. This session, including a live product demo, shows what happens when a founder builds from lived experience instead of market research. Come see how trust becomes a competitive moat.

Connect and build community with other content creators, storytellers, entrepreneurs, and creative innovators. Whether you're growing your personal brand, scaling a creator business, or exploring new platforms, this is an opportunity to exchange ideas with peers who understand the journey. 

An energizing space curated for engineers from various industries to connect, collaborate, and share emerging best practices. From system design to dev tools, this meetup offers networking opportunities for those building the infrastructure behind today’s most innovative products. Perfect for attendees driving technical excellence.

AI is moving fast. The question is whether it's moving in a direction that actually works for the people it's supposed to serve. A conversation about building AI that centers real communities, not just efficiency metrics.

Facilitator: TBD

Inclusion, accessibility, and equity must be designed into AI systems from the start. In this session, Brian Tippens, SVP and Chief Social Impact Officer at Cisco, shares how organizations move beyond policy commitments to build AI that expands economic mobility at scale. Drawing on Fortune 100 and community impact experience, Tippens delivers a direct case for what responsible AI looks like in practice.

Health disparities are too often blamed on biology. The data tells a different story. Dr. Uché Blackstock and Dr. Charles R. Rogers examine the origins of data inequities, how they persist, and what it takes to dismantle them. From fragmented clinical records to public health reporting gaps, biased data delays diagnoses and misallocates resources. This session makes the case for health systems designed around transparency and equity.

Salesforce invites you to dive headfirst into the newest technology with our hands-on bootcamp focused on Building Your Agentic Future. This immersive 4-hour, bring-your-own-laptop session is your launchpad into the Salesforce ecosystem and the latest in artificial intelligence.

Whether you are new to tech or looking to rapidly expand your skill set, this session is designed to empower you with the knowledge and practical experience needed to thrive in an AI-driven world. During this interactive bootcamp, you’ll learn to:

• Discover the Salesforce Ecosystem: Learn exactly what Salesforce does and learn how to leverage resources. You'll earn your very first Trailhead badges right in the room!
• Explore Headless 360 & The Future of AI: Dive into the very latest in Salesforce technology by building your own agent through conversation with Headless 360, and get an exclusive look at the current landscape and exciting future of AI at Salesforce.

This isn't just about learning; it's about doing. By mastering these foundational AI and Salesforce concepts, you are positioning yourself at the forefront of the tech industry. Our trainers will ensure you leave with actionable next steps for your career growth. 

Bring your laptop, bring your ambition, and get ready to build your agentic future! Space is limited, so arrive early and power up!

As AI and automation reshape industries at unprecedented speed, leaders across business and government are rethinking the future of work and economic stability. In this executive-stage fireside chat, Andrew Yang explores the growing conversation around Universal Basic Income, workforce disruption, entrepreneurship, and financial resilience in an AI-driven economy. The discussion focuses on practical solutions, long-term thinking, and how innovation can create broader opportunities in a rapidly changing world.

Technology transformation is often viewed as a balancing act between speed and control. In reality, the most successful organizations achieve both through strong partnerships between engineering and governance teams. Join AbbVie leaders Sam Spaulding and Karyn Quick as they share how cloud modernization, platform engineering, compliance, risk management, and operational excellence can work together to enable innovation at scale. Attendees will learn practical strategies for breaking down organizational silos, building trusted technology platforms, and creating governance models that support, rather than hinder, transformation.

While artificial intelligence is transforming what is possible, its true potential is unlocked by the foundation it runs on. This session explores how modern, cloud-native data environments serve as the essential engine powering advanced AI applications. Attendees will discover how to harmonize their broader tech stack with AI initiatives, leveraging strong infrastructure to seamlessly deliver personalized, real-world consumer experiences.

AI has a power problem. As compute demand explodes, the grid cannot keep up, and the fight for megawatts is colliding with land use and community preservation. Using the 3.3 MWdc Hope Haven Agrivoltaics project as a case study, this session shows how solar energy and AI infrastructure can share the same footprint.

AI-assisted development moves fast. Security gaps move faster. Vibe coding enables production in hours, but threat actors are already targeting AI-generated applications for the weaknesses speed creates. This session equips builders with OWASP Top 10 and MITRE ATLAS as practical guardrails, techniques for prompting AI toward secure outputs, and a clear workflow for shipping reliable applications.

The decisions cities make today about infrastructure, energy, technology, and development will shape their communities for decades. This conversation brings together the leaders making those decisions to discuss how they evaluate competing priorities, negotiate with private-sector partners, and determine what communities should receive in return for the investments being made around them.

Facilitator: TBD

Maternal health is being transformed by digital tools, AI, and telemedicine, but innovation alone does not equal better outcomes. Dr. Jessica Shepherd, Chief Medical Officer at Hers, examines what it will actually take to build maternal care systems that are more accessible, more effective, and more patient-centered, drawing on clinical expertise, health technology, and the responsibility that comes with building care at scale.

A dynamic networking space where innovators, professionals, and enthusiasts come together to explore the future of artificial intelligence. This meetup will foster community, conversation, and collaboration, connecting attendees with peers and industry leaders to share ideas, insights, and opportunities shaping the AI landscape.

Celebrate the legacy and unity of the NPHC at our Divine Nine Meetup. This gathering brings together members, alumni, and supporters of the Divine Nine fraternities and sororities to connect, share experiences, and strengthen bonds across organizations. This space is to honor the culture, traditions, and impact of Black Greek life while building new relationships and fostering community pride.

Led by Nimbus Aerospace, one of the few Black-owned aviation and aerospace companies in the world, this panel explores how AI, sustainability, and engineering are converging to reshape flight. From autonomous systems to sustainable aviation fuels to air traffic data infrastructure, attendees get a direct look at where the industry is heading.

Quantum computing is already forcing governments and enterprises to rethink encryption standards they have relied on for decades. This session breaks down which cryptographic systems are most vulnerable, what post-quantum security requires, and what professionals need to understand now. No physics degree required. Built for leaders who want to get ahead of this shift, not just survive it.

Entrepreneurs, executives, and business leaders are constantly evaluating new ways to pursue business ownership, build a lasting legacy, and expand their impact beyond their current careers. In this interactive session, Tiffany Bentham, Franchising Candidate Manager for McDonald’s, and Hazel Smith, a McDonald’s Owner/Operator, will discuss the McDonald’s franchising opportunity and how ownership can open the door to new professional and entrepreneurial possibilities. Attendees will hear firsthand lessons from Hazel’s journey, gain insight into the McDonald’s franchising model, and learn what it takes to evaluate, prepare for, and pursue franchise ownership.

Federal tech spending exceeds $100B annually, and despite recent workforce disruptions, government contracts and cleared positions remain among the most stable, highest-paying paths in tech. Symoné “Beez” Berry has 15+ years inside defense and federal systems and built GovTech Con to be the entry point for professionals who want in. She will demystify government contract procurement and clearances and give attendees a real roadmap into this sector.

Lee Merritt has won some of the most consequential civil rights cases in recent American history: Ahmaud Arbery, Botham Jean, Atatiana Jefferson. What he has learned inside those cases is that legal knowledge is one of the most underused tools Black professionals have. This conversation translates federal civil rights law into something you can use in the workplace: how to document, how to build leverage, and how to protect your position in any professional environment.

See a list of all Official AFROTECH™ Event Partners HERE

Aaron Russell leads the infrastructure that delivers AI-powered content to billions of users across Meta's global platforms, from edge compute and GPU caching to video optimization at hyperscale. For engineers building AI-powered products, this is the conversation happening one layer below the model: how do you architect systems when AI becomes an infrastructure constraint rather than just a feature? Aaron brings the view from the technical frontier that most engineers will never see up close.

A welcoming and intentional space created for LGBTQ+ AfroTech attendees to connect and build community. This affirming experience centers identity, visibility, and shared stories in a relaxed and celebratory environment. Designed for attendees seeking meaningful, identity-aligned connections.

Blavity is turning up the volume on AfroTech's 10th anniversary. Blavity In Black is a signature event built around the soundtrack of the last decade a musical timeline moving through the songs, artists, and cultural moments that defined each era from 2016 to 2026.

Dress code: All Black, encouraged. Think formal, elevated, and expressive, come dressed to be part of the moment.

Get your tickets HERE: https://posh.vip/e/afrotech-conference-blavity-in-black