Norah Abokhodair is a Senior Program Manager at the Microsoft Learning Innovation Studio. In her role, she leads multiple projects within the studio, including leading the user research efforts and strategy of the products developed in the studio. Abokhodair received her Ph.D. from the UW Information School in 2017 and holds an iSchool MSIM degree (2011). Her dissertation research focused on understanding cross-cultural values, like privacy, identity, and interpersonal relationships to inform the design of culturally sensitive and inclusive products, a topic she still advocates for in her current position. She also was among the pioneering researchers in reporting on the use of automation and bots to spread misinformation online with focus on the Arabic sphere. Abokhodair is passionate about the various ways she can bridge the gap between academia and industry, from bringing more awareness to academic research into product development to mentoring students on how to navigate their career journeys and land jobs at leading tech companies. Abokhodair arrived in Seattle, where she now resides, from Saudi Arabia in 2009 upon receiving the Fulbright Science and Technology Award.  

Adil Ait Hamd has experience across a range of information management disciplines including information assurance, Internet of Things, health care and education. Hamd currently serves as a senior program manager with the digital security and risk engineering team at Microsoft, where he runs digital security programs to help protect Microsoft’s data assets. He has previously held positions at startups, non-profits, as well as for-profit organizations serving a wide range of customer segments.

Hamd’s current focus is on implementing sound program management frameworks to help teams achieve organizational goals and focus skills on building the best user experiences possible while balancing market demands, security, and compliance.

Greta Bergquist started as the youth services consultant at the State Library of Oregon in February 2018. She previously worked at Kitsap Regional Library. Before coming to librarianship, she focused on education, including teaching, training and curriculum development. Bergquist has previously worked with School’s Out Washington, New Futures (now part of Southwest Youth and Family Services), Teach for America and Baltimore City Schools. She is especially interested in libraries working toward being welcoming spaces for all kids ages 0-18. She also makes excellent chocolate chip cookies.

Bergquist graduated with an undergraduate degree in English from Seattle Pacific University. She earned a Master of Arts in Teaching from Johns Hopkins in 2005, and a Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Washington in 2011.

Simran Bhatia started her career as a business intelligence analyst at Accolade in Seattle before moving to Apple. As a 2020 Informatics alumna, she applies what she learned in her data-intensive coursework to solve complex business intelligence problems. She has further experience and interest in the intersection of accessibility and virtual reality. Her various experiences as an Informatics research and teaching assistant, diversity inclusion advocate, and volunteer have led her to understand she is most fulfilled when using her skills to empower others.

Simran received her Bachelor of Science in Informatics from the UW Information School in 2020. She is also currently enrolled in a professional master’s program at UC Berkeley to further her education in data science.

With over 12 years of experience in software development, technical program management, and business analysis, Grace Chang serves as a Senior Technical Program Manager at F5 in Seattle, spearheading the release engineering team’s efforts to collaborate with stakeholders to successfully deliver more than 30 releases annually. Previously, Chang played a pivotal role in expanding an AI SaaS company from just 3 to over 120 employees that demonstrated expertise in scaling the product team. 

Outside of her professional life, Chang is passionate about investing, yoga, and energy healing. She finds joy in solving complex problems and helping people achieve their goals, whether through her technical expertise or personal interests. This combination of skills and interests reflects a deep commitment to growth, both in technology and personal well-being.

Violet Fox is a Cataloging & Metadata Librarian at Northwestern University's Galter Health Sciences Library. Her passion is making the classification structures used in libraries more equitable, which was a primary driver of her work as the editor of the Sears List of Subject Headings and as an editor of the Dewey Decimal Classification. She is one of the administrators of the LIS Mental Health project, an effort to normalize discussion of mental health challenges in the LIS profession.

Fox received her MLIS degree from the University of Washington Information School in 2013.

Drawing from a background in archival digitization and cataloging, Gogic applies her love of systems and analytical thinking to usability testing, designing and socializing the organizational architecture used to help the nearly 9,000 members of Adobe's field navigate, use and understand engagement of high value sales and training assets. Working in an environment where available tools and services are constantly being evaluated and reprioritized, she develops analytical systems for understanding audience adoption and return on investment for the systems and assets supported by her team.

Gogic has been empowered by bringing the principles she learned as an MLIS graduate of the UW iSchool to a highly globalized and adapting collection of resources. She looks forward to continuing her info-based influence in the tech sphere by leveraging the intersection between experience design, information organization and content analysis to drive actionable results.

JD Gonzalez is a Senior Software Engineer on the core engineering team at Costco. In this role, he provides the foundational strategies, frameworks, processes, solutions, tools, and skills required to transform Costco from a silo-based legacy organization into a modern, global service provider. 

With 10 years of experience in the industry, Gonzalez has a passion for creating innovative solutions that drive positive change. Prior to joining Costco, he worked on the sustainability engineering team at Microsoft, where he designed and developed end-to-end features for Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability. 

Gonzalez holds a Bachelor of Science in Informatics from the University of Washington’s Information School, which he earned in 2015. In addition to his work, he is actively involved in a variety of activities that reflect his values and interests. He is dedicated to making a positive impact in all aspects of life, believing in creating a better world not just through his work but also by being an engaged and responsible member of his community.

Katie Goulding is a Privacy Program Manager at Meta. She is responsible for driving process changes to maintain global regulatory compliance within the Incident Management domain. Prior to Meta, she worked as a consultant for Deloitte with a focus on Salesforce implementation.

Goulding received her bachelor of science in Informatics from the UW Information School in 2019. At the iSchool, she served as a teaching assistant and was actively involved with IUGA leadership, developing the first "Hack for Social Good" for local high school students to engage with the iSchool. She currently resides in Denver, taking advantage of all the sun and outdoor access.

Nicole Gustine grew up in rural Southeastern Oregon and moved to Seattle to pursue her education at the University of Washington. A first-generation college graduate, she holds three UW degrees (BA '02, MLIS '05, JD '14) and is assistant general counsel at the Washington State Bar Association.  She advises boards and committees on various topics related to the regulation of licensed attorneys.  Her prior work at the Bar was as public records officer, a role that combined her experience with information organization and rule-based legal analysis.  Gustine’s volunteer work history includes providing pro bono legal services to clients who cannot afford representation (through the King County Bar Association) and serving on the UW Alumni Association's GOLD (Graduates of the Last Decade) Council. 

Even though she spends 12 hours a day reading for work, she also likes reading for fun. When not reading or sleeping, you can find her cycling, running, or playing tennis with her eleven-year-old son. Because of her strong appreciation for her education, Gustine strives to connect with and give back to the UW community.  By serving on the iSchool Alumni Advisory Board, she hopes to help promote the mission of the iSchool and advocate for its student and alumni members.

Andy Herman is currently a Governance, Risk and Compliance Lead for regulatory risk assessments at Meta. Formally, Herman was a technical program manager at Google focusing on regulatory readiness and was also responsible for managing, identifying and mitigating risks for the Mixed Reality Organization focusing on working with Hololens 2 devices for Microsoft. 

As a student, he co-founded the ISACA student group and served as the Vice President of the Association of Information Management Students (AIMS). Herman also served as the graduating class gonfalonier to represent the Graduate School during the commencement procession. 

Nick Hernandez is a mission-driven product leader and EdTech expert with extensive experience in product management, strategy, and innovation. As Director of Product Management at EAB, he drives product growth and market expansion, focusing on AI features across product lines in K-12 and higher ed. As a guest lecturer at the University of Washington, Hernandez facilitates courses on management & strategic leadership and digital transformation. His leadership philosophy emphasizes teamwork, curiosity, and data-informed decision-making. Passionate about using technology to create lasting, positive change, Hernandez is committed to building products that solve complex challenges and improve the way people do 'good' work.

Marquisha Hicks is a Manager of Analytics and Business Intelligence at Providence, where she leads a dynamic team of data and software engineers dedicated to delivering critical data insights and solutions across the health-care organization. She and her team empower decision-makers with the information they need to improve patient outcomes, streamline processes, and drive strategic initiatives. 

In her previous role, she was an accomplished IT expert with extensive expertise in financial and administrative applications. As an IT Financial and Administrative Applications Supervisor at UC Davis Health, Hicks led a committed team that concentrated on optimizing processes, offering application assistance, and supplying solution services to finance business clients. 

Hicks is not only eager to apply her expertise and skills to shape the future of IT solutions and services, ensuring they are efficient and user-friendly, but also excited to share her knowledge with current students and alumni. Her enthusiasm for empowering the next generation of IT professionals is a testament to her commitment to fostering a community of continuous learning and innovation.

Brittney Hoy is a software engineer at Spotify working on the Spotify for Artists billing and payment integrations platform. Previously, she worked at Axon Enterprise (known for Tasers and body cameras for law enforcement) and before that, she started her career at The Walt Disney Company.

During Hoy’s time at the iSchool, she was actively involved with Women in Informatics and graduated with the custom track from Informatics in 2017. In her free time, Brittney enjoys drawing, spending time with her husband and dog, and staying active.

Beck Keller currently works as a content librarian at the Microsoft Library for Echo Services.

Previously, she was a photographic collection processing assistant for the University of Washington Special Collections Library, where she was the 2016 Byron T. Broderick Libraries Student Employee Scholarship recipient, and an inaugural member of the Trinity College Library Research Associates program.

Keller holds a bachelor of arts degree in English literature and French from Trinity College and a Master of Library and Information Science degree from the University of Washington.

Ethan Kuhn is Haida, of the Skidegate Band of the Haida Nation. He is currently a product manager at Carina, serving historically marginalized home care and child care workers and consumers. In his time in the iSchool, he has worked as a design educator, product designer, research and teaching assistant, and mentor. He believes technology should be leveraged to create value for communities and people beyond profit, and his work reflects these values.

Benjamin Leeds lives in Los Angeles, California where he leads Application Software at the New Space startup Launcher. Leveraging his expertise in full-stack engineering and product leadership he architected Launcher’s Mission Operations Software currently used to operate the company’s on orbit satellites and soon its rockets. Founded in 2017, Launcher is building a fleet of spacecraft to provide launch customers a ride anywhere in space at the lowest cost. 

Prior to Launcher, Leeds co-founded an audio technology startup with a focus on information systems, product development, marketing, and fundraising. The startup, Modern Fidelity, designed, manufactured, and launched its first product – the ModFi 7 smart speaker. 

Before joining Modern Fidelity full time, he graduated from the UW Magna Cum Laude with Departmental Honors in Informatics. While at the Information School, Benjamin focused on obtaining a holistic technology education by pursuing coursework in full-stack software engineering, information systems design, information ethics, and technical product/project management.

Prior to attending the University of Washington, Benjamin was Chief Information Officer of Codex Advisors. Codex was a boutique investment bank who guided clients through the merger and acquisitions process by providing a full service suite of expertise. While there, Benjamin was responsible for building the firm’s cloud based information exchange and data storage platform that allowed the firm to compete with competitors many times its size.

Ravi Modalavalasa is Director of Engineering, currently working at Microsoft Corporation, based in Redmond, Washington. Modalavalasa has over 25 years of experience in product development, software engineering, data science and analytics, program management, and customer and partner engagement.

Modalavalasa has a strong background in cloud services and solutions, digital advertising, online services, web and desktop products with a proven record for conceptualizing, building and launching world class software products and services. In the last 18+ years at Microsoft, Modalavalasa has conceptualized and shipped several state-of-the-art products in Azure, Bing Ads, Windows Live, Internet Explorer (IE8) and Microsoft CRM. Modalavalasa is currently responsible for software engineering and product management teams building software products and AI solutions for MCAPS.

Modalavalasa has been a founding member of multiple for-profit and non-profit organizations and actively involved in community services. Modalavalasa is also the founding member of Rolling Reeling Entertainments, which promotes talented local artists and performers by producing and directing web series and short films. Modalavalasa has been known for his leadership and people skills in a variety of organizations and has been instrumental in mentoring and coaching people to successfully meet their professional and personal goals.

Martez Mott is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Ability group at Microsoft Research, where he conducts research in the areas of human-computer interaction and accessibility. Mott designs, develops and evaluates intelligent interaction techniques that improve the accessibility of computing devices for people with diverse motor and sensory abilities. His current research focuses on making virtual and augmented reality systems more accessible to people with limited mobility.

Mott received his Ph.D. in Information Science from the Information School at the University of Washington, where he was advised by Jacob O. Wobbrock. For his dissertation, Mott created and evaluated algorithms to improve the accuracy of touch input for people with upper-body motor impairments. Prior to attending the UW, Mott received his B.S. and M.S. in Computer Science from Bowling Green State University.

Ajay Pillay is a senior engineering organization leader at Atlassian with teams spanning the U.S., Australia and India. He brings over 12 years of experience in marketing tech, product and data platform strategy and development.

Pillay has a background in sales and marketing tech. He began his journey in management consulting with Deloitte Consulting and was responsible for leading technology strategy, capability planning and marketing tech implementation across high-tech, life-sciences and consumer companies such as Intel, VMWare, Novartis and Lululemon. He now leads platform teams within Atlassian with a focus on customer journey and user experience management across the go-to-market lifecycle.

In his free time, Pillay enjoys trying new cuisines and recipes, traveling to different cities with his wife and daughter, and geeking out about watches and hi-fi.

Ryan Prins is a Principal Partner Development Manager at Amazon Web Services (AWS). Within AWS, he is a member of the AWS Partner Organization Global Solutions Integrators (APO GSI) team. Within the APO GSI team, Ryan is responsible for driving partner sales revenue for a large GSI through various go-to-market (GTM) activities, engagement with partner & AWS field sales, joint proposal development, and establishing AWS as their preferred cloud platform. Prior to AWS, Ryan spent over 17 years working for Avanade, a large GSI focusing on the Microsoft ecosystem. During his time at Avanade, Prins held a variety of roles, most recently as a Client Account Lead for their largest client. Ryan lives in Seattle with his wife (who he met at the iSchool) and two kids.

Kartik Rishi is a senior product leader driving customer delight and innovation at Fortune 50 companies in the Seattle area. In his role at Amazon, he is responsible for key multi-year, next-generation technology standards to power retail store innovation and development cost reduction. 

Previously, Rishi spent several years at The Boeing Company driving product development, operational excellence, and cultural transformation. Most recently, Rishi built an organization centered around the fundamental transformation of how software development is conducted at Boeing, to enable faster value delivery & market differentiation.

Prior to that, Rishi has been involved in the TechStars Startup Weekend community as a global facilitator, a curator for two local TEDx events, a founder of his own startup, and advisory committee member for Washington STEM.

Rishi received his bachelor of science in Informatics from the UW Information School in 2014.

Conrrado Saldivar is the Tech Services Manager at the Natrona County Library in his hometown of Casper, WY. His position focuses on the traditional technical services processes of a public library and the library's newer technology services in its makerspace. Both roles allow for improving access to library services and improving the equity, diversity, and inclusion principles of the library. Prior to that, he was Outreach and Development Librarian at the Wyoming State Library. He currently serves as President of the Wyoming Library Association, Member-At-Large on ALA's ODLOS Advisory Committee, and Juror for the ALA Spectrum Scholarship.

Conrrado received his MLIS from the UW iSchool in 2021. During his time, he was selected as an ALA Spectrum Scholar and a Husky 100 honoree.

Louis Spinelli is an enthusiastic information professional focused on understanding what is needed for individuals, organizations, and societies to benefit from information and technology – an interest he developed observing technology usage across different cultures and environments while working in international project management. Bringing together concepts from research, information architecture, and design, he seeks to ensure experiences with information and technology are accessible, engaging, and impactful.

In his current role as an information architect and user researcher at Factor, Spinelli applies information science at an enterprise scale. On every project he strives to understand and communicate the needs of all stakeholders – both internal and external to an organization – ensuring that every decision is informed, intentional, and forward looking.

As a graduate of the Master of Science in Information Management program at the University of Washington Information School, Spinelli is excited for the opportunity to support the growing community of iSchool alumni.

Ben Tucker serves as a Data Steward for the State of Washington’s Department of Licensing. He was previously employed as a librarian at the University of Puget Sound, and a Digital Ingestion Specialist at Amazon.

Zeyu Zhang is a Google Cloud Technical Account Manager with 10+ years in tech consulting and startup growth. 

At Google, Zhang owns the relationship with several large enterprise customers in Silicon Valley, empowering them to build and thrive on Google Cloud’s various products and services. 

Previously, Zhang excelled as a Senior Consultant at Deloitte, delivering large-scale digital transformation for Fortune 500 companies. He also contributed to shaping Deloitte's National Business Tech Analyst program during his tenure there. His startup journey includes managing an AI & RPA portofolio for Amazon at Soroco and launching a new national car data product in Canada at VinAudit.com. 

Beyond work, Zeyu enjoys reading, travel, arts and culture, and staying active with Peloton.