Penn State presents

The Global Impact Forum

Workforce Readiness in the Age of AI and Automation

November 3-5, 2025 • Pittsburgh, PA

Call for Proposals Opening Soon

View of the downtown Pittsburgh skyline as viewed across a yellow span bridge, the Warhol Bridge

The Global Impact Forum (TGIF) is an annual event aimed at fostering economic development, social mobility, and positive impact through education and innovation.

Founding Partners:

TGIF 2024: Featured Speakers

Michael

Michael Roth

  • Director of Conservation and Innovation, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
Majored

Magomed Musaev

  • Global Ventures Alliance, President
Salim

Salim Ismail

  • Founder OpenExO, Board Member at X Prize; Founding Executive Director Singularity University
Michael

Michael Carter

  • CEO, Biz Equity
Ben

Ben Nelson

  • Founder and CEO, Minerva Project and Founder, Minerva University
Hadi

Hadi Partovi

  • Founder and CEO, Code.org
Michael

Michael Golden

  • Vice Dean of Innovative Programs and Partnerships, University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education
Allan

Sara Allan

  • President, Valhalla Foundation
Chris

Chris Giamo

  • Head of Commercial Banking at TD Bank
Helen

Helen Edwards

  • Co-Founder of Artificiality
Tom

Thomas Murray

  • Director of Innovation, Future Ready Schools, All4Ed
Andrew

Andrew Ko

  • Founder, Kovexa
Jonathan

Jonathan Dambrot

  • CEO, Cranium AI, Inc.
Dave

Dave Evans

  • Founder COO - The Global Mission Institute
Dillon

Robert Dillon

  • School Designer, Intentional School Designs
Daniel

Daniel Kozlov

  • Co-Founder – Innovera AI; Visiting Professor – Harbour Space University
Lance

Lance Lindauer

  • Co-founder & Executive Director, Partnership to Advance Responsible Technology (PART)
James

James Lane

  • CEO, PDK International
Kristina

Kristina Ishmael

  • Strategic Advisor at Ishmael Consulting and Former Deputy Director at U.S. Dept of Education Office of Ed Tech
Phil

Philip Moyer

  • CEO, Vimeo
Abby

Abby Smith

  • President & CEO, Team PA
Al

Al Motley

  • Founder and CEO, TECHADEMICS
Alka

Alka Patel

  • Director, Technology Strategy, Cyberspace & Digital Policy Bureau, U.S. State Dept.
Jim

Jim Mellon

  • Chairman, Burnbrae Group Ltd.
Daly

Tim Daly

  • CEO, EdNavigator 
Joe

Joseph Besecker

  • Founder and Non-Executive Chairman, Emerald Asset Management PA, LLC
John

John New

  • CEO/Founder, WorkMerk and98 Octane
Dave

Dave Edwards

  • Co-Founder of Artificiality
Mark

Mark Naufel

  • Founder & CEO - Axio AI
Devon

Devon Diaz

  • AI Ethics Officer, Army Artificial Intelligence Integration Center (AI2C)
Daren

Daren Coudriet

  • Executive Director of Innovation and the Nittany AI Alliance
Alan

Alan Todd

  • Founder, Udemy Leadership Academy
Charlotte

Charlotte Dungan

  • Chief Learning Officer, Mark Cuban Foundation AI Bootcamps
Vic

Vic Vuchic

  • Advisor to President of US Programs (AI and Digital Initiatives), The Gates Foundation
Kim

Kim Smith

  • Chief Inclusive Innovation Officer, Digital Promise
Khiry

Khiry Kemp

  • Head of Operations, Stemuli
Esther

Esther Wojcicki

  • Journalist, Educator, and "Godmother of Silicon Valley"
Nesra

Nesra Yannier

  • Special Faculty, Carnegie Mellon University & Founder, NoRILLA
Lara

Lara Paparo

  • Executive Director of the Penn Literacy Network at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education
Nayli

Nayli Russo-Long

  • PharmD, MBA, Strategist & Success Coach
Soundar

Soundar Kumara

  • Allen, E., & Allen, M., Pearce Professor of Industrial Engineering & Co-Founder of Lightscline
Betty

Betty Chandy

  • Director for Online Learning at Catalyst, Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania
A

Michael Moe

  • Founder and CEO of GSV
Headshot

Alexander Chikunov

  • Founder, 4 Waves Initiative; Founder and CEO, LONGEVICA
A

Neeli Bendapudi

  • President, Penn State
Jean

Jean-Claude Brizard

  • President and CEO at Digital Promise
Heejae

Heejae Lim

  • Founder and CEO of TalkingPoints
Linsey

Linsey Covert

  • Teamology, CEO & Founder
Chris

Chris Wood

  • Executive Director & Co-Founder, LGBT TECH
Ken

Ken Shelton

  • Founder and CEO of Elevate Education
Andrea

Arndrea Waters King

  • President, Drum Major Institute
Gregg

Gregg Behr

  • Executive Director, The Grable Foundation; Founder and Chair, Remake Learning
Chris

Chris Lehmann

  • Founding Principal - Science Leadership Academy and CEO of Science Leadership Academy Schools
Andrews

Brett Andrews

  • Dean, School of Business, Belhaven University
Peter

Peter Ritz

  • Managing Director, FatBrain
Jen

Jen Gilburg

  • Deputy Secretary of Technology and Entrepreneurship PA Department of Community and Economic Development
Audrey

Audrey Russo

  • President and CEO Pittsburgh Technology Council & Fortyx80
John

John Parker

  • Pres and CEO HiSolutions
Aaron

Aaron Brill

  • Director of Innovation Technology, AIM Academy
Laura

Laura McBain

  • Managing Director, Stanford d.school
Paul

Paul Foster

  • CEO, Global Esports Federation
View All Speakers from 2024

Attendee Benefits

  • Build local-to-global connections with a unique mix of industry leaders, investors, entrepreneurs, and education professionals.

  • Collaborate, share knowledge, and develop strategies to drive innovation.

  • Receive tools and actionable insights to create change within your organization.

  • Experience workshops, panels, and keynotes featuring global leaders and subject matter experts.

  • Become a member of the TGIF alumni community and retain access to speakers, fellow attendees, and resources.

  • Engage with top-tier talent at student showcases and minimum viable product demonstrations.