Agenda

Rockstar Insights:

Alissa Comella
Co-Director, Honda-Ohio State Partnership
Enterprise for Research, Innovation and Knowledge, The Ohio State University
 
Why You Should Listen to Alissa:
Alissa leads strategic partnerships that connect industry, research, and innovation to accelerate real-world impact. As co-director of the Honda-Ohio State Partnership within Ohio State’s Enterprise for Research, Innovation and Knowledge, she helps bring together university and corporate innovators to address complex challenges and open new opportunities. Previously, she served for eight years as associate vice president for Corporate Partnerships at Ohio State and as vice president of the university-affiliated Science and Technology Corporation. With more than 25 years of experience across research, economic development, innovation, and higher education advancement, Alissa is recognized for building high-value collaborations that turn ambitious ideas into transformational outcomes.
 
Duane Detwiler
Vice President of Research
Honda Research Institute USA, Inc.
Growth Innovation Leadership Council Member
 
Why You Should Listen to Duane:
As Vice President of Research at Honda Research Institute USA, Duane is a member of the leadership team dedicated to advancing the organization’s mission of innovating through science. He oversees the institute’s Ohio operations, including Material Science Research and 99P Labs, where teams collaborate to develop breakthrough technologies that support future Honda applications and broader societal benefits. During his more than 30-year career with Honda, Duane has focused on the research, development, and application of physics-based modeling, simulation, and optimization methods for vehicle design and development. His contributions have resulted in multiple patents and have played a key role in driving innovation across the organization.

Rockstar Insight:

Namita Azad
Head of Digital Transformation
Columbia University Irving Medical Center
 
Why You Should Listen to Namita:
Bio is forthcoming.

Abstract:
Most AI pilots never reach production—and those that do rarely deliver the outcomes promised in the demo. This panel moves past the hype to examine what actually changes when agentic AI goes live: the metrics that moved, the resistance that surfaced, and the governance, workflow, & trust decisions that separated real results from stalled experiments.

Action Items:

• Evaluate pilot readiness against production criteria—data quality, governance, and integration—before scaling, using a structured checklist rather than demo performance as the signal
• Rethink workflows around agent-driven processes instead of bolting AI onto existing manual steps, and identify the specific human bottlenecks continuous automation can eliminate
• Build organizational trust through transparent metrics and change management—empower teams with training and clear ownership so adoption sticks rather than reverting to old habits

 

Moderator:

Antony Oliva
Director of Innovation
HF Sinclair
 
Why You Should Listen to Antony:
Antony has been a leader in AI, data, and operational innovation for nearly two decades. As Director of Innovation at HF Sinclair, he drives enterprise AI adoption across one of the country’s largest energy companies, giving him a practical, ground-level perspective on how AI reshapes business operations and where it delivers real value.

Panelists Include:

Elif Balkas, Ph.D.
Chief Technology Officer
Wolfspeed
 
Why You Should Listen to Elif:
Elif has spent more than two decades helping organizations turn breakthrough semiconductor technologies into products and businesses that scale. Her experience spans the journey from fundamental research through product development, creating AI-enabled industrial systems that accelerate technology innovation and bridge the path from pilot to commercialization, to enterprise technology strategy. She is passionate about connecting technology innovation with strategy, execution, and governance to create lasting business value.
 
Alix Jules
Head of AI Transformation
Broadridge
 
Why You Should Listen to Alix:
Alix is an enterprise AI executive with more than 20 years of experience turning emerging technology into measurable business value. He has led major AI and transformation programs across Broadridge, Google, IBM, and Verizon. As an executive educator at Caltech, he combines enterprise-scale execution with strategic and academic rigor.
 
Priya Rao
Vice President and Chief Information Officer
Worthington Enterprises
 
Why You Should Listen to Priya:
Priya is Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Worthington Enterprises, where she leads the company’s technology, data, and AI strategy. She is leading the company’s Technology transformation by moving AI from isolated pilots to an enterprise capability through governance, adoption across business functions, and integration into everyday operations that deliver measurable business outcomes. Her experience spans the technical, operational, and cultural changes required to turn AI from an experiment into a core business capability.
 

Rockstar Insight:

Vivek Iyer
Vice President, Head of Enterprise Data & Analytics
ABM Industries
 
Why You Should Listen to Vivek:
With more than 25 years of experience advising businesses on innovation and growth, Vivek has worked across financial and business services industries to help organizations embrace change and unlock new opportunities. His insights on leadership and innovation have made him a trusted voice among executives and business leaders.

Rockstar Insight:

Dr. Phil Samuel
Director, AI + Tech PMO
RK Industries
 
Why You Should Listen to Phil:
Bio is forthcoming.

Abstract:
The Honda–Ohio State University AI Commons offers a collaborative model for accelerating AI innovation, workforce development, and applied research by connecting Honda associates, Ohio State faculty, students, and industry practitioners. This session explores a three-tier capability framework—AI Literacy, Applied Innovation, and Deep R&D—that enables organizations to build AI skills, foster cross-functional innovation, and advance breakthrough research. Participants will learn how partnerships between academia and industry can create a sustainable ecosystem for developing talent and translating AI ideas into real-world impact.

Action Items:

• Explore a three-tier AI capability framework to accelerate workforce development and innovation
• Identify opportunities to build stronger partnerships between academia and industry for applied AI initiatives
• Develop strategies for creating a sustainable AI proving ground that drives organizational transformation

Rockstar Insights:

Alissa Comella
Co-Director, Honda-Ohio State Partnership
Enterprise for Research, Innovation and Knowledge, The Ohio State University
 
Why You Should Listen to Alissa:
Alissa leads strategic partnerships that connect industry, research, and innovation to accelerate real-world impact. As co-director of the Honda-Ohio State Partnership within Ohio State’s Enterprise for Research, Innovation and Knowledge, she helps bring together university and corporate innovators to address complex challenges and open new opportunities. Previously, she served for eight years as associate vice president for Corporate Partnerships at Ohio State and as vice president of the university-affiliated Science and Technology Corporation. With more than 25 years of experience across research, economic development, innovation, and higher education advancement, Alissa is recognized for building high-value collaborations that turn ambitious ideas into transformational outcomes.
 
Duane Detwiler
Vice President of Research
Honda Research Institute USA, Inc.
Growth Innovation Leadership Council Member
 
Why You Should Listen to Duane:
As Vice President of Research at Honda Research Institute USA, Duane is a member of the leadership team dedicated to advancing the organization’s mission of innovating through science. He oversees the institute’s Ohio operations, including Material Science Research and 99P Labs, where teams collaborate to develop breakthrough technologies that support future Honda applications and broader societal benefits. During his more than 30-year career with Honda, Duane has focused on the research, development, and application of physics-based modeling, simulation, and optimization methods for vehicle design and development. His contributions have resulted in multiple patents and have played a key role in driving innovation across the organization.

Abstract:
What happens when research that once took months is completed in minutes—with enterprise-grade accuracy? Go behind the scenes of Dell’s Agent-first GenAI transformation and discover the framework, operating model, and organizational redesign that fundamentally changed how strategic intelligence is created and delivered.
 
Action Items:

• Develop AI agents using Dell’s proven CGEN framework to dramatically accelerate intelligence creation without sacrificing rigor or quality
• Reimagine your intelligence function by integrating an Agent-first operating model that delivers unprecedented speed, scale, and strategic impact
• Build a scalable organizational blueprint that empowers small teams to operate with the capacity of much larger intelligence organizations

Rockstar Insight:

Jay Nakagawa
Director, Competitive Intelligence
Dell Technologies
 
Why You Should Listen to Jay:
Jay brings more than 40 years of leadership in competitive intelligence, product strategy, and executive management. For over 14 years, he has served as Director of Competitive Intelligence at Dell Technologies, helping drive more than $100B in annual revenue. His career spans executive roles across enterprise companies, high-growth firms, and startups, with global experience in sales, marketing, business development, and product management. Jay is a former Chairman of SCIP, a 2023 Fellow of the Council of Competitive Intelligence, a faculty member at the Academy of Competitive Intelligence, and a lecturer at SMU. He was recently named Co-Executive Director of SAICI, focused on applying AI to strategy and competitive insight.
 

Abstract:
This interactive session will examine how organizations can build AI systems that amplify human expertise while maintaining trust, accountability, and responsible governance. We will explore how to balance automation with human judgment, define appropriate oversight, and ensure that critical decisions remain grounded in human responsibility.

Action Items:

• Identify one AI-enabled decision where human judgment creates value beyond efficiency or accuracy
• Evaluate whether your current AI initiatives enhance human capability or primarily replace human involvement
• Implement one trust-building mechanism, such as explainability, transparency, or human review

Rockstar Insight:

Tim Morton
Director – Global Design
Husqvarna Group
 
Why You Should Listen to Tim:
Tim is a design and innovation leader driven by a deep curiosity about how people experience the world. He’s led and consulted on design and innovation ventures for organizations including LEGO, Qualcomm, Dell, Novartis, Crayola, Newell Brands, and the Husqvarna Group, leading and enabling teams to connect the dots between people, business, and technology, turning complexity into opportunity. Tim has also served as a mentor and member of the faculty at the University of Notre Dame, where he continues to support Innovation and entrepreneurship education, nurturing a passion for curiosity, creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking to create a lasting impact.

Abstract:
Organizations often approach AI as a choice between people and technology, but scaling AI also requires coordinating internal teams with external partners. This discussion explores how leaders can combine AI capabilities, institutional knowledge, internal ownership, and external expertise to build integrated systems that improve through collaboration and experience.

Action Items:

• Identify one AI initiative that could benefit from stronger human judgment, context, or oversight
• Simplify or automate one overlooked manual process using AI best practices
• Connect with an accountability partner within 30 days to share AI implementation learnings and best practices

Rockstar Insight:

Dr. Ryan Goldsberry
Professor
Hampton University
Former Managing Director, Honeywell
 
Why You Should Listen to Ryan:
Ryan is a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Hampton University and a leader in strategy, innovation, and operations with more than three decades of experience at firms such as Deloitte, Honeywell, and HP. Drawing on his education at Cornell, the University of Michigan, and Stanford, he has designed hybrid intelligence processes that combine AI, analysts, and executive judgment to convert emerging technologies for M&A, Sales, Supply Chain, and ERP Systems.

Abstract:
Most organizations can report AI usage but cannot yet prove AI value. This interactive session crowdsources how participants are actually defining and defending business impact — KPIs, cost, adoption measurement, and value realization frameworks — and what has held up under CFO scrutiny.

Action Items:

• Evaluate each AI metric you report today against the decision it would change and the person who would make it, and eliminate those with no answer to either
• Identify approaches to measuring AI impact in use elsewhere and test one you have not tried
• Rethink your next AI deployment by defining and capturing the right measures beforehand — so you can assess and convey ROI after

Rockstar Insight:

Andrea Jacobs
Senior Director, Artificial Intelligence
CAS
 
Why You Should Listen to Andrea:
Andrea leads a team of 50 AI scientists at CAS, the world’s leading engine for scientific data, and sets the enterprise AI strategy and investment priorities behind it. She is responsible for both halves of that portfolio: CAS Newton, the agentic AI research partner for customers in pharma, chemicals, and materials; and the internal AI systems CAS team members use to streamline operations across the business. Her 16 years at CAS span software development, product management, pricing, and operations turnaround, so she understands and fluently shapes conversations on AI with deep business and technical fluency.

Rockstar Insights:

Micah Fening
Innovation Product Development Director
Nationwide Financial
 
Why You Should Listen to Micah:
Bio is forthcoming.
 
Amanda Ludolph
Associate Vice President, Emerging Capabilities & Competencies
Nationwide Financial
 
Why You Should Listen to Amanda:
Bio is forthcoming.