Visionary Headliners, Rockstars &
Fab Facilitators

John is a serial entrepreneur who holds nine patents and was part of four startups. Formally, John was Engineering Group Manager of Panasonic Automotive Systems Innovation Center at the Georgia Tech campus.; he oversaw the development projects in next-generation automotive systems including, infotainment, bio-sensing, machine vision, deep learning, and heads-up displays. In 2018 John became the Director of the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), the state of Georgia’s startup incubator with more than 150 tech startups in the portfolio.

Donnie was appointed as Atlanta’s first Senior Technology Advisor. He serves as the Mayor’s liaison with the tech sector, shaping policy and working with Invest Atlanta to support businesses and grow Atlanta’s workforce. Before joining the City, Beamer was the GM of LotVision Automotive, Cox Communication’s commercial IoT business and was responsible for their flagship vehicle tracking and telematics platform. An Atlanta entrepreneur at heart, he previously led the Monsieur team, creators of an automated bartending system. Earlier in his career, he worked in investment management at BlackRock, where he earned his CFA charter. Donnie is the featured speaker at the Growth Innovation Leadership Council Annual Meeting, restricted to Council Members and Associate Members only.

Patrick has scaled Oak Street Health, a leading Value-Based Care provider, from 20 centers to over 250 centers nationwide. Throughout this scaling, he has led several strategic initiatives to optimize team structures, implemented tools to drive efficiency and optimized processes to create sustainable, repeatable systems.

Sean leads enterprise-wide initiatives driving both internal and external innovation at NCR Atleos. With over 30 years of experience as an innovation leader, Sean has successfully brought products from concept to launch across his own startups and global organizations including JPMorgan Chase, Sage, and Equifax. His career spans a diverse range of industries, consistently delivering transformative solutions and fostering high-performing teams.

With 18 years of hands-on experience in logistics operations, including 12 years in executive leadership roles, Raul brings deep expertise across the automotive and consumer goods sectors. He has successfully led high-impact, high-CAPEX projects from initial cost calculation through to full stabilization. Currently, Raul is spearheading transformative automation initiatives for the global leader in the optical industry, driving innovation and operational excellence at scale.

Christy spent 15 years in consulting, convincing teams and departments to implement change they didn’t ask for (often successfully). She has worked with a broad range of companies from Coca-Cola to Johnson & Johnson and has found that the common denominator in successful change is that people want to be told the truth and want to be inspired. Now in industry, her current role focuses on driving innovation transformation in Medical Technology.

Josh leads a team responsible for accelerating the future of home improvement retail, specifically by turning frontier technologies like AI, robotics, and spatial computing into scalable, trusted experiences. Over his 20+ year career—whether as an augmented reality videogame designer, connected toy startup founder, or advertising creative director—Josh has steered numerous large organizations like Best Buy/Geek Squad, J&J, Lucasfilm, and Hasbro towards breakthrough applications of emerging technologies.

Jim is Head of Creative at Snap’s Arcadia Innovation Studio, where he partners with brands to use new technology to create innovative and immersive experiences that bend reality and deliver measurable business results. He has led programs with global brands including Nike, Coke, Google, BMW, Mercedes, Louis Vuitton, Nestle, and Samsung, and is passionate about exploring the intersection of art and commerce through new platforms applied to creative challenges.

Jürgen brings over 25 years of experience in designing and delivering complex solutions that harness the power of advanced analytics, data science, database architecture, and other emerging technologies. A pioneer in the AI space since the mid-1990s, he has developed innovative solutions across a wide range of industries, continually evolving his approach with advancements in methodology and technology. In 2022, Jürgen joined Schneider Electric as Vice President of AI Strategy & Innovation. In this role, he focuses on delivering industry-grade AI solutions by integrating core algorithms, robotics, cybernetics, and human intelligence into scalable, real-world applications.

For the past two decades, Gracy has championed and led efforts in transformational materials discovery and management, driving meaningful progress toward a more resilient, sustainable, and equitable future. With a foundation in chemical engineering and a focus on biology and bioremediation, she brings a multidisciplinary approach to solving complex challenges. Passionate about education as a force for good, Gracy continues to build on her expertise to create lasting impact in the communities she serves.