2025 AI in Action: Industry Insights and Networking Series

Hamza Farooq is a seasoned AI expert. He is currently the CEO and founder of Traversaal.ai and an adjunct Professor at UCLA and Stanford. He was formerly a Senior Research Scientist at Google, leading pioneering projects in machine learning, NLP, and generative AI. With a focus on democratizing technology and making AI inclusive, Hamza has developed innovative solutions that prioritize reliability and accessibility. Hamza is also author of “Building LLM Applications from Scratch” which is being used as a textbook across Stanford, UCLA, UMN and UNSW. Hamza regularly provides technical and strategic consulting to Fortune 500 companies and has helped develop Digital Transformation Initiatives and AI upskilling sessions. Now leading Traversaal’s LARGE (Language AI Research for Global Equity) initiative, Hamza is committed to expanding AI capabilities to diverse languages, starting with Arabic and Urdu. Under his guidance, the team is focused on creating high-performance language models that respect cultural nuances and local contexts. Hamza's dedication to responsible, inclusive AI continues to shape the industry by ensuring that technology is accessible and transformative for communities worldwide.

Mick Hollison is a seasoned executive with a distinguished career in enterprise software and AI. He currently leads a number of key functions including marketing and strategic partnerships at Sema4.ai, an Atlanta-based company that empowers businesses to build enterprise AI agents. Prior to Sema4.ai, Mick was President of Cloudera - a leading big data, analytics and machine learning company. Mick was a key member of the Office of the CEO and led the company's cloud growth, business strategy, digital transformation, and marketing functions. He was also instrumental in driving the top-line growth and improved profitability that resulted in Cloudera's $5.3 billion acquisition by private equity in 2021. Mick's expertise and reach extends beyond his corporate roles. He is also an advisory board member for Epic Ventures and UserTesting and has consulted with dozens of technology companies over the years. Mick is also a well recognized public speaker who has shared his insights on the business impact of technology with audiences worldwide. Lastly, Mick was born and raised right here in Atlanta and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Management from Georgia Tech.

Vivek Singhania is an eCommerce and marketing executive with extensive experience leveraging Generative AI to enhance content and marketing strategies. As the VP of eCommerce & Marketing at Wisteria, he has spearheaded AI-driven innovations in SEO-optimized product naming and descriptions, blog content, email marketing, and creatives. Beyond Wisteria, Vivek has led marketing and marketing analytics for major CPG brands, retailers, and global companies, including Rockwell, Target, Nielsen, Georgia Pacific, and Newell Brands. His expertise lies in bridging AI with marketing and analytics to drive efficiency, scalability, and performance across multiple channels.

Ron Johnson is the CEO/Founder of Tacilent.ai, pioneering AI risk and decisioning platforms with over 20 years of experience in risk, data analysis, technology, and intelligence across public and private sectors. Prior to founding Tacilent.ai, Ron served as a Senior Global Technology and Cybersecurity Executive at Ernst & Young LLP (EY), where he built a $125M book of business over two years and created and led the intelligence and data analytics team. At EY, Ron's work was transformative, helping to evolve Fortune 50 companies and leadership teams. His achievements earned him multiple leadership awards, making him a go-to executive partner for many EY clients. Before his tenure at EY, Ron was a Global Intelligence Chief for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), focusing on intelligence, large data analysis, technology, and risk prevention. During his time at the FBI, he received the FBI's Medal of Excellence among other awards. Ron also served as a Senior Special Operations Intelligence OWicer in the U.S. Army, completing combat tours in Iraq and the Horn of Africa. He holds a master’s degree in cyber Threat Intelligence from American Military University and is a Harvard Kennedy School Executive Fellow. Additionally, Ron created new cyber and AI courses as a lecturer at Tennessee Technological University, sharing his expertise with the next generation of leaders. A former University of Tennessee football athlete, Ron grew up in the Southeastern United States and is passionate about helping others, his family, motorsports, riding his tractor, and sporting clays.

Dr. Youngjun Choi is the director of Advanced AI and Robotics at the UPS Robotics AI Lab, where he leads efforts in digital-twin technology, AI/GenAI, and operations research. He focuses on leveraging emerging technologies to reimagine the future of delivery networks. With 15 years of experience developing ground/aerial robotics and military satellites, his expertise lies in autonomy, robotics, AI/GenAI, and digital-twin. Dr. Choi contributes to AI policy as a committee member for IEEE-USA, and he is also a commission member for AI in Education at Southern Regional Education Board (SREB).

Priyanka is currently VP for Global Operations Transformation with AI at US Bank. She is involved in assessing the feasibility of potential AI use cases, build vs buy, developing solutions in partnership, and scaling them at the enterprise level. Before this, she worked as an AI Scientist for 5 years in the Research team and built multiple AI products around Agent Assists, RAG architectures, Document Intelligence, Image verification, and Video Surveillance some of which have been filed for patents. She has 7+ years of experience across various non-AI profiles like strategic consultant, financial analyst, corporate underwriter, and portfolio manager. She has an MS in Business Analytics from Carlson School, UMN, an MBA in International Business from Mumbai University, and a Bachelors in Economics from Delhi University.