AI 305 Conference

Welcome Remarks

Graham Center Main Ballroom

William Hardin, Dean, FIU Business

Robert Grillo, CIO, Florida International University

Panel 1 – Out of the Lab, Into the World: The New Wave of AI Robotics

Graham Center Main Ballroom

Explores how AI-powered robotics are moving from prototypes to safe, scalable, real-world deployments that improve work, services, access and human capability.

Moderator: Pouyan Esmaeilzadeh, Associate Professor, Information Systems & Business Analytics, FIU Business

Panelists:

• Anthony Abrahao, Research Scientist, ARC Applied Robotics Laboratory, Florida International University
• Maher Nana, Founder and CEO, Orimus
• Gary Khachatryan, Founder and CEO, Vaultbots

Panel 2 – Building the Future with AI: Big Tech's Lessons for Business, Work and Society

Graham Center Main Ballroom

Highlights frontier AI innovations from major technology companies and examines their implications for business, productivity, work, trust and society.

Moderator: Anqi Wu, Assistant Professor, Information Systems & Business Analytics, FIU Business

Panelists:

• Kara Sutton Riney, Monetization Policy Director, Meta
• Renatto Garro, WW Senior Partner Lead, Amazon Bedrock
• Trey Johnson, Account Executive, Google
• Rich Chambers, Director, Cloud Solution Architect for Microsoft State & Local Government and Education, Microsoft

Panel 3 – Powering South Florida’s Economy: How AI Is Transforming Business, Government and Communities

Sponsored by Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy

Graham Center Main Ballroom

Examines how South Florida public-sector and community leaders are using AI to improve services, strengthen operations and support regional innovation.

Moderator: Arjun Kadian, Assistant Professor, Information Systems & Business Analytics, FIU Business

Panelists:

• Brian Fonseca, Vice Provost for Defense and National Security Research, FIU
• Tony Montes de Oca, Chief Data and AI Officer, City of Miami Beach
• Michael Ascencio, Director of the Cyber Policy Program, FIU
• Rodulfo Raimundo, Director of Innovation and Technology and Chief Innovation Officer, City of Coral Gables
• Jorge Olazabal, CIO, Miami-Dade County

Hands-On Workshop – Automate Your Business With Claude, Powered by CloudHesive

Graham Center 140

Workshop – From Remote Control to Autonomy: What AI Made Possible in Ground Robotics, Powered by Orimus

Graham Center Game Room

Panel 4 – Powering What’s Next: AI, Infrastructure and Business

Sponsored by SentinelOne, Breakout Learning, Arctic Wolf, Granicus and Fortinet

Graham Center Main Ballroom

Focuses on the infrastructure, platforms, cloud, cybersecurity, data and vendor ecosystem required to make enterprise AI secure, scalable, resilient and sustainable.

Moderator: Arijit Sengupta, Associate Dean of Technology & Accreditation and Professor, Information Systems & Business Analytics, FIU Business

Panelists:

• Adam Herbert, Arctic Wolf
• Steve Stocks, SentinelOne
• Windley Morley, Breakout Learning
• Josh Pearl, Fortinet

Conversations with Meta AI Private Luncheon

By invitation only | Sponsored by Florida SBDC at FIU

Graham Center 316

Keynote

Graham Center Main Ballroom

Jeanette M. Nuñez, President, Florida International University
Keynote Introduction

Fred Voccola, Chairman and CEO, Simpro Group; Chairman, Kaseya; FIU Trustee

Keynote – Reimagining the Intelligent Organization: How AI Will Transform Work, Organizations and Human Value

Sponsored by Digital Era

Panel 5A – Building Responsible AI Systems We Can Trust

Sponsored by College of Engineering & Computing

Graham Center 140

Focuses on how organizations operationalize responsible AI through governance, cybersecurity, accountability, monitoring, human oversight and risk controls.

Moderator: Yan Chen, Professor and Eminent Scholar, Information Systems & Business Analytics, FIU Business

Panelists:

• Andy Luc, Global Head, Core Infrastructure and Reporting, Trust and Safety, Google
• Ali Segovia, Security Architect, Microsoft
• Selcuk Uluagac, Eminent Scholar and Chaired Professor, Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Science, Florida International University
• Brad Lupton, Head of Enterprise Data Strategy & Analytics, BankUnited

Panel 5B – From Passive Scribes to Agentic Partners: Transforming Healthcare for the Future

Graham Center 243

Explores how healthcare AI is evolving from documentation tools to agentic systems that support care coordination, clinical work, patient engagement and safety.

Moderator: Attila Hertelendy, Assistant Professor, Information Systems & Business Analytics, FIU Business

Panelists:

• Jennifer Goldman, Senior VP and Chief Medical Information Officer, Memorial Healthcare System
• David Rawaf, Director of Clinical Strategy & Partnerships, VitVio
• Rony Abovitz, Founder, MAKO Surgical, Magic Leap, Synthbee, Sun and Thunder
• Rebecca Fletcher, VP of Clinical Systems & EHR Transformation, Baptist Health

Conversations with Miami-Dade County: Student Event

Fireside Chat: From Student to AI-Ready Professional

Graham Center 150

Panel 6A – Designing the Future of Experience: How AI Is Transforming Hospitality and Entertainment

Sponsored by Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management

Graham Center 140

Shows how AI is reshaping customer experiences through personalization, operational excellence, employee enablement and inclusive service design.

Moderator: Dale Gomez, Director of Information & Instructional Technology, FIU Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management

Panelists:

• Denise Walker, CIO, Starwood Hotels
• Mihai Bote, Founder, Confido Robotics
• Alan Espino, Head Data and AI, Office of the CEO, Carnival Corp.
• Emi Guerra, Co-Founder, Breakwater Hospitality Group

Panel 6B – AI on the Frontline: Delivering ROI, Reliability and Resilience in Critical Industries

Graham Center 150

Examines how high-stakes industries use AI to improve reliability, resilience, safety, operational performance, ROI and public trust.

Moderator: Ziyi Zhao, Assistant Professor, Information Systems & Business Analytics, FIU Business

Panelists:

• Joseph Hernandez, Chief Information Officer and President, CIO Council of South Florida, FEAM Aero
• Carlos Sanchez, Chief Technology Officer, NextEra / FPL
• James St. Louis, CIO, Miami International Airport
• Kevin T. McAuliffe, Chief Technology & Digital Innovation Officer, Brightline
• Edsel C. Sanchez, Division Chief, Technical Performance and Integration Division, Engineering Directorate, NASA

Hands-On Workshop – Meta AI for Business Workshop

Graham Center 243

Fireside Chat A – AI and the Law: Navigating Risk, Regulation and Responsibility

Sponsored by College of Law

Graham Center 140

Explores the legal, regulatory, privacy, accountability and governance challenges organizations face as they innovate with AI.

Moderator: Manuel Gomez, Associate Dean for Graduate Studies & Global Engagement, College of Law

Featured guest: Pedro Pavon, Global Policy Director: Data and AI Monetization, Meta

Fireside Chat B – The Human Edge: Rethinking Work and Careers in the Age of AI

Graham Center 150

Considers how AI is changing work and careers while emphasizing human judgment, creativity, leadership, adaptability and lifelong learning.

Moderator: Andres Arias, Adjunct Lecturer, Information Systems & Business Analytics, FIU Business

Featured guest: Maribel Diz, Senior Vice President, People Team, Latin America and the Caribbean, Visa Inc.

Workshop – Lessons Learned From Large-Scale Autonomous Production Deployments, Powered by Sevii

Graham Center 243