College of Southern Nevada

Data Engineer with 5+ years of experience supporting data-driven decision-making through scalable analytics and enterprise level reporting solutions. Proven ability to transform complex datasets into actionable insights that improve operational efficiency, support strategic planning, and enhance organizational effectiveness. Experienced in SQL, Python, Power BI, QlikView, Tableau and Azure, with strong expertise in data management, validation, and dashboard development across integrated data systems.

Foresters Financial

Praveen Kumar Neelappa is an enterprise AI professional at Foresters Financial, specializing in generative AI, machine learning, and the responsible implementation of AI within financial services.He holds graduate degrees in management and data science from Harvard University Extension School and Mercyhurst University.His work focuses on developing practical AI solutions that balance innovation, autonomy, governance, human oversight, and enterprise risk.

IBM

I design and lead enterprise-scale digital commerce and customer transformation initiatives—where architecture, AI, data, and customer experience converge.As an Enterprise Solution Architect at IBM, I specialize in building secure, scalable, and composable digital ecosystems using modern commerce platforms, headless architectures, and cloud-native technologies. My focus is helping organizations modernize legacy systems into high-performing, API-first solutions that drive measurable business outcomes.I partner with business and technology leaders to translate strategy into execution—leading enterprise architecture, complex solutioning, and large-scale transformation programs across global teams. My work spans the full lifecycle from pre-sales and RFPs to governance and delivery.A key focus area in my work is enabling AI-driven customer and commerce experiences through real-time data, personalization, and intelligent decisioning at scale.My experience spans Retail, Financial Services, Healthcare, and Manufacturing, with deep expertise across commerce, ERP, OMS, and enterprise integration ecosystems. Beyond delivery, I actively contribute to the tech community as a speaker, mentor, judge, and IEEE volunteer focused on AI, digital transformation, and innovation.

IgniteTech

Eric Vaughan leads three enterprise software companies under common ownership: IgniteTech and Khoros serving global enterprises, and GFI Software serving the SMB channel. He is also the CEO behind one of the most documented AI transformations in the industry.Vaughan led IgniteTech from an AI First pivot in early 2023 to what he now calls AI DNA: a company where every role, every hire and every product decision is built around AI. After a full year of investment in training, tools and dedicated learning time, he transitioned roughly 80% of the workforce over five quarters and rebuilt the company around people who believed AI would change how the work gets done.The proof points followed. IgniteTech has shipped multiple net-new AI products from scratch, including MyPersonas®, Eloquens® AI and Adminio™ AI. Following the 2025 acquisition of Khoros, he led the launch of Aurora AI for community and Iris® AI for brand care, both rebuilt AI-native rather than bolted on. At GFI Software, he shipped GFI AppManager™ AI, RADAR™ AI and six new AI features in 2025, then convened the top global distributors in Milan to align the partner network around AI-first growth.Vaughan started his career as a software developer and bought his first software company, not the other way around. Over the past 30 years, he has founded three enterprise software companies and executed more than 40 acquisitions. He is a frequent contributor to Fortune, the Wall Street Journal, Chief Executive, CIO, SUCCESS and others, and he has served as a keynote speaker at the Financial Times Future of AI Summit, GenAI Expo, CES, Imagine AI Live and the CEO Summit Atlanta.

Sam's Club

Seema Farheen is the Data Science Lead at Sam’s Club across 2 high-value domains: Financial Services and the Contact Center. She leads AI/ML teams delivering production models and data products that shape acquisition, engagement, and risk strategies directly influencing member growth, share of wallet, and loyalty.She designs and runs experiments across millions of contacts annually to guide vendor strategy and unlock personalization at scale. She derives insights from an enterprise generative AI program that analyzes complex data sources. She brings a track record of turning complex data problems into measurable enterprise impact—blending technical depth with product thinking and strategic execution. On a personal note, she enjoys hiking in national parks and experimenting with fusion baking across cuisines.

Sophus IT Solutions

Srini Saravanan is an AI expert, business strategist and Co-Founder of Sophus IT Solutions, an OpenAI Select Partner. He helps enterprise leaders connect AI investment decisions with the engineering, operating models and commercial discipline needed to create business value. His focus is forward-deployed engineering (FDE): embedding AI engineers within customer teams to turn business problems into governed, production-ready solutions.At Sophus, Srini is building an AI-native services model that combines customer-facing FDEs, applied AI specialists and delivery teams. His work spans agentic workflows, enterprise integration, evaluations, governance and adoption. He speaks about moving beyond pilots, identifying where AI can create competitive advantage, and redesigning professional services and staffing around accountable delivery rather than headcount alone. His business-strategy lens includes AI monetization, partnership-led growth, unit economics and workforce transformation.Previously, Srini was a Managing Director at Accenture and its Emerging Technology Global Solution Architecture Lead. He led global teams of more than 1,000 engineers and enterprise transformation programs for clients including Microsoft, Bristol Myers Squibb and Comcast. He also served as Chief Software Architect and Lead for GENLITE, Accenture’s generative AI platform for enterprise software-development workflows. His experience spans executive advisory, complex enterprise deals and ecosystem collaboration with NVIDIA, Microsoft, AWS and Snowflake.His innovation record includes co-inventorship of U.S. Patent 12,524,726, covering knowledge modelling and natural text-based querying, and a published U.S. patent application on machine-learning-based incident classification and resolution. He has spoken at NVIDIA GTC on agentic architecture and digital human capabilities for complex customer support.Srini holds a Master of Science in Management from Stanford Graduate School of Business and a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Madras. As an angel investor in early-stage enterprise technology, he brings both a builder’s and an investor’s perspective.His talks give executives and delivery leaders a practical framework for deciding what to build, how to deploy it responsibly, and how to translate AI capabilities into measurable customer and business outcomes.