SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
AI & DATA INNOVATION STRATEGIES – SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES – NOVEMBER 6, 2025
David A. Chapa, AI Strategic Leader, Hitachi Vantara
David is Chief AI Strategist at Hitachi Vantara, where he helps organizations connect the dots between data, AI, and business strategy. With more than 25 years of experience across data management, architecture, and market leadership, David has built a career turning complex technology into practical outcomes that move organizations forward.
At Hitachi, he shapes the company’s global AI strategy through the Hitachi iQ portfolio, helping customers design trustworthy, high-performance AI ecosystems that align with their data governance and operational goals. His work explores emerging topics such as memory-centric architectures, AI data pipelines, and the evolving relationship between compute, data, and sovereignty. Previously, he held leadership roles at EMC, Veeam, Seagate, Quantum, and EVault, building and leading technical evangelism, professional services, and competitive strategy teams.
A frequent conference speaker and advisor, David is known for combining technical insight with strategic clarity, helping organizations understand not only where AI is headed but how to get there responsibly and competitively.
Sandeep Dhamale, Head of Engineering – Data and Intelligence | Data Products | Data and AI Infrastructure, American Medical Association
Sandeep Dhamale is Head of Engineering, Data & Intelligence at the American Medical Association (AMA), where he leads the DataLabs organization within Health Solutions. An Engineering and Product leader, he founded DataLabs to accelerate data-centric innovation—transforming AMA’s data assets into actionable intelligence and high-value products that advance healthcare insights and outcomes.
Under his leadership, AMA has launched forward-looking initiatives such as DatalabsGPT, a private large-language-model (LLM) and AI infrastructure enabling secure, domain-specific AI products and applications, and the AMA Intelligent Platform, a modular ecosystem that drives rapid development, governance, and scalability of new data offerings. These initiatives have redefined how AMA Health Solutions builds, delivers and deeply integrates into healthcare data solutions.
With more than 19 years of experience spanning fintech, enterprise systems, and digital health, Sandeep brings a rare blend of technical depth, product vision, and organizational leadership. He is passionate about building data and AI platforms that scale responsibly—balancing innovation, compliance, and business value.
A strong advocate for sustainable innovation, Sandeep focuses on data and AI product strategy, private AI infrastructure, and the cultural transformation required to embed data thinking across organizations. He is equally committed to mentoring emerging technical leaders and fostering high-performing, purpose-driven engineering teams.
Neil Goodrich, CIO, Envista Forensics
With a diverse background spanning accounting, fiction writing, investigation, operations, technology, and innovation, Neil Goodrich has spent his career creating company firsts, reimagining how organizations work, and building award-winning teams centered around cultures of creativity. As Chief Innovation Officer at Envista Forensics, he leads global digital strategy, data, and enterprise transformation, driving modernization and measurable business impact.
Alan Hester, President, Nividous
Alan Hester is President of Nividous Software Solutions and a recognized leader in intelligent automation with deep expertise in agentic AI. With over two decades of experience applying emerging technologies to solve real-world business challenges, Alan has guided the design and deployment of AI-powered systems that enable autonomous decision-making and drive scalable transformation. He is widely known for his ability to distill complex concepts into actionable strategies and is a frequent speaker on automation, AI adoption, and the future of intelligent systems in the enterprise.
Jishnu Kinwar, VP AI & Innovation, Chamberlain Group
With over two decades of experience at the intersection of technology, innovation, and business growth, I specialize in building high-performing global teams, developing market-leading products, and driving digital transformation. My expertise spans AI, cloud computing, IoT, and SaaS—leveraging these technologies to create scalable, high-impact solutions that enhance customer experiences and unlock new opportunities.
Currently serving as VP of Engineering, Advanced Products at Chamberlain Group, I lead a 100+ member global engineering team driving the development of AI-powered video solutions and leading the connectivity strategy across all product lines. I am responsible for spearheading a comprehensive technology and product roadmap for all video products while defining a forward-looking plan to harness Generative AI for future growth. I also orchestrated the launch of an international Innovation Center to accelerate product development and optimize costs.
Throughout my career, I’ve been driven by three guiding principles:
• Innovation – Pioneering AI-driven products, cloud transformations, and scalable platforms.
• Purpose – Aligning technology investments with business objectives for measurable impact.
• Excellence – Building and mentoring high-performing global teams to drive results.
I’m passionate about leading with vision, fostering a culture of continuous learning, and collaborating across functions to turn ideas into industry-leading products and solve challenges with innovative technology.
Jim MacLennan, Founder, Maker Turtle LLC; Former Enterprise CIO
James MacLennan (Jim) is the Founder of Maker Turtle LLC, an advisory firm helping organizations build sustainable, scalable businesses that unlock value for customers, employees, and communities. Through Maker Turtle’s portfolio of services (including the upcoming JazzAI virtual advisor), Jim helps leaders navigate digital transformation with practical frameworks grounded in decades of real-world experience.
Jim also leads Advisory Consulting services for VentureDNA, an established venture capital firm from Chicago. Services include defining and refining product strategy, revenue and operations, and investor outreach. VentureDNA helps early-stage companies in a range of disciplines.
Jim has 35+ years of experience in a variety of business models and markets, translating strategic drivers into tactical plans and tangible results. His career spans industries including manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, consumer durables, industrial products, and consumer package goods.
Jim’s latest book, Don’t Think So Much, lays out his vision for accelerating business with technology. He regularly speaks on digital and leadership topics, and publishes his insights at MakerTurtle.com
Dr. Rob Nelson, Principal, Client Solutions, BairesDev
Dr. Rob Nelson is a Principal at BairesDev, specializing in delivering transformative digital solutions, custom software development, and AI innovation. With over 20 years of leadership across Fortune 500, private equity, and mission-driven organizations in leadership roles including: CMO, Managing Director, Global Head of Operations, and Commercial GM with full P&L ownership, he has led enterprise re-platforming, data architecture, cloud modernization, and AI integration initiatives for companies including Amazon, GE Healthcare, and IBM. He holds a Doctorate in Business Administration, an MBA from Kellogg, and is a recognized industry expert, educator and thought leader in business, marketing, digital transformation and innovation.
Nagesh Perumalla, Analytics Platforms Engineering, Discover Financial Services (Capital One)
Nagesh Perumalla is a Principal Infrastructure Engineer on the Analytics Platforms Engineering team at Discover Financial Services (now a Capital One company), where he has spent the past five years driving innovation in enterprise data platforms. Prior to joining Discover, Nagesh spent 12 years at Teradata Corporation in various roles, building deep expertise in data architecture, platform optimization, and database administration.
With a strong foundation in designing and implementing scalable, high-performance data ecosystems, Nagesh specializes in architecting real-time analytics platforms across cloud and hybrid environments. His work is rooted in a forward-looking approach to AI/ML, focusing on platform modernization, cost optimization, compliance, and advancing machine learning capabilities.
An award-winning technologist, Nagesh holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Illinois. He is an avid reader and passionate lifelong learner and has earned numerous industry-leading certifications, including, AWS Certified Machine Learning – Specialty, Google Cloud Certified Professional Machine Learning Engineer, Google Cloud Generative AI Leader, Databricks Certified Machine Learning Professional, Snowflake Advanced Architect, Teradata Certified Master, and several others.
Nagesh brings a unique blend of technical depth and strategic vision to the panel, offering insights into how infrastructure engineering can accelerate AI and data innovation at scale.
Karen Pfeifer, Chief AI Officer, Pythian
Karen Pfeifer is a senior data & AI executive with over 25 years of experience leading enterprise-scale teams in the entertainment media and distribution industry in multiple Fortune 100 companies. Karen is currently the field Chief AI Officer at Pythian, a leading data & AI services company. Karen was most recently in a CDAO role with Audacy, Inc. as SVP, Enterprise Data & AI. Prior to that, Karen was an executive with Disney Streaming owning data product, strategy & operations. Karen has also held leadership roles at the prominent media companies of Hulu, Comcast/NBCU, and DIRECTV/AT&T. Her expertise lies in data strategy, AI, data science, analytics, product, platforms, architecture, integrations, and governance. Karen leverages the power of collaborative team culture to drive business-aligned ROI and transform data into valuable, trusted, and insight-driven assets. Karen holds a B.A. in Music from UCLA and an M.S. in Analytics and Data Science from St. Joseph’s University.
Joseph Rose, President, JBS Dev
Joseph Rose is the president of JBS Dev. He joined the company in 2012 as a developer and quickly advanced through the ranks. In 2019, Joseph assumed the role of Senior VP of Delivery, and in recognition of his outstanding leadership and impact, was named President of JBS Dev in 2021. Joseph brings a wealth of experience, technical expertise, and a proven track record of consistently meeting and exceeding our customers’ expectations. Joseph holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer science from Georgia Southern University.
