Event Details

Registrations to date: 76

Data Science & AI Trends: an Audience-Guided Discussion

From generative AI to identity tracking to personality research to “modern” data stack tooling to the application of AI in startups to the application of AI in well-established enterprises, the mechanisms, means, and applications of data are evolving at an unprecedented pace.

We have questions. And we’d like someone to answer them. Even better? We’ll take three someones—three deeply experienced, thoughtful, and engaging experts—and we’ll pepper them with the questions that are of most interest to our audience.

Using a “grid talk” format, meetup attendees will guide which topics get discussed, and Katie Schafer, Pete Gordon, and Ty Henkaline provide their perspectives.

About Our Speakers

	Katie Schafer Katie Schafer is a recognized leader with demonstrated success in building and leading cross-functional teams, driving data-driven decision-making, and implementing transformative data initiatives. Katie Schafer currently serves as VP of Data Solutions and Services at Beam Benefits. At Beam, the team’s services range from essential reporting and data-based consulting to predictive modeling and data-driven systems management and commission administration. Before joining Beam, Katie worked as Director of Data Science for the Columbus-based consulting firm, Covail, before their eventual acquisition by GoSecure in 2021. Schafer earned her doctorate in experimental and quantitative psychology at The Ohio State University. She is adept at translating complex technical and statistical content into clear, concise recommendations and cohesive strategies that resonate with business leaders and executives. She has advanced statistics and programming expertise across various languages and is an RStudio Certified Instructor. Schafer serves on Analytics Advisory Boards for Franklin University, Erdos Institute, CDO Magazine, and Women in Analytics.
	Pete Gordon Pete has been an Internet Software fanatic for decades since Information Systems at The Ohio State and then Informatics at Northwestern, and more recently thrown into the AI/ML/NLP world after joining the Columbus Collaboratory in 2015. Beginning with IBM Watson Services and Google DialogFlow (and resisting the Hadoop Big Data hype), he has now been swept away by Large Language Models and OpenAI.
	Brian Sampsel Brian has spent most of his career in the data & analytics field, starting as a statistician writing SAS code and now leading several service lines. Data & Analytics is great because it enables him to partner with others in a wide variety of industries and business functions while helping to improve decision making and processes. He has been fortunate to lead teams with diverse skills, own P&Ls, and advise Fortune 1000 companies. Every once in a while, he writes some R code.

Thanks to our 2024 sponsors: