Since January 2020, Wyoming native Dr. Leah A. Barrett has served as the president of Northeast Community College.
Barrett holds a Doctor of Education in executive leadership from St. John Fisher College in Rochester, NY. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration from the University of Wyoming. She has worked in higher education since 1992 at colleges and universities throughout the United States.
The main campus of Northeast Community College in Norfolk is the proud home of a 650-acre operating farm, several outdoor classrooms dedicated to the training of new and current utility-line professionals, and the 2024 NJCAA Division II National Champion Men’s Soccer team. Northeast also has the proud distinction of being named a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense and offers a robust array of Associate of Applied Science degree concentrations to support diverse career opportunities in information technology. Starting this fall, Northeast was asked to join a community of practice, an initiative of the American Association of Community Colleges and Microsoft called AI for All.
President Barrett is an active volunteer in the state of Nebraska serving as the President of Nebraska Statewide Workforce and Education Reporting System/NSWERS, as a commissioner on the Nebraska Information Technology Commission and serving on the board for the Nebraska Diplomats. Outside of the state she is on the board of directors for the Rural Community College Association and the NASPA Foundation Board.

Dusty is a serial entrepreneur in the Kearney NE ecosystem, having started his 3rd startup in the last decade. He founded Fast Forward, and in 2022 implemented a prototype that saved utilities thousands. Fast Forward is an AI enabled tech provider using vehicle mounted camera systems to patrol the electrical grid for issues that directly cause power outages and wildfires. Fast Forward is now one of Nebraska's fastest growing national startups with the technology deployed in 13 states in just the last 24 months. 

Jaime Bland, MS, MBA, DNP, RN-BC, is a passionate, dedicated leader in health information and President and Chief Executive Officer of the regional health data utility (HDU) CyncHealth. Since being appointed CEO in 2018, she has guided CyncHealth's strategic growth beyond Nebraska's established health information exchange (HIE) and Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) to support broader regional health data efforts, including four new entities – CyncHealth Advisors, CyncHealth Iowa, the Midwest Institute for Community Health, and the Nebraska Healthcare Collaborative.
Dr. Bland serves as an influential board member for each CyncHealth entity, and on multiple regional and national boards, helping shape the future of health data and its role in improving healthcare outcomes.
Before joining CyncHealth, she held leadership roles in public and private healthcare sectors across regional, national, and international markets. With a strong background in care management, population health, and clinical quality, she has spent her career with an unwavering dedication to improving healthcare systems and patient experiences. Dr. Bland holds advanced degrees in informatics and a Doctor of Nursing Practice in Public Health-Global Health Nursing from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska.

Adam leads the Raikes School's Recruitment and Student Success team, overseeing strategies to recruit future innovators while supporting 160+ students in the school, and expanding partnerships with alumni, employers, and community leaders. Since he joined the Raikes School in July 2021, the Raikes School has seen all-time highs in retention and graduation rates, applications, and enrollment. The school continues to be proud of its 100% job placement rate post-graduation while supporting opportunities through internships, research, and entrepreneurship.
Adam began his career in undergraduate admissions 10 years ago at Midland University in Fremont, NE. In 2018, he returned to his alma mater recruiting for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in Chicago. Adam led regional teams in both Chicago and St. Louis, focused primarily on recruiting students from Missouri, Illinois and the northeastern U.S. Under his leadership, the Illinois recruitment team achieved its highest number of applications and enrollment to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2019, 2020, and 2021.
Adam received a Bachelor of Science in Management with an emphasis in Leadership in Organizations, and a concentration in Marketing from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Adam is a longtime fan of the Minnesota Vikings and Nebraska Football, car enthusiast, and enjoys any chance to spend time in the Colorado mountains. He and his wife Laura are both proud Nebraska alumni and have a 2-year-old daughter named Cecilia.

Shonna Dorsey is an Executive Director at the Aksarben Foundation, where she leads the Nebraska Tech Collaborative and Aksarben Scholarships & Internships. With 20 years of experience in tech and tech-adjacent roles, including over a decade in tech community-building and education, she brings a practical, mission-driven approach to workforce development and opportunity creation across Nebraska.
A North Omaha native and Omaha North High School Hall of Fame inductee, Shonna holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Management Information Systems from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Her career includes roles as a small business co-founder of a web developer training school that was later acquired by a Nebraska-based nonprofit, as well as nonprofit VP, project manager, business analyst, and consultant. Her work focuses on helping bridge efforts and create connections that support inclusive pathways into high-growth careers.
She currently serves as a Trustee for the Business Ethics Alliance and previously co-chaired the Nebraska Tech Collaborative’s Education Committee, aligning efforts across education and industry to grow the state’s tech talent pipeline.
Shonna’s recognitions include the Excellence in Community Service Award (DAR), Women in Technology (InformationWeek), Greater Omaha Chamber YP Changemaker, AIM Tech Community Builder of the Year, Omaha Jaycees Ten Outstanding Young Omahans, and Midlands Business Journal 40 Under 40.
Known for her clarity, candor, and an evolving approach to people-first leadership, Shonna often speaks on tech careers, equity, and building a purpose-driven professional path, including the lessons she’s learned along the way.

Matt Fangman is a seasoned technical leader with over 26 years of experience in enterprise software, cloud services, AI, data solutions, and strategic integration. In the last five years, he has driven innovation and technical strategies at Microsoft and SailPoint, focusing on AI-driven transformations, data maturity, and modern workplace solutions.
Currently, as Field CTO at SailPoint since February 2025, Matt aligns with field sales and technical teams to spearhead strategic account engagements. He specializes in integrating SailPoint's identity governance platforms with Microsoft technologies, while pioneering AI agents and multi-agent systems to optimize security and operational efficiency.
Previously, as Data & AI Leader for strategic accounts in Microsoft's newly formed manufacturing segment, Matt managed the company's largest clients within the Data & AI solution area. He advanced customer maturity models to accelerate adoption of cutting-edge data and AI capabilities, leading a specialized team with deep engineering partnerships to deliver market-aligned solutions that addressed complex industry demands.
In his prior role as CTO for Microsoft's Modern Workplace business in the US Enterprise segment—encompassing Office 365, Enterprise Mobility Suite, and Windows offerings—Matt orchestrated sales and go-to-market strategies. He led a high-performing organization of 430 sales professionals, 52 managers, and four overlay support teams, generating $16.5 billion in annual revenue through technical innovation and ecosystem enablement.

Dr. Martha Garcia-Murillo is the Lee D. and Willa Seemann Distinguished Dean of the College of Information Science & Technology at the University of Nebraska Omaha. She was previously Senior Associate Dean at Syracuse University’s iSchool. She holds an M.S. in Economics and a Ph.D. in Political Economy and Public Policy from the University of Southern California. She has consulted for the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the World Bank, Canada’s IDRC, and the US State Department. She has also held visiting appointments, including at the ITU, the Sloan School of Management at MIT, the University of British Columbia, the Telefonica Chair award (a visiting research fellowship in Spain), and a Fulbright research fellowship at the Barcelona Institute of International Studies (IBEI). Her research focuses on the intersection of technology, policy, and economics, exploring how technology influences policy, digital economies, and institutional change.

Natalie Gerhart, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor and department chair of Business Intelligence and Analytics at Creighton University. She is starting her tenth year in the Heider College of Business. She has published research on decision stopping rules, human computer interaction, privacy, and analytics. Recently her research has focused on misinformation and the use of AI.

Dr. Adita Karkera serves as the Chief Data Officer for Deloitte Consulting LLP’s government and public services practice where she leads the data strategy to foster value creation from the organizations’ data while facilitating trust. With more than 25 years of industry experience, Dr. Karkera is an award-winning executive, dedicated to improving public service. She also serves as an Adjunct Faculty at Carnegie Melon University.
As an advisor and thought leader, Dr. Karkera has served on many industry boards and data management industry forums. She is a pioneer in articulating the importance of data literacy especially in accelerating advanced analytics and trustworthy AI adoption in government. Dr. Karkera also devotes herself to empowering women in data and AI through formal and informal mentorship programs. She is a founding member of World Leaders in Data & AI (WLDA) and is the inaugural Chapter Lead for the Federal Government Chapter for Women in Data.
Prior to Deloitte, Dr. Karkera served as the Deputy Chief Data Officer (CDO) for the State of Arkansas, where she established the state’s first CDO office and served on Governor Hutchinson’s COVID-19 Technical Advisory Board. Her emphasis on advancing data sharing and spearheading initiatives to improve the effectiveness of government programs and decision-making positioned her as principal expert and passionate leader in data management.
In 2022, Dr. Karkera was named Data Leader of the Year by World Leaders in Data & AI, and in 2025, 2024 & 2023, CDO Magazine named her a Global Data Power Woman and a Leading Data Consultant. She has also been nationally recognized by GovTech Awards, StateScoop 50 Awards (2025, 2020), Women in IT Awards, Washington Exec & Top 25 Women Consultants (2025) for her exemplary contributions to the industry. You can find her actively engaged with the CDO/data community as a speaker and on LinkedIn & X.

Eric Lam is the Collaboration Director for the Midwest Network of the Strategic Partnership Directorate at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), based in West Lafayette, Indiana. In this role, he leads a 500+ member network focused on advancing research in four critical technical areas: energetics, hypersonics, microelectronics, and space domain awareness. His efforts span collaboration with organizations across industry, academia, government, and the non-profit sector. 
Mr. Lam brings a diverse background in research and development, operations, and technical leadership. He has successfully led multidisciplinary teams delivering capabilities for multi-agency missions, with expertise in electronic devices, materials science, trusted computing, information technology, sensors, artificial intelligence/machine learning, and radiation effects. He has also served as a technical recruiter and team supervisor, applying his multidisciplinary expertise to identify talent, build high-performing teams, and mentor personnel across diverse technical domains. 
He played a pivotal role in defining the cyber-physical fused sensing strategy for AFRL, initiating the Cyber-Physical Sensing “Core Competency,” and founding the Cyber-Physical Sensing Working Group in 2021 to foster collaboration across government, academia, and industry. In 2022, he led the development of the Cyber-Physical Sensing Certificate program at the Air Force Institute of Technology. He has also contributed to strategic guidance and investment planning within the intelligence community, with a vision centered on dispersed, proliferated, and networked sensing. 
Mr. Lam has served in the U.S. Air Force for 22 years, including a deployment to Iraq and multiple assignments in science and technology roles.  

Luis Merino is a Product Manager at Guardify, a Nebraska-based leader in cloud-based digital evidence management solutions for child advocacy centers, law enforcement, and allied agencies, where he spearheads the Evidence Intelligence Tools—a multimodal AI platform that transforms evidence review times from dozens of hours to mere minutes, enabling justice teams to overcome mounting backlogs and shift focus from manual playback to strategic analysis. By delivering dynamic case overviews that update instantly as new files are added, the suite ensures critical insights are surfaced promptly, enhancing investigative accuracy and interagency collaboration. Its intuitive interface and minimal training requirements have streamlined administrative burdens, allowing frontline workers to devote more time to community engagement and strengthen trust in the justice process.
Prior to Guardify, Luis co-founded and led product development at Engage Vision, a Nebraska startup that delivered AI-driven video intelligence solutions. Over three years, he spearheaded the integration of real-time computer vision and data analytics into operational workflows, empowering industrial organizations to make faster, data-driven decisions.
Luis brings extensive research expertise in human–machine collaboration, with specialized knowledge in human–robot interaction and automated vision systems. His work focuses on creating intuitive interfaces and robust AI models that enhance human oversight while improving operational efficiency.
He has collaborated with the National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education Center (NCITE) at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, working across disciplines including industrial–organizational psychology, counterterrorism, business, and technology to develop advanced tools for threat prevention and organizational resilience. Luis has also pioneered mixed-reality applications in distributed team environments, prototyping XR interfaces that enable collaborative threat identification and response in immersive simulations.
His current research interests center on AI-induced conformity—examining how AI agents influence group decision-making and their impact on workplace productivity and collaboration.

Tan is the VP of Product at Kana Systems and leads their engineering team. He has led and co-founded startups in the insurtech and healthtech space. Tan is also an alumnus of the Jeffrey S. Raikes School and won several startup awards, such as the 2024 Governor's New Venture Competition. He believes supporting data and AI technology will lay the foundation for future innovations for Nebraska.

Eric Sweden is NASCIO’s Program Director, Enterprise Architecture & Governance, helping state government deliver effective government services through leveraging management disciplines, such as enterprise architecture, organizational transformation, project and portfolio management, knowledge management and insight enabling analytics.
He has over 40 years of private sector and public sector experience in the areas of enterprise architecture, project management, data management, supply chain management, research & development, finance, patent law, occupational health & medicine, and engineering. He has held director, manager, and senior professional-level positions in a variety of business areas where he has led projects that bridge strategic intent with enabling business process and technology capabilities.
Eric holds an MBA from the Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota with a focus in Marketing and MIS Administration, and a Master of Science from the School of Public Health, University of Michigan, with a focus in Industrial and Public Health. In 2016 Eric completed the PTI / Rutgers University Certified Government Chief Information Officer (CGCIO™) Program with Honors. In 2024 Eric earned his Certification in Business Architecture from the Business Architecture Center of Excellence.

Nate Watson is Executive Chair for the Omaha Data Science Academy. The ODSA is an accredited data science, AI, and Cybersecurity Post-Secondary Trade School here in Nebraska. Since 2016, the ODSA has trained over 125 data scientists, data engineers, business intelligence analysts, and Machine Learning professionals. Nate has worked hard to ensure graduates make a direct impact into Nebraska’s organizations by seeking and employing some of the region's best practicing professionals and building curriculum directly from job descriptions. For this reason, their catch phrase “Come learn from 6-9 what a data scientist does from 8-5” has come to mean high quality graduates who are workforce ready day one.
Nate is also the CEO of the ODSA parent company, Contemporary Analysis--the region's foremost AI consulting firm, sits on the NE Department of Education’s post-secondary career advisory council, and is a commissioner for Nebraska’s IT Commission, the NITC.