Connect | New York // Powering the Next Generation - Student Workshop

Future builders. Future operators. Future leaders.

This dedicated workshop provides a practical pathway into the data center ecosystem for the student community. Through industry 101 sessions and firsthand shared career journeys and experiences, this interactive day will demystify the digital infrastructure landscape on which the world relies, and outline the career opportunities available to emerging talent.

Powering the Next Generation – Student Workshop Agenda

10:00 AM – 10:20 AM: Welcome & Check In

10:20 AM – 10:40 AM: Opening Remarks

• Cyre Mercedes Quinones, CEO, iMasons
• Hiba Agha, Director of People Programs, iMasons

10:40 AM – 11:00 AM: Introduction to the Nomad Futurist Academy

• Nabeel Mahmood, CEO & Co-Founder, Nomad Futurist 
• Phillip Koblence, COO & Co-Founder, Nomad Futurist
• Kelly Santalucia, Executive Director, Nomad Futurist 

11:00 AM – 11:30 AM: Inside Digital Infrastructure: The Backbone of Our Connected World

• Phill Lawson-Shanks, Chief Innovation Officer, Aligned Data Centers
• Ilissa Miller, Founder & CEO, iMiller Public Relations (iMPR)
• Vic Rose, Director, AI Inferencing, Microsoft
• Adam Noll, Founder, Edgeology

11:30 AM – 12:00 PM: Q&A & Open Discussion

12:00 PM – 12:30 PM: Scaling Clean Power, Scaling People: Creating a Sustainable Workforce for the Digital Infrastructure Era

• Hiba Agha, Director of People Programs, iMasons
• Joel Chakkalakal, Senior Solution Architect, Critical Risk Solution
• Cy Sinclair, Data Center Manager, Bloomberg

12:30 PM – 1:00 PM: Networking Lunch

1:00 PM – 1:30 PM: Power, Water & People: How Digital Infrastructure Can Grow Responsibly

• Ashley Dirou, Senior Sales Developer, Data Centers, Grundfos
• Michael Obradovitch, Vice President Global Accounts - Data Centers, Ecolab
• Melissa Farney, Director of Marketing, TECfusions

1:30 PM – 2:00 PM: From Curiosity to Career: Your Path Into Digital Infrastructure

• Alison Marlow Reese, Data Center Business Development Leader, HDR
• Marc Bhuyan, Product Manager, Google
• Indigo Pinto, Emerging Markets Program Director, Bureau Veritas Primary Integration (BVPI)
• Harris Hamid, Student, Stevens Institute of Technology

2:00 PM – 2:20 PM: Closing Remarks

2:20PM – 3:00 PM: Q&A & Open Discussion

Open to all students.