Going beyond the gloom of automation, the discussion aims to highlight equally important structural barriers people face when trying to enter the labor market or stay relevant. The themes will revolve around accessibility, the perceived skills gap, diversity and inclusion, and what role technology can play as a positive force. The panel comprised of various technologists, business owners, and NGO leaders, will leave the audience with more understanding about the barriers and potential solutions that can be explored, starting today. All views belong to the individuals on the panel and are not reflective of their employer.

Moderator:

Shaaz Nasir, Microsoft

Shaaz Nasir has over 12 years of work experience in government, academic, and business sectors as a digital change management practitioner. Currently, he is the Director of Digital Transformation for Microsoft's Digital Advisory Group. As a Digital Advisor, his focus is to help government turn strategy into action within the realm of smart cities, social services, and public safety. He is also an “AI ambassador” for Microsoft and helps AI organizations, amplify humanity – not replace it. As a Global Shaper for the World Economic Forum. he has been invited to speak about the digital economy, income inequality, and Generation Y by the World Economic Forum, One Young World, and various NGOS. Shaaz on the side also co founded Mindthis Magazine, an online media company aiming to redefine what success means for the 21st century young professional through articles and real life conversations.

Panelists:

John Robinson, Our Ability

In March 2018, John Robinson was awarded the Capital Region Chamber Champion of the Year, in front of 1100 New York business leaders! John proudly accepted one of ten national White House Champions of Change for Disability Employment in 2014 in Washington D.C. Since 2011, he’s served as managing partner, CEO and Founder of Our Ability, which provides inclusive workforce and employment consulting, mentoring, workshops, keynotes and seminars on disability and diversity. Our Ability has a coalition of forty (40) New York State businesses interested in hiring individuals with disabilities. John was the subject of “Get Off Your Knees: The John Robinson Story,” a public television documentary and “Get Off Your Knees: A Story of Faith, Courage, and Determination,” an autobiography published in 2009. “I left corporate America after 20 years to give back to our community of individuals with disabilities and provide new opportunities for employment.”

Aminka Belvitt, A New Reality Summit

Aminka Belvitt, is a social & tech entrepreneur, digital marketing & brand strategist professional who advocates for the empowerment of women and girls, innovation & creativity and electing more women to public office. She is the Founder & CEO of ForUsGirls Foundation, CEO of Wofemtech Solutions, a Global Shaper, Empower Women x UN Women Champion of Change 2016-2017 and a SAP Next-Gen NYC Partner.

Mitch McKinnon, RMI at Google

Mitch McKinnon is a program manager for the engineering education team at Google. His current work focuses on partnering with universities to provide computer and data science course, particularly at those without pre-existing computer science departments, in an effort to broaden access to these fields. His previous work has involved technical on-boarding for new engineers across the company.

Neekta Hamidi, Schmidt Futures

Neekta Hamidi is an Associate on the Technology and Society portfolio at Schmidt Futures. In this role, she focuses on strategically supporting grantees by creating synergies and leverage to ensure their success and inform future investment priorities. Prior to Schmidt Futures, Neekta was a business transformation consultant at IBM for the Watson Health practice. In this role, she focused on examining the intricacies and barriers in US healthcare policy and the potential for analytical data solutions to align with regulatory requirements. Previously, Neekta served as an intern at the White House Office of Science and Tech Policy during the Obama Administration. Neekta is also the curator of the Boston Hub of the Global Shapers, a network born out of the World Economic Forum to empower young people to address local, regional and global challenges. She leads the Boston hub's efforts to equip people with digital skills to thrive in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.