Title of the Talk: "What Does Economic Policy Have to do With Social Impact?" Roberto Newell G. is Senior Fellow of the Instituto Mexicano para la Competitividad, A.C., (IMCO), a privately sponsored, independent think-thank located in Mexico City, whose mandate is to analyze and propose policies that will enhance Mexico's competitiveness in the global economy. Newell was the founding director of IMCO. During his tenure as CEO, the Institute became one of the leading exponents of the need for a second wave of reforms to accelerate Mexico's economic development. He served as Vice President of the Board of IMCO between 2011 and 2019, Mr. Newell served as Chairman of the Board of Grupo Financiero Finterra, S.A. and Centro Médico ABC. He has also served on the Boards of Smurfit-Kappa, Wal-Mart de México, Corporación Mexicana de Inversiones de Capital (Fondo de Fondos), Jugos del Valle and Grupo Financiero Principal. He was a Public Policy Scholar at the Mexico Institute of the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, D.C. during Spring, 2011. Mr. Newell has a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin (1979), and a B.A. (1969) and M.A. (1973) from the Universidad de las Américas in Mexico.

Bridging the gap between the Black and Hispanic communities and the technology industry. Michael Ward Jr. is a social entrepreneur and aspiring politician that is passionate about technology and socio-economic development. Michael is the President and CEO of Austin Urban Technology Movement (AUTM) and serves on several boards in Central Texas focused on STEM and workforce development. Michael, who is originally from Miami, FL, earned a degree in Political Science and Global Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He began his career in enterprise sales at Oracle, concentrating on cloud and on-premise technology. Michael also led Oracle's Black employee resource group at this time, with the goal of increasing the upward mobility of Oracle's Black employees in the United States, Canada, and Brazil. Michael is particularly interested in workforce development, education, and socio-economic development in Black and Hispanic communities. He is tearing down barriers and silos that inhibit those who have been marginalized by the system from being self-sufficient by encouraging community engagement. ​ Michael is happily married, a Tar Heel and Miami Heat fan, and enjoys traveling and eating home-cooked meals.

Chris Valentine is Founder and CEO of Adeo InterActive, a full service event production firm based in Austin, Texas. In his 25 years of experience in event production, Chris has created a variety of products designed to help companies achieve their unique, tech-related strategic goals while managing high-profile global innovation events for prominent clients, including AARP, Kauffman Foundation, NASA, Turner Entertainment, and Inventures Canada. Chris also serves as the Event Producer for SXSW Pitch, a cutting-edge startup competition where companies from around the world compete and showcase leading technology innovations. Since 2009, SXSW Pitch has showcased more than 550 startups. An Austin resident since 1988, Chris volunteers at several non-profit organizations. Since 2006, Chris has served as the Executive Director for the Busby Foundation, a non-profit that provides support and resources for Central Texas families who are facing ALS. Chris graduated from Concordia University Texas in 1992, where he earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in both Communication and Behavioral Science.