George Talks Business 2021 | GW School of Business | The George Washington University

2021 Events
Explore the Archive

Couldn't attend in person or online? In this archive, you'll find detailed information — plus the full video — from every George Talks Business event in 2021.

Fall 2021

November 10, 2021 - Marty Rodgers, Market Unit Lead, U.S. South at Accenture

On Wednesday, November 10, Marty Rodgers, market unit lead of U.S. South at Accenture, was interviewed by Dr. Anuj Mehrotra, dean of the GW School of Business.

Marty Rodgers is Accenture's market unit lead for the US South and responsible for clients, people, offices, community involvement, and financial performance across the South. He has strategic responsibility for integrating Accenture's services to tackle and solve our clients' most complex problems. Leading more than 17,000 people in his market unit—spanning 15 states that cover key cities such as Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Houston and Washington, D.C.—Marty focuses on bringing continuous innovation to clients, attracting and retaining top talent and strengthening Accenture's impact in the local communities. He is also a member of Accenture's Global Management Committee and North America Leadership Team, as well as the office managing director for the Washington, D.C. Metro Area.

Marty formerly led Accenture's Health & Public Service business in the Southeast, started Accenture's Nonprofit Practice and has been with the company for more than 20 years.

Prior to Accenture, Marty served as a leader in the national and community service and workforce skills fields. He worked on Capitol Hill and helped write several successful pieces of legislation, including creating Americorps—the US domestic Peace Corps—and turning the Martin Luther King holiday into a national day of service. He also served with the Diocese of Gallup, working with Native American children in New Mexico.

Marty is an outspoken advocate of social responsibility and committed to inclusion and diversity. He previously served as executive sponsor of Accenture's African American Employee Resource Group and of the company's recruiting efforts at historically black colleges and universities (HBCU).

Marty currently serves on numerous local boards including the Greater Washington Board of Trade, United Way of National Capital Area, Federal City Council and KIPP-DC. He is a member of the Economic Club of Washington, D.C. and a part of the Smithsonian FUTURES Working Group. He is also active on two national boards: President Bush's Points of Light Foundation and the Children’s Defense Fund.

November 3, 2021 - Dayna Bowen Matthew, Dean and Harold H. Greene Professor of Law, The GW Law School

Wednesday, November 3 featured a special edition of the George Talks Business series: the Richard W. Blackburn Endowed Lecture on Civility and Integrity with Dr. Dayna Bowen Matthew, dean and Harold H. Greene Professor of Law of the GW Law School. This event was moderated by Dr. Anuj Mehrotra, dean of the GW School of Business, and a reception took place following the event from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. ET.

Dayna Bowen Matthew, JD, PhD, is the dean and Harold H. Greene Professor of Law at the George Washington University Law School. Dean Matthew is a leader in public health and civil rights law who focuses on racial disparities in health care. She joined the UVA Law faculty in 2017 and is the author of the book Just Medicine: A Cure for Racial Inequality in American Health Care.

At UVA, she served as Co-Founder and Inaugural Director of The Equity Center, a transdisciplinary research center that seeks to build better relationships between UVA and the Charlottesville community through community engaged scholarship that tangibly redresses racial and socioeconomic inequality.

Dean Matthew previously served on the University of Colorado law faculty as a Professor, Vice Dean, and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs. She was a member of the Center for Bioethics and Humanities on the Anschutz Medical Campus. Dean Matthew held a joint appointment at the Colorado School of Public Health. Dean Matthew also has taken on many public policy roles. In 2013, she co-founded the Colorado Health Equity Project, a medical-legal partnership incubator aimed at removing barriers to good health for low-income clients by providing legal representation, research, and policy advocacy. In 2015, she served as the Senior Adviser to the Director of the Office of Civil Rights for the US Environmental Protection Agency, where she expedited cases on behalf of historically vulnerable communities besieged by pollution. She then became a member of the health policy team for US Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan and worked on public health issues.

During 2015-16, she was a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellow in Residence in Washington, DC, and pivoted her work toward population-level clients. She forged relationships with influential policy groups such as the Brookings Institution, where she is currently a Non-resident Senior Fellow, and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation.

Before entering academia, Dean Matthew practiced as a civil litigator both in Kentucky, at the law firm of Greenebaum, Doll & McDonald, and in Virginia, at McGuireWoods, where her work primarily focused on the defense of medical care providers and corporate manufacturers in state courts, federal courts, and before administrative and licensing tribunals.

Dean Matthew graduated with an AB in economics from Harvard-Radcliffe and, after a brief stint as a commercial real estate banker, obtained a JD from the University of Virginia. While studying at Virginia, Dean Matthew served as an Editor of the Virginia Law Review, won the law school’s William Minor Lile Moot Court Competition, and taught as a Hardy Dillard Writing Fellow. Following graduation, she clerked for Justice John Charles Thomas, the first African American justice to sit on the Virginia Supreme Court. She taught at Virginia as an assistant professor from 1991 to 1994. In 2018, she received a PhD in health and behavioral sciences from the University of Colorado at Denver.

October 29, 2021 - Roger Dow, President and CEO, U.S. Travel Association

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Roger Dow is president and CEO of U.S. Travel Association, the Washington, D.C.-based organization representing all segments of travel in America. U.S. Travel’s mission is to increase travel to and within the United States.

As the leading travel industry advocate, Dow and his team regularly confers with administration and congressional leaders to advance policies that benefit the broader travel industry. His efforts have resulted in major legislative victories, including securing pandemic-related relief for the hard-hit travel industry, establishing and renewing Brand USA, the highly effective national travel and tourism promotion program, and procuring funds to maintain America’s treasured national parks. Dow and U.S. Travel are also leaders of the Meetings Mean Business Coalition which promotes and defends the value of face-to-face business meetings, trade shows, conferences and conventions, as well as the Let’s Go There Coalition, a domestic initiative to inspire future travel following steep declines associated with the coronavirus pandemic.

U.S. Travel provides the industry with unrivaled research and insights and holds renowned annual events, such as IPW, the leading international inbound travel trade show, and ESTO, the premier learning and knowledge-sharing forum for destination marketing professionals. Most recently, Dow launched The Dow Report, a regular video series that features conversations with prominent CEOs across the industry about their leadership throughout the pandemic.

For his efforts to unify the travel industry and increase its effectiveness on Capitol Hill, Dow has received multiple honors and awards. Dow has also held seats on several boards, including ASAE, GWSAE, MPI Foundation, PCMA, Tourism Diversity Matters, RE/MAX International, the Travel Institute, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Committee of 100, among others.

Prior to joining U.S. Travel in 2005, Dow spent 34 years at Marriott International, rising to senior vice president of global and field sales. Dow served in the United States Army with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam, where he received the Bronze Star and other citations. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Seton Hall University and was honored as a Most Distinguished Alumnus in 2012. In addition, he holds an honorary degree from Johnson & Wales University.

October 13, 2021 - Natasha Crampton, Chief Responsible AI Officer, Microsoft

On Wednesday, October 13, Natasha Crampton, chief Responsible AI officer at Microsoft, was interviewed by Dr. Anuj Mehrotra, dean of the GW School of Business, and Dr. John Lach, dean of the GW School of Engineering and Applied Science.

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Natasha Crampton leads Microsoft’s Office of Responsible AI, as the company’s first chief Responsible AI officer. The Office of Responsible AI puts Microsoft’s AI principles into practice by defining, enabling, and governing the company’s approach to responsible AI. The Office of Responsible AI also collaborates with stakeholders within and outside the company to shape new laws, norms, and standards to help ensure that the promise of AI technology is realized for the benefit of all.

Prior to this role, Natasha served as lead counsel to the Aether Committee, Microsoft’s advisory committee on responsible AI. Natasha also spent seven years in Microsoft’s Australian and New Zealand subsidiaries helping Microsoft’s highly regulated customers move to the cloud.

Prior to Microsoft, Natasha worked in law firms in Australia and New Zealand, specializing in copyright, privacy, and internet safety and security issues. Natasha graduated from the University of Auckland in New Zealand with a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Information Systems.

October 6, 2021 - Sharon Marcil, North America Regional Chair, Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

On Wednesday, October 6, Sharon Marcil, North America regional chair at Boston Consulting Group (BCG), was interviewed by Dr. Anuj Mehrotra, dean of the GW School of Business.

Sharon Marcil is the North America regional chair at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in Washington, D.C. Ms. Marcil joined BCG in 1993 and has held many firm leadership positions. She is currently BCG’s chair of North America and a member of the firm’s Global Executive Committee and Global Operating Committee. She was previously Global Head of Marketing with the Global Client Team. Prior to joining BCG, she worked for Goldman Sachs & Co. in Mergers and Acquisitions. Ms. Marcil earned her M.B.A. from Harvard, where she graduated with distinction. She earned her A.B. in economics, magna cum laude, from Duke University. She and her husband, Tom Monahan, have two daughters, Caroline and Elizabeth.

September 29, 2021 - Nora Gardner, Managing Partner, McKinsey’s Washington, D.C. Office

On Wednesday, September 29, Nora Gardner, managing partner at McKinsey’s Washington, D.C. Office, was interviewed by Dr. Anuj Mehrotra, dean of the GW School of Business.

Please register and join us for the live stream on the GW School of Business YouTube channel . For more information about the George Talks Business series, please email Irina Orlova.

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Nora Gardner is the Managing Partner of McKinsey’s Washington, D.C., location. Nora Gardner combines technical expertise with a passion for people as a client leader and sought-after mentor within McKinsey. Her Ph.D. in biochemistry brings analytical rigor to her Organization work with clients, where she focuses on human capital across private, public, and social sectors, including health care, pharma, scientific agencies, and defense and security clients. She also leads the office’s social impact group, which connects consultants to pro bono work at local non-profits.

Nora holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Duke University and a B.S. in Biochemistry from North Carolina State University. Prior to joining McKinsey, she held post-doctoral fellowships from the American Cancer Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

She is married, has two daughters, and in 2015 was named, “Working Mother of the Year” by Working Mother Magazine.

September 22, 2021 - Mitchell E. Blaser, Co-Founder and Co-Chief Executive Officer, Mosaic Insurance

On Wednesday, September 22, Mitchell E. Blaser (BBA '73), co-founder and co-chief executive officer of Mosaic Insurance and chairman of the GWSB Dean's Advisory Council, was interviewed by Dr. Anuj Mehrotra, dean of the GW School of Business.

Based in Bermuda, Mitch Blaser has more than 40 years of accomplishments in international insurance markets. He is the co-founder and co-chief executive officer of Mosaic Insurance, a new global specialty company that launched operations in February 2021 in Bermuda, London, the U.S. and Asia. Comprising a Lloyd’s Syndicate 1609 and a wholly-owned capital management agency, Mosaic's focus is highly specialized lines of business, including cybersecurity, political violence and M&A insurance.

Previously, Mitch was a founding executive of Ironshore, which launched in Bermuda in 2006 with $1 billion in private-equity capital; he helped drive its growth to become a global property and casualty insurer with over 800 employees in 15 nations. Over the next decade, Mitch held key roles during Ironshore’s evolution, including COO of Ironshore, Inc., CFO and CEO of Ironshore Bermuda, and CEO of Iron-Starr Excess Agency and IronServe. In 2017, Ironshore was acquired by Liberty Mutual Group, where he became chief transformation officer of the company’s commercial lines division. Earlier in his career, Mitch was CFO, Americas for Swiss Re, and a member of the leadership team at Marsh, Inc., including roles as both global CFO and head of technology and corporate services.

Spring 2021

April 28, 2021 - Responsible AI Panel with Ashley Casovan, Gavin Munroe, Alka Patel, Rajeev Ronanki and Steve Lohr

On Wednesday, April 28, the George Washington University Bicentennial Signature event at the School of Business featured a panel discussion on the responsible development and use of artificial intelligence technologies with a focus on the issues of ethics, policy, and regulation of AI in the financial services and healthcare sectors. Panelists addressed some of the most critical concerns surrounding AI, including data privacy, digital equality, and ensuring that new AI designs and applications are built around the principles of greater inclusiveness and increased fairness. The panel discussion was followed by a live Q&A session with GW students, alumni, faculty and staff. Welcome remarks were provided by Dr. Anuj Mehrotra, dean of the GW School of Business.

Ashley Casovan

Executive Director, AI Global

Gavin Munroe

Global CIO, Wealth and Personal Banking, HSBC

Alka A. Patel

Head of AI Ethics Policy, Department of Defense (DoD) Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC)

Rajeev Ronanki

SVP & Chief Digital Officer, Anthem, Inc.

Steve Lohr (Moderator)

The New York Times

April 22, 2021 - Ximena Hartsock, Founder, Tech Apprenticeships

On Thursday, April 22, Dr. Ximena Hartsock (GSEHD '04), founder of Tech Apprenticeships, was interviewed by Dr. Anuj Mehrotra, dean of the GW School of Business.

Dr. Ximena Hartsock is a technology entrepreneur and the founder of Tech Apprenticeships, a technology application used to unleash the power of technology apprenticeships in the U.S.

Hartsock previously co-founded Phone2Action, a private equity-backed grassroots advocacy and public affairs technology company, in 2012.

Phone2Action is the leading software platform for public affairs in the United States. Roughly 25 percent of the email that reaches Congress runs through Phone2Action. Organizations such as the American Heart Association, Ben & Jerry’s, Expedia Group, Lyft, and hundreds of others use Phone2Action to run public policy campaigns and engage with community members. In 2020, Phone2Action acquired the legislative tracking company GovPredict and the data company KnowWho.

Under Hartsock’s leadership, Phone2Action won many technology awards, including the SXSW Interactive Accelerator Award and Reed Awards for the past four years. Hartsock was named a Washington, D.C. Tech Titan by Washingtonian Magazine on three occasions. She has also appeared in Fortune, Forbes, the Washington Post, the New York Times, and many other publications.

In the 2018 midterm elections, Hartsock was listed by Forbes as one of five women in the U.S. mobilizing people to vote. In January of 2019, she was listed as one of Washington’s “new guard” of business leaders by the Washington Business Journal.

Most recently, Hartsock was featured in Forbes magazine as one of 50 women in tech in the U.S. who are "crushing it." Currently Ximena is working on a technology to support the expansion and implementation of apprenticeship programs in the United States.

Prior to founding Phone2Action, Hartsock served in the executive cabinet of former Washington, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, both as deputy chief for Teaching and Learning and director of the Department of Parks and Recreation. Hartsock currently serves on the boards of the Washington Economic Club, the Consumer Technology Association Industry Leaders, the Migration Policy Institute, and D.C. Vote. She sits on the board of advisors of DC2026, which is working to bring the soccer world cup to D.C., and the Center for Innovative Technology of the state of Virginia.

A native of Chile, she holds degrees in Spanish and Philosophy education as well as a doctorate from the George Washington University.

April 15, 2021 - Christophe G. de Taurines, Senior Advisor and Partner, Long Harbour LTD London

On Thursday, April 15, Christophe G. de Taurines (BBA '86), senior advisor and partner at Long Harbour LTD London and member of the GWSB Dean's Advisory Council, was interviewed by Dr. Anuj Mehrotra, dean of the GW School of Business.

Mr. de Taurines is currently advising Long Harbour, a London-based asset manager with all aspects of its business development, including product development, fund raising, and investor relations.

Mr. de Taurines was previously the managing director of European business development and investor relations at Colony Capital; the founder and CEO of Capital & Marketing Group, a global capital market agency focused on alternative investments (real estate, infrastructure and corporate private equity), which he sold to LBO France in 2013, becoming a member of its executive committee and a partner; European head of the real estate private funds group of Donaldson Lufkin & Jenrette (now part of Credit Suisse); managing director of LaSalle Investment Management in London; resident vice president at Citibank in the Corporate Real Estate Team; and assistant vice president in the Debt Capital Markets Division of Credit Commercial de France (now part of HSBC).

Over his career, Mr. de Taurines, with his various teams, acted and advised on over €40.0 billion of equity for over 60 vehicles, attracting investors from around the globe. He is a trustee and member of the Investment Committee of the Saint Martin in the Fields Trust and an investor in various ventures, a past board member of Sussex Place Ventures, the London Business School affiliated venture capital investment manager, and past finance chair of the London Chapter of the Young Presidents Organisation. He is a regular speaker at various professional forums and exhibitions.

March 24, 2021 - Tiffany M. Moore, Senior Vice President of Political and Industry Affairs, Consumer Technology Association

On Wednesday, March 24, Tiffany M. Moore (ESIA '00), senior vice president of political and industry affairs at the Consumer Technology Association, was interviewed by Dr. Vanessa Gail Perry, associate dean for faculty and research at the GW School of Business. Welcome remarks were provided by Dr. Anuj Mehrotra, dean of the GW School of Business.

Tiffany M. Moore serves as senior vice president of political and industry affairs for the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). Promoted to the newly created position in 2018, Moore’s expanded role includes overseeing CTA’s U.S. jobs, and diversity and inclusion initiatives. In addition, she leads the association’s advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill on issues including communications and technology policy, patent litigation reform, strategic immigration reform and international trade, and overseeing CTA’s political action committee CTAPAC. Moore joined CTA as vice president of government and political affairs in 2015.

Before joining CTA, she served as principal of Moore Consulting and strategic consultant with TwinLogic Strategies. In these roles, Moore advised corporations, trade associations, and coalitions on how to influence technology and innovation policy before Congress and the administration.

Moore’s career in Washington, D.C. spans 20 years, where she has served in a variety of roles including stints as a senior advisor to Congress, a corporate government relations executive, a political appointee at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, and a strategic consultant to tech and telecom companies and trade associations.

A proud native of Detroit, MI, Moore earned her master’s degree in international affairs from George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs, and her bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan University.

March 10, 2021 - ELEVATE panel with Steve Gladue, Madia Brown and Ayman El Tarabishy

On Wednesday, March 10, Steve Gladue, president and CEO of the Coalition for Nonprofit Housing and Economic Development (CNHED), Madia Brown, founder and principal at Brandire, and Dr. Ayman El Tarabishy, deputy chair of the Department of Management at the GW School of Business and president and CEO of the International Council for Small Business, were interviewed by Dr. Vanessa Gail Perry, associate dean for faculty and research at the GW School of Business, as part of a panel focused on ELEVATE, a partnership with CNHED for executive education for local minority business enterprises.

Steve Gladue

President and CEO, The Coalition for Nonprofit Housing and Economic Development (CNHED)

Madia Brown

Founder and Principal, Brandire

Ayman El Tarabishy, Ph. D.

Deputy Chair, Department of Management
Teaching Professor of Management
Faculty Deputy Director, Master in Human Resource Management
President and CEO, The International Council for Small Business

March 8, 2021 - Kathy J. Warden, Chairman, CEO and President, Northrop Grumman Corporation

On Monday, March 8, Kathy J. Warden (MBA '99), chairman, chief executive officer and president of Northrop Grumman Corporation, was interviewed by Dr. John Lach, dean of the GW School of Engineering and Applied Science, and Dr. Anuj Mehrotra, dean of the GW School of Business.

Kathy Warden is chairman, chief executive officer and president of Northrop Grumman Corporation. She was elected chairman of the Northrop Grumman Board of Directors on August 1, 2019, and has served as CEO and president since January 1, 2019. She was elected to the company’s board of directors in 2018.

Prior to becoming CEO and president, Warden served as president and chief operating officer, responsible for the operational management of the company’s four sectors as well as its enterprise services organization. Her role encompassed all aspects of the company’s operations, including leading engagement with the senior customer community and partners around the globe. She also led the integration of Northrop Grumman’s Innovation Systems sector.

Previously, she served as corporate vice president and president of Northrop Grumman’s Mission Systems and Information Systems sectors.

Warden has extensive experience in operational leadership and business development in government and commercial markets. Prior to joining Northrop Grumman in 2008, Warden held leadership roles at General Dynamics and the Veridian Corporation, she was a principal in a venture internet firm, and she spent nearly a decade with the General Electric Company working in commercial industries.

Warden earned a bachelor’s degree from James Madison University and a master’s degree in business administration from the George Washington University. She currently serves on the board of directors of Merck & Co., Inc. and Catalyst, as the chair of the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, as vice chair of the Aerospace Industries Association, and on the James Madison University board of visitors.

March 3, 2021 - Jenny Lay-Flurrie, Chief Accessibility Officer, Microsoft

On Wednesday, March 3, Jenny Lay-Flurrie, chief accessibility officer at Microsoft, was interviewed by Dr. Liesl A. Riddle, associate dean of graduate programs at the GW School of Business. Welcome remarks were provided by Dr. Anuj Mehrotra, dean of the GW School of Business.

Jenny is chief accessibility officer at Microsoft, leading the company’s efforts to drive great products, services and websites that empower people and organizations to achieve more. Her team is at the forefront of creating positive experiences that apply technology to make a difference in the world and the lives of individuals, from how we hire and support people with disabilities in employment to innovative technology that aims to revolutionize what’s possible for people with disabilities.

With the help of her team and broad community within Microsoft, Lay-Flurrie leads many initiatives to empower people with disabilities both inside and outside of Microsoft. She founded the Disability Employee Resource Group at Microsoft and chaired it for 10 years. She created the Disability Answer Desk, which provides specialist customer support to people with disabilities (over 1M calls handled to date), hosts the annual Microsoft Ability Summit, which focuses on empowering 2000+ attendees with the inclusive and innovative thinking necessary to enable people around the world. Instrumental in projects such as Autism Hiring Program, Soundscape and the Microsoft Ability Hackathon, which has supported over 500 hackathon teams building technology for people with disabilities. Lay-Flurrie was recognized as nominated as a technology groundbreaker by CEO Satya Nadella in Wired Magazine, and is a contributor to the book, “The Ability Hacks,” which shares behind-the-scenes stories of the hackers who pioneered two innovative hack-turned-solutions used by people with disabilities worldwide.

Outside of Microsoft, Jenny is the current board chair of Disability:IN and is on the board of Gallaudet University and Team Gleason. Was recognized as a ‘Disability Employment Champion of Change’ by the White House in October 2014 and as one of Fast Companies Most Creative people in business in 2017.

February 25, 2021 - Daniela Witten, Dorothy Gilford Endowed Chair in Mathematical Statistics, The University of Washington

On Thursday, February 25, Daniela Witten, Ph.D., professor of statistics, professor of biostatistics, and Dorothy Gilford Endowed Chair in Mathematical Statistics at the University of Washington, was interviewed by Lynn R. Goldman, MD, MS, MPH, Michael and Lori Milken Dean of the Milken Institute School of Public Health and professor of environmental and occupational health, and Dr. Anuj Mehrotra, dean of the GW School of Business.

Daniela Witten is a professor of statistics and biostatistics at the University of Washington, and the Dorothy Gilford Endowed Chair in Mathematical Statistics. She develops statistical machine learning methods for high-dimensional data, with a focus on unsupervised learning.

Daniela is the recipient of an NIH Director's Early Independence Award, a Sloan Research Fellowship, an NSF CAREER Award, a Simons Investigator Award in Mathematical Modeling of Living Systems, a David Byar Award, a Gertrude Cox Scholarship, and an NDSEG Research Fellowship. She is also the recipient of the Spiegelman Award from the American Public Health Association for a statistician under age 40 who has made outstanding contributions to statistics for public health, as well as the Leo Breiman Award for contributions to the field of statistical machine learning. She is a Fellow of the American Statistical Association, and an Elected Member of the International Statistical Institute.

Daniela’s work has been featured in the popular media: among other forums, in Forbes Magazine (three times) and Elle Magazine, on KUOW radio (Seattle's local NPR affiliate station), in a NOVA documentary, and as a PopTech Science Fellow.

Daniela is a co-author (with Gareth James, Trevor Hastie, and Rob Tibshirani) of the very popular textbook "Introduction to Statistical Learning". She was a member of the National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) committee that released the report "Evolution of Translational Omics."

Daniela completed a BS in Math and Biology with Honors and Distinction at Stanford University in 2005, and a PhD in Statistics at Stanford University in 2010.

February 23, 2021 - Melissa Koide, CEO, FinRegLab

On Tuesday, February 23, Melissa Koide, CEO of FinRegLab, was interviewed by Dr. Anuj Mehrotra, dean of the GW School of Business.

Melissa Koide is the CEO of FinRegLab, a nonprofit financial innovation and research center that examines how technology and data can help achieve public policy aspirations, address regulatory requirements, and lead to a more efficient and inclusive financial marketplace. FinRegLab provides an independent platform for financial stakeholders and policymakers to dialogue and gain an evidence-based understanding of new financial technologies. FinRegLab’s research and experiments focus on matters such as how data and technology can be used to expand prudent access to credit for underserved consumers and small businesses and how new technologies can improve customer onboarding and meet KYC obligations.

Prior to establishing FinRegLab, Melissa served as the U.S. Treasury Department's Deputy Assistant Secretary for Consumer Policy. In that role, Melissa helped to build the first government offered preretirement savings product, the myRA, and she established the $5 million Innovation Fund to support research and strategies to improve consumers’ financial health and their access to safe and affordable financial products and services. Before joining Treasury, she was the Vice President of Policy at the Center for Financial Services Innovation. Melissa is currently Vice Chair for the Milken Institute’s Fintech Advisory Council.

February 17, 2021 - Erin Egan, Vice President of Public Policy and Chief Privacy Officer, Facebook

On Wednesday, February 17, Erin Egan, J.D. ’94, vice president of public policy and chief privacy officer at Facebook, was interviewed by Dr. Dayna Bowen Matthew, J.D., dean of the GW Law School and Harold H. Greene Professor of Law, GW Law, and Dr. Anuj Mehrotra, dean of the GW School of Business.

Erin Egan is the vice president of public policy and chief privacy officer, leading Facebook's global privacy and data policy team. She collaborates with policymakers, regulators, advocates, academics, and other experts on issues related to privacy and data protection, ensuring Facebook’s products and features reflect input from people around the world. She is deeply involved in legislative and regulatory efforts to address privacy, advertising, AI, and other data protection issues. Erin previously served as Facebook’s head of US Public Policy, where she led federal and state public policy efforts. Prior to joining Facebook, Erin was a partner and co-chair of Covington & Burling's global data protection practice.

February 10, 2021 - Nicol Turner Lee, Director of the Center for Technology Innovation, The Brookings Institution

On Wednesday, February 10, Nicol Turner Lee, Ph.D., senior fellow in governance studies, director of the Center for Technology Innovation at the Brookings Institution, and co-editor-in-chief of TechTank, was interviewed by Dr. John Lach, dean of the GW School of Engineering and Applied Science, and Dr. Anuj Mehrotra, dean of the GW School of Business.

Dr. Nicol Turner Lee is a senior fellow in Governance Studies, the director of the Center for Technology Innovation, and serves as Co-Editor-In-Chief of TechTank. Dr. Turner Lee researches public policy designed to enable equitable access to technology across the U.S. and to harness its power to create change in communities across the world. Her work also explores global and domestic broadband deployment and internet governance issues. She is an expert on the intersection of race, wealth, and technology within the context of civic engagement, criminal justice, and economic development.

Her current research portfolio also includes artificial intelligence (AI), particularly machine learning algorithms and their unintended consequences on marginalized communities. Her recent co-authored paper on the subject has made her a sought out speaker in the U.S. and around the world on the topics of digital futures, AI and ethics, algorithmic bias, and the intersection between technology and civil/human rights. She is also an expert on topics that include online privacy, 5G networks and the digital divide. Dr. Turner Lee has a forthcoming book on the U.S. digital divide titled Digitally Invisible: How the Internet is Creating the New Underclass (forthcoming 2021, Brookings Press). She sits on various U.S. federal agency and civil society boards. Dr. Turner Lee has a Ph.D. and M.A. from Northwestern University and graduated from Colgate University.

February 3, 2021 - Stuart J. Russell, Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, University of California, Berkeley

On Wednesday, February 3, Stuart J. Russell, Ph.D., professor of computer science and Smith-Zadeh Professor in Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, honorary fellow, Wadham College, Oxford, and co-author of "Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach," was interviewed by Dr. Anuj Mehrotra, dean of the GW School of Business.

Stuart Russell received his B.A. with first-class honors in physics from Oxford University in 1982 and his Ph.D. in computer science from Stanford in 1986. He then joined the faculty of the University of California at Berkeley, where he is Professor (and formerly Chair) of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences and holder of the Smith-Zadeh Chair in Engineering. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Neurological Surgery at UC San Francisco and Vice-Chair of the World Economic Forum's Council on AI and Robotics.

Russell is a recipient of the Presidential Young Investigator Award of the National Science Foundation, the IJCAI Computers and Thought Award, the World Technology Award (Policy category), the Mitchell Prize of the American Statistical Association and the International Society for Bayesian Analysis, the ACM Karlstrom Outstanding Educator Award, and the AAAI/EAAI Outstanding Educator Award. In 1998, he gave the Forsythe Memorial Lectures at Stanford University and from 2012 to 2014 he held the Chaire Blaise Pascal in Paris. He is a Fellow of the American Association for Artificial Intelligence, the Association for Computing Machinery, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

His research covers a wide range of topics in artificial intelligence including machine learning, probabilistic reasoning, knowledge representation, planning, real-time decision making, multitarget tracking, computer vision, computational physiology, global seismic monitoring, and philosophical foundations. His books include "The Use of Knowledge in Analogy and Induction", "Do the Right Thing: Studies in Limited Rationality" (with Eric Wefald), and "Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach" (with Peter Norvig). His current concerns include the threat of autonomous weapons and the long-term future of artificial intelligence and its relation to humanity.