2024 MACC Conference Track Sessions
Architecting for AI: A New Paradigm in Business Value
TRACK: Creating Business Value by Architecting for AI
Bringing AI to Production in the Enterprise
This session will provide a practical roadmap for implementing AI solutions within enterprises. It will cover the complexities of deployment, continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD), model lifecycle management, and balancing cost, quality, and performance. Attendees will leave equipped with the knowledge to successfully integrate AI into their organizations, from initial setup to ongoing maintenance.
Presented by: Cameron Vetter, AI Practice Director at New Resource Consulting
Cameron Vetter is a technologist with 25 years of experience using Microsoft tools and technologies to create software products. His current role is AI Practice Director at New Resource Consulting, a technological innovation leader focused on delivering transformative business impact to clients. He helps clients build technology roadmaps and Architect, Design, and Develop software focusing on Deep Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Architecture, and Mixed Reality.
A Framework for AI Modernization and Enablement
Deployment strategies and team empowerment are crucial for a smooth transition from planning to successful AI integration. Sharing his work and learnings as a transformational leader, Gandhi will introduce attendees to a framework for AI modernization and enablement that empowers organizations to successfully integrate AI. This framework emphasizes strategic thinking, aligns business goals with AI capabilities, and adapts decision-making processes for AI-driven outcomes.
Presented by: Gandhi Dasi, Enterprise Architect at Prime Therapeutics
Gandhi Dasi is a Data, Analytics, AI/ML Architecture, Engineering & Cloud Transformation Leader at Prime Therapeutics. As a technologist and an architect at heart, he is passionate about solving business problems by augmenting the right technology, data, and AI solutions as a catalyst.
Leveraging AI for Strategic Growth
By integrating AI into workflows, companies can enhance decision-making, streamline operations, and unlock new opportunities. This presentation explores key components, including data strategy, infrastructure, model development, and deployment. The goal is to show how businesses can harness AI to improve efficiency, boost profitability, and maintain a competitive edge in a data-driven world.
Presented by: Shenson Joseph, AI/ML Data Scientist at University of North Dakota and JPMorgan Chase
Mr. Shenson Joseph is a distinguished AI researcher and data science expert renowned for his contributions to the fields of data science, analytics, and artificial intelligence. With a master’s degree in Data Science and a second master’s in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Shenson combines deep technical knowledge with practical application. He has authored two books and six research papers, establishing himself as a thought leader in the industry. An IEEE Senior Member, he is also actively involved with professional organizations such as the ACM and AAAI (Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence), and he holds a fellowship with the IETE. Shenson’s work continues to drive advancements in AI and data science, making a significant impact on the field.
Revolutionizing Healthcare With Hybrid Care, AI and Hybrid Workforce
This presentation explores an innovative approach in hybrid healthcare combining virtual care with in-person interactions to deliver seamless patient care. By incorporating AI technologies, Hybrid Care optimizes efficiency, personalization, and diagnostic accuracy. Virtuwell’s success (13+ years, 95%+ customer satisfaction) demonstrates the power of this transformative healthcare model.
Presented by: Senthil Kumaran, Senior Technology Executive
Senthil Kumaran is a pragmatic leader, architect, designer and developer in Web and Mobile technology in developing Internet, e-commerce, and multi-tier client-server applications including healthcare, highly secure financial applications, manufacturing, retail, and consumer websites. He was a leader in HealthPartners AI and Machine Learning and Enterprise architecture group and a key contributor to the HIPPA/HITEC security and a conference presenter on Predictive Data Analytics, Rules, and Web/Mobile initiatives. He received his MBA from St Thomas University, Minneapolis and Masters in Electronics Engineering from Bharathiar University, India.
TRACK: Creating Business Value at the Intersection of AI and Cloud
AI/GPT: Myths vs Realities | Adopt AI as an Organization with Confidence
Discover how AI/GPT can revolutionize your business. We’ll debunk common myths, explore the latest trends, and highlight the importance of trust and security. Gain actionable insights to leverage Salesforce AI/GPT tools, including our Quick Start approach—designed for rapid, cost-effective implementation and maximum impact across key customer touchpoints.
Presented by: Andy Moldenhauer, VP, Chief Product & Customer Success Officer and Michael Herman, EVP, Chief Growth & Revenue Officer at Demand Chain
Andy is a CRM expert with over 25 years of experience, including five years at Salesforce and more than a decade as the primary customer at 3M, one of the largest and most respected manufacturing companies. As a Salesforce Enterprise Software Engineer, he excelled as a pre-sales engineer and business advisor, specializing in rapid solution prototyping to highlight the benefits of Salesforce solutions. As Director of Global CRM at 3M, he deployed Salesforce CRM for 27,000 users across 83 countries and oversaw a global support team of over 70 professionals.
Michael “Herm” Herman is a recognized thought leader and practice builder in the front-office and Salesforce ecosystem. He has a proven track record of helping clients address their front and middle office strategy and digital transformation needs. Before joining Demand Chain, Herm founded and led KPMG’s Sales Transformation, Microsoft, and Salesforce practices, overseeing the fastest growth period for an SI across the ecosystem.
Creating Business Value at the Intersection of AI and Cloud
In this technical session, we’ll explore the critical considerations for building a hybrid data center and cloud IT infrastructure capable of supporting Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) applications at scale. As AI becomes a cornerstone of enterprise innovation, traditional infrastructures will struggle to keep up with the computational demands and data management complexities AI requires. This session will delve into the strategies for optimizing infrastructure for high-performance AI workloads, including storage, networking, compute and cloud integration.
Presented by: Rob Schoene, Senior Systems Engineer at WEKA
With 19 years of experience in data center IT, Rob specializes in architecting cutting-edge infrastructure solutions for AI and high-performance computing. Throughout his career, Rob has held diverse roles, including developer, data engineer, systems engineer, and architect, giving him a comprehensive understanding of IT architecture and data-driven environments. Rob’s expertise spans designing and implementing scalable systems, optimizing data workflows, and integrating AI-driven solutions. At Weka, he focuses on helping organizations build AI-ready infrastructure that supports demanding workloads, ensuring performance, scalability, and efficiency across enterprise environments.
Microsoft 365 Copilot in the Era of AI
During this session, attendees will dive into the transformative power of Microsoft 365 Copilot in the age of artificial intelligence to discover how this cutting-edge tool is revolutionizing the way we work, collaborate, and innovate. Michelle will highlight how AI-powered productivity using Microsoft 365 Copilot can streamline tasks, enhance creativity, and boost efficiency. She will also demonstrate how Copilot integrates with your favorite Microsoft 365 apps to foster seamless teamwork and communication. This session will feature real-world examples and success stories that showcase the impact of AI-driven solutions in various industries.
Presented by: Michelle Gilbert, Principal Cloud Solution Architect, Copilot for M365, Microsoft
Michelle Gilbert brings over 20 years of experience in web development and cloud solutions to her role as a strategic business solution driver and Principal Cloud Solution Architect at Microsoft. At Microsoft, she leverages her expertise in tools such as Copilot, Teams, Viva, SharePoint, Yammer, Power Platform, OneNote, and business system integrations to enhance workforce productivity and collaboration. A former MVP and the current president of the MN M365 User Group, Michelle is dedicated to sharing her knowledge and insights with the community through speaking engagements and events.
Driving Appropriate, Time-Sensitive, and Cost-Constrained Practice and Tool Adoption in an AI-Informed Economy
Data management is a complex issue facing organizations today. This session explores how to address questions about data access, retention, security, and more. Learn how to rationalize, partition, integrate, and harmonize data subdomains to create accessible knowledge models. Discover the benefits of decision sciences, LLMs, and other advanced solutions for data-driven decision-making.
Presented by: Stephen K. Clark, Director, Enterprise Business Architecture Capability Services at Logisolve
Stephen Clark defines and delivers values-driven, value-focused organization priority-setting and intentional change management services from a business architecture point of view. An accomplished change management leader with extensive experience translating and cascading financial directives and transformational cross-functional initiatives into annual and multi-year prioritized changes, Stephen aligns investments in personnel, material and operational resources with measurable business outcomes.
TRACK: Creating Business Value at the Intersection of AI and Data
Unlocking the Value of Organizational Data via Semantic Search, How it Can Transform Interactions with Data and be the Foundation of Making RAG Work
This session will provide an in-depth examination of initiating an AI journey, including guidelines for setting up an effective data store. We will explain how semantic search enhances the performance of large language models (LLMs) and discuss the implementation of Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) to ensure LLMs remain current based on recent data.
Presented by: Michael Heldebrant, Distinguished Solution Architect at Elastic
Michael Heldebrant Ph.D architects the world’s most interesting projects. He has 25+ years of experience in information technology spanning biomedical research, logistics, digital Hollywood production, electronic health records, containerized microservices, and finding anything in everything with the Elastic stack. Michael is a Distinguished Solutions Architect at Elastic where he works with customers on architecting real-time data challenges around ingest, search, and analytics.
Unlocking AI's Potential: Practical Strategies for Immediate Impact
AI is a transformative tool for businesses, offering a cost-effective strategy for integration into existing data systems. This session showcases how Parts ASAP utilized data from multiple sources to enhance operations and achieve significant ROI. Attendees will gain actionable insights to begin their AI journey effectively and affordably.
Presented by: John B. Fraser, Chief Information Officer at Parts ASAP
John B. Fraser is a seasoned technology executive with over 25 years of experience in transforming organizations through strategic technology solutions. Currently serving as the Chief Information Officer at Parts ASAP, John has a proven track record in driving revenue growth, operational excellence, and successful technology integrations. He has led major initiatives in cloud migration, cybersecurity, and AI-driven insights across various industries. Known for his adeptness in Agile methodologies and business process management, John excels in preparing companies for scale and sale, enhancing their market value and operational efficiency.
Natural Language to SQL Implementation Best Practices
Natural Language Processing (NLP) tools convert plain English questions into SQL queries, allowing users unfamiliar with SQL to access relational databases easily. During this session, Ross McNeely explores implementing NL2SQL with Databricks Genie, PBI Semantic Model Copilot, and Snowflake Cortex Copilot to enhance database querying.
Presented by: Ross McNeely, Practice Manager in Data and Analytics for Solution Architecture at Trace3
Ross McNeely is a leader in Enterprise Data Management, with more than 20 years of experience in delivering comprehensive analytical solutions. He has led Data Governance steering committees, designed data models for Population Health Metrics, and solved critical regulatory issues for various sectors. He is currently the Practice Manager in Data and Analytics for Solution Architecture at Trace3, where he manages a team of technical leaders and oversees the solution process from sales to delivery. He is passionate about helping organizations adopt, improve, and secure their data landscape.
The Future of Clinical Practice Guidelines with Generative AI
This session will explore AI’s transformative power in clinical healthcare. Attendees will dscover how the Transformer model revolutionizes clinical best practice guideline interpretation and implementation and learn how integrating FHIR and BPMN enhances decision support, making complex guidelines easier to implement. Insights into cutting-edge AI applications improving healthcare delivery and patient outcomes will be featured in this presentation.
Presented by: Dean Peterson, Associate Principal Specialist Solution Architect at Red Hat
Dean Peterson is a distinguished technologist and Cloud Solution Specialist with over 20 years of experience in software development and system modernization. Holding a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and a Master’s in Software Engineering, he currently serves as an Associate Principal Specialist Solution Architect at Red Hat. In this role, Dean excels in guiding innovation and aligning technology with business goals. His passion for technology extends to personal projects that explore cutting-edge tech, demonstrating his enthusiasm for innovation. Dean also shares his expertise on his YouTube channel, [@developerdean], where he offers deep dives into AI and other advanced technologies.
TRACK: Creating Business Value at the Intersection of AI and Security
Go-To-Market Transformation Leveraging Secure Enterprise GenAI Architecture
Explore an enterprise architecture that integrates Generative AI (GenAI) into Go-To-Market (GTM) operations, enhancing decision-making, productivity, and stakeholder engagement while aligning with existing security protocols. This session showcases use cases across GTM functions, highlighting how GenAI accelerates processes, optimizes customer interactions, and addresses data integrity challenges, helping organizations gain a competitive edge in dynamic markets.
Presented by: Hrishikesh Joshi, Enterprise Architect and Go-To-Market (GTM) Transformation Leader at Okta Inc.
Hrishikesh Joshi is an Enterprise Architect and Go-To-Market (GTM) Transformation Leader at Okta Inc. With decades of experience in large-scale enterprise applications, he specializes in integrating cutting-edge security protocols and Generative AI solutions within complex enterprise landscapes. Hrishikesh is passionate about leveraging SaaS, CRM technologies, and secure GenAI implementations to optimize GTM functions and Quote-to-Cash processes. He also actively contributes to the technology field through research on GTM, AI transformation, and Security-First architectures in enterprise environments.
AI Trends and Impacts on Privacy and Security
Today’s pace of AI innovation is having a significant impact on our privacy and our cyber security practices and outcomes. The fast addition of AI with its new layers of complexity have introduced growing concerns where policy is needed to sustain our organization’s and our personal vision, mission, principles, and values. Join this session as we discuss the trends with their impacts along with how we can adapt to realize and uphold our values across this exponential innovation curve.
Presented by: Grant Ecker, Founder and Chairman of the Chief Architect Network
Grant Ecker is the Founder and Chairman of the Chief Architect Network. Most recently as Vice President and Chief Enterprise Architect at Danaher, Grant built their Architecture and Artificial Intelligence capabilities. Previously, Grant was the VP of Architecture at Walgreens Boots Alliance and held a similar role at Medtronic. Grant also built EA’s operations at Lowe’s Home Improvement and grew into leadership at General Mills. Grant is a Certified Coach, received his MBA from the Carlson School of Management, his BSCS from Washington University in St. Louis and he holds various board advisory roles out of Chicago, Illinois.
How AI is Influencing Social Engineering
This session will explore how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping social engineering tactics by automating and personalizing phishing schemes, making attacks more convincing. AI tools analyze extensive data to identify potential targets and predict behaviors, heightening attack success rates. We will also discover how AI is employed defensively to detect and mitigate these threats through machine learning algorithms, emphasizing its dual role in cybersecurity.
Presented by: Matt Findlay, Offensive Services Team Lead, FRSecure
Leveraging AI for Proactive Cloud Security
Discover how AI enhances cloud security by predicting, detecting, and mitigating threats. This session will explore how AI analyzes patterns, anticipates potential risks, and automates responses to protect cloud-based data and systems, ensuring robust security measures are in place before threats impact business operations.
Presented by: Venkata Nedunoori, Associate Director at Dentsu International
Venkata Nedunoori is currently an Associate Director at Dentsu International, where he leads the design and implementation of advanced cloud-based solutions. His expertise lies in architecting and delivering scalable, secure, and cost-effective platforms that empower organizations to thrive in today’s fast-paced digital era. As the technology landscape continues to evolve, Venkata is passionate about the intersection of cloud security and artificial intelligence and is eager to explore new opportunities to fortify digital environments.
TRACK: Creating Business Value at the Intersection of AI and Technology
Empowering Engineering Teams with Large Language Models
Attend this session and learn how to unlock the potential of Large Language Models in engineering. This presentation explores their innovative applications across the lifecycle—from ideation to testing. Discover practical examples of automated requirements gathering, design optimization, and code generation that enhance productivity and drive project success. Join us to learn how to leverage LLMs for high-quality engineering solutions.
Presented by: Justin Grammens, Founder and CEO at Lab651
Justin Grammens is a lifelong learner, speaker, publisher, author, thought leader, podcast host, and educator specializing in Artificial Intelligence and Software Development. He is the founder and CEO of Lab651, where he helps companies successfully bring their software products to market, and Recursive Awesome, where his team leverages Artificial Intelligence to enhance business processes and efficiency. Justin is also the owner and publisher of AppliedAI Weekly News and the co-founder of AppliedAI and Captovation. He creates, produces, and hosts the AppliedAI Podcast and leads the 501(c)(3) non-profit Emerging Technologies North. Additionally, he serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Saint Thomas.
Next-Gen Data Testing: Leveraging GenAI and LLMs for Intelligent Testing
Generative AI and Large Language Models are revolutionizing quality assurance in software development. This session highlights their role in enhancing testing efficiency, accuracy, and coverage through synthetic data generation and automated test case creation. Join us to explore best practices and drive innovation in your QA processes.
Presented by: Kathiresan Jayabalan, SDET Architect at Mastercard
Kathiresan is an SDET Architect with over 15 years of experience in Cloud Engineering, Automation, and AI/ML applications. Currently based at Mastercard headquarters in St. Louis, MO, he deploys scalable cloud solutions and develops advanced AI models for classification and segmentation. he is also pursuing a PhD in Computer Science and Engineering, focusing on advancing AI and ML algorithms for large-scale datasets. With a specialization in optimizing software quality assurance processes, he leverages technologies like Generative AI and large language models (LLMs) to enhance business value through AI-driven solutions. Kathiresan’s expertise has made him a sought-after speaker on AI and technology integration.
Creating Business Value Using Agentic Patterns
Join Dan and Steve as they expand on last year’s Generative Patterns for AI, introducing new strategies for intelligent agents. Discover how agents can efficiently answer questions from documents and data sources, backed by real-world case studies showcasing cost savings. Learn actionable steps to implement pilot projects leveraging RAG and GraphRAG.
Presented by: Dan McCreary, Retired Solution Architect and Steve Peterson, Senior Leader of Architecture and AI at AON, Reinsurance
Dan McCreary is a retired Solution Architect who focused on AI and generative AI architectural patterns. In the past, he worked at Bell Labs with the creators of the UNIX operating system, with Steve Jobs at NeXT Computer, and founded his own consulting firm with over 75 employees. His background included topics such as scale-out enterprise knowledge graphs, high-performance computing, and NoSQL databases. He is the co-author of the book “Making Sense of NoSQL” and is a frequent blogger on AI strategy.
Steve Peterson is a seasoned Senior Leader of Architecture and AI at AON, Reinsurance, bringing over three decades of experience in spearheading enterprise architecture initiatives. His impressive career includes pivotal roles at renowned organizations such as IBM, Be The Match, UnitedHealthcare (UHC) & Optum, and AT&T. During his tenure at UHC, Steve showcased his visionary leadership by developing strategic roadmaps that prioritized innovations in integration, chatbots, and Natural Language Processing.
AI Use Cases and Technology Selection: Where do I Start?
Explore how cutting-edge technology accelerates AI adoption, transforming products and unlocking immense business value. Discover the advancements that enable seamless AI integration, boost operational efficiency, and drive industry-wide innovation. Learn which technologies empower organizations to scale AI solutions, delivering smarter, more personalized customer experiences.
Presented by: David Ching, Sr. Principal Solutions Architect at Prime Therapeutics
David is a Sr. Principal Solutions Architect who focuses on designing and implementing solutions using software technology, systems and applications that align business and IT. He develops, refines and educates on architecture processes and the practice of architecture. Understanding AI use cases and technology supporting them is a key area of education that results in effectively building new solutions based on the AI technology landscape. He is a member of the Prime Therapeutics AI Working Group.