Philly Tech Week 2020

Ethan is the Data Engineer at Seer Interactive — finding new ways of automating and leveraging machine learning to move Seer into the future of digital marketing.

Some fun projects include changing PPC ad sentiment to increase click-through-rate and identifying low quality sites on paid placements to save clients money.

Previously, he was an SEO Team Lead, where he focused on providing team members with guidance on strategy and tactical implementation.

His passion lies in using the newest, latest tools to automate process and create net new business opportunities for clients.

Outside of work he loves cooking, biking, yoga, climbing, fine cocktails and Taco Tuesday.

Philadelphia native, Charles “Charlie Mack” Alston, an entertainment giant has a long standing track record in the entertainment business, dating back to 1978 when he hosted his first house party for 250 youth in the basement of his mother’s home, subsequently becoming a concert promoter for well known Hip Hop Artists Doug E. Fresh, Roxanne Shante, Biz Markie, Big Daddy Kane and Stetsasonic. In 1979, Charlie Mack became a Record Promoter/A&R Director for the independent label, “April Records”. During the early 80’s, Mack began his professional career as security for Galaxy 5, road manager and security for and MC Breeze.

In 1987, Mack elevated from bodyguard to Executive Personal Assistant for his star friends Mega Star Will “Fresh Prince” Smith and Jeff “Jazzy Jeff” Townes. In 1997, Charlie Mack relocated to Los Angeles for several years and initially assisted Smith on the set of the blockbuster hit, “Enemy of The State” along with several of his subsequent major films. Known for unselfishly lending his professional relationships to aid aspiring talent and basically anyone in need, Charlie Mack played an integral role in discovering talent like Boyz II Men and others in the industry. Despite a lucrative and rewarding career working side by side with Will Smith, Charlie Mack chose to relocate back to his native Philadelphia in 2003 to be closer to his children and fulfill his dream of reigniting the entertainment and social vigor in the city of Philadelphia.

40 years in the entertainment industry, Charlie Mack has consulted with various companies such as Electric Factory Concerts, East Coast Express, Clear Channel and Live Nation; to name a few. He has provided both diverse and quality entertainment locally as well as nationally. Over the years, 215 Aphillyated and its subsidiaries have presented concerts featuring Gospel, Jazz, Hip-Hop, and R&B artists, such as: Beyoncé, Jamie Foxx, Gerald Levert, George Clinton and Hezekiah Walker; Comedians Chris Tucker, D.L.Hughley and Steve Harvey; Jazz Artists Najee and Larry Carlton; and Hip Hop Artists Notorious B.I.G., Jay Z, Mary J. Blige, Missy Elliott and DMX have headlined the billboards. Charlie Mack promoted and hosted Tupac Shakur’s very last concert in the city of Philadelphia and the only concert with Lil Kim and Foxy Brown on the same bill. Celebrity galas for Boyz II Men and N’SYNC are also part of his credentials. Mack added to his efforts, Film Producer, co-producing the block buster hit, “Atl,” starring Rapper T.I. Mack co-created and produced the VH1 Special – “Bridging The Gap”, which featured Queen Latifah, Eve, Snoop and The Game. Currently, Charlie Mack is lending his talents to produce the biopic of R&B Legend and Crooner Teddy Pendergrass.

Sylvie Gallier Howard is First Deputy for the City of Philadelphia’s Department of Commerce. Previously, she served as Deputy Chief of Staff to the Deputy Mayor for Economic Development. In addition to supporting day-to-day operations, Ms. Gallier Howard’s responsibilities include communications and marketing, policy, international relations, and rolling out new programs. She played a lead role in developing Philadelphia’s bid to Amazon for the HQ2 search and is currently spearheading a global identity process to elevate Philadelphia’s international brand. She has also spearheaded several priority initiatives, such as the launch of Kiva City Philadelphia, a zero-interest micro-business loan program, and the City’s successful effort to become the first World Heritage City in the U.S.

Prior to joining government, Sylvie spent her career in the non-profit sector and running her own small business. For six years, Sylvie was the Principal and Founder of Clementine Consulting, providing guidance to non-profits and social enterprises working in areas such as education, social justice, economic development and immigration. Sylvie has also served as the Executive Director of two community-based non-profits in Philadelphia: The Northwest Fund and The Empowerment Group. At the Empowerment Group, Sylvie started Philadelphia’s first bilingual Spanish-English entrepreneurship training program.

Sylvie serves on the board of directors of the Global Philadelphia Association and the Fund for the School District of Philadelphia. She has a B.A. in International relations from Barnard College of Columbia University and an M.A. in Sociology from Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales in Ecuador (a graduate school started by the United Nations Development Program to promote development in Latin America). Sylvie is fluent in Spanish and French and is the mother of four boys – including twins.

Veniece Newton, is a true entrepreneur of today who has been connecting people and products through her relationship building for more than a decade. In her early years, while working in promotions and marketing in the music industry for Arista Records in NYC she learned the importance of people and how they connect the dots. Eventually, she developed an entrepreneurial spirit that could not be denied. Her innovative and unparalleled ability to harness the power of relationship building has given her tremendous respect in the business community. Always ahead of the curve, 15 years ago she founded an online fashion/lifestyle television in which she oversaw a production team of 30 from Hong Kong, Alaska, Los Angeles, Miami and New York City. While travelling the world, she interviewed A list celebrities, cover red carpets for many high-profile events. The years of varied experiences, allowed her to eventually find her way to what she truly loved, and that is being involved in the community. As a natural connector, she is a member of several committees and enjoys consulting others with their business ventures. She serves as the Diversity Liaison for the Philadelphia International Airport in which she works specifically to improve workforce while pursuing an Executive MBA at the Fox Temple School of Business. However, one of her strong passions lies in working with youth. She not only has a flair for business and connecting people, but she also has a heart of gold. For the past 10 years, she has devoted her time to empowering the next generation of leaders. She is a panel member for the District Attorney’s Youth Aid Panel and the Founder of Community Angel Foundation; a nonprofit organization that gives back by encouraging, empowering and educating our youth to be future leaders through 4 pillars focusing on volunteerism, education, career and culture. Everything Veniece involves herself with, always includes giving back. It wasn’t no different when she made it to the "Final Four" during the Camden Catalyst startup competition for her innovative idea of ENGAGEathon! And it wasn't farfetched in knowing that her startup would involve community engagement. ENGAGEathon is a customizable software platform that tracks and promotes community engagement, outreach and social impact which will be used by corporations, school districts and organizations. Veniece has a mission to bring our communities together in a positive and effective way; and she will not stop until her mission is complete. Her latest project, Cypher City is a nationwide livestreaming cypher competition in which the public votes through all social media platforms. Cypher City is a very exciting because it allows Veniece to acknowledge the importance of diversity & inclusion and provides a platform for aspiring lyricists to express themselves through words. Veniece is a woman of today and an inspiration for many to believe in yourself and have hope for all.

Philadelphia native, James Lindsay, graduated from Cheyney University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing. He initially developed his marketing skills while serving as a manager in the consumer products industry for Johnson Products, an ethnic hair care company, and Warner-Lambert. These experiences, and his desire to own a business, empowered him to start Rap Snacks, Inc in 1994. The initial success of Rap Snacks helped solidify a co-marketing agreement with Universal Records. The deal consisted of advertising Universal’s Artists on all Rap Snacks bags. Eventually the company grew into a five million dollar business selling mostly twenty-five cent bags of chips.

In 2001 Mr. Lindsay decided to expand his product line by purchasing a snack foods line called “Mr. G” snack foods. Mr. G was a locally owned Philly brand that was best know for its hot and barbeque cheddar flavored chips.

In 2007, Mr. Lindsay launched Soulful Foods, Inc. The mission of the company is to provide consumers with a great cultural experience through unique products and seasonings, and to partner with other ethnic brands in order to expand their product reach in the marketplace.

The first product launched under Soulful Foods, Inc was a venture between Mr. Lindsay and Sylvia Woods, the “Queen of Soul Food”. They came together to develop a nationally recognized brand of snack foods called “Sylvia’s”.

The introduction included three flavors of Kettle Cooked Potato Chips fried in Sunflower seed oil, which eliminates trans fats. The initial flavors included honey barbeque, lemon pepper, and Louisiana hot.

Mr. Lindsay has been in the consumer marketing industry over 17 years. His unique marketing concepts and flavor profiles have differentiated his products from other snack items on the shelf and helped him build the company’s loyal consumer base.

In 2010, Mr. Lindsay continued to be an big influence in the music marketing industry; guiding platinum selling recording artist, Meek Mill by connecting his brand with corporate America and securing brand deals with companies such as, PUMA, Monster Energy Drink, and Ciroc. As well as partnering with Monster Headphones to help create the Monster’s 24k Headphones. Mr. Lindsay also assisted Meek Mill in growing PUMA’s business an additional 200 million over a five year period. He’s also worked with Master P and his family.

Over the past 12 years he has been featured on “CBS Morning Show”, ABC’s “The Jimmy Kimmel Show”, BET, Fox News, People Magazine, The “Tavis Smiley” Show, Black Enterprise, Forbes, and Entrepreneur Magazine. He was also recognized by Business Philadelphia Magazine as “Top 100 People to Watch”

Lisa is Seer’s Data Strategy Lead based in Philadelphia. She harnessed a passion for data and her tenure within digital marketing and business operations to focus on pushing Seer forward in utilizing data-driven strategies. Her favorite thing to do is dig deep into data to help clients solve complex business questions. Her second favorite thing to do is convince Wil of the virtues of bridge tables & ngrams.

Before Seer, Lisa worked in roles across the board in digital marketing and software with positions at TIG Global, MICROS Systems, and Oracle. Recently hitting ten years in the industry, Lisa started her career in PPC before branching into SEO, product management, program management, R&D, and finally Data Strategy. She has experience with clients at all levels and across most major industries. In her role as Data Strategy Lead, Lisa gets to touch a ton of Seer’s clients in one way or another, which is one reason she loves what she does.

Lisa is a graduate of the University of Delaware. In her free time, she enjoys eating at every new restaurant in the city and doing all things outdoors with her husband Bernard, kids George and Annie, and their too-energetic pup Deacon.

Tiffany is a dedicated leader passionate about creating sustainable social impact through social entrepreneurship and more importantly, empowering people. She's been nominated for the Greater Philadelphia Social Innovation Award and also recognized by Generocity, Social Innovation Journal, Philadelphia Citizen, Wharton Business Radio, and Penn News as a leader of social entrepreneurship. Tiffany is the Founder & CEO of Fulphil, which she created to empower the youth to pursue their passions through entrepreneurship on the micro scale within cities to create a collectively broader effect. She is also the Founder and Executive Director of Hult Prize Ivy.

She is a current graduate student at the University of Pennsylvania, pursuing a dual degree in M.S. Nonprofit Leadership (Cl ‘19) while holding her B.A. in Sociology, concentrating in Health and Medicine (Cl ‘18). She has also worked for City of Philadelphia's Office of Innovation and Technology.

Christina is a Site Reliability Engineer in Vanguard's Chief Technology Office. She has worked at the company's Malvern, PA headquarters since graduating from Villanova University in 2015 with an undergraduate degree in Computer Science. Throughout her career, she has developed an expansive skill set in front- and back-end web development, as well as cloud infrastructure and automation. She has earned three Amazon Web Services certifications: Solutions Architect - Associate, Developer - Associate, and SysOps Admin - Associate. Christina has also worked closely with the Women's Initiative for Leadership Success at Vanguard, both internally at the company and externally in the local community, to further the career advancement if women and girls - in particular within the tech industry. In her spare time, Christina is passionate about traveling; she has visited over 20 different countries and 25 U.S. states so far!