Philly Tech Week 2020

Marian Croak is the Vice President of Site Reliability Engineering for Ads, Corporate Engineering and YouTube, at Google, Inc. Marian joined Google in late 2014 after retiring from AT&T as an SVP responsible for advanced research and innovation, and designing and developing one of the world's largest wireless and broadband networks. She managed over 2,000 world class engineers and computer scientists. Marian holds over 200 patents mostly focused on IP technology. Marian has received numerous awards, including the 2013 and 2014 Edison Patent Awards, was inducted into the Women in Technology International's Hall of Fame in 2013. She is a strong supporter of STEM initiatives, served on many boards including NACME and Catalyst, and personally mentors many individuals in STEM. Marian attended Princeton University, and the University of Southern California where she received her doctorate in quantitative analysis. She is currently a member of the Corporate Advisory Board for the University of Southern California.

Aisha Bowe is an aerospace engineer and the founder and CEO of STEMBoard.

STEMBoard creates smart systems and solutions for large-scale, U.S federal, and private sector clients. The company proactively identifies technical gaps and executes programs that lead to high-quality, cost-efficient solutions in data analytics, IT services and geospatial visualization.

STEMBoard also has an Education Directorate committed to closing the opportunity gap in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) among historically underrepresented youth worldwide. In June of 2020, STEMBoard officially launched LINGO, a STEM-based, teen coding kit designed by STEMBoard’s engineers. LINGO is a fun and engaging way for students to learn basic coding and engineering concepts at home or as part of a virtual camp or school program, junior high through the first two years of university.

Prior to founding STEMBoard, Aisha worked at NASA’s Ames Research Center where she focused on miniaturized satellites and aircraft trajectory optimization. Aisha holds a B.S.E in aerospace engineering and an M. Eng. in space systems engineering, from the University of Michigan. She has received numerous awards for her dedication to technical excellence and the principles of diversity and opportunity, including:

The 40 Under 40: Tech Diversity – Silicon Valley U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce Emerging Star Award NASA’s Engineering Honor Award

Jordan DiPietro has been working in the financial industry for 15 years and spent the last decade as a marketing and growth specialist at The Motley Fool. He has a passion for creating quality content and building digital products that focus on individuals, entrepreneurs, and business owners. He loves copywriting, his two young kids, skimming old swipe files, and all-things-Philadelphia.

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.

Angela Benton is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Streamlytics, a next-generation data intelligence ecosystem which helps everyday people and companies ethically access consumer data streams. Prior to her role at Streamlytics she founded the first accelerator for minorities globally in 2011, NewME was acquired in December 2018.

To date, Ms. Benton has received numerous accolades, some of which include Goldman Sachs’ 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs, Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business and their Most Influential Women In Technology, Business Insiders’ 25 Most Influential African-Americans in Technology, ADWEEK’s 2020 Women Trailblazers, and many more. She’s been featured in numerous national and international media outlets including CNN, MSNBC, Bloomberg, Inc, Forbes, Good Morning America, and the Wall Street Journal where she was a featured essayist for the paper’s 125th Anniversary edition on The Future of Entrepreneurship.

At the helm of Streamlytics, Angela continues to uncover untapped spaces in technology and innovation.

On May 16, 2016, Mayor James Kenney appointed Adam Thiel to serve as the 20th Fire Commissioner for the City of Philadelphia. Commissioner Thiel is responsible for leading the Philadelphia Fire Department’s 3000-plus uniformed and civilian members in every facet of protecting our Nation’s 5th-largest city from fires and emergencies arising from all hazards.

In February 2014, Adam was appointed to serve as a Deputy Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security for the Commonwealth of Virginia. In that role, he helped provide strategic direction, policy advice, management oversight, and operational coordination for eleven agencies with an overall budget of more than $3.1B and 30,000 employees. Deputy Secretary Thiel was directly responsible for the Departments of Emergency Management, Fire Programs (including the State Fire Marshal's Office), Military Affairs (Virginia Army/Air National Guard), and State Police, along with the state’s Homeland Security and Resilience portfolio. Adam served as the Governor’s deputy Homeland Security Advisor (dHSA), deputy Chief Resilience Officer (dCRO), Statewide Interoperability Coordinator (SWIC), and FirstNet State Single Point of Contact (SPOC). He facilitated the Secure Commonwealth Panel and Rail Safety/Security Task Force, co-led the state's National Disaster Resilience Competition (NDRC) project team to a $121M Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grant award, and collaborated with local, state, federal, military, and other stakeholders in managing all aspects of Virginia’s homeland security enterprise, including cybersecurity consequence management, unmanned systems deployment, and critical infrastructure protection. Deputy Secretary Thiel was senior advisor to the Virginia 9-1-1 Services Board, executive sponsor of the Virginia Cyber Response Working Group, principal investigator for a Department of Homeland Security (DHS)-funded Regional Resilience Dashboard project, and a member of the: National Capital Region (NCR) Homeland Security Executive Committee, DHS Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) Executive Steering Committee, Virginia Aviation Security Committee, Virginia Area Maritime Security Executive Committee, Virginia IT Infrastructure Sourcing Program Steering Committee, FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) Executive Committee, and DHS Non-Traditional Aviation Technology (NTAT) Threat Task Force.

As fire chief for the City of Alexandria, Virginia—a diverse and densely populated urban community in the National Capital Region—from 2007-2014, Chief Thiel managed the city’s building/fire code administration, all- hazards emergency response, fire communications, emergency medical services, fire/arson investigation, and emergency management functions. He chaired the Northern Virginia Emergency Response System (NVERS) Steering Committee and served on several other regional preparedness and homeland security groups.

Commissioner Thiel’s 28 years’ experience spans five states (MD, NC, VA, AZ, and PA) as a chief fire officer, incident commander, company officer, fire and emergency services instructor, hazardous materials team leader, paramedic, technical rescuer, structural/wildland firefighter, swiftwater rescuer, and rescue SCUBA diver; he has directly participated in planning, response, and recovery efforts for multiple Presidentially-declared disasters and National Special Security Events (NSSEs), including the 9/11 tragedy, hurricanes, tropical storms, floods, an earthquake, major blizzards, international sporting competitions, and political events.

In 2002, after almost seven years with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department where he also served on the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Local 2068 Executive Board and Human Relations Committee, Adam was appointed to lead the Virginia Department of Fire Programs (VDFP) through a critical post-9/11 transition and state fiscal crisis. Executive Director Thiel helped Virginia’s state fire agency modernize systems, add capacity, enhance diversity, and improve efficiency by engaging employees and stakeholders in strategic planning, implementation, and program evaluation. He was a member of the Commonwealth Preparedness Working Group, Virginia Emergency Response Council, State Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Advisory Committee, and Child Day-Care Council.

In addition to public service, Adam has co-founded two successful consulting practices advising clients including federal, state, and local agencies; institutions of higher education; non-profit organizations; law firms; and Fortune 500 companies in crisis management, leadership, training development, risk analysis, and business strategy. He was a senior fellow at the Homeland Security Studies and Analysis Institute (HSSAI), is widely published, has presented at more than 50 conferences in multiple states/countries, taught graduate-level courses at several colleges and universities, and co-edited the International City/County Management Association’s iconic “green book” Managing Fire and Emergency Services, 4th Edition.

Commissioner Thiel completed doctoral coursework in Public Administration (ABD) and Public Policy at Arizona State University and George Mason University, respectively; earned his M.P.A. degree from George Mason University; received his B.S. in Fire Science from the University of Maryland University College; and earned his B.A. in History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is currently a student in the University of Pennsylvania’s Organizational Dynamics graduate program and has completed the Virginia Executive Institute, Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government, and the Naval Postgraduate School’s Center for Homeland Defense and Security Executive Leaders Program.

Adam is a Certified Emergency Manager® (CEM), Fellow of the Institution of Fire Engineers (FIFireE), and holds several National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)-standard professional qualifications. He currently serves on multiple boards and committees, including the NFPA Technical Committee on Emergency Service Organization Risk Management; Underwriters Laboratories (UL) Fire Council and Firefighter Safety Research Institute; George Washington University's Center for Cyber and Homeland Security Board; the American Red Cross Eastern Pennsylvania Region Board; and the Philadelphia Police Athletic League Board. He is a former chair of the National Fire Academy Board of Visitors and also served on the NFPA Fire Service Section Board. Adam is a 2017 Leadership Philadelphia Fellow and a 2018 USA Eisenhower Fellow.

Fire Commissioner Thiel is an Ironman® triathlon finisher, Crossfit® athlete, bicyclist (road and mountain), SCUBA diver, kayaker, martial arts practitioner, and aspiring gardener. Most importantly, Adam is the father of two energetic and accomplished teenagers.

Rich has been an entrepreneur since age 15, when he started an electronics liquidation business out of his parents’ home. He is currently the Founder and Executive Director of Schoolyard Ventures (SV), a youth entrepreneurship program that partners with universities and high schools to deliver experiential learning opportunities for motivated high school students. SV has served nearly 3,000 students since its inception.

Rich has been a Social Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) at University of Pennsylvania, as well as an investor in startup technology companies on both coasts that focus on artificial intelligence, machine learning, talent development and logistics. Additionally, he serves as a Founding Board Member of the Human Advancement Project, a non-profit research group that studies human exceptionalism among world class leaders, Chairman of the Board of the Seybert Foundation, a 103 year old private charitable grant-making foundation, and Board Member of OHAAT, a non-profit dedicated to eliminating child bedlessness in Philadelphia by turning recycled materials into bedding for low income children. Rich also

serves on the Regional Strategy and Leadership Committee of the Philanthropy Network Greater Philadelphia.

Kareem is the Director of Outreach and Partnership at the Collective Success Network. This organization provides mentoring to First Gen and Low Income (FGLI) college students by matching them with mentors in their chosen professions.

He is also an IT Auditor at Chubb Limited and sits on the finance and audit committee for the Philadelphia Youth Network.

Kareem is a graduate of Drexel University with a BSBA in Management Information Systems and enjoys all things gaming in his off time.