Full Agenda
Wednesday, October 14
Summit program
A full day of main-stage sessions, demonstrations, conversations, and community exchange.
10:00 am PT
In person + virtual
Welcome and Opening Remarks
The day begins with a welcome from the summit host, setting the stage for a gathering of innovators, practitioners, funders, and community partners shaping the future of public interest technology.
Andreen Soley
Director, PIT-UN
10:15 am PT
In person + virtual
PIT Futures Demo Showcase
PIT-UN-sponsored hackathon winners and emerging innovators present prototypes, products, and ideas addressing essential services and community infrastructure.
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PIT-UN-sponsored hackathon winners and emerging innovators present prototypes, products, and ideas addressing essential services and community infrastructure. The showcase invites both audiences to help shape what comes next.
Afua Bruce
Principal, ANB Advisory Group; author, The Tech That Comes Next
11:20 am PT
In person + virtual
Why Evaluating Emerging Technologies Through a PIT Lens Matters
PIT pioneers and an impact investor consider what it takes to move promising public interest technologies from prototype to practice—and how to support products that advance public values, respond to community needs, and generate lasting public benefit.
Andreen Soley
Director, PIT-UN
LS
Latanya Sweeney
Founder, The Techizen Institute
11:45 am PT
In person + virtual
Special Performance
Performance details to be confirmed.
12:00 pm PT
In person + virtual
PIT in Practice Tech Talks
A series of practical talks explores how public interest technology can address challenges in shelter settings, maternal health, and community connectivity.
Sylvester Johnson
CEO, Corporation for Public Interest Technology
In person + virtual
From Connectivity to Care: Reimagining Technology in Shelters
This talk explores how thoughtful technology design can address everyday challenges in shelter settings—enhancing dignity, access, and well-being while responding to lived experience.
TBC
Speaker to be confirmed
Arizona State University
In person + virtual
Closing the Data Gap in Black Maternal Health
An application designed to support mothers through the postpartum journey addresses critical gaps in maternal health data while centering communities historically underrepresented in AI-driven healthcare.
Amy Yeboah Quarkume
Associate Professor of Africana Studies and Director of Graduate Studies for the Applied Data Science and Analytics program, Howard University
In person + virtual
Enabling Small-Scale Cooperative Cellular Networks
A community-led approach to closing connectivity gaps uses cooperative cellular network nodes in tiny-home villages, homeless encampments, and domestic violence shelters.
Esther Jang
Director, Local Connectivity Lab
12:40 pm PT
In person + virtual
Reimagining Tech Futures Through Storytelling
Multisector leaders examine how narratives influence investment, product development, policy, and public trust; who gets to define technology futures; and how storytelling can serve as infrastructure for change.
Jessica Callahan
Vice President, Hallmark Media
LM
Lynn Maxcy
Screenwriter and Co-Founder, Creators Coalition on AI
Charlton McIlwain
Vice Provost, New York University
1:35 pm PT
In person + virtual
Advancing Public Interest Technology Career Pipelines in Today’s Evolving Employment Landscape
PIT Career Ambassadors and a PIT entrepreneur discuss an expanding ecosystem of careers across government, nonprofits, and mission-driven companies, with pathways for technical and non-technical backgrounds.
AL
Alex Lovine
CEO and Founder, VoteMate
Bobbi Makani
Executive Director of the Career Center, San José State University
Brenda Perea
Strategist, PIT-UN
Diane Taylor
Senior Director of Partnerships and Advancement, Carnegie Mellon University Heinz College
2:10 pm PT
In person only
What Does the Future Hold?
The future is already being built—by the people, communities, and technologies shaping what comes next.
Sylvester Johnson
CEO, Corporation for Public Interest Technology
Andreen Soley
Director, PIT-UN
In person only
Experiential Lounge Opens
A come-and-go space for ideas in motion, discovery, and conversation.
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A come-and-go space for ideas in motion, discovery, and conversation. The Author’s Corner features Fran Berman and Better Tech: Putting People First in Cyberspace; the first 10 participants receive a complimentary signed copy.
Amy Yeboah Quarkume
Associate Professor of Africana Studies and Director of Graduate Studies for the Applied Data Science and Analytics program, Howard University
Kelle DeBoth Foust
Cleveland State University
Esther Jang
Director, Local Connectivity Lab
Fran Berman
PIT@UMass, UMass Amherst
Virtual only
AI and the Future of Higher Education
A global panel explores how artificial intelligence is reshaping higher education and how curricula and teaching practices can prepare students for the technical, ethical, and regulatory challenges of an AI-driven world.
MF
Marina Feferbaum
Professor, FGV São Paulo Law School
3:10 pm PT
Virtual only
Tech Talk
Topic and session description to be confirmed.
Casey Canfield
Associate Professor, Missouri University of Science and Technology
3:20 pm PT
Virtual only
Tech Talk
Speaker, topic, and session description to be confirmed.
3:30 pm PT
Virtual only
What Does the Future Hold?
The future is already being built—by the people, communities, and technologies shaping what comes next.
Sylvester Johnson
CEO, Corporation for Public Interest Technology
Andreen Soley
Director, PIT-UN
Speakers
Our speakers—builders, practitioners, community partners, researchers, and investors—are actively shaping public interest technology in real-time.
About PIT-UN
Learn about PIT-UN’s impact.