Speakers

Brian Sletten - Forward Leaning Software Engineer @ Bosatsu Consulting

Brian Sletten is a liberal arts-educated software engineer with a focus on forward-leaning technologies. His experience has spanned many industries including retail, banking, online games, defense, finance, hospitality and health care. He has a B.S. in Computer Science from the College of William and Mary and lives in Auburn, CA. He focuses on web architecture, resource-oriented computing, social networking, the Semantic Web, AI/ML, data science, 3D graphics, visualization, scalable systems, security consulting and other technologies of the late 20th and early 21st Centuries. He is also a rabid reader, devoted foodie and has excellent taste in music. If pressed, he might tell you about his International Pop Recording career.

Pratik Patel - Developer Advocate @ Azul Systems

Pratik Patel is a Java Champion and developer advocate at Azul Systems and has written 3 books on programming (Java, Cloud and OSS). An all around software and hardware nerd with experience in the healthcare, telecom, financial services, and startup sectors. He's also a co-organizer of the Atlanta Java User Group and North Atlanta JavaScript meetup, frequent speaker at tech events, and master builder of nachos.

Venkat Subramaniam - Founder @ Agile Developer, Inc.

Dr. Venkat Subramaniam is an award-winning author, founder of Agile Developer, Inc., creator of agilelearner.com, and an instructional professor at the University of Houston.

He has trained and mentored thousands of software developers in the US, Canada, Europe, and Asia, and is a regularly-invited speaker at several international conferences. Venkat helps his clients effectively apply and succeed with sustainable agile practices on their software projects.

Venkat is a (co)author of multiple technical books, including the 2007 Jolt Productivity award winning book Practices of an Agile Developer. You can find a list of his books at agiledeveloper.com. You can reach him by email at venkats@agiledeveloper.com or on twitter at @venkat_s.

Nick Washburn - Sr. Managing Director @ Intel Capital

Nick is a voting member of Intel Capital’s investment committee and co-manages Intel Capital’s cloud investment domain. Nick focuses on early-stage investments in cloud-native infrastructure, developer tools, artificial intelligence/machine learning, and data platforms.

Nick currently serves as a director or observer on the boards of Fly.io, Freshpaint, Moderne, RouteThis, and Tetrate. Nick also works closely on Intel Capital's investments in Anyscale and Upbound.”

Jonathan Vogel - Senior Developer Advocate @ Amazon

Jonathan Vogel is a Senior Developer Advocate at Amazon, passionate about empowering developers with cutting-edge cloud technologies, AI-driven solutions, and scalable architectures. With a background in software engineering and cloud computing,

Isaac Van Doren - Software Engineer @ Paytient

Isaac Van Doren is a software engineer passionate about building better software faster. He is an avid Roc user and contributor and a fan of functional programming. At Paytient he builds software to help Americans access and afford healthcare.

Dania Valladares - Software Engineering Manager @ Stacklok

Dania Valladares is a Software Engineering Manager at Stacklok, where her team is working to help developers use AI code generation tools with confidence and control. As part of her work, Dania regularly collaborates with the open source software community. Prior to Stacklok, Dania led software teams at Zillow, Ultimate and AutoNation.

Sam Snyder - VP of Engineering @ Moderne

Sam Snyder has spent the past decade working on improving developer happiness with better tooling. At Tableau software, he used data from the development and deployment pipeline to systematically seize the greatest opportunities for improvement and eliminate the greatest pain points. At Gradle, he integrated that process and data visualization methodology into Gradle Enterprise. Now as VP of Engineering at Moderne, Sam leads development on the core refactoring technologies and teaches Moderne's customers how to automate away the tedious, repetitive parts of software development.

Jason Simpson - Vice President Of Engineering @ Choice Hotels International

As an award winning technology leader, I have over 25 years of experience in software engineering and development, strategic planning and operations. I have architected, engineered, and run many software solutions for product teams, customer systems, and engineering platforms; for internal business units including: Sales and Support, eCommerce, Telecom, Security, Operations and others. I have been instrumental in building SaaS platforms, integrating complex systems, running cloud scale infrastructure and driving change across large organizations.

My career to date revolves around being both a transformative leader and hands-on manager, backed by a strong track record of adding business value, providing strategic insight, leading execution, evaluating technology plans, building budgets, implementing IT strategies, improving security, and creating strong technical teams.

I thoroughly enjoy delivering technology solutions that delight customers. I am currently leading the Cloud Engineering and Franchisee Systems at Choice Hotels International.

Additionally, I currently serve on various boards and councils, including Menlo Ventures CxO Advisory Board, Delphix Customer Advisory Board, and NetApp Customer Advisory Board.

Vinicius Senger - Sr. Developer Advocate for Java @ AWS

Vinicius Senger is a developer, inventor, and technical speaker working for AWS in California in the Global Specialist Team as a Senior Developer Advocate for Java. He started developing software at just 8 years old and never stopped accumulating 30 years of work in the IT area. Founder of Globalcode and The Developers Conference, Vinicius was considered top 20 influencer in IoT development, Java Champion winning two Duke's Choice Award in California for innovation projects in automation, robotics, boats, houses, helmets and many others. Since 2017 at AWS, he has been working with Java, IoT, Serverless, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence and traveling around the world promoting open-source technologies and AWS services.

Jonathan Schneider - Co-Founder & CEO @ Moderne

Jonathan is co-founder and CEO at Miami-based Moderne which automates software maintenance activities at scale. He founded OpenRewrite at Netflix and went on to found the Micrometer project as a member of the Spring Team. Jonathan is the author of SRE with Java Microservices (OReilly). He is an Army veteran and two time bronze star recipient.

Baruch Sadogursky - Principal Developer Productivity Engineering Advocate, Gradle

Baruch Sadogursky (@jbaruch) did Java before it had generics, DevOps before there was Docker, and DevRel before it had a name. He started DevRel at JFrog when it was ten people and took it all the way to a successful $6B IPO by helping engineers solve problems. Now Baruch keeps helping engineers solve problems but also helps companies help engineers solve problems. He is a co-author of the “Liquid Software” and “DevOps Tools for Java Developers” books, serves on multiple conference program committees, and regularly speaks at numerous most prestigious industry conferences, including Kubecon, JavaOne (RIP), Devoxx, QCon, DevRelCon, DevOpsDays (all over), DevOops (not a typo) and others. After a tenure of eleven years in JFrog DevRel, Baruch is the Principal Developer Productivity Engineering Advocate at Gradle.

Andy Piper - Vice President of Engineering @ Diffblue

Vice President of Engineering at Diffblue, driving fundamental change in how developers write code

Andy serves as VP of Engineering at Diffblue, creators of the game-changing AI technology that fundamentally transforms the way developers write code. Previously, he was Head of Product Engineering at CBRE and CTO of Push Technology Limited.

Andy has more than 20 years of combined engineering and technology leadership, and extensive Java experience which includes time at BEA and Oracle. He holds a PhD in computer science from the University of Cambridge.

Ben Loyd Pearson - Director of DevEx Strategy @ LinearB

Ben hosts Dev Interrupted, a podcast and newsletter for engineering leaders, and is Director of DevEx Strategy at LinearB. Ben has spent the last decade working in platform engineering and developer advocacy to help teams improve workflows, foster internal and external communities, and deliver better developer experiences.

Rooz Mohazzabi - VP @ Moderne

Developer tools GTM and community leader at Moderne. Ex Gradle, co-founder of SF Java User Group and SF Android meetup. Organizer of DPE Summit and Silicon Valley Productivity Engineering meetup.

Robert Miles - AWM Global CTO @ JPMorgan Chase

tbd

Alex Merced - Senior Tech Evangelist @ Dremio

Alex Merced is a Senior Tech Evangelist for Dremio and has worked as a developer and instructor for companies like GenEd Systems, Crossfield Digital, CampusGuard and General Assembly.

Alex is passionate about technology and has put out tech content on outlets such as blogs, videos and his podcasts Datanation and Web Dev 101. Alex Merced has contributed a variety of libraries in the Javascript & Python worlds including SencilloDB, CoquitoJS, dremio-simple-query and more.

Nick McKinney - Senior Lead Software Engineer @ JPMC

At JPMorgan Chase, Nick's team is responsible for a light-weight framework with the goal of enabling effective Spring Boot usage across the enterprise. In the industry, Nick is an open-source collaborator on the OpenRewrite project.

Josh Long - Spring Developer Advocate @ Broadcom

Josh (@starbuxman) has been the first Spring Developer Advocate since 2010. Josh is a Java Champion, author of 7 books (including “Reactive Spring”) and numerous best-selling video training (including “Building Microservices with Spring Boot Live lessons” with Spring Boot co-founder Phil Webb), and an open-source contributor (Spring Boot, Spring Integration, Axon, Spring Cloud, Activiti, Vaadin, etc), a Youtuber (Coffee + Software with Josh Long as well as my Spring Tips series ), and a podcaster (“A Bootiful Podcast”).

Javiera Laso - Lead Developer Consultant @ Thoughtworks

I am a biotech engineer who transition from the lab to the world of software. During my university years, I excelled in both fields becoming a teaching assistant in the IT engineering program while also pursuing my love for biotechnology. Post-graduation, I realized that working in lab environments with outdated software was limiting my potential to apply cutting-edge technology in biotech. So, I decided to take on a challenging journey to become a developer and bridge this gap. As a proud woman in tech my background enriches the landscape of software development. I am also an enthusiastic supporter of DDD as it can help us to bind the code with the business.

Olga Kundzich - Co-founder & CTO @ Moderne

Olga Kundzich is Co-founder and CTO at Moderne, which automates software refactoring at scale. She has extensive experience building enterprise software solutions. Previously, she worked as a technical product manager at Pivotal, focused on application delivery and management solutions (e.g., Spinnaker), and was a lead software engineer and manager at Dell EMC, working closely with enterprise users on implementing data protection practices.

Kurt Kluever - Software Engineer @ Google

Kurt is a Staff Software Engineer at Google on the Java and Kotlin Ecosystem team (the team behind Guava, Truth, Flogger, Dagger, etc). During his 16+ year tenure, Kurt has worked on core libraries, static analysis, education, and documentation. He holds the honor of having submitted the most Java changes in Google's history. Kurt specializes in large scale changes, refactorings, migrations, and all things code health.

Dov Katz - Managing Director, Distinguished Engineer @ Morgan Stanley

Dov Katz is a distinguished engineer at Morgan Stanley, specializing in DevOps and developer productivity. With a deep passion for enhancing software development practices, Dov has played a critical role in shaping Morgan Stanley’s engineering culture through innovative tooling, automation, and scalable infrastructure solutions.

In addition to their technical leadership, Dov servs as Chairman Emeritus of FINOS (the Fintech Open Source Foundation).

Emily Jiang - Cloud Native Architect Advocate IBM

Emily Jiang is a Java Champion. She is Liberty Cloud Native Architect and Chief Advocate, Senior Technical Staff Member (STSM) in IBM, based at Hursley Lab in the UK. Emily is a MicroProfile guru and has been working on MicroProfile since 2016 and leads a number of specifications including MicroProfile Config and Fault Tolerance. She interacts with most of the other MicroProfile specifications. She is also active in Jakarta EE specifications. She is a co-lead in Jakarta Config and also a Jakarta Context and Dependency Injection (CDI) committer. At IBM, she leads the effort of implementing all of MicroProfile specifications on Open Liberty.

She is passionate about MicroProfile and Jakarta EE. She regularly speaks at conferences, such as QCon, Code One, DevNexus, JAX London, Voxxed, Devoxx, EclipseCon, GeeCon, JFokus, etc.

Kris Jenkins - Developer Advocate @ Clearer Code

Kris Jenkins is a lifelong computer geek who loves designing software, writing it, and talking about it afterwards. He's been a software developer, a Co-Founder and a CTO, and these days he's a Developer Advocate, talking about how we can all build better systems.

Barkha Herman - Developer Advocate @ StarTree.ai

Barkha Herman is a technologist, experienced developer advocate, and the founder of WiTVoices and South Florida Women in Tech. With a deep understanding of technology and a love for fostering inclusive and diverse tech communities, Barkha is dedicated to empowering individuals and organizations to thrive in the rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Currently, Barkha is thriving as a Developer Advocate at StarTree.ai, where she collaborate with developers, engineers, and product teams to create innovative solutions that streamline development processes and enhance user experiences.

In addition to her work at StarTree.ai, she takes great pride in founding and leading WiTVoices and South Florida Women in Tech. These organizations are committed to empowering women in technology and creating a supportive environment for their professional growth. Through mentorship programs, networking events, and educational initiatives, they strive to break barriers and foster inclusivity in the tech industry.

Klaus Haeuptle - Distinguished Engineer @ SAP

tbd

Mihaela Gheorghe-Roman - Software Architect @ Systematic

Mihaela is a Software Architect at Systematic, Romania. Ph.D in artificial neural network algorithms, Assistant Professor at the University of Cybernetics and Informatics in Bucharest, she is a dedicated lead developer and architect who enjoys sharing her knowledge.

In her professional career, spanning over 13+ years, she worked for telecom and defence domains with a focus on Java, Spring Boot, C, C#, Scala and Angular.

Apart from her passion for programming, she loves parrots, she is enthusiastic about traveling the world and doing a lot of sports, from running at marathons, martial arts and to different aerobic trainings.

Arun George - Director Software Engineering @ Walmart Global Tech India

Director - Software Engineering at Walmart Global Tech, with more than 20 years of software industry experience. Loves .Net full-stack application development, JavaScript UI Frameworks, and cloud-native application design and architecture. Have worked primarily on Warehouse Management, Supply Chain Management, and Retail domains.

Justine Gehring - Research Engineer @ Moderne

Justine Gehring is a talented researcher in the field of Machine Learning (ML) for code and Graph Neural Networks (GNNs). Her focus lies in generating code under challenging circumstances, specifically in scenarios such as sparse data where library-specific code is required, as well as managing a substantial amount of code at a time. Justine is a research engineer at Moderne.

Szczepan Faber - Engineering Leadership @ AirBnB

• Humble maker of great tools for engineers
• Founder of Mockito framework, member of Shipkit team
• Core engineer of Gradle 1.x and 2.x.
• Tech Lead of Development Tools at LinkedIn
• Obsessed with software quality (via clean tests!!!) and continuous delivery (via Gradle automation!!!)
• User of GitHub, Twitter, and LinkedIn

Brian Clark - Developer Advocate @ Snyk

Brian Clark is an engineer and security specialist dedicated to helping developers implement best practices for secure application development. As a Developer Advocate at Snyk, he shares expert insights on protecting applications from critical vulnerabilities, securing npm packages, and mitigating risks in open-source software. Brian has contributed to the Web Almanac Security chapter in both 2022 and 2024, helping document and analyze the state of web security. Through his engaging content and presentations, Brian explores the security implications of popular developer tools, AI-assisted coding, and VS Code extension security. His practical, hands-on approach and clear communication style make him a trusted resource for developers looking to strengthen their security expertise in modern software.

Christos Chatzis - Sr Technology Manager @KaizenGaming

Christos is a technology leader specializing in big data and software engineering. He leads distributed teams and shares insights at conferences and publications. He is the author of “git push -f leadership” newsletter and the founder of “leadership discussions in tech” meetup. In his free time, he enjoys basketball, HYROX training, and playing with his son and family.

DaShaun Carter - Engineer @ Broadcom

DaShaun is a husband, father of four, volunteer, struggling athlete, former professional cheerleader, Raspberry Pi enthusiast, and Spring Developer Advocate at Broadcom. Deliberately practicing to build, run, and manage, better software, faster.

Michael Carducci - Holistic Software Architect @ Truly Magic

Michael Carducci is a seasoned IT professional with over 25 years of experience, an author, and an internationally recognized speaker, blending expertise in software architecture with the artistry of magic and mentalism. His upcoming book, “Mastering Software Architecture,” reflects his deep understanding of the multifaceted challenges of building resilient, effective software systems and high-performing teams. Michael's career spans roles from individual contributor to CTO, with a particular focus on strategic enterprise architecture and digital transformation.

As a magician and mentalist, Michael has captivated audiences in dozens of countries, applying the same creativity and problem-solving skills that define his technology career. He excels in transforming complex technical concepts into engaging narratives, making him a sought-after speaker, trainer, and emcee for internal and tech events worldwide.

In his consulting work, Michael adopts a holistic approach to software architecture, ensuring alignment with business strategy and operational realities. He empowers teams, bridges tactical and strategic objectives, and guides organizations through transformative changes, always aiming to create sustainable, adaptable solutions.

Michael's unique blend of technical acumen and performative talent makes him an unparalleled force in both the tech and entertainment industries, driven by a passion for continuous learning and a commitment to excellence.

Kevin Brockhoff - Cloud Architect @ CGI

Kevin applies his 20+ years of software architecture, engineering, and management experience to solving difficult cloud adoption challenges such as recently:

• Untangling a ball-of-mud monolith into cloud-deployable components.
• Productionizing several legacy systems with cloud-native instrumentation and tooling.
• Leading the architectural runway team for a SAFe release train.
• Streamling and automating an organization's big data pipelines.

Yishai Beeri - CTO @ LinearB

Yishai Beeri likes to solve problems, and that’s why he was so fascinated with programming when first encountered Logo back in the 80s, where the possibilities seemed endless.

He has made it a focus of his career to solve complex programming problems, both as a consultant and entrepreneur. In 2014 he joined the CTO office of a fast-moving cloud security startup, which later was acquired by a networking giant. At this startup he also met Ori Keren and Dan Lines, now co-founders of LinearB. He joined them shortly after the company was established, in order to get back to what he loves most about engineering, solving big challenges, and this time he is focusing on the world of dev team metrics and software delivery management. He is also the host of the very successful Hebrew Podcast - Dev Interrupted.

Tim te Beek - Solutions Engineering Manager @ Moderne

Tim te Beek is a staff software engineer at Moderne, which automates software refactoring at scale. He has extensive experience contributing to and presenting on Open Source software within the Java ecosystem. Previously he worked as a consultant specializing in migration engineering and developer productivity.

Mohammed Aboullaite - Community Catalyst @ Spotify

Mohammed is a community catalyst, a true open source believer, Java Champion and one of Google developer expert.