Dr. Elena Alikhachkina is an award-winning data and AI executive with two decades leading transformation across Fortune 200 enterprises. She served as Global Chief Data Officer at Danone, SVP of Digital Customer Experience & Insights at Roche, and as Chief Data & AI Officer at TE Connectivity where she built high-performing, global teams and delivered measurable business impact. She is a global advocate for data & AI literacy and digital leadership. Elena is the author of the forthcoming book AI Oversight: A New Mandate for Corporate Directors and a frequent keynote speaker on responsible AI, data fluency, and value-driven innovation.

Ken Elliott has over 35 years of experience delivering data and analytics solutions across industries including retail, banking, healthcare, telecommunications, manufacturing, and more. He has held senior leadership roles spanning software development, consulting, technology services, and digital transformation, consistently leveraging data and AI to drive revenue growth, reduce costs, automate processes, and mitigate risk.

Ken is currently Chief Data & Analytics Officer at The Friedkin Group, leading data science and AI solutions across its portfolio of companies. Previously, he was Chief Data & Analytics Officer at WM and led analytics organizations at UnitedHealthcare, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Services, and SPSS Inc.

He holds a Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from the Illinois Institute of Technology and is passionate about applying AI to optimize business outcomes through talent, practices, technology, and process transformation. Ken lives in Houston with his wife, Lana. They have two children who are graduates of the University of Texas and Texas A&M.

More info to come!

Susan Gracia is the Sr. Associate Director of Data Literacy at Northeastern University, where she leads the creation and execution of a university-wide data literacy program. In this role, she develops data literacy learning opportunities, assessments, learning paths, and certifications, while also providing instruction and helping foster data community across the university.

Susan previously served as an Assistant Teaching Professor in the MPS in Data Analytics and EdD programs at Northeastern University and Associate Professor in the Educational Leadership and PhD in Education programs at Rhode Island College. She is also a former Director of Assessment at Rhode Island College and Simmons College. Susan is a visiting professor at the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú and former Lead Instructor - Corporate Data at Pragmatic Institute, where she taught business-driven analysis to data teams and data literacy to business leaders. She has also completed 50+ curriculum and program evaluations for higher education, non-profits, and workforce initiatives as an independent consultant.

Susan has a PhD in Educational Research, Measurement & Evaluation from Boston College and certificates in Data Science and Predictive Analytics from UC Irvine and Cornell. She began her career as a French and English as a Second Language teacher and has a BA in French from the University of Dallas and a master’s in Applied Linguistics from Columbia University.

Josh leads Health Alliance Plan's data literacy program. Josh enables, encourages, and empowers almost 900 people at this regional healthcare payor to make data-driven decisions and use data tools more effectively. He single-handedly strategies, plans, and executes a multimodal program that has directly improved organizational outcomes. By building and leveraging strong relationships across the company, Josh develops and delivers data trainings, workshops, and communities of practice that make data accessible and fun. Josh leads by putting innovation and an infectious love of data first in everything he does.

Josh's career spans multiple industries and paths, including stints in healthcare, banking, and telecom, which gives him a unique perspective on leveraging data across various industries. Josh is also educated and trained as an attorney, and holds both a BA in History and Juris Doctor from Wayne State University in Detroit, MI. When he is not championing data literacy, Josh enjoys road trips, hiking, fitness and running, and trying different cuisines.

Susan Lee-Rife (she/her) leads the Data Strategy team with Hennepin County’s Department of Integrated Data and Analytics. Hennepin County is Minnesota’s most populous county, extending from Minneapolis to its suburbs and outlying cities to the west. Susan and her team help to build staff capacity to make data-informed decisions by fostering data literacy, providing technical assistance, and creating resources to build a strong data culture.

Susan has also led strategic initiatives in disparities reduction, health equity, and program evaluation. Before joining the county, she worked with international and non-governmental organizations in health, equity, and systems change in low-income countries.

Susan holds a PhD in sociology and demography from the University of Michigan, an MHS degree in population studies from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, and a BA (honors) degree in international relations from the University of Minnesota.

Shannon has been with Great American since 2021 and is the Director of Development for Business Data and Analytics. Shannon is responsible for working to attract, develop, and retain talent within the data and analytics space, learning and development for the team and most importantly data literacy for the organization. She has been in the insurance industry for over 20 years. Prior to her time at Great American she started as a claims adjuster in Michigan and moved her way up through the claims organization. She then transitioned to an innovation team running their IoT program.

She is a graduate of Lake Superior State University with a Bachelor of Science in Human Services/Early Childhood Education and holds a Master of Early Childhood Education. In her past life she taught Head Start and was a social worker for a program for the State of Michigan.

On a personal note, Shannon enjoys rehabbing her 100-year-old home, restoring furniture, cooking and anything outdoors.

Doug Llewellyn is the CEO of Data Society Group, a pioneering platform that empowers companies to harness the full potential of data and AI, is a seasoned leader in the business information sector.

With a proven track record of delivering exceptional business value and maximizing investor returns, Doug has joined forces with Growth Catalyst Partners to create a new platform dedicated to advancing data leadership and fostering data-driven organizations. His people-centric approach to driving results has led multiple companies to successful exits, even amidst challenging market conditions.

By cultivating a company culture where employees are deeply invested in the company's mission, Doug ensures alignment among employees, customers, and investors.

Debra is a 45 year veteran of the IT industry. She started her career as an AI developer at the University of Pittsburgh, moving on to work for one of the ‘Gang of Four’ pioneering AI companies, Carnegie Group Inc (CGI) in the 80’s. Relocating to the UK in 1995, she started her own consultancy in 1997 when CGI was acquired by Logica. In 2000, she became an analyst at Gartner UK, eventually becoming a Distinguished Analyst and Gartner Fellow (Emeritus). She left Gartner in July 2025, and is now the CEO and Founder of Logan Executive Coaching which provides content, community and coaching for leaders in transition.

Founding The Data Lodge in 2019, Valerie is as committed to data literacy as it gets. With train-the-trainer bootcamps, and a peer community, she’s certifying the world’s first Data Literacy Program Leads.

In 2023, The Data Lodge was acquired as the basis of a newly formed venture, Data Society Group (DSG), aimed at fostering data and AI literacy and cultural change at scale. Valerie is excited to also serve as the Chief Strategy Officer of DSG.

Previously, Valerie was a Gartner Research VP in the CDO team where she pioneered the Data Literacy research and was awarded Gartner’s Top Thought Leadership Award (2018). Valerie has more than 30 years of experience in consulting leadership and telecommunications.

Valerie holds a B.S. in Math (SUNY College, Buffalo) and an M.S. in Applied Math (New Mexico State). She lives between the Adirondacks in Upstate NY, and Sarasota, FL with her husband Brian, and their yellow lab, Cooper, the Lodge mascot.

Ioana Mazare is an executive leader with extensive expertise in leveraging data, analytics, and technology to drive business outcomes. She currently serves as Senior Vice President and General Manager at The Data Lodge, a company dedicated to helping organizations foster a data-driven culture by training and certifying the first data-literacy program leads. In her role, Ioana focuses on scaling The Data Lodge by shaping its strategy, building high-performing teams, and optimizing operations.

Previously, Ioana was Vice President of Enterprise Data Strategy at UPS, where she led the company’s first global enterprise data strategy and played a pivotal role in establishing a roadmap for AI and Gen AI readiness. Her career journey also includes leadership positions at TTX Company and Roadie, where she contributed significantly to each organization’s business, strategic, and technology functions.

Beyond her corporate engagements, Ioana is a faculty member in the Executive Master’s Program at the Transportation and Supply Chain Institute at the University of Denver (TSCI). She has also taught at Western Michigan University, the University of Utah, Weber State University, and Mercer University. Ioana holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Western Michigan University.

Kristina Podnar is a digital policy innovator. For over two decades, she has worked with some of the most high-profile companies, governments, and non-governmental entities to see policies as opportunities to free the organization from uncertainty, risk, and internal chaos. More importantly, though, she helps digital teams unlock opportunities, strengthen the brand, and liberate employees to drive innovation aligned to business strategy.

Kristina is the Principal of NativeTrust Consulting, LLC and Digital Policy Advisor at The Cantellus Group. She has a BA in international studies and an MBA in international business from the Dominican University of California. Her book, The Power of Digital Policy is recognized as the practical, step-by-step guide to design, operationalize, and monitor the effectiveness of digital policies in the enterprise.

Andreea Popescu is Senior Director of Data Science at Shipt and an INFORMS Franz Edelman Laureate. She holds a PhD in Operations Research from Georgia Tech and has led AI, machine learning, and optimization initiatives across media, aviation, and retail tech, delivering hundreds of millions in measurable business impact. An inventor on multiple U.S. patents, Andreea is known for translating complex technical solutions into holistic strategies, inspiring cross-functional teams, and driving enterprise-scale innovation.

Veronica Vilski is the Director of Content & Engagement at The Data Lodge, where she leads data & AI literacy communities and facilitates Bootcamp programs. Her diverse background spans elementary education, marketing, database management, CRM adoption, and business development - a wide variety of experiences that seemed incongruous until it led her to specialize in data literacy and culture change programs after earning certification as a Data Literacy Program Lead. Her industry experience includes education, language immersion, Life Sciences, and manufacturing.

Veronica is passionate about bringing people together to equip them for collaboration and growth - and enjoying the adventure! She lives in Colorado with her family and enjoys time outside.

Wannie Wong believes that data is a language everyone can learn to speak fluently. As Analytics Lead at Worthington Enterprises, she continues to break down barriers between people and data, transforming curiosity into confidence and insights into action. Her journey has taken data literacy and AI programs from small pilots to company-wide movements, powered by strong partnerships, executive champions, and a knack for keeping engagement fresh and fun. Wannie uses both strategy and creativity to empower every employee to be a confident data user.