Esther Choy
Esther started teaching leadership storytelling in 2010, long before it was a ‘thing.’
Over the years, through her firm Leadership Story Lab, she’s worked with clients in industries as wide ranging as airlines, CPG, healthcare, investment, manufacturing and tech. A family enterprise biographer, Esther has combined the science of persuasion and the art of storytelling to help her clients find more meaningful ways to connect with their audiences.
Her business storytelling book, Let the Story Do the Work, quickly shot to #1 New Release on Amazon in 2017. A top 3% most read Contributor, she currently writes for Forbes’ Leadership Strategy channel. Her thought leadership have appeared in leading media outlets such as Harvard Business Review, the New York Times and Entrepreneur.com. Currently at work on her second book, to be published by HarperCollins in 2026, Esther is also a MFA candidate in Creative Writing at DePaul University. If she hadn’t ran out of space, she’d tell you about her three other degrees. But more importantly.
Every Monday morning, you’ll find Esther beginning her week with a 1000-meter swim and a raw jalapeño. She’s a mom of two trilingual girls, wife of a German who’s not very punctual, and is a very humble student of kiteboarding.
Jay Douglass
Jay Douglass is the Chief Operating Officer of the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Institute and has been in this role since the organization began in January 2017. The ARM Institute is a national consortium funded by the federal government to drive innovation in robotics and AI technology and workforce strategies to strengthen U.S. manufacturing competitiveness.
As COO, Jay is responsible for the management and growth of the ARM Institute consortium, which consists of over 1,000 industry experts from manufacturing, academia, technology providers, workforce development non-profits and federal government from over 340 organization throughout the United States. He is also responsible for the operation aspects of the non-profit, headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA.
Previously Jay worked at the Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. His focus was on developing business opportunities for technology development and technology transfer with commercial organizations. He most recently managed the SEI’s business in Europe. Jay has worked with a wide variety of software development and quality technologies.
Jay's educational background includes a BS in Business Administration from Miami University and an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh.
Kyle Chalupczynski
Kyle Chalupczynski is a Professor of Management Information Systems at Penn State Behrend who bridges the gap between academic theory and business application in the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence. With a strong foundation in business process improvement, including nearly a decade as a business analyst at GE Transportation and ERIE Insurance, he brings a pragmatic, results-oriented approach to AI implementation.
As an early adopter of generative AI technologies since November 2022, Kyle has pioneered multiple initiatives that demonstrate AI's transformative potential in both educational and operational contexts:
AI Innovation in Education
- Personalized AI Learning Simulations (PALS): Created an innovative system designed for MIS courses that is now being expanded across multiple disciplines, including a suite of 14 specialized chatbots preparing students for Certified Scrum Master certification.
- Student-Centered AI Applications: Developed advising chatbots that guide students through career planning and academic decisions, creating personalized learning experiences that prepare graduates for an AI-integrated workforce.
- Faculty Development: Built customized chatbots to assist faculty in effectively implementing AI within their courses, ensuring Penn State remains at the forefront of educational innovation.
Business Operations Transformation
- Innovation Through Collaboration (ITC) Program Enhancement: Significantly improved the project management lifecycle by implementing AI solutions that have transformed client outreach from reactive to proactive, streamlined project documentation, and enabled AI co-piloting of project management roles.
- Business Integration Framework: Developed a comprehensive planning system that helps organizations systematically integrate AI into their operational workflows, identifying high-impact opportunities and implementation pathways.
Leadership in AI Strategy
- Penn State Behrend AI Task Force: Key member focused on developing AI literacy across four key demographics: faculty, staff, students, and workforce participants.
- University Park Strategic AI Initiative: Contributing member helping to shape the university-wide approach to AI adoption and implementation.
Before embracing AI, Kyle specialized in Agile methodologies, holding Advanced Scrum Master certification and applying these principles to create flexible, adaptive systems, an approach that has proven invaluable when implementing AI solutions in dynamic environments.
Kyle's approach to AI implementation is grounded in practicality and real-world application. By combining his business analysis background with educational innovation, he has created scalable AI solutions that enhance productivity, improve educational outcomes, and streamline operations. His work demonstrates that with thoughtful implementation, AI can become an accessible and powerful tool for organizations of all sizes, transforming how we work, learn, and innovate.
Sandra DeVincent Wolf
Sandra DeVincent Wolf is the executive director of the CMU Manufacturing Futures Institute where she works to identify, connect, leverage, and accelerate research in manufacturing across campus and with industry and government partners to support innovation that will accelerate the path of discovery to commercialization to increase US competitiveness and drive economic development in the Pittsburgh region. She is additionally the executive director of the CMU NextManufacturing Center for additive manufacturing research where she leads the activities and partnerships of the center and its consortium and is the director of the metals additive manufacturing laboratories. Wolf originally joined the College of Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in 2015 as Director of Research Partnerships, responsible for facilitating research partnerships and the growth of new initiatives, centers and institutes, and industrial consortia. She continues to lead partnership growth in support of manufacturing at CMU.
Prior to joining CMU, Wolf spent 15 years in research, development, engineering, and management in advanced materials and manufacturing working in national laboratories, a start-up manufacturing company and large corporations. Her technical work experience was followed by over 10 years in executive management of nonprofits where she was responsible for leading initiatives from conception through implementation and assessment, internal and external communications, strategic planning and operational implementation, program management, corporate and government relations, education and outreach, and staff/volunteer engagement and development.
Wolf is a member of the America Makes Executive Committee and Governance Board, the SWPA Additive Manufacturing Working Group, the Pittsburgh Chapter of Women in 3D Printing, and the Pittsburgh Chapter of ASM International. She also served on the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) Advanced Manufacturing, Materials and Processes Program (AMMP) Technical Advisory Board, the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) Committee on Convergent Manufacturing, and most recently on an NSF ERC Annual Review Site Visit Team.
Wolf holds the S.B. in materials science and engineering from MIT. She earned an M.S. and Ph.D. in the same field from Case Western Reserve University while she was a NASA Fellow in residence at the NASA Glenn Research Center. Wolf was awarded the CMU College of Engineering’s 2018 Inspirational Leadership Award.
Lois A. Bradley
Lois Bradley is President of The Bradley Partnerships (TBP), a certified woman-owned human resource (HR) consulting firm headquartered in Pittsburgh. The firm is WBENC and PAUCP certified as a DBE. Lois brings 30 years of HR experience working with public and private entities that include higher education, research, and technology organizations. TBP provides a full suite of HR services, customized leadership training programs, and executive and career coaching services. She has worked with industry, students, and entrepreneurs to support their future of work through career and leadership development.
Lois is a certified ACC professional coach by International Coaching Federation (ICF) and an organizational culture change agent. She holds certifications in Emotional Intelligence (EQ 360); Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI); DiSC, and others. Lois holds a bachelor’s degree in the Management of Human Resources from Roberts Wesleyan College and attended the MBA Executive Development Program at the Simon School of Business of the University of Rochester. She is a member of ICF, SHRM, ATD and is a graduate of Duquesne University’s Professional Coach Certification Program. Lois authored the book “Great Leaders are Remembered; 52 Weeks of Leadership Lessons” and is a recipient of numerous professional awards.