SimInsights is pleased to announce the inaugural Next Gen Workforce Summit at the UCI Beall Applied Innovation in Irvine.
This year’s theme is “Co-designing the Metaverse for Skills with Community Partners”. The event aims to bring together leaders from the demand and supply aspects of the workforce equation to solve for success, transparency, equity & access. The objective is to advance workforce innovation in California and across the US.
Speaker Profiles
CEO, SimInsights Inc.
Rajesh Jha is the Founder/CEO of SimInsights Inc, a California company focused on applying AI and AR/VR technologies to enable everyone to author, publish and evaluate immersive, intelligent and interactive digital twins to train, guide and monitor, for 10-100X improved agility, cost and risk. Prior to SimInsights, Rajesh was Program Manager at Altair for 3D software for simulation and optimization.
Entrepreneur, Workforce Leader & School Board Member
Dr. Angelo Farooq is the Chairman of the California Workforce Development Board (CWDB). CWDB is responsible for governing all federal workforce funds to the State and developing a common policy framework for the overall $6 billion annual system. Angelo is elected by his peers as the Chair of the National Association for State Workforce Board Chairs. Angelo is elected as the President of the Board of Education for Riverside Unified School District (RUSD) and has served on the board since 2015. He is appointed as Co-Chair for CA Treasurer Fiona Ma’s Housing, Economic Development, Job Creation & Opportunity Zone Ad Hoc Advisory Committee. Angelo earned his Bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley, Executive Master and Doctorate of Policy, Planning & Development degrees from the University of Southern California. He is proud to be the inaugural recipient of the NAACP Riverside Branch Waudieur Rucker-Hughes Legacy Service Award and an inaugural recipient of the Legacy Builders Award recognized by the Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern California. Angelo is married to Vessy and they have a daughter named Maya.
Chief Workforce Officer, ARM (Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing)
In the male-dominated field of robotics, Lisa, is dedicated to a vital mission: empowering and training U.S. manufacturing workers to proficiently engage with robotics and artificial intelligence (AI). Lisa is acknowledged as a prominent figure in the robotics industry, earning international recognition from SME as one of the 20 “Exceptional Women in Robotics and Automation.”
Co-Founder/CEO, The Lukes Network
Anna Lisa Lukes is a seasoned business professional with expertise in executive-level management, law, sustainability, fundraising, and philanthropy. She is the owner and founder of The Lukes Network, a woman- and minority-owned company, leveraging her corporate entrepreneurship to provide sustained competitive advantage to organizations. Active in the community, she is the chairman of the County of Orange Workforce Development Board and the board of Habitat for Humanity of Orange County
Senior Education Designer, Digital Transformation at Education Design Lab
Dr. Tara Laughlin has dedicated herself to assisting both youth and adults in cultivating the essential skills required for the future of work while striving for educational equity. With over 15 years of experience in K-12, post-secondary, and adult education, she now serves as a Senior Education Designer at Education Design Lab, spearheading the design and execution of personalized, competency-based solutions.
Technology Leader, Innovation Consultant
An advisor and coach to CEOs, CTOs, and senior executives, Uwe Schramm has been recognised for visionary leadership in applying computational science and engineering to digital transformation and designing sustainable products while assisting organizations in innovating with simulation, AI, and high-performance computing.
Workforce Development Manager, Oregon Manufacturing Innovation Center R&D
Grant Kirby serves as Workforce Development Manager at the Oregon Manufacturing Innovation Center. Grant played a crucial role in addressing the workforce shortage in the struggling metals manufacturing sector. He achieved this by integrating mixed reality technologies with competency-based problem-solving approaches, thereby extending training opportunities to the increasing number of underserved populations in Oregon.
Director, Calit2 Irvine division
GP Li serves as Calit2 division director and director of the Integrated Nanosystems Research Facility on UC Irvine campus. He has been involved in several startup companies as a co-founder or member of the technical advisory board. Currently, he directs TechPortal, a technology business incubator housed at the UCI division of Calit2, which supports and nurtures young companies and university researchers commercializing their technologies.
Lead Application Engineer, SimInsights Inc.
Chris Johnson is the Application Expert at SimInsights Inc. He leads companies into the XR world, working closely with industry experts and learning engineers to design and develop VR/AR training modules for deployment across a variety of hardware platforms and learning objectives. Chris holds a BS in Simulation and Design from DeVry University.
Chief Scientist at MajorBoost
Rohit Kumar brings a wealth of diverse professional experience across various industries. Since April 2021, he has been serving as the Chief Scientist at MajorBoost, leading the company’s scientific initiatives. Before this role, he founded VoiceThesis in May 2019 and played a pivotal role in its establishment.
