Industry Leaders
Scroll down to learn about some of the industry leaders who are a part of the Teen Innovation Summit community and have shared their inspiring stories about their career journeys in creativity, technology, and business.
A short list of industry leaders who have shared their story with teens at the Teen Innovation Summit:
Keisha Howard
FOUNDER, SUGAR GAMERS
KEISHA HOWARD IS A WELL KNOWN FIGURE IN THE WORLDS OF TECHNOLOGY AND GEEK CULTURE.
She is a leader who has created a compelling and engaging vision and inspires others around it.
A two time TEDx Speaker, Keisha is able forsee what lies beyond the horizon for the video game and e-sports industries.
She regards video games as more than just entertainment, but a system of ideas and processes that can move and inspire people to action.
Rob McConnell
TOYOTA AUTOMOTIVE DESIGN ENGINEER
Mechanical Engineer with over 17 years of experience in project management, engineering vehicle development, automotive body and exterior design, design development, issue management and resolution, and cost management.
He played a significant role in the design of the Avalon. Now, he is designing future-forward Toyota vehicles built with high-tech features, including autonomous driving and integration with mobile devices.
McConnell served as the project design lead for multiple North American Production vehicles, including the restyled 2013 Toyota Avalon.
Tom Weingarten
HEAD OF SOCIAL MEDIA - OVERTIME
Overtime builds disruptive new sports leagues aimed globally at the next generation of sports fans and athletes.
Tom joined the Overtime team in the early stages and helped to grow Overtime into the positive disruptor that it is today. His contribution helped to grow Overtime’s audience to 70M followers across social media platforms.
Todd Triplett
GLOBAL CREATIVE LEAD | TIK TOK
Todd Triplett is a creative professional who has used the power of imagination coupled with personal experiences and insights, to craft memorable stories, build iconic brands and shape global culture.
Brands include: TikTok, Beats by Dre, Ikea and more.
Victor Mateevitsi
ELECTRONIC VISUALIZATION, PHD
FOUNDER OF SPIDERSENSE
Wearable technologies expert, and researcher who is currently a PhD student at the Electronic Visualization Laboratory, University of Illinois at Chicago.
Victor has been named one of the “20 in their 20s” by Crain’s Chicago Business Magazine and awarded the “Fifty For The Future” award
Victor has worked for Pixar, DreamWorks Animation and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Young Guru
AUDIO ENGINEER | TECHNOLOGY EDUCATOR
Artists including Jay-Z, Beyonce, Rick Ross, Drake, T.I., Kanye West and Eminem work with Gimel “Young Guru” Keaton, as he is one of the most renowned recording and mixing engineers in music today.
Wisened through years of successful endeavors (multi-platinum albums, and multiple Grammy nods. Young Guru has worked tirelessly to elevate the discourse of audio engineering philosophy, science and technology, emerging onto the college lecture circuit.
Traveling the country, Guru’s intellect and eloquence have been tapped by a broad variety of impressive venues, garnering him recognition from such media outlets as CNN, Fox News, Billboard and Village Voice.