Katy Ruckle, Chief Privacy Officer, WaTech

Katy Ruckle was appointed as Washington state's Chief Privacy Officer in 2020.  Since then, Katy has published Washington's foundational privacy principles and launched statewide training on privacy and data protection for public employees.  In 2023, Katy received the Governor’s Outstanding Leadership Award for her privacy leadership in the state. In 2024, Katy earned two national leadership awards: GovTech’s Top 25 Doer, Dreamer, and Drivers, and StateScoop’s Top 50.  Currently, Katy serves as co-chair to the State’s AI Community of Practice and published guidance for public procurement of automated decision systems.  Katy is also leading work on the Governor’s Executive Order on AI and serves as the appointed representative from WaTech on the state’s AI Task Force. In previous roles, Katy created and directed the privacy program at the state's Department of Social and Health Services -- overseeing public records, records management, legal discovery, and HIPAA compliance. Before that she served as the agency’s Contracts Counsel, advising on complex contract and procurement issues regarding health care and technology.  She presently serves as an officer on the board of the Washington Government Lawyers Bar Association.

Nick Stowe, Chief Technology Officer, WaTech

Nick Stowe was appointed WaTech’s state Chief Technology Officer in March 2023. As the CTO, Nick is responsible for setting the technological vision for the state of Washington and driving forward transformational technology initiatives to improve the delivery of services to residents.

Nick oversees the Architecture and Innovation Division (AID) at WaTech, which is comprised of enterprise architecture, enterprise cloud computing, geospatial information systems, and data management programs.

In September 2024, Nick Stowe was honored with the Outstanding Leadership Award in Washington state government.

Michael Cruz, Director of Data and AI, Microsoft

Michael has over 30 years of experience integrating technology across various businesses, including over a decade as an Enterprise Technology Architect in Washington State Local Government and 12 years at Microsoft as a Data & AI Specialist, collaborating with governments nationwide. His recent work focuses on aiding organizations in modernizing their data estates, leveraging analytics, and positioning them for the upcoming wave of AI advancements.

Prashant Joshi, Professor of Finance, St. Martin’s University

Dr. Joshi has over 20 years of international experience in academia and industry. Holding an MBA in Finance and a PhD in Economics with a concentration in Finance, Dr. Joshi specializes in using data-driven methods to solve complex financial challenges. Currently an Associate Professor of Finance, Dr. Joshi teaches in graduate, MBA, and PhD programs. Dr. Joshi recently completed a Postgraduate Program in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence at McCombs School of Business, The University of Texas at Austin, and earned a certification in Artificial Intelligence from the AIFI Institute, New York, USA. With expertise in MATLAB, Python, R, SPSS, and STATA, Dr. Joshi is committed to advancing data-driven decision-making in both academia and industry. Additionally, Dr. Joshi has authored six books in the field of data analytics and is currently writing a book on Principles of Finance with MATLAB in collaboration with MATLAB® Inc., USA.