What is the Value of A Human at Work?

Cory Hymel leads all things Web3 as the Vice President of Product & Research at Gigster, a company dedicated to helping businesses develop software applications with the speed of a startup, coupled with the quality and expertise of the most innovative global talent. Cory also manages academic partnerships to help further research into distributed teams and the future of work. Cory's career started with providing enterprise strategy to large enterprises in the early days of the iPhone. He then moved into hardware development to help bring innovative IoT platforms to market.

Avi Goldfarb is the Rotman Chair in Artificial Intelligence and Healthcare and a professor of marketing at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. Avi is the Chief Data Scientist at the Creative Destruction Lab, a faculty affiliate at the Vector Institute and the Schwartz-Reisman Institute for Technology and Society, and a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. Avi is also a scientific leadership team member at Acceleration Consortium. Avi's research focuses on the opportunities and challenges of the digital economy.

Along with Ajay Agrawal and Joshua Gans, Avi is the author of the bestselling books Prediction Machines: The Simple Economics of Artificial Intelligence and Power and Prediction: The Disruptive Economics of Artificial Intelligence.

He has published academic articles in marketing, statistics, law, management, medicine, political science, refugee studies, physics, computing, and economics. Avi is a former Senior Editor at Marketing Science. His work on online advertising won the INFORMS Society of Marketing Science Long Term Impact Award. He testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on competition and privacy in digital advertising. His work has been referenced in White House reports, European Commission documents, the New York Times, the Economist, and elsewhere.

Steve Callan is a seasoned technology leader and app developer with a passion for driving business growth through innovation. With over a decade of experience as a CTO and engineering executive, he has successfully led cross-functional teams and delivered cutting-edge software solutions. Steve's expertise lies in leveraging emerging technologies to create transformative products that resonate with customers. His drive for excellence, coupled with his ability to inspire and mentor others, has earned him a reputation as a visionary leader in the tech industry. Currently, Steve continues to explore new frontiers in technology and aims to make a lasting impact on the digital landscape.

Bledi Taska is a prominent labor economist and a leading authority on the future of work. As the Executive Vice President and Chief Economist at Lightcast, he oversees the development and delivery of cutting-edge labor market data and analytics that help businesses, governments, and individuals navigate the rapidly evolving world of work.

At Lightcast he leads a team of world-class economists and data scientists who leverage state-of-the-art artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyze real-time labor market data. His team delivers actionable insights on the most pressing issues facing the global workforce, such as the impact of AI and automation, the future of work and education, reskilling and upskilling strategies, and workforce planning.

He has also been a trusted advisor to various international organizations such as the World Bank, the OECD, the European Commission, the World Economic Forum, and UNESCO on topics related to skills development, education reform, and labor market policies. He is frequently invited to speak at global conferences and events on the trends and challenges facing the future of work. Bledi's work at Lightcast has received global media attention from outlets such as the Economist, the Daily Telegraph, the Financial Times, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal.

Bledi holds a Ph.D. in Economics from New York University and a BA and MA in Economics from the University of Athens, Greece. He has published several peer-reviewed articles in top-tier academic journals, such as the American Economic Review, Research Policy, and Labour Economics.

Greg Barnett, PhD, is a visionary Chief People Scientist at Energage, a prominent role that reflects his extensive expertise in industrial-organizational psychology. With over two decades of experience in the field, Greg has delved into various aspects, from leadership development to employee experience and performance management. As an exceptional researcher and executive, he has keenly observed the shifting dynamics of the employer-employee relationship. Greg emphasizes the evolution from a relational to a transactional psychological contract, highlighting the importance of balancing organizational needs with employee well-being and career growth. His valuable insights shape the future of work, emphasizing the significance of personalized and self-driven education for individual development. Greg's passion for aligning people and organizations makes him a sought-after thought leader in the field, influencing positive change in the modern workplace.

Dr. Liz Wilke is a principal economist at Gusto, where she researches the state of work and business in the modern economy. She has extensive experience in both the technology and government sectors, having directed research programs and public spending that support companies and workers across the globe. Previously, she worked at LinkedIn as the tech policy and future of work researcher, where she led the public policy team's engagement with the rest of the business on AI fairness policy and initiatives.

Before joining LinkedIn, Liz served as the director of economic analysis at the Millennium Challenge Corporation, where she led country-level economic analyses across diverse teams to design and execute investments and governance reforms programs for equitable growth in middle- and low-income countries. Throughout her career, she has built synergies among work streams and increased cross-pollination of best practices and ideas. Liz holds a Ph.D. and M.Phil from the Pardee RAND Graduate School of Public Policy and a B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin.

Lori Costew is the recently retired chief diversity officer and director of people strategy at Ford Motor Company. Her portfolio focuses on the company's diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) strategy. She assumed this role in June 2019 to cultivate a culture of belonging and advance the organization's mission and business objectives. Costew also ensures Ford's talent strategy supports corporate goals and transformation efforts.

Previously, Costew held positions within Ford leading human resources for the organization's mobility division, as well as The Lincoln Motor Company. Costew joined Ford in 1993 and for nearly three decades has worked in positions supporting marketing, UAW negotiations, equal employment planning and organizational development. Costew is also the author of two award-winning novels that provide inspiration and tools against bullying for children. Her first book is "Sherpa's Adventure: Saving the Future" and the sequel is, "Sherpa's Adventure: Destroying the Hologram."

Costew has a master's degree in human resources from The Ohio State University and a certification in executive coaching from the Hudson Institute. Born a Buckeye, she lives in Northville, Michigan with her husband and two children.

Shuo Chen is a General Partner at IOVC, where she has invested in 60-plus seed-stage startups focused on the future of work. She is also on the faculty of UC Berkeley College of Engineering and Singularity University, where she has taught and mentored hundreds of students since 2010. Chen's investments have been acquired by companies from Goldman Sachs to Instacart, and she's helped close deals with the likes of Amazon and NASA. She serves as one of 13 voting members on California's Mental Health Commission, and has served as Chair of the Board of Decode, an innovation community co-hosted with UC Berkeley and Stanford. Chen previously worked at Goldman Sachs and PwC, and co-authored a book on financial regulations in 2019. Chen was recognized as Forbes 30 under 30 in the Venture Capital category in 2022.

Jenny Larios Berlin is an accomplished entrepreneur and an Entrepreneur in Residence at the Martin Trust while also serving as a Lecturer at MIT Sloan. As the co-founder and Chief Operations Officer of Optimus Ride, an MIT spinout, she led the mission to provide safe and sustainable autonomous mobility solutions within geofenced communities through shared and electric vehicle fleets. Under her leadership, Optimus Ride expanded its operations across several states, raising over $75M in venture capital and garnering media recognition, including features in the New York Times. Jenny's diverse background includes co-founding and advising limeSHIFT, another MIT spinout, a socially-driven creative agency at the intersection of business, community, and art.

With a deep-rooted background in car-sharing technology, Jenny previously held key operational roles at Zipcar, Flexcar, and Hertz, where she played a vital role in scaling the university campus program and managing service operations worldwide. Her academic achievements include a bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland, College Park, and two master's degrees—an MBA from MIT Sloan and a master's in City Planning from the MIT School of Architecture and Planning. Jenny's passion lies in creating businesses that enhance people's lives by incorporating cutting-edge technologies and public-private partnerships. She is committed to making a positive impact on how individuals interact with themselves and the world, and she looks forward to contributing her expertise at the Trust Center.

Vivek Mehta is a visionary leader and innovator in the field of AI-powered employee engagement software. As the CEO of Weeve, a groundbreaking company focused on eliminating workforce burnout in hospitals, Vivek is on a mission to build strong employee-leader relationships at scale. With a background in engineering and a passion for leveraging technology to drive positive change, Vivek's work is transforming the way organizations approach employee retention and well-being.

With a deep understanding of the power of decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), Vivek is at the forefront of exploring how Web3 technologies can revolutionize the future of work. His expertise lies in utilizing AI and machine learning to optimize processes, facilitate data-driven decision-making, and enhance the overall employee experience.

Through Weeve, Vivek is empowering hospitals to create more meaningful connections with their staff, foster a culture of collaboration and support, and drive lasting improvements in employee satisfaction. As an influential thought leader in the space, Vivek continues to pave the way for the intersection of technology and human-centric approaches to transform the modern workplace.