Innovate New Albany

Trust by Design: The Leadership Blueprint for High-Performance Teams
2025-12-12 11:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION, 7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH, 43054, United States
7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH 43054
Friday 12/12/25, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Be ready to interact with our featured speaker, Dr. Kallol Biswas, and your fellow participants.
Please arrive at 11:00 am. Eat. Mingle. Make new friends.
When teams lose momentum, most leaders add more process. But performance rarely breaks because of system …. it breaks because of trust.
In this TIGER Talk, Dr. Kallol Biswas reveals why trust is the hidden design variable behind every high-performing culture. Through real stories from the FDA, biotech, and the boardroom, Kallol will show how to make trust measurable and actionable using the ALIGN™ Framework. Align is a practical model for diagnosing misalignment and rebuilding belief.
Attendees will leave with clear strategies and one practical action they can apply immediately to restore alignment, connection, and performance within their teams.
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Dr. Kallol Biswas is a scientist turned executive with over 20 years leading scientific, regulatory, and innovation teams. Kallol helps organizations rebuild alignment, trust, and execution. Over a 20+ year career spanning Eli Lilly, FDA, Charles River Laboratories, and NAMSA, he has led global teams and driven performance through people-first leadership and scientific rigor.
Known for his engaging “Bill Nye meets Simon Sinek” style, Kallol blends data-driven insight with human-centered leadership to inspire practical change.
Kallol’s work bridges science, people, and performance, helping leaders move from misalignment to momentum.
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Like all TIGER Events, this talk is FREE.
Timeline:
11:00 am – Coffee, Snacks, & Socializing
11:30 am – Lunch & More Socializing
11:50 am – Introduce yourself to our crowd (your “15 Seconds of Fame”)
12:05 pm – Hand-off to Kallol
1:00 pm – Wrap & Resume Socializing

Name*

First

Last

Email*

Company*Consent to Use My Image & Voice*By registering for & participating in this event, I am consenting to the recording of my image and/or voice. I am also authorizing Innovate New Albany to use photographs, video, and audio recordings containing my image and/or voice in any medium for any purpose.

I AGREE

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INVINCIBLE 2026: Three Shifts You Can’t Afford to Ignore
2026-01-16 11:00 - 13:00 | INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION, 7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH, 43054, United States
Our 1st TIGER Talk of 2026
7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH 43054
Friday 1/16/26, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Be ready to interact with our featured speaker, Dr. Nadya Zhexembayeva, and your fellow participants.
Please arrive at 11:00 am. Eat. Mingle. Make new friends.
Ready to make 2026 your most strategic year yet?
Join Dr. Nadya Zhexembayeva for this TIGER Talk, a fast-paced, highly interactive briefing on the trends redefining how we live, work, and grow.
Building on insights from a turbulent 2025, Nadya will reveal:
– What’s truly driving the shifts ahead
– What last year taught us about resilience and reinvention
– How to stay disruption-ready in 2026
– The three trends every leader needs to master — now
If you’ve joined Nadya’s past TIGER Talks, you know: this session is engaging, practical, deeply researched — and one you don’t want to miss.
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Dr. Nadya Zhexembayeva is the founder and Chief Reinvention Officer of the Reinvention Academy and co-founder of the Reinvention Summit.
Known as “The Reinvention Guru,” Dr. Nadya is a scientist, business theorist, fractional mining executive, serial entrepreneur, and award-winning author specializing in resilience and reinvention.
She has helped global leaders and Fortune 500 companies—including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Coca-Cola, IBM, Cisco, L’Oréal, Henkel, and Knauf Insulation—reinvent their business models, leadership, and culture.
A four-time TEDx speaker and author of The Chief Reinvention Officer Handbook: How to Thrive in Chaos, her work has reached over one million people and has been featured in Harvard Business Review, The Wall Street Journal, and Forbes, where she is a regular contributor.
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Like all TIGER Events, this talk is FREE.
Timeline:
11:00 am – Coffee, Snacks, & Socializing
11:15 am – Lunch & More Socializing
11:50 am – Introduce yourself to our crowd (your “15 Seconds of Fame”)
12:05 pm – Hand-off to Dr. Nadya
1:00 pm – Wrap & Resume Socializing

Name*

First

Last

Email*

Company*Consent to Use My Image & Voice*By registering for & participating in this event, I am consenting to the recording of my image and/or voice. I am also authorizing Innovate New Albany to use photographs, video, and audio recordings containing my image and/or voice in any medium for any purpose.

I AGREE

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The Founder’s Bottleneck: Why Growth Stalls When Everything Depends on You
2026-01-23 11:00 - 13:00 | INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION, 7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH, 43054, United States
7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH 43054
Friday 1/23/26, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Be ready to interact with our featured speaker, Natalie Hoop, and your fellow participants.
Please arrive at 11:00 am. Eat. Mingle. Make new friends.
Every founder hits a point where growth slows, not because the market shrank, but because they became the system. When every decision, deal, or fire still runs through you, it’s not a revenue problem it’s an operational one.
This TIGER Talk will help founders recognize when their business is scaling them instead of scaling up and shows how to build the systems, roles, and rhythms that let the company grow beyond their personal capacity.
Key Takeaways:
The 3 early warning signs your business is scaling you instead of scaling up
How to separate people problems from process problems (and fix the right one first)
A 90-day playbook to reclaim time, margin, and momentum—without losing visibility or control
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Natalie Hoop is a Fractional Strategic Operations Partner who helps founders turn growth chaos into scalable systems. With 15+ years of experience leading operations, revenue, and delivery across SaaS, DTC, and manufacturing companies, she’s known for helping startups strengthen foundations, improve margins, and scale sustainably.
Her operational rebuilds have driven +238% sales growth in 30 days, +68-point margin gains in four months, and 3x team capacity improvements—by aligning people, process, and data into a clear, repeatable system.
Through her work with both early-stage and growth-stage founders, Natalie’s become an expert in diagnosing the hidden operational bottlenecks that stall revenue and burn out teams. She also coaches fractional leaders through The Fractional Launch Lab, helping them build businesses that last instead of just survive.
Natalie’s mission is simple: to help leaders stop being the system and start building one.
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Like all TIGER Events, this talk is FREE.
Timeline:
11:00 am – Coffee, Snacks, & Socializing
11:30 am – Lunch & More Socializing
11:50 am – Introduce yourself to our crowd (your “15 Seconds of Fame”)
12:05 pm – Hand-off to Natalie
1:00 pm – Wrap & Resume Socializing

Name*

First

Last

Email*

Company*Consent to Use My Image & Voice*By registering for & participating in this event, I am consenting to the recording of my image and/or voice. I am also authorizing Innovate New Albany to use photographs, video, and audio recordings containing my image and/or voice in any medium for any purpose.

I AGREE

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The Accidental Marketer Discovers the Latest Generation of SEO
2026-01-30 11:00 - 13:00 | INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION, 7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH, 43054, United States
7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH 43054
Friday 1/30/26, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Be ready to interact with our featured speaker, James Brenza, and your fellow participants.
Please arrive at 11:00 am. Eat. Mingle. Make new friends.
Marketing SEO seemed straight forward – until AI “moved the cheese.”
The SEO game has been upended and continues to morph. Unfortunately, you can’t ignore the changes if you want your products or services to be discovered by your customers. Coming from the perspective of a business owner that is not a marketing expert, this TIGER Talk will focus on the difficult lessons learned while recalibrating marketing strategies to adapt to the shifting AI landscape.
This talk will help define some of the basics of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) marketing. We’ll then explore how AI has changed it to create GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) and AEO (Answer Engine Optimization). We’ll also discuss some simple content changes you can make to your website now to help ensure you get the visibility you deserve. Lastly, we’ll explore other strategies to leap over the SEO/GEO/AEO challenges. While it may seem daunting, AI and automation will work in your favor to win the game.
Who is this session for?

Owners that are struggling with the shifting digital marketing landscape and are tired of losing traffic.
Non-marketing leaders that are confused by marketing TLA’s (Three Letter Acronyms) and how it impacts their business.
Leaders that may need to refine how they’re selecting marketing agencies to ensure they are focused on the latest marketing hotness.
Business owners that need to quickly adapt their marketing plans to remain relevant.

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Our speaker, James Brenza, is a serial entrepreneur after leaving a career in global Fortune 100 companies. While most of his career has been dedicated to optimizing IT and operations, his journey as an entrepreneur made him face into the headwinds of marketing. He leads both Greenest Grow (a grow automation platform) and Done With Pain (a pain management company).
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Like all TIGER Events, this talk is FREE.
Timeline:
11:00 am – Coffee, Snacks, & Socializing
11:30 am – Lunch & More Socializing
11:50 am – Introduce yourself to our crowd (your “15 Seconds of Fame”)
12:05 pm – Hand-off to James
1:00 pm – Wrap & Resume Socializing

Name*

First

Last

Email*

Company*Consent to Use My Image & Voice*By registering for & participating in this event, I am consenting to the recording of my image and/or voice. I am also authorizing Innovate New Albany to use photographs, video, and audio recordings containing my image and/or voice in any medium for any purpose.

I AGREE

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Beyond Buzzwords: Making Innovation Work for You
2026-02-06 11:00 - 13:00 | INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION, 7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH, 43054, United States
7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100
New Albany, OH 43054
Friday 2/6/26, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Be ready to interact with our featured speaker, Prasad Khadkikar, and your fellow participants.
Please arrive at 11:00 am. Eat. Mingle. Make new friends.
TIGER Talk description in the words of our speaker, Prasad:
“Innovation isn’t just about ideas; it involves understanding your risk appetite, developing strategic foresight, building your team, and collaborating across organizations to create value.
As I reflect on my innovation journey over 30+ years, I recognize several common themes that transcend product types, industries, and geographies. I will share a real-world success story to illustrate key insights that may help you innovate sustainably to grow your business.”
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With a Ph.D. in Engineering and an MBA, Prasad Khadkikar combines technical expertise with strategic insight, enabling him to lead global engineering teams and manage P&Ls across the US and Asia.
Prasad is deeply committed to people and product development, fostering collaboration, and connecting the dots to drive innovation for business success
As a business strategy advisor, Prasad views innovation not merely as a process but as a guiding philosophy—one rooted in strategic vision, team building, and the pursuit of meaningful growth.
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Like all TIGER Events, this talk is FREE.
Timeline:
11:00 am – Coffee, Snacks, & Socializing
11:15 am – Lunch & More Socializing
11:45 am – Introduce yourself to our crowd (your “15 Seconds of Fame”)
12:05 pm – Hand-off to Prasad
1:00 pm – Wrap & Resume Socializing

Name*

First

Last

Email*

Company*Consent to Use My Image & Voice*By registering for & participating in this event, I am consenting to the recording of my image and/or voice. I am also authorizing Innovate New Albany to use photographs, video, and audio recordings containing my image and/or voice in any medium for any purpose.

I AGREE

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From Invisible to In-Demand: How Founders Actually Win on LinkedIn
2026-02-20 11:00 - 13:00 | INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION, 7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH, 43054, United States
7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100
New Albany, OH 43054
Friday 2/20/26, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Be ready to interact with our featured speaker, Allison Ditmer, and your fellow participants.
Please arrive at 11:00 am. Eat. Mingle. Make new friends.
Most founders know LinkedIn “matters.” Very few know what actually moves the needle, especially when time, energy, and confidence are limited.
In this TIGER Talk, Allison Ditmer will break down how founders and business owners can use LinkedIn as a real business asset, not another platform that feels noisy, awkward, or overwhelming.
You’ll learn:

What your LinkedIn profile is signaling right now (and how to fix it fast)
How to balance personal content vs. company content without burning out
Why scores, metrics, and trends (like SSI) matter less than clarity
Simple content prompts you can use immediately…no “influencer energy” required

You’ll leave with clear priorities, practical examples, and a smarter way to show up on LinkedIn that actually supports your business growth.
If you’ve ever thought, “I know I should be doing more on LinkedIn, but I’m not sure what,” this session is for you.
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Allison Ditmer, MBA, is a graduate of Bowling Green State University, a content strategist, and a founder with 20 years of experience in digital marketing.
After leaving her corporate role at Abbott Nutrition, where she led marketing and ecommerce initiatives across the pediatric, therapeutic, and performance brands, Allison built her own content business from the ground up. For the past 3+ years, she has helped founders, fractional executives, and growing businesses turn LinkedIn into a platform for visibility, connection, and inbound opportunities.
Allison specializes in helping business owners clarify their message, show up with confidence, and create content that actually supports growth, without chasing trends or burning out.
She is also a member of the Denison Edge team, where she teaches college-level courses focused on digital marketing and content creation.
When she’s not working with clients or teaching, Allison can be found cuddling with her two mini-Yorkies, traveling to national parks, or cheering on her kids at travel sports games.
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Like all TIGER Events, this talk is FREE.
Timeline:
11:00 am – Coffee, Snacks, & Socializing
11:15 am – Lunch & More Socializing
11:45 am – Introduce yourself to our crowd (your “15 Seconds of Fame”)
12:05 pm – Hand-off to Allison
1:00 pm – Wrap & Resume Socializing

Name*

First

Last

Email*

Company*Consent to Use My Image & Voice*By registering for & participating in this event, I am consenting to the recording of my image and/or voice. I am also authorizing Innovate New Albany to use photographs, video, and audio recordings containing my image and/or voice in any medium for any purpose.

I AGREE

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CES 2026: Life-Changing Gadgets vs. AI Robotics Hype
2026-02-25 11:00 - 13:00 | INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION, 7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH, 43054, United States
7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100
New Albany, OH 43054
Wednesday 2/25/26, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Be ready to interact with our featured speaker, Brad Griffith, and your fellow participants.
Please arrive at 11:00 am. Eat. Mingle. Make new friends.
CES 2026 (formerly the Consumer Electronics Show) was the most exciting of these annual shows in years, but not for the reasons you might think.
While the world waited for AI robots to take over, our presenter, Brad Griffith, discovered practical, accessible tech that is ready to change your life and business today!
In this TIGER Talk, Brad will share photos from his 20th trip to CES in Las Vegas and provide live demos of the newest innovative gadgets he brought home with him.
This talk focuses on cutting-edge hardware and software that prioritizes real-world connection and efficiency over mere hype.
Join us to discover the tools that will shape your year and help you become a tech visionary at work and at home.
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Brad Griffith is a technology innovator and a champion for equitable opportunity. His life’s mission is to close equity gaps by creatively applying software and design.
Brad is the Founder and President of Buckeye Innovation, the web engineering and design team he started in 2009 to amplify the impact of innovative businesses and organizations. His team of 12 includes designers and developers who love building and supporting websites, web applications, and mobile applications.
Prior to starting Buckeye Innovation, Brad built web applications at JPMorgan Chase, QUALCOMM, and the Go Big Network. He earned his MBA and his BS in Engineering with honors from The Ohio State University. He lives in New Albany with his wife and two daughters where he is an active Girl Scouts “Troop Cookie Dad” in addition to other community volunteer roles.
Brad was selected in 2020 to the inaugural class of the Columbus CEO Future 50 and was also a finalist for the 2019 and 2023 Small Business Leader Awards from the Columbus Chamber of Commerce and won the award just recently – in January 2026. Buckeye Innovation was recognized in the 2022 and 2023 Inc 5000 as one of the country’s fastest-growing private companies and in 2023 was selected as one of Inc’s Best Workplaces.
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Like all TIGER Events, this talk is FREE.
Timeline:
11:00 am – Coffee, Snacks, & Socializing
11:15 am – Lunch & More Socializing
11:45 am – Introduce yourself to our crowd (10 seconds please)
12:05 pm – Hand-off to Brad
1:00 pm – Wrap & Resume Socializing

Name*

First

Last

Email*

Company*Consent to Use My Image & Voice*By registering for & participating in this event, I am consenting to the recording of my image and/or voice. I am also authorizing Innovate New Albany to use photographs, video, and audio recordings containing my image and/or voice in any medium for any purpose.

I AGREE

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While AI Steals the Spotlight, Cyber Risk Keeps the Score
2026-02-27 11:00 - 13:00 | INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION, 7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH, 43054, United States
7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100
New Albany, OH 43054
Friday 2/27/26, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Be ready to interact with our featured speaker, J.R. Kunkle, and your fellow participants.
Please arrive at 11:00 am. Eat. Mingle. Make new friends.
AI has taken center stage in much of the tech and business worlds for the past 3 years. Let’s discuss the state of Cybersecurity now in the early part of 2026.
Computer Breaches and Incidents continue to increase by almost every metric according to Verizon and their annual Data Breach Incident Report (DBIR). We all play a part in reducing the chance of our data being compromised. Cyberattacks are enabled by every one of us. The reality is we’ll never “solve cybersecurity” until we bring everyday people into the solution.
Come to this TIGER Talk by JR Kunkle to learn the most reliable methods of protecting your business and personal information.
JR will cover:

What is Cybersecurity?
Is the Sky Falling? (how many Incidents, Breaches, and Ransoms happen annually)
Breach Facts/Industry Targets
What are the Regulations & Frameworks in cybersecurity?
What are Best Practices you can implement to protect your business and personal data

“Cybersecurity discipline is doing the boring things right—before they become expensive.” – attributed to John Dwyer, a prominent cybersecurity leader/researcher, currently serving as Head of Research at Binary Defense
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JR Kunkle works with small, medium, and large businesses to help them protect their information and understand their investment in Cybersecurity. He has 20+ years of in-depth IT experience, primarily in IT management, Project Management, Consulting, and IT Risk and Assurance. His current primary areas of focus are Cybersecurity and, of course, Artificial Intelligence (AI).
JR’s industry experience includes: Manufacturing, Retail, Industrials, Financials, Utilities, and Government. Recently, he’s been working with Healthcare, FinTech, and E-Commerce companies (cloud applications).
JR has a Masters Degree in MIS & Finance from the University of Dayton and a Bachelor Degree in Accounting and Economics from Wittenberg University. In addition, JR earned the Certified Information Systems Auditor (“CISA”) certification.
Passionate about life, business, and information technology. In his free time, he likes traveling with his son and coaching sports.
This will be JR’s 2nd TIGER Talk. His previous TIGER, on Ransomware, was presented in the fall of 2024. Access the slides from that talk HERE.
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Like all TIGER Events, this talk is FREE.
Timeline:
11:00 am – Coffee, Snacks, & Socializing
11:15 am – Lunch & More Socializing
11:45 am – Introduce yourself to our crowd (your “15 Seconds of Fame”)
12:05 pm – Hand-off to JR
1:00 pm – Wrap & Resume Socializing

Name*

First

Last

Email*

Company*Consent to Use My Image & Voice*By registering for & participating in this event, I am consenting to the recording of my image and/or voice. I am also authorizing Innovate New Albany to use photographs, video, and audio recordings containing my image and/or voice in any medium for any purpose.

I AGREE

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Avoid Overpaying for AI: How You Can Skip Expensive Vendors & Build Your Own AI Solutions
2026-03-04 11:00 - 13:00 | INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION, 7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH, 43054, United States
7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100
New Albany, OH 43054
Wednesday 3/4/26, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Be ready to interact with our featured speaker, Dr. Gleb Tsipursky, and your fellow participants.
Please arrive at 11:00 am. Eat. Mingle. Make new friends.
In the current market, entrepreneurs and leaders of small to mid-sized businesses must use AI to compete with industry giants.
Yet renting generic, costly SaaS solutions can drains crucial cash flow and offer zero competitive differentiation. These expensive “black box” tools frequently fail because they force small, agile teams to change their specific, proven workflows, leading to frustration, internal resistance, and quick cancellation—a devastating blow to the bottom line.
Please join us for this TIGER Talk and learn how to stop financing giant vendors and start building lasting value.
Dr. Gleb Tsipursky, CEO of Disaster Avoidance Experts, provides an essential blueprint for creating proprietary AI agents customized to your unique product, service, or niche.
You achieve this using accessible no-code and low-code platforms that your current non-technical employees master quickly. If your team can manage a spreadsheet, they can learn no-code AI tools.
You will walk away with a rapid deployment roadmap to replace crippling vendor contracts with AI tools that perfectly fit your operations. Crucially, you will learn the behavioral science strategies that turn your employees into AI creators and innovators, transforming staff anxiety into enthusiasm, and building a high-value, defensible competitive moat against larger rivals.
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Dr. Gleb Tsipursky, called the “Office Whisperer” by The New York Times, helps tech-forward leaders replace expensive vendors with staff-built AI solutions. He serves as the CEO of the future-of-work consultancy Disaster Avoidance Experts.
Dr. Gleb has written seven best-selling books. His forthcoming book with Georgetown University Press is The Psychology of Generative AI Adoption (2026).
Prior to that, he wrote ChatGPT for Leaders and Content Creators (2023). His cutting-edge thought leadership has been featured in over 650 articles in prominent venues such as Harvard Business Review, Fortune, and Fast Company.
Dr. Gleb’s expertise was built through over 20 years of consulting for Fortune 500 companies from Aflac to Xerox and over 15 years in academia as a behavioral scientist at UNC-Chapel Hill and The Ohio State University.
Dr. Gleb is a proud Ukrainian American. He lives in Columbus, Ohio.
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Like all TIGER Events, this talk is FREE.
Timeline:
11:00 am – Coffee, Snacks, & Socializing
11:30 am – Lunch & More Socializing
11:50 am – Introduce yourself to our crowd (your “15 Seconds of Fame”)
12:05 pm – Hand-off to Dr. Gleb
1:00 pm – Wrap & Resume Socializing

Name*

First

Last

Email*

Company*Consent to Use My Image & Voice*By registering for & participating in this event, I am consenting to the recording of my image and/or voice. I am also authorizing Innovate New Albany to use photographs, video, and audio recordings containing my image and/or voice in any medium for any purpose.

I AGREE

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Cash Flow & Value Creation
2026-03-13 11:00 - 13:00 | INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION, 7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH, 43054, United States
7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100
New Albany, OH 43054
Friday 3/13/26, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Be ready to interact with our featured speaker, Eric Rucinski, and your fellow participants.
Please arrive at 11:00 am. Eat. Mingle. Make new friends.
In this TIGER Talk, Eric Rucinski will lay out the inherent deficiencies in relying solely on accounting information, and the unique benefits of higher-powered financial analysis.
Going far beyond mere accounting (which is necessary, but not sufficient, for informed decision-making), Mr. Rucinski discusses cash flow and value creation in a comprehensive manner, synthesizing strategic, financial, and economic analyses and insights.
Mr. Rucinski uses easily-understood analogues (e.g., buying a house) to provide a powerful, memorable framework for thinking about and improving complex business decisions. Participants will leave with an enhanced understanding of cash flow, what drives it, why it is fundamental to value creation, and how it differs from often-used (but highly-flawed) metrics like EBITDA.
Participants will leave with a deeper appreciation for the importance and unique benefits of in-depth, fact-based financial analysis in making a wide range of high-dollar, high-impact, high-emotion decisions related to both their day-to-day operations and long-term term strategic objectives. Participants will be empowered to ask key questions of their employees and advisors that they previously never considered or knew how to articulate, resist the urge to accept superficial information and conclusions, and create and maintain a focus on value creation.
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Eric Rucinski is Founder and Principal of Advanta Consulting LLC, an independent consulting firm that focuses on strategy, corporate development, growth initiatives, M&A, financial modeling / valuation, investment decisions, capital structure, and special projects. He is a trusted senior adviser to top executives (including CEOs at public and private companies) and owners (including high-net-worth individuals and families).
His 25+ years of experience includes high-impact full-time strategy, corporate development, and M&A roles at The Wendy’s Company, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, Limited Brands, Borden Capital (private equity), and Salomon Smith Barney (Wall Street investment banking).
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Like all TIGER Events, this talk is FREE.
Timeline:
11:00 am – Coffee, Snacks, & Socializing
11:30 am – Lunch & More Socializing
11:50 am – Introduce yourself to our crowd (your “15 Seconds of Fame”)
12:05 pm – Hand-off to Eric
1:00 pm – Wrap & Resume Socializing

Name*

First

Last

Email*

Company*Consent to Use My Image & Voice*By registering for & participating in this event, I am consenting to the recording of my image and/or voice. I am also authorizing Innovate New Albany to use photographs, video, and audio recordings containing my image and/or voice in any medium for any purpose.

I AGREE

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Designing a Company for Success in the AI Era
2026-03-20 11:00 - 13:00 | INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION, 7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH, 43054, United States
7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100
New Albany, OH 43054
Friday 3/20/26, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Be ready to interact with our featured speaker, Ryan Frederick, and your fellow participants.
Please arrive at 11:00 am. Eat. Mingle. Make new friends.
Join us for insights on achieving business success in the AI era – from one of our very popular and valued speakers over the past several years, Ryan Frederick.
Among the timely topics Ryan will cover:

What it means to be AI first
Why AI adoption is the wrong objective
Why humans are often the bottleneck (not the solution)
Winning when everyone else has the same AI

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Ryan Frederick is an AI advisor, investor, and national speaker who has shared his insights on artificial intelligence and its macro impacts at more than 50 conferences and events across the country in 2025 alone.
As Principal at Transform Labs, he helps organizations leverage AI, automation, and intelligent systems to drive efficiency, productivity, and growth. Ryan works closely with executives, founders, and boards to translate AI’s potential into practical strategy, bridging the gap between emerging technology and business transformation.
Through the AI Transform Fund, Ryan invests in category-defining AI companies reshaping industries and business models for the next decade.
Ryan’s unique vantage point advising clients implementing AI today while investing in the AI of tomorrow gives him a rare, pragmatic perspective on what’s working, what isn’t, and where opportunity truly lies.
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Like all TIGER Events, this talk is FREE.
11:00 am – Coffee, Snacks, & Socializing
11:15 am – Lunch & More Socializing
11:45 am – Introduce yourself to our crowd (10 seconds please)
12:05 pm – Hand-off to Ryan
1:00 pm – Wrap & Resume Socializing

Name*

First

Last

Email*

Company*Consent to Use My Image & Voice*By registering for & participating in this event, I am consenting to the recording of my image and/or voice. I am also authorizing Innovate New Albany to use photographs, video, and audio recordings containing my image and/or voice in any medium for any purpose.

I AGREE

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Science and Storytelling: Turning Data and Evidence into Understanding and Belief
2026-03-27 11:00 - 13:00 | OH
7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100
New Albany, OH 43054
Friday 3/27/26, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Be ready to interact with our featured speakers, Andrew Summerfield & Laura Cree, and your fellow participants.
Please arrive at 11:00 am. Eat. Mingle. Make new friends.
Join Andrew Summerfield & Laura Cree for this important TIGER Talk.
You can change lives with science. But you change minds with story.
In science-based industries like biotech and medtech, data is essential, but it’s not enough. Whether you’re seeking investment, recruiting talent, entering the clinic, or bringing a product to market, you need more than mechanisms of action and proof points. You need a compelling narrative that makes people care.
This session explores the strategic role of narrative and visual storytelling in the life sciences. We’ll look at how stories shape perception, unlock understanding, and inspire belief. You’ll walk away with a clearer sense of why story matters in science, what it makes possible, and how to use it to amplify your impact at every stage of the innovation lifecycle.
Who It’s For:

Founders, CEOs, and CMOs in scientific, technology-based, or data-driven fields

Teams preparing to fundraise, launch, or enter a new market

Scientists and innovators looking to build belief around their work

Anyone who needs to explain complex science or technology to non-scientific audiences

Key Takeaways:

The neuroscience behind storytelling: what story does that data alone can’t

How visual and verbal storytelling work together to make complex science understandable, memorable, and credible

How to frame your science through story without losing rigor (or risking compliance)

The role of storytelling across the lifecycle, from pitch to product

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Andrew R. Summerfield is a brand strategist, creative director, and agency founder with more than 30 years of experience helping organizations clarify who they are and how they communicate. He is President and Creative Director of Summerfield Advertising and a Founding Partner of Genetica Creative, where he brings strategic brand clarity to biotech, medtech, and life sciences organizations by shaping how they define, position, and express their brands.
Shaped by a career in design and visual communication, Andrew brings a strategy-first, clarity-driven approach to branding and storytelling. He has worked with startups, nonprofits, and Fortune 500 companies at key moments such as fundraising, market entry, and product launch, helping teams frame and communicate their value, vision, and purpose. A graduate of the Columbus College of Art & Design, Andrew has been active in education and community service, including serving on the CCAD Board of Trustees. His work has earned national recognition, along with local recognition from Columbus Business First’s Forty Under 40 and 20 People to Know in Advertising & PR.
Laura Cree is a B2B writer and science storyteller with more than 30 years of cross-industry experience in marketing, content strategy, and communication. From the pharmaceutical and medical device industries to neurotechnology and public health, she brings technical subjects to life through white papers, case studies, blogs, lead-generation campaigns, and trade articles. At Genetica Creative, she partners with biotech, life sciences, and medtech organizations to translate complex science into clear, credible, and compelling narratives that support growth, adoption, and trust.
Grounded in a background in educational publishing and edtech, Laura brings a clarity-first, audience-centered approach to science communication. Over the past 15 years, she has focused her work on science- and technology-driven industries, helping organizations explain complex ideas without oversimplifying them. She combines strategic insight with deep respect for scientific rigor, supporting teams across the innovation lifecycle.
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Like all TIGER Events, this talk is FREE.
11:00 am – Coffee, Snacks, & Socializing
11:15 am – Lunch & More Socializing
11:45 am – Introduce yourself to our crowd (10 seconds please)
12:05 pm – Hand-off to Andrew & Laura
1:00 pm – Wrap & Resume Socializing

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Company*Consent to Use My Image & Voice*By registering for & participating in this event, I am consenting to the recording of my image and/or voice. I am also authorizing Innovate New Albany to use photographs, video, and audio recordings containing my image and/or voice in any medium for any purpose.

I AGREE

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The AI Symposium: The Path to Artificial General Intelligence
2026-04-24 10:45 - 13:00 | INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION, 7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH, 43054, United States
7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100
New Albany, OH 43054
Friday 4/24/26, 10:45 am – 1:00 pm
Be ready to interact with our featured speaker, David Staley, and your fellow participants.
Please arrive at 10:45 am. Eat. Mingle. Make new friends.
What happens when artificial intelligence systems engage in dialogue? Join us for this TIGER Talk and find out!
This presentation by David J. Staley, PhD will report on a groundbreaking experiment: three Large Language Models (LLMs) brought together in conversation with David.
As the AI models interact with each other, they grapple with profound questions: What is insight? Can AI be creative? What constitutes consciousness? What role do assumptions play in cognition? What is responsibility? Drawing inspiration from ancient philosophical traditions, this experimental work pushes the boundaries of how we think about artificial intelligence.
Based on anthropologist David Graeber‘s observation that “real thought is almost entirely dialogic,” the presentation investigates whether LLMs in conversation with each other can achieve “dialogic artificial intelligence,” a path to artificial general intelligence.
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David J. Staley is a writer, designer, futurist, historian, presenter, educator, advisor, public intellectual, and has been described as an “avant garde scholar” and “eclectic academic.”
He is an Associate Professor in the departments of History and Design at The Ohio State University.
David is the author of several books, including:

The AI Symposium
Alternative Universities: Speculative Design for Innovation in Higher Education
Knowledge Towns: Colleges and Universities as Talent Magnets
Anticipatory Biographies: Personal Histories of the Future
Visionary Histories, a collection of his essays about the future

David is the host of the “Voices of Excellence” podcast, and president of Columbus Futurists, a local think tank. In 2022 he was awarded “Best Freelance Writer” by the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists for his “Next” futures column with Columbus Underground.
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Like all TIGER Events, this talk is FREE.
10:45 am – Coffee, Snacks, & Socializing
11:15 am – Lunch & More Socializing
11:45 am – Introduce yourself to our crowd (10 seconds please)
12:05 pm – Hand-off to David
1:00 pm – Wrap & Resume Socializing

Name*

First

Last

Email*

Company*Consent to Use My Image & Voice*By registering for & participating in this event, I am consenting to the recording of my image and/or voice. I am also authorizing Innovate New Albany to use photographs, video, and audio recordings containing my image and/or voice in any medium for any purpose.

I AGREE

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Beyond the Transaction: Using Web3 to Convert Customers to Stakeholders
2026-05-01 11:00 - 13:00 | INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION, 7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH, 43054, United States
7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100
New Albany, OH 43054
Friday 5/1/26, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Be ready to interact with our featured speaker, Shaun Pannell, and your fellow participants.
Please arrive at 11:00 am. Eat. Mingle. Make new friends.
Learn how Web3 technologies can help brands move beyond a transactional mindset to a relationship-centric approach.
Discover strategies to transform passive consumers into a collaborative community of stakeholders.
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Our TIGER Talk presenter, Shaun Pannell, is an experienced marketing and business development professional at an Am Law 200 corporate law firm.
Shaun is adept at leveraging digital marketing techniques, data analytics and data visualization to drive tangible business growth. He is also passionate about exploring emerging technologies and their potential impact across various sectors.
Shaun’s commitment to making a meaningful difference extends beyond his professional roles. He serves on the board of directors for HERO USA, Inc. and Conscious Capitalism Columbus. HERO USA helps disadvantaged youth to experience outdoor recreational and adventure sports. Conscious Capitalism champions the adoption of stakeholder-focused and purpose-driven business practices.
Shaun is equipped with certifications in blockchain, digital assets, and product management, and possesses a comprehensive understanding of innovative technologies and their transformative potential in today’s evolving business landscape. He is eager to connect with professionals who share his passion for advancing the forefront of emerging technologies.
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Like all TIGER Events, this talk is FREE.
Timeline:
11:00 am – Coffee, Snacks, & Socializing
11:15 am – Lunch & More Socializing
11:45 am – Introduce yourself to our crowd (your “15 Seconds of Fame”)
12:05 pm – Hand-off to Shaun
1:00 pm – Wrap & Resume Socializing

Name*

First

Last

Email*

Company*Consent to Use My Image & Voice*By registering for & participating in this event, I am consenting to the recording of my image and/or voice. I am also authorizing Innovate New Albany to use photographs, video, and audio recordings containing my image and/or voice in any medium for any purpose.

I AGREE

Δ

MCP vs. AI Agents - learn the difference & what large enterprises are using to scale AI adoption & drive business impact
2026-05-08 11:00 - 13:00 | INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION, 7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH, 43054, United States
7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100
New Albany, OH 43054
Friday 5/8/26, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Be ready to interact with our featured speaker, Brandon Levine, and your fellow participants.
Please arrive at 11:00 am. Eat. Mingle. Make new friends.
Please join us for this cutting edge TIGER Talk focused on how AI Agents and MCP infrastructure are enabling large enterprises to deliver meaningful impact on business results.
Note: MCP = Model Context Protocol
Our presenter, Brandon Levine, will cover:
1. The Fundamental Difference
Clear explanation of what AI Agents are (the “who”) vs. what MCP is (the “how”)
2. Enterprise Adoption Challenges
The three critical blockers enterprises face: security governance, integration chaos, and ungovernable access
3. Real-World Solutions
How large enterprises are successfully scaling AI through enterprise-grade MCP infrastructure with:

Multi-system orchestration capabilities
Granular permission scoping
Production-ready scale (5,000+ requests/second)

4. Practical Use Cases
Including:

Multi-system AI orchestration (complex workflows across Salesforce, Gong, Gmail, Snowflake, etc.)
Personal AI assistants at scale (1,000+ employees with controlled access)

During the session, Brandon will provide live demonstrations of:

Sales AI Agent – Showing autonomous multi-step workflows and decision-making
Data MCP Server – Demonstrating governed enterprise data access with security controls

These real-world examples will illustrate exactly how MCP and AI Agents work together in production environments.
The key message: MCP isn’t competing with AI Agents – it’s the critical infrastructure layer that makes enterprise AI agent deployment safe, scalable, and governable.
Brandon has also incorporated insights from recent enterprise implementations showing how companies are moving from “AI experiments” to “AI in production” by solving the governance and integration challenges.
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Brandon Levine works at the intersection of emerging AI technology and real-world business transformation, guiding Fortune 500 companies through the practical adoption of agentic systems.
As VP of Agentic AI at Workato, Brandon leads a specialist team helping enterprises deploy AI agents and automation at scale. Brandon brings both hands-on technical depth and executive-level perspective to the rapidly evolving AI agent landscape, making him a trusted voice on how organizations can harness AI agents for measurable business impact.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
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Like all TIGER Events, this talk is FREE.
Timeline:
11:00 am – Coffee, Snacks, & Socializing
11:15 am – Lunch & More Socializing
11:45 am – Introduce yourself to our crowd (10 seconds please)
12:05 pm – Hand-off to Brandon
1:00 pm – Wrap & Resume Socializing

Name*

First

Last

Email*

Company*Consent to Use My Image & Voice*By registering for & participating in this event, I am consenting to the recording of my image and/or voice. I am also authorizing Innovate New Albany to use photographs, video, and audio recordings containing my image and/or voice in any medium for any purpose.

I AGREE

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