Meet the expert presenters who are bringing innovative and industry-leading content to the WEAR program.
Experienced Marketing Director with a demonstrated history of leadership within multiple organizations. Skilled in Inbound Marketing, Strategic Planning, Project Management, Team Building, and Manufacturing. Strong entrepreneurial skills with a focus in Program Management, Social Media, Sales and Business.
Diana Wyman is Executive Vice President of AATCC, a professional association and standards development organization for the global textile industry. A self-proclaimed textile nerd, Diana has been involved in all aspects of textile testing—from managing a contract lab to developing specifications for a retail brand. She has participated in the standards development process as both staff and volunteer for AATCC as well as textile-related committees of ASTM, IEC, IPC, and ISO. Diana holds degrees in Fashion Merchandising, Textiles, and Business Administration; she is currently pursuing a PhD in Fiber and Polymer Science. Mili John Tharakan is a seasoned inventor-business leader who has been practicing in the field of Smart Textiles since 2004. She founded and led the Smart Textiles Innovation Lab at Welspun (one of the largest home textiles manufacturers in Asia) and went on to develop, manage and launch Smart home Textile products on the global market. Her experience spans across both academia and industry. She currently works with the Smart Textile Alliance to establish standards for the industry. She has been a Smart Textile evangelist for over a decade and is keen to support companies who are exploring this emerging technology.
Kohei Tamagawa is in his first season with the Phoenix Suns as a sports scientist/assistant strength coach after finishing this past season as a sports performance assistant for the men’s basketball program at Stanford University. With the Suns, Tamagawa’s role is to assist the performance staff in implementing sports science strategies and assisting with strength and conditioning training sessions with the goal of enhancing athlete performance and recovery. Prior to his time at Stanford, he worked the second half of 2018 as a member of the strength and conditioning staff for the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee in Colorado Springs. Tamagawa previously spent two years at the University of Georgia as a strength and conditioning intern for Olympic sports from 2016-2018 as he completed Bachelor’s degrees in Athletic Training and Exercise and Sport Science from Georgia. He is currently pursuing a Master of Exercise Science in Strength and Conditioning from Edith Cowan University in Perth, Australia. A native of Matsue, Japan, Tamagawa played college basketball from 2009-2011 at Tokai University in Kanagawa, Japan where he earned a Bachelor’s in Physical Education. In 2011-12, he served as a seasonal assistant strength and conditioning coach with the men’s basketball team at Tokai and helped the team to a national title. Tamagawa moved to the United States in 2013 to pursue his ambition of being a strength and conditioning coach.
Business leader and technology/IP professional with Global Corporate Development, Investment/Joint Venturing and New Business creation expertise.
Scott Hanson is the Chief Technology Officer and founder of Ambiq. Scott invented SPOT, Ambiq’s core sub-threshold technology platform, to enable the world’s most energy-efficient chips during his PhD studies at the University of Michigan. He founded Ambiq in 2010 and led the development of the world record-setting Apollo, Ambiq's first flagship processor. Under Scott's leadership, Ambiq has shipped more than 100 million chips to the world's top brands and has grown into the global leader in ultra-low power solutions.
In addition to his role as CTO, he has variously played roles leading product definition and development, managing production test, and, most importantly, spending a great deal of time with customers to understand their needs and their vision. As a widely recognized innovator in low power circuits, Scott today leads the development of Ambiq's technology roadmap.
Scott's pioneering work in sub-threshold design and picowatt processors has been widely published, with more than 30 leading publications, more than 20 patents on related technology, and a wide variety of speaking engagements. Scott's work was honored by the University of Michigan with the 2014 Arbor Networks PhD Research Impact Award and the 2020 ECE Alumni Rising Star Award and was honored by Ernst & Young as an Entrepreneur of the Year 2020 finalist.
Mili Tharakan is a seasoned inventor-business leader who has been practicing in the field of smart textiles since 2004. She founded and lead the Smart Textiles Innovation Lab at Welspun (one of the largest home textiles manufacturers in Asia) and went on to develop, manage and launch smart home textile products on the global market with the company’s corporate start.
Dr. Hall is the Director of Innovation of Health Sciences at the University of Delaware, and an Assistant Professor in Health Sciences with joint appointments in Biomechanics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Fashion & Apparel Studies, and Entrepreneurship. Trained as a fashion designer, Dr. Hall has applied her design expertise to improving patient health. Whether it be building soft exoskeletons to enhance the mobility of disabled children or creating comfortable and expressive medical devices, Dr. Hall’s research is driven by one goal: to holistically improve patient health outcomes using a patient-centered approach.
Davide Vigano – Co-founder and CEO of Sensoria Health, Inc. BIO: Sensoria designs, develops and produces bio-sensing wearable garments. The vision of the company is that the Garment itself will become the next ultra-personal, mobile computer. Davide is a former Microsoft partner level executive with over 25 years of sales, marketing and extensive product management experience. As an intern he started the international localization group for MacWorks and MacOffice in 1987. More recently, he served as General Manager of the Health Solutions Group where he was in charge of marketing and product strategy for both HealthVault and the Amalga product line. He acted as Vice President of the Worldwide SMSP Medium Business division which he grew 18% YOY to over $14B. Davide also managed the Italian Marketing, Business and Enterprise operations for five years and brought it to number one in the world for contribution margin, 6th largest Microsoft subsidiary in the world by revenues.
Mike Hopkins is a PhD of Physics with deep experience leading cross disciplinary research teams and driving advances in flexible electronics for over 10 years. His work at Liquid Wire focuses on utilizing liquid metal conductors in stretchable circuits, strain sensors, and pressure sensors for a range of applications including physiological monitoring of muscle and joint movements and VR gesture control.
David Weiss serves as Senior Vice President, Player Matters of the National Basketball Association. He leads a team that is responsible for the strategy, finances, technology, and operation of all player health matters for the NBA and its affiliates. This includes the health aspects of the NBA’s response to COVID-19 including the development of the health and safety protocols for the NBA’s 2019-20 season restart in Orlando and subsequent seasons.
Weiss manages league health programs related to infectious disease, a league-wide electronic medical records system, an injury data and analytics program, cardiac screening, concussion, and league health- and performance-related Committees, including the Wearables Committee and the NBA’s Sports Science Committees, along with a public-private research portfolio in these areas. He also plays an active role in the league’s mental health programs, anti-drug program, and other topics related to the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Players Association.
Weiss joined the NBA in 2012, and previously was associated with the law firm of Skadden, Arps in New York. Named to SportsBusiness Journal’s Forty Under 40 list in 2016, he is a graduate with honors from both Dartmouth College and The University of Michigan Law School.
With the future of technology running on wireless power systems. I work with top product creators to add wireless power into their products and can guide you from initial concept to mass production and beyond.
During my time at Molex, a huge technology company with a great reputation, I met essentially every CEO at every wireless startup in the whole world, including NuCurrent. With the future being wireless, I saw the vast potential, and after 16 years with the company, I made the leap to NuCurrent.
At NuCurrent, we have created the largest and most advanced wireless power center of excellence. With NuCurrent’s IP and expertise, our customers succeed by getting differentiated product performance, de-risking of product development process and cost, and increased speed to market. Our wireless power collaboration process includes 3 phases: Discover, Design, and Deliver. My team and I take passion in guiding our customers through the initial Discover phase.
Jeanette is an experienced design thinker + leader based in Providence, RI. As Cofounder of Loft, Jeanette specializes in creating visually compelling, human-centered design solutions that are rooted in purpose and driven by research.
Jeanette’s work spans dozens of global brands and a wide variety of industries. She’s had proven success both in and outside of the corporate environment, leading teams in strategic design thinking, digital and physical product design, and final product commercialization.
Her career has taken her to New York, San Francisco, Boston, and finally to Providence, where Loft’s corporate headquarters are based.
She has created numerous award-winning designs and holds multiple patents for product innovations.
As a founding member of GirlsRock! RI and a drummer in Cave of Colors, she is also an active Providence musician.
Teddy Seyed is a Senior Researcher at Microsoft Research, where he also leads the Future of Wearables Team. He completed Canada's first Entrepreneurial Ph.D. in Computer Science at the University of Calgary, where he also recieved a B.Sc. and a M.Sc. in Computer Science.
Teddy's work blends research that creates new forms of intelligent, interactive textiles with a focus on realizing commercial applications that can advance the field globally. Teddy's award-winning work has been featured in places such as Forbes Magazine, MIT Tech Review, Gizmodo and others.
Carlos Morales has over 30 years of research and development experience spanning silicon to cloud. During his career, Mr. Morales has held architecture, development, management, and business development roles at multiple technology companies, ranging from large multi-nationals to pioneering silicon startups.
He is currently the Vice President of Artificial Intelligence at Ambiq, where his team’s mission is to leverage SPOT to bring Endpoint AI to the farthest reaches of edge compute. Carlos joins us from Intel, where he ran the AI Product Group’s global AI software organization, and led Intel-wide AI strategy and business development initiatives. Before joining Nervana Systems (acquired by Intel), Carlos was part of Cisco’s Advanced Architecture and Research group, where he pioneered novel technologies such as Fog Computing, and the first full-featured software-defined router.
Carlos’ career spans just about every aspect of computer engineering, from ASIC development to cloud-based Deep Learning-as-a-Service products. Besides AI, his past projects included Cloud-based back-end applications, cybersecurity, workload scheduling, orchestration and isolation, and efficient networking.
Steven Webster has spent the past 20 years at the forefront of the fusion of technology and design, having held a variety of leadership roles at Adobe and Microsoft. A 4th degree black belt, Steven is also one of the most successful sports coaches in British university sport. Moving to California in 2009 after the sale of his company to Adobe, he most recently left Microsoft in 2014 to combine his passion for sport coaching with his deep expertise in technology. He is now the CEO of asensei, a disruptive sports technology company that brings together technologies such as smart apparel with integrated sensors, motion capture and posture recognition, with machine learning and data science in the creation of an artificial intelligence personal coach.
Passionate, high energy business and technology leader adept at aligning unmet and emerging market needs with differentiated technology solutions. Proven success in running cross-functional, global organizations, providing team members with support and mentorship. Expertise in solving multidisciplinary problems through structured methods. Known for being action oriented, with an ability to analyze situations rapidly and the vision to move several steps ahead. Strong desire to innovate and create products that have a societal impact.
Bio Coming Soon
Alfred Poor is the founding Editor of Health Tech Insider, a website and industry newsletter that covers wearable and mobile devices for health and medical applications. With more than 3,100 articles published, he has a broad perspective of where the global industry stands today and where it’s headed tomorrow. He meets with more than one hundred C-level executives from health technology companies every year, giving him access and insights that few other experts can claim.
Steve Statler is the author of Beacon Technologies, the presenter of the Mister Beacon podcast and SVP of Marketing at Wiliot, a company he joined shortly after it was founded. Wiliot is a Sensing as a Service, cloud and semiconductor company, providing “Cloud Intelligence for Everyday Things” using its IoT Pixel tags. Prior to Wiliot his consulting company specialized in Bluetooth beacon technology, training and advising manufacturers, venue owners, VCs, as well as makers of beacon software and hardware. Previously he was the Senior Director for Strategy and Solutions Management at Qualcomm's Retail Solutions Division, helping to incubate Gimbal, one of the leading Bluetooth beacons in the market.
Pankaj Kedia is Senior Director & Global Head for the Wearables and Smart Audio segments at Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. In this role, Pankaj is responsible for leading Qualcomm’s efforts to establish and grow its presence across smart watch, kid watch, smart tracker, BT speaker, smart speaker and soundbar segments. Under Pankaj’s leadership, Qualcomm has enabled its customers to ship 250+ products in 50+ countries over the last 5 years. Additionally, Pankaj is also responsible for managing Qualcomm’s engagements with key ecosystem players including Amazon, Facebook, and Google. Pankaj joined Qualcomm in late 2013 in a new business development role and has led its efforts to incubate the wearables segment at the company.
Previously, Pankaj was the director of business development and innovation at Intel Corporation where he was responsible for winning, nurturing, and launching mobility products and technologies. Pankaj launched the Intel Atom processor and led the company’s early efforts to establish its presence and momentum in the tablet, mobile Internet device, and smartphone categories. Earlier at Intel, Pankaj played an instrumental role in accelerating the deployment of Notebook PCs in the industry by defining and implementing the company’s product/marketing strategies and launching a range of products including Centrino, Pentium 4 and Pentium III processors.
I believe in the power of human energy! That’s why I'm focused on the success of CELLIANT®, the only bio-responsive textile using Infrared technology clinically demonstrated to increase tissue oxygen levels, improving athletic performance and recovery and promoting more restful sleep.
I have a degree in business administration and worked in private equity for one of the premier investment firms, but I've also been an athlete all my life. My experience with CELLIANT is therefore very personal. I have experienced first-hand the benefits of CELLIANT for enhancing performance and recovery. And I've seen the science that proves its effectiveness.
Our company, Hologenix, LLC, is dedicated to creating, discovering and marketing products that enhance people’s lives, empowering them to take charge of their own health. CELLIANT is our flagship product. We’re extremely proud of our international regulatory status, including the FDA determination as both a medical device and general wellness product, supported by 9 positive clinical trials evaluated by the top North American life sciences research universities.
CELLIANT is used by international brands, including Under Armour, Amerisleep, Bear, Revitalife, Xcel and countless others in sportswear, sleepwear, bedding and more.
Ben Mead serves as the Managing Director of Hohenstein Institute America. In this role, he serves as the company’s liaison with government agencies, industry collaborations and trade associations. He also oversees OEKO-TEX® responsibilities for the U.S.
Prior to joining Hohenstein in 2014, Ben consulted with various brands and industry associations, including Textile Exchange and AFIRM. In those roles, Ben established partnerships with industry leaders and experts to increase industry engagement in green chemistry and sustainable textile processing.
While working for Nike, Ben helped develop a restricted substances program and was involved in the implementation of sustainable materials and water programs.
Ben holds degrees in Chemistry and Textile Chemistry from North Carolina State University and a certificate in Green Chemistry from the University of Washington.
Dr. Kristy Jost is a Research Science Manager at Meta Reality Labs Research, and leads a team dedicated to Advancing the state of the art on smart textiles and functional garments. From 2015-2019, she was a Product Development Specialist at 3M focusing on industrial scale materials research and novel extrusion development, earning 3 internal grants to augment her research. In 2019, she joined Reality Labs Research working across disciplines in the field of smart textiles and materials science, building a research team focused on smart textile materials for soft and wearable interaction devices in AR/VR, with a focus on devices for the hand and wrist.
She holds a B.S. in Fashion Design from the College of Media Arts and Design, and a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering, both from Drexel University.
George Sun, CEO and Founder of Nextiles, is a trained computer scientist and electrical engineer who received his Ph.D. from MIT in biological engineering. His study focused on sustainable and transformative technologies to imbue organic materials with semiconductive properties. His work was recognized by PUMA and later led their innovation team in embedding wearable technologies into their footwear. Through his work, he saw the ever-growing demand to make wearable technologies more accessible and sustainable for consumer use, and that required a new way to manufacture sensors. George launched Nextiles in 2018 and since then patented several methods and techniques to economically and sustainably sew semiconductive threads into clothing. The technology enables capture of biomechanical motion through fabric. For every bend, stretch, or pull, that information is sensed and communicated via Bluetooth – no straps, rings, wraps, or clunky attachments required. What differentiates this technology is the ability to leverage existing sewing methods, giving George the ability to rekindle the dormant manufacturing industry in New York. As a first-generation immigrant, it is also his mission to maintain ethical labor rights and manufacturing transparency. All of Nextiles’ smart thread technology is made ethically by employees in the Greater New York area.
