Texas State University | Icebreaker

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Texas State University | Icebreaker

Texas State University

Texas State University

At the Freeman Center, TXST faculty and students break new ground in land management and regenerative agriculture.

62 members

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txstate.edu

Members

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Currently co-founder and CEO of Blink Identity, a Texas-based company specializing in facial recognition technology that identifies people at a full walking speed. Creator of the technology that modernizes access control for a wide variety of industries, including live events, commercial enterprises, healthcare, and others. Recently completed Techstars Music Accelerator with Blink Identity, leading to a partnership with Live Nation/Ticketmaster, developing pilot programs with their revolutionary facial recognition system. Previously founder and CEO of HCI Training, Inc., managing development and deployment of training programs for Dell, Sybase, and USAA, as well as the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy. After acquisition by Ideal Innovations, Inc. in 2007, Haskett continued as Vice President of Software and Training, leading integration teams that provided comprehensive biometric solutions to both U.S. and foreign governments. Under her leadership, the first satellite office of I-3 (based in Washington DC ) grew from 4 people to 20 people with a project budget of $15M. Deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan on a number of occasions, she was responsible for deploying the National Afghanistan biometric database system. Pioneered numerous concepts in the virtual office space, and managed projects and million dollar profits in a highly competitive industry. Nominated as one of the Austin Business Journal's Profiles to Watch in tech-savvy Austin. Haskett holds a M.Ed. in Educational Technology from Texas A&M University and a B.S. in Applied Mathematics awarded by the University of Texas at Dallas. Specialties: Entrepreneurship and Entrepreneur Training, Instructional Design, E-learning/ Web Based Training, Public Speaking

Ian Carroll, M.Ed., PHR

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Director, Technical Talent Acquisition

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MNTN builds advertising software for brands to drive measurable conversions, revenue, site visits, and more through the power of television. MNTN Performance TV is the world’s first and only Connected TV advertising platform optimized for performance tv marketing goals. It redefines what advertisers can do with television, giving them the power to tie performance directly to their TV campaigns.

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I am a results-oriented Engineering Manager with a proven track record of fostering excellence in AI/ML and Search Infrastructure. I lead high-performing teams in both the San Francisco Bay Area and the Greater Seattle Area, playing an active role in shaping the evolution of Apple's next-generation products. #AIML #SearchInfrastructure #TechInnovation #LeadershipExcellence #TeamBuilding #Diversity #Inclusion

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Just your friendly, local Tech Recruiter who doesn't sugar coat things or ghost you. :) As a Tech Recruiter who values honesty and clear communication, I take pride in providing a straightforward and reliable experience. My career began at Austin Fraser, where I honed my skills in technical recruiting and developed a deep passion for identifying top engineering talent. I've now joined NinjaOne as a Corporate Technical Recruiter focused on hiring top Engineers for our team! I’m dedicated to connecting exceptional candidates with exciting opportunities within our organization, while maintaining transparency throughout the process. If you're exploring career opportunities, I’m here to support you every step of the way without the usual industry fluff. Outside of work you'll find me cheering on my oldest son at baseball games and wrangling my youngest son. Let’s connect and make great things happen!

George Koutitas, Ph.D.

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My cross-functional and multi-cultural background makes me adaptive in rapidly changing environments that require innovation. My diverse experience helped me obtain a good understanding of how different systems and organizations work, giving me clear space to informed decision making. ---Strategic Innovation, Cross-Functional Operation, Multi-Cultural Experience, Team Leadership--- I bring over 18 years of business experience, encompassing roles as a i) Corporate Executive at Pfizer, ii) an Entrepreneur who founded two US software businesses, and iii) an Academic who bridged the gap between University and Industry. During my career I gained a multi-cultural experience working full time in USA, UK, and Greece. Throughout my professional journey, I drove digital innovation across sectors such as Healthcare, Medical Response, Utilities and Mobile Networks by creating SaaS-based products with consumer-centric interfaces. At Pfizer, I lead the design of enterprise platforms to accelerate global innovation in complex compliance environments, including PIPL, the EU AI Act, and Software as a Medical Device (SaMD). As an entrepreneur, I lead capital and fundraising and managed development teams in both the US and EU, transforming ideas into commercial cloud based and mobile products that reached over 1 million users. In academia, I directed the XReality Research Lab at Texas State University, positioning it as a leader in Industry 4.0, and formed a spin-off company focused on Medical Response training innovations. I am a strong believer of leading by example, inspiring cross-functional and multi-cultural teams with an objective driven culture. ---AI Commercialization and Governance--- I have extensive expertise in cross-platform AI commercialization and in AI governance frameworks in Digital Health & Medicines. At Pfizer, I lead Ethical AI Architecture, creating microservices for Guardrails, Metrics, and AI Observability. Currently, I am involved in the commercial application of Agentic AI. ---Background--- I hold a specialization from MIT in Data-Driven Decision Making using AI/ML, a PostDoc in Optimization of Complex Networks, a PhD and MSc in Electrical and Computer Engineering and a BSc in Physics. I authored one book and over 60 peer-reviewed scientific papers and I am the inventor of a US patent. I have spoken at CNBC, MSNBC, TEDxPfizer, and won pitching competitions in the US/EU.

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Manager, trainer, coordinator, professional writer, web developer, and Internet marketer. Specialties: My background includes small business and office management, as well as technical writing and training. I have experience with grants and contracts, supervising staff, maintaining documentation, and report preparation.

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AI‑first strategist and execution leader, I head Coforge’s Cloud Management division as Vice President and Worldwide CTO for AWS and GCP. My mandate is to scale multi‑cloud services, embed AI‑driven efficiency, and turn hyperscaler partnerships into sustained revenue growth—all while keeping operations lean and secure. Before Coforge, I ran Instagram’s Machine‑Learning Infrastructure and Core Platform groups, where I introduced the API Regression Prediction framework and other ML‑based controls that slashed false alerts, strengthened resilience, and saved the company millions in compute spend. Earlier at AWS I belonged to the global cadre of Principal Technical Account Managers, earning the “Against All Odds” award for steering high‑impact travel and hospitality accounts through pandemic turbulence. Across roles I have guided Fortune 500 executives through complex cloud journeys, pairing inventive engineering with disciplined operations to deliver measurable business value at global scale.

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As a software engineer at Microsoft, I work on the HR Experiences team, where I design and develop software applications that enhance the employee experience and support the company's culture and values. I leverage my expertise in full-stack development, working with technologies and frameworks such as React, Angular, C#, and SQL. I have a strong track record of delivering successful projects, collaborating with cross-functional teams, and solving complex problems. Some of my recent achievements include creating a feedback system that increased employee engagement by 35%, optimizing the performance and scalability of a payroll application that serves over 100,000 employees, and implementing security and compliance features that adhere to industry standards and regulations. I hold a Master of Science in Computer Science from Texas State University, where I gained a deep understanding of software engineering principles and best practices, as well as hands-on experience with programming languages such as Java, JavaScript, and Python. I also completed several courses and certifications in emerging topics such as blockchain, cloud computing, and AI. I am passionate about creating robust and scalable solutions that not only meet business needs but also exceed user expectations. I am committed to continuous learning and staying up-to-date with the latest advancements in software development. I am also an effective mentor and leader, fostering a collaborative and inclusive work culture.

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I am excited by the ‘whys’ that force getting my hands dirty, addressing problems rather than symptoms. My passion for project management, teaching, and designing action plans that manifest goal achievement and learning materials that maximize training, generates effective and inspiring learning experiences and efficient project outcomes. My entrepreneurial soul emerged young, starting my first venture in sixth grade. Recognizing there were no concessions at the site of my Little League games, I encouraged my best friend to help set up shop selling soda, candy, and snacks at 100% margins on weekends, hiring others to work for candy during our games. That summer we averaged over $2400 a month. Not bad for 11-year-old kids who played ball well enough to make the all-star team. An infatuation with helping others learn, along with strategic management, operations, and building efficient systems pushed me to undertake endeavors in various capacities and a variety of fields on four continents. Whether in an office, a rainforest, a conference room, beating the street, or in the heart of Africa, and as a project manager, instructional designer, consultant, headmaster, analyst, board member, coach, volunteer, entrepreneur, speaker, mentor, or professor, my enthusiasm for new challenges and solving complex problems continues. Do you need a caring and ethical professional who delivers? Contact me: jdeverehill@gmail.com Specialties: Project Management, Learning, Instructional Design, E-Learning, Curriculum Design, Course Development, Teaching, Critical Thinking, Strategy, Operations, Program Management, Organizational Development, Process Improvement, Change Management, Marketing and Branding Strategy, Complex Problem Solving, Defining Scope and Objectives, Big-Picture Visioning, Top to Bottom Implementation, Public Speaking, Budgeting, Forecasting, Scenario Planning, Future Trends, Efficient Systems, Negotiation, Data Analysis, Research, Stakeholder Retention, Staff Development, Abstract Creative Thinking, Ethics, Storytelling, Smiles. -10 years of experience delivering strategy, project management, instructional design, training program coordination, and curriculum development, facilitation, and evaluation in corporate, academic, and non-profit environments. -Instructed 80+ classes at 4-year universities. -Proficiency in Tableau, ADDIE, SAM, multimedia design principles, Microsoft Office, Adobe Suite, Articulate 360, Jira, project coordination, copywriting for internal and external stakeholders, and extracting buried information from SMEs.

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