Charlottesville, VA (September 21, 2017) — The inaugural Tom Tom Fall Forum will be tomorrow, Friday 22nd, in downtown Charlottesville. This day-long convening of over 600 of Virginia’s emerging business executives, policymakers, and civic innovators will explore opportunities in the Commonwealth’s communities and key industries today, from renewable energy to cultural investment, with an emphasis on inclusion and shared gains. The event will take place from 9am-5pm ET at The Haven, CitySpace, and Common House. Participation in the Fall Forum was by invitation only, and the event is at capacity.
Fall Forum will feature over 60 speakers in 17 keynote panels and breakout sessions. Featured speakers include Todd Haymore, Secretary of Commerce and Trade of the Commonwealth of Virginia, Todd Kennedy, Senior Vice President of Capital One, Michael Chapman, EVP and Chief Strategy Office of the Martin Agency, Katharine Bond, Senior Policy Advisor of Dominion Energy, and founders of dozens of startups. For the complete list of speakers and schedule visit https://tomtomfest.com/fallforum.
MEDIA REGISTRATION
Fall Forum is open to registered members of the media. Please contact Marketing Manager, Whitney Kenerly, at press@tomtomfest.com if you plan to attend or have questions. Press badges will be available upon at registration locations at The Haven and Common House throughout the day. Most speakers are available for interview upon request.
HIGHLIGHTS
The following highlighted sessions take place at The Haven, Common House, and CitySpace in Charlottesville.
The New Virginia Innovator
9:30am – 10:40am, The Haven, 112 Market St
Join pioneering Virginians for a wide-ranging conversation about Virginia’s changing economy, from the rise of the freelancer to diversity in STEM, tech jobs for middle-skill workers, and a future powered by renewable energy.
Speakers:
Ace Callwood, CEO, Painless1099
Michael Chapman, EVP, Chief Strategy Officer, Martin Agency
Crystal Icenhour, PhD, CEO & Cofounder, Aperiomics
Kim Mahan, Founder, Maxx Potential
Devin Welch, Cofounder, Sun Tribe Solar
Moderator: Alex Fife, Senior Advisor, Tom Tom Founders Festival
GO Virginia Workshop: Funding for Regional Innovation Initiatives
10:50am – 12:20pm, CitySpace, 100 5th St NE
Join the GO Virginia Regional Councils and leaders across the Commonwealth in a discussion of ideas for inter-regional collaboration on innovation and entrepreneurship.
Speakers:
Todd Haymore, Secretary of Commerce and Trade, Commonwealth of Virginia
Machine Learning: Revolutionizing Virginia Industries
11:00am – 12:10pm, Vinegar Hall North (Common House), 206 West Market Street
This discussion of Artificial Intelligence for humanities majors will examine how computing innovations, many of them originating in Virginia, are actively changing industries like banking and agriculture that touch us every day.
Speakers:
Randy Caldejon, CEO & Co-Founder, CounterFlow AI
Miriam Friedel, Director of Commercial Analytics, Elder Research
Todd Kennedy, Senior Vice President, Capital One
Jeannine Melican, Vice President for Commercial Products, MDA
Moderator: Michael Prichard, CEO, Metis Machine
Can Virginia Lead the Energy Revolution?
2:00pm – 3:00pm, Vinegar Hall South (Common House), 206 West Market Street
Unique partnerships, innovative technologies, and customer choice are driving rapid changes in the energy sector. This panel will explore how Virginia should scale these efforts to become a leader in the clean energy space.
Speakers:
Katharine Bond, Senior Policy Advisor, Dominion Energy
Will Cleveland, Southern Environmental Law Center, Southern Environmental Law Center
Tony Smith, CEO, Secure Futures Solar
Danny Van Clief, Coronal Energy, Coronal Energy
Moderator: Angela Navarro, Deputy Secretary of Natural Resources at Office of Governor Terence R. McAuliffe, Virginia Commonwealth
The Future of Service
3:15pm – 4:15pm, The Haven, 112 Market St
An exceptional panel – including two Forbes 30 under 30 entrepreneurs – talk about the life journeys that brought them to serve others, and how they pursue scale, impact, and longevity in the rapidly changing field of social entrepreneurship.
Speakers:
Sixto Cancel, CEO, Think of Us
Kim Mahan, Founder, Maxx Potential
Sam Pressler, Founder, Armed Services Arts Partnership
Moderator: Jay Lester, Executive Director, Blue Morning
Access to Capital for Inclusive Entrepreneurship
4:30pm – 5:30pm, Vinegar Hall South (Common House), 206 West Market Street
A discussion on how policymakers and organizations can support under resourced entrepreneurs by providing support for promising business ventures.
Speakers:
Nathalia Daguano Artus, Community Development, Union Bank & Trust
Josh Epperson, Feast RVA, Feast RVA
Leah Fremouw, CIO, Virginia Community Capital
Moderator: Conaway Haskins, Extension Specialist, Virginia Tech
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ABOUT THE TOM TOM FOUNDATION AND THE FOUNDERS FESTIVAL
The Tom Tom Foundation is a nonprofit organization that celebrates entrepreneurs, civic leaders, and creators who are shaping cities and communities across the nation. Tom Tom’s signature event is a weeklong festival of ideas and culture that takes place in Charlottesville, Virginia, each April in conjunction with Thomas Jefferson’s birthday. This cross discipline, multi-venue experience transforms the historic downtown and empowers the innovators, who are envisioning a brighter future. Since its inception in 2012, the Foundation’s Spring and Fall programming has showcased over 700 speakers and 280 bands to 172,000 program attendees, and has channeled $2.8 million to new ventures and projects. Learn more: www.tomtomfest.com.
SPONSORS
The Tom Tom Founders Festival is presented by the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, American Evolution, the Quantitative Foundation, and the i.Lab at UVA. It is also generously underwritten by a number of leading organizations, including the University of Virginia, Ting, C-Ville Weekly, New Belgium Brewing Company, Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, City of Charlottesville, UVA’s Galant Center for Entrepreneurship at the McIntire School of Commerce, UVA’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, UVA’s Curry School of Education, and the Virginia Tourism Corporation.
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