Name: Giving People a Voice with AI and Why the US Ranks 21st in AI by Charles Elwood
Start: 2026-10-15T18:00:00-04:00
End: 2026-10-15T20:00:00-04:00

Charles Elwood is a Microsoft AI MVP from Holland, Michigan. He started with an Azure Percept camera pointed at a bird feeder. That led to a system that turns nonverbal teens hand signs into speech in her mother's voice. It also led to an app that lets former radio DJ Chris Martin speak in his own voice again. Charles shows how each one was built and what went wrong along the way. He also looks at why Microsoft's AI Diffusion Report ranks the US 21st in AI use and shares an app he is building to help prevent drownings on Lake Michigan. Bring questions, he will take them throughout.

**Schedule**
6:00 - 6:30: Social Time
6:30 - 8:00: Featured Presentation

**Sponsors**

* [NIS Technologies](http://www.nistechnologies.com)
* [.NET Foundation](https://dotnetfoundation.org/)

The meetup is open to the public, free to attend, and will be held virtually. https://www.gotomeet.me/NISTechnologies/glug-net

Joe Kunk

Steven Ball

Greater Lansing User Group for .NET Developers (GLUGNET)

.NET Foundation

Virtual meeting hosting and recording services

NIS Technologies

DotNET Foundation

Technology

Mobile Technology

Software Development

New Technology

Personal Development

Computer Programming

Mobile Development

Web Development

Web Technology

Every 3rd Thursday of the month until November 19, 2026

Enterprise Data & AI Leader \| Microsoft MVP in AI \| Strategy\, Governance & Applied AI \| Azure\, Microsoft Foundry\, Fabric & Power BI \| Manufacturing & Automotive

I help organizations turn data and AI into systems that people can use, trust, and manage.

My background combines hands-on technology work with more than 20 years of experience in engineering, data, manufacturing, sourcing, and product delivery. I work at the level of enterprise strategy and governance, but I am equally comfortable with architecture, requirements, data pipelines, retrieval, testing, deployment, and production support.

As founder of SolisMatica (https://www.solismatia.com), I help manufacturers, civic institutions, talent organizations, and other enterprises adopt AI and analytics. I build solutions using Azure OpenAI, Azure AI Search, Microsoft Foundry, Microsoft Fabric, Power BI, Python, and SQL. My work includes retrieval-augmented generation, document processing, enterprise search, AI agents, MCP servers, APIs, semantic models, and executive reporting.

I also help leaders address the questions that follow a successful prototype: Who is accountable? What information can the system access? How will its output be evaluated? Where is human judgment required? How will employees use it, and how will the organization measure value? My governance work draws on the NIST AI Risk Management Framework and practical experience introducing AI responsibly.

Before SolisMatica, I led business intelligence and project management at National Bulk Equipment. I built a Power BI environment that brought data from five operational databases into a shared view of projects, manufacturing, quality, financial performance, and business priorities.

Earlier in my career, I led engineering and product programs in automotive and digital printing. I supported vehicle technology programs for Honda, Acura, Toyota, and Mazda programs involving telematics, diagnostics, navigation, hands-free systems, and voice recognition. I worked directly with Mazda teams during three assignments in Hiroshima and supported the systems engineering organization for Mazda’s global Connectivity Master Unit program.

I have led teams of more than 30 engineers, managed budgets exceeding $3 million, and negotiated within a sourcing portfolio of more than $50 million.

I am a five-time Microsoft MVP in AI. I hold an electrical engineering degree from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and a graduate business degree from Purdue University.

The common thread throughout my career is simple: I bring people, technology, and business needs together to turn complicated ideas into systems that work.

Greater Lansing User Group for .NET Developers (GLUGNET)

NIS Technologies

DotNET Foundation

Giving People a Voice with AI and Why the US Ranks 21st in AI by Charles Elwood

Greater Lansing User Group for .NET Developers (GLUGNET)

Details

Sponsors

NIS Technologies

DotNET Foundation

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