Panel of experts discuss AI live

Come help us launch Open Source AI Collective with a panel of speakers discussing a variety of topics around open-source and AI, why it matters, and how to get involved.

Whether you’re deeply technical or just AI-curious, you’ll be in great company.

🕕 Event Schedule

5:45 – 6:00 PM | Arrival & Networking
Check in, meet fellow engineers, founders, AI practitioners, and tech enthusiasts from the community.
Water will be available at the event.
(No food or additional beverages will be served during the panel portion of the evening.)

6:05 PM | Welcome & Opening Remarks
We’ll kick off promptly with a short welcome and overview of the Open-Source AI Collective and what we hope to build together.

6:10 PM | Meet the Panelists
Each panelist will briefly introduce themselves, share their background, and talk about their work in AI and open source. This will set the stage for the discussion to follow.

🎙️ Panel Discussion
~6:30 – 7:15/7:30 PM
Our moderator will guide a live discussion with the panel around several key questions.
Expect an honest, practical, and engaging conversation.

🎤 Audience Q&A
~7:15/7:30 – 7:50 PM
You’ll have the opportunity to ask questions directly to the panelists. Bring your curiosity!

🤝 Closing & Optional Social Time
7:50 – 8:00 PM | Closing Remarks & Final Connections

8:00 PM | Event Concludes at the Venue
For those who would like to continue the conversation, we’ll be heading to a nearby bar afterward for an informal, optional happy hour.

🍻 Optional Post-Event Happy Hour
Buca di Beppo (bar area)
Beer, wine and light appetizers will be provided by Vaco, cocktails and additional food can be purchased on site but will not be covered in the event package.

Our panel consists of the following:

John Akred
John Akred is a longtime open-source contributor and machine-learning leader whose interests in language, learning systems, and probabilistic models date back to the early 2000s. Formerly CTO and co-founder of Silicon Valley Data Science, he later joined Apple, where he worked on algorithms and ML initiatives within Apple Ads, bringing deep experience across research, open systems, and applied ML.

Shane Lewin
Shane Lewin is Vice President of AI & Machine Learning at GSK, where he built and scaled the company’s AI organization from a small team into a ~200-person group driving ML-powered drug discovery. His work spans active learning, biological foundation models, and LLM-based agent systems, informed by prior roles at Microsoft, Netflix, and multiple startups — and he may soon be channeling that experience into a new oncology-focused venture.

Nate McCall
Nate McCall has deep roots in open-source and distributed systems, from early leadership in Apache Cassandra to his current work on AI infrastructure at IBM. His career reflects a consistent focus on building community-driven software that successfully operates at production scale.

Aaron Cordova
Aaron Cordova is a computer scientist, entrepreneur, and open-source founder best known for creating Apache Accumulo and later co-founding Koverse, which was acquired after supporting large-scale data and AI systems in production. His work bridges distributed systems, AI infrastructure, and practical system design, with a focus on aligning advanced technology with real-world constraints.

Lena Hall
Lena Hall is an expert in practical AI adoption, data engineering, cloud and pragmatic architecture, driving strategic AI integration at scale combined with extensive experience leading large, high-performing technical teams. Lena is a Senior Director of Developer Relations at Akamai. Prior to that, she worked as Head of Developer Experience, North America at Amazon Web Services, led the Data + AI DevRel at Microsoft, and was a Senior Engineer at Microsoft Research. She helps developers get real results from AI, defining Data + AI strategies, integrating LLMs into complex systems, connecting AI solutions with custom data and business tools, and optimizing outcomes through proven and innovative architectures. Lena has 15+ years of deeply technical background as a solution architect, technical leader in large-scale data, analytics, machine learning, and cloud computing. She frequently shares practical knowledge on her YouTube channel (youtube.com/@lena-hall) and at industry conferences as an international keynote speaker.

Meet us at Thinkspace in Seattle, 1700 Westlake Avenue North Ste #200