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The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a shared blueprint for the world—for peace and prosperity, for people and the planet, now and into the future. Some amazing strides have been made, especially in the past decade, including significant reductions in extreme poverty, advances in global health through vaccination programs, increased access to clean energy and the promotion of gender equality. And yet, concerns about the stagnant progress toward the SDGs have grown, particularly as the 2030 deadline approaches and new challenges emerge.

The dynamic intersection of education, innovation and sustainability has highlighted how AI and other emerging technologies could play a pivotal role in accelerating SDG achievements. Harvey Mudd College brings together a panel of experts, moderated by President Harriet Nembhard, to discuss their perspectives and insights. The event begins with a reception at 5:15 p.m. followed by the forum discussion at 6 p.m.

Forum Panelists

Shaundra “Shani” B Daily is the Cue Family Professor of the Practice in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Duke University. Her research focuses on the design, implementation and evaluation of technologies, programs and curricula to support inclusive excellences in STEM fields. Her approach focuses on four key strategies: 1) Collecting, analyzing and interpreting data to support insights on best practices in broadening participation, 2) Utilizing technology to support the development of interpersonal skills that will facilitate collaboration in diverse settings, 3) Developing technologies and programs geared towards making computing and engineering accessible, and 4) Mentoring, advising and participating in outreach inside and outside of the university. Daily is co-founder and chief product officer of KidzHack, LLC. She holds a B.S. and M.S. in electrical and computer engineering from the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University–Florida State University College of Engineering and S.M. and PhD degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab.

Accomplished roboticist, entrepreneur and educator Ayanna Howard became dean of The Ohio State University College of Engineering on March 1, 2021. Previously she was chair of the Georgia Institute of Technology School of Interactive Computing in the College of Computing, as well as founder and director of the Human-Automation Systems Lab (HumAnS). Her career spans higher education, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the private sector. Dr. Howard is the founder and president of the board of directors of Zyrobotics, a Georgia Tech spin-off company that develops mobile therapy and educational products for children with special needs. Zyrobotics products are based on Dr. Howard’s research.

Laurie Leshin, director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory since May 2022, is a distinguished geochemist and space scientist with extensive leadership experience in academia and government, including senior NASA positions. Leshin was president of Worcester Polytechnic Institute from 2014 to 2022 and previously served as Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute School of Science dean. At NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center from 2005 to 2008, she served as director of science, then deputy director for science and technology, leading strategy, planning and implementation of more than 50 Earth and space flight projects. In 2010, Leshin became deputy associate administrator of the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters, overseeing future human spaceflight.

Board Director and Senior Advisor Yvonne Wassenaar has 30 years of experience scaling companies globally and driving transformation with technology. She is currently a board member of Arista Networks, Braze, JFrog, Forrester Research, Rubrik and Harvey Mudd College. Wassenaar is also senior advisor in the technology sector for investors and startups. Most recently she served as CEO of Puppet, the development operations platform trusted by enterprises to deliver better software faster. Prior to Puppet, Wassenaar was CEO of Airware, CIO at New Relic and held multiple leadership roles at VMware and Accenture. With many people concerned with how modern technology is used, Wassenaar is championing its use to drive a safer, more efficient and innovative planet.