000 days 00 hours 00 minutes 00 seconds
October 11, 2024
About the 2024 Tech Talent Conference
At the Minnesota Technology Association, we understand that the future of technology in our state relies on the strength and innovation of its people. Our flagship Talent event, the Tech Talent Conference, aims to elevate how we inspire, hire, develop, and retain top tech talent.
Join us on Friday, October 11th, at Best Buy HQ for a day of immersive learning, workforce innovation, and strategic insight. Tech Talent brings together leaders, innovators, and strategists from industry, workforce agencies, educational institutions, and nonprofits. Together, we will explore the evolving tech talent landscape and collaborate on strategies to strengthen and diversify our tech talent ecosystem.
Featuring a Keynote Presentation From Harvard Professor Joseph Fuller
"Technology & the Workforce in the Post-Covid, Generative AI Era"
Joe Fuller is a Professor of Management Practice at Harvard Business School and co-leads the Managing the Future of Work project, where his team pursues research that business and policy leaders can put into action to navigate this complex landscape. The project’s current research areas focus on six forces that are redefining the nature of work including technology trends like artificial intelligence and automation, contingent workforces, skills-based hiring, and more. A 1981 graduate of HBS, Joe was a founder and first employee of the global consulting firm, Monitor Group, now Monitor-Deloitte. He served as the Chief Executive Officer of its commercial consulting operations until 2006 and remained a Senior Advisor to the firm until its acquisition by Deloitte in 2012. During his three decades in consulting, Joe worked with senior executives and policymakers on a wide variety of issues related to corporate strategy and national competitiveness. He has particularly deep experience in industries with a heavy reliance on technology, such as life sciences, ICT and the defense and aerospace industries. He is currently researching the evolution of the role of CEOs and the C-suite in public companies.
Conference Agenda
8:00 - 9:00 a.m.
Networking & Exhibitor Engagement
9:00 - 10:15 a.m.
Opening Remarks
JEFF TOLLEFSON
President & CEO
Minnesota Technology Association
MEGHAN CONDON
SVP of Digital Transformation
Best Buy
Minnesota - The State of Tech Talent
News of layoffs and an increasingly tight job market for tech workers has been widespread, and indeed, tech employment has declined moderately in Minnesota from its all-time peak in 2023. Even so, over 111,500 people currently work in tech careers in Minnesota, and an estimated 39,000 new tech professionals will be needed to meet growth and replacement demand needs by 2029. Erin Olson and Catherine Jett of RealTime Talent will highlight where high demand has persisted in tech careers, the nuances of Minnesota’s tech talent landscape, and the skill profile of entry-level opportunities in demand.
ERIN OLSON
Senior Director of Strategic Research
RealTime Talent
CATHERINE JETT
Research Strategist
RealTime Talent
Keynote - Technology & the Workforce in the Post-Covid, Generative AI Era
JOSEPH FULLER
Professor of Management Practice
Harvard Business School
10:15 - 11:00 a.m.
The Hiring Manager's Playbook: Tactics for Exceptional Talent Acquisition
Get ready to attract top-tier talent with strategies tailored for today’s competitive market. This session explores how AI is transforming recruitment and offers practical tactics for hiring managers to enhance engagement, responsiveness, and effectiveness, even with leaner teams. Learn innovative ways to showcase your team’s strengths and position your organization as the top choice for candidates. Don’t miss this chance to elevate your hiring approach and secure the best talent.
PAUL DEBETTIGNIES
Founder
Minnesota Talent Leaders
DAVE ELLISTON
Talent Leader & Recruiter
Modern Apprenticeships in Technology
This session will explore the growing number of professional apprenticeships through the lens of several companies in the Twin Cities. Expect both an overview of how an apprenticeship program can work in the technology space as well as a “real-talk” panel discussion covering a wide range of topics related to the benefits (and how to overcome the challenges) of an apprenticeship program.
ALEX CRISTAN
Manager, North American Future Talent (Core Apprentice Team)
Accenture
SCOTT CUMMINGS
Minnesota Market Lead & MN Apprenticeship Network Co-Lead
Accenture
TIM BORGEN
Director, Strategic Enterprise and Technical Learning Programs
Xcel Energy
PATRICK BOLT
Bühler Apprentice Academy Manager
Bühler Inc.
Dave Swenson
Vice President, Senior Group Application Manager
US Bank
Young Adults Co-Designing Transformational Experiences
This session builds on last year’s presentation, “Understanding the Youth Perspective within our Talent Pipeline,” and offers an in-depth update on the progress made. Presenters will showcase how young adults co-designed two transformational initiatives and are actively involved in piloting them. The session will begin with an overview of research and prioritization efforts, followed by detailed presentations on the two concepts—Co-Lab and DYF. Attendees will also receive a recap of the Co-Lab pilot, along with insights on the next steps and opportunities for engagement.
Participants will have the chance to brainstorm in a breakout session, focusing on how employers can engage with these concepts and scale them across Minnesota. By the end of the session, attendees will have a deeper understanding of how to enhance youth engagement, particularly among Black youth, how to collaborate with community-based organizations to better serve young adults, and how businesses can leverage insights from the pilot to contribute to future scaling efforts.
HEIDI JOHNSON
Chief of Staff
ECMC Group
IEESHA MCKINZIE COLLINS
Managing Director
GREATER MSP Partnership
RACHEL GROSSKURTH
Youth Program Director
Hired
ANN ANDERSON
Youth Advisor, Co-Lab Attendee
JALIN ARCHIE
Youth Advisor, Co-Lab Attendee
Post-Keynote Executive Roundtable
Joe Fuller will lead a small group discussion with an invited group of HR and tech executive leaders where he will provide additional insights and perspectives on the work being done at the Managing the Future of Work initiative at Harvard Business School, address questions about his keynote presentation, and other topics of interest.
JOSEPH B. FULLER
Professor of Management Practice
Harvard Business School
JEFF TOLLEFSON
President & CEO
Minnesota Technology Association
11:00 - 11:15 a.m.
Networking & Exhibitor Engagement
11:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Building Bridges: STEM & Industry Collaborations to Inspire Future Talent
Featuring an exciting panel discussion, this session will bring together leading STEM leaders to showcase their initiatives to support and inspire the upcoming generation of tech talent. Panelists will not only share their successes but also offer valuable strategies for engagement, while shedding light on a myriad of opportunities for active participation.
ROB WARLAND
Executive Director
createMPLS
ABDI MOHAMED
Founder/Lead IT Instructor
IT Metrohub
MARIA VITTONE
Director, University & Workforce Partnerships
North Hennepin Community College
CHERYL MOELLER
Executive Director
High Tech Kids
ISMAIL ALI
Director of Talent Initiatives
Minnesota Technology Association
Smart Hiring: Leveraging Talent Providers to Reduce Risk & Increase Time to Independence
This session will explore how organizations can strategically partner with talent providers to streamline their hiring processes. Featuring experts from companies that specialize in recruiting, training, and placing talent on a contract-to-hire basis, this session will provide insights into reducing the risks associated with traditional hiring. Attendees will learn how these partnerships can accelerate time-to-independence for new hires, ensuring that they quickly become productive contributors while allowing businesses to assess fit before making long-term commitments.
SILVIA HINTON
President
Hinton Consulting
KEVIN ERICKSON
Regional Vice President
Horizontal Talent
EMILY BALFOUR
VP of Technology Solutions
York Solutions
KELLY CALENDINE
Client Director
Dev10
Tapping Into the Non-Traditional Talent Pipeline
Hosted by Prime Digital Academy & Summit Academy OIC, you will learn about the amazing talent coming out of their organizations and how you can proactively work to build nontraditional talent pipelines within your organization! You will hear the journeys of nontraditional tech talent and explore innovative strategies and best practices for accessing and integrating non-traditional talent into your organization. You’ll gain insights into overcoming challenges and fostering an inclusive workplace culture.
AMANDA HARDY
Employer Engagement Manager
Summit Academy
CHRISTY LARSEN
Director of Employer Partnerships
Prime Digital Academy
KELLY DANGER
Software Engineer
Stitch Fix
Beau Zamora
Security Engineer
Ostra Cybersecurity
Navigating the Dual Disruption: AI's Explosive Growth and the Evolution of the Tech Workforce
The technology landscape is undergoing a seismic shift, driven by two converging forces: the rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the rise of generative AI (GenAI) tools for coding. These changes are not just incremental; they are fundamentally reshaping how we approach science, engineering, and software development, with far-reaching implications for both industry and academia. In this workshop, our speakers will engage in a facilitated discussion around these two transformative trends: the explosion of AI and the evolution of the tech workforce through GenAI tools.
ALICIA HENDERSON
Senior Director of Technology
Target
RAMA KULASEKARAN
Head of Engineering
Optum
BRYAN LINDSLEY
RealTime Talent
12:00 - 1:00 p.m.
Lunch, Networking, & Exhibitor Engagement
1:00 - 1:45 p.m.
We Need Help! How to Support CS Education in Minnesota
Join us to support computer science education in Minnesota. We’ll share the latest progress and challenges, and equip you with tools to tell your story, helping to build a network of CS champions in our state. Together, we can drive the change needed to ensure every student is ready to excel in a technology-driven future.
GREG LARSON
Sr. Director Digital Engineering
Target
ALEXANDRA HOLTER
Computer Science Coordinator
Bloomington Public Schools
STEVE BUCHANAN
Principal Program Manager
Microsoft
ANDREA WILSON VAZQUEZ
Computer Science Specialist
MN Department of Education
Harnessing an Equitable Interview Framework to Cultivate High-Quality, Consistent Teams
This session explores the critical role of implementing an equitable interview framework in ensuring uniform excellence in hiring practices. By establishing organizational standards, enhancing the candidate experience, and mitigating unconscious bias, this framework leads to higher-quality and more consistent hiring outcomes. Participants will learn how to apply consistent criteria to improve the quality of hires, establish consistency across the organization, and make data-driven decisions. The session also covers the scalability of such frameworks, ensuring they can grow with the organization while maintaining quality. The discussion will conclude with actionable steps, including establishing a timeline for campus recruiting to enhance transparency for candidates.
KRISTI SARLES
Recruiting Director
Turnberry/Crew
HANNAH BRENWALL
Campus Recruiting Manager
Turnberry/Crew
Partner, Pilot, Produce: Upskilling Your Organization in GenAI
Join us for a presentation tailored to tech talent professionals, tech professionals, and leaders focused on driving GenAI learning initiatives. This session will provide strategies to effectively engage stakeholders, pilot GenAI learning programs such as GitHub Copilot, and develop Learning Paths that empower your teams to use and build with GenAI. Gain actionable insights into creating the supportive learning ecosystem needed to drive GenAI adoption and an overall culture of continuous innovation and experimentation within your organization.
JADE DENSON
Director, Tech (Talent + Engagement)
Target
BIANCA DUBOSE
Lead Tech Operations Program Manager
Target
SAMANTHA FRITSCHE
Senior Tech Operations Program Manager
Target
The Changing Landscape of DEI
Tawanna Black of the Center for Economic Inclusion and Living Truth Enterprises, Inc. will host a discussion with James Pierce of Minnesota Diversified Industries about the ways companies are maximizing purpose and profit by deepening diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. As sentiment and investments in DEI shift, organizations are re-evaluating their approaches to fostering inclusive cultures and equitable practices. Tawanna and James will discuss current trends, challenges, and opportunities in DEI efforts, including how businesses can adapt to changing expectations from employees, customers, and stakeholders. Attendees will gain practical insights on how to sustain meaningful DEI initiatives in today’s dynamic corporate environment.
TAWANNA BLACK
Founder & CEO
Center for Economic Inclusion
James Pierce
CIO
Minnesota Diversified Industries
1:45 - 2:00 p.m.
Networking & Exhibitor Engagement
2:00 - 2:45 p.m.
Executive Panel Discussion
TAREK TOMES
Commissioner
Minnesota IT Services
FRANCOIS CHARETTE
Chief Information Officer
Optum Insight
MELISSA FLICEK
Chief Information Officer
Blue Cross Blue Shield of MN
BRIAN TILZER
Chief Digital, Analytics, & Technology Officer
Best Buy
Transportation & Parking
Please Park at the Knox Parking Ramp
The ramp is located just south of Knox Avenue and W 7th St.