Theme: MOONSHOT

Join us for a combination of notable live speakers, TED talk videos, and personal interaction, to create a space for open exchange of ideas in our own community. With different meanings in a multitude of fields, Moonshot represents the idea of accomplishing goals by “shooting for the moon” and building on teamwork and dedication to achieve the task. It also emphasizes that the destination is not the most integral component of accomplishing your goals, but the knowledge learned and the experiences gained are. At this year’s conference, we hope to discover deeper how “Moonshot” plays into fields of Technology, Entertainment, and Design.

4069 Spokane Ln
Seattle, Washington, 98105
United States

Andrea Weatherhead

Andrea has created award winning immersive environments for many museums across the country including the Experience Music Project (now called MoPOP) and the Museum of History & Industry in Seattle. Her visionary educational and interactive exhibit environments have earned her numerous awards. Andrea was featured as the “woman to watch out for in technology in the 21st century” by Seattle Magazine and was cited as “one of Seattle’s 36 most influential people” by Seattle Met Magazine.

Ansel Santosa

Ansel Santosa graduated from the University of Washington Information School in 2013 where he now serves as an advisory board member. He has worked at a number of startups over his career, and though most of them failed, they were valuable learning experiences. He now works as a software engineer and early business validator at Pioneer Square Labs, a local startup studio and seed stage venture fund. Ansel believes that the startup community could be doing more to empower first-time entrepreneurs and is working to help change that.

Fauzia Lala

Fauzia was born and raised in Dubai in an Indian Muslim family and came to the U.S. for college education. She worked at Microsoft for 5 years as a software engineer and moved on to start her own businesses. She has black belts in 2 martial arts: Taekwondo and Arnis, and teaches women’s self-defense classes, which she’s expanding to a second location - UW. She’s also the sole founder of her health product startup which she bootstrapped and achieved a patent for her design. Fauzia is a lifelong learner and in her spare time reads psychology, business or self-growth/spiritual books, trains (workouts), attends personal development classes, takes business courses on Lynda.com, or just cranks it up with friends!

Heather Evans

Dr. Heather D. Evans is a Research Associate and part-time lecturer for the Department of Sociology; Disability Studies Program; and Law, Societies and Justice Department at the University of Washington. She has conducted both statistical analyses and ethnographic fieldwork. Her dissertation examined the paradox of “invisible disability”, focusing on stigma, identity, and the everyday understandings of the law among people who have acquired non-apparent impairment. Heather’s research and teaching revolves around empowering disability identity, understanding processes of social marginalization, and breaking down institutional barriers facing disabled people.

Idzihar Bailey

Izdihar Bailey is a Lobbyist and a former Government Affairs Team member at CAIR-Washington State, America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. As someone who has lived life without Islam and is now empowered by Islam, she believes her life experience allows her to create stronger link of communication with fellow Americans of all faiths and political alignments.

Izdihar Bailey

Izdihar Bailey is a Lobbyist and a former Government Affairs Team member at CAIR-Washington State, America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. As someone who has lived life without Islam and is now empowered by Islam, she believes her life experience allows her to create stronger link of communication with fellow Americans of all faiths and political alignments.

Jeanne Suchodolski

Jeanne C. Suchodolski, Explorer's Club MN '09, is a multifaceted powerhouse of a woman with titles such as engineer, lawyer, pilot, and polar expedition member. She has remained within the technology and aerospace world throughout her career, from working as a rocket engineer at Boeing to acting as patent and corporate counsel for companies such as Boeing, Microsoft, and Honeywell. Jeanne is a multi-year veteran of the United States’ Antarctic Program and wintered-over as the Station Manager of McMurdo Station. She is currently earning an LLM in Space, Cyber and Telecommunications Law.

Jeffery Lew

Jeffery Lew was born and raised in Seattle and graduated from the University of Washington with a BA in marketing. As a proud graduate of Seattle Public Schools (Ingraham High) and a father of three, the problem of school lunch debt and lunch shaming hit close to home for him. Jeff could not fathom students being shamed or going hungry for having lunch debt at their school cafeteria, a situation that children have no control over. In 2017, Jeff began a movement to end lunch shaming and find a permanent solution to the problem. Also known as the "Lunch Dad," Jeff launched a campaign to pay off all the lunch debt in Seattle, Tacoma and Spokane, the three largest school districts in the state of Washington. He has raised over $100,000 to date and is now aiming to pay off the lunch debt for every district in the state. Still, not everyone is aware of school lunch debt and the shaming that stems from it. Jeff is on a mission to raise awareness and find a way to end this practice once and for all.

John Sinclair

From the small town of Twisp, Washington, John Sinclair (also known as Saint Claire) is a rising songwriter, producer, and performer. He started making music when he was eight years old, and at fourteen he composed two symphonies for his local orchestra. His work in singing, writing, producing, and composing for strings has led to recent music collaborations with prominent Seattle musicians, including Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. He composed the string quartet part for Macklemore's “Drug Dealer” and is featured in “Excavate”, among releasing his EPs “The District” and “LO”.

Karen Litfin

Karen Litfin is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Washington, and author of Ozone Discourses; The Greening Sovereignty; and Ecovillages: Lessons for Sustainable Community.

Kristi Straus

Dr. Kristi Straus is a lecturer at the University of Washington Program on the Environment and the recipient of the 2017 University of Washington Distinguished Teaching Award. She is passionate about environmental conservation as well as science and sustainability education.

Sarah Myhre

Dr. Sarah Myhre is a climate and ocean scientist, writer, and leader. She is an uncompromising advocate for a just, equitable, science-informed world. Dr. Myhre uses ocean sediments and robots on the seafloor to explore Earth history at the University of Washington. She is also a board member of 500 Women Scientists and the Center for Women and Democracy, two feminist organizations building a new generation of public leaders. She was recognized as one of the most influential people of 2017 by Seattle Magazine, and one of the 50 most influential women by Seattle Met. Dr. Myhre is the founder of Rowan Institute, an organization with the goal of redefining the conversation on climate, equity, and human rights.

Stephen Bezruchka

Dr. Stephen Bezruchka is a Senior Lecturer in the Departments of Health Services and Global Health, with degrees from Harvard, Stanford and Johns Hopkins. His courses and research focus on population health and their socioeconomic determinants. Prior to his time at the University of Washington, he spent 30 years as an emergency physician, worked on a myriad of health programs, and trained doctors in remote hospitals in Nepal. Throughout his career, he has continued to be involved with international health issues.

Tyler Valentine

Tyler is studying Earth and Space Sciences at University of Washington, with minors in Philosophy and Physics. He researches extraterrestrial water extraction with the Applied Physics Laboratory. He also values public engagement about science issues, speaking at events like the Seattle March for Science.