On April 10th, Dr. Ken Russell participated in the HMG Strategy CIO Summit of America in New York City, where he moderated a forward-looking panel on Reskilling and Upskilling the Tech Workforce for the GenAI-Enabled Enterprise. The panel featured distinguished voices in tech leadership such as  Tony Leng, Jesse Reich, and Andrew Bauer.

The discussion addressed the pressing GenAI skills gap and offered practical strategies for cultivating a high-performance culture in an era of rapid innovation. Dr. Russell and his panel shared insights on how organizations can prepare their teams to adapt, evolve, and thrive in a landscape increasingly shaped by generative AI.

Key themes throughout the Summit included:

• Co-creation and adaptability: Andrea Markstrom emphasized the importance of "co-creating and understanding together," along with "being ready" for the "art of what's possible."

• Continuous learning: Reju George reminded attendees that “unlearning so you can relearn” is crucial in leveraging the collective intelligence of an organization.

• AI literacy and skepticism: Dr. Seth Dobrin warned against "AI washing" and encouraged thoughtful engagement with AI technologies.

• The importance of skills over fear: Michael Kempe made it plain: “AI won’t take your job—someone with AI skills will.”

Dr. Ken Russell made a stop in Houston on February 21st to speak with students and faculty from the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at the University of Houston, and the visit didn’t disappoint.

His talk, titled “A Skill to Offer,” dove into a big question: what does it really take to succeed as a scientist today? In a world that’s moving fast with AI, tech, and constant change, Dr. Russell encouraged students to think beyond just technical skills. He described the “Meaningful Scientist” as someone who’s a lifelong learner, a good listener, and someone who knows how to bring all their skills and experiences to the table, even in unexpected ways.

From tech and energy to bioinformatics and neurodata, he shared stories from his own journey and challenged students to see value in every part of themselves, not just their major or resume.

Afterward, the conversation continued over amazing food at The Original Ninfa’s (because of course it did). A huge thank you to Dr. Shay Curran and the UH CNRG Team for hosting such a thoughtful, energizing visit. Dr. Russell left with great memories and a serious need for a UH t-shirt!

Here’s to more conversations, connections, and future collaborations with UH’s next generation of scientists.