Curious about where a career in artificial intelligence can take you? Join an inspiring panel discussion on Monday, November 17, 2025, at 5–6 p.m. CST where AI experts and industry leaders share their experiences, advice, and insights on mentorship, professional growth, and the future of work in AI. Whether you’re an undergraduate discovering your interests or a graduate student mapping your career path, this session will help you connect your academic experience to real-world opportunities.
Topics will include:
- Navigating the diverse career paths available in artificial intelligence and data science
- Finding and building meaningful mentorship relationships in the AI community
- Developing the technical and soft skills that make you stand out in a competitive field
- Translating classroom learning and research into practical, impactful AI projects
This virtual event is free to attend, but registration is required.
Welcome
Erika C. Burt
Assistant Dean of Professional and Academic Programs
Illinois Tech, College of Computing
Erika C. Burt is assistant dean of professional academic programs at Illinois Tech’s College of Computing, with more than 20 years of experience in higher education and nonprofit leadership. She leads initiatives to advance undergraduate and graduate programs, expand online learning, and strengthen strategic partnerships. Her expertise includes strategic planning, curriculum design, faculty and staff development, and large-scale program implementation. Throughout her career, Burt has collaborated with executive leaders and managed grant teams to secure more than $18 million in funding for STEM education initiatives. She also serves on multiple institutional and professional boards, advocating for teacher leadership and equitable access to STEM and post-secondary education. Burt holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership from Concordia University Chicago, an M.A.T. from Chicago State University, and an M.Div. from North Park Theological Seminary.
Moderator
Nicole Beebe
Dean and Professor of Information Technology and Management
Illinois Tech, College of Computing
Nicole L. Beebe is dean of the College of Computing at Illinois Tech. With more than 25 years of experience across academia, industry, and government—including 12 years in the Unites States Air Force—she is a recognized leader in cybersecurity and computing education. Before joining Illinois Tech, she served as assistant vice president for research, the Melvin Lachman Endowed Chair, and professor of information systems and cybersecurity at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Beebe has secured more than $14 million in research funding and published nearly 60 peer-reviewed works cited more than 2,700 times. Her research focuses on cybersecurity, cyber analytics, and digital forensics. She holds a Ph.D. in Business Administration (Information Technology) from UTSA, an M.S. in Criminal Justice from Georgia State University, and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Michigan Technological University.
Panelists
Justin Greis
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Acceligence
Justin Greis is the Founder and CEO of Acceligence, an AI-powered management consulting firm specializing in technology, cybersecurity, risk, and strategy. He helps executives and boards of leading organizations optimize technology investments and transform risk into competitive advantage. Previously, he led McKinsey & Company’s North America Cybersecurity Practice and held senior leadership roles at EY, Protiviti, and several technology ventures. A former faculty member at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, Greis is a frequent speaker and author on technology strategy and cybersecurity. Greis is the chair of the audit and risk committee of the board at Ravinia, where he also serves on the executive committee. He also serves on the board of the Kelley School of Business and chairs the dean’s AI roundtable, advising on AI strategy and emerging technology issues. He holds a B.S. and MBA from Indiana University, an executive certificate from Harvard Business School, and numerous professional certifications.
Paige Kinsley
Argonne Leadership Computing Facility Education Outreach Lead
Argonne National Laboratory
Paige Kinsley is the education outreach lead for the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility (ALCF), at the United States Department of Energy Argonne National Laboratory. She assists ALCF staff in the development and facilitation of training and outreach activities across the facility, as well as acting as the central point for all education, outreach, and training activities for the ALCF. She is committed to engaging under-resourced populations in STEM and increasing access to resources and knowledge about the power of science and high-performance computing. Kinsley received her Ph.D. in chemistry from University of Wisconsin – Madison and holds a B.S. in chemistry and B.A. in Chinese language from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Arpit Gangrade
Director of Data & AI Engineering
CCC Intelligent Solutions
Arpit Gangrade is the Director of Data & AI Engineering with more than 15 years of experience in software and cloud infrastructure development and more than five years leading end-to-end AI/ML initiatives. He specializes in transforming research into scalable enterprise applications, overseeing the full data science lifecycle—from data wrangling and model evaluation to deployment and customer analytics—and developing data annotation systems, model evaluation frameworks, and visualization dashboards.