Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy: A Celebration of Douglas Adams, Digital Transformation, and AI

Mr. Sharpe is a long-time Governance, Digital Transformation, and Privacy expert with real-world operational experience. He has run business units and has influenced national policy. He has served on Boards and has advised them. This provides him a pragmatic understanding of the delicate balance between Business realities, Cybersecurity, and Operational Effectiveness. He began his career at NSA moving into the Management Consulting ranks building practices at Booz Allen and KPMG. He subsequently co-founded two firms. He participated in over 20 M&A transactions. He has delivered to clients in over 20 countries on 6 continents. Appearances have included the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Harvard Law School's Forum on Corporate Governance, Johns Hopkins University, ISACA, OneTrust, and Cloud Security Alliance.

Mr. Sharpe regularly writes, teaches, and speaks. Appearances have included the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Harvard Law School's Forum on Corporate Governance, Johns Hopkins University (JHU), ISACA, InfraGard, ASIS, Cloud Security Alliance (CSA), RIMS, and the University of Economics and Business.

As a change management expert, Bill Kirst leads organizations through change with compassion and care. He has worked across a breadth of industries and has helped dozens of clients achieve transformational goals.

Bill’s passion for creativity and innovation runs over into his podcast, Coffee & Change, where his guests share insights on managing change in their daily lives. He’s a creative writer, a storyteller, and a polyglot, having studied six languages during his international travels. He currently resides in Seattle and alongside his work focuses on wellness and mindfulness in his daily life. Bill currently works at Adobe. He is a U.S. Army veteran having served 10 years as a reserve officer in the United States Army. Bill is actively involved in numerous veterans’ programs working with minority veterans and those dealing with PTS. He has a bachelor’s degree from Johns Hopkins University and a master’s degree from Georgetown.

Bill values giving back and to investing in the next generation of leaders and diverse voices. He sits on the Johns Hopkins University Alumni Council & Board and is also a member of the Association of Change Management Professionals.

Kate helps organizations transform interesting ideas into viable businesses. She drives sustainable revenue and customer growth by creating digital products that make a difference in daily life — from protecting personal data with enterprise cybersecurity to saving money with personal finance decision tools to connecting employees with evidence-based behavioral health resources. As both a strategist and operator, Kate is known for uniting disparate ideas and people to bring the right solutions to market.

Kate has worked with organizations such as The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, RetailMeNot, and Bankrate. She holds a BA from Johns Hopkins University and an MBA from Vanderbilt University.

Currently, Efrem is currently the VP of Communication at Thruways, a SaaS company that enables eCommerce businesses to increase revenue with smart data and AI-driven recommendations. Efrem has spent three decades as marketing/communications professional, including serving as CMO for a company in the digital transformation space.  He’s also believed to have been the only CMO in NYC who had also passed four Society of Actuaries Exams. In his spare time, Efrem enjoys singing Tenor in his local Pop/Rock Choir and rooting for the Philadelphia Phillies and Hopkins Blue Jays from afar.