AWS Public Sector Blog

Announcing the speakers at AWS IMAGINE Nonprofit Online 2020

IMAGINE Nonprofit Online Conference October 28 2020

At Amazon Web Services (AWS) IMAGINE: Nonprofit Online, starting at 11:00 AM EDT on October 28, 2020, dive deep into the intersections of social impact and cloud computing technology, delivered through the voice of nonprofits. Register now for the virtual event.

After a welcome address by Dave Levy, vice president of nonprofits and U.S. government at AWS, six nonprofits will share their stories of how their mission outcomes and technology come together for impact.

Who are some of these exciting speakers?

Orange County United Way

Chief transformation officer of Orange County United Way (UWOC) Chris Ticknor will share how UWOC took action during the COVID-19 pandemic to digitize a manual intake process to relieve their inundated call center, and also help community members on the brink of homelessness to quickly apply for and receive financial assistance. In his talk “Program transformation and efficient execution with simple, digital tools,” he will discuss the impact made by using cloud technology, including how they have streamlined donor reporting and their plans to utilize it to tackle new challenges. Get inspired to transform manual processes with simple, digital tools you can deploy quickly and flexibly to meet the evolving needs of your mission and communities.

Atma Connect

Founder and chief executive officer at Atma Connect, Meena Palaniappan, will discuss how in an age of increasing disasters, it is more critical than ever to build up community resilience particularly for vulnerable populations. In her talk “Peer-to-peer communication and resilient communities,” Meena will share the vision that drove the development of the AtmaGo mobile application, how it has evolved to be responsive to community needs, and how this technology has helped amplify the ingeniousness of people in these communities. Join this session to understand effective approaches in technology use to help communities during challenging times.

The Nature Conservancy

Geospatial information officer at The Nature Conservancy, Zach Ferdaña, will discuss their enterprise cloud migration, how it is helping them capitalize on their data investments, and the ways these insights are evolving how they do their work on the ground. In “Advancing conservation through digital transformation,” Zach will share how their approach to centralizing geospatial data and working across a federated, cloud-based information system helps drive conservation actions. Learn how to breakdown information silos in your organization, identify approaches to setting up systems for success, and plan to start an enterprise-wide digital transformation initiative.

Kiva

Chief strategy officer of Kiva, Matthew Davie, is focused on the organization’s mission to enable a financially inclusive world where all people hold the power to improve their lives. Today, more than one billion adults are excluded from the formal financial sector, blocking their ability to access basic financial services and forcing communities to operate in cash-only economies. In “Emerging technologies for social impact: How digital identity is driving financial inclusion,” he shares Kiva’s experiences developing and deploying blockchain technologies to address one of the systemic barriers to financial inclusion: lack of verifiable identity. Discover how you can find mission-aligned opportunities to address complex problems at scale.

Viamo

Co-founder and chief technology officer of Viamo, Mark Boots, will share how they are using technology to ensure the information age reaches all people and that individuals have a voice in how development programs can best impact their communities. In “High tech solutions in low tech environments,” he will share stories of impact and how their digital communications strategy proved to be a crucial tool in educating communities during COVID-19. Get inspired to think of new ways your organization can turn challenges into opportunity as you deliver on your mission in a virtual world.

EB Research Partnership (EBRP)

EB Research Partnership (EBRP) is the largest nonprofit focused on funding research aimed at treating and ultimately curing Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB), a group of devastating and life-threatening skin disorders that affect children from birth. In a fireside chat, EBRPEB Research Partnership’s (EBRP)’s chief executive officer Michael Hund and founder and vice chairman, Jill Vedder, will share with Dave Levy how their organization is innovating with technology, the philosophy behind their unique funding model, and their bold vision for a world without Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB).


Don’t forget to check out the closing fireside chat “Taking action: Women of color in tech” with founder and CEO of Black Girls CODE, Kimberly Bryant, and CTO of Amazon, Werner Vogels. Also sign up for one of four interactive Ask the Experts concurrent sessions during the event.

Learn more about these talks, the speakers, this event, and register on the AWS IMAGINE Nonprofit Online website.

David Keogh

David Keogh

David Keogh is general manager of nonprofit business and social impact at Amazon Web Services (AWS), where he leads a team helping tens of thousands of nonprofits use cloud technology to increase their impact, serve their missions, and achieve their goals. A proven executive leader, Keogh has over 30 years of experience in the nonprofit social impact sector and commercial business, where he has built strategic partnerships with governments, corporations, and international NGOs in more than a dozen countries. Prior to joining AWS, he was CEO at the Center for Infectious Disease Research (CIDR), an independent research institute working on vaccines, drugs and diagnostics for diseases of the developing world. Keogh has also served as director at Global Good, a collaborative effort between Bill Gates and Intellectual Ventures addressing global health and global development challenges, and as director at the Grameen Technology Center, a global nonprofit bringing innovative and sustainable solutions to the fight against hunger and poverty. David holds an MBA from Nova Southeastern University, and a Bachelors of Engineering from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.