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Megan Smith
Drive innovation in the workplace and gain insights into the future of technology and politics with Megan Smith, speaker, award-winning tech entrepreneur, and former U.S. Chief Technology Officer.
Megan Smith is an award-winning tech entrepreneur, engineer, and evangelist. She served as the third U.S. Chief Technology Officer and played a key role in utilizing technology and data to address various issues, from economic growth to criminal justice reform. Smith recruited top tech talent to work across different government positions and collaborated on initiatives like TechHire and Computer Science for All. Prior to her role as U.S. CTO, she held a vice president position at Google, where she managed partnerships and led acquisitions of Google Earth and Google Maps. Smith also served as CEO of PlanetOut, an online LGBTQ community, and worked on early smartphone technologies at General Magic and Apple Japan. She currently sits on the boards of MIT and the MIT Media Lab. Smith holds a bachelor's and master's degree in mechanical engineering from MIT. Her speaking topics include innovation in the workplace, technology, politics, and pride.
Topics, sessions and talks
Megan Smith, the former U.S. Chief Technology Officer, delves into the convergence of technology, policy, and social change. Leveraging her extensive background, spanning from Google to government, she imparts valuable insights on fostering innovation and inclusivity within the tech industry. Discover the power of strategic technology integration in addressing intricate societal issues.
Can we scout and scale technology solutions to the biggest challenges our society faces using the venture capitalist model? Can We capacity build the American people? Megan Smith Argues that we can—in fact, she shows that we already are. At Google, General Magic, and Apple Japan, she brought deeply cross-functional teams together to solve significant challenges. Smith adopted that same approach in the federal government, identifying patterns and best practices that are making a difference in towns and cities across the United States, and then exploring how to reproduce them in other parts of the country. From retraining and building confidence in their colleagues in Eastern Kentucky to reducing prison populations in Miami-Dade County, Smith’s examples will illustrate how your organization can identify what’s already working and how best to replicate that success.
Megan Smith believes that, in order to fully unleash your organization’s economic potential and competitiveness, you have to include a broader team in problem-solving. She refutes the notion that diverse voices haven’t always been part of the story, pointing to significant contributors from America’s “missing history.” Smith also explains how we can move much faster to retain and recruit inclusive teams, mitigate unconscious and institutional biases, and foster “ecosystem thinking”—bringing more people to the table, inspiring creative confidence, and solving our biggest problems.
Megan brings a wealth of experience from her tenure as the U.S. Chief Technology Officer and her leadership roles at Google and PlanetOut, offering unparalleled insights into innovation, technology, and diversity. Her track record of fostering collaboration and driving significant tech initiatives, like TechHire and Computer Science for All, showcases her ability to inspire and enact change. Booking Megan as a speaker will empower your team or business with actionable strategies for leveraging technology to solve complex challenges and promote inclusivity.
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frequently asked questions
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Megan Smith uses a pattern-identification and replication framework, drawing on case studies from her time at Google and in federal government to show how proven solutions — such as workforce retraining in Eastern Kentucky and prison population reduction in Miami-Dade County — can be reproduced across different organisations and regions.
Megan Smith speaks on the convergence of technology, policy and social change, scaling innovation to address societal challenges, and building inclusive and high-impact workforces. She served as the third U.S. Chief Technology Officer, prior to which she was Vice President at Google, where she led the acquisitions of Google Earth and Google Maps.
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