Program

Summit

TIME

Click on an individual session to learn more about the speaker and topic.

8:45 - 9:05

Welcome and Kickoff, Sanjiv Augustine and the LitheSpeed Team

To open the 2026 Global Agility + Innovation Summit, Sanjiv Augustine sets the stage for this year’s theme, Adaptive Leadership in an AI-Driven World. In this keynote, Sanjiv explores how accelerating AI capabilities are reshaping decision-making, value creation, and leadership itself, and why traditional management models are no longer enough. Drawing on real-world experience, he challenges leaders to rethink how they sense change, empower teams, and adapt continuously in the face of uncertainty, offering a clear context for the conversations and insights that will unfold throughout the summit.

9:10 - 9:45

From Potential to Power: Harnessing the AI Revolution to Transform and Lead

Keynote Abstract:

The future isn’t waiting—it’s already here. In 2025, artificial intelligence is no longer just a buzzword – it’s the most powerful catalyst for transformation in our personal and professional lives. But, to unlock its full potential, you must make the leap.

In this electrifying and thought provoking keynote, we’ll explore what it means to become a “Leaper”—those bold individuals who move beyond curiosity and experimentation with AI to fully integrate it into their workflows, redefining what’s possible in their projects, their roles, and their organizations. This isn’t just about adopting tools; it’s about embracing a mindset shift that positions you at the forefront of innovation and leadership.

Together, we’ll break down the Five Transformations of AI: how it can revolutionize your work, elevate your projects, empower your organization, reshape your mindset, and ultimately transform you. You’ll learn how to overcome hesitation, sidestep fear, and harness the opportunities AI offers to not only keep pace with change but to lead it.

Through real-world success stories, actionable strategies, and a roadmap for sustainable AI integration, this keynote will both inspire and equip you to take the leap. The age of possibilities is here and this is your year to step forward, lead boldly, and redefine what’s achievable.

Are you ready to leap? Let’s transform together.

Key Takeaways:

Unlocking the Five Transformations of AI: work, projects, organization, mindset, and self
How to move from “keeping up” to leading with AI
Overcoming fear, uncertainty, and doubt in the face of change
A proven formula for AI success in 2025 and beyond

Speaker: Kathleen Walch

Kathleen Walch is Director of AI Engagement and Community at Project Management Institute (PMI), where she focuses on advancing practical, responsible AI adoption across the project management profession. In this role, Kathleen works at the intersection of education, community, and real‑world practice to help professionals confidently lead AI‑enabled initiatives.

Kathleen joins PMI from the Cognilytica acquisition. At Cognilytica, Kathleen co-developed the Cognitive Project Management for AI (CPMAI) methodology that is in use by Fortune 1000 firms and government agencies worldwide to successfully run and manage their AI and advanced data projects. Adopted by dozens of multinational
organizations, dozens of government agencies, and NGOs, CPMAI is quickly becoming the standard methodology for AI project management best practices. Kathleen is CPMAI+E Certified.

As an experienced data-focused analyst with a background in marketing, Kathleen’s expertise and experience in project management issues around organizational adoption of data led to the development of the CPMAI methodology. Kathleen is a dynamic presenter, researcher and thought leader on emerging technology best practices. She is a sought-after keynoter and presenter speaking to audiences worldwide. Kathleen is also the host of the AI Today podcast and a frequent contributor to publications including CIO, Fortune, Forbes, and TechTarget SearchAI.

Prior to her work at Cognilytica, Kathleen helped to grow TechBreakfast, a national technology-focused innovation demo series. Kathleen founded tech startup-up HourlyBee, an online scheduling system for home services where she quickly became an expert in grassroots marketing, networking, and employee management. Before that, Kathleen was a key part of the direct marketing operation for Harte Hanks managing large scale direct mail campaigns for clients, including Bed Bath and Beyond and
BuyBuyBaby. Managing big data analytics, she created efficiencies in the process saving thousands of dollars and days of processing time from each campaign. Kathleen graduated from Loyola University with a degree in Marketing.

9:50 - 10:15

Building Reliable Agentic Systems Through Context Engineering and Guardrails

Speaker: Carlos Rojas

Global technology executive with 20+ years of experience leading AI-enabled platforms, cloud infrastructure, and engineering organizations at Fortune 100 companies.

Specialized in AI enablement, embedding intelligence into reliability engineering, cloud platforms, and mission-critical systems to improve decision-making.

Recognized for building high-performing teams and delivering solutions that serve 100M+ users worldwide. Co-author of Reliability Engineering in the Cloud and keynote speaker.

10:20 - 10:45

Beyond Agile: Judgement-Centric Management for the AI Era

AI doesn't just accelerate delivery, it accelerates decisions. Recommendations surface faster. Iteration compresses. Decision frequency rises. But exposure doesn't shrink at the same rate: capital stays committed, regulatory cycles stay long, irreversibility stays real. That gap between decision velocity and judgment capacity may be the next source of systemic fragility, and it won't be solved by better process. The Judgment Architecture proposes a shift from process-centric to decision-centric management, where leaders intentionally declare and recalibrate decision posture as exposure shifts. The central construct: organizational judgment muscle, testable, developable, and the missing variable in why enterprises fail to scale adaptive capacity when they need it most.

Speaker: Jim Highsmith

Jim is an industry advisor, having retired as Executive Consultant at
ThoughtWorks, Inc. in 2021. Prior to Thoughtworks, he was Director of Cutter Consortium’s Agile Project Management practice. He has nearly 60 years’ experience as an IT manager, product manager, project manager, consultant, software developer, and storyteller. Jim has been a leader in the agile software development community for the past three decades.

Jim is the author of Wild West to Agile, Addison Wesley (2023), EDGE: Value-driven digital transformation, Addison-Wesley 2020; Adaptive Leadership: Accelerating Enterprise Agility (2014), Agile Project Management: Creating Innovative Products (2009), Adaptive Software Development: A Collaborative Approach to Managing
Complex Systems (2000) and winner of the prestigious Jolt Award, and Agile Software Development Ecosystems, (2002). Jim is the recipient of the 2005 international Stevens Award for outstanding contributions to systems development.

Jim is a coauthor of the Agile Manifesto, a founding member of The Agile Alliance, coauthor of the Declaration of Interdependence for project leaders, and co-founder and first president of the Agile Leadership Network. Jim consulted with Information Technology organizations and software companies worldwide.

10:50 - 11:05

BREAK

11:10 - 11:35

The Intentional Leader's AI Playbook: Building Systems that Serve You

In an age where AI promises to optimize everything, leaders face a paradox: how do we harness AI's power without sacrificing our values and what makes leadership human? We want to optimize our systems, leaving our teams to do the things they do best, but we’re also getting pressure to incorporate AI everywhere to be efficient and beat the competition. This talk introduces a framework for intentional AI adoption, finding tools aligned with your organization's core values and strategic priorities. Drawing on agile principles and real-world case studies, you'll learn how to audit AI opportunities through the lens of intentionality, create guardrails that protect human judgement, and build systems that amplify rather than replace adaptive leadership. Walk away with practical questions to ask before any AI implementation and a roadmap for leading intentionally in an AI-powered world.

Speaker: Amber Field

Amber Field is the Chief Operating Officer at Strudel AI, a Lecturer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and author of the book, Agile Discovery & Delivery: A Survival Guide for New Software Engineers & Tech Entrepreneurs. She has been an executive leader in tech, agile proponent, and engineer for her entire career at a number of organizations including IBM, National Geographic, Oracle Utilities (formerly Opower), Capital One, and Singlewire Software. Amber frequently speaks at conferences and blogs at amberrfield.com. She lives in Madison, WI.

11:40 - 12:25

Adaptive Leadership for Successful Change

Adapting an organization to changes such as those brought on by the rise of AI, requires agile leadership. Agile leaders can adopt a variety of leadership styles in response to the needs of their people, the market, and changing technologies. Are you ready to become an adaptive agile leader?

Chris Sims guides you through the six leadership styles that Daniel Goleman described in his Harvard Business Review Study: "Leadership That Gets Results.” We mix in the Satir Change Model, which describes how people and organizations process their way through change. You’ll work in small groups to synthesize these two models, creating a map for applying differing leadership styles at various points throughout an organizational change. There is no one correct answer. Each group creates a map based on their experience and their organizations. Chris facilitates a final review of the maps created to share insights and create deeper understanding.

Speaker: Chris Sims

Chris Sims is a certified scrum trainer, agile coach, and recovering C++ developer who helps organizations improve their productivity and happiness. Chris is the founder of Agile Learning Labs and the co-author of two best-selling scrum books: The Elements of Scrum and Scrum: a Breathtakingly Brief and Agile Introduction. More of their writing can be found on the Agile Learning Labs blog. Before starting Agile Learning Labs in 2007, Chris made a living in roles such as: scrum master, product owner, engineering manager, project manager, software engineer, musician, and auto mechanic. His full bio is available on the Agile Learning Labs website.

12:25 - 1:25

LUNCH

15-minute Product Theater - Rotational Labs

Title: From AI Pilot to Delivery Confidence: How Project Teams Can Build Governed AI Agents

AI projects do not behave like conventional software projects. Requirements shift as teams learn, outputs are probabilistic, and “done” is rarely the end of the work. For project managers, that creates a familiar but harder version of the challenge they already own: how to keep delivery moving while improving visibility, managing risk, and maintaining stakeholder confidence. The Summit itself reflects this shift, with a strong emphasis on adaptive leadership, enterprise flow, delivery acceleration, and governing AI initiatives that cannot be fully specified upfront.

In this product theatre, Rotational Labs will demo Endeavor, a collaborative workspace for prototyping, evaluating, deploying, and monitoring purpose-built AI agents. Attendees will see how project teams can create more structure around AI delivery with shared experiments, repeatable test cases, human review points, audit trails, and clearer operational visibility. The value for project managers is practical: less chaos in the handoff from idea to execution, faster learning cycles, better governance, and a more credible way to answer the questions every sponsor asks: Is it working? Is it safe? Who approved it? What do we do next?

15-Minute Product Theater - CGI

Title: Leveraging AI to power your VMO

Summary:

Experience CGI Federal’s agentic AI digital workforce—powered by deterministic AI and navigable user interfaces—that connects strategy to execution by transforming fragmented software, and operational artifacts into actionable system intelligence and audit-ready evidence, while connecting ALM tools to tie team execution with program strategy. In this session, we show how it enables a Value Management Office (VMO) with radical transparency—tracking outcomes, ROI, cost, and risk in near real time—so leaders can govern portfolios based on measurable value, not just outputs. We also highlight a system modernization use case: accelerating planning and delivery through automated analysis of legacy applications and environments to reduce tech debt, speed onboarding and transitions, and strengthen cyber mitigation, detection, and remediation. The result is faster decisions, higher throughput, improved compliance readiness, and efficiencies that help maximize taxpayer value.

Speakers:

Teri Musick - With over 16 years serving the federal government sector and more than 25 years of leadership experience in the information technology and telecommunications industries, Teri Musick possesses a wide range of experience providing leadership, program account management, project delivery, Agile Leadership and implementing end-to-end business technology solutions.

As the Director of CGI Federal’s Emerging Technologies Practice Standards and Frameworks team and a strategic advisor for the CGI Federal Agile Center of Excellence, Teri offers comprehensive consulting and solution architecture guidance across all organizational levels, from enterprise leadership to operational teams. Her expertise spans various domains, including federal government solutions, executive leadership and emerging technologies.

Teri's approach to leadership is people- and culture-focused. She leverages her extensive experience to provide a balanced mix of academic knowledge and real-life successes, leading high-performing and motivated teams. She educates colleagues, mentors professionals and develops operating models and strategies tailored to client needs.

1:30 - 2:15

PANEL: Adaptive Leadership for AI Delivery: Managing What You Can’t Fully Specify

AI projects don’t behave like traditional software. Requirements evolve, outcomes are probabilistic, and performance must be managed long after deployment.

Leaders cannot rely on fixed requirements or linear delivery plans. Instead, they must guide teams through cycles of experimentation, evaluation, and refinement while managing stakeholder expectations and avoiding unrealistic promises about what AI can do.

This panel will discuss how adaptive leaders structure AI initiatives, manage uncertainty, ensure responsible governance, and sustain model performance over time, so AI systems deliver trustworthy results and measurable business value.

Moderator: Kathleen Walch

Speakers: Stacey Reinke-Bui, George Fountain, Gilbert Brown and Puneeta Singh

Stacey Reinke-Bui:

Stacey (Hang) Reinke-Bui is a visionary leader at the intersection of Enterprise AI Governance and Strategic Project Management. As a PMI Region 5 Mentor, she orchestrates strategy and operational alignment for 14 chapters across the Mid-Atlantic, representing over 12,000 project professionals.

Stacey is one of only 13 world-wide Subject Matter Experts selected by PMI Global to define and communicate the industry standard for the Certified Professional in Managing AI (CPMAI) credential, directly contributing to the framework that will certify the next generation of AI practitioners. Her current portfolio includes serving as a Global PMIxAI Champion, where she pilots AI adoption strategies and translates complex frameworks—such as Zero Trust Architecture, 7 Patterns of AI and 6 phases of implementation—into actionable enterprise roadmaps.

With a professional background spanning from writing foreign language policy at the Pentagon to leading high-stakes digital transformations for the U.S. Coast Guard, Stacey brings a people first mindset to organizational resilience and adoption. She is currently advancing her expertise in Systems Thinking (STSI) through Cabrera Research Lab (Cornell University), further refining her ability to navigate the path to value and success in complex, high-achieving enterprise environments.

George Fountain:

George Fountain is a veteran U.S. Army officer, IT Project Manager, and AI Readiness Strategist with more than 20 years of experience leading complex technology initiatives across federal and commercial sectors. In 2025, he was recognized as a Black Engineer of the Year at his former firm, Booz Allen, for his leadership and impact in emerging technology delivery.

He is the creator of the StAIR-Ready™ framework, a structured AI readiness model aligned with CPMAI methodology and NIST AI governance principles. Over the course of his career, George has led hundreds of IT projects, including nearly 50 AI-focused initiatives spanning automation, machine learning enablement, and AI-assisted operational workflows.

George also builds and experiments with AI-powered SaaS tools, actively testing practical applications of generative AI in real-world project environments. His work centers on helping PMOs and executive teams move beyond experimentation to disciplined, risk-aware AI adoption—reducing administrative burden, strengthening governance, improving reporting integrity, and identifying risks earlier in the project lifecycle.

His approach is pragmatic and execution-focused. Rather than theoretical transformation narratives, George equips leaders with structured methods to make AI operational, measurable, and governed within the constraints of existing teams and tools.

A member of the PMI Silver Spring, MD Chapter, he is committed to helping today’s project professionals adapt their leadership models to thrive in an AI-driven world.

Gilbert Brown:

Gilbert is a Certified Project Management Professional (PMP©), a PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP©) and a Certified Scrum Master (CSM). He has over 30 years of IT experience in sponsoring, architecting, leading, designing, and implementing projects and products valued at thousands to millions of dollars. He has provided innovative solutions to problems and opportunities spanning Civil Engineering, Data Science, Cloud Computing, Software Architecture, Project Management, Agile Product Management, Cybersecurity, Business Analysis, Software Development, and Database Management Systems.

He has also held many roles as an IT Consultant and Thought Leader across industries, including Engineering, Healthcare, Law Enforcement, Manufacturing, the Department of Defense, Retail, Education, and State and Federal Governments.

Gil’s AI client initiatives involve hands on understanding and delivery detailing the ROI of applying AI to the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) process and Agile, understanding how navigating trust in Agentic AI systems can make or break an autonomous system, current and future hardware advances in AI ASIC hardware industry and is this hype or the real thing when it comes to understanding and implementing the popular OpenClaw agent .

Gil gives back to the Project Management Institute (PMI) by splitting his time between the PMI Baltimore Chapter as a volunteer and has recently completed a successful four-year term as the chapter’s Vice President of Technology. He is also a Carnegie Mellon Robotics Academy and VEX Robotics Systems Certified Robotics Instructor and Mentor for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) initiatives for Elementary, Middle and High School education.

Puneeta Singh:

Puneeta Singh is a technology and transformation executive with over 20 years of experience driving AI-enabled and Agile enterprise modernization. She specializes in helping organizations move from AI experimentation to scalable, governed, and value-driven implementation.

Puneeta has led multiple complex transformation initiatives integrating Agile delivery, governance, and AI across enterprise systems. She has set up innovation management programs, launched AI communities of practice, and delivered AI-enabled modernization using Agile and human-centered design.

A certified PMP, SAFe leader, PROSCI practitioner, and CPMAI credential holder, Puneeta brings a unique ability to connect AI strategy with execution. Her focus is on making AI practical. Not just innovative, but operational. Not just experimental, but scalable.

2:20 - 2:55

An Approach to End-to-End Digital Transformation

Huntington National Bank has an opportunity to evolve how our portfolio of business solutions is funded, prioritized, delivered, and governed, by shifting focus away from ‘project-oriented’ delivery to a ‘product operating model’ through our “Ways of Working” initiative.

The presentation will discuss the major elements of the product operating model, the “Early Adopter Program”, full activation plan, results to date and lessons learned. The model will bring a holistic and consistent approach to the delivery of new customer capabilities across all business segments of the bank.

Speaker: Charlie Kennedy

Charlie is an SVP and the IT Transformation and Delivery Director for Huntington National Bank. Charlie provides transformation leadership to HNB’s “Project to Product” transformation that is deploying a Product Operating Model to achieve greater effectiveness and efficiency in delivery. He also leads the Agile Delivery organization for the Value Management Office.

He has a diverse industry background having served banking, insurance, and retail organizations in his career. Previously, Charlie led multiple agile transformations at both HNB and Nationwide Insurance that resulted in greater delivery velocity, improved cost effectiveness, and the ability of the business to better adapt to market conditions.

3:00-3:10

BREAK

3:15-3:40

From Hype to Help: Leading AI That Actually Delivers

Larry will address how AI is moving beyond the hype phase and into a more practical help phase, where the real focus is on how it can support mission-driven work. The discussion will look at how leaders and organizations can use AI to deliver better outcomes for the people they serve, rather than treating it as a trend or buzzword. It will also explore the importance of clear goals, trustworthy data, responsible guardrails, and human judgment in making AI truly useful. Ultimately, Larry will show how AI can become a tool for mission impact when it is applied with purpose, care, and accountability.

Speaker: Larry Taxson

Lawrence “Larry” Taxson is a seasoned National Security Senior Executive with over 27 years of experience driving digital transformation across both public and private sectors. Throughout his career, Larry has focused on solving complex technical problems that directly impact mission success, bridging the gap between business objectives and digital innovation. His passion lies in driving digital evolution through the integration of technology, strategy and collaboration. With advanced training in both business and technology, Larry brings a unique blend of strategic and tactical perspectives to every challenge, enabling organization to thrive in an era where digital readiness is paramount to mission success.

Currently, Larry serves as the Capabilities Delivery Executive, within the Directorate of Digital Innovation (DDI), where he empowers teams and the workforce to achieve the Directorate’s most critical objectives through a relentless focus on precise delivery and a commitment to mission excellence.

Previously, Larry served as the Chief of CLOUDworks, leading a team that delivered commercial cloud and government hosting solutions to support mission needs. He also served as the Chief of Staff for the Directorate of Digital Innovation, managing the day-to-day operations of the DDI Front Office and providing executive support to the Deputy Director of CIA for Digital Innovation and the Associate Deputy Directors.

In addition, Larry has held key leadership roles, including Chief of Digital Innovation for the Near East Mission Center (NEMC), where he promoted and led the integration of digital capabilities to support mission needs. He also served as the Senior Program Executive for Commercial Cloud Services (C2S), providing leadership to the Intelligence Community in adopting modern cloud computing services.

Larry has held various other leadership positions within DDI, including roles in the Information Technology Enterprise (ITE) and the Open Source Enterprise (OSE). Larry holds a Master of Science in Information Technology Management from American University and a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Maryland.

3:45-4:25

PANEL: Leading Through the AI Inflection Point

Artificial Intelligence is rapidly reshaping how organizations operate, compete, and deliver value. Yet the biggest challenge is not the technology itself: it is how leaders adapt their thinking, decision-making, and organizational systems to harness it effectively.

In this executive panel moderated by Sanjiv Augustine, industry leaders Amber Field, Charlie Kennedy, along with Agile Manifesto co-author and management guru Jim Highsmith to explore what adaptive leadership looks like in a world where AI accelerates change, amplifies uncertainty, and challenges traditional management models.

Panelists will share real-world experiences navigating AI adoption, rethinking governance and decision-making, and balancing innovation with responsibility. The conversation will explore how leaders can foster experimentation while maintaining trust, build organizations that learn faster than the market changes, and create environments where humans and AI work together to drive meaningful outcomes.

Attendees will gain practical insights into how executives can evolve their leadership approach to remain effective and relevant in an AI-driven future.

Moderator: Sanjiv Augustine

Sanjiv Augustine is the Founder and CEO of LitheSpeed, LLC and the Agile Leadership Academy, and a recognized authority in product management, agile and lean transformation. An entrepreneur, author, keynote speaker, and management consultant, Sanjiv has spent over 30 years helping organizations shift from project-centric to product-centric operating models that drive measurable value. Sanjiv’s work continues to shape how organizations lead adaptive product portfolios, foster innovation, and deliver outcomes in the AI era.

Sanjiv has guided large-scale transformations that blend Agile practices, Value Management Office (VMO) principles, and modern product management discipline. He has been a trusted advisor to executives and leaders at leading enterprises, including Accuweather, American Chemical Society, Capital One, The Capital Group, CNBC, Comcast, Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, Federal Home Loan Banks – Office of Finance, the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, General Dynamics, HCA Healthcare, Huntington Bank, The Motley Fool, National Geographic, Nationwide Insurance, Royal Bank of Canada, Samsung, the US Navy and Walmart.

A member of the Reimagining Agile Launch Team, Sanjiv hosts The Leadership in Flux podcast and is the author of From PMO to VMO: Managing for Value Delivery, Managing Agile Projects, Scaling Agile: A Lean JumpStart, as well as influential articles such as Transitioning to Agile Project Management, The Lean-Agile PMO: Using Lean Thinking to Accelerate Agile Project Delivery, and Transformational Leadership for Business Agility.

Speakers: Jim Highsmith, Amber Field, and Charlie Kennedy

Jim Highsmith is an industry advisor, having retired as Executive Consultant at ThoughtWorks, Inc. in 2021. Prior to Thoughtworks, he was Director of Cutter Consortium’s Agile Project Management practice. He has nearly 60 years’ experience as an IT manager, product manager, project manager, consultant, software developer, and storyteller. Jim has been a leader in the agile software development community for the past three decades.

Jim is the author of Wild West to Agile, Addison Wesley (2023), EDGE: Value-driven digital transformation, Addison-Wesley 2020; Adaptive Leadership: Accelerating Enterprise Agility (2014), Agile Project Management: Creating Innovative Products (2009), Adaptive Software Development: A Collaborative Approach to Managing Complex Systems (2000) and winner of the prestigious Jolt Award, and Agile Software Development Ecosystems, (2002). Jim is the recipient of the 2005 international Stevens Award for outstanding contributions to systems development.

Amber Field is the Chief Operating Officer at Strudel AI, a Lecturer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and author of the book, Agile Discovery & Delivery: A Survival Guide for New Software Engineers & Tech Entrepreneurs. She has been an executive leader in tech, agile proponent, and engineer for her entire career at a number of organizations including IBM, National Geographic, Oracle Utilities (formerly Opower), Capital One, and Singlewire Software. Amber frequently speaks at conferences and blogs at amberrfield.com. She lives in Madison, WI.

Charlie Kennedy is an SVP and the IT Transformation and Delivery Director for Huntington National Bank. Charlie provides transformation leadership to HNB’s “Project to Product” transformation that is deploying a Product Operating Model to achieve greater effectiveness and efficiency in delivery. He also leads the Agile Delivery organization for the Value Management Office.

4:30 - 5:30

CLOSING REMARKS + RECEPTION