ASTC 2026 Annual Conference
September 16–19, 2026 Phoenix, Arizona
Keynote Speakers
The ASTC 2026 Annual Conference included two plenary sessions that will bring the entire community together.
World-renowned futurist Sheryl Connelly is who the world’s top companies turn to when they want to understand what’s next for their businesses and how they can create the next big breakthrough in their industries. Connelly is a global trends and consumer expert whose mastery at identifying what’s coming around the corner and the potential influences on customer attitudes and behavioral patterns that directly impact business strategy is unparalleled. From 1996-2023, she was a cornerstone presence on Ford Motor Company’s global trends and futuring team, working her way up the ranks at the automotive juggernaut and becoming the company’s chief futurist. Connelly draws upon her business foresight expertise and experiences at Ford to help organizations in any industry identify and analyze global consumer trends in order to lay the groundwork for long-term, future-focused planning and strategy across the entire company, and anticipate the ever-evolving needs and desires of the people they serve. Connelly has been named one of Fast Company’s “100 Most Creative People in Business” and was listed among TechWeek’s “Top 100 Innovators.” Her thought leadership and strategic viewpoints have been featured in leading publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Financial Times, Forbes, and the BBC.
Opening Keynote | Thursday, September 17, 2026
Dr. Vivienne Ming explores maximizing human capacity as a theoretical neuroscientist, delusional inventor, and demented author. Over her career she’s founded 7 startups, been chief scientist at 2 others, and founded The Human Trust, a philanthropic data trust and “mad science incubator” building a foundation model for human development. She co-founded Possibility Sciences to advance scientific discovery via massive scale hybrid intelligence. She also develops AI tools for learning at home and in school, models of bias in hiring and promotion, and neurotechnologies for dementia, TBI, and postpartum depression. In her free time, Ming designs AI systems to treat her son’s diabetes, predict manic episodes in bipolar sufferers, and reunite orphan refugees with extended family members. For relaxation, she writes science fiction and spends time with her wife and children. Ming was named one of “10 Women to Watch in Tech” by Inc. Magazine and one of the BBC’s 100 Women in 2017. She is frequently featured for her research and inventions in The Financial Times, The Atlantic, Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times.