Updates for our VRARA Education Forum on May 19

We are 3 weeks away from our virtual event, VRARA Education Forum 2022, on May 19 and wanted to share with you our confirmed speakers and agenda thus far.

We expect 1K+ audience. Just like in our previous Forums, our event will bring together educators from schools around the world, and vendors who are leading the immersive EdTech space!

There is still time to apply to speak or sponsor (apply on the event's webpage)!

Participants include:

Initial Agenda:

• 1-on-1 Networking - get to meet the speakers and other attendees (one of the most valuable features of our virtual events!)

• Welcome & Introduction by our Education Co-Chairs: Carlos J. Ochoa from ONE Digital, Alex Grady from Unity, Colleen Bielitz from Southern Connecticut State University

• Virtual Field Trips – What, Who, Where and Why? (Panel)

• How to Build Learning Scenarios in VR (Panel), Christine Janssen, Edstutia

• Managing VR Devices in the Classroom, Luke Wilson, ManageXR

• Future of Education in the Metaverse, Rrahul Sethi, Expoodle

• Measuring Education Outcomes in Healthcare, Pavel Makarevich, Proven Solution

• How To Make Movies in the Metaverse, Professor Frank Chindamo, Virtual Film School

• Teaching in VR, Kim Grinfeder, Associate Professor and Director of the XR Initiative, University of Miami

• Emerging Technologies for Education, Tess McKinney, University of Nebraska

• And more! Check Schedule.

We are looking forward to your participation on May 19!

If you haven't yet, register today!

Nina Hoch joins VRARA's Thought-Leadership Team as Co-Chair of our Entrepreneurship and Venture Financing Committee

We are thrilled to have Nina Hoch, CFA join our thought-leadership team and co-chair our Entrepreneurship and Venture Financing Committee.

Nina Hoch, CFA is a Principal at Recalibrate XR, an immersive technology advisory firm. The goal of Recalibrate XR is to shape the future of work and education via adoption of the immersive technologies by: 

• Helping Corporate and Educational clients improve employee / student skills and engagement, increase sales/development, mitigate risks, reduce training time and costs, deepen global teaming and collaboration by selecting and implementing immersive technologies for their training and social interaction programs

• Strategic partnering with immersive technology companies to grow their business/revenue, optimize operations and strategic alliances, and position competitively with potential investors

• Providing XR marketplace research and relevant merger integration services

Nina is a successful executive with extensive background at the intersection of management consulting, financial services, technology, entrepreneurship, and training/education. In addition to her role at Recalibrate XR, she also serves as an adjunct professor at City University of New York College of Technology and a Chief of Staff at Recalibrate Capital, an investment firm focused on using technology in real estate investments. Her prior experience includes working with clients in capital markets, banking, insurance, life sciences, technology, and education sectors, at KPMG, Ernst & Young, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs. Nina earned her Master of Arts in Mathematics of Finance from Columbia University, Bachelor of Science from Long Island University. She is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and is a member of the Women’s Bond Club, a network for women executives.

Nina is passionate about future of work and healthcare, global education, diversity and inclusion initiatives and social causes like veterans’ mentoring, domestic violence prevention and healthcare charities. She was a speaker at several industry conferences, and will be releasing her XR podcast soon, so stay tuned!

Christine Janssen, PhD, appointed as Co-Chair for our VRARA Training Committee

We are thrilled to have Christine provide her thought-leadership for our community and help us lead our Training Committee.

“I am ready to leverage the amazing VRARA network and bring my expertise in education and immersive technologies to the table. I’m looking forward to leading the Training Committee so we can show the world how and why the metaverse will open up countless opportunities for trainers/instructors/coaches to educate the workforce of tomorrow.”

— Christine Janssen, PhD

Dr. Christine Janssen is the Founder and CEO of Edstutia, a 21st century virtual learning platform positioned at the intersection of business and technology. The goal of Edstutia is to address the skills gap in the U.S. by:

1) Helping corporate L&D partners integrate immersive technologies and relevant content to prepare the workforce of the future for the workplace of the future.

2) Offering a variety of B2C programs to traditional high school graduates, the unemployed, and upskillers to score in-demand, tech-driven jobs.

Prior to Edstutia, Dr. Janssen was a Clinical Associate Professor and the Director of Entrepreneurship for twelve years in the Gabelli School of Business at Fordham University. A self-proclaimed visionary and builder, she stayed true to her passions by regularly building new assets, such as the Fordham Foundry, Fordham’s small business incubator, and new opportunities for her students, such as experimenting with virtual reality in her classes. Dr. Janssen’s commitment to hands-on entrepreneurship instruction, based on a constantly changing curriculum designed to sync with the forward-thinking skills business demands earned her various awards, press acknowledgements, and recognition for her top-ranked programs. 

Dr. Janssen’s professional background spans several industries aside from academe, including consumer products, financial services, and technology. She holds a BS in Marketing from the University of South Florida, a Global MBA in Communications & Information Systems (CIS) and Finance with a specialization in e-Business from Fordham University, and a PhD from New York University, where her dissertation focused on how entrepreneurs learn. Her research interest lies squarely in the future of learning.

Interview with Luke DeVore, VRARA Aerospace Committee Co-Chair

Luke is a member of SAIC’s Digital Innovation Factory and works as the Director of Engagement for Immersive Technologies. As the Director of Engagement, Luke focuses on the application and integration of Immersive Technologies across SAIC’s federal, space, and defense business units, with particular emphasis on novel applications in operational and industrial domains.  

Luke began his career as a Marine Corps officer where he begrudgingly agreed to lead a simulation-based training program while deployed aboard the USS Bataan as a company Executive Officer. The simulation-based training succeeded in maintaining unit readiness – and no one was more surprised than Luke to discover that “games” could train Marines. Unable to find meaningful employment post-service during the Great Recession, Luke accepted a position designing simulation-based training as a member of the II MEF Simulation Center, Camp Lejeune.

During that time Luke’s focus was on instructional design and methodology, with an emphasis on recreating lessons learned in simulation to build empathetic experiential learning. After the Sim Center, Luke worked at Design Interactive, an Orlando-based firm specializing in human systems and human performance acceleration with a focus on XR technology.

Over his career, Luke has become a true believer in the power of simulations and digital environments to accelerate how humans perform tasks and understand concepts.  Moving forward, Luke is excited about the power of Immersive Technologies to blur the lines between learning and performing with perpetual point of need access provided by intelligent, adaptive systems. 

Luke graduated with a BA from the University of Pittsburgh, earned a MA from Webster University, and is currently earning an eMBA from the Quantic School of Business and Technology.

“I’m elated to co-chair the Aerospace Committee and specifically very excited to help uncover the opportunity that exists for Aerospace to partner with broader VRARA community and create real cross pollination of best practices and novel application technologies.

— Luke Devore

Interview with Colleen Bielitz, Ph.D, VRARA Education Co-Chair

We are thrilled to have Collen Bielitz, PhD of Southern Connecticut State University join our thought-leadership team and co-chair our Education Committee.

Register for our Education Forum here https://hopin.com/events/vrara-education-forum-2022

Colleen is Associate Vice President of  Strategic Initiatives & Outreach at Southern Connecticut State University and is driven by the United Nations SDGs.  She provides leadership and direction in the guidance, development and implementation of strategic initiatives related to new and ongoing non-curricular initiatives, outreach, and external partnerships both locally and globally. Member of the President Leadership Council, Provost Council, Advancement Council and serves as the Provost’s designee.

“I’m happy to assist institutions in getting the strategic, creative, and organizational factors needed to execute innovation in a successful manner to keep up with the hyper pace of change. I combine innovation, creativity, relationship building and business acumen to create high potential ventures.

— Colleen Bielitz

Sonia Schechter appointed as VRARA Retail Co-Chair

Sonia Schechter is 3D Cloud by Marxent's CMO and has an extensive background in marketing Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and emerging technologies to retailers. Sonia started her career in editorial product management at Microsoft and went on to work for several venture-funded startups prior to joining Marxent. She holds an MSJ from Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism and a BA in English Literature from Earlham College. While she works out of Marxent's St. Pete, Florida office, Sonia grew up in Indiana and spent much of her career in Seattle. She is somewhere between a Midwesterner and a Seattlite at heart.

“I am excited to be joining the Retail & Ecommerce Committee of the VRARA as a committee co-chair. At Marxent we have launched, sustained, and scaled 3D programs in partnership with storied retailers such as Macy’s, La-Z-Boy, Ashley HomeStores, and many others. I look forward to bringing my expertise to help expand the utility of the VRARA for retailers seeking to develop 3D strategies today, for the metaverse, and beyond.”

— Sonia Schechter

Luke DeVore appointed as Co-Chair for VRARA Aerospace Committee

We are pleased to have Luke DeVore join our thought-leadership as the co-chair for our Aerospace Committee.

Luke is a member of SAIC’s Digital Innovation Factory and works as the Director of Engagement for Immersive Technologies. As the Director of Engagement, Luke focuses on the application and integration of Immersive Technologies across SAIC’s federal, space, and defense business units, with particular emphasis on novel applications in operational and industrial domains.  

Luke began his career as a Marine Corps officer where he begrudgingly agreed to lead a simulation-based training program while deployed aboard the USS Bataan as a company Executive Officer. The simulation-based training succeeded in maintaining unit readiness – and no one was more surprised than Luke to discover that “games” could train Marines. Unable to find meaningful employment post-service during the Great Recession, Luke accepted a position designing simulation-based training as a member of the II MEF Simulation Center, Camp Lejeune.

During that time Luke’s focus was on instructional design and methodology, with an emphasis on recreating lessons learned in simulation to build empathetic experiential learning. After the Sim Center, Luke worked at Design Interactive, an Orlando-based firm specializing in human systems and human performance acceleration with a focus on XR technology.

Over his career, Luke has become a true believer in the power of simulations and digital environments to accelerate how humans perform tasks and understand concepts.  Moving forward, Luke is excited about the power of Immersive Technologies to blur the lines between learning and performing with perpetual point of need access provided by intelligent, adaptive systems. 

Luke graduated with a BA from the University of Pittsburgh, earned a MA from Webster University, and is currently earning an eMBA from the Quantic School of Business and Technology.

“I’m elated to co-chair the Aerospace Committee and specifically very excited to help uncover the opportunity that exists for Aerospace to partner with broader VRARA community and create real cross pollination of best practices and novel application technologies.”

— Luke Devore

Colleen Bielitz appointed as Co-Chair for our VRARA Education Committee

We are thrilled to have Collen Bielitz, PhD of Southern Connecticut State University join our thought-leadership team and co-chair our Education Committee.

Join our weekly Online Meets here!

Colleen is Associate Vice President of  Strategic Initiatives & Outreach at Southern Connecticut State University and is driven by the United Nations SDGs.  She provides leadership and direction in the guidance, development and implementation of strategic initiatives related to new and ongoing non-curricular initiatives, outreach, and external partnerships both locally and globally. Member of the President Leadership Council, Provost Council, Advancement Council and serves as the Provost’s designee.

“I’m happy to assist institutions in getting the strategic, creative, and organizational factors needed to execute innovation in a successful manner to keep up with the hyper pace of change. I combine innovation, creativity, relationship building and business acumen to create high potential ventures.”

— Colleen Bielitz

Douglas Forbes appointed Co-Chair of our VRARA Automotive Committee

We are thrilled to appoint Douglas Forbes as Co-Chair for our VRARA Automotive Committee. Douglas is passionate about educating customers about Augmented Reality, how how it can help them and ultimately save them money and time. He is currently the Solutions Consultant at Rockwell Automation and is AR to help End Users and OEM's increase their training effectiveness and reduce on-boarding time. He also helps bring data from operations and make it easy for customers to make better more informed decisions.

Douglas comes from a systems and mechanical engineering background with experience in automotive, pharmaceutical, and medical device industries. He is a graduate of NJIT.

“I am looking forward to how I can help grown the Automotive Committee at VRARA, and take on the challenges of bringing together industry leading thought-leaders, as well as keep the community up on the current Technologies that are forever changing.”

— Douglas Forbes

Call for Speakers and Sponsors for our VRARA Education Forum

Our virtual forum will bring together educators from schools around the world, and vendors who are leading in immersive EdTech.

In our last virtual forum, we had participation from HP, Lenovo, Stanford, UCF, Ithaca College, Bangkok Prep School, Iowa State University, Lethbridge College, University of Michigan, Georgian College, IIIT India, OSF Saint Francis Medical Center, American College of Chest Physicians, UCAM Spain, among others.

Apply to Speak and Sponsor on event website

Register for event here

Vanessa Mullin appointed as Co-Chair of our VRARA Metaverse Committee

“I’m excited to help in co-chairing the committee and ensure we commit to building a community of like-minded individuals driving to collaborate, build best practices and learn from each other. We are at the beginning of a very exciting technical revolution, and I look forward to being a part of the, and helping to guide, the conversation.”

— Vanessa Mullin

Vanessa works as European Business Development Lead for Didimo, a company building a platform to bring Digital Humans to the Metaverse. She has an extensive background in sales, but the core of her skillset comes in connecting great technology with great people, helping to bring ideas to life. Her experience at Unity within both the Gaming and Media and Entertainment verticals allowed for quick upskilling and networking, helping to connect the dots and ensure all the weird and wonderful projects creators believed in, became a reality. Moving to Didimo, she has honed in on thought leadership and driving forward the areas which matter most to her; all which intersect in the metaverse!

Over the last 4 years she has watched the tech landscape shapeshift, and the last few months have pushed the 'metaverse' to top of everyone's list of hot topics, despite no one really knowing just yet what it means.

Attend our METAVERSE 2.0 virtual event on March 9-10 https://hopin.com/events/metaverse-2-0

Josh Gertz appointed as Co-Chair of VRARA Enterprise Committee

We are thrilled to have Josh Gertz help lead our Enterprise Committee.

Josh has lead sales teams on the cutting edge of technology for the last 30 years.  Today his team at TeamViewer is pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with wearable technology and augmented reality. 

When not working you can find him chasing after 3 kids or tending to one of his bbq smokers.

Tess McKinney of UN Medical Center appointed as VRARA Healthcare Committee Co-Chair

We are thrilled to have Tess McKinney join our Healthcare Committee as a Co-Chair.

Tess McKinney is currently serving as the Instructional Technologist II supporting VR, AR, XR in Education for the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Global Center for Health Security (NICS). Tess is also working with the UNL College of Computer Science and Engineering, UNMC College of Public Health, and UNMC College of Nursing on a project supporting Agriculture/Farm equipment (Rollover Ranch) safety utilizing Virtual Reality for K-12 students. She formerly served as Enterprise AV Technologist for the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing: Lincoln Campus.

The Cool Kids group, led by Tess, is a gathering of professionals from Nebraska with a variety of disciplines who all have some interest or hand in creating immersive media. Tess also is the Nebraska VR Network for Education & Research (NeVRNER) Co- leader/outreach coordinator and serves on other organizations and committees in her community.

“I am very excited to co-chair the Healthcare Committee for the VRARA Community. I look forward to sharing my expertise in Virtual and Augmented Reality and Innovation with the Healthcare sector. I love to network, and I hope to influence & bring together the renegades, pioneers, and educators by introducing new and upcoming innovations by top vendors in our monthly meetings. I am all about sharing as much information as I can, and helping people connect to achieve their goals. Hope everyone can join us in the VRARA Healthcare Forums. ”

— Tess McKinney

Sarah Ennis of Intergalactic and Fortune 50 Advisor, appointed as Co-Chair for our Retail Committee

We are thrilled to welcome Sarah Ennis as Co-Chair of our Retail Committee. Sarah is a trusted advisor to key decision makers of Fortune 50 companies in the area of innovation with custom advanced technology. She started her career in management consulting with major consulting firms over a decade ago and in the past few years she has led innovation and strategic partnerships for companies such as FF Advanced Technology Group (now Unity Technology) and Intergalactic Agency. In this capacity, she helps her clients stay relevant and leverage high ROI advanced technology such as AR/VR to solve key business problems. In the retail space, Sarah is trusted by clients such as lululemon and Kroger and partners such as Microsoft, KPMG, Lenovo, and Ogilvy. Sarah is a Sauder MBA alumni and often invited to panels to speak about the impact of AR/VR in the future of various industries.

“I’m excited to work with the VRARA retail community as a key evangelist and content contributor. My vision is to start a meaningful foundry series on retail industry trends where SMEs from retail and tech industries contribute insights and share knowledge about the latest high ROI use cases of VR/AR and the future trends for retailers to be aware of in order to stay relevant.”

— Sarah Ennis, Intergalactic Agency

Aaron Pulkka appointed as Co-Chair of VR/AR Association Location-Based Entertainment (LBE) Industry Committee

We are excited to have Aaron Pulkka help lead our Location-Based Entertainment (LBE/LBVR) Industry Committee.

Aaron is an interactive entertainment design and production leader with over 25 years of experience with emerging tech, including roles at Walt Disney Imagineering, Sony, Activision, and Two Bit Circus.

He began working on VR/AR at the University of Washington Human Interface Technology Laboratory, where he earned a master's degree in Computer Science & Engineering, before starting his professional career at Imagineering as a Show Designer creating groundbreaking XR attractions for DisneyQuest. Since then Aaron has worked on a wide variety of home and out-of-home entertainment projects for companies large and small, including independently producing award-winning spatial computing apps for Google Tango and Microsoft HoloLens and serving as Head of Attractions for the Two Bit Circus micro-amusement park.

Currently, he works as a freelance consultant and is a passionate speaker on the topics of VR/AR/XR, location-based entertainment, blockchain gaming, and interactive storytelling.

“The out-of-home entertainment industry is in the process of bouncing back stronger than ever, after shutting down due to the Covid-19 pandemic. While consumer expectations have increased, so has the demand for transformative social experiences. As Co-Chair of the LBE committee, I am looking forward to collaborating with VR/AR developers and location operators throughout the VRARA community to help each other through this challenging yet exciting time.”

— Aaron Pulkka

The VR/AR Association welcomes Mark Silverman of the International Committee of the Red Cross as Chair for our VR for Good Committee

We are thrilled to welcome Mark Silverman as the chair for our VR for Good committee.

Mark is an advisor to the ICRC’s Director of Digital Transformation and Data (DTD), based in Palo Alto, California USA. In this capacity, he is establishing the ICRC’s presence in Silicon Valley. Previously, Mark served as Deputy Head of the ICRC’s Delegation in Myanmar, helping oversee operations providing protection and assistance to people affected by conflict and violence, and which comprised a budget of $34 million, 500 staff and 10 offices throughout the country. 

Before that, Mark was Deputy Head of the ICRC’s Regional Delegation for the United States and Canada, helping oversee detention activities in Guantanamo Bay, maintaining and developing relationships with the US Government and Congress and cooperation with the American and Canadian Red Cross Societies. He has been with the ICRC since 2007, working as a field delegate in Uganda and the Public and Congressional Affairs Coordinator in Washington. 

Before starting with the ICRC, Mark served as Military and Foreign Policy Advisor for Senator Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, then Chairman of the Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. He began working for Senator Lincoln Chafee in 1999, following service in the office of Senator John Chafee. 

Mark received his Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from the George Washington University and his MA in Development Studies from Brown University.

“The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is invested in how to responsibly use digital technologies, including how to effectively use them to support communities experiencing conflict and violence, and how to prevent and/or mitigate the risks that technologies can bring with them.

With regard to VR/AR, we have developed a hub in Bangkok which has developed tools for both training (for instance for Red Cross staff) and for behavior change (for instance, by building empathy for those living through war).

We see both the potential and risks that VR/AR may have in situations of armed conflict. It is for this reason that I am excited to join the VR for Good Committee as a co-chair: to learn from others, share the ICRC’s experience, and to be part of a global discussion to harness the good, and prevent the harm, that VR/AR technologies may create in fragile settings.”

— Mark Silverman, International Committee of the Red Cross

Congrats to our Pitch Competition Winner: Perception Codes, makers of the Holo-SDK!

Hosted by our VRARA Entrepreneurship and Venture Financing Committee, the winner of our Pitch Competition is Perception Codes!

Perception Codes is a deep tech company specializing in Desktop Augmented Reality (Desktop AR). Desktop AR is a technology, which enables your everyday 2D computers to display 3D contents with more realistic and immersive effects for users.

Come see Perception Codes present at our VR/AR Global Summit ONLINE Sept 29-Oct 1!

Alex Grady of Unity appointed Co-Chair of our Education Committee

We are thrilled to have Alex Grady of Unity join our thought-leadership team and co-chair our Education Committee.

Join our weekly Online Meets here!

Alex is a Senior Program Manager at Unity technologies, supporting schools to quickly start or expand innovative real-time 3D programs and help faculty to learn and teach real-time 3D development. Prior to Unity, he has worked as a classroom educator, curriculum developer, and learning experience designer. 

“I’m optimistic about the potential of XR technologies to address some of the issues in education and, as co-chair, I look forward to supporting and championing creators in the field who aim to make learning more meaningful, motivating, equitable, and inclusive. ”

— Alex Grady, Unity