Speakers
Michael Harrison
Senior Staff Software Developer, IBM Cloud Platform
Michael Harrison is a Senior Staff Software Developer at IBM, where he provides technical leadership in creating software for IBM business critical systems. He has spent the past three years serving as a software technical lead, driving the integration of IBM IaaS with IBM's business support systems. His expertise includes designing and implementing software tools and platforms that enable service teams to onboard new products and offerings quickly and reliably at scale. In addition to his leadership role, Michael specializes in building large-scale data pipelines to process billing information for customers, ensuring data integrity and efficiency. His technical proficiency encompasses microservice architecture, systems design for large-scale data solutions, Kubernetes, and Golang. Michael is committed to enhancing data pipeline resiliency, reliability, and disaster recovery strategies, crucial for managing critical customer data.
Courtney Cole
Founder and former CEO of ForaHealthyMe Inc
Courtney Cole is the founder and former CEO of ForaHealthyMe Inc., an AI-powered virtual care tele-rehab and remote patient management solution. He has developed and deployed advanced enterprise level virtual care solutions that blend clinical protocols with data analysis and predictive modeling to enable provider decision on patient care. His work included using 3D Avatars, Video, Motion Tracking and Gesture Recognition Technologies to deliver virtual rehabilitation and health care support to the Preoperative and Postoperative patient. He now supports York University by fostering partnerships with local, national, and international organizations to enable research collaboration with the corporate sector and non-for-profit partners to help researchers protect and commercialize their ideas and intellectual property. He has been part of both Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario delegations to international conferences and trade shows where at times, he has served as a panellist and presenter.
Joseph Turcotte, PhD
Associate Director, IP Innovation Clinic (Osgoode Hall Law School, York University)
Dr. Joseph Turcotte is an award-winning IP and commercialization analyst and specialist with hands-on experience servicing clients with complex IP needs. He leads and manages the operations of Canada’s largest pro bono IP law clinic. Working with the Director, Joseph defines the strategic direction of the Clinic and its services as well as executes the Clinic’s services, education, marketing, and outreach strategies. Previously, he held progressively senior roles at a fast-growing IP and boutique law firm in Toronto, leading the IP & Client Solutions team while serving as the firm’s main point of contact surrounding IP needs of existing clients and prospective clients. He assisted the firm’s clients with assessing their complex IP needs and provided recommendations for appropriate IP strategies and services. He holds a PhD from the Joint Graduate Program in Communication & Culture (Politics & Policy) at York University and Toronto Metropolitan University (then Ryerson University).
Moshe Mikanovsky
Veteran software engineer and product management leader
Moshe Mikanovsky is a veteran software engineer and product management leader. During his career he developed and managed many B2B/B2B2C software products in multiple industries - Product Lifecycle Management for Manufacturing Engineering, Work Management for Project Management systems, Debit Cards solutions for FinTech startup, tools for Loyalty Programs solutions, Virtual Data Rooms for Mergers & Acquisitions, AI/NLP based Legal search, back-office and contractors/clients portals for staffing agencies, Climate Change based models for financial risk and more. The first 20 years he spent in engineering, and then the past 14 years in Product Management. Moshe currently consults and advises startup and growth companies, as well as founders, entrepreneurs, and product people, on how to build the right products. He is an OMIS instructor at Schulich School of Business at York University, specifically Information Systems, and a Design Thinking course which he designed. He co-hosts the Product for Product Podcast, and hosts the Beyond Product podcast. He is the founder and lead mentor of Products for Good, where aspiring product managers gain real world experience in building products for good social causes. In his free time, Moshe loves reading and writing. His first fictional book "The Resurrector" was published in January 2022.
Wejdene Haouari
Software Developer, IBM Data Platform
Wejdene Haouari recently joined IBM’s Cognos Analytics team as a software developer. With a master’s degree from York University, her research centered on Software Performance, Bug Detection, Self-Adaptive Systems, and blockchain technology. Wejdene brings a robust background in building scalable, secure solutions, focusing on enhancing software reliability and adaptability. Her expertise spans both traditional and decentralized systems, where she optimizes software performance and fortifies security.
