Mimi Shalash is a strategist and community advocate turned tech sales leader, recognized for helping organizations transform complex data into powerful decisions. At Splunk, she leads high-performing teams that empower customers to navigate disruption with speed and impact. Beyond the boardroom, Mimi champions diversity in technology, delivering bold, inspiring perspectives on how innovation can shape a smarter, more resilient, and human-centered future.

Samantha Howe, PhD, PMP, is a seasoned public policy and data systems leader with a distinguished career in health policy, analytics, and academic research. Currently serving as the Analytics Director for Data & Integrated Systems at the Ohio Department of Medicaid, she brings over a decade of experience in public sector innovation, data governance, and strategic program management.

Samantha holds a PhD in Public Policy and Management from the John Glenn College of Public Affairs at The Ohio State University, where her dissertation explored public participation in health policy formation. Her academic rigor is matched by her practical expertise, underscored by her PMP® certification and proficiency in both quantitative and qualitative data analysis tools.

Her professional journey includes leadership roles such as Interim Deputy Director and Section Chief within Ohio Medicaid, as well as earlier roles at the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation. She has also served in academia as an Assistant Professor at Ohio Northern University and Lecturer and Program Director at The Ohio State University. She has led undergraduate teams in mock trial and debate and contributed to an array of interdisciplinary research.

Dr. Howe is a published scholar with contributions to journals and encyclopedias on gender, health policy, and democratic participation. She has presented nationally on topics ranging from healthcare rationing to citizen engagement in policymaking. Her work is driven by a commitment to leveraging data and research to drive meaningful, equitable change in health systems and public policy.