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Featured Guest Speakers:
Carol Ann Logue (facilitator)
Director of the University of Central Florida’s nine-site Business Incubation Program and Innovation Districts
Dr. Christina Drake
Founder and CEO of Kismet Technologies
Maryann Kilgallon
Pink Lotus Technologies
Topic:
We will take a raw look at these three women making waves in tech. Learn about their challenges, triumphs, and how they’re reshaping the industry by inspiring confidence and paving the way for other women. These stories showcase the real impact of women in tech and their crucial role in building a more inclusive future.
Purpose:
As we celebrate the real impact of women in tech, it becomes evident that their contributions are essential for the industry’s growth and instrumental in building a more inclusive and diverse future. By embracing and learning from these narratives, our organization can champion a culture that values and supports women’s unique perspectives and talents in technology.
Speaker Bios
Carol Ann Logue (facilitator)
Carol Ann is the Director of the University of Central Florida’s nine-site Business Incubation Program and Innovation Districts. Four incubators are located in the three UCF Innovation Districts anchored around UCF campuses, focusing on early-stage companies in specific clusters of technology and industry that are key drivers of Central Florida’s economy. Five incubators are located in other areas of Metro Orlando, serving a wide range of fast-growing, scalable companies. Visit the website at https://incubator.ucf.edu/
She is also the Director and Co-Founder of the Central Florida Tech Grove, a unique virtual and physical collaboration space established through a Partnership Intermediary Agreement (PIA) between the UCF Research Foundation and the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division. Additional Tech Grove members and funders are the simulation & training acquisition commands of the Army (PEO STRI, STTC) and Army Futures Command (STE CFT), Air Force (AFAMS), Marine Corps (PM TRASYS), OSD Advanced Distributed Learning, Defense Health Agency, and Office of Naval Research through the NavalX Central Florida Tech Bridge. Visit the website at https://www.centralfloridatechgrove.org/
Before joining UCF, she was a member of the University of Florida faculty. She served as Associate Director for the Southern Technology Applications Center and supported NASA and other federal laboratories and universities across nine southeastern states in their technology commercialization activities. The Center also supported companies commercializing federally funded technologies such as market research, capital acquisition, and more.
She has served as Vice President of Information Services for Technology Strategic Planning Inc. (a spinout from the Defense Intelligence Agency), providing global competitive technology analysis for Fortune 50 clients, and as an Information Specialist at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
Carol Ann serves as the UCF representative on the Orlando Tech Community n Board, Synapse Florida Advisory Board, and Athena Orlando Powerlink Program Board. She represents UCF on the Boards of Team Orlando, NDIA Central Florida Chapter, VRARA Central Florida, and the Florida Photonics Cluster. She also serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Central Florida STEM Education Council.
She graduated from the University of Arkansas with a BS in Biology and an MS in Library and Information Science from Louisiana State University.
Dr. Christina Drake
Dr. Christina Drake is the founder and CEO of Kismet Technologies, which is based in Orlando, Florida. She is a second-generation Filipino-American and first-generation college graduate. Dr. Drake received her Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Central Florida (UCF), where she researched and developed high-sensitivity nano-oxide sensors for hydrogen detection with NASA.
She was previously at Lockheed Martin Corporation, where she led several research programs and was co-founder and co-chair of the Lockheed Martin Nano-Bio Working group. After Lockheed Martin, Dr. Drake was an assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering at Florida Polytechnic University. At Florida Poly, she served as faculty president and trustee, as well as the first coordinator of the inaugural Mechanical Engineering program.
At Kismet Technologies, her team is developing NanoRAD, a fast-acting continuous disinfecting coating that provides safe, non-stop virus and bacteria protection for weeks to months on surfaces. Kismet Technologies has been recognized for its work with NanoRAD as the 2023 Crummer Venture Pitch Winner, 2022 Cade Museum Fibonacci Semi-Finalists, 2022 FIME Innov8 Talk Winner, 2021 Tech Connect National Innovation Award, and as a Finalist and silver winner in the Mass Challenge 2021 Competition. Dr. Drake was featured on the Forbes 2021 Next 1000 List, was named to the 2023 list of Orlando Business Journal’s Women Who Mean Business, South Florida’s Healthcare Innovators of 2020, and is a UCF Distinguished Alumnae of Materials Science and Engineering.
Kismet Technologies was named to Orlando Inno’s 2022 Inaugural Start-Ups to Watch List and Orlando Business Journal’s Fire Awards. Dr. Drake has secured more than 30 grants over $14 million and has raised over $6M in investment for Kismet Technologies.
Visit her website at https://www.kismet-technologies.com/
Maryann Kilgallon
Maryann is the founder and CEO of Pink Lotus Technologies and is known as the “Startup Evangelist,” a lifelong serial entrepreneur with vast startup experience. She has made it her mission to excel and mentor others to “go for it” when pursuing their goals. Maryann has been recognized on Forbes Next 1000, A recipient of the UPS Ignite Entrepreneurs Award, The Safety Technology Innovator Award, and named “Top 10 Startups to watch”.
She has also been published in the book Latinas 100 and Secrets of Successful Women Inventors. She was recently featured in NBC Comcast Universal’s “Founding In Color” docuseries, which is streaming now on the Peacock channel.
With over 16 years of experience building restaurants, she transitioned to the technology sector when she saw a need for a solution to help keep people safe and connected. She is the creator of the POMM safety platform, a suite of options to protect employees and vulnerable family members. She considers herself a techy student as she navigates a team of exceptional individuals who share her vision for the mission to protect people where they are.
Originally from the mid-west, she relocated to Central Florida with her husband and is the proud mother of two grown children.
Visit her website at https://pommsafety.com/