Emily Lin is a Product Strategist at the digital consultancy firm, WillowTree. She graduated from MSU with a double major in Experience Architecture and Media/Information. Her experience is largely in thanks to her internships at The Cube and a design mentorship at Samsara. As a strategist, Emily leverages her UX understanding to lead the vision for various products in collaboration with designers and researchers.

She enjoys talking with others in the field, especially those who may want to become strategists one day! Outside work, some of her hobbies include: video games, video editing, reading, art/animation, and trying new sports.

Tia Lee Fowlkes is a tech professional driven by her passion for customer satisfaction and dedication to diversity and inclusion. With a degree in Computer Science from Michigan State University, she entered the tech field, aiming to make a positive impact. Tia's strong background in leadership and innovation empowers her to excel as a program manager for Nest products at Google, leading cross-functional projects, delivering cutting-edge solutions, and driving growth. Alongside her corporate role, Tia is a visionary entrepreneur, running her self-founded streetwear brand, HVNLEE, which has made a notable mark in the fashion industry. Her exceptional blend of technical expertise and entrepreneurial spirit continues to inspire others on their journeys to success.

Zara Drei is the Design Lead at luxury streetwear retailer, END. Over the last 16 years she has established her practice within the fashion and beauty space, helping brands such as Versace, Charlotte Tilbury, Jimmy Choo create beautiful, accessible and usable digital products. Outside of work, she is a design mentor at ADPList, and enjoys electronic music, creating video synthesiser art and making colourful Indian sweets.

Taj is a UX Researcher at Google where she conducts foundational & evaluative research to support the personalization of Google Search. Her research career began ten years ago at Michigan State University, where she earned her MA & PhD in Information & Media Studies. She has since spent the last four years in the tech industry, supporting product teams in the Shopping, FinTech, and Search sectors.