Caltech CTME ELEVATED: How to Build Your Must-Have Network in an Era of Job Insecurity

You'll discover how to:

• Create and execute initiatives in your project that sustain change and escalates relationships
• Master a mindset that moves you out of your head and past your fears to confidently create valuable relationships
• Manage your emotions when connecting with new people

Additionally, Christy will share how she fosters a culture that attracts high performers, designs and executes initiatives that catalyze change and most importantly, transforms chaos into harmony—and how you can build on your own creativity to reach your professional and personal goals.

Christy Conner is a driver of greater Los Angeles's innovative technology arena. She is a leader of Friday Coffee Meetup, the largest active entrepreneurial and tech innovation group in Los Angeles, with 7,000+ members. In The Confident Connector™: How to Build Your Must-Have Network in an Era of Job Insecurity, Christy enthusiastically shares strategies with readers to on how to build strong and authentic relationships. She seamlessly blends her perspective as a natural introvert with powerful techniques to inspire others to move past their fears and build a dynamic network that fulfills their aspirations.

With exposure to over fifty countries and a diverse career spanning six sectors, she offers a unique blend of strategic insight and empathic leadership. She has taught as an instructor of change management on five continents. Utilizing this global perspective coupled with local insights, she writes on leading-edge business topics that help companies work smarter and drive revenue. She earned her private pilot’s license and went on to obtain a BS in Aviation Business Administration from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. She has an MA in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC).  ♦

Jen García is Caltech CTME’s AI Tools Instructor and the host of ELEVATED. With over 20 years in higher education and workforce development, she served as a program manager at Orange Coast College while also teaching at institutions like UCLA Extension, UCI Extension, and USC. She later founded Employ California, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit advancing workforce development, and Ingrained.ai, which equips businesses, educators, and social impact organizations with accessible AI tools training. Jen serves as the AI Executive in Residence at the Goldhirsh Foundation and sits on the boards of Vidby.ai and Pledge, a platform that raises nearly $50m in donations each year for many of the largest nonprofits and brands in the world. She has led AI tools trainings at the Getty Research Institute, and for the County of Los Angeles, DoorDash, the LA Fire Department, Brooklyn Public Library, and more. Through her work with Break Through Tech AI, Jen has also guided teams in developing custom AI/ML solutions for nonprofits. ♦