OpTech 2025 Speakers

Chip Yager is the Vice President of Corporate Strategy for Zebra Technologies.  His team is responsible for addressing complex strategic questions, managing complex cross-functional projects and driving and communicating Zebra’s long-term company direction.  
 
Chip’s 30+ year career with Zebra and Motorola has covered a wide range of functions and technologies.  Previous to his current role, he directed Zebra’s field mobile computer and tablet portfolio, driving the development of the devices, accessories and software solutions used by postal, courier, delivery and field service companies around the world.   Chip has also managed the strategy of a $1B+ product portfolio, led a start-up business unit, and built a global value-added services team.  Chip has an electrical engineering degree from the University of Michigan and an MBA from the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University.

Galaxia Martin is a Solutions Director at SDI, specializing in data governance, artificial intelligence, cloud, and cybersecurity. With over 27 years in IT and 17 years in cybersecurity, she holds two master’s degrees in information systems and cybersecurity. As a top-ranked Certified Ethical Hacker, she mentors future cybersecurity professionals for the EC Council. Galaxia has been a data expert working with Fortune 100 companies for over a decade. She is a member of The National Society of Leadership and Success and has driven growth for various organizations, including building new MSPs. In December 2025, she will release her first book, "Quantum & AI: The Awakening of Cyber Defense," exploring the impact of quantum computing and AI on cybersecurity. At SDI, she develops scalable, secure, and high-performing IT solutions with the focus around Data and AI.

Justin Griffith is the CTO of StayLinked and is responsible for driving StayLinked’s overall
product roadmap and strategy. A proven leader and a major contributor to StayLinked’s
recent global expansion, Griffith joined StayLinked as a technical support specialist in 2004. Shortly thereafter, he implemented the company’s
first channel technical enablement program. His close interaction with customers and the partner channel fueled the feedback he leveraged as Product Manager for the next decade, and in 2014, he led the company’s release of modernized terminal emulation, StayLinked SmartTE. In 2017, Griffith conceptualized and directed the implementation of the industry’s first terminal emulation hardware automation framework.

Griffith is regarded as an important voice in the areas of technology adoption and migration, and he has emerged as a thought leader in a market facing the challenges of Android migration and IoT disruption. His guiding principle—to always remember the human element—has reinforced StayLinked’s reputation as an innovator in helping
companies move to new technologies and optimize productivity.

Session: Navigating 2024: Unveiling Top Market Trends

Molly Seedhouse is the Director of the Illinois Student Invention Convention, a K–8 invention education program and competition that empowers students across Illinois. She has seen firsthand how the program sparks students’ passion for STEAM, helping them grow into problem solvers, critical thinkers, and confident innovators. Molly is eager to collaborate with educators and partners who share her commitment to inspiring and supporting the next generation of inventors.

Before joining Chicago Innovation, Molly spent over a decade teaching in Chicago Public Schools, where she led middle school classes in Math, Science, and English Language Arts. She also coached volleyball and co-ed flag football for hundreds of middle school students. Later, she served as Director of Education for a company that expanded access to arts and wellness opportunities for students and school communities.

Paul Kitti is Vice President of Marketing & Events for Chicago Innovation, a year-round series of events and programs designed to educate, connect, and celebrate innovators in the Chicago region.

Paul oversees the planning and execution of the Chicago Innovation event series, which attracts over 10,000 attendees annually. He also leads marketing and promotional initiatives, sponsorship activation, and communications, and works closely with the Chicago Innovation team in guiding the annual nomination and judging process to determine the year’s Chicago Innovation Award winners. Additionally, Paul is the co-author of Rising Together: The Story of Chicago’s Innovation Ecosystem which chronicles the factors and forces that have nurtured a culture of innovation within the Chicago region.

Before joining Chicago Innovation, Paul was on the team at Red Frog Events, where he was involved in the conceptualization and execution of national brands including Warrior Dash, Firefly Music Festival, and Illuminite Run. Previously, Paul worked as an entertainment journalist in Ann Arbor and Detroit. Paul is a graduate of the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor where he received his B.A. in Sport Management from the School of Kinesiology.

Chris has been in the AIDC industry for almost 30 years.  He is currently serving as RFID Program Director for TSC Auto ID, where he has been for the last seven years.  Prior to working at TSC, he spent 20 years as the General Manager, EMEA, for Seagull Scientific, developers of BarTender label software.  Chris is an active member of the RAIN RFID Alliance, GS1 and AIM.  He is also a Board Member for AIM North America.  He participates in multiple workgroups covering diverse topics such as RAIN RFID encoding standards, the rise of 2D barcodes, pharmaceutical, healthcare, aviation, RAIN readers in consumer cellphones and label software guidelines for tag encoding.
 
His work has included extensive educational efforts on the RFID Numbering Systems (encodings) specified by the GS1 and ISO standards.  He is also a primary instructor for the RAIN Encoding Masterclass and AIM’s recently launched educational campaign for AIDC.

Chris Johnson is the Director of Sales for Azuga's Reseller Sales Channel. A veteran in fleet management solution sales with over 18 years of experience, Chris has an unbridled passion for enabling his partners to provide vehicle telematics solutions that help fleets to be safer and more efficient using best-in-class fleet management and safety technology.

Session: Advancing Risk Management in Transportation with Telematics and IoT

 

Don Stevens, the National Channel Sales Manager at 42Gears, has held sales and leadership roles with Value-Added Resellers (VARs), OEM manufacturers, and Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) over a 35-year career that has seen transformational change within the AIDC industry. He leverages this extensive experience to help guide the implementation and deployment of emerging technologies that help his customers and partners make strategic business decisions that lead to improved operational efficiency.

Jeremy Black has more than 30 years of experience in services for multi-vendor mobile device management, wireless infrastructure management, terminal emulation, voice enabling, and mobile application development software. He has managed an install base with over 8,500 companies in over 50 countries, with software installed on over 4,000,000 mobile devices.

I'm a research engineer working on large multimodal models at Meta Super Intelligence Lab (MSL). My research interests include multimodal generation, understanding, and open world perception.

With over five years of sales experience, Noah Fisher is an Account Manager at ProClip USA, where they specialize in creating tailored solutions to meet each client’s unique needs. With a Psychology degree and a Business minor from the University of Colorado Boulder, Noah blends human insight with strategic thinking to drive meaningful results and lasting relationships. Known for a passion for problem-solving and customer success, Noah thrives on helping clients find the perfect fit for their goals. Outside the office, he enjoys quality time with family, solving puzzles, and staying active through sports.