Meet the Speakers

KAT WALSH

With a Marketing degree from FIT and a Master’s in Western Philosophy from St. John's College in Santa Fe, Kat’s spent over 25 years shaking up the marketing world. She started as a top high fashion buyer for Bloomingdale’s, Bendel’s, Barney’s, and ABC Carpet and Home and a fashion coordinator for Halston’s designer line. 

A trendspotter at heart, Kat jumped into social media marketing and now helps brands shine on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and more. Her fresh, fun strategies elevate brand awareness, drive traffic, and engage audiences like pros.

Kat’s an author of 11 mindful children’s books, a master meditator, loves rescue dogs and pop culture, and always does things with integrity and style!

ALEXANDER MCCAIG

Alexander is the CEO of TARTLE, leading global initiatives that empower users through data ownership and advancing the TARTLE Big 7 Impact Framework. With expertise in business development, risk management, consulting, and private equity, he has managed multi-million-dollar projects across public and private sectors.

MICHAEL GARFIELD

Paleontologist-Futurist Michael Garfield's work helps people navigate our age of accelerating weirdness and cultivate the curiosity and playfulness we'll need to thrive in it. A boundless generalist and super-connector of people and ideas, he bridges siloed disciplines to deepen public understanding of our complex world and foster pluralistic thinking.

His work as a "knowledge artist" draws on over twenty years of exploration as a prolific artist, public speaker, author, musician, scientific illustrator, editor, social media manager, research analyst, and teacher. Michael has inspired and provoked audiences everywhere from The Santa Fe Institute to Mozilla to MAPS to Meow Wolf, The Long Now Foundation to SXSW to The Chapel of Sacred Mirrors. Along the way, he has published hundreds of essays, paintings, songs, and videos while touring four continents, contributing to award-winning documentaries and peer-reviewed publications, moderating large online communities, hosting long-running improv monthlies, and raising two kids.

His new project, the grant-funded network forum Humans On The Loop, explores the nature of agency and wisdom in the age of automation. It’s time to graduate from asking if our dreams are possible to asking how we can dream better... 

CARL MCLENDON

Carl McLendon joined the Santa Fe Business Incubator in late 2023 after nearly three decades of experience in public education and entrepreneurship. Throughout his career, Carl has championed the innovative integration of technology to enhance educational outcomes and foster environments ripe for creative problem-solving and strategic thinking. A proven team leader, he believes in the power of collaboration and collective intelligence, focusing on nurturing potential and guiding teams toward shared visions and goals. Carl is eager to apply his expertise in strategic planning, team leadership, and technology integration to contribute to the growth and success of startups and entrepreneurs in Santa Fe.

JACK ALLREAD

Jack has been in the tech industry since 1980 when he joined the Navy and worked on navigation computers on submarines. He then spent 10 years at the National Renewable Energy Labs fostering the application of the then-new idea of multilayered artificial neural networks - the underlying technology of Machine Learning and GenAI, followed by 24 years writing software in industries from manufacturing to medical instruments to horticulture. And now he is investigating this newish AI thing. Starting with an in-depth set of courses through edX and taught by Databricks personnel that was very much a deep-end plunge into GenAI followed earlier this year with a set of 13 courses by Google for a Machine Learning Engineer Certification.