Fullerton College to Host ‘Business in the Digital Age’ Conference
Fullerton College, in collaboration with Farmers & Merchants Bank and Farmers and Merchants Trust Company, announced a new conference that explores how technology is transforming modern business. The event, supported by the North Orange County Chamber of Commerce, Fullerton Rotary and the North Orange County Community College District (NOCCCD) Center for Entrepreneurship, is scheduled for 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Jan. 10 at the Fullerton College Campus Theatre.
The conference, titled “Business in The Digital Age: How Technology Is Changing Business” will open with a keynote by Orly Lobel, Warren Distinguished Professor of Law and director of Center for Employment & Labor Policy at the University of San Diego. Lobel, an award-winning author, has been recognized as one of the sharpest minds by The Marker Magazine‘s 50 sharpest minds and is known for her expertise in the intersection of employment law and technology.
Rommel Hidalgo, vice president for information technology and chief information officer at California State University, Fullerton (CSUF), will follow to unveil the most important technological breakthroughs coming that will disrupt and change business. From artificial intelligence to quantum computing, Hidalgo’s presentation will show how these technologies are reshaping business.
The event will also feature a presentation on the future of social media by Stephanie L. Smith, digital and social media supervisor at NASA JPL. Smith, a two-time Emmy winner and seven-time Webby Award winner, has been influential in NASA’s social media efforts where she manages the social media team that tweets as the Mars Curiosity rover. She will share her insights into the evolving digital communications trends.
Fullerton College will also present “The Robots Are Coming!” – a presentation by the team at Fullerton College that led the first-ever apprenticeship program for aerial drone pilots in California. The team will showcase how robots are being used everywhere, from the operating room to defense.
A panel discussion in the afternoon, led by State Senator Josh Newman, will focus on social enterprise, featuring leaders from RevHub OC, Charitable Ventures, Octane OC and the NOCCCD Center for Entrepreneurship. Newman was instrumental in establishing north Orange County as a social enterprise zone with incentives for business start-ups that create pathways to entrepreneurship for under-represented and under-resourced communities.
Attendees will enjoy networking opportunities, morning coffee and pastries, a taco lunch provided by Sodexo and a showcase of cutting-edge technology.
Tickets for the conference are available on Eventbrite, with discounts for North Orange County Chamber members, Fullerton Rotary members and Fullerton College faculty, staff and students. A parking pass is included with each ticket, with parking available in the Fullerton College parking structure on Lemon Street.
For more information, contact Zoot Velasco at 310-809-3733, zvelasco@fullcoll.edu or visit the conference website.
