There is a famous saying...The future is here; it is just unevenly distributed. This phrase could not be more true than when it pertains to how drones are being used around the world. In nations like China, Ukraine, and Israel, drones are playing critical roles in industries like defense, agriculture, and construction.  In the United States, widespread adoption of drones has been delayed. But now, with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) moving more rapidly to create the rules of flight, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (drones) are being deployed in greater numbers and across many more industries.  Indeed, there may be no more innovative technology than drone technology due its widespread adoption and flexibility.  This talk will share a likely vision of the future, in which drones and the #DroneEconomy will play an enormous role. Interested in what the world will look like in 3 or 30 years?  Then this is the talk for you! 

Entrepreneurs often wonder if their new idea is patentable, or possibly already patented.  Join Attorney Wendy Koba, an experienced patent attorney, to learn more about the different kinds of patents and how you can explore if your idea is already patented.  Wondering how much a patent might cost, where they apply, and how long they last?  Wendy will discuss those areas too. 

Food Entrepreneurship has a long and proud history in NEPA.  Join these two Hazleton Area graduates to learn more about how to start your own food based business.  John and Andrew will touch on local resources to help guide you and share their own experiences and some of the unique challenges of starting and scaling food ventures. 

Steve Blackburn is an experienced Search Engine Optimization professional.  Join his breakout session to learn more about what SEO is (and isn’t).  Steve will use real world examples to help aspiring entrepreneurs understand how SEO can help their business, how to get started, what it costs, and how to measure success. 

Stephanie’s experience spans across several change-based organizations and within the higher education industry. She has been recognized for working with organizations to help restructure their business processes. She has worked as an implementation consultant and trainer, assisting NGOs and nonprofit organizations.

Stephanie’s professional experience includes a variety of consulting services in support of operations including strategic planning, change management, business process improvement, financial management, coaching, accreditation, and curriculum development primarily in the nonprofit and higher education sectors.

Stephanie’s current research emphasis is concerned with relational dynamics during and following significant change. She has presented at the International Leadership Association (ILA) in Prague, Los Angeles, West Palm Beach, and Montreal. She has several published articles and book chapters and is a contributing member in the followership research community. Stephanie served as a co-chair for the 2019 Global Followership Conference and is a contributing editor in her field.

Stephanie also has over ten years of experience teaching at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels within higher education in management, marketing, finance, entrepreneurship, behavioral science and leadership. In addition, Stephanie serves as a dissertation committee chair and contributing member on several dissertation committees in her research field.

Stephanie earned her Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership and holds an MBA and BSBA in Business with concentrations in Marketing and Finance.