The FinTech Center

Careers in Crypto
2022-02-08 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | FL
Meet the Panelists:

Camron Knight (He/Him/His)
Associate Technology Developer, AI
PwC
Hampton University
Camron is an Associate Technology Developer within the Artificial Intelligence Lab at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Camron has a proven track record as an energetic self-starter whose leadership acumen enables the timely delivery of value to clients and project stakeholders. During his undergraduate studies, Camron actively pursued participation in the FinTech Center’s crypto-literacy programming and compelling digital upskilling opportunities. Camron is an HBCU alum, having earned his B.S. in Business Administration from the Hampton University School of Business.

Darin Carter (He/Him/His)
Coinbase Giving, Program Manager
Coinbase
Pennsylvania State University
Darin Carter is a crypto ambassador, a keynote speaker, and a traveling professional. His core mission is to use his time, talent, and expertise to build a better future for our community. Known as @CryptoCousin to many, he’s been speaking & teaching crypto since 2017, helping hundreds of people start their journey into crypto. After breaking into tech, and a few years building at Salesforce, Darin Carter joined Coinbase in 2019. Today, as a Program Manager on the Coinbase Giving team, Darin leads projects/partnerships at the intersection of social impact and blockchain. As a lifelong learner, he studied at Pennsylvania State University, the University of Cape Town, and is currently a Master’s candidate at the University of Nicosia, studying Blockchain & Digital Currency. When he’s not learning, he’s helping others on their crypto journey.

Joel McGill (He/Him/His)
Software Engineer
Coinbase
Florida International University
Joel got into crypto in 2017, like many trading on the coinbase platform. In 2019 he began dabbling in code and met a teacher who shared his love for code and crypto and would later refer him at Coinbase. He spent the 2020 pandemic transitioning from Project management in construction to completing the FullStack Academy bootcamp and landing a job at Coinbase. Joel finds crypto exciting as he believes it has the potential to level the financial playing field and offers an alternative to the traditional financial system to build generational wealth.

Phylese Jackson (She/Her/Hers)
Sr. Project Manager, CXO Platform
Coinbase
Hampton University
Phylese is a certified Project Manager (PMP) with over 10 years of professional experience in the Financial Services and FinTech industries. At Coinbase, Phylese works in the Customer Experience Project Management Office where she is responsible for project delivery and implementing procedures to establish & support project governance. In her spare time she buys and HODLs crypto based on advice from her Dad who is the reason for her interest in Crypto.
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Tamia Hurst (She/Her/Hers)
HR Business Partner
Coinbase
Tennessee State University
Tamia currently serves as a HRBP at Coinbase supporting the Trust & Risk Organization. She has over 10 years of experience in Human Resources, with specialized areas of expertise in Talent/Leadership Development, and Diversity and Inclusion. She graduated from Tennessee State University with her B.A. in English and received her Masters in Human Resources from the University of Cincinnati. When she isn’t working she is chasing after her 2 year old son- she is spending time with her husband and her family, researching the latest industry trends in Crypto, or curled up with a good book!

National HBCU Blockchain and FinTech Conference 2021
2021-11-12 09:00 - 2021-11-13 15:00
The Annual National HBCU Blockchain Research and Innovation Conference is the FinTech Center’s premier event for connecting with university leaders, faculty and students discussing today’s challenges and opportunities, and shaping the future of FinTech education and research. The Annual National HBCU Blockchain Research and Innovation Conference, November 12-13, 2021 will provide a forum for the faculty, students, and administrators in the FinTech Center’s HBCU Consortium to hear and discuss the findings of sponsored research and outcomes of sponsored innovative blockchain projects at various HBCUs.
Registration is closed.

NFTs - The Tokenized Future of Assets
2021-10-05 12:00 - 13:00
“Blockchain901 is a technology nonprofit that promotes the adoption of blockchain and emerging technologies through education, collaboration, and networking opportunities.”
Justin has over 30 years of experience as an IT Solution Developer/Integrator. He is a Certified Blockchain Solution Architect as well as a Certified Blockchain Consultant and is the founder of Omnionix, Inc, a blockchain solution consultancy and development company. Justin is also the Memphis Chapter Chair of BUiLT, International Inc. (Blacks United in Leading Technology). Justin has been involved in Blockchain & Crypto since 2014.
Register in Advance

Morgan State University Faculty Curriculum Development Integrating Blockchain into Your Courses
2021-10-02 09:00 - 12:00
The FinTech Center at Morgan State University is pleased to OFFER FINANCIAL INCENTIVES to Morgan State University’s faculty for innovative course modifications to integrate Blockchain into existing courses.
To learn how Blockchain could relate to your discipline, join us for an interactive workshop, for faculty of all disciplines, that will raise awareness of use cases for Blockchain and how the technology is transforming every industry.
Morgan State University’s own Dr. Dessa David dives deep into Blockchain basics and answers the infamous question: what is blockchain and why we need to pay attention to it. Dessa J. David, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Information Science and Systems, Earl Graves School of Business and Management, Morgan State University. Dr. David received a B.S in Computational Mathematics and an M.A. in Computer Science from Brooklyn College @ CUNY; an M. Phil and Ph.D. in Computer Science from Graduate Center @ CUNY. Dr. David enjoys teaching and is passionate about her students. She teaches graduate and undergraduate classes, in areas of Information Systems. Her research interests include Information Technology Implementation, adoption, and diffusion; Information Systems Strategy; blockchain and supply chain. She teaches the Blockchain fundamentals course at the ESBM.
Dante Pacella from Verizon will explore content integrity and Verizon’s Full Transparency Project. Dante Pacella is a Fellow in Verizon’s Applied Research Lab. Areas of focus include Blockchain, Privacy Preserving Technology, Quantum Communications, and Web 3.0. He was the carrier lead for the Communications Business Automation Network (CBAN) and took part in GSMA’s Blockchain Wholesale Roaming Working Group over the past two years. Previous to his current role, Dante was lead architect for Verizon’s global backbone network. He has co-authored several IETF drafts and RFCs. He helped form and now leads Verizon’s Blockchain Competency Center as well as Verizon’s Blockchain Forum.
David MacFadyen, Music and Arts Professor at UCLA will explain NFTs (Non Fungible Tokens) and how they are transforming the ownership rights in music and the arts. David MacFadyen is the author of multiple books on the history of Slavic literature and music, specifically the popular traditions of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. Professor MacFadyen, as a reflection of these wide interests, holds positions both in the Comparative Literature and Musicology Departments at UCLA. His offerings include classes dedicated to musical, literary, cinematic, and technical issues of a rapidly changing world.
Mike McCoy Associate Director of Emerging Technology at Humana will share how Blockchain is being used to revolutionize healthcare. Mike is an applied research and product manager with experience in building emerging technology in the healthcare, life science, public sector, finance and multimedia industries. At the heart of his work is a mission to improve our health and experiences with technology. Professionally Mr. McCoy is the Associate Director of Emerging Technology at Humana where he helps manage and build new software, hardware and technical systems for the Healthcare Services Emerging Technology portfolio. Previously at Accenture and ConsenSys, he has worked in technical strategy, product development, integration and growth roles to build technical and sustainable solutions. Outside of Humana he is an Adjunct Professor at Thomas Jefferson University’s Institute of Emerging Health Professions as a lecturer and course developer for their graduate certificate programs including Blockchain for Healthcare, Intro to Clinical Data and Telehealth and Connected Care: Advanced Course. He is also Chair of The Linux Foundation, Hyperledger Healthcare Special Interest Group and is an active member to IEEE, HIMSS, Frontiers, Blockchain in Healthcare Today, Blockchain for Social Impact and other technical and social working groups.

HBCU Students Inform the Block with Craig Fischer
2021-09-14 12:00 - 13:00
Inform the Block (Downloadable Word Doc) Inform the Block (Downloadable PDF)
Register for HBCU Students Inform the Block with Craig Fischer September 14, 2021 12pm ET

Are you an undergraduate student enrolled at a Historically Black college and University (HBCU)?
Do you know a thing or two about blockchain and financial technology?
Then, we have an opportunity for you to HBCU Students Inform the Block and share your knowledge through video.
What is Inform the Block, you ask? Good question. Inform the Block is a social awareness initiative sponsored by the Morgan State University (MSU) FinTech Center and developed to address the growing disparity in awareness related to blockchain and financial technology. We want to impact learning across generations and catalyze a “buzz” of information to further ingratiate ourselves into this everchanging financial market. Learn more about MSU’s FinTech Center and its projects here.

Inform the Block with Brian Estes
2021-08-31 12:00 - 13:00
On August 31, 2021, Brian Estes will give a presentation on the background and history of money, the internet, and the adaptation of new technologies, and how this has led us to cryptocurrencies. Who is Brian Estes? Brian Estes, CIO and Managing Partner at Off the Chain Capital, has helped finance, build, and mentor 4 blockchain companies whose combined value is over $10B today. Prior to his involvement in blockchain in 2014, Brian was a leading endowment and foundation asset manager, ranking in the top 1/10th of 1% of Morningstar asset managers. Brian has his BA from the University of Illinois and MBA with high honors from Washington University. Brian also studied at Cambridge University and the London School of Economics. For fun, Brian has been an instrument-rated private pilot for 30 years and has over 2100 flight hours.
All are welcome to this virtual, interactive session. Please register in advance.

Blockchain Studies in HBCUs
2021-08-24 12:00 - 13:00
Guest Speaker: Tong Li, IBM
Day and time:

Tuesday, August 24 at 9:00 AM Pacific / Noon Eastern
Add Media and Entertainment SIG calls to your calendar

Dial-In Information:
You can join either from your computer or from your phone:

From computer: https://zoom.us/my/hyperledger.community.backup?pwd=[REDACTED]
From phone: +1(855)880-1246 (toll free US number) or view International numbers
Meeting ID: 6223336701

Speaker:
Dr. Ali Emdad is the Associate Dean of the Earl G. Graves School of Business and Management at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland. He oversees all daily operations in the Graves School and assists the Dean in setting the vision and strategic priorities for the School. He is the Founding Director of the Center for the Study of Blockchain and Financial Technology (The FinTech Center) where he manages a multi-year, multi-million dollar grant received from Ripple in February 2019. Previously, he served as the Founding Chair of the Department of Information Science and Systems in the Graves School where he holds rank of Full Professor with tenure. Dr. Emdad provided leadership for the department’s growth and addition of new programs including the B.S. in Supply Chain Management; the M.S. in Project Management; the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Project Management (both online and on campus); and the Information Systems Track in the Ph.D. Program in Business Administration.
Dr. Emdad has more than forty publications in various areas of IT. He focuses on FinTech related technologies including cryptoassets and blockchain program development and adoption models integrating design thinking and agile methodologies. He has shepherded the growth of the Graves School’s Capital Markets Lab. An experienced educator, Dr. Emdad has a thorough knowledge of the AACSB International accreditation standards and processes. Prior to joining academia, Dr. Emdad served as an IT specialist at Kennecott Corporation. A prolific fundraiser, he has established strong partnerships with corporations and government agencies and has been instrumental in bringing in large grants to Morgan State University. Dr. Emdad has been awarded the Iva G. Jones Medallion, the highest honor the university bestows upon a faculty member for outstanding teaching, research, and service. A 2007 Fulbright Fellow, Emdad holds a Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University and has completed executive management, leadership, and technical education programs at Harvard, Yale, and MIT.

HBCU Students Inform the Block
2021-07-16 11:00 - 12:30
Register for HBCU Students Inform the Block Kickstart with Samson Williams July 16, 2021 11am ET
Are you an undergraduate student enrolled at a Historically Black college and University (HBCU)?
Do you know a thing or two about blockchain and financial technology?
Then, we have an opportunity for you to HBCU Students Inform the Block and share your knowledge through video.
What is Inform the Block, you ask? Good question. Inform the Block is a social awareness initiative sponsored by the Morgan State University (MSU) FinTech Center and developed to address the growing disparity in awareness related to blockchain and financial technology. We want to impact learning across generations and catalyze a “buzz” of information to further ingratiate ourselves into this everchanging financial market. Learn more about MSU’s FinTech Center and its projects here.

Laws, Regulations, and U.S. Competitiveness in Digital Markets
2021-04-29 12:00 - 13:00
Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett represents the at-large district of the U.S. Virgin Islands in the United States House of Representatives. Plaskett is best known for her understanding of economic development and public-private partnerships. She previously worked at the Justice Department as Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Division, where she worked on initiatives to increase the number of minority and women attorneys at the Justice Department. She relocated to her ancestral home of the United States Virgin Islands and worked with the Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority (VIEDA). At VIEDA, she worked on tax incentive programs and public-private partnerships as a means to bring economic growth to the development of the territory.
In her own words:
“As young women of color, our participation in the civic process through leadership and other roles is critical to ensuring our interests are represented and the long-standing issues affecting our communities are addressed.”

Is Crypto Trending Mainstream?
2021-04-27 12:00 - 13:00
Edwin Aoki is a PayPal Technology Fellow and the CTO of the PayPal’s Blockchain, Crypto, and Digital Currencies (BCDC) unit, where he is responsible for driving sustained growth and innovation in digital asset technology. Previously, he spent nearly a decade as the company’s Chief Architect, tasked with defining the company’s long-term technical roadmap and architecture and advancing the technologies and technologists that have enabled PayPal to become a fintech leader.
Before joining PayPal in 2010, Edwin was at Netscape and AOL for more than 13 years as Technology Fellow and Chief Architect, overseeing the architecture and technology strategy for many of AOL’s consumer facing products, including instant messaging, mail, mobile, enterprise and developer programs. Edwin’s earlier roles include positions with Intuit, GO Corporation, and Apple Computer.
Edwin graduated from Harvard College with a degree in Sociology and Computer Science; is a published author; and holds several software patents. When he’s not at work, Edwin is involved with wildlife conservation and likes to spend time with big cats.

What Disruptive FinTech Trends Are Transforming Jobs: What Job Applicants and Curriculum Developers Need to Know
2021-04-15 12:00 - 13:00
Anoop Nannra is the Global Blockchain Segment Leader in AWS’ Partner Organization. Anoop is focused on identifying disruptive technologies and accelerating their adoption through business incubation via co-development, co-innovation, and partnerships. Anoop has a proven track record of leadership in corporations and start-ups, delivering world-class innovations in security, optics, media and entertainment, communications, IoT, and blockchain. As AWS’s Global Blockchain Segment Leader, Anoop is responsible for strategy and execution of growing the blockchain partner business with AWS’ global and regional partners. Anoop is also the Chair and Co-Founder of the Open Sustainability Collaborative, a people focused non-profit enabling innovators in underserved communities to build solutions to help corporates address their sustainability development goals. Previously, Anoop was Cisco’s Global Blockchain Leader and participated in numerous enterprise blockchain industry initiatives, including serving as the Chair and Executive Board Member of the Trusted IoT Alliance and represented Cisco as an Executive Committee Member of the Chamber of Digital Commerce. Anoop is always at the bleeding edge of technology innovations, and looking at ways to transition emerging technology to mainstream use.

Why is Assets Tokenization Disrupting Financial Markets?
2021-04-13 12:00 - 13:00
Register Here!

Catherine Coley is the CEO of Binance.US, a digital asset marketplace built for easy and secure access to buy, trade, and stake digital assets in America. As a seasoned fintech veteran, Coley comes to Binance.US with combined experience at the crossroads of global capital and cryptocurrency markets. She brings over five years of sales & trading experience from Morgan Stanley Foreign Exchange in Hong Kong and London, combined with her treasury management and cross-border payments experience, growing fast-paced global companies like Silicon Valley Bank and Ripple.
Coley holds a BSBA in Global Business and a minor in Asian studies from the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. She was a GLOBE scholar, earning her business degree internationally with selected students from Copenhagen Business School and Chinese University of Hong Kong– and was recently named one of Fortune’s Top 40 under 40.

FinTech’s Role in Building Generational Wealth in the Black Community
2021-04-08 12:00 - 13:00
Register Here!
Cuy Sheffield is the Head of Crypto at Visa, leading the global crypto product team within the fintech product organization. Cuy is a fellow at the Visa Economic Empowerment Institute, a co-chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Cryptocurrencies and a member of the advisory group for the Digital Dollar Project. Before Visa, Cuy worked on business development and partnerships for TrialPay, a fintech startup that Visa acquired in 2015.
With a career that covers both media and technology, Donald Hawkins applies a diverse mixture of skills to his role as Founder & Chief Executive Officer of his affinity neobank, First Boulevard. As a serial entrepreneur, Donald has a goal of creating companies that truly help the masses. With First Boulevard, Donald is empowering members to take control of their money while building positive financial behaviors.

The Future of Central Bank Digital Currency: A Global Perspective
2021-04-06 12:00 - 13:00
Register Here!
Dr. Oriol Caudevilla works as a Management Consultant at AirHelp, Advisor for a Hong Kong-based FinTech company, ixFintech, Strategic Advisor at a Hong Kong-based WealthTech company, ETFCool, Strategic Advisor at Alpha Bright Asset Management (Hong Kong) Strategic Advisor at ScallopX, Scientific Advisor at the Israeli Blockchain Association, Mentor at R3 (Singapore), Mentor at Cyberport (Hong Kong), FinTech Mentor at F10 Incubator & Accelerator (Singapore), Blockchain Mentor at Tribe (Singapore) and also FinTech Mentor at Rise by Barclays (London and Mumbai). Oriol is member of the Blockchain, Digital Banking and Greater Bay Area Committees at the Fintech Association of Hong Kong (FTAHK), as well as the Singapore Fintech Association (SFA). He is Fellow at the Digital Euro Association (D€A) and at the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), as well as Honorary Fellow at the Asian Institute of International Financial Law -AIIFL- at the University of Hong Kong (HKU). Furthermore, he publishes articles in several media, including China Daily (both the Global and Hong Kong Edition) and Macau Business. He has given talks and seminars on the Chinese Financial System, Central Bank Digital Currencies and the Digital Yuan in several universities in the US, Canada, Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, as well as in international conferences, like the recent Israel/UAE Fintech Week, the Future of Fintech Saudi Arabia event and the Greater Bay Area Blockchain Week.
Dr. Ousmène Jacques Mandeng is a Senior Advisor and Lead of Economic and Financial Strategy with Accenture’s Blockchain and Multiparty Systems. He co-leads Accenture’s campaign globally for the dissemination of central bank digital currencies and thought leadership on the wider implication of the digital transformation in payments. He is a Visiting Fellow at the Institute of Global Affairs at the London School of Economics and Political Science, a Member of the Bretton Woods Committee, Fellow of the Reinventing Bretton Woods Committee, and Member of Robert Triffin International and writes a blog at www.economicsadvisory.com. He holds a Ph.D. from the LSE and is fluent in German, English, French, and Spanish.
