The Team
Academy Instructors
Dr. Michael Housman
Dr. Michael Housman is the founder and CEO of AI-ccelerator where he helps organizations decipher and leverage advances in artificial intelligence. He's spent his career leading technology teams at early-stage companies, having architected platforms to hire job applicants, communicate more effectively with customers, catch fraudsters, and transact real estate. His research has been published in a variety of peer-reviewed journals, presented at dozens of academic and practitioner-oriented conferences, and profiled by such media outlets as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Economist, and The Atlantic. Dr. Housman received his A.M. and Ph.D. in Applied Economics and Managerial Science from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and his A.B. from Harvard University
Matt Fornito
Matt Fornito is the founder and CAIO at the AI Advisory Group. Formerly a CDO, Head of AI, and Data Scientist, Matt has spent two decades as a catalyst for transformative change, combining his fervor for the confluence of psychology, technology, and AI to empower and educate. At the heart of his work is a relentless drive to unlock the AI potential within organizations and individuals alike. As a consultant for over a decade, he not only built two firms' AI practices from scratch - one winning NVIDIA's Partner of the Year Award (and act ed as NVIDIA Partner Chair), he has served some of the leading Fortune 500 companies helping them accelerate their AI journey through strategic roadmaps leading to tangible, business outcomes. He has been entrusted with billions in spend and produced $100s of millions in revenue. As an actor for nearly three decades and keynote speaker for 10 years, Matt combines theory, practicality, and storytelling to engage tens of thousands of people and inspire them about the future potential of AI. His evangelism and thought leadership have been seen at CIO/CDO Roundtables, Evanta events, various podcasts, and news outlets including CIO and CDO Magazine.
Thompson Plyler
A rare mixture of high tech and traditional art. He graduated with a degree in film production from NYU after working as a network engineer in the United States Marine Corps. Since film school, Thompson has worked as a visual effects artist for feature films, TV shows, and commercials for large brands such as BMW, Subway, Verizon, and Mercedes. His work in motion graphics and visual effects found him naturally learning software development, largely as an adjunct to his artist's toolkit. Thompson followed the rise of AI-generated art from the days when OpenAI's original Dall-E was just a whisper in white papers, and since the release of Midjourney and Stable Diffusion Thompson has been a passionate advocate for the technology as both an artist and technician.
Chris Garyet
Chris Garyet is a seasoned AI solutions specialist with deep experience architecting and deploying Generative AI, HPC, and GPU cloud infrastructure solutions. He has a proven track record at top technology firms like Microsoft, Oracle, and Google, where he has been instrumental in driving the adoption of new AI technologies. Chris focuses on leading complex engagements in the Energy, Healthcare, and Financial Services sectors, leveraging his background as an Electrical Engineer and go-to-market expert to deliver significant business impact. His expertise spans from venture capital partnerships to enterprise sales, making him a versatile leader in the industrial cloud vertical.
Ian Wasseluk
Ian Wasseluk is an Emmy-nominated Creative Producer and Supervising Director with over two decades of experience shaping animated content across preschool, bridge-aged, and adult audiences. A versatile storyteller and visual creator, Ian has led the development and production of animation for major studios and global franchises, bringing together artistic vision, team leadership, and deep technical fluency. His career spans roles as Supervising Director at Atomic Cartoons/Netflix, Creative Producer for worldwide animation teams, and long-standing work as a storyboard artist and illustrator. In recent years, Ian has become a pioneering force in AI-driven filmmaking, merging human creativity with cutting-edge tools such as Midjourney, Kling, Higgsfield, and ElevenLabs to produce original, boundary-pushing visual content. His collaborations—including with actor Corey Feldman on music-driven visual concepts—highlight his ability to translate narrative, emotion, and style into innovative mixed-media storytelling. With a foundation in film and video from Columbia College Chicago, Ian's career blends traditional craft with forward-looking experimentation, making him a standout creator at the intersection of animation and generative technology.
Solution Builders
Faraz Hasan
Faraz is an ex-Deloitte leader with over two decades of C-level advisory and cross-industry experience concentrated on driving product development, digital strategy and innovation. He is an expert in transforming early-stage concepts into scalable, market-ready solutions; a skillset honed across high-growth start-ups, scale-ups, pharmaceuticals, and major healthcare institutions. Faraz has led analytics and AI initiatives for Fortune 500 companies in Canada and globally including organizations such as CAMH, Hydro One, CIBC, Scotia Bank, and Bruce Power.
Gedas Tamutis
Gedas Tamutis is a seasoned Project Manager with over a decade of expertise in leveraging advanced technologies to boost efficiency and outcomes in projects. Currently, as Project Director and PM Innovation Lead at Ipsos UK since April 2019, he excels in managing pivotal projects across healthcare and consumer sectors with a focus on innovation and AI applications. His previous roles include Senior Project Engager at Hall & Partners and Project Manager at M3 (EU) Ltd. Gedas holds an AgilePM certification and an Associate’s degree in International Business from Middlesex University. Fluent in English and Lithuanian, he continues to lead with a passion for technological advancements in project management.
René Royer
With over 20 years in SaaS, FinTech, logistics, and emerging tech, René Royer translates big ideas into scalable, human-centered solutions. He bridges technical teams and executive leadership to deliver impactful results on time. René leads AI pilots, embeds LLMs and no-code tools, and advances decentralized platforms, focusing on strategy, collaboration, and operational excellence. Passionate about technology-driven human progress, he empowers teams to scale smarter with purpose.
Andrew Kim
Andrew Kim is an accomplished technology professional with over a decade of experience in machine learning and product management. He began his career as a data scientist where he developed predictive models used by companies to assess the potential of applicants before hiring. Andrew transitioned into product management where he continued to build technical data science products. He has a proven track record of guiding products from concept-to-market at various company stages - from startups he's founded to post-acquisition companies serving millions of users. With a strong foundation in machine learning and entrepreneurship, Andrew stands out as a technical leader adept at introducing new products in complex markets.
Hanzhi Guo
Hanzhi Guo is a distinguished Machine Learning Scientist with a proven track record of success in leading cutting-edge projects in the fin-tech, E-commerce, and insure-tech sectors, where his expertise in machine learning and data science has been instrumental in driving operational improvements and technological advancements in data-driven industries. One of Guo's most recent achievements includes increasing an insure-tech startup's data handling speed by an impressive 86%, while at Doma, he played a critical role in a siloed machine learning project, driving it from ideation to minimum viable product (MVP) in just five months, setting new standards for efficiency and innovation within the project's scope. Guo's machine learning expertise was also instrumental in implementing a state-of-the-art content management system (CMS) for a leading E-commerce company with a nine-figure valuation, taking the CMS system from proof of concept (POC) to handling over 100,000 requests per minute in production in just three months. Guo's academic achievements are equally impressive, having won the prestigious ViaSat Wifi Hotspot Award while pursuing his undergraduate studies at Texas A&M University, outcompeting PhD students in the engineering design competition, further cementing his reputation as a leader and innovator in the field. With his unparalleled expertise, commitment to excellence, and proven track record of success, Guo is a true trailblazer in the fields of machine learning and data science.
Kevin Roberts
A seasoned Cloud Technology Specialist with expertise in CI/CD pipelines, Security, and automated Infrastructure as Code (IaC) management. Holding an MBA with a focus in Entrepreneurship from DePaul University in Chicago, Kevin is passionate about effective communication and problem-solving. Throughout his consulting career, he has successfully assisted numerous clients with developing IaC solutions utilizing CI/CD frameworks for automated, secure, and scalable Cloud deployments. Kevin's commitment to delivering cutting-edge technology solutions aligns with a client-centric approach, ensuring seamless integration of innovative technologies to address everyday challenges. With a strong foundation in cloud technologies and a collaborative mindset, he excels in driving efficiency and fostering successful client relationships.
Jorge Gomez
Jorge L Gomez is a seasoned cybersecurity professional with over 15 years of hands-on expertise spanning the energy, financial, cloud infrastructure, and technology sectors. Throughout his career, he has spearheaded the development and enhancement of multiple cybersecurity initiatives, encompassing critical areas such as identity and access management, incident response, threat intelligence, security architecture and engineering, application and product security, and cloud security. He has given several conference talks on these subjects and is a contributing author to the EC-Council's Body of Knowledge for the prestigious C|CISO certification. Jorge studied at the University of Miami and holds degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering and several certifications for Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google Cloud. In recent years, Jorge has honed his focus on cloud and product security, leveraging a pragmatic approach and prioritizing developer-centric security practices.
Devin Wieker
Devin is a seasoned Machine Learning Engineer with a rich background in data science and software engineering, cultivated through experience at some of the tech industry's leading companies. Devin embarked on his professional journey after earning a Bachelor's in Physics from California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo, complemented by a minor in mathematics and computer science. Throughout his career, Devin has demonstrated his expertise in machine learning and software engineering across diverse roles. At Meta, he played a significant role in developing models to detect viral misinformation on Facebook News Feed. Transitioning to Twitter, he led a team in building new services to flag sensitive content, harnessing advanced deep learning techniques to bolster platform safety. His contributions extend to Cruise, where he served as a Senior Machine Learning Engineer contributing to the development of models for fully autonomous vehicles. Armed with a solid academic foundation and a proven track record of delivering impactful solutions, Devin is a masterful practitioner of applied machine learning.
Abdul Rehman
Abdul Rehman is a seasoned web developer specializing in React and Next.js, with over seven years of experience in the field. His expertise is complemented by strong backend development skills using Node.js. During his tenure at Petlabco, Abdul achieved a remarkable 180% improvement in mobile performance scores, leading to a 6% increase in conversion rates. This was accomplished by optimizing builds and implementing build caching for heavy GraphQL queries to Strapi CMS. Abdul's strategic migration and foundational work on the cart and home pages significantly improved site functionality and user experience. By developing custom resolvers and validation on Strapi CMS, he enhanced backend operations, ensuring robust and efficient data management. His troubleshooting expertise with Strapi and AWS load balancers resulted in increased system reliability and reduced downtime. Abdul’s work on server-side logic for overrides enabled the experimentation team to rapidly develop and deploy page variants, facilitating faster iteration and innovation. His contributions are pivotal in driving web performance and scalability for large-scale projects.
Business Development
Jenah Lagdameo
Jenah Lagdameo is a development economist specializing in organizational development and systems improvement. With seven years of experience in the public sector, she excels at streamlining complex processes, strengthening institutional systems, and designing digital reforms for large organizations. Jenah has a proven ability to support high-level decision-makers by bringing structure, clarity, and a problem-solving mindset to fast-paced, high-pressure environments. She is passionate about making systems more effective and accessible, whether through strategic policy recommendations or simplifying complex workflows.
Samantha Womelsdorf
Samantha Womelsdorf is an accomplished business development manager who excels at driving growth and fostering strong, lasting client relationships. Her robust background in the complex healthcare industry provides her with a unique ability to understand intricate client challenges and architect effective solutions. Samantha specializes in translating complex market data into actionable strategies, which she regularly presents to senior executives. She is a trusted partner to clients, dedicated to spearheading new initiatives and building the referral networks necessary for sustained success.