Dr. Jassal is the CEO and founder of SocialTech.ai, a social technologies futures incubator, and the Unmudl Skills-to-Jobs Marketplace powered by America’s community colleges to connect working learners with employers.

Recently serving as the founding director of the Work + Learn Futures Lab at the Institute for the Future and a fellow with the Forum on the Future of Education and Employment, Parminder investigated and continues to investigate the future through three intersecting lenses: the innovations of open economies; the changing role of people in their environments; and the relationship between learning and working. Through new research and research-inspired prototyping, Parminder applies foresight to promote positive culture shifts and improve inequities. Her early perspectives are shaped by experiences at Fortune 50 companies such as at Ford Motor Company, Atlantic Richfield Oil Company, and Lucent Technologies along with co-founding start-ups like Technology Solutions and Consulting, Bombay House Restaurant, and East Indian Trading Café.

Prior to the Institute of the Future, Parminder was named Founding Executive Director of ACT Foundation in 2012. She oversaw the organization’s unique role as an operating foundation, strategic investor, and incubation partner in support of the New Learning Economy and Rise of Working Learners (published). Dr. Jassal previously served as a program officer supporting postsecondary success for low-income young adults at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and in Economic Development leading workforce innovation at Greater Louisville Inc.

From being born in London to completing high school in India to graduating as a product of public higher education in the United States, Parminder’s life reflects the world economy.  Parminder fluently speaks three languages and has worked and serves on boards across the globe.  Her post-secondary experiences began with an A.S. at Southwestern Community College in Creston, Iowa as a community college graduate.  While transitioning from the for-profit to the philanthropic sector, Parminder earned her Doctorate in Higher Education with a focus on Technology and Economics from the University of Louisville.

Asad Raza is technologist at heart and serves as Chief Technology Officer of SocialTech. Asad went to school as an Electrical Engineer but found his calling in software applications and design. Asad is a serial entrepreneur and has managed business in 4 countries.  His work has been featured in Forbes, Inc, BBC, Voice of America, his work has been funded by Google, Techstars and won awards by Forbes, Entrepreneur's Organization, Asia Pacific ICT Alliance, and IEEE Computer Society. He has also given talks on various topics such as Product Management at Product School, Artificial Intelligence at Google Developers Group and DevOps at GitLab Commit.

Asad has a Bachelors in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science from National University of Science & Technology and has also attended Georgia Institute of Technology for Computer Science.

Herb started his military career at Eastern Kentucky University, in the ROTC program graduating as a Distinguished Military Graduate. Commissioning as an Infantry Officer Herb received the prestigious Airborne Wings and the coveted Ranger Tab distinguishing himself among his peers. Herb’s first active duty assignment was Fort Hood Texas, as a Rifle Platoon leader in the 2nd Armor Division “Hell on Wheels”, and Company Executive Officer before Permeant Change of Station to Fort Richardson, AK and becoming HHC Company Commander 1st Battalion 17th Infantry Regiment.  Herb, also serving as Battalion S1 and other staff positions while in Alaska. Herb was selected to serve as a Foreign Area Officer to South Asia and spent time training and working with the Indian Army and was the first American Soldier to attend the Indian Junior Commanders Course in Mhow, India.

Transitioning to civilian life was a journey that involved working in start-ups, Fortune 500 companies, and some entrepreneurial efforts like launching Grisanti Head Commercial Real Estate, and more recently Adventure Challenge Experiences

His natural inclination is to help folks achieve more for themselves and for their team. This natural inclination has driven his passion for the last ten years in his work with corporations, small business, camps, and a variety of groups. He has helped hundreds of organizations achieve more in less time by practicing and developing skills that we often take for granted. Using experiential learning to facilitate growth expedites the learning process and drives those skills into our memory for a more meaningful learning experience.

Herb lives in Austin, TX and is a proud parent of two Aggies (gig em), and serves as volunteer staff at Khalsa Center Miracle Valley in BC Canada as well as volunteering at his local church.

Mary has over thirty years of experience in the construction industry. Her experiences are concentrated in the office and warehousing sectors for pipeline contractors in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska.

Former positions include:
 Procurement Manager, Administrative Manager, Material Coordinator, Document Control Coordinator, Warehouse Coordinator, Warehouse Technician, Administrative Assistant and Project Secretary. Mary is a proud graduate of North Central Technical College with an Associate Degree in Data Processing & Accounting.

Hope Clark is a thought leader in work + learn research, policy and practice. She is passionate
about helping individuals develop future skills to thrive in a shapeshifting work + learn
landscape. Her talents include combining foresight and research insights to create equitable
futures for all learners, especially working learners. Her specific area of expertise is translating
complex data and research theories to design and develop practical solutions that provide the
greatest impact and opportunity for positive change.
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Hope served in a variety of technical and leadership roles over the course of her career working with local, state and national non-profit, government and think tank organizations in the
workforce development and higher education marketplace.
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Hope received her PhD in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Northern Illinois
University and completed her Foresight Practitioners training at Institute for the Future in Palo Alto, California.
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Hope’s philosophy and approach to solving problems is to embrace chaos and disruption to
uncover new insights and translate those insights into action. She enjoys making new
connections and discovering novel technologies that empower people to experience meaningful and satisfying life journeys.
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Her full digital portfolio, including notable accomplishments and publications, can be found at
https://www.linkedin.com/in/drhopeclark/.

Erica Barreiro leverages her strengths in leadership, pedagogy, and futures thinking to engage leaders and teams in designing work and learning experiences for the present, with the future in mind. She is passionate about expanding the access of historically marginalized populations to quality work and learning opportunities and throughout her career has been engaged in developing and leading initiatives aligned to this passion.

Erica has served in a variety of educational leadership roles in her career, most recently in a new role she is defining as the Future of Work Strategist for a large urban community college in the southwest. She embraces opportunities to be a trailblazer and as such led a variety of forward-thinking projects to include: the design of her college’s first certification and degree program for primary Spanish speakers, an integrated, fast-track, online liberal arts degree program designed for working learners, and a competency-based general education certificate program. More recently she has contributed to the development and deployment of Unmudl, a national skills-to-jobs marketplace powered by community colleges, and the Learning Credential Network, a blockchain solution for the secure, trusted, and efficient management and exchange of skills-based credentials.

One of Erica’s talents is her ability to effectively engage diverse stakeholders in higher education in change projects as she has acquired a breadth of knowledge and understanding of the various perspectives, processes, and power dynamics that can be challenges to the progress of such work. Erica also enjoys building the capacity of leaders in futures thinking and teaches a course on Leading for the Future of Work.