I spend my days building AI models and discussing global tech trends with colleagues over video calls, but if you are like me you like to get out on occasion and meet the local founders and innovators tackling community problems right here in Central PA.
It's an interesting aspect of our work as Digizens. We are more connected to a global, digital world than any generation in history. I can spend all morning on a video call with a team in Frankfurt or collaborating on code with someone in Bangalore. The work is fascinating, and the global perspective is essential.
But at the end of the day, I’m here. I’m in Central Pennsylvania. And sometimes, the motivation to get out isn't about escaping a "bubble" or feeling disconnected. It’s simpler than that. It’s the desire to find your people, right here. It's that simple, human need to hang out with other folks who are wired the same way, who speak the same language of technology and innovation, and who are looking at the same patch of the world—our community—and thinking about how to apply these amazing tools to it.
There's a different kind of energy you get from an in-person conversation with a peer. You can't replicate the spark of a shared "a-ha!" moment over a cup of coffee or the handshake that turns a digital contact into a real-world collaborator.
From my perspective as a "Value Stream Mapper," a community isn't just a location; it's a living system of relationships. And that system is healthiest when we actively participate in it, finding the nodes where information, trust, and ideas can be exchanged face-to-face. I was looking for an efficient way to map our community's innovation stream—a place to meet those like-minded people. And I think I found a critical access point.
The Contribution Blueprint: AI Day of Central PA
When I analyze a system, I look for bottlenecks and I look for high-leverage nodes. A "bottleneck" is where value gets stuck. A "high-leverage node" is a place where a small input can create an outsized, system-wide output.
For Digizens like us, who want to connect with our local tech and innovation ecosystem, the biggest bottleneck is often just knowing where to start. It’s the friction of the unknown. Where do the builders, founders, and problem-solvers in Central PA actually gather?
The AI Day of Central PA, hosted by the New Tech Meetup of Central PA, is a perfect answer. From my "Value Stream Mapper" perspective, this isn't just a one-day conference. It is a high-leverage, low-friction access point designed to connect disparate parts of our regional innovation system.
This is an-opportunity not just to "volunteer" in the traditional sense, but to contribute by participating. Your "contribution" is your presence, your curiosity, and your willingness to connect. The "opportunity" is to get a real-time map of who is doing what with one of the most transformative technologies of our lifetime, right here in our backyard.
The Mission: Why This System Exists
The mission of an event like this is simple: to create a high-bandwidth, in-person node for our regional tech system. It’s to get the smartest, most driven people out of their respective silos and into a single room for a day.
Think about our community as a complex network. We have established companies, government agencies, healthcare systems, startups, and academic institutions. In our day-to-day, these "streams" rarely cross. An engineer at a large corporation, a founder of a new startup, a professor, and a cybersecurity expert might live miles apart but professionally, they are worlds apart.
AI Day is the "system interrupt." It’s a deliberate, designed collision. Its "why" is to aggregate our local intellectual capital—the speakers, the attendees, the sponsors—and force an exchange of ideas. It’s an act of community inventory. By showing up, you are helping to map our local assets. The problem it solves is fragmentation. It’s a direct counter-agent to the digital silo I was just talking about. The goal is to spark the conversations that don't happen on Zoom, to connect the local problem with the local solver.
The Process: A User Journey for Connection
So, what does "getting involved" actually look like? This is where the low-friction part comes in. You don't need a special skill. You don't need to prepare a report. You just need to show up. That's the only requirement.
Let's map the "user journey" for this event, which takes place on Saturday, November 8, 2025, at Pursuit Coworking in Harrisburg.
The Initial Handshake (8:30 AM - 9:15 AM): The day begins with "Coffee & Registration." From a systems perspective, this is the initial handshake protocol. This isn't just a line for caffeine; it's the first and easiest opportunity for connection. The person in front of you, the person behind you—they are here for the same reason. You already have a shared context. You can turn to anyone and ask, "What part of AI are you most excited about?" This is the system's "warm-up," designed to lower social friction immediately.
The Value Stream (9:30 AM - 4:00 PM): The day is a production line for ideas. It flows through morning sessions, two powerful keynotes, lunch, and afternoon sessions. You aren't passively consuming; you are an active part of the audience. The Q&A after a talk is a public exchange of information, where you see what your community peers find important.
The Collision Nodes (Lunch & Networking): The schedule deliberately includes two critical unstructured blocks: "Lunch" at 11:45 AM and "Open Networking" at 4:00 PM. These are the most valuable parts of the entire system. This is where the planned "collisions" happen. The talk you just heard becomes a conversational catalyst. You can approach a speaker, or better yet, a fellow attendee who asked a smart question. These blocks are the system's "integration phase," where the ideas from the presentations are processed, debated, and connected to your own work.
The System Output (5:00 PM): The "Event Concludes." You leave with a stack of new contacts, a list of new ideas, and, most importantly, a mental map of your local tech scene that is clearer than it was that morning.
The Tech Angle: Mapping Our Local AI Assets
This entire event is the tech angle. But let's look closer. The speaker list is a "who's who" of local innovators. Analyzing their topics gives us a precise map of our community's capabilities.
Chuck Russell (Collective Intelligence Inc.): His topic, "Generative Development (Vibe Coding)," is about using AI to accelerate the entire development cycle. From a systems view, this is a massive bottleneck remover. How many local companies or non-profits have a great idea but get stuck on the "time and cost to build"? Chuck is exploring a tool that could fundamentally lower the barrier to entry for innovation in Central PA.
Jamison Rotz (Nearly Human): "Creating AI Systems that Create Value" is the core of systems thinking. It's not enough to build "cool tech." Jamison is focused on the output: building responsible AI with tangible ROI. This is critical for our local enterprises and government agencies that need to see a real-world benefit, not just hype.
Jodi Frank (Culineer): Her work is a perfect micro-example of this system. She's using AI to "Reduce Development Costs" for her own platform, which connects farmers and home cooks. This is a local problem (food logistics) being solved by a local founder using global tech. She’s literally strengthening the "farm-to-table" value stream.
Brandon Teller (Bindr & ColdStart): His topic, "AI only ranks relevant content, SEO as we know it is dead," is about a new supply chain for information. How do local businesses, non-profits, and community groups get their message to the people who need it? Brandon is mapping the new rules of "AIO" (AI-optimized) content.
Bryan Speece (Vamp & Speece Technologies): "Vamp: AI-Driven Research Interviews." This is a tool for mapping human needs. How does a non-profit understand its constituents? How does a local government get real feedback? Bryan is building a tool that creates a better feedback loop, which is essential for any healthy system.
Ken Richard (Okaya): "AI to Improve Mental Readiness for High-Impact Careers." This is about strengthening the most critical asset in our entire community system: the people. He's working on AI for pilots, firefighters, and healthcare workers. This is AI applied directly to human resilience and wellness.
Scott Davis (Everound & Cybersecurity Association of PA): "Practical Security Applications of AI." If our community is a network, Scott is the "immune system" specialist. He’s discussing how to use AI for threat detection and risk assessment. A secure system is a functional system, and his work is vital for protecting all the other value streams we’re building.
The "Onboarding" Process: How You Join the System
This is the best part. The "onboarding" is radically simple. There is no complex application, no background check, no multi-year commitment.
Step 1: Register at Meetup.com Step 2: Mark your calendar: Saturday, November 8, 2025, 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM. Step 3: Go to the location: Pursuit Coworking at 922 N Third St, Harrisburg, PA 17102.
Your "first day" is just that: one day. The expectation is simple: show up, be curious, and be open to conversation. You are contributing to the system just by being a part of it.
The Network Effect
The surprising thing wasn't the work, it was the people.
This is the secret I’ve learned from plugging into any community system. You go in thinking about the stated goal—in this case, learning about AI. You come out realizing the real value was the network you just mapped and became part of.
At an event like this, I might meet a network admin from a local hospital, a project manager from a manufacturing firm, a data scientist from an insurance company, and a solo founder trying to build a new app. We're all in the same room, processing the same information.
And then, over coffee or lunch, we talk. We talk about our day jobs while sorting through the implications of a morning session. It's the most organic networking you can imagine. There's no pretense, no awkward "what do you do?" posturing. The event is the context.
This is the "Network Effect" in its purest form. From a systems perspective, value isn't just created; it emerges from connections. When that hospital admin hears about the cybersecurity challenges from Scott Davis and discusses them with the manufacturing PM, a new, cross-industry understanding is born. When the founder hears Jodi Frank's story, they find new motivation and a potential local mentor.
This is where the true ROI is found. You are building a personal and professional network that is local. These aren't contacts on a screen; these are people you can meet for coffee in Hershey or Harrisburg. You are debugging your own bubble. You are building a support system, a collaboration network, and a community, all in one day.
The Local Feed
While we’re focused on mapping our local innovation system, here are a few other important signals from our community’s network:
Honoring Our Local Leaders: Big congratulations to two members of the Penn State Harrisburg community who were honored at the 2025 Women in Technology Awards, hosted by the Technology Council of Central Pennsylvania. Shirley Clark, acting director of the School of Science, Engineering, and Technology, rightfully received the Moxie Award for blazing a trail for other women in tech. And Vahid Motevalli, interim vice chancellor for academic affairs, received the Women in Tech Ally Award for his outstanding contributions as a supporter and advocate for women in the field. This is a powerful reminder of the deep well of talent and leadership we have right here.
Mapping the Rules for AI: Our local system is also shaping the rules of this new technology. A bipartisan group of state lawmakers, including Reps. Arvind Venkat, Joe Hogan, Tarik Khan, Bridget Kosierowski, and Greg Scott, has introduced legislation (H.B. 1925) to regulate the use of AI in health care. The goal is to ensure transparency from insurers and hospitals and, critically, to mandate that a human decision-maker always makes the ultimate call. It’s a crucial step to ensure these powerful tools are used responsibly and without bias, keeping the "human in the loop."
The Call to Action
The AI Day of Central PA is one way to make a difference and meet great people. Find one that works for a. The ROI is immeasurable.
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