Opening Keynote
Lesley Henry Kadish
Wednesday, October 2
Lesley Henry Kadish is a digital cultural heritage worker and anthropologist. She works in sensory design and qualitative evaluation for museums and food producers. Lesley has built (and fished in) a classroom on a frozen lake, guided groups on closed-eye tours of botanical gardens, and excavated an archaeological site by the Crimean Black Sea. Her published papers include topics such as historic baseball and organic cereal box design. Lesley’s primary goal is to help people learn through their bodies. She is a former fellow and staff at the Smithsonian’s Accessibility Office, where she focused on cross-sensory evocations and helped develop the first pan-Smithsonian program for adults with dementia and their care partners. She was a longtime digital curator at the Minnesota Historical Society, directing projects on data visualization, 3D virtual modeling, and georeferencing historical maps. Her fellowships have included the National Endowment for the Humanities’ Spatial Narratives and Deep Maps: Explorations in Advanced Geo-spatial Technologies; Harvard METALab’s Beautiful Data workshop; Georgetown University’s Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship, and a Fulbright Scholarship with Espoo City Museum and the Finnish National Archives.
Closing Keynote
Lanette Shaffer Werner
Friday, October 4
Lanette is General Mills' Chief Innovation, Technology & Quality Officer, leading global teams in innovation and development of new products that delight and meet consumers' evolving needs and values. In her previous role as Vice President, ITQ, for Meals & Baking Solutions Lanette was accountable for innovation, core growth, and total value across a broad portfolio of iconic brands, N&O and North America Foodservice (NAF).
Lanette has held many roles in ITQ throughout her career, including as a scientist in Häagen-Dazs and Pillsbury New Ventures and Shapes cookies, G-Tech Materials Category Management lead for Sweeteners, Baking Manager, NAR Yogurt Business Unit Interface (BUI), Global Cereal Innovation Director, and Global Product Design Director. She also completed an overseas assignment in France, working on global yogurt and Häagen-Dazs businesses. Lanette first came to General Mills in 1994 as an intern with Häagen-Dazs (best internship ever!).