Chris Scammell (Advisor) lives in a Tibetan Buddhist Monastery in London and is COO of Conjecture, an AI safety company. Previously Chris worked in the Office of the COO at hedge fund D. E. Shaw & Co. As an AI safety advocate, Chris aims to bridge the gap between wisdom traditions and cutting-edge technology, and is eager to involve religious practitioners in the dialogue on how to align AI with human values. Scammell holds a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science, Anthropology, and Philosophy (Summa Cum Laude) from Colby College and attended the Carleton-Antioch Buddhist Studies Program in Bodh Gaya, India.
Mike Truong (Networking) believes AI in education has the power to transform lives and lead to human flourishing. For over 20 years, he helped to establish and scale various academic and digital initiatives in higher education. As an edupreneur, he has co-founded several educational ventures, including a research university, a business/IT school, a university innovation alliance, a teaching-learning center, an educational technology office, and an AI education consulting firm.
At Azusa Pacific University, he spearheaded the “Artificial Intelligence in Academia” initiative, designed to help faculty effectively and ethically integrate AI into their teaching, research, and administrative work. He also serves as a co-principal investigator on two grant-funded AI research projects, focusing on AI’s practical applications and ethical considerations in education.
His international experience includes consulting with universities in Asia, serving as a U.S. Fulbright Specialist in Vietnam, and working on USAID projects focused on higher education reform in Vietnam. He teaches graduate courses on leading change for APU and Johns Hopkins. He earned his MA and PhD degrees from UC San Diego. After 27 years as a Protestant Christian, he recently converted to Catholicism.
