About this Event
Link. Learn. Lead. This mentorship seminar brings together three accomplished speakers to help you build stronger connections, sharpen critical thinking, and lead with confidence in complex, real-world situations. From navigating difficult people and high-stakes conversations to understanding the evolving impact of AI and inclusive leadership, the sessions blend practical tools with strategic insight. Designed for professionals who want to grow their influence without losing authenticity, the event offers actionable frameworks, real examples, and space to connect with peers and mentors. Come ready to link perspectives, learn proven strategies, and lead with clarity, resilience, and purpose.
Theme: Link, Learn, Lead (3L)
Agenda
● 1:00 PM – 1:30 PM: CASPA and Mentorship Event Introduction
● 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM: Speaker #1 Dr. Tom Coughlin: Strategies for Handling Difficult People
● 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM: Speaker #2 Dr. Elizabeth Xu: Leading the Future –Women, AI Impact, and the Art of Critical Thinking
● 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM: Speaker #3 Justin Strong: Managing Difficult Conversations for Healthy Relationships
● 4:30 PM – 5:00 PM: Mentorship Network Sign-up & Pair Matching
Co-host/Partner: JJLake Business Center (https://jjlaker.com/)
Speakers
Speaker #1: Dr. Tom Coughlin
Tom Coughlin, President, Coughlin Associates is a digital storage analyst and business/ technology consultant. He has over 40 years in the data storage industry with engineering and senior management positions. Coughlin Associates consults, publishes books and market and technology reports and puts on digital storage and memory-oriented events. He is a regular contributor for forbes.com and M&E organization websites. He is an IEEE Fellow, 2025 IEEE Past President, Past-President IEEE-USA, Past Director IEEE Region 6 and Past Chair Santa Clara Valley IEEE Section, and is also active with SNIA and SMPTE. For more information on Tom Coughlin go to www.tomcoughlin.com.
Speaker #2: Dr. Elizabeth Xu
Dr. Elizabeth Xu is a seasoned business and technology leader with over 20 years of experience driving SaaS, big data, and AI-powered enterprise solutions. She is Chief Technology Officer of CP Group, leading digital transformation across hundreds of subsidiaries with $45B in combined revenue. Previously, Elizabeth served as CTO at BMC Software and held senior product engineering roles at Acxiom, Rearden Commerce, Vitria Technology, and IBM. A teacher, author, and mentor, she teaches at Stanford Continuing Studies and co-authored Myths of the Promotion. Elizabeth holds multiple degrees including a PhD, several leadership awards, a cybersecurity patent, and actively serves on nonprofit boards supporting women in technology.
Speaker #3: Justin Strong
Justin Strong is Principal at Strong Communications where he teaches classes and coaches communication skills. He was an instructor of presentation skills at Western Digital for several years and was an invited guest lecturer at Cornell University and @Cloud in Silicon Valley. Most recently he was a speaker coach for the speakers at TEDx Folsom. He has over 30 years of customer presentation experience in the technology industry and is active in Toastmasters. His passion is helping people deliver better presentations than they thought was possible.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
340 E Middlefield Rd, 340 East Middlefield Road, Mountain View, United States
USD 0.00
