Uncaged Show

If digital content isn’t designed for how today's diverse audiences actually engage, it will be ignored—no matter how important it is.

Ronald Yaros directs the Digital Engagement Lab at the University of Maryland and is the author of The Digital Engagement Model (Springer–Palgrave Macmillan), which redefines engagement by synthesizing cognitive psychology and human–computer interaction with journalism and communication.Engagement isn’t driven only by topic, but by how content is structured for real-world conditions—limited time, distraction, and incidental exposure. Their lab examines how today's “best practices” can become tomorrow's "better practices" to increase attention, comprehension, and retention.

Natalie Mackay is the CEO and Founder of Unlimited Play Playgrounds, an award-winning 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to building inclusion through play. For more than two decades, she has led a national movement to transform how communities approach accessibility, shifting the focus from minimum ADA compliance to true universal design and meaningful participation.Unlimited Play partners with cities, school systems, and community leaders across the country to create inclusive playgrounds where children and adults of all abilities can play side by side. Natalie’s work centers on a simple but powerful belief: access alone is not enough. Spaces must be intentionally designed so that every individual can participate, connect, and feel a sense of belonging. Her leadership has helped communities rethink recreation, ensuring that no child is left watching from the sidelines.Natalie’s professional foundation began in Parks and Recreation, where she studied ADA compliance, accessibility standards, and public recreation systems. She also directed the Utah Special Olympics Games early in her career, gaining firsthand experience in disability inclusion. After the birth of her son Zachary, who lived with a rare genetic condition and used a wheelchair, she saw the gap between legal standards and lived reality. Traditional playgrounds met regulations, yet many children still could not truly play.In 2003, Natalie founded Unlimited Play to close that gap. What began as one community project grew into a nationally recognized nonprofit that collaborates with disability advocacy organizations, municipal leaders, educators, and corporate partners to advance inclusive recreation. She works closely with school districts to address accessibility challenges before they become legal issues and speaks nationwide about the power of inclusive design.

Jeff Connacher is the Head of Product Management, Telecommunications at VertiGIS.

He is an experienced Chief Technology Officer with a demonstrated history of working in the telecommunication industry, skilled in Enterprise Architecture and SOA, Integration, Product Management and Project Management. Jeff is a strong information technology professional with a Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng.) focused in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from University of KwaZulu-Natal. He is also a systems architect and engineering application expert with specific ability and experience in bringing together user requirements with a practical and workable implementation of their technical requirements. Utilising his engineering background, Jeff has supported a variety of application platforms in the Telecommunications, GIS and Location Intelligence space, designed and implemented Service Oriented platforms, Multi-tiered Applications as well as multilayer network integration systems for machine to machine and man to machine applications.In the presales environment, he enables the sales team by presenting and demonstrating enterprise systems providing the necessary expert knowledge and also manages the development and support teams implementing and training customers on engineering applications in the Fiber Optic planning and inventory system environment.

Bill Dunn is the president and proprietor of CNS Cleaning Company. For over 41 years CNS Cleaning Company has provided NJ, PA and DE with the finest in Commercial Cleaning and Janitorial Services.

He is also a best selling author featured in The E-Myth Evolution.

Ashish is the Vice President of Customer Modernization & SAAS Migrations at Palo Alto Networks, the global cybersecurity leader that is shaping the cloud-centric future with technology that is transforming the way people and organizations operate.

Ashish is passionate about driving meaningful change through technology and people, with a leadership style rooted in transparency, continuous learning, and empowering others to reach their potential.

Ashish spent over 14 years as Founder and CEO of Function1, a consulting powerhouse that he built from the ground up. Under his leadership, Function1 grew to over 50 employees, surpassed $10M in revenue, and earned multiple placements on the INC. 5000 list.Ashish was responsible for everything from business development and sales to operational execution and financial strategy, making him a well-rounded executive with firsthand experience in scaling companies.

His tenure at Plumtree Software and Bea Software earlier in his career gave him a strong foundation in enterprise software delivery and public sector client management.

For over two decades, Deepshikha Mahajan has partnered with CEOs and executive teams to build talent systems that unlock business performance and workforce potential at scale, turning talent strategy into business growth. She has worked across sectors and within technology, in both founder-led companies and mature global public enterprises.

She was individually recognized with the SHRM 2024 Executive Impact Award for her systemic innovations that led to notable business and people impact. Today, her thought leadership centers on what it truly means to build an AI-native talent strategy: shifting from static jobs to dynamic skills, from episodic development to rapid learning ecosystems, and from traditional HR programs to Agentic talent infrastructure.

Jon Staenberg is the Founder and CEO of Agate Hound Fund, the world's first Fund of Funds for "Search Funds," the highest performing asset class over the last 40 years.

His journey started in Omaha, NE at Warren Buffett's 4th of July Celebration. Jon started working at 8 years old - picking weeds, shoveling snow, and working odd jobs. Since then, he has never stopped and simply love hard work.After going to Stanford for 3 degrees, today, Jon has created a unique fund to invest in the top-performing asset class in the world, the asset class invented at Stanford, "Search Funds" or ETA (entreprenership through acquisition).

Mitchell Kosowski is the VP of Engineering at Vouched, a tech company that leverages their expertise in identity verification to remove barriers and ensure that everyone can effortlessly access the services they need.

As a hands-on engineering leader, he has a proven track record managing and growing high-impact, cross-functional teams committed to creating exceptional user experiences that drive revenue growth. Mitch excels at aligning both user and stakeholder feedback with ambitious goals to consistently deliver on-time software that exceeds expectations.

John Paradisi is the CEO of Libertas Funding, a direct lender providing working capital and growth financing to established small and mid-sized businesses. Founded in 2016, Libertas has provided over $5 billion in funding. Paradisi brings more than 25 years of experience across commercial banking, specialty lending, and capital markets.In his role, John leads the organization’s strategic direction, capital deployment, and growth initiatives, with a focus on delivering fast, flexible financing supported by disciplined underwriting and clear execution. He is known for combining institutional rigor with high-speed decision-making to help businesses act when timing matters most.Prior to joining Libertas Funding, John held senior leadership roles at City National Bank of Florida, CIT, and Deutsche Bank, where he led high-performing teams and executed complex lending and capital markets strategies.

Roz Burton-Torres helps business leaders stop fighting their tech and start driving ROI. Since 2003, she has operated at the intersection of business strategy and technical architecture. As a 12x Certified Application Architect, Roz doesn’t just "build features." She diagnoses the business friction that’s holding teams back and designs scalable, human-centric solutions that actually get used.