Industry Speakers
Leadership Across Generations Panelists:
SVP, Customer Success, Cisco
As Senior Vice President of Customer Success at Cisco, Lavanya Gopalakrishnan leads a global organization dedicated to helping customers realize the full value of their Cisco investments. A transformative technology leader, she is recognized for driving impactful customer outcomes, building high-performing global teams, and inspiring innovation at scale. With more than 25 years of experience spanning engineering, business strategy, supply chain operations, and professional services, Lavanya has also pioneered global centers of excellence that drive consistency, efficiency, and growth worldwide.
Lavanya previously led the Global Customer Success Specialists organization, delivering measurable customer value and exceptional partner experiences. She has held key leadership positions within Cisco鈥檚 Customer Experience, Professional Services, and Support, and earlier served in engineering and supply chain operations roles at Cisco, Ciena, and Nortel Networks. She also co-authored several publications and journal articles.
A passionate advocate for women in STEM, Lavanya serves as the executive sponsor of Cisco's Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) in North America, as well as the Bay Area Chapter of Women of Cisco. She has also mentored technology talent on the board of N/Core, The/Nudge Centre for Social Innovation, a non-profit incubator dedicated to solving India鈥檚 most pressing challenges.
Lavanya holds a Master of Science in Systems Science Engineering from Binghamton University, a bachelor鈥檚 degree in mechanical engineering from BITS Pilani in India, and is a Wharton University of Pennsylvania Aresty Scholar and certified ITIL Expert.
Senior Director of Product and Technical Marketing for Physical AI Platforms, NVIDIA
Madison Huang is senior director of product and technical marketing for physical AI platforms at NVIDIA including NVIDIA Omniverse鈩�, the OpenUSD development platform for physical and industrial AI simulation applications, NVIDIA Cosmos鈩� world foundation models, and NVIDIA Isaac鈩� robotics platforms including Isaac GR00T for humanoid robot development. Madison鈥檚 team is responsible for driving marketing initiatives, go-to-market strategies, and developer enablement across NVIDIA鈥檚 industrial digitalization and physical AI efforts. Prior to NVIDIA, Madison led marketing strategy and development in the luxury industry, working for the Louis Vuitton-Mo毛t Hennessy Group. Madison received an MBA in Marketing and Strategy from London Business School.
Dr. Cynthia Teniente-Matson
President, San Jos茅 State University
Dr. Cynthia Teniente-Matson serves as the 31st president of San Jos茅 State University (91传媒厂), assuming the role in January 鈥�23. As an internationally recognized Latina leader with extensive executive experience across multiple state university systems, President Teniente-Matson is a champion for student success, institutional innovation, and industry partnerships that drive economic mobility. Her leadership at 91传媒厂 has been marked by strategic growth, national recognition, and facilities initiatives, repositioning the University as a premier public urban research institution.
Moderator
Dean, Lucas College and Graduate School of Business, 91传媒厂
Rangapriya (Priya) Kannan is the dean of the Lucas College and Graduate School of Business and a professor in the School of Global Innovation & Leadership. Her research primarily focuses on how individuals achieve innovation within limited resources using creative resourcing and reframing. Kannan鈥檚 background includes expertise in leadership to affect strategic change, designing interdisciplinary programs, employee development, alumni and community outreach, and creating inclusive work environments. Her educational background includes a PhD from UCLA Anderson School of Management and degrees from 91传媒厂, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, and the University of Bombay.
