Event date: Wednesday, February 7, 2024
Paul Cotnoir, Ph.D., (facilitator) is the Dean of Clark’s Becker School of Design & Technology. Prior to Clark, Dr. Cotnoir served in various capacities at Becker College from 2002 to 2021: associate dean of the Centers for Learning and Career Advancement, dean of New Initiatives, and leader of the interactive media program as director of design programs and associate dean of the School of Design & Technology. Read more
Guy Pistone ’12, MBA ’15, is a serial entrepreneur and technology leader with over a decade of experience building successful applications recognized by Apple, the New York Times, Upwork, and many others. Currently, he is Co-Founder & CEO of Valere, a global tech and AI technology agency with over 175 employees with offices in five countries. Guy has had several consumer products acquired in software and AI, including Fitivity, which had over 15 million users worldwide.
Ryan Canuel, Becker College Class of ’15, is the CEO and co-founder of Petricore, Inc., where he drives the development of innovative games and interactive media in the emerging technologies sector. His team collaborates with global brands like Mitsubishi, Star Trek, Burger King, and Meta to create immersive experiences in addition to developing their own products that have reached millions worldwide and been named “one of the best iPhone games on the planet” by TechRadar. His passion for Augmented Reality (AR) and Extended Reality (XR) extended into academia, where he served as an Adjunct Professor at Becker College from 2016-2018. There, he led a unique AR design course in collaboration with the Rhode Island School of Design.
Currently, he is sharing his expertise as a board advisor for the Massachusetts Digital Games Institute. He’s also been lucky enough to receive a few awards for his work, including the ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ from the Worcester Chamber of Commerce, the ‘40 Under 40’ from the Worcester Business Journal, and the ‘Rising Pixel’ award from Playcrafting.