The Lamar University Blockchain Students Society invites the public to attend its Blockchain Expo from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 10, held in Room 3204 of the Cherry Engineering Building at Lamar University.
Thanh Nguyen, president of the Blockchain Students Society, said, “Having been in the crypto/NFT space for a while, you know that one of the main issues in the space is the lack of talent. This space has grown rapidly, but the amount of labor has not caught up with it.”
The event, he added, is geared toward everyone that has interest in this emerging technology and would like the opportunity to talk to founders and CEOs of companies in the blockchain industry.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re an engineering student or a business professional, I think there is something for everyone at this event,” said Nguyen.
FuelTrust CPO and Co-Founder Darren Shelton will kick things off at 6:10 p.m. with “Blockchain 101.” Shelton is a 25-year veteran of the maritime industry, having managed multiple shipping agencies, serving as lead auditor in ISO quality management systems and, most recently, being tasked with driving its digital initiatives for a premier global maritime agency. In 2018, he envisioned a blockchain startup for the downstream energy sector, which led to his co-founding FuelTrust, a data science company with greentech SaaS solutions.
At 6:30 p.m., Dionna Bailey, CEO of Lunargistics, will explore “Bitcoin 101.” Bailey is an established cryptocurrency, blockchain and space enthusiast. She is an expert in government contracts and international relations. As a senior leader, she’s been the project lead on multi-million-dollar projects in foreign countries to include building brand new hospitals from conception to fully operational. Transitioning into blockchain was easy for her. Her work began in 2017 for an independent blockchain company. There, she was exposed to the regulatory process of bridging blockchain to the U.S. dollar. She went on to be the VP of Business Development for GoCoin, a third party blockchain payment processor specializing in turnkey merchant solutions. Currently, she serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Lunargistics, a space technology company, and serves on the Texas Blockchain Council, assisting in writing Texas blockchain legislation.
At 6:50 p.m., Rebecca Hofmann, CEO of Blockchain for Energy, will lead a discussion on “Industry/Enterprise Applications.” Hofmann is an accomplished finance and compliance leader with more than 20 years of energy industry experience. She recently worked for Equinor's Operations Technology group and was responsible for ensuring the development and improvement of processes over governance, requirements, and compliance to support domestic onshore and offshore operations. She also led the blockchain digitization strategy of Equinor and is the founder and visionary behind the U.S. Oil & Gas Blockchain Forum, the OOC Oil & Gas Blockchain Consortium, now re-branded to Blockchain for Energy, where she served as chairman of the board the last two years and currently serves as the president and CEO.
“(These speakers) were chosen because they were leaders of companies that are related to blockchain tech,” said Nguyen.
The evening will conclude with closing remarks and an AMA session with the speakers.
“This is an opportunity for attendees to learn more about what the buzzword blockchain means and what this could mean for our future,” Nguyen said. “What they do with this knowledge is up to them — whether this gives them ideas for investment, job opportunities or even startup ideas. This will also be a great networking opportunity, especially for students.”
To register or
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