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The Future is Now: Regional AI Summit Draws Record Crowd

Mobi, a child-sized humanoid AI robot, demonstrates the playful side of autonomous technology by playing soccer for attendees. The summit also featured Sparky, an AI-controlled robotic dog used for emergency management and public safety.

Left to right: Mount President Dr. Robert Gervasi; Josiah Maddicks, the 2025 recipient of the Hudson Valley Regional Cyber Scholarship; and Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus, a 1996 graduate of the Mount. Orange County Government introduced the Hudson Valley Regional Cyber Scholarship at the AI summit last year.

A panel of experts discusses the economic impact of AI in the Hudson Valley, featuring (middle) Michael Oates, President and CEO of the Hudson Valley Economic Development Corporation and a college trustee. Oates highlighted how programs like the Mount’s new AI major anchor talent development “in our own backyard.”

New York State Chief Information Officer Dru Rai delivers the keynote address, outlining the Empire AI initiative and the state’s strategy for infrastructure, equity, and the responsible integration of generative models in government services.

Photos by Lee Ferris

The Hudson Valley Regional AI Summit set a new benchmark for tech discourse this spring, drawing more than 700 registrants to Mount Saint Mary College. 

The event served as a hub for state officials, academics, and business leaders to address the emerging AI economy.

Keynote speaker Dru Rai, New York State Chief Information Officer, outlined a statewide strategy focused on infrastructure, equity, and responsibility. He highlighted Governor Hochul’s $400 million “Empire AI” initiative, which aims to create a world-class computing center in Upstate New York. “AI is no longer a futuristic concept; it is a current reality that we must navigate with both ambition and caution,” Rai noted.

Mount President Dr. Robert Gervasi grounded the discussion in the college’s commitment to the liberal arts. Sharing an anecdote about C-3PO actor Tony Daniels, Gervasi argued that the most critical skills in the age of AI – ethics, communication, and empathy –are the very “lifelong habits” the Mount specializes in teaching. “Let’s stop calling them soft skills,” he urged. “Those are very difficult to master.”

Local leaders also weighed in on AI as an equalizer. Michael Oates, CEO of the Hudson Valley Economic Development Corporation, praised the Mount’s new Bachelor of Science in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence for anchoring talent in the region. Orange County Executive and Mount alumnus Steve Neuhaus ’96 added that AI is meant to serve humans, not replace them. 

“What AI has done for small companies is allow them to compete with large companies by just utilizing technology,” Neuhaus said. 

The event concluded with live demonstrations of cutting-edge tech, including “Sparky,” an AI-controlled robotic dog used for emergency management. 

Bridging the sector divide at ‘Partners in Purpose’ forum

Nikki Khurana-Baugh, Vice President for Advancement, moderates the panel discussion during the “Partners in Purpose” forum. Seated from left to right are panelists Robbie O’Quinn, Lead Generation Specialist, BBG&G Advertising, Inc.; JoAnn Parker, director of Development, Foundation for Abilities First, N.Y.; Derrik Wynkoop, CEO of Walden Savings Bank; Christina Mazzarella, Senior Associate at Mackey, Catania, & Whalen LLP; and Kaysie Romana, Chief of Human Resources, Cornerstone Family Healthcare.

Mount President Dr. Robert Gervasi delivers his welcoming remarks at the lectern during the inaugural “Partners in Purpose” forum. Standing against the wall is Heather Bell, President and CEO of the Orange County Chamber of Commerce, who introduced the president and organized the event.

Photos by Lee Ferris

Can corporate logic and philanthropic mission coexist? According to local leaders, they don't just coexist – they rely on each other.

The Orange County Chamber of Commerce held its first “Partners in Purpose: Forum on Non-profit and Business Collaboration” at the Mount, bringing together business and non-profit leaders to create intentional synergies that maximize community impact. Nikki Khurana-Baugh, the Mount's Vice President for Advancement, moderated an expert panel featuring leaders across the finance, healthcare, legal, and charitable sectors.

In his welcoming address, Mount President Dr. Robert Gervasi drew on his own professional journey from classical scholarship to a career at Procter & Gamble to highlight the intersection of both worlds.

“You have to have a business orientation no matter where you are, and you have to have a community orientation no matter where you are,” Dr. Gervasi insisted. “To say that self-interest and altruism permanently never the twain shall meet doesn't make sense.”

The forum also featured a timely keynote on artificial intelligence by Robbie O’Quinn, Lead Generation Specialist at BBG&G Advertising, Inc., who explored how non-profits can leverage AI for smarter marketing and fundraising. O’Quinn demystified the tool for attendees, reminding them of the human element behind the screen.

“Remember that AI does not think,” she said. “It finds and curates, and it matches patterns. You create the content, ideas, and the structure.”

Empowering the next generation of women leaders

Maxine Lindsay-Shillingford, MSN, Chief Nurse Manager of the National Virtual Care Clinic for the Department of Veterans Affairs, shares professional insights with students during the Hudson Valley Young Enterprising Women Mentoring Forum at Mount Saint Mary College. She is a 2023 graduate of the Mount.

Jennifer Bready, Dean of the School of Arts, Sciences, and Education and Professor of Mathematics at Mount Saint Mary College, mentors high school students during a roundtable session at the Hudson Valley Young Enterprising Women Mentoring Forum. Bready co-chaired the event, which brought nearly 130 young women from eight regional high schools to the Newburgh campus for leadership and financial literacy training. 

Rebecca Rayburn-Reeves, Senior Director of the Institute of Consumer Money Management (ICMM) and the Financial Literacy Program Coordinator for Young Enterprising Women, discussed the psychological barriers that often impact financial confidence, noting that “the more you know, the more power you have.”

Photos by Lee Ferris

Financial literacy isn’t just about math, it’s about power and personal well-being. That was the core message at the Hudson Valley Young Enterprising Women Mentoring Forum, hosted by the Mount to equip nearly 130 local high school students with essential financial skills and professional guidance.

The event, co-chaired by corporate anthropologist Andrea Simon and Jennifer Bready, Dean of the Mount’s School of Arts, Sciences, and Education, featured an interactive Financial Literacy Workshop by Rebecca Rayburn-Reeves, Senior Director of the Institute of Consumer Money Management.

Rayburn-Reeves addressed a distinct gap in financial confidence, noting that women are statistically more likely than men to select “I don’t know” on financial tests out of a fear of being incorrect or negatively impacting their reputation. When one removes that opt-out answer, she explained, women’s scores improve above and beyond men’s.

She urged the young women in attendance to claim their financial confidence early. 

“Where you put money is where you put power, ladies, for better or worse,” Rayburn-Reeves said. “So put it in your future self... having that money allows you to feel like you can handle what is coming.”

The forum concluded with an inspiring panel discussion featuring successful female trailblazers in STEM, healthcare, and business, including IBM Z Chief Product Officer Tina Tarquinio, Robotics4U CEO Monali Verma, and 2023 Mount alumna Maxine Lindsay-Shillingford, Chief Nurse Manager of the National Virtual Care Clinic for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

View the Hudson Valley Young Enterprising Women Mentoring Forum photo gallery.