A creative director at Meta. A director of leadership development at Microsoft. The CEO of a creative agency for student athletes and some of the world’s biggest brands.

These are three of the 12 leaders who are members of the Human-Centered Futures Council, a new volunteer advisory group for the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences. Their task: Advise the college on the creation of courses that fuse the humanities with technology and offer insight into how students who study the liberal arts are prepared for careers in today’s artificial intelligence (AI)-driven world.

“The purpose of the council is to help us connect the programs to practice,” said Carlos Evia, associate dean of strategic initiatives and chief technology officer for the college.

Members of the group, mostly alumni, have been meeting virtually since February to discuss ideas for how the college can enhance the ways that it connects liberal arts education to career paths. Their work will include serving as reviewers of new and revised curriculum related to the college’s Tech for Humanity initiative. This is a new initiative centered on teaching the positive and negative impacts of technology on people and their environments. By 2028, all students in the college will be required to take at least two Tech for Humanity courses before graduation.

Members of the council also will be coaches for capstone project courses offered as part of three minors in the Academy of Transdisciplinary Studies - tech for humanity, sports culture and management, and games and simulations. The academy, housed in the college, offers minors in subjects that cross disciplines.

Insight from the council is key to the long-term success of these new college programs and students’ ability to thrive in their careers.

“We are not interviewing the 21-year-olds who are applying for jobs,” said Evia, one of the leaders of the council. “The council can give us a perspective that we just don’t have.”

Malcolm Westbrook ’17, founder and CEO of Mable Software, a cloud-based platform for housing authorities, said he expects his role on the council to help students develop three specific abilities or superpowers for the future.

“I hope to use my cross-industry experience to shape a diverse curriculum that equips graduates with the ability to acquire knowledge across any domain, build transferable skills to thrive in today's AI-driven environment, and utilize their experiences to amplify their impact,” said Westbrook, who also is a member of the college’s dean’s roundtable, an advisory and advocacy group.

Matt Arden ‘99, said joining the council is a “powerful opportunity to apply the spirit of Ut Prosim to the challenges of tomorrow.”

Arden is creative director for the Content Studio at Meta, which owns Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and other social media platforms.

“I am honored to serve my university by ensuring that as we innovate, we keep the human experience at the very heart of progress,” he said.

Members of the Human-Centered Futures Council are:

  • Rishi Jaitly, professor of practice, distinguished humanities fellow at Virginia Tech
  • Marisa Ronan, director of leadership development, Microsoft Cloud Operations
  • Dennis Gannon ’96, M.A. '98, vice president analyst, Gartner
  • Adam Abramson ’06, founder and CEO, Row Z
  • Malcolm Westbrook ’17, founder and CEO, Mable Software
  • Matt Arden ’99, creative director, the Content Studio, Meta
  • Steph Wang ’04, head of operations, Farcast
  • Eric Blustein, owner, Cudzu Creative
  • Ann Hussey ’11, director of product marketing, Go1
  • Kathryn Crowder ’99, CEO, Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation
  • Crystal Collier ’90, M.A. '92, executive consultant
  • C. Edward Watson ’92, M.A. ’95, Ph.D. ’07, vice president for digital innovation, American Association of Colleges and Universities

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