Be in the Room Where the Future of Networking Happens
September 30 · Civic Hall, New York City
124 E 14th St 5th floor, New York, NY 10003
Sessions begin at 8:30 AM ET
Join us in-person for a full day of insight, hands-on learning, and unmatched networking. Meet the minds behind Selector, hear directly from trailblazers in AI, cloud, and infrastructure, and get your hands on the latest tools transforming NetOps. Close the day with a rooftop happy hour and peer connections you won’t find online.
What to Expect:
- Exclusive access to technical keynotes, real-time demos, and expert-led labs
- Opportunities to meet the Selector team, customers, and fellow leaders
- A post-event networking reception to unwind and connect in person
- Swag, surprises, and inspiration in the heart of NYC
Agenda Highlights:
- Keynotes from Du’An Lightfoot (AWS), Greg Freeman (Lumen), and Scott Robohn (Solutional)
- Hands-on labs and lectures on RAG, MCP, and AI-powered operations with John Capobianco
- Panel Discussion: The Present and Future of Network Operations in the Age of AI
Register now here:
Event Details
7:30 AM – 8:30 AM
Coffee & Breakfast
Registration and networking
8:30 AM – 9:00 AM
Welcome & Opening Remarks
Nitin Kumar – CTO & Co-Founder, Selector
9:00 AM – 9:30 AM
The Present State of Network Operations with Selector
Kannan Kothandaraman – Co-Founder & CEO, Selector
9:30 AM – 10:15 AM
Upgrading the Network Engineer’s Toolbelt
Du’An Lightfoot, Senior AI Engineer at AWS; Founder of Lab Every Dayy
10:15 AM – 10:30 AM
Break & Networking
10:30 AM – 11:15 AM
Lumen’s Transformation Journey to AIOPs
Keynote: Greg Freeman, VP, Network and Customer Transformation, Lumen Technologies
11:15 AM – 12:00 PM
From Deming to Digital Co-Workers: Building AI-Ready NetOps Teams
Keynote: Scott Robohn, Founder & CEO, Solutional; Co-Founder, Autocon
12:00 PM – 12:45 PM
Lunch Break – Provided by Selector
12:45 PM – 1:30 PM
Keynote: Surya Nimmagadda Chief Data Scientist, Selector AI – The AI Behind Networking
1:30 PM – 2:15 PM
Keynote: William Collins Director of Tech Evangelism, Itential
2:15 PM – 3:00 PM
Lecture: Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) for Network Operations John Capobianco – Head of Developer Relations, Selector
3:00 PM – 3:15 PM
Break & Networking
3:15 PM – 4:00 PM
Keynote: Sr. Director, Solution Engineering, Infrastructure at Major Sports Network
4:00 PM – 4:30 PM
Lecture: Model Context Protocol (MCP) for Network Operations with Selector AI John Capobianco
4:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Roundtable Panel
Topic: The Present and Future of Network Operations in the Age of AI
All Speakers Participating
5:00 PM
Closing Remarks – Nitin Kumar
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM (Optional)
Happy Hour & Networking Reception – Torch & Crown Union Square
Relax, connect, and unwind with fellow attendees and speakers
Civic Hall – 124 E 14th St, New York, NY 10003 | 5th Floor
🚇 Getting There
Civic Hall is easily accessible via public transportation
- From Grand Central: 5-minute subway ride
- Subway: Steps from Union Square station (4/5/6, N/Q/R/W, and L lines)
- Bus: Served by M14 and several downtown routes
- From Penn Station: 10-minute subway ride
John Capobianco
Head of DevRel, Selector
With over 25 years of experience in IT Operations across public and private sectors, John is a former Technical Leader in AI at Cisco, he is the author of Automate Your Network and Cisco pyATS: Network Test and Automation Framework. John is a leading voice in network automation and AI-driven operations, focusing on innovative solutions that bridge networking and artificial intelligence. He frequently speaks at industry conferences and webinars, driving thought leadership in AIOps, automation, and AI Agents.
Kannan Kothandaraman
Co-Founder & CEO, Selector
Kannan brings over 20 years of experience developing and managing large-scale hardware and software product lines. Before founding Selector AI, he led teams responsible for more than $2 billion in annual product revenue, consistently delivering innovative, market-leading solutions. With deep engineering expertise and a proven track record of building high-performing teams, Kannan blends strong technical vision with strategic leadership to drive the future of AI-powered network operations.
Sebastian Maniak
Director, Technical Marketing, Selector
Sebastian Maniak is a seasoned expert in network automation, observability, and infrastructure operations, with over 25 years of experience. At Selector AI, he leads technical marketing efforts—building virtual topologies, designing real-time demos, and helping teams understand how AI can drive faster, smarter network operations.
Known for his hands-on approach and deep technical knowledge, Sebastian bridges the gap between engineering and business outcomes, making complex systems clear and actionable.
Surya Nimmagadda
Chief Data Scientist, Selector
Surya Nimmagadda, Chief Data Scientist at Selector AI, has more than 20 years of experience in system architecture and network software design. He focuses on applying advanced data science to create product differentiators in network operations. Previously a Distinguished Engineer at Juniper Networks, Surya led a complete rewrite of the forwarding software to a multi-core, API-based architecture, dramatically improving scale and convergence for MX and PTX routers. He also architected and delivered Virtual MX, a high-performance x86 variant of the MX-series router, pioneering the use of virtualization, DPDK, and ASIC simulation for carrier-grade NFV deployments across AWS, GCP, and OpenStack.
Greg Freeman
VP, Network & Customer Transformation, Lumen Technologies
Greg Freeman is a veteran network operations leader with over 25 years in telecom and Internet engineering. At Lumen, he drives automation, orchestration, and AI strategy, while leading top-tier technical teams across IP, transport, metro, VoIP, and more. A champion of NetDevOps, Greg blends innovation with operational excellence.
He holds a BSEE from the University of Arkansas and completed Lumen’s Executive Development Program at UNC. Outside of work, he’s a drone pilot, youth baseball coach, and a passionate explorer of all 50 U.S. states — currently chasing a goal to visit every MLB stadium.
Scott F. Robohn
Founder & CEO, Solutional; Co-Founder, Autocon
Scott Robohn brings over 30 years of experience in designing and operating large-scale Internet and IT infrastructure across government, telecom, and enterprise environments. He’s held key roles at Cisco, Juniper, Nokia, and DriveNets, spanning engineering, architecture, sales, and leadership.
Scott is Co-Founder of Solutional, providing fractional CTO and consulting services, and Co-Founder of the Network Automation Forum (NAF). He also leads the Total Network Operations (TNOps) project and podcast, and is a frequent keynote speaker on networking, AI, and automation.
Du’An Lightfoot
Senior Cloud Networking Developer Advocate – AWS | Founder, LabEveryday
Du’An Lightfoot is a Sr. Developer Advocate at AWS, where he specializes in advancing agentic AI systems and helping organizations leverage AI to solve challenges in infrastructure and increase productivity. Drawing from his diverse background as a USAF veteran and technical experience at Cisco and Cerner, Du’An brings a unique perspective on implementing Agentic AI solutions in enterprise network environments. He has delivered presentations at major industry events including AWS Re:Invent, We Are Developers, Code With Claude, and the AI Engineer World Fair, focusing on practical AI applications for technical professionals. Through his hands-on experience with Amazon’s AI technologies combined with his dedication to mentoring IT professionals through AI transformation, Du’An provides actionable insights and concrete strategies for network engineers to embrace AI technologies and become change agents within their organizations.
William Collins
Director of Tech Evangelism, Itential
William is a strategic thinker and catalyst for innovation. He focuses on increasing speed to market while reducing time to value. His focus centers around helping enterprises adopt the cloud with practical solutions that are grounded in real-world outcomes.
Can’t make it to NYC?