Events

  • Former New Jersey DEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette speaking during an earlier Sweeney Center energy  conference.

Events

The Sweeney Center Event Calendar

Shaping the Future of Artificial Intelligence in New Jersey: Critical Choices, Policy Challenges, Strategic Opportunities 

Steve Sweeney Center for Public Policy 

Tuesday, November 10, 2026
Eynon Ballroom, Chamberlain Student Center, Rowan University
201 Mullica Hill Road, Glassboro, NJ 08028
Registration: 8:00 a.m. Program: 8:45 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
 
 
Dave Cole, New Jersey State Chief Innovation Officer, and Ram Akella, Executive Vice President for Innovation Impact at the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, headline Rowan University's second annual Artificial Intelligence conference.
 
"Rapid advances in AI pose critical choices for leaders in government, business, labor and academia," said Sweeney Center Director Mark Magyar. "This conference focuses not only on New Jersey's efforts to be a leader in the emerging AI economy through initiatives like the NJ AI Data Hub and the Supercomputer announced this week, but also to protect jobs, expand workforce development, regulate data center expansion and environmental impacts, and mitigate the societal impacts of AI technology."
 
Attendance is free, and breakfast and lunch are included. To register for the conference, click here.
 
Conference speakers include:

  • Senator John Burzichelli, D-3rd Legislative District;
  • Charles-Antoine Beyney, Founder & CEO of DataOne, which is building New Jersey's largest data center in Vineland;
  • Ric Edelman, Hon.Ph.D., Founding Head, School of Financial Planning, Rowan University, and Founder of Edelman Financial Engines;
  • Lesley Hirsch, Assistant Commissioner, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development;
  • Marie Pryor, Ph.D., Director of Workforce, Microsoft's Tech Spark, NJ AI Hub; 
  • Nidhal Bouaynaya, Ph.D., Associate Vice-Chancellot for Artificial Intelligence, Rowan University;
  • Patrick Murray, owner, Stimsight Research;
  • Sruthi Srinivasan, Congressional Science and Technology Policy Fellow in AI, American Association for the Advancement of Sciennce, Office of U.S. Senator Andy Kim, D-N.J.;
  • James King, Executive Director, New Jersey Catholic Conference;
  • Adrienne Eaton, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Labor and Employment Relations, School of Management and Labor Relations, Rutgers University;
  • Al Lewis, Ed.D., Superintendent of Schools, Glassboro Public Schools;
  • Molly Riley, Climate Resilience Manager, New Jersey Future;
  • Jesse Melvin, Ph.D. Associate Teaching Professor of Economics, Rowan University;
  • Tiana Noll-Walker, Ph.D. student is Computational Biophysics, College of Science & Mathematics, Rowan University

“As AI systems become more capable and autonomous, they must remain subject to human accountability," Bouaynaya said. "In this conference, we will examine the safeguards and public policies needed to preserve meaningful human control, and whether our ability to understand and govern these systems can keep pace with their development."

The conference is sponsored by Rowan University's Sweeney Center, the interdisciplinary Rowan Collaborative for Artificial Intellgence Policy, and the Ric Edelman College of Communication, Humanities and Social Science.
 
"Universities have a responsibility to help communities, policymakers, and industry work through the opportunities and difficult questions that come with AI," said Yolanda Mack, Associate Dean for Workforce Development and Industry Partnerships, Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering. "We must consider how the technology and its infrastructure affect communities, how jobs will change, and how we prepare people to participate in the opportunities ahead. At Rowan, we’re bringing these perspectives together to help shape responsible decisions, connect education and workforce development with emerging needs, and ensure that technological progress delivesr meaningful benefits for the people of New Jersey.
 
To view video of the Sweeney Center's first Artificial Intelligence conference in April 2025, please see t
 
.Attendance is free, and breakfast and lunch are included. To register for the conference, click here. 
 
For further information, please contact Sweeney Center Director Mark Magyar at magyarm@rowan.edu.