Why I Am Working to Get Everyone in the Room So We Can Move Forward Together

My perspective on technology and AI is not coming from someone deeply technical.

It is coming from someone who knows just enough to recognize how much I do not know, and how risky it is to stay there.

I engage with industries as a business owner, a consumer, and someone seriously thinking about what the future looks like. Not just for myself, but for the people coming behind us.

What has become very clear is this. We do not have the option to sit on the sidelines.

There is a tendency to believe that technology belongs to a younger generation, or that if we are further along in our careers, it is no longer ours to figure out. That thinking is not just outdated, it is dangerous.

We have said these things about generations before us. And each time, those generations stepped forward, challenged that belief, and built something meaningful by choosing to engage.

And yet, the reality is that the next wave of innovation will be led by individuals who are more comfortable, more confident, and more willing to engage with technology. That should not create distance. It should create alignment.

They need support, context, and a real-world perspective. We need their confidence, adaptability, and willingness to move quickly.

That is where real progress happens.

The work we are doing through the Women in Supply Chain Association, particularly through the WISC Evolution series, is grounded in this belief.

This is not about making everyone an expert in AI or technology.

It is about removing the hesitation. Breaking down the perception that technology is inaccessible, unaffordable, or too complex to engage with. And creating space where people at every stage of their career and every size of business can come in, ask questions, and move forward with clarity.

Because the reality is simple: Nothing in our economy functions without successful businesses. Nothing in our communities is sustained without economic growth. And none of that continues if we choose not to evolve.

If we disengage from the very tools shaping the future, we do not just limit opportunity. We put pressure on the systems we all rely on.

There is another layer to this that often becomes a distraction.

We tend to tie progress, opportunity, and responsibility to political alignment. That approach creates division where there should be shared accountability.

This is not about politics. It is about participation.

We Are All In This Together

When businesses succeed, when individuals are empowered, and when communities are engaged, we create the conditions for stronger systems overall. Government is a reflection of that environment, not a replacement for it.

If we expect support, stability, and services, then we also have to recognize what enables them. A healthy economy. Productive industries. Informed and engaged individuals.

We cannot rely on outcomes we have not helped build.

This is not someone else’s problem to solve.

It is collective.

Through WISC Evolution, WISC and Wine, and WISC Unscripted, we are building different environments for different types of conversations. From focused discussions on technology and innovation to smaller, more personal industry conversations to broader dialogues on the realities shaping supply chains and businesses across sectors.

All with one objective.

To bring people together so they can better understand what is happening, what it means for them, and how they can move forward.

One conversation at a time.

Because if we do not take responsibility for understanding and engaging, we risk leaving behind more than opportunity. We risk leaving behind the very foundation that supports the next generation.

That is not a position I am willing to accept.