Advanced Tech Policy Town Hall + Highlighting UW
Hi, All:
We will be using this time to talk about policy in advanced technologies and give you an update on what's going on in Washington state across AI, blockchain, and quantum. Some highlights of what to expect (UW student highlights and speaker bios below).
WTIA's Amy Harris, Director of Policy and Government Affairs will give an update.
Other advanced tech policy speakers also include directors from WA State's Dept of Financial Institutions (DFI), and our WA State Attorney Generals AI Task Force lead, Yuki Ishizuka.
From the WA State DFI team, we're lucky we will have the following join us for this community event: Acting Director of the Division of Securities, Faith Anderson; Program Manager for Division of Banks, Shannon Tushar; and, Chief of Regulatory Affairs for the Division of Consumer Services, JJ Choi. Here is the link to our DFI's CFI Page.
We'll also be highlighting the University of Washington's Blockchain Society students and professors, led by
We'll have plenty of food/drinks.
Agenda:
515pm Welcome remarks
520pm Introduce/University of Washington Blockchain Society student highlights
530pm VIP Speaker: WTIA Amy Harris with Policy Updates/overview of what happened this legislative session + Q&A
545pm VIP Speaker: Remarks from WA's DFI Team + Q&A
605pm VIP Speaker: WA AG AI Task Force Updates from Yuki Ishizuka
Highlighting University of Washington Blockchain Society Leaders:
Mark Nakatani | President UW Blockchain Society | College President for Stand With Crypto UW
Building since 14. CEO @reimburseai: Automating corporate expenses with AI & Stablecoins, President: @uw_blockchain, Prev: @irisdao_xyz, @newcampushq
Yasmine Aziz | Co-President of the UW Blockchain Society
Yasmine Aziz is a business student at the University of Washington and co-president of the UW Blockchain Society, focused on fostering education and collaboration around blockchain, Web3, and decentralized technologies.
Yuwen Zhang | UW Blockchain Society
An agent Economy Researcher (AP2) & MBA Candidate @ UW Foster. Ex-Product Manager @ Mutual Fund.
Leon Leng | UW Blockchain Society
Leon is a second year PhD student at UW Foster School of Business, he used to study at UC Berkeley and Chinese University of Hong Kong. He is the president of UW Blockchain Society and leads UW Fintech Research Group. He is generally interested in research, teaching and community building related to Crypto, AI and Energy. More information could be found: leonleng.com
Speakers:
BIO
Yuki Ishizuka currently serves as a Senior Policy Analyst in the Washington State Attorney General’s Office, where he advises the Attorney General on technology matters and leads the Washington State Artificial Intelligence Task Force, which is charged with developing policy recommendations for the legislature and the Governor on the regulation of AI. Previously, Yuki worked as a senior business development executive and in-house counsel at Amazon and Microsoft and an associate attorney at Perkins Coie LLP. Yuki is a graduate of Wesleyan University and Cornell Law School.
Amy Harris is the Director of Government Affairs for the Washington Technology Industry Association (WTIA), working at the intersection of technology, public policy, and economic competitiveness. With a background in political campaigns, fundraising, and consulting, she is known for building coalitions and connecting leaders across business and government. She is passionate about helping Washington’s innovation economy start, scale, and stay in the state.
Arry Yu (event host) is Executive Director of Convergence: Tech Policy Institute (C:TPI) at 1871 in Chicago and a longtime Seattle-based operator who builds coherence infrastructure for the intelligence age — designing practical policy, rights frameworks, and convening platforms that help humans, AIs, uploads, and ecosystems thrive together. With 25+ years as a tech founder (GiftStarter, StormX), ecosystem builder (founder of the U.S. Blockchain Coalition, the Cascadia Blockchain Council and Chair of WTIA Advanced Technology Cluster), and policy convener, she currently serves as Co-Chair of Seattle AI Week, Director of External Affairs & Board Director at Northwest Quantum Nexus, and Chapter President (WA) for Stand With Crypto.