Data Con LA 2026
August 22, 2026
California State University, Long Beach
AI is reshaping the work. Not theoretically, not eventually — right now. Data engineers are rethinking pipelines. Analysts are questioning what's still worth doing by hand. Data scientists are watching tools do in seconds what used to take weeks. And everyone's trying to figure out where they fit.
Data Con LA 2026 is built around that question — the real, practical, sometimes uncomfortable conversation about what the data profession looks like from here. We're back at CSU Long Beach for our 14th year. Same community, same commitment to substance over hype.
The 2026 lineup is live. Browse the sessions, talks and panels spanning four tracks (AI/ML and data science, data engineering, business analytics, and data careers), and meet the speakers joining us from across the community.
Tracks
Panel Discussions
AI in Practice
Practitioners talk honestly about where AI is genuinely changing data work, where it is oversold, and what it actually takes to ship it. Panelists to be announced.
Building a Data Career
How data roles are shifting, which skills still matter, and how to build a career that lasts as the tools keep changing. Panelists to be announced.
Women in Data
Leaders across analytics, engineering, and AI share the paths they took, the obstacles they navigated, and how we build a stronger, more representative data community. Panelists to be announced.
Founders in Data
Founders building data and AI companies on going from idea to product, finding early customers, and what this moment means for anyone thinking about starting something. Panelists to be announced.
Speakers
Jeff Allen
CEO at Flikforge Inc.
Arti Annaswamy
Director, Commercial Analytics & Business Insights at Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products
Jake Boggan
Founder at Forgetmenaut
Dusan Bosnjakovic
AI Science - Group Leader at Intuit (presenting independent work)
Guang Cheng
Professor at UCLA
Meena Chokkalingam
Principal Software Engineer at Zillow
Joshua Cook
Data Scientist at Caltech CTME
Joseph Cox
Sr. Director Data Science and Engineering at Hadrian
Chris Sean Dabatos
Staff Developer Relations Engineer at Fly.io
Suman Debnath
Technical Lead, ML at Anyscale
Pooja Doctor
Analytics Lead at Stellar Development Foundation
Christian Entezari
Founder and Managing Principal at Entezari Management Consulting
Neal Fultz
Data Science Consultant at NJNM, UCLA, Tatari
Saritha Ivaturi
Founder & President at Code For Good
Michael Jenkins
Lead Software Engineer at The Walt Disney Company
Devyn Miller
Big Data ML Engineer, TP-Link Systems Adjunct Professor, Chapman University
Justin Miller
Senior Software Engineer at LanceDB
Mike Mull
Owner/Engineer at Ekadanta Labs
Michael Neang
Business Analyst at Wintrust Specialty Finance
Mahima Sachan
Former Software Engineer at Microsoft
Jyotika Singh
Principal Applied Scientist at Oracle
Rae Wang
Associate Director, Optum Health Analytics - Clinical at Optum
Sessions
Browse All SessionsAlso This Year
Lightning Talks. A fast-paced block of short talks, a lot of ideas in a little time.
Resume Review Table. New for 2026: hiring managers and recruiters giving quick, honest takes on resumes. Job hunting? Bring a copy.
Match & Mingle. Opt in at registration to be paired with another attendee — or a small group — based on shared interests and background. A nudge toward connections that outlast the day.
Day Of
Stay in the loop
Event announcements, speaker lineups, early-bird tickets, and community news. No spam, no weekly blasts — only when it matters.