PiTech Visiting Practitioners (ViP) Program

The Visiting Practitioners (VIP) Program fosters collaborations with tech leaders from a range of impact-oriented organizations to engage in conversations around public interest technology at Cornell Tech.

ViPs engage with Cornell Tech students and other PiTech community members in multiple ways throughout the semester, giving talks, offering office hours, providing feedback on product and business ideas, pursuing their own capstone projects, and informing the direction of PiTech at Cornell Tech.

👋 Meet our Cohorts

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⏱️ Book Office Hours

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👋 Meet our Cohorts ↓ ⏱️ Book Office Hours ↓

2024-25 ViPs Cohort

Cornell Tech’s Public Interest Tech initiative is pleased to welcome its fourth cohort of ViPs.

  • A person with curly hair in a blazer posed in front of a brick wall, looking at the camera.

    Karen Bhatia

    Lawyer and Faculty
    Stanford University

    Read Bio +

  • A person with curly hair wearing a long coat and scarf exits a NYC subway station with "High Street - Brooklyn Bridge Station" sign in the background.

    Chante Harris

    Founder & Managing Partner
    Eunoia Group

    Read Bio +

  • A person with short hair in a blazer and tie posed in front of an American flag, looking at the camera.

    Luke Farrell

    Senior Advisor for Technology and Delivery
    The White House

    Read Bio +

Office Hours for the Cornell Tech Community

You can now book time with any of our Visiting Practitioners.

ViP Office Hours can be a wonderful resource as you navigate your coursework and plans for after graduation. They can help offer insights on a variety of things, including:

  • Advice on your Product Studio ideas

  • Their current work and career trajectory and advice on life after graduation

  • Their domain and sector expertise, having worked at a variety of private, public, and nonprofit sector organizations

The office hours can be on a topic of your choice - some students like to attend with their Product Studio team and get feedback on their product idea, while others like to get to know the VIP's professional trajectory and discuss their own career aspirations. It's really up to you! The VIPs are meant to be a resource for you.

2023-2024 ViPs Cohort

  • Karen Bhatia

    Lawyer and Faculty, Stanford University

    Read Bio +

  • Jessica Cole

    Director / Aspen Institute Tech Policy Hub

    Read Bio +

  • Clarence Wardell

    Senior Program Officer, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

    Read Bio +

2022-2023 ViPs Cohort

  • Afua Bruce

    Public Interest Technologist / Author

    Read Bio +

  • Jorge Fontanez

    CEO of B Lab U.S. & Canada

    Read Bio +

  • Stephan Nicoleau

    Partner at FullCycle

    Read Bio +

  • Jennifer Park

    Executive Director, Opportunity Accelerator, Results for America

    Read Bio +

2021-2022 ViPs Cohort

  • Rhonda Allen

    CEO / /dev/color

    Read Bio +

  • Anjana Rajan

    CTO, Polaris

    Read Bio +

  • Oscar Romero

    Program Director, NYC’s Mayor’s Office of the CTO

    Read Bio +

  • Roxann Stafford

    Managing Director, Knight-Lenfest Local News Transformation Fund

    Read Bio +

ViP Talks

We have held a variety of events throughout the academic year on campus intended for the broad Cornell Tech and PiTech community, including Fireside Chats and workshops with Visiting Practitioners. You can see past events we’ve held below.

Would you like to be our next VIP?

Applications and nominations for the 2025-26 Academic Year are considered on a rolling basis. Please reach out to pitech-info@tech.cornell.edu. Preference is given to individuals based in or near NYC.