Keynote Speaker

In December 2009, Cecilia V. Estolano joined Green For All, the national organization which advocates for broad access and opportunity in the clean-energy economy. As Chief Strategist of State and Local Initiatives, Ms Estolano is charged with spearheading Green For All’s effort to scale public-private partnerships as a means to grow family-supporting, green jobs in cities across the United States, particularly in under-served communities. She also promotes policies and practices that support green-construction and clean-tech manufacturing jobs.

From May 2006 to November 2009, Ms Estolano was the Chief Executive Officer of CRA/LA (Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles), the largest redevelopment agency in the State of California. She redefined the role of CRA/LA to encompass a broad mission of creating economic opportunity and improving the quality of life for current and future generations living in CRA/LA project areas. Under Ms Estolano’s leadership, CRA/LA focused on creating family-supporting jobs, producing affordable and workforce housing, promoting sustainable urbanism and delivering significant, transformative investment to areas of Los Angeles that have not shared in the city’s cycles of prosperity. During her tenure, CRA/LA rebuilt its housing department, adopted a landmark policy on local hiring in construction jobs receiving financial support from CRA/LA, and adopted a Healthy Neighborhoods policy as a blueprint for incorporating sustainability principles throughout CRA/LA’s practices, programs and projects.

Prior to joining CRA/LA, Ms Estolano was counsel in the Los Angeles office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.  From 2001 to 2004, Ms Estolano served as Special Assistant City Attorney for land use, economic development and environment for Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo, where she was the City's top negotiator in achieving a landmark settlement in Clean Water Act litigation brought by the US Department of Justice, US EPA Region IX, the State of California and the Santa Monica Baykeeper regarding the City's sewer system.

Ms Estolano served on the California Coastal Commission from 1999 to 2002. From 1993 to 1995, she served as Senior Policy Advisor with the US Environmental Protection Agency and she served as Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley's Environmental Policy Advisor from 1991 to 1993.

Ms Estolano is a graduate of Boalt Hall School of Law and holds an M.A. in Urban Planning from UCLA.  She received her undergraduate degree in Social Studies with honors from Harvard-Radcliffe Colleges.

Keynote Speaker

Kevin Warwick is Professor of Cybernetics at the University of Reading, England, where he carries out ground-breaking research in artificial intelligence, control, robotics and cyborgs – with technological, medical and social inclusion implications.

Kevin was born in Coventry, UK and left school to join British Telecom, at the age of 16. At 22 he took his first degree at Aston University, followed by a PhD and research post at Imperial College, London. He subsequently held positions at Oxford, Newcastle and Warwick Universities before being offered the Chair at Reading, at the age of 33.

Perhaps Kevin is best known for his pioneering experiments involving a neuro-surgical implantation into the median nerves of his left arm, to link his nervous system directly to a computer to assess the latest technology – for use with the disabled. He was successful with the first extra-sensory (ultrasonic) input for a human, and also with the first purely electronic telegraphic communication experiment between the nervous systems of two humans.

Kevin’s most recent research involves the invention of an intelligent deep brain stimulator to counteract the effects of Parkinson Disease tremors. The tremors are predicted and a current signal is applied to stop the tremors before they start – this is shortly to be trialled in human subjects. Another project involves the use of cultured/biological neural networks to drive robots around – the brain of each robot is made of neural tissue.

Kevin has been awarded higher doctorates (DSc) both by Imperial College and the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, and received Honorary Doctorates from Aston University and Coventry University in 2008. He was presented with The Future of Health Technology Award in MIT; was made an Honorary Member of the Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg; received the IEE Senior Achievement Medal in 2004; and in 2008 the Mountbatten Medal.  In 2000 Kevin presented the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, entitled “The Rise of the Robots”.

The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) is a Major Supporter of Working Communities International Congress 2010, and of the Congress keynote speakers.