Monica Melton

Biography

Monica Melton is an Assistant Editor at New York Public Radio/WNYC.  She previously served as Deputy Tech editor at Business Insider, Managing Editor of The Plug Insights and covered innovation, technology, and venture capital at Forbes. She has also covered politics at POLITICO, entertainment for Time Out New York, but her most fascinating beat has been covering the intersection of technology, finance, race and entrepreneurship. She is an alumna of CUNY Graduate School of Journalism and the University of Washington.

Sessions

1. Building Products Rooted in Real Community Needs

   Wed, Nov 4, 11:05 AM – 11:35 AM CT

   Track Entrepreneurship

   Dave Salvant did not set out to disrupt an industry. He walked into barbershops, listened, and built what was missing. As co-founder of SQUIRE, he turned a deeply cultural community space into a $750M platform serving barbers nationwide. This session, including a live product demo, shows what happens when a founder builds from lived experience instead of market research. Come see how trust becomes a competitive moat.

2. Leading the Next Era of Space Exploration

   Thu, Nov 5, 1:40 PM – 2:10 PM CT

   Track Smart Cities

   As Director of NASA's Johnson Space Center, Vanessa Wyche leads the teams shaping the future of human spaceflight while advancing innovations that improve life on Earth. From developing technologies that strengthen sustainability and resilience to inspiring the next generation of leaders, she'll share how purpose-driven leadership, bold thinking, and collaboration fuel breakthroughs that reach far beyond space.