Before most organizations knew what skills-based hiring meant, Summer Crenshaw was already building the infrastructure for it. Today she operates at the scale where AI adoption meets the communities, regions, and workforces that have to absorb it — whether they are ready or not. Panel 3 asks who holds the trust when systems change. Summer has spent her career answering that question from the ground up.

Summer Crenshaw is the Co-Founder and CEO of the Enterprise Technology Association (ETA), the national organization helping leaders, companies, and regions navigate the adoption of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies at scale. Through initiatives like AI Week, US AI Congress, and AI Ready America, she is helping shape how the United States prepares its workforce, leadership, and communities for the AI economy.

A nationally recognized technology entrepreneur and strategist, Summer has spent nearly two decades building companies, ecosystems, and movements at the intersection of innovation, workforce transformation, and emerging technology. Before ETA, she co-founded Tilr, one of the first AI-powered talent marketplaces designed to match people based on skills instead of job titles — years before skills-based hiring became a national conversation. Tilr earned recognition from CNBC’s Upstart 100, Forbes’ Top Startups to Watch, and VentureBeat’s Top Startups Outside Silicon Valley.

Today, Summer is known for translating AI from hype into practical action. She has built one of the nation’s fastest-growing AI event platforms, convening thousands of executives, founders, policymakers, educators, technologists, and workforce leaders through AI Weeks and national initiatives focused on education, enablement, and ecosystem development.

Her work has been featured in Forbes, CNBC, Fast Company, VentureBeat, and Yahoo Finance, and she has spoken on stages including Dreamforce, TechCrunch Disrupt, Techstars Startup Week, and DisruptHR. She has been recognized by Cincinnati Business Courier’s Women Who Mean Business, 40 Under 40, and American Innovation’s 50 on Fire for her leadership in technology and innovation.

She holds an M.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies (Marketing, Business & Leadership) from Liberty University. She serves on advisory boards for Miami University and AFTA, and serves as Board President of ChallengeU. She remains deeply committed to building a future where AI expands opportunity, strengthens communities, and keeps humans at the center of technological transformation.