Rebecca D. Costa Speaking Topics

• The Cautionary Side of Big Data

  Big Data analytics, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, nanobots, facial recognition, wearable technology, self-driving cars, suborbital space flight and more • all coming to a town near you, in a matter of months. What ramifications will the fastest exponentiation of technology in history have on the human organism? According to Dr. E.O. Wilson, “We have Paleolithic emotions, Medieval Institutions and God-like technology and this is a dangerous situation.” But futurist, Ray Kurzweil sees it differently: these breaking technologies inch us closer to “the singularity” – a time when man and machine are indistinguishable and we will live forever. Who is right? What are the human limitations of technology adoption and adaptation? Are there any?

• Agriculture Today

  From second-by-second changes in meteorological data, Just-in-Time inventory and distribution systems, and fluctuations in global currency markets, to complex new compliances and regulations, wild swings in energy prices, water issues and new issues with contamination and disease, growing techniques, and genetic engineering – agriculture is presently overwhelmed by a historically unprecedented velocity, variety, and volume of data. Costa describes how this traditional industry is making the transition to “Smart-Ag” through the use of Big Data combined with mobile applications, and offers new strategies and tools extracted directly from hospital emergency rooms to help agriculture leaders successfully navigate today’s “High Failure-Rate Environment.”

The Tempo of Technology

Most technology professionals are familiar with the challenges associated with the velocity, volume, variety, and veracity of data, but Costa takes this deluge a step further. What are the ramifications to business, governance, and individuals of the unprecedented explosion of complexity? Using examples from history, Costa reveals how complexity produces gridlock as well as a “High Failure-Rate Environment,” which makes systems and organizations vulnerable to sudden collapse. Costa offers prescriptive strategies, tools, and technologies • based on the principles of “Fast Adaptation” • which are a must for tomorrow’s technology leaders.

Government, Legal & Social Services

As tax codes, new legislation, financial markets, healthcare, foreign relations, and every other area of governance grows more complex, leaders require new strategies and tools designed specifically for “High Failure-Rate Environments” • where the number of wrong solutions are greater than the number of correct ones. Costa demonstrates how exploding complexity produces gridlock and belief-based policy, rather than decisions based on empirical data. She offers a historical perspective of the relationship between complexity and governance and, using the time-honored principles of “Fast Adaptation,” demonstrates how a new breed of leaders are poised master complexity and govern more efficiently than ever before. Costa is a frequent speaker to government and government subcontractor, and social service agency events, including keynote presentations at the G20 Summit, Brookings Institution, United Nations, American Red Cross, Community Services of West Virginia, International Association of Emergency Managers, etc.

Retail & Manufacturing

From new PCI compliances, social media, and fast moving global economies, to the volume, velocity, and variety of consumer data which must be analyzed and quickly responded to – today’s retail and manufacturing companies are overwhelmed by unprecedented layers of complexity. Costa reveals how this complexity leads to a “High Failure-Rate Environment,” where leaders must face more wrong choices than correct ones. She demonstrates how new tactics, technologies (computer-assisted decision making/Big Data), and discoveries in neuroscience – aimed at “Fast Adaptation” • are essential for effective leadership and growth in a “High Failure Rate Environment.” Costa is a popular speaker at corporate and industry events, including The National Retail Association, Dole Foods, General Electric, Vistage International, Nutracon, Comdex, The Offshore technology Conference, G20 Summit, and others.

Excellence in Education: Students

Are today’s students equipped to succeed in the same “High Failure-Rate Environment” that university administrators, IT directors, faculty, and alumni are presently struggling with? Costa answers this question by addressing the hazards of exponentiating complexity in every aspect of life: from the velocity, volume, variety, and veracity of new information and difficulty of tackling fast-moving “systemic” problems, to the increasing dangers of sudden collapse. Drawing upon the time-honored principles of “Fast Adaptation,” Costa offers prescriptive strategies and tools for prevailing in a world where the number of wrong choices outweigh the number of correct ones. A popular speaker on college campuses, Costa weaves humorous anecdotal stories with top news stories and leading-edge science.