Grace Rodriguez lives by design. An inveterate polymath, Grace has cultivated over two decades of experience working with brands, government, technology startups, nonprofit organizations, design firms, creative entrepreneurs and a venture capital fund into a curious career of brand/business strategy + innovation consulting. On the side, she loves crafting interventions that transform technology, social media, data and design into meaningful interactive experiences that connect with, delight, and inspire audiences.

Grace is passionate about community and innovation. She serves Houston as a founding member of the Mayor’s Innovation and Technology Advisory Board; as Co-Founder and President of C2 Create, Houston’s first non-profit creative accelerator; as a Curator for TEDxHouston and as a serial board member, volunteer, speaker and educator for local nonprofits. Her work has been recognized with the Texas Statesman Social Media Award, the Pegasus Award of Distinction for "Destination Houston" (Producer), and Houston Press “Best New Magazine” for Rice Addict (Editor). She is proudest, however, of her work behind the scenes to help innovative people and organizations refine and realize their Big Ideas, then transform their potential energy into sustainable kinetic ventures.

Jonathan Schwabish is an economist with the U.S. federal government and creator of policy-relevant data visualizations. He has conducted research on inequality, immigration, retirement security, data measurement, food stamps, and other aspects of public policy in the United States. His work has been published in the Journal of Human Resources, the National Tax Journal, and elsewhere. He is also a data visualization creator and has made designs on a variety of topics that range from food stamps to health care to education. His visualization work has been featured on the visualizing.org and visual.ly websites. He has also spoken at numerous government agencies and policy institutions about data visualization strategies and best practices. He also conducts one-day workshops about visualizing and presenting data for people in public policy.