The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) announced today the general session speakers for CSCMP EDGE, its recently renamed annual supply chain conference. The speakers will draw from their own experiences in storytelling, artificial intelligence, and the military to provide attendees with fresh perspectives on their supply chain challenges.

The conference will open with Matthew Luhn from Pixar Animation Studio, who will talk about how big data can be used to help craft compelling stories. Supply chain professionals are used to thinking about how big data can help them with business problems, such as how to better forecast demand, create a more optimized delivery network, or predict when preventive maintenance should be performed. Luhn will draw on Pixar's experience using big data to help it create characters and storylines to push attendees to think about how big data can help them make more meaningful connections with their customers.

The following day, Mary "Missy" Cummings, a professor at Duke University and the director of the Humans and Autonomy Laboratory there, will address the future of artificial intelligence in logistics. Cummings, who is also the co-chair for the World Economic Forum's Council on Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, will outline how supply chain professionals can leverage the strengths and limitations of both humans and artificial intelligence to find creative solutions to increasingly complex logistics challenges.

Finally, Major MJ Hencke, former U.S. Air National Guard pilot, will end the conference on an inspirational note. Hencke was awarded both the Purple Heart and the Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor Device for saving her team from being captured by the Taliban after their Medevac helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan. She also challenged the Combat Exclusion Policy—which prevented women from entering direct combat—and won U.S. women the right to serve on the front lines for the first time. Hencke will share her own war stories and provide practical advice on leadership, diversity, teamwork, and how to be a catalyst for change.

The conference will run from September 24 to 27 in Atlanta, Georgia. More than 3,000 supply chain professionals are expected to attend the annual event, which will feature more than 90 educational sessions and over 25 hours of networking opportunities. For more information about the conference program or to register, go to cscmpconference.org.