Nashville 2026
World IA Day Nashville 2026. Welcome back!
This event is a collaboration between Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) and the Nashville professional community, including the Nashville UX and Nashville Product Meetup groups. World IA Day Co-Founder Dan Klyn headlines a dynamic lineup of speakers, roundtable discussions, and interactive panels focused on solving real-world challenges through meaningful information design.
Date and time
Saturday, March 7, 2026
8:30 AM - 3:00 PM
Location
Middle Tennessee State University John Bragg Media and Entertainment Building 1735 Blue Raider Drive Murfreesboro, TN 37132
Theme
The 2026 theme, “Designing for Meaning,” challenges us to create more intentional and human-centered experiences. We're interested in exploring not only modern digital Information Architecture but also going back through generations to our roots in analog and physical design.
Keynote
What even *is* a question?
Presented by Dan Klyn, professor at the University of Michigan School of Information and co-founder of World Information Architecture Day.
Thank you sponsors of WIAD Nashville 2026!
About the speakers
Dan Klyn
Keynote: What Even *Is* A Question?; AMA: Real-world Information Architecture
Dan Klyn teaches information architecture at the University of Michigan School of Information and co-founded The Understanding Group (TUG), designing information architectures for clients including Apple, Ford, Walmart, MIT, and The Kresge Foundation.
Custodian of the Richard Saul Wurman Archive, Klyn has been developing an authorized biography since 2010 and continues to collaborate with Wurman across a range of projects. Past president of the Information Architecture Institute and co-creator of World Information Architecture Day, his writings appear in Advances in Information Architecture (2021) and Reframing Information Architecture (2014). He lives with his family near Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Chad Hester
Where IA and Accessibility (A11y) Collide: Make or break the user experience
Chad Hester is the VP of North America, BarrierBreak. He has more than 20 years of development experience and 10 years focused primarily on accessibility. He combines his experience with leadership of people, processes and projects together to provide you with expertise in implementing strategies to be a more well rounded technical professional.
Beza Worku
Hospitality Experience from End to End
Beza is the Chief Product Officer at Intelity, an innovation leader driving bold ideas at the intersection of AI, fintech, health tech, and hospitality. Known for building standout products, scaling high-impact teams, and turning vision into real-world results.
Currently leading the charge in AI-powered platforms that elevate guest and staff experiences, combining machine learning, predictive intelligence, and automation to drive growth and efficiency.
A member of Women In Product Nashville Chapter, contributing as a speaker, workshop leader, and past organizer.
Named a Titan 100 Honoree in 2025.
William Miller
IA as Ethics: How we live well together
William Miller is a Principal Product Manager at Walgreens, working on healthcare data platforms and AI systems at national scale. With a background in bioethics and years of experience in hospice care, he’s curious about how information architecture quietly shapes meaning, can serve justice, or promote inclusion—often through the small, unglamorous, even contentious, decisions no one puts on a slide. William enjoys thinking with designers and technologists about how to make thoughtful, humane choices together, even when systems are complex, timelines are tight, the stakes are real, and business value matters.
Susan Culkin
Designing IA for Users; Generations Panel
Susan Culkin is a UX and Product Design specialist at Wilmington Trust who has spent her career proving that great user experience isn’t just good design — it’s good business. She has partnered with everyone from Fortune 500 giants like Apple, IBM and Roche Diagnostics to scrappy startups, helping bring products to market that people actually love.
Stratton Glaze
AMA: Real-world Information Architecture
Stratton has spent 20 years practicing Information Architecture. Based in Nashville, TN and trained in seminary before finding his way back to the craft, he brings a deep curiosity about how people make meaning out of complexity. At The Understanding Group, he works alongside a team of architects, strategists, and researchers who believe that clarity is a form of care. Together, they help organizations of all sizes understand the people and purposes behind complex digital systems, then build the structure that makes those systems make sense.
Eve Eden
Generations Panel Moderator
Eve Eden is a product designer leader, speaker, and co-host of the UX Murder Mystery podcast with more than fifteen years guiding enterprise teams at Paychex, NielsenIQ, and Basis Technologies.
She helps organizations untangle complexity, align product, design, and engineering, and build accessible systems that lead to clearer decisions and better business outcomes.
She is founder of EVE | UX Design Agency, where she partners with companies ready for design strategy at agencyeve.com.
Dylan Bernetich
Generations Panel
Dylan Bernetich is a tinkerer. His work focuses on how digital & physical systems guide and shape real-world outcomes. His experience includes researching and designing products across analytics platforms, video conferencing, and mapping tools, giving him a broad domain perspective. In rooms with competing voices, Dylan helps amplify the designer’s role, cutting through noise, aligning teams on what matters, and moving work forward through clear communication and collaboration. He’s currently focused on improving last-mile delivery through digital solutions that bridge physical products and is active in Nashville’s startup community.
Taylor Stevens
Generations Panel
Taylor Stevens is a recent graduate and emerging product designer interested in how creativity, psychology, and technology intersect to shape meaningful user experiences. With a background in UX and content design, their work explores how information architecture evolves as AI begins generating and organizing information in new ways. As part of the next generation entering the field, Taylor is especially interested in designing systems that remain clear, thoughtful, and human-centered.
Jason Becker
Generations Panel
With over two decades in technology leadership, currently serving as Virtual CIO/CISO, contributing to healthcare innovation by overseeing critical technology products and fostering continuous improvement. Core competencies include cybersecurity planning, cloud migration, DevOps transformation, and governance, with a focus on delivering secure, scalable, and innovative solutions.
Previous roles include AVP of IT at DentaQuest, VP, IT, at HCA Hospitals, and PwC alumni, addressing cybersecurity and collaboration challenges in healthcare and other industries, and leadership in governance, risk, and compliance at Reflection Point Solutions. Certified in CISSP, PMP, and AWS Cloud, and experience operational efficiency and align IT strategies with organizational goals.
Billy Hollis
The Science Behind User Experience Design
Billy has been developing software for over thirty years, and has acquired a worldwide reputation in software development and architecture. As a developer and consultant, he has developed systems for healthcare, energy, telecommunications, and human resources. As an author, he has written or co-written ten technology books and dozens of magazine articles. As a conference speaker, he has spoken to thousands of software developers at the largest industry events in the Microsoft space, including TechEd, DevConnections, and VSLive.
Our team
Todd O'Neill
Director / Organizer / Host
Associate Professor Interactive Media Middle Tennessee State University
Pauline Lu
Organizer, Speaker Wrangler, Marketing & Sponsor Support
Visual Designer K-12 Educator Co-lead, Women In Product Nashville
Mike Gallers
Organizer, Program & Sponsor Support
Senior Staff UX Designer Co-organizer, Nashville UX Meetup
Mary Sherrill
Organizer, Program & Marketing Support
UX Content Designer Co-organizer, Nashville UX Meetup
Eve Eden
Organizer / Moderator
Founder, Agency Eve UX Consultant Co-organizer, Nashville UX Meetup
Jeff Burger
Organizer, Sponsor Support
UI & UX Designer Co-Organizer, Nashville UX Meetup
Eric Jackson
Organizer
Multi-disciplinary Designer Assistant Professor Media Design Middle Tennessee State University
Chris Clancy
Organizer, Marketing Support
Content Strategist and Writer Co-founder, Clancy Partners, LLC
Caitlyn Brown
Organizer
Product Manager
Sheri Flournoy-Selph
Organizer, Marketing Support
Department of Art and Design Middle Tennessee State University
Holly Strickland
Organizer
Department of Art and Design Middle Tennessee State University
Sam Zaza
Organizer
Chad Hester
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