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Artificial intelligence conference takes stage at Fort Valley State University

by Russell Boone Jr.

Posted on Sep 26, 2025 at 14:38 PM

Paulana Hall, a 2016 graduate of Fort Valley State University and a software engineer for Microsoft, served as a keynote speaker at the Cultivate AI Conference held at Fort Valley State University Sept. 18-19.

To help people understand the emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in everyday life, Fort Valley State University’s (FVSU) Cooperative Extension Program recently hosted an event focusing on this technology.

The “Cultivate AI Conference” held Sept. 18-19 at the C.W. Pettigrew Center located on the FVSU campus, drew more than 150 people.

Attendees listened to presentations from keynote speakers, professionals in education, computer technology and panels in addition to participating in hands on workshops and demonstrations.

Topics covered included AI’s use in education, entrepreneurship and agriculture. Ethical use of this technology in business and academic settings was also covered.

“Our goal is to create an accessible and engaging space where people from all backgrounds can learn, collaborate and discover how AI is shaping the future,” said Courtney Howard, National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) project manager for FVSU Cooperative Extension.

Howard also said that AI is no longer a buzzword as it becomes a popular part of everyday life from the way people learn, work and grow food.

“At FVSU, agriculture and education are at our core and entrepreneurship drives innovation in our communities. By emphasizing AI, we’re ensuring our students and community members are not only aware of these tools but also equipped to use them to their advantage in real world settings,” Howard said.

Paulana Hall, a 2016 graduate of FVSU, (math and computer science) served as one of the keynote speakers for the conference. She currently works for Microsoft as a software engineer where she focuses on infrastructure scenarios for Microsoft Copilot using generative AI technologies. The FVSU alumna briefly spoke on her experience working in the professional arena and returning to her alma mater to give remarks.

“I’m thrilled as well as honored to give back to my community. There is so much opportunity these students have that they don’t know about. I want them to have the right insight to be able to learn all the different tools and capabilities associated with AI. This includes informing them about how it can help them with their research, careers and plans for their future,” Hall said.

Donnita Bellamy, a retired social studies educator who taught in Peach and Houston counties, said she attended the conference because she wanted to increase her knowledge of AI and use of internet services and programs such as Chat GPT. Bellamy also said she picked up some ideas that will allow her to use AI tools more efficiently.

“AI is a tool, and it’s here to stay. To keep up with the present age, we need to increase our technology skills because technology is forever changing. It’s like going from an encyclopedia to a computer or from working out math problems to using a calculator,” Bellamy said.

Furthermore, Bellamy, who is also an FVSU graduate, said the conference was well organized, the presenters were knowledgeable, and the question-and-answer sessions were free and open. The former educator said she would recommend others attend future conferences because of the networking opportunities and information disseminated by the vendors.

“This is a major undertaking at Fort Valley State, and we’re just proud to bring knowledgeable speakers here. We have speakers representing the Georgia Technology Authority, Microsoft and CDW and other major corporations,” said Terrence Wolfork, executive director of the NTIA project and FVSU’s assistant Extension administrator for communications, conferencing and technology.

FVSU’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) project staff (left to right) Erica Flowers, auxiliary coordinator; Kendale Frederick, project coordinator and Courtney Howard, project manager. 

Additionally, Wolfork said the event shows that the university is in the forefront of bringing the latest technology to rural communities. Furthermore, the FVSU administrator said the conference gives residents a chance to attend an event locally instead of traveling to a metropolitan city in Georgia such as Atlanta, Macon or Savannah.

Howard said that the Cultivate AI conference will not be a one-time gathering at Fort Valley State University, but the beginning of a tradition. “The demand for conversations around AI will only continue to grow and FVSU is committed to creating a space where those conversations can thrive,” Howard said.

For more information about the NTIA project, contact Howard at (478)825-6955 (Courtney.Howard@fvsu.edu) or Wolfork at (478)825-6053 (wolforkt@fvsu.edu).

 

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