QLD AI Hub Sunshine Coast - Chapter Launch

Join us for the official launch of the Queensland AI Hub’s Sunshine Coast Chapter, an afternoon dedicated to exploring the real-world impact of AI—beyond the hype.

Event Details

📍 Venue: Altitude Nine, Corner First Ave and South Sea Islander Way, Maroochydore QLD 4558

📅 Date: Thursday, 27 March 2025

⏰ Time: 4:00pm – 6:00pm

🎟 Cost: Free entry, includes one sunset celebratory drink to conclude the event. Cash bar available.

Theme: AI for Good

AI is already shaping industries, but how can it be leveraged to create tangible, positive change? This event brings together industry leaders, innovators, and changemakers to discuss the role of AI in education, nonprofit work, business, and environmental sustainability.

Hosted by Chapter Co-Directors Craig Josic (Silicon Sunshine Coast & FWD>>>Fest 2025) and Dr Karen Sutherland (University of the Sunshine Coast & Dharana Digital), the evening will feature insights from those applying AI in meaningful and measurable ways.

Event Schedule

🔹 3:30pm – Arrival

🔹 4pm – Acknowledgement of Country and Official Welcome

🔹 4.15pm – Keynote: Alexander Zervakos, Founder & CEO of Theryo, sharing how AI-powered mental health technology is transforming collaboration between clients and providers.

🔹 4:35pm – Panel Discussion: AI for Good – Minimum Hype, Maximum Impact

Experts from education, nonprofit, business, and environmental sectors will discuss practical AI applications making a real difference.

🔹 5.20 pm – Closing Remarks

🔹 5.30 pm – Sunset Celebratory Drink

🔹 6pm – Event Close

This launch event is an opportunity to hear from experts who are using AI to solve complex problems and improve outcomes in our communities. RSVP now to join Sunshine Coast's AI for Good movement.

MC & Panel Facilitator

Dr Karen Sutherland, Co-Director, Sunshine Coast Chapter, Qld AI Hub
- Senior Lecturer, PR, University of the Sunshine Coast &  Director, Dharana Digital

Dr Karen Sutherland is a Senior Lecturer in Public Relations at the University of the Sunshine Coast, and a Certified AI Consultant. As Director of Dharana Digital, Dr. Karen has a strong track record of guiding organisations in integrating and leveraging AI to enhance efficiency, and outcomes and reduce costs, providing AI guidance to organisations such as The 6AM Agency, Noosa Council plus the Institute for Public Relations and VRAI Digital in the USA.  Her accolades include the 2023 Book Excellence Award in Public Relations and multiple Stevie Awards in 2022. She has designed and delivered training and workshops globally for over a decade across various sectors like health, small business, and education.  Her research spans AI in strategic communication, B2B relationships, and social media practice. Dr Karen has authored two editions of her book 'Strategic Social Media Management – Theory and Practice' published by Palgrave Macmillan and downloaded more than 160k times, and her next book, 'AI for Strategic Communication,' released this year also by Palgrave Macmillan. Dr Karen has featured in top-tier journals and media including the Wall Street Journal, ABC News Breakfast, Nine and Sky News, and has been Ticker's AI and social media expert for the past five years.

MC

Craig (CJ) Josic
- Co-Director, Sunshine Coast Chapter, Qld AI Hub

Craig Josic, aka CJ is co-founder of several businesses and is a visionary leader in collaboration and innovation. Through Silicon Coast and initiatives like FWD Fest, he has empowered businesses to adopt AI literacy, drive productivity, and foster economic growth. Known for building strong partnerships, Craig is dedicated to advancing AI for the benefit of the Sunshine Coast community. Together, Karen and Craig bring a wealth of expertise and passion to the QLD AI Sunshine Coast Chapter, uniting education, business, and innovation to drive AI literacy and opportunity in the Sunshine Coast region.

Speakers

Keynote: Alexander Zervakos, Founder & CEO of Theryo.

Alexander Zervakos is a seasoned entrepreneur and AI expert that has built several successful businesses in healthcare and finance. As a co-founder of Theryo, he brings his extensive entrepreneurial expertise to improve mental healthcare. With a strong background in financial compliance, Alexander has founded a leading financial compliance firm, a SaaS company serving reporting requirements for officers and directors of public companies, and a rapidly expanding revenue cycle management (RCM) company for medical practices. Leveraging his expertise in AI and healthcare, Alexander is dedicated to harnessing the power of technology to enhance mental wellness and streamline care delivery through collaborative insights and efforts. At Theryo, he is committed to developing innovative solutions that will have a meaningful and measurable impact on the lives of everyday people.

Discussion Panel

Education: Professor Michael Wilmore
- Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), University of the Sunshine Coast

Professor Michael Wilmore is an experienced academic leader with a background in the humanities and social sciences. He has held senior academic roles in universities in Australia and the UK.

As Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Professor Wilmore oversees the academic functions of UniSC and related support areas. His portfolio includes UniSC’s School of Business and Creative Industries, School of Education and Tertiary Access, School of Health, School of Law and Society, School of Science, Technology and Engineering, Centre for Support and Advancement of Learning and Teaching, and High Performance Sport. His leadership experience encompasses a wide range of initiatives, including projects with significant impacts on university culture, external partnerships, business improvement processes, and investments in built and digital environments.

Local Government: Tim McGinnes
- GIS\Data Scientist, Data Analytics Team | Digital & Information Services | Sunshine Coast Council

A key member of the Data Analytics team at Sunshine Coast  Council, Tim McGinnes is a highly experienced spatial and IT professional with more than 30 years’ of global experience in mineral exploration, environmental assessment, state & local government, and spatial consulting. Tim enjoys solving complex problems, keeping up with technology and finding new and innovative ways of resolving business problems. With a strong interest in AI and data analytics, he’s a strong advocate of leveraging Council’s existing data and systems to assist business areas become more efficient and therefore benefit the community.

Health: Stephanie Chaousis, 
- PhD, CEO Panacea AI.

Dr Stephanie Chaousis is the Co-founder and CEO of Panacea AI, a company dedicated to advancing artificial intelligence solutions in Orthopaedics. She also serves as a Director at the Queensland AI Hub, Director at Datarwe,  and as a Startup Advisor at LX Health. With a background in science and a PhD from Griffith University, she has extensive experience in driving innovation at the intersection of AI and healthcare.Her work focuses on harnessing AI to improve patient outcomes, streamline clinical workflows, and enhance surgical optimisation.

Through Panacea AI, she is leading efforts to integrate cutting-edge technologies into healthcare systems to support data-driven decision-making and personalised patient care.

Business: Vinnie Romano
- Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer, MySocial.ai

Vinnie is an 18-year veteran of the advertising and marketing industry, having worked with some of the world’s most beloved brands at the industry’s most iconic creative agencies. He has held senior leadership roles, advising C-suite executives across Europe and APAC on demonstrating marketing ROI, optimising strategies, and saving millions in the process. In 2015, he founded his first agency, Frizbee, specialising in B2B digital marketing for enterprise tech and financial services. Frizbee helped brands generate, nurture, and convert leads into repeat business through creative, digital, and automated strategies.It was during this time that clients began recognising the power of LinkedIn—not just for brand-level communication, but for amplifying their message through the voices of their people. This demand led to an official LinkedIn partnership and marked the beginning of Vinnie’s journey into personal professional branding. Now, as the co-founder of MySocial.ai, Vinnie is on a mission to make organic brand-building effortless. The platform automates the mundane and enhances the unseen elements of high-quality content creation—empowering individuals to contribute meaningfully to brand salience. At its core, MySocial.ai helps businesses remain top of mind by leveraging the power of their people. Because at any given time, 95% of your audience isn’t ready to buy, but 5% are. MySocial.ai ensures your brand is present in both moments—so that when they’re ready, they think of you.

Medicine: Gayle Snyders
- Chief Medical Officer at NeuraGPT

Gayle Snyders is the Chief Medical Officer at NeuraGPT, a  GenAI company developing innovative AI solutions for healthcare organizations. With a diverse career spanning physiotherapy, high-performance sports, health leadership, and digital health, Gayle ensures entrepreneurial initiatives are solving real problems. Passionate about enhancing the healthcare experience for both clinicians and patients, Gayle is committed to driving innovations that foster proactive health management to support thriving populations.

Environment: Jean-Luc Tylor
- Chief Technology Officer, exci

Jean-Luc Tylor is the Chief Technology Officer and Chief Data Scientist at exci Pty Ltd, a company at the forefront of early wildfire detection through artificial intelligence.

His expertise spans data science, machine learning, and AI-driven environmental monitoring. A pioneer in AI-driven wildfire detection, Jean-Luc specialises in leveraging cutting-edge technology to protect communities, businesses, and ecosystems from the devastating impact of wildfires. Driven by a belief that AI is a force for good, Jean-Luc is passionate about leveraging machine learning and real-time analytics to detect and respond to wildfires faster than ever before. His mission is simple: use AI to save lives, preserve ecosystems, and create a more resilient future. With a focus on driving innovation in sovereign AI capability, Jean-Luc is committed to ensuring Australia remains at the forefront of wildfire resilience and risk mitigation.