We’re heading back to San Francisco to celebrate a decade of URx with the community that built it. Early Bird tickets for URx 2026 go on sale Dec 4 at 9 AM ET.
Amanda Lopez
Manager, University Talent Acquisition, Adobe
Amanda Lopez is a human-centered systems strategist with 15+ years of experience designing inclusive, future-ready talent and workforce systems in global technology organizations. She specializes in workforce research, talent acquisition, inclusion strategy, and AI-enabled talent system design—translating complex challenges into scalable, people-first solutions. She is currently a Talent Manager at Adobe in the University space.
Amanda currently contributes to Adobe’s AI Ethics Committee and AI Adoption Squad and was named to the San Francisco Bay Area Latinos 40 Under 40™ Class of 2025. She is completing her second Master’s degree in Legal Studies at Cornell Law School, where her capstone research focuses on the legal and ethical implications of empathy in artificial intelligence. She holds a Master’s in Social Justice and Equity in Education from San Francisco State University and a Bachelor’s from UC Santa Cruz.
She also serves on the Board of Directors for Christmas in the Park and volunteers with Parents Helping Parents.
The Intern Isn’t Obsolete, But Your Hiring Strategy Might Be: Why Early Career Talent Is Your Best AI Investment
Many organizations are rethinking early‑career hiring as AI reshapes how work gets done, and this session highlights why interns and grads are more important than ever. Grounded in data, workforce strategy, and TA economics, it explores how strong intern pipelines build resilience, accelerate safe and effective AI adoption, and strengthen long‑term capability. The session covers the value interns bring to present day teams, why early‑career talent is uniquely positioned to grow alongside AI‑enabled workflows, and how leading talent organizations are intentionally expanding (not contracting) their intern programs. Attendees will leave with practical metrics to confidently defend and grow intern and university graduate hiring, a modern intern‑to‑grad conversion model aligned to AI‑driven work, and clear guidance on positioning early‑career hiring as a powerful lever for revenue growth, capability building, and future‑ready talent strategy.