2026 April 14th Dinner Meeting - 1 PDU - Presentation Only

Ways of Working

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“Beyond the Hype: How an AI Strategist Uses Claude for Project Management and Why LLM Communication Skills Beat Tools”

Speaker: Jen Garcia, M.S., Caltech CTME AI Strategy & Partnerships  

April 14, 2026

Presentation Description

Description of Topic/Presentation:

“Beyond the Hype: How an AI Strategist Uses Claude for Project Management and Why LLM Communication Skills Beat Tools” 

This session gives project managers an inside look at how an AI strategist actually uses Claude, from everyday chats to structured projects and emerging features like Skills and Cowork, across the project management lifecycle. Rather than surveying dozens of tools, this presentation makes the case that developing strong LLM communication skills through prompt, context, and intent engineering is the higher-value investment, one that will empower PMs to build their own solutions. The session closes with a forward look at agentic workflows and what project managers need to understand now about their organizations' data to be ready.

Learning Objectives:

  • Identify how Claude's core features (Chats, Projects, Skills, and Cowork) can be applied to real project management tasks like planning, status reporting, and stakeholder communication.
  • Understand why developing LLM communication skills like prompt, context, and intent engineering is more valuable than adopting any single AI tool.
  • Recognize the trajectory of AI toward agentic workflows and assess what organizational data readiness looks like for project teams preparing to manage AI agents.
  • Evaluate which AI capabilities are worth investing in versus where free or built-in tools already meet a project manager's needs.

Speaker Bio(s)

Jen Garcia, M.S., Caltech CTME AI Strategy & Partnerships | Founder | Board Member | Triathlete | AI Executive in Residence

Jen García is the AI Strategy & Partnerships Lead and AI Tools Instructor at Caltech's Center for Technology and Management Education (CTME), where she develops and delivers programming that makes AI fluency accessible to professionals across industries. She is also the founder of Ingrained.ai, an AI tools learning ecosystem focused on augmenting cognitive skills and expanding AI fluency across diverse communities and sectors. Jen serves as AI Executive in Residence at the Goldhirsh Foundation, where she has led AI training initiatives including work with the LAFD, and independently consults on AI training for both large and small organizations. With 20+ years of cumulative experience, including 16 years as an English instructor at institutions including UCLA Extension, UCI Extension, USC, and Cal State Fullerton, and a Microsoft AI Engineer Associate certification, Jen brings a unique blend of pedagogical expertise and technical depth to her work in AI education.

Location

Pali Wine Co. - 500 S. Anaheim Blvd. Unit C, Anaheim, CA, 92805
(In MAKE Building Across E. Santa Ana St. from Anaheim Packing House)

In-person Only Meeting

FREE PARKING

Free parking is located on Claudina St. behind the MAKE building, south of E. Santa Ana St.

Link to Packing District Map

Dinner / Meal

Not Available - Presentation only does not include the meal.

Time

5:30 p.m. – Registration & Networking
6:00 p.m. – Dinner
6:30 p.m. – Speaker Presentation (1 PDU, 60 minutes)
8:00 p.m. – Speaker Presentation Concluded, Additional Announcements/Prizes
8:30 p.m. – Event Adjourned

Cost

$25.00

 

Registration Deadline : Must register before noon on day of event.

PDUs: 1 - Ways of Working.

 

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Cancellation Policy

Reservations must be canceled no later than 10 pm PST two days prior to the event in order to receive a refund. All cancellations (including duplicate registrations) are subject to a 10% Administrative Fee. To cancel, send an email to registration_cancel@pmi-oc.org and include your name and the event. Click here to view the PMI-OC Event Registration and Cancellation Policy in its entirety.

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Information

Type of category: Dinner Meetings

Type of activity: Ways of Working

Date: April 14th, 2026

Hour: 5:30PM to 8:30PM

Registration close date: April 14th, 2026 at 11:59AM

Early bird deadline: April 2nd, 2026 at 11:59PM

# of PDUs: 1

Price

Early bird student: $25.00

Double click me!Early bird member: $25.00

Early bird non member: $25.00

Students: $25.00

Members: $25.00

Non-members and Guests: $25.00

Location

Pali Wine Co.

500 S. Anaheim Blvd. Unit C
Anaheim, CA, 92805