Frontrunners Conference

Frontrunners JS/Web Conference

March 21, 2025

Frontrunners is a JavaScript and web developers conference held annually in the Washington, DC area. We feature a full day of interesting presentations from excellent speakers on a variety of web development topics.

Come discover how the best minds use the latest technologies to build solutions for the web. Network with other DC area web developers, and discuss the newest emerging trends and techniques.

Venue Location: GMU Arlington's Van Metre Hall Auditorium

Tickets!

Regular admission Frontrunners 2025 tickets are available, until March 10. Get yours today for the best price!

Frontrunners Conference
Frontrunners Conference
Frontrunners Conference

Where?

Frontrunners 2025 will be held at GMU's Van Metre Hall Auditorium in Arlington, Virginia, a fantastic facility for both speakers and attendees.

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Frontrunners 2024 was Awesome!

Frontrunners 2024 was a blast, even bigger and better than 2023! Thank you to all of our speakers, attendees, volunteers and sponsors for making it fantastic! To see for yourself, check out our 2024 Videos.

2025 Speakers

Kilian Valkhof

Stop using JavaScript for that: moving features from JS to CSS and HTML

Courtney Yatteau

A Developer's Guide to Open Source Web Mapping Libraries

Alex Riviere

Fresh Hot CSS Features!

Steve Drucker

Flying High with JavaScript and AI

Tony Bradley

ECS and Engine-less GameDev in TypeScript

Shri Khalpada

Code As A Canvas: Exploring Creative Coding With JavaScript
Nathan Long

Nathan Long

Building Motion for the Web: Practical Strategies for Designers and Developers
Kito Mann

Kito Mann

Future-proof your Web Apps with Web Components and Lit
Zack Krall

Zach Krall

Bringing Voice First Experiences to the Web

2025 Schedule

8:30 AM
Registration
9:30 AM
Kilian ValkhofStop using JavaScript for that: moving features from JS to CSS and HTML
If you’ve been building websites for a while you “know” that some things require JS and that’s just the way it is. Turns out, spec writers and browser makers both are working hard to find common JS patterns and implementing them in CSS and HTML. Things like accordions, auto-suggest, smooth scrolling, dialogs are all available without JS. Looking a little ahead, things like parallax scrolling, styleable selects and component-dependent styling are expected to make their CSS-debut as well. We'll walk through common patterns, and explain how they can be implemented in CSS and HTML, how that’s better and what accessibility implications they have, both for features available today and feature available soon.
Kilian is a front-end developer with over 20 years of experience that switched from building websites to building apps to build websites with. He is interested in modern web development, desktop app development and new technologies, and regularly speaks about topics like responsive websites, design systems and Electron. Kilian is a frequent open source contributor.
10:00 AM
Kito MannFuture-proof your Web Apps with Web Components and Lit
Building a web app? Should you pick Angular, React, Vue, or something else? Discover the standards behind web components and learn how you can use Lit to turbocharge your web component development experience, whether you are building an app from scratch or using an existing framework.
Kito D. Mann is the Principal Consultant at Virtua, Inc., specializing in enterprise application architecture, training, development, and mentoring with microservices, cloud, Web Components, Angular, and Jakarta/Java EE technologies. He is also the co-host of the Stacked Podcast, and the author of JavaServer Faces in Action (Manning). Mann has participated in several Java Community Process expert groups (including CDI, JSF, and Portlets) and is an internationally recognized speaker. He is also a Java Champion and Google Developer Expert in Web Technologies. He holds a BA in Computer Science from Johns Hopkins University.
10:30 AM
Break
11:00 AM
Tony BradleyECS and Engine-less GameDev in TypeScript
What if you could make games without learning a game engine, using a programming language you already know? ECS or “Entity Component System” is a pattern for game development that you can implement without any library. This talk will hopefully inspire you to act on that game idea you’ve always had.
Hello, I’m Tony Bradley, a software engineer living in Bethesda, MD. I originally got into programming by making games with HTML5 over a decade ago now. While my career is primarily in the web development space, I’m most passionate about amateur game development.
11:30 PM
Courtney YatteauA Developer's Guide to Open Source Web Mapping Libraries
Explore how to use JavaScript mapping libraries like Leaflet and MapLibre GL JS to create dynamic, visually appealing web maps. Learn key geospatial concepts, data visualization techniques, and best practices for integrating these tools into your web projects. Perfect for developers new to GIS.
Courtney Yatteau is a Developer Advocate on Esri’s Developer Experience Team. She is responsible for outreach and awareness related to Esri’s developer SDKs and APIs. Before Esri, Courtney worked in the secondary education field, teaching computer science and mathematics.
12:00 PM
Lunch Break
1:20 PM
Alex RiviereFresh Hot CSS Features!
Do you use a CSS Framework like bootstrap? Or maybe you’ve been coasting for a few years on your current knowledge of CSS. You’ve maybe seen something called CSS Grid and wondered what it was… Maybe you have never seen var() used before. Let’s discuss the latest newest hottest big features in CSS from the last few years, and get you up to speed on what a browser engine is capable of!
Alex Riviere is a Senior Frontend Developer for Nexcor Technology and the Co-Organizer for the Atlanta Vue.js Meetup, as well as the PyATL Meetup.
1:50 PM
Break
2:20 PM
Zach KrallBringing Voice First Experiences to the Web
As synthetic speech technology becomes increasingly sophisticated and accessible, web developers have unprecedented opportunities to create rich, voice-driven experiences. This session explores the intersection of voice technology, web development, and user experience design, demonstrating how to build engaging audio-first interfaces that enhance accessibility and user engagement.
Zach Krall is a design engineer in New York City. At Hume, he’s building interfaces for empathic AI. He received a BFA from School of Visual Arts and a MFA in Design and Technology from Parsons School of Design
2:50 PM
Nathan LongBuilding Motion for the Web: Practical Strategies for Designers and Developers
There is a information gap around motion on the web — there’s a lot of material on the VALUE of motion, but very little on how to TALK about or IMPLEMENT motion in an organization. I will be talking about ways to classify, discern complexity, and collaborate on motion.
I’m a Designer-turned-UI-Developer for Viget where I help build user interfaces for clients. I create accessible experiences with a focus on animation and interaction design. I’m currently based in North Carolina.
3:20 PM
Break
3:50 PM
Steve DruckerFlying High with JavaScript and AI
Steve Drucker, SVP of Technology at FlyExclusive, introduces a cutting-edge, public-facing instant pricing tool for private jet charters. Built with Vue.js, Node.js, Speech Recognition, and Server-Sent Events, this tool leverages Anthropic AI, Model Context Protocol, and Amazon Bedrock to deliver a seamless, low-latency shopping experience.
Steven Drucker is a seasoned technology leader, entrepreneur, and full-stack developer with over two decades of experience architecting enterprise-class web applications. As the SVP/Technology at flyExclusive and the former Chief Technology Officer at Volato and Vaunt, he spearheads the development of mission-critical software solutions using modern JavaScript frameworks like React, Vue, and Node.js. His expertise spans SaaS platforms, cloud computing (Azure/AWS), AI integrations, complex data-driven applications, and public company compliance.
Previously, Steven served as EVP of Software Engineering at Agrify Corporation, where he led the development of Agrify Insights, a pioneering web-based platform for IoT-driven precision agriculture. He also founded Fig Leaf Software, a consultancy that delivered cutting-edge web applications for government agencies and Fortune 500 companies, generating over $150M in revenue before a successful exit in 2018.
A passionate educator and thought leader, Steven has authored multiple technical books on JavaScript, Salesforce Lightning Components, and Sencha ExtJS. He holds certifications in technical training and has contributed to open-source projects and developer communities. His talks focus on building scalable, high-performance JavaScript applications, real-world software architecture, and leveraging AI for modern web development.
When he’s not coding or mentoring, you can find him exploring the latest advancements in software engineering or writing about emerging tech trends and developing his personal brand.
4:20 PM
Shri KhalpadaCode As A Canvas: Exploring Creative Coding With JavaScript
In a world where our interaction with technology can feel increasingly negative, it can be helpful to stop and think about how code can be a source of creativity and joy. In this talk, we’ll chat about how libraries like p5.js can help us create art, creatively visualize data, and even meditate.
Shri is a seasoned full-stack software engineer with a decade of experience, ranging from contributing to the user experience of Windows 10 at Microsoft to building cutting-edge analytics tools for NBA teams at Cleaning The Glass..
Beyond his professional endeavors, Shri has also created a number of successful side-projects for the web, including co-founding a data viz publication and building a musical sequencer. His projects have collectively reached millions of people and have featured on the top of HackerNews and the front page of Reddit.
Away from his keyboard, you can find Shri strumming his guitar, exploring new coffee shops, or enjoying the company of his feisty calico cat, Dorito.
5:00 PM
Happy Hour at Spider Kelly's bar!
3181 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22201

Sponsors

For sponsorship information visit our sponsorship page, or email us at info at frontrunners dot tech.