2021 Speaker Biographies by Name

Senior Science Advisor
Dr. David J Alexander serves as the Senior Science Advisor for Resilience within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security - Science & Technology Directorate (DHS S&T). In this capacity, Dr. Alexander leads the Enduring Sciences Branch of DHS S&T’s Technology Centers Division which focuses on interdisciplinary research across the physical, biological and life sciences to enhance knowledge, advance state of the art, inform investments and drive actions in national threats, hazards, and risks. Other programs he has spearheaded in DHS S&T include leading the S&T Flood Apex and Hurricane Technology Modernization programs as well as an analysis of Wildland Fire Operational Requirements and Capabilities in support of FEMA, US Fire Administration and other key stakeholders. Prior to his role in DHS S&T, Dr. Alexander served as the first appointed Geospatial Information Officer (GIO) for DHS and as Enterprise GIS Branch lead within FEMA. Before coming to DHS, Dr. Alexander acquired practical experience across the local, state, federal, and private sectors. He has more than 25 years of experience in Homeland Security related science and technology. Dr. Alexander currently serves as the climate adaptation and resilience lead for DHS S&T. He also co-chairs the National Science and Technology Council’s Subcommittee on Resilience Science and Technology and is a subject matter expert to the Resilient Investment Planning and Development Working Group of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC). He is also a member of the International Scientific Committee of the Eight International Conference on Floodplain Management. He previously served as a member of the National Geospatial Advisory Council, DHS representative to the Federal Geographic Data Committee, co-champion for the National Spatial Data Infrastructure, chair of the Homeland Infrastructure Foundation Level Data Subcommittee, and chair of the DHS COP Executive Steering Committee and Board advisor to the United State Geospatial Intelligence Foundation. Dr. Alexander holds a Doctor of Philosophy from George Mason University, Master’s degree in business management from Colorado Technical University, Master’s degree in Geography from the University of South Carolina, and a Bachelor of Arts degree (cum laude) in History from the University of South Carolina – Aiken. Dr. Alexander is also an adjunct faculty member at Delta State University within the College of Arts and Sciences.

Senior Director, National Technology Strategy, Office of the CTO
No bio available.

Chief Data Scientist, Director, Innovation Lab
Taka is the first Chief Data Scientist appointed by the Comptroller General of the United States for the Government Accountability Office. He also leads GAO’s newly established Innovation Lab in driving problem-centric experiments across audit and operational teams through novel use of advanced analytics and emerging technologies. As a member of the Senior Executive Service, Taka is also responsible for working with GAO stakeholders to adopt prospective views on oversight impacts of emerging capabilities such as AI, cloud services, blockchains, RPA, 5G, and IoT. Taka is natively fluent in both Japanese and Mandarin Chinese. In his spare time, he is also a serious classical chamber musician and a competitive tennis player.

Chief Information Officer/Chief Data Officer, Officer of the Director
Ms. Aronson serves as the Chief Information Officer and Chief Data Officer for the National Science Foundation. As an innovative and gifted creative thinker, strategist, and artist, Ms. Aronson is highly skilled at linking mission and strategy to IT and Data tools, which enables the Foundation to manage the full lifecycle of proposals and awards. She acts as the executive thought leader defining NSF's data strategy and roadmap. Ms. Aronson also serves as NSF's Senior Agency Official for Privacy, the senior executive with agency-wide responsibility and accountability for the Foundation's privacy program. Ms. Aronson has a strong interest in innovating for the workforce of the future through technology and serves as a Chair of the CIO Council's Workforce Committee. Ms. Aronson is currently focused on improving data literacy throughout the government and serves as the Federal Sponsor for the Federal-wide data science and analytics training pilot. Ms. Aronson was recognized as one of FedScoop’s Best Bosses in Federal IT in 2019 and 2020, Top Women in Technology for 2018, and, was recognized in 2013 as one of the FCW Fed 100 for her mastery of innovation and for her ability to effectively engage her staff around a common vision for cutting-edge IT in support of NSF-funded cutting-edge research. Prior to her time at NSF, Ms. Aronson served as the Director for the Office of Management Operations for the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency. She holds a Business degree from Duke University and is committed to lifelong learning.

Founder
Matthew James Bailey is an internationally recognized pioneer and authority in the global phenomena of Innovation, Global AI Ethics, Artificial Intelligence, Smart Cities, The Internet of Things and Large Scale Transformation. His life and career have been dedicated to liberating flourishing futures for humankind through partnership with the digital world. His extraordinary leadership is widely acknowledged throughout governments and the private sector. Matthew is the author of Inventing World 3.0 - Evolutionary Ethics for Artificial Intelligence™, Founder of AIEthics.World; Board of Directors for the Open Civic Foundation; Co-Chairman of the GCTC AI/Smart Cities Supercluster and globally consults with the private and public sectors. Bailey is regular keynote speaker, blogger and columnist. He has been recognized by the US Government as a Person of Extraordinary Ability and recognized in a recent Who’s Who in Artificial Intelligence. https://aiethics.world http://matthewjamesbailey.com https://www.instagram.com/the_ai_guru/ https://twitter.com/the_ai_guru

Global Lead - Government & Healthcare
Shaun Barry is a renowned expert in fraud and integrity. Shaun has worked for and with federal, state and local governments around the world for 25 years to foster innovation and digital transformation. He leads a team of experts and architects that uses AI and analytics solutions to transform governments with a distinct focus on fraud, cost containment, policing, and integrity. Shaun holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in American Studies from the University of Notre Dame and a Master of Public Policy degree from Duke University.

Vice President, Partnerships and Growth
Michael Ben Aharon is the VP for Growth and Partnerships at Zzappmalaria, an innovative start-up focused on eradicating malaria using AI. He is a serial entrepreneur focused on the intersection of technology, innovation, and development. He has lived and worked in the US, Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Morocco, Russia, and Israel. Michael consults on entrepreneurship, innovation, and governance issues with the World Bank, UN, and multiple governments worldwide. Michael holds a BA from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and a Master’s of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University.

CSO
Dr. David Benrimoh is a psychiatry resident and researcher at McGill University, and Chief Science Officer at Aifred Health. David completed his medical studies at McGill and a master's in neuroscience with a focus on computation at UCL. He is an author on over 20 peer reviewed publications and focuses on the exciting field of computational psychiatry. Previously founder of a successful non-profit focused on public representation in healthcare decision making, David spends his time blending research, advocacy, patient care, and entrepreneurship with a goal of comprehensively advancing the state of mental healthcare.

Queens Deputy Borough President
No bio available.

Adjunct Faculty at Graduate in Applied Intelligence Program
Chuck Brooks, President of Brooks Consulting International, is a globally recognized thought leader and subject matter expert Cybersecurity and Emerging Technologies. LinkedIn named Chuck as one of “The Top 5 Tech People to Follow on LinkedIn.” He was named by Thompson Reuters as a “Top 50 Global Influencer in Risk, Compliance,” and by IFSEC as the “#2 Global Cybersecurity Influencer.” He was featured in the 2020 Onalytica "Who's Who in Cybersecurity" – as one of the top Influencers for cybersecurity issues. He was also named one of the Top 5 Executives to Follow on Cybersecurity by Executive Mosaic. He is also a Cybersecurity Expert for “The Network” at the Washington Post, Visiting Editor at Homeland Security Today, Expert for Executive Mosaic/GovCon, and a Contributor to FORBES. Chuck is Adjunct Faculty at Georgetown University’s Graduate Applied Intelligence Program and the Graduate Cybersecurity Programs where he teaches courses on risk management, homeland security, and cybersecurity. He has an MA in International relations from the University of Chicago, a BA in Political Science from DePauw University, and a Certificate in International Law from The Hague Academy of International Law.

Research Vice President – Worldwide Public Safety
As Research Vice President for IDC’s Worldwide and US Public Safety practice, Dr. Alison Brooks focuses on public safety and first responder research and advisory services, with a specialization in Smart Cities and Communities. Dr. Brooks’ research provides detailed analysis on the digital transformation of public safety and first responders, covering topics such as digital evidence management, integrated physical security solutions, intelligence-led policing, advanced analytics, video surveillance and visualization, first responder communications and alternative policing frameworks. Dr. Brooks has held a number of positions with IDC over the past 15 years, previously working as IDC Canada’s Director of public sector research.

Technical Director, Cyber Risk and Resilience Directorate
Matthew Butkovic is the technical director of the Cyber Risk and Resilience Directorate in the CERT Division of the Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). Butkovic performs critical infrastructure protection research and develops methods, tools, and techniques for evaluating capabilities and managing risk. This includes addressing the challenges of complex supply chains. Butkovic teaches graduate-level cybersecurity policy courses at the CMU Heinz College. He is also an instructor, focused on organizational resilience and supply chain risk management, for the CMU Heinz College CISO and CRO Executive Certificate Programs. Butkovic has more than 20 years of managerial and technical experience in information technology—particularly information systems security, process design, and audit—in the banking and manufacturing sectors. Prior to joining the CERT Division in 2010, Butkovic was leading information security and business resilience efforts for a Fortune 500 manufacturing organization. Butkovic is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA). He earned degrees at the University of Pittsburgh (BA) and Pennsylvania State University (MS).

Managing Director, Risk and Financial Advisory, Cyber and Strategic Risk, Government and Public Services
No bio available.

Director, Federal AI Implementations, AI Center of Excellence, Technology Transformation Services
Anil Chaudhry has over 20 years of progressive leadership experience in technology delivery, operations, and program management in the defense, intelligence, and national security sectors. At the Artificial Intelligence CoE, Chaudhry advises federal agencies on establishing mature data governance and management practices, developing innovative approaches for leveraging data as a strategic asset, and laying the foundation for advancing data discovery, access, and use through artificial intelligence and machine learning. Prior to joining the CoE, Chaudhry served in critical leadership positions within US Customs and Border Protection and as a Presidential Management Fellow (PMF) at the Defense Business Transformation Agency. Chaudhry served as an enlisted soldier in the U.S. Army Chemical Corps and as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army Transportation Corps. Chaudhry was one of three DHS employees selected to attend the National War College in 2016 as part of the DHS Senior Succession Management Program. Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anil-neil-chaudhry/

Vice President, Government, Education, and Smart Cities and Communities
Ruthbea Yesner is the Vice President of Government Insights at IDC. In this practice, Ms. Yesner manages the US Federal Government, Education, and the Worldwide Smart Cities and Communities Global practices. Ms. Yesner's research discusses the strategies and execution of relevant technologies and best practice areas, such as governance, innovation, partnerships and business models, essential for government and education transformation. Ms. Yesner's research includes analytics, artificial intelligence, Open data and data exchanges, digital twins, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, cloud computing, and mobile solutions in the areas of economic development and civic engagement, urban planning and administration, smart campus, transportation, and energy and infrastructure. Ms. Yesner contributes to consulting engagements to support K-12 and higher education institutions, state and local governments and IT vendors’ overall Smart City market strategies.

Military Professor of National Security Affairs, U.S. Department of Defense
Lieutenant Colonel Ross M. Coffey, U.S. Army, instructs international security as a Military Professor of National Security Affairs at the U.S. Naval War College. He is concurrently enrolled in its Emerging Ethics of Military Technology graduate certificate program.

Technical Director - Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning, Defense Innovation Unit
Dr. Jared Dunnmon is the Technical Director for Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning at the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU). In this role, he brings a technical perspective to problem curation, vendor sourcing and evaluation, and project execution. Prior to DIU, Jared was an Intelligence Community Postdoctoral Fellow in Computer Science at Stanford University, where he was advised by Prof. Chris Ré. His research interests focus on combining heterogeneous data modalities, machine learning, and human domain expertise to inform and improve decision making around such topics as human health, energy & environment, and geopolitical stability. Jared has also worked to bridge the gap between technological development and effective deployment in a variety of contexts including foreign policy at the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, solar electrification at Offgrid Electric, cybersecurity at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, emerging technology investment at Draper Fisher Jurvetson, nuclear fusion modeling at the Oxford Mathematical Institute, and nonlinear energy harvesting at Duke University. Jared holds a PhD from Stanford University (2017), a B.S. from Duke University, and both an MSc. in Mathematical Modeling and Scientific Computing and an M.B.A. from Oxford, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar.

Digital Transformation Lead, Emerging Technology Center
Dr. Rachel Dzombak is Digital Transformation Lead within the AI Division at Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute. In this role, she works with organizations to realize the capability of artificial intelligence (AI) for mission outcomes. Additionally, Dzombak helps to lead efforts around the growth of the AI Engineering discipline, a field focused on developing tools, systems, and processes to enable the application of AI in real-world contexts. Prior to joining CMU, Dzombak was an Innovation Fellow and professional faculty member at the University of California, Berkeley, where her research focused on processes for design, innovation, and systems thinking and the development of tools to support teaming with diversity. Dzombak has published multiple papers on circular economy, design education, and impact assessment and holds doctoral and master’s degrees in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley as well as a bachelor of science degree in Bioengineering from The Pennsylvania State University.

Chief Data Scientist, U.S. Army Artificial Intelligence Task Force, Futures Command Artificial Intelligence Task Force
LTC Isaac Faber is currently serving as the Chief Data Scientist of the U.S. Army's Artificial Intelligence Integration Center (AI2C) where he oversees the technical aspects of the projects in the portfolio. He was also the lead data scientist at U.S. Army Cyber Command and led the architecting and deployment of the first operational big data platform in the DoD. He has a Ph.D. from Stanford where he researched risk management in cybersecurity using AI and human cooperation.

AI/ML Program Manager, Ctr, Department of Defense
Jaime Fitzgibbon is a Program Manager in the Defense Innovation Unit’s Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Portfolio and founder of Ren.ai.sance Insights, an AI-focused advisory network based in San Francisco, CA. She has over 16 years of strategic advisory, program management, product development and digital transformation experience. Ten of those years tackled bringing emerging technologies into the National Security and Intelligence problem space. With a Master’s Degree in International Public Policy, Ms. Fitzgibbon served as a presidential appointee in the Department of State’s Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, worked international democracy promotion programs at a DC-based NGO and helped pass the African Growth and Opportunity Act while working in the U.S. Senate. She continues to apply her skills of sound policy development and project execution to bridging the national security and cutting -edge commercial technology divide.

Director, Emerging Technology Center
Dr. Matt Gaston is the Founding Director of the Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) Software Engineering Institute's Emerging Technology Center and an Adjunct Associate Professor at the CMU Institute for Software Research. The Emerging Technology Center applies advanced technologies in artificial intelligence, computing, and human-machine interaction to critical defense and national security missions. Before joining Carnegie Mellon University, Dr. Gaston was the Director of Research for a business unit of General Dynamics C4 Systems and spent nearly 10 years at the National Security Agency developing and applying mission-focused technologies. He is a 2012 recipient of the AFCEA Award for Meritorious Service to the Intelligence Community. Dr. Gaston received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from UMBC specializing in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning and his B.S. in Mathematics from the University of Notre Dame.

Chief Strategist, AI/ML; Advisor, Advanced Energy and Materials, Defense Innovation Unit (DIU)
Bryce Goodman is Chief Strategist for Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning at the Department of Defense’s Innovation Unit, where he oversees a range of large-scale projects including the implementation of AI for humanitarian assistance and disaster response, predictive maintenance, counter-disinformation, predictive health, and leads the Responsible AI Working Group. Bryce also supports programs on AI for environmental monitoring and conservation as Kravis Senior Contributing Scientist and Innovation Fellow at the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), is a faculty member of Singularity University and an external advisor to the US National Security Commission on AI. His current and past consulting clients include Google, NEC Corporation, Deloitte, LG, Citibank, Barclays, World Bank, Blackstone, United Nations, NASA, US Department of State, CIA, and the UK Cabinet Office. Previously, Bryce co-founded a cleantech startup and successfully raised over $100m led by Kleiner Perkins. Bryce's awards include Forbes 30 under 30 (Energy & Industry), Harvard Business School Best New Venture and World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer. He is a graduate of Deep Springs College, the University of Oxford (Clarendon Scholar; first class honours) and Singularity University, and holds degrees in data science, philosophy, political science and economics.

Director, Strategic Technology Office
Dr. Timothy Grayson is the Director of the Strategic Technology Office (STO) at DARPA. In this role, he leads the office in development of breakthrough technologies to enable warfighters to field, operate, and adapt distributed, joint, multi-domain combat capabilities at continuous speed. These technologies include sensing, communications, and electronic warfare technology and the supporting tools and decision aids needed to compose, integrate, and operate complex combat architectures. Dr. Grayson came to STO in 2018 from a diverse career in government and industry, including founding a strategy consulting firm, Fortitude Mission Research, service in the intelligence community as a Senior Intelligence Officer, and a prior tour at DARPA as a program manager. He holds a Ph.D. in Physics from University of Rochester, where he specialized in quantum optics, and a B.S. in Physics from University of Dayton with minors in mathematics and computer science.

Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer
As Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Bryan Harris is responsible for setting the technology direction for SAS and working with the executive leadership team to translate the organization’s strategic objectives and priorities into products and solutions. Harris has more than 20 years of experience researching and developing analytic techniques, enterprise search technologies, distributed computing and cloud architectures, and user experiences for both the federal and commercial industries. For nearly 10 years, he has been a critical senior leader of SAS R&D. Most recently, as Senior Vice President and Head of Engineering, Harris was instrumental in releasing the latest advancement of SAS® software, SAS® Viya®. Built on cloud-native technologies, the platform is the foundation for SAS solutions and enables customers to drive analytic innovation. “SAS is on a journey to enable AI and analytics for everyone, everywhere,” says Harris. “We have not only transformed the way in which we build and deliver software with recent SAS Viya updates and a cloud partnership with Microsoft, but also the speed and manner with which customers can achieve value. Because of this, SAS is recognized as a leading provider of analytics for enterprise applications.” Before joining SAS, Harris served as Chief Technology Officer of ADG Creative, as well as Chief Technology Officer of VSTI. He received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Drexel University. In addition, Harris is a member of the Strategic Advisory Board (SAB) for NC State University’s computer science department. He also holds 12 patents on cybersecurity.

Data Scientist
In my role as data scientist/ statistician at FDA I am conducting research in statistical/operational modeling and computer science at Center of Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER)/ Office of Translational Science (OTS)/ Office of Computational Science (OCS) in U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Specifically, I am applying advanced statistical modeling and scientific computing techniques to computationally intensive tasks that are encountered in regulatory and scientific applications. For this purpose, I am utilizing various statistical and operation research methodologies such as machine learning and data mining algorithms, natural language processing (NLP) techniques, Neural Networks procedures, and test analytics to extract meaning, patterns and hidden structures in structured and unstructured data; identifying the most feasible approaches to software/networking system design and development problems; consulting reviewers, fellow scientists, and regulations to analyze problems and recommend technology based solutions. I am also preparing reports and manuscripts based on research findings and will present at scientific meeting as necessary. Moreover, I am active an member in several working groups across FDA such as the CDER AI, Modeling and Simulation Workgroup, INFORMED and HIVE.

Senior Advisor for Software and Cybersecurity, Office of the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation
Dr. Amy Henninger serves as a Highly Qualified Expert (HQE) Senior Advisor for Software and Cybersecurity, Dr. Henninger formulates recommendations and strategic plans in software and cybersecurity for the Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E). Prior to her current position, Dr. Henninger served in a variety of federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) and special term government leadership positions, traversing the seams between the two as they have intertwined over time. Dr. Henninger’s corporate sector experience includes founding the Florida office of Soar Technology (www.soartech.com), a tech startup and spin-off company from the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Laboratory at the University of Michigan. Over her tenure, Dr. Henninger led research teams sponsored by DARPA and other Defense agencies, growing the Florida office by 400%. Dr. Henninger earned a PhD in Computer Engineering, with emphasis in AI, and five additional degrees across the mathematical, computing, engineering, social, and management sciences. She has taught undergraduate classes in software engineering, graduate classes in artificial intelligence, authored over 70 publications, and received a variety of awards for her work.

Vice President, Product Management
Dr. Andy Hock is VP of Product Management at Cerebras Systems with responsibility for product strategy. His organization drives engagement with engineering and our customers to inform the hardware, software, and machine learning technical requirements and accelerate world-leading AI with Cerebras products. Prior to Cerebras, Andy held senior leadership positions with Arete Associates, Skybox Imaging (acquired by Google), and Google. He holds a PhD in Geophysics and Space Physics from UCLA.

Director, Artificial Intelligence & Technology Office
Pamela K. Isom serves as Director of the Artificial Intelligence and Technology Office (AITO) at the US Department of Energy. Ms. Isom is a leader of responsible AI innovations. She has extensive knowledge and experience using data science and emerging technologies to drive digital, transformative solutions, enabling DOE to fulfill its strategic goals. She is a recipient of the 2021 Federal 100 Awards for her exceptional contributions in the way information technology is used to advance vital government missions. Ms. Isom is also a two-time recipient of the federal Gears of Government Award for her exceptional advancements in AI and geospatial data science at DOE, and a recipient of the InnovateIT: Modernization Innovation Leader Award for excellence in federal government IT modernization leadership. Mrs. Isom previously served as Deputy Chief Information Officer for the Architecture, Engineering, Technology and Innovation. In 2015, Ms. Isom joined the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) from the private sector and served as the Director of the Office of Application Engineering and Development, where she led design, development, and implementation of high quality patent, trademark, and corporate systems in support of federal IT modernization efforts. Prior to joining the federal workforce, Ms. Isom led business and IT transformation programs and operated as Principal Executive Consultant, Executive Enterprise Architect, and Software Engineer for various large organizations, with a specialization in cloud, data center transformation, and secured information management. She has published a book, she is an inventor and has numerous articles, including the peer-reviewed article “IT Modernization in the Energy Sector to Mitigate Cyber Threats of our Critical Infrastructure.” Ms. Isom holds a master’s degree in Information Systems Management from Walden University and a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Chaminade University of Honolulu. In her spare time, she likes to work out, garden, spend time with family, and be a positive role model.

Director, Health Informatics, Office of Data, Analytics and Research
Elaine Johanson serves as the Director for Health Informatics in FDA’s Office of Data, Analytics and Research and the Program Manager for precisionFDA, a collaborative multi-omics site engaging experts around the world in evolving areas of science and advanced analytics. She has thirty-seven years' experience in information technology (IT) including eighteen years in senior leadership, six of these leading FDA Health Informatics. In addition, she has served in a diversity of roles including: Associate CIO at USDA’s Office of Rural Development, Deputy CIO for FDA’s Office of Information Technology, Director of the FDA IT Project Management Office, IT Director for FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine and IT Director for FDA’s Office of the Commissioner. She has extensive leadership experience as well as technical knowledge in scientific computing, health informatics, cloud computing, crowdsourcing, international data standard management, data harmonization, data analysis, strategic planning, software development, infrastructure operations, budget formulation and execution, governance, project, risk, program and portfolio management.

CEO and Co-founder
CEO Cara Jones is a graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (B.S. Computer Engineering, MBA). Ms. Jones’s career has centered on bringing novel technologies into operational implementation, including robotics, automation systems, and enterprise IT platforms. Ms. Jones is co-founder of Marinus Analytics and has dedicated the past 8 years to bringing the innovation of the Traffic Jam application to law enforcement agencies in North America and the United Kingdom. Recently, the company has added a focus on technology solutions for child protection agencies. Ms. Jones’s passion for serving the public sector is influenced by the career of her father, who was a social worker in child welfare and forensics. Her journey as a social entrepreneur intersected with becoming a new mother which has motivated a flexible operational culture at the company.

Senior Counsel, AI & Ethics
Dr. Sara R. Jordan is Senior Counsel, Artificial Intelligence and Ethics at the Future of Privacy Forum. Her profile includes privacy implications of data sharing, data and AI review boards, privacy analysis of AI and Machine Learning (AI/ML) technologies, and analysis of the ethics challenges of AI/ ML. Sara is an active member of the IEEE Global Initiative on Ethics for Autonomous and Intelligent Systems.

Chief of Emerging Technology, Office of the Chief Information Officer
Krista Kinnard is the Chief of Emerging Technologies at the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) in the Office of the Chief Information Officer. In this role, she leads the organization’s discovery and adoption of new technologies and solutions to meet the unique business challenges faced by DOL agencies. She helps foster the use of artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotic process automation (RPA) and other emerging technologies across the organization in support of mission work.

Director, Prizes
Devin Krotman serves as the Director of both the IBM Watson AI XPRIZE and IES Digital Learning Challenge. In this capacity, Mr. Krotman oversees all complex operational aspects of these large programs - including, but not limited to project management, fiscal management, knowledge management, and risk management. Mr. Krotman is passionate about tackling the world’s challenges from education to disaster prediction and firmly believes technology will help humanity get there. With nearly a decade of experience in management consulting prior to XPRIZE, Devin focuses on leveraging his problem-solving experience when it comes to helping run XPRIZE’s large scale competitions focused on innovative technology. Mr. Krotman holds a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from the Project Management Institute. He also holds Bachelor of Science in Public Administration and Master of Public Administration degrees, both from James Madison University.

Director, Data & AI
Bryan Lane is a technology executive within the GSA IT Modernization Centers of Excellence (CoE) and has over 15 years of experience leading advanced analytics and technology initiatives. Within the CoE, Mr. Lane serves as Director for the Data and AI CoE. He is currently leading the GSA partnership with the DoD Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC) data and AI activities. Mr. Lane has partnered with federal agencies on establishing mature data governance and management practices, developing innovative approaches for leveraging data as a strategic asset, and laying the foundation for advancing data value through artificial intelligence, automation, and machine learning. Prior to joining GSA, Bryan was a product manager for a commercial geospatial software company, an analytic consultant in the defense and national security industry, and assisted in managing a $750M rapid acquisition portfolio.

Autonomy Tech Advisor, Air Force Research Lab
Mr. Ledé is the Autonomy Technical Advisor to the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Commander overseeing the entire laboratory Autonomy and AI portfolio, and making recommendation on new programs leveraging internal and external research. Mr. Ledé is the senior AFRL representative in the OSD Autonomy Community of Interest and the Department of the Air Force AI Cross Functional Team. He also serves as the autonomy Member at Large for NATO Science and Technology Office System Concept and Integration Panel. Prior to these positions, Mr. Ledé was a Program Manager at DARPA within the Tactical Technology Office and the Defense Sciences Office where he led multiple autonomy programs including the Collaborative Operations in Denied Environment (CODE), the Fast Lightweight Autonomy (FLA), the Centralized Control of Commercial Drones (C3D), and the Mobile Force Protection (MFP) programs. Before DARPA Mr. Ledé was the Director of Autonomous Systems at Raytheon Missile Systems, and Vice-president for Advanced Concepts at Aurora Flight Sciences.

Principal Researcher and Tactical and AI-Enabled Systems (TAS) Initiative Lead
Grace Lewis is principal researcher and lead of the Tactical and AI-enabled Systems (TAS) initiative at the Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. Lewis is the principal investigator for the “Predicting Inference Degradation in Production ML Systems” and “Characterizing and Detecting Mismatch in ML-Enabled Systems” research projects. Grace’s current areas of expertise and interest include software engineering for AI/ML systems, edge computing, software architecture (in particular the development of software architecture practices for systems that integrate emerging technologies), and software engineering in society. Grace received a PhD in Computer Science from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. She is also very active in the IEEE Computer Society, currently serving as VP for Technical and Conference Activities (T&C) and a member of the Board of Governors.

Senior Economist
Dr. Olga Livingston is a Senior Economist leading cyber economics portfolio at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Olga has a background in Econometrics with extensive experience in applied economic modeling and risk analysis. In collaboration with interdisciplinary teams of cyber security engineers and information security specialists, Dr. Livingston leads analysis on cyber incident costs and losses, effectiveness and economic justifiability of potential mitigations, cyber insurance, as well as the overall benefits of cyber security investments in reducing cyber risk.

AI & ML Transformation Lead
Ed McLarney is NASA Langley Research Center’s Associate CIO for Transformation, and Data Science Strategic Lead. In addition, Ed was co-lead for creation of NASA’s AI and Machine Learning strategy as a major thrust within NASA Digital Transformation. Prior to NASA, Ed served 20 years as an Army Engineer and Operations Research / Systems Analysis officer. He has a BS in Electrical Engineering from the United States Military Academy, and an MS in Operations Research and Systems Analysis from the Air Force Institute of Technology. Mr. McLarney lives in Hampton, VA with his wife and daughter, and has two adult sons. His passions outside of work are songwriting, science fiction, and hiking.

No bio available.

Director, Artificial Intelligence Solutions, Chief Technology Officer
Steven Moore is Director of AI Solutions at Huntington Ingalls Industries. He manages AI business pipelines and architects solutions. He supports the CTO with R&D and capability innovations. Steven has more than 24 years of experience in IT, he bridges the gap between technology and business. Steven previously managed large teams developing DoD and commercial products. He holds a B.S. in Computer Science and a Master of Information Technology.

Director, Data and Analytics, Centers of Excellence
Ambuj Neupane has over 9 years of public sector experience building organizational capacity and managing technology modernization projects. As part of the Data and Analytics Center of Excellence, Neupane’s responsibilities include advising partner agencies on best practices for data governance and lifecycle data management as well as managing technical deliverables to advance data-driven decision making. Neupane has partnered with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and is currently working with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL).

Research Director, Government Digital Transformation Strategies
Adelaide O'Brien is Research Director for IDC Government Insights responsible for Government Digital Transformation Strategies. Ms. O'Brien assists clients in understanding the full scope of efforts needed for digital transformation, and focuses on technology innovations such as Big Data, AI, cognitive, and cloud in the context of government use cases such as customer experience, data driven benefits and services, and public health protection. Ms. O'Brien's research also includes a particular emphasis on journey maps that assist clients in understanding the full scope of efforts required to achieve outcomes, and she has benchmarked the maturity of deploying cloud and Big Data and analytics in the federal government. Her research also includes the threats and opportunities now facing government's ecosystems in leveraging agency information as a critical asset, allowing stakeholders to make better decisions, provide better services and experiences for constituents, and react in real time to limit liabilities and manage risks.

CTO
A member of the Senior Executive Service and FEMA’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Mr. Ted Okada is responsible for leading the technology strategy and direction for a wide variety of mission, business, and enterprise systems. He has spearheaded a broad range of continuous improvement initiatives involving geospatial technologies, data analytics, and cyber security, as well as a whole community approach to interoperable communications in the event of a disaster. Mr. Okada is the creator and executive sponsor of OpenFEMA—the public’s resource for FEMA’s data provided in open, machine-readable formats. Launched in 2012 after Hurricane Sandy, OpenFEMA provides timely, usable, and accurate information enabling collaboration with Whole Community partners in support of disaster survivors. Mr. Okada is a graduate of Northwestern University with a B.A. in Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences and Economics. His experience includes over thirty years in international relief and development, a decade in internet services architecture, and two technology start-ups. Prior to becoming FEMA’s first CTO, Mr. Okada served as the Director of U.S. Global Public Private Partnerships and as the Director of the Humanitarian Systems Group at Microsoft developing solutions to the world’s most vexing and least served humanitarian problems.

Office of Secretary, Chief Information Officer
No bio available.

Chairperson and Endowed Professor, Computer Science
Robert Pless is Chair and the Patrick and Donna Martin Professor of Computer Science at George Washington University. His research focus is Artificial Intelligence and Computer Vision, with an interesting in crowd-sourced and open-source data sources, long-term time-lapse imagery, and novel imaging and camera designs. Dr. Pless has a Bachelors Degree in Computer Science from Cornell University in 1994 and a PhD from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2000. He was on the Computer Science Faculty from 2000-2016 at Washington University in St. Louis, before joining George Washington in 2017.

Innovation & Research in Design, Technology, and Business
Vivek Rao, PhD, is a lecturer at UC-Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation, and a research scientist in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. His teaching and research explore design methodology and emerging technologies in the context of complex sociotechnical challenges. In addition, Vivek actively advises and delivers innovation and design consulting, training and coaching to a variety of clients, ranging from pre-seed startups to the United States Department of Defense. He earned a BS, MS, and PhD, all in Mechanical Engineering, from UC-Berkeley. Prior to returning to academia, Vivek was a designer and strategist at innovation design consulting firm IDEO.

Machine Learning Technical Team Lead / Technologist
Robert Rittmuller Robert is a technical (AI) program manager, deep learning practitioner and cybersecurity researcher with the US Department of Transportation Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, Cambridge MA. Robert received his undergraduate degree from Harvard University and currently holds several industry certifications such as; Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), and Project Management Professional (PMP). Robert works closely with several Federal DOT agencies such as the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), and the Office of the Secretary of Transportation(OST) on highly innovative technical projects involving various state-of-the-art technologies such as deep learning-based computer vision, natural language processing, and advanced vehicle cybersecurity.

Federal Vice President
No bio available.

Program Director, Golobal Smart Cities Strategies
Curt Savoie is the Director, Global Smart Cities Strategies program. The central components of his work revolve around data: its use, security, meaning, accessibility, and governance. He brings to IDC a deep interest in algorithms, artificial intelligence, resiliency, identity, ethical considerations, privacy and anonymization, reducing information asymmetry, and how data can power a better future. At the intersection of theoretical, strategic, and practical experience in the domains of big data, analytics, urban informatics, city operations and innovation, data science workflows and methodology he can help answer not just what but how and why.

Associate Professor of Engineering
Dr. Beth-Anne Schuelke-Leech is an Associate Professor of Engineering Management and Entrepreneurship at the University of Windsor in Canada. Professor Schuelke-Leech earned an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from McMaster University, a Masters of Business Administration from York University, and a PhD in Public Policy (specialized in Finance) at the University of Georgia. Before undertaking her doctoral studies, she worked for 12 years as a professional engineer, primarily in product development for General Motors of Canada Ltd.. Dr. Schuelke-Leech’s research sits at the nexus of technological innovation, engineering, business, and public policy. Her work focuses on the innovation process and sustainability within engineering systems. Most recently, she has been looking at the interactions of technology development with society and the effects of disruptions (specifically autonomous systems and climate change). She is the Chair of the IEEE Society for the Social Implications of Technologies Standards Committee (IEEE SSIT SC). She is also a liaison from the Standards Council of Canada to the International Standards Organization (ISO) JTC1/SC42 on Artificial Intelligence. SSIT became a standards sponsor in 2017. Dr. Schuelke-Leech has been supporting the creation of new standards under the direction of the SSIT Standards Committee since 2017, as first the Secretary and then the Chair. She has also organized numerous workshops and conferences, including outreach to the public on technical and policy issues. As a member of the SSIT Board of Governors, Dr. Schuelke-Leech will strengthen the relationship between SSIT and the Standards Association. Dr. Schuelke-Leech brings a passion for the mission and values of the SSIT, as well as an understanding of engineering, business, and policy.

Director, Cybersecurity Security Foundations Directorate, CERT Division
Dr. Mark Sherman is the Director of the Cybersecurity Foundations Directorate within the CERT Division of the Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute and also an affiliated faculty member of CMU CyLab. The SEI is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). Dr. Sherman’s team helps programs within the DoD analyze and mitigate the risks associated with machine learning applications. Before coming to CERT, Dr. Sherman was at IBM and various startups, working on mobile systems, integrated hardware-software appliances, transaction processing, languages and compilers, virtualization, network protocols and databases.

Director, Cloud Adoption, Centers of Excellence
Calvert Smith has over 20 years of experience in the areas of tech innovation, cloud computing, application development, website management, business intelligence, project management, and vendor/contract management. At the CoE, Smith assists in IB modernization Cloud Adoption efforts with agencies across the federal government. His projects include analyzing current systems and applications to provide recommendations for planning cloud migration; and implementing cloud governance models incorporating best practices from both government and commercial areas that allow strategic oversight of cloud programs. Smith has recently been awarded the Discovery and Innovation in Government IT Award for Open Data Initiatives within the public sector.

Senior Research Scientist, Human-Machine Interaction, AI Division of the Software Engineering Institute
Carol Smith is a senior research scientist in human-machine interaction at Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute and an adjunct instructor for CMU’s Human-Computer Interaction Institute. She has been conducting research to improve the human experience across industries and in government for 20 years. She has been focused on improving AI systems by integrating ethics to make responsible AI since 2015. Carol is recognized globally as a leader in user experience, has presented over 160 talks and workshops in over 45 cities around the world, is an IEEE working group member for the P7008 Standard, and is an editor for the Journal of Usability Studies. She holds an M.S. in Human-Computer Interaction from DePaul University.

Commissioner
Keith E. Sonderling was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on September 22, 2020, to be a Commissioner on the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. In this capacity, he is responsible for enforcing federal laws that prohibit discrimination against job applicants and employees because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetic information. Commissioner Sonderling previously served as the Acting and Deputy Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division at the U.S. Department of Labor. Prior to that, he was a partner at the Gunster Law Firm in Florida, where he practiced labor and employment law.

Science Advisor, Artificial Intelligence and Technology Office
Fred Streitz serves as the chief science advisor for the Artificial Intelligence and Technology Office (AITO) in the Department of Energy, where he provides technical assistance on the planning, development and execution of strategies for advancing and adopting AI and related technologies agency-wide. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Streitz held a number of technical leadership roles at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, most recently as the founding Director of the High Performance Computing Innovation Center (HPCIC) and as the Lab’s Chief Computational Scientist. Dr. Streitz is a Fellow of the American Physical and a two-time winner of the IEEE Gordon Bell Prize for outstanding achievement in high performance computing. He earned a B.S. in Physics from Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, California and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Physics from the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.

Director of Staff, Department of the Air Force
Lt Col Ryan P. Sullivan is the Director of Staff of the Department of the Air Force Chief Data Office, Headquarters Air Force, Pentagon. He is responsible for daily execution of the directorate mission and oversees a $14 million budget and 5 contracts. He also is responsible for directorate strategic communications and data talent management across the Department. Lt Col Sullivan received his commission through the ROTC program at the University of Alaska. He has served in a variety of positions at the squadron, numbered Air force, and major command levels, including Chief of Standardization and Evaluations, Director of Operations, and Combat Mission Team Lead. Lt Col Sullivan has extensive cyberspace experience, including enterprise, defensive, and offensive cyberspace operations, at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels. He deployed to Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan in support of NATO. Lt Col Sullivan’s previous assignment was Cyberspace Effects Branch Chief, HQ Pacific Air Forces.

Randall (Randy) F. Trzeciak, Principal Researcher, Technical Director (Acting), Security Automation Directorate, CERT; Deputy Director, Cyber Risk & Resilience Directorate, CERT; Director, CERT National Insider Threat Center; CERT Division, Software Engineering Institute
Randy is a Principal Researcher, Technical Director (Acting) of the Security Automation Directorate at CERT; Deputy Director of the Cyber Risk and Resilience Directorate at CERT, and the Director of the CERT National Insider Threat Center at Carnegie Mellon University's Software Engineering Institute. Randy has over 30 years of managerial and technical experience in the information technology domain, including information security risk management, insider threat mitigation, cybersecurity assessments, software engineering, project management, and database design, development, and maintenance. Randy, and the teams he leads, assist organizations in improving their security posture and incident response capability by researching technical threat areas; developing and conducting information security assessments; and providing information, solutions and training for preventing, detecting, and responding to illicit cyber and physical activity. In addition to his role with CERT, he also has a dual appointment as Program Director for the Masters of Science in Information Security Policy and Management (MSISPM) program and CERT professor at Carnegie Mellon’s Heinz College, Graduate School of Information Systems and Management, at Carnegie Mellon University. His is the primary advisor for all students in the MSISPM Program and he teaches various graduate-level courses for the MSISPM and MISM programs and is an instructor for the CISO and CIO executive education programs in the Heinz College.

Technical Manager, Cyber Risk Management
Brett Tucker is the Technical Manager of Cyber Risk Management in the CERT Program at Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute. Brett is responsible for a research and development portfolio focused on improving the security and resilience of the nation’s critical infrastructure and assets. Prior to the SEI, Brett was the Global Risk Manager for Westinghouse Electric Company where he managed the enterprise risk portfolio and global insurance programs. Brett also served at the CIA and is a veteran of the United States Navy. Brett holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame, a Master of Engineering Management from Old Dominion University, and an MBA from Penn State University. Brett is a certified PMP, CISSP, and Six Sigma Black Belt.

Principal, Government AI Lead & Executive Director, Deloitte AI Institute for Government and Public Services
Ed Van Buren - Deloitte Consulting, LLP Principal, Government AI Lead & Executive Director, Deloitte AI Institute for Government. Ed works with technology companies and other strategic partners to develop solutions harnessing the power of AI/ML for Federal, State, Local and Higher Education clients. He has served diverse clients such as USPS, IRS, OPM, and all branches of the United States military, helping them transform their organizations to better execute missions and utilize technologies.

Senior Advisor for the Office of Management, Strategy & Solutions
No bio available.