Lisa Henke is Vice President of Sensor & Mission Systems at LeoLabs, where she is focused on scaling the company’s global radar network, accelerating mission system innovation, and strengthening partnerships across government, industry, and research organizations to ensure LeoLabs’ capabilities are integrated into evolving defense architectures for Space Domain Awareness and Missile Defense.  With more than 35 years of experience across the U.S. Air Force, the Intelligence Community, and the defense industry, Lisa is recognized for bridging strategy, engineering, and mission outcomes.

Prior to joining LeoLabs, Lisa served as Vice President and Chief of Technology & Innovation at Maxar, where she established the company’s innovation organization, led strategic engagements with defense customers, and helped shape next-generation systems supporting the U.S. Space Force, U.S. Army, and national security missions. She has held senior leadership roles at Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and the SI, advancing programs spanning missile defense, space domain awareness, and next generation integrated ground systems. 

Dr. Jerry McGinn is the director of the Center for the Industrial Base and a senior fellow with the Defense and Security Department. He is one of the nation’s leading experts on industrial base, acquisition, government contracting, and security policy issues. Prior to joining CSIS, Jerry served as executive director of the Greg and Camille Baroni Center for Government Contracting at George Mason University, publishing over 70 influential reports, white papers, and commentaries. Prior to GMU, Jerry served as the senior career official in the Office of Manufacturing and Industrial Base Policy in the Department of Defense (DoD), leading efforts to analyze the capabilities of the defense industrial base. He also directed hundreds of reviews of high-profile mergers and acquisitions as well as transactions before the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States. Before his service in DoD, Dr. McGinn spent a decade in senior defense industry roles at Northrop Grumman, Deloitte Consulting LLP, and QinetiQ North America. Prior to industry, Dr. McGinn served as special assistant to the principal deputy undersecretary for policy in DoD and as a political scientist at RAND. Dr. McGinn is also a widely acclaimed thought leader and has testified numerous times before the U.S. Congress and the UK House of Commons. Dr. McGinn served with distinction as an infantry officer and is a graduate of Ranger and Airborne Schools. He earned a PhD, MS, and MA from Georgetown University as well as a BS from the United States Military Academy.

Sherman Williams is a specialized early-stage investor with proven expertise in identifying and funding companies at the intersection of frontier and dual-use technology. His focus on pre-seed and seed opportunities in sectors like Space and AI is built upon a distinct foundation of military service, private angel investing, and venture experience. This unique perspective was sharpened during his five years as the VC-in-Residence for the Techstars Space Technology accelerator, where he was instrumental in mentoring and securing capital for over 30 deep-tech companies. This venture expertise is built on a rigorous foundation of six years as a Mergers & Acquisitions investment banker, providing him with deep transactional discipline and a clear perspective on engineering successful exits. As a Kauffman Fellow (Class 26), Sherman is part of the premier global network for venture capital investors, further extending the fund's reach and access to proprietary deal flow. 

Prior to his career in finance, Sherman was a Naval Intelligence Officer. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and a Bachelor of Science from the United States Naval Academy.