Featured Speakers

Dr. Stefanie Tompkins is the director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Prior to this assignment, she was the vice president for research and technology transfer at Colorado School of Mines.

Tompkins has spent much of her professional life leading scientists and engineers in developing new technology capabilities. She began her industry career as a senior scientist and later assistant vice-president and line manager at Science Applications International Corporation, where she spent 10 years conducting and managing research projects in planetary mapping, geology, and imaging spectroscopy. As a program manager in DARPA’s Strategic Technology Office, she created and managed programs in ubiquitous GPS-free navigation as well as in optical component manufacturing. Tompkins has also served as the deputy director of DARPA’s Strategic Technology Office, director of DARPA’s Defense Sciences Office – the agency’s most exploratory office in identifying and accelerating breakthrough technologies for national security – as well as the acting DARPA deputy director.

Tompkins received a Bachelor of Arts degree in geology and geophysics from Princeton University and Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in geology from Brown University. She has also served as a military intelligence officer in the U.S. Army.

Mr. Maynard A. Holliday is Performing the Duties of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Critical Technologies in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.  In this capacity, he oversees investment and capability analysis of the Pentagon's critical technology areas.  He has oversight of 11 principal directors assigned to those critical technology portfolios and their roadmaps — the comprehensive strategies to manage, provide oversight and guide choices for each critical technology area.  These critical technology areas include 5G; Advanced Computing & Software; Directed Energy; Human-Machine Interfaces; Hypersonics; Integrated Network Systems-of-Systems; Integrated Sensing & Cyber; Microelectronics; Renewable Energy Generation & Storage; Space Technology; and Trusted Artificial Intelligence & Autonomy.

Mr. Holliday has more than 30 years of professional experience leading technological innovations in both government and the private sector.  Most recently, he was a Senior Engineer at the RAND Corporation working on autonomous vehicle safety metrics and policy, explainable artificial intelligence, swarm robotics and drone defense.  Previously, he served as Senior Technical Advisor and Special Assistant to Frank Kendall, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics.  Mr. Holliday helped establish the Defense Innovation Unit Experimental and was a member of the Defense Science Board.  Mr. Holliday has also worked for the Department of Energy as a project manager for the U.S.-Russia Nuclear Material Security Task Force.  He was awarded the DOE’s Meritorious Service Award, its highest, for his exceptional service in helping secure tons of weapons grade nuclear material.  Prior to his government service, Mr. Holliday was a senior engineering and robotics professional at the Lawrence Livermore and Sandia National Laboratories, as well as various robotics start-ups and technology companies in Silicon Valley.

Mr. Holliday is a co-organizer of Black in Robotics, a virtual world-wide community of roboticists and their allies whose mission is to bring together Black researchers, industry professionals and students in robotics to mutually support one another to help navigate academic, corporate, and entrepreneurial paths to success.  He is also co-founder of Robot Garden, the robotics-themed hacker space in Livermore, Calif.  He also has been working with Bay Area public schools lecturing on robotics and teaching robotics through the Citizen Schools program in East Oakland.  Mr. Holliday was named Citizen Schools Volunteer of the Year for 2012 and was also recognized with a Presidential Volunteer Service Award from the White House for his efforts.  Before leaving government service in 2017, he was awarded the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service recognizing his contributions to national security through his considerable and trusted advice on multiple DOD initiatives.

Mr. Holliday graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in 1984 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering.  He later won a scholarship to attend Stanford University, where he earned a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering Design with an emphasis on robotics, international security and arms control.  Mr. Holliday also won a scholarship to attend the International Space University in France and was a two-time finalist for the U.S. Astronaut Corps.

Dr. Michael C. Horowitz is the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Development and Emerging Capabilities in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. Dr. Horowitz has over 20 years of experience in leadership, research, and academic roles focused on international security issues. He is currently on a leave of absence from the University of Pennsylvania, where he served as Director of Perry World House and Richard Perry Professor. 

Dr. Horowitz is the author of The Diffusion of Military Power: Causes and Consequences for International Politics, and the co-author of Why Leaders Fight. He won the Karl Deutsch Award given by the International Studies Association for early career contributions to the fields of international relations and peace research. He has published in a wide array of peer reviewed journals and popular outlets. His expertise includes defense innovation, the intersection of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics with global politics, the role of leaders in international politics, and geopolitical forecasting methodology.

Dr. Horowitz previously served in the Pentagon, working on force development issues in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. He is a life member at the Council on Foreign Relations. He received his Ph.D. in Government from Harvard University and his B.A. in political science from Emory University.

Dr. John Burke joined the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD (R&E)) for Science and Technology (S&T) as the Principal Director for Quantum Science in March 2022. In this role, Dr. Burke was responsible for leading the Department of Defense’s (DoD) strategy for quantum science, one of DoD’s top critical technology areas.

Prior to joining OUSD (R&E), Dr. Burke served as a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Program Manager in the Microsystems Technology Office (MTO) and Defense Sciences Office (DSO) from 2017 to 2022. At DARPA, he managed seven programs developing quantum science and technology. Some of these programs advanced quantum sensors including atom interferometers, atomic clocks, magnetometers, and radio frequency (RF) “Quantum Apertures” and applied the sensors toward new capabilities in position, navigation and timing (PNT), biotechnology, as well as in the RF spectrum. Several programs advanced quantum computing qubit technologies based on both superconducting and photon-based platforms. This work resulted in several technology transitions to higher maturity development programs across the DoD, as acknowledged by his receipt of the DARPA “Results Matter” Award.

Previously, Dr. Burke worked in the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Space Vehicles Directorate as a Senior Research Physicist. There, Dr. Burke led a research team developing atomic clocks, optical time transfer, and cold atom measurement techniques for use in space applications such as the Global Positioning System. He contributed to space experiments including the NASA Cold Atom Laboratory for the International Space Station and the Navigation Technology Satellite -3. Dr. Burke won the AFRL Early Career Award and R-NASA National Award for Space Achievement in recognition for his contributions, multiple publications, and patents. 

Dr. Burke holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from Centre College and a Doctorate of Philosophy degree in Physics from the University of Virginia. His thesis work was on atom interferometry with guided matter waves sourced from a Bose Einstein Condensate, which won the University of Virginia Award for Excellence in Scholarship in Science and Engineering.

Dr. Jarret Lafleur serves in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research & Engineering as senior advisor to the Principal Director for Hypersonics for strike systems strategy and policy.  Dr. Lafleur recently also served as senior technical advisor to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear and Missile Defense Policy, contributing to the 2018 Nuclear Posture Review and serving as the principal staff advisor for Nuclear Weapons Council matters in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. 

Dr. Lafleur holds a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and has also served in technical staff roles at Sandia National Laboratories, conducting nuclear weapon system trade studies and decision analyses for the Departments of Defense and Energy.  Prior to Sandia, Dr. Lafleur also served in rotational assignments to the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA White Sands Test Facility, and NASA Johnson Space Center, including hypersonic flight mechanics and trajectory design for spacecraft entering the atmospheres of Earth and Mars.

Dr. Frank Peterkin serves as the Principal Director for Directed Energy in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD (R&E)).  In this role, Dr. Peterkin serves as the Department of Defense (DoD) Senior Official for Directed Energy, including High Energy Laser and High Power Microwave systems used for military applications.  He coordinates across a Department-wide portfolio of roughly $1.5B/year of investments with a technology-driven and mission-focused approach to provide Directed Energy capabilities that solve operational problems and ensure the U.S. maintains technical dominance against any adversary. 

Dr. Peterkin is responsible for monitoring and evaluating the current and planned Directed Energy programs of each of the military departments, implementing technical standards and system architectures, and addressing integration issues covering multiple war fighting domains.  As the DoD lead technical expert in Directed Energy, Dr. Peterkin works across DoD organizations and the Military Services to establish a long-term modernization plan and technology investment strategies to achieve National Defense Strategy objectives. He provides independent technical advice and guidance on interactions with Industry, Academia, other government agencies, and international partners to the OUSD (R&E) and other DoD leadership on all Directed Energy related topics and areas.   

Prior to joining OUSD (R&E), Dr. Peterkin served as a Navy civilian for more than 27 years. From 2017-2022 he was the Navy’s Senior Technologist for Directed Energy, a position in the Senior Professional cadre of the Federal Executive Service.  In that role, he was the Navy’s National and International leader in the development of technologies, applications, and systems for Directed Energy and related Electric Weapons like Electromagnetic Railgun.  He also served as the Directed Energy Portfolio Manager for the Office of Naval Research (ONR).  

From 2014-2017 Dr. Peterkin was the Electric Weapons Program Manager in the Air Warfare and Weapons Department at ONR.  In this capacity, Dr. Peterkin had oversight of Directed Energy and Electromagnetic Railgun activities and was responsible for the technical approaches of the largest prototyping projects in the Navy's Science and Technology Program. 

From 2009-2014 Dr. Peterkin headed the Directed Energy Warfare Office (DEWO) at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD) in Dahlgren, VA.  As the DEWO director, he was responsible for developing the strategic focus and fostering growth of NSWCDD’s portfolio of activities in Directed Energy.  In this timeframe, Dr. Peterkin also served as the Technical Authority for Directed Energy in support of the Naval Sea Systems Command Engineering Directorate. 

After working as a Research Scientist at Old Dominion University, Dr. Peterkin started his career with the Navy at NSWCDD in 1995. His early activities as an engineer were focused on technologies and concepts supporting the development of High Power Microwave weapons, including development of multi-megavolt Marx-bank generators, high-voltage/high-rate capacitor charging power supplies, compact battery systems, and high peak power RF systems.  

Dr. Peterkin serves on numerous committees, panels, and working groups for Directed Energy topics and is an active participant in many professional and conference activities as part of the Directed Energy Professional Society. He previously served as the Chair and Technical Chair of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) International Pulsed Power Conference, as well as the Technical Chair and Treasurer of the IEEE Power Modulator Conference.  Dr. Peterkin has published more than 50 papers in journals and conference proceedings and holds five patents. 

Dr. Peterkin is DAWIA SPRDE - SE Level III certified and a member of the Defense Acquisition Corps.  He received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  He was a National Merit Scholar as an undergraduate and completed his advanced degrees under a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship.

Dr. Peterkin has been recognized with numerous honors during his career, including the Navy Superior Civilian Service Award in 2018 and is a two-time recipient of the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award (2007 and 2016). 

Dr. Kate Sixt served as the Principal Director for Biotechnology in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. In this capacity, Dr. Sixt lead the Department of Defense’s research and engineering efforts to advance military capabilities through biotechnology innovation and maintain a competitive advantage in biotechnology.

Prior to joining the Department, Dr. Sixt was an Assistant Director and then the Acting Director of the Strategy, Forces, and Resources Division at the Institute for Defense Analyses in Alexandria, Virginia, from 2019 to 2022. This Division houses a diverse body of technology and policy research in national security, including strategy and risk, international arms markets, forces and capabilities, readiness, and defenses against weapons of mass destruction. As a researcher, Dr. Sixt led the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Analysis group, and she spearheaded technical analyses in national security topics related to weapons of mass destruction as well as emerging and dual-use technologies. This body of research included the technology opportunities for national security modernization focused on biotechnology, including technology protection and norms of biotechnology applications in military and civil domains.

Dr. Sixt joined the Institute for Defense Analyses in 2013 after completing her postdoctoral fellowship at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland. She holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology, and neuroscience from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, and a bachelor’s in biochemistry from St. Bonaventure University in St. Bonaventure, New York. In addition, she is completing her master’s in the law of armed conflict at the Geneva Academy in Geneva, Switzerland, where her research focuses on the role of technology norms on the means and methods of warfare.

Ms. Jennifer Swanson is the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Data, Engineering & Software (DASA(DES)), Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology (ASA(ALT)). In this position, Ms. Swanson leads implementation of modern software practices including agile software development and DevSecOps, data centricity, and digital engineering across ASA(ALT). Since standing up DASA(DES), she established a Unified Data Reference Architecture (UDRA) which will enable digital transformation by giving Program Managers and industry partners guidance on how to produce, share and consume data. At the direction of the VCSA, she co-led a Capability Portfolio Review securing senior leader endorsement to drive agile development and DevSecOps throughout the Army. And under her leadership, the Request for Proposal process is changing to require industry to deliver using modern software practices. Prior to joining ASA(ALT), Ms. Swanson served as the Director of the U.S. Army CommunicationsElectronics Command (CECOM) Software Engineering Center (SEC) headquartered in Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD. As Director, she oversaw a global mission, running an organization of approximately 3,000 military, civilian and industry employees, with an annual budget in excess of $700 million. She provided state of the art software engineering products and services throughout the Army.

Lt Col Jennifer M. Warren is the Spark Division Chief within AFWERX. She leads a vibrant team that jumpstarts fielding and scaling Airman and Guardian innovations, guides more than 100 Spark Cells worldwide, matches elite tech talent to operational problems, and tackles the most challenging transition requirements for companies working with the Department of the Air Force - IT security, human subject research, airworthiness certification, and electromagnetic spectrum clearance.

Lt Col Warren received her commission in 2003 from the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps program at Louisiana State University and began her acquisitions career at Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts. She held a variety of IT-focused program management positions in Air Force Materiel Command; served as a Program Element Monitor for Secure IT, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning at HAF/A2; and holds an Advanced Program Management Certification. Additionally, Lt Col Warren is a French-speaking Foreign Area Officer with a regional focus in Sub-Saharan Africa. Her Foreign Area Officer assignments include Chief,
Office of Security Cooperation at U.S. Embassy Nouakchott, Mauritania, and her Command tour at Joint Base Andrews.

Prior to her assignment at AFWERX, Lt Col Warren was a National Security Fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Lt Col Warren studied leading organizational change, transforming government, behavioral science, effective implementation, and coaching.

Captain Groberg is a Vice President at AE Industrial within the firm’s Portfolio Strategy and Optimization Group. Before joining AE Industrial in 2023, Captain Groberg led Microsoft’s Azure Global Mission Expansion Team. He was responsible for collaborating with governments worldwide to identify and develop critical mission applications and systems. These efforts were aimed at enabling new cloud scenarios, driving requirements for solution accelerators, and forming new cloud alliances and partnerships on Azure. His expertise was instrumental in leveraging Azure’s Secure Cloud platform across various domains, including AI/ML, modeling, simulation, secure communications, data analytics, cybersecurity, and space technologies. From 2016 to 2020, Captain Groberg held key positions at Boeing, initially serving as Chief of Staff for the CEO of Boeing Commercial, then as Deputy Vice President where he was responsible for overseeing commercial airplanes and services sales in the Russia and Central Asia regions. Between 2016 and 2017, he also served as the official spokesperson for LinkedIn, playing a pivotal role in promoting their veterans program. Prior to that role, Captain Groberg was an Operations Officer for Defense Intelligence, offering strategic advice and expertise to defense policymakers and military planners focusing on Africa, Asia, and the Middle East regions. Whether it is briefing board members, government officials, or members of the public, Captain Groberg’s dedication to excellence and public service was forged during his military service. In 2008, he enlisted in the U.S. Army. After completing officer training and both U.S. Army Airborne and U.S. Army Ranger Schools, he rose to the rank of captain. Captain Groberg is a recipient of the Medal of Honor, the United States’ highest military honor, for his extraordinary gallantry, intrepidity and heroism while serving in combat operations in Afghanistan in 2012. He currently serves on the American Battle Monuments Commission, an appointment by the President of the United States.

Dominic Bonaduce is a Senior Product Strategy Manager where he focuses on commercial paths for new and emerging technology developed at Verizon focusing dual use capabilities across enterprise and public sector domains. Previously he was the Director of Operations at the United States Department of Transportation and senior advisor to the US Secretary of Transportation. A Native of Southern California, Dominic now resides in Washington DC

Daniel Gohl joined HP Inc. in September 2022. He brings three decades of partnering for success through innovation with students and educators from pre-kindergarten through post-graduate studies. He started his career as a theoretical physicist before transitioning to teaching physics, astronomy, and computer science in higher education and then into K-12 education.

Dan has deep knowledge and extensive experience in teaching, education management, and educational policy at the local, state, and national level. His experience includes having served as Chief Academic Officer for Broward County, FL and Houston, TX, having founded McKinley Technology High School in Washington, DC, and having served on academic and IT advisory boards across the country in both the public and private sector. He has worked at and consulted with institutions of higher education across the United States.

He is committed to helping communities, and the institutions serving them, ensure that education is contemporary, challenging, and continuous. He has a bachelor’s degree in physics from Vassar College and a master’s degree in science education from The University at Texas at Austin. Dan was raised in the Mid-Hudson Valley region of New York and currently lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida with his wife and three children.

Andy is a proven entrepreneurial, corporate and military leader, having served 30 years in a wide spectrum of demanding U.S. domestic and global roles. He is a recognized thought leader on the
application of technology across industry. Prior to Epirus, Andy held various roles at high-tech
startups: Co-Founder and CEO of RealWear, Inc., the world leader of industrial head-up-display
wearable systems and Co-Founder of Daqri, where he pioneered mixed reality wearables for
enterprise. From 2008 to 2014, Andy worked in various roles at Raytheon including Business Area Chief Engineer for Electronic Warfare Systems, and from 2004-2008, led M/A-COM’s high-power amplifier products. Andy is a retired Lieutenant Commander from the U.S. Navy and holds a bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Julie Vida is Vice President of Growth for ManTech’s Defense Sector, leading teams who expand opportunities to deliver high end technology and engineering solutions for military Services and defense agency clients. She is a technology and business executive specializing in the government and public sector space. Prior to joining ManTech, she held VP roles in advisory and consultative selling at both Splunk and Gartner, targeting executive engagement with federal government Chief Information Officers (CIO) and IT senior leaders.

Ms. Vida served honorably for 24 years in the U.S. Navy, retiring as a Commander in 2012 before her career pivot to technology in the private sector. Initially an enlisted Russian linguist, she switched tracks to the Officer community and earned her commission from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1994. She served as both a Surface Warfare Officer and Naval Aviator (helicopter pilot) in various combatant ships and helicopter squadrons. Ms. Vida’s highest military award is the Navy Air Medal, recognizing her superior airmanship and bravery in armed conflict, earned during Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. Her final role in government was the Navy’s Deputy Chief Information Officer in the Pentagon.

Ms. Vida regularly mentors and guides transitioning veterans as they leave the service. She is passionate about supporting and encouraging women and girls in technology, speaking at events to encourage pursuing STEM career fields, building confidence and learning through setbacks. A lover of word puzzles and trivia games, Ms. Vida is a former champion of two televised game shows - The Weakest Link and Wheel of Fortune.

Patrick Tucker is science and technology editor for Defense One. He’s also the author of The Naked Future: What Happens in a World That Anticipates Your Every Move? (Current, 2014). Previously, Tucker was deputy editor for The Futurist for nine years. Tucker has written about emerging technology in Slate, The Sun, MIT Technology Review, Wilson Quarterly, The American Legion Magazine, BBC News Magazine, Utne Reader, and elsewhere.

Lauren C. Williams is senior editor for Defense One. She previously covered defense technology and cybersecurity for FCW and Defense Systems. Before then, Williams has reported on several issues, including internet culture, national security, health care, politics and crime for various publications. She has a master's in journalism from the University of Maryland, College Park and a bachelor's in dietetics from the University of Delaware. She can be contacted at lwilliams@govexec.com or follow her on Twitter @lalaurenista.