The list of speakers will be updated periodically. Make sure to check back frequently for more exciting announcements!
Speakers listed alphabetically
Speakers subject to availability
Dr. Nelli Babayan
Microsoft, AI Director
AI at the Final Frontier: Your Autonomous Agents in Space
Dr. Nelli Babayan is the AI Director at Microsoft, overseeing AI initiatives with U.S. Federal Civilian agencies. She leads virtual cross-solution teams to advance mission outcomes, directing strategy and secure implementation of AI by fostering collaboration and developing mission-specific use-cases. She has delivered numerous talks and moderated panels at both US-based events and international conferences. Nelli supports government efforts with her extensive and cross-industry background, having managed research and policy projects at DC-based think-tanks, lectured at universities and published in peer-reviewed journals.
Max von Braun
Founder & Innovator
AI-supported breast cancer screening & pre-detection
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women. The number of cases is constantly increasing due to demographic changes. Max von Braun and his team have developed an AI-driven approach that is transforming the way breast cancer is screened and detected. By providing radiologists with precise results, the pre-analysis stage can be significantly shortened. In certain regions with a low density of radiologists, the entire review process can even be automated.
Aside from his work in the medical field, Max has filed numerous patent applications worldwide and is involved in developing several photonics-driven solutions, including volumetric screens/holograms, laser projection, parallel advertising, virtual production and simulation systems. Last but not least, Max and his team are working on disruptive solutions for the electrical industry.
Hailing from Germany, Max is an engineer at heart and is always looking for ways to improve technology and transform complex approaches into affordable solutions for a wide range of people.
Brian Brown
Razorfish, SVP Executive Creative Director and Creative Innovation Lead
AI and Marketing
Brian Brown is the SVP Executive Creative Director and Creative Innovation lead at Razorfish. A designer, storyteller, coder, and cultural anthropologist—Brian thrives at the intersection of technology, culture, and creativity. Brian's work is helping to shape the future of digital marketing. From reimagining brands in the metaverse to pioneering AI-driven campaigns, he’s spent over 20 years merging emerging tech with pop culture to craft experiences that resonate and inspire.
Brian’s work has earned accolades from BDA’s, Effies, OMMA, IAB, Campaign, and Adage, but he’s more interested in what’s next than resting on past successes. Leading a team of creative technologists, he bridges the gap between technological innovation and human connection, turning complex ideas into engaging stories and boundary-pushing campaigns.
As a thought leader, Brian has spoken at universities, industry events, and conferences, offering sharp insights on generative AI, immersive storytelling, and the cultural shifts sparked by emerging tech. His fascination with how technology drives societal change—slowly at first, then all at once—fuels his work and his passion for innovation.
Heidi Connelly
Microsoft Federal, Cloud & AI Platform Leader
AI at the Final Frontier: Your Autonomous Agents in Space
Heidi Connelly is the Cloud & AI Platform Leader for Microsoft Federal, where she drives strategic initiatives across government sectors with a focus on digital transformation and AI solutions. She has almost 20 years of experience supporting the Federal Government. Heidi joined Microsoft in 2017, and her past roles include General Manager of the National Security Group Specialist Team, Azure Sales Leader, Army Account Team Leader, and Azure Specialist. She is a former United States Army Signal Officer and served as a Department of Army Civilian prior to joining Microsoft. www.linkedin.com/in/hconnelly1
Dalton Cox
Security and AI Researcher at Skinny Research & Development
RAG Revolution
Dalton Cox is a Security and AI Researcher at Skinny Research & Development, developing advanced AI tools and agentic systems supporting U.S. government projects. His work emphasizes output verification and transparency—helping users understand exactly how AI systems reach their conclusions. Dalton has taught a variety of workshops for the AI Research Collaborative (ARC), using technical knowledge and a passion for accessible, impactful training. In his spare time, Dalton enjoys trick taking card games, listening to music, and taking things apart.
Daron J. Drown
Division Manager
Vision to Value: A Layered Approach to AI in Defense and Aerospace
Daron Drown is a Division Manager at INTUITIVE and leads the company’s support to the Army’s PEO for Missiles and Space, and the Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO). In this capacity he leads support to Army weapon system project offices for sensors, offensive fires, and missile defense systems. He is also a Subject Matter Expert on DARPA’s Air Combat Evolution program for the development of artificially intelligent battle management agents.
Daron completed a 22-year distinguished career in the U.S. Air Force, retiring in the rank of Colonel. During this period, he served as a senior Test Pilot, Program Manager, and Systems Engineer, with specific expertise in fifth generation combat aircraft, radar and optical sensors, guided munitions, mission planning, and missile defense.
Prior to his current role, Daron served as the Director of Test Planning and Design at the Missile Defense Agency, leading strategic planning for MDA’s $1B/year test program, spanning U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force missile, sensor, and command and control systems. In this capacity he resolved budget planning shortfalls with U.S. Congress visibility and led test design and range safety planning for complex missile defense flight and ground tests requiring worldwide land/sea/space assets. He worked closely with MDA Program Managers on all missile defense systems.
Daron thrives in leading and communicating in complex stakeholder environments. He leads teams large and small in achieving success in dynamic environments with cost, schedule, and performance responsibility. Significantly, Daron led a 450-person test and evaluation team in winning the 2013 Air Force Test Team of the Year award. He then led a 900-person organization in highly classified national-priority test, evaluation, and technology demonstrations of aircraft, weapons, and electronic warfare systems.
Having spent half his childhood overseas and deploying to the Middle East in uniform on multiple occasions, Daron enjoys cross-cultural interaction. He is passionate about organizing, motivating, and working alongside talented and creative people on the most challenging projects.
Fernanda Foertter
Executive Director, High Performance Computing and Data Center
Enabling Agentic AI with High-Performance Computing
Fernanda Foertter is the executive director of the High Performance Computing and Data Center at the University of Alabama, helping to develop the new HPC center that will substantially expand the university’s capacity for advanced computing, data science, and AI. With over a decade of experience in HPC, she has held positions at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Voltron Data, NextSilicon, BioTeam, and NVIDIA. Fernanda Foertter holds a M.S. in Materials Science Engineering from University of Florida, and a B.S. in Physics from Florida International University.
Dr. Jack Francis
AI Solutions Director, Davidson Technologies Inc.
Workshop: AI for Enhanced Productivity: Mastering Prompts and a Modern Toolkit
As the AI/ML Solutions Director for Davidson Technologies Inc., Dr. Jack Francis shapes the company's AI vision, leading the design and deployment of impactful initiatives that drive innovation and operational efficiency. His career is marked by significant technical achievements and leadership across diverse organizations, including KBR, Nike, Amazon, and PepsiCo.
Dr. Francis holds a Ph.D. in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Mississippi State University, where his highly cited research focused on Bayesian Transfer Learning for Additive Manufacturing. His contributions have been recognized with awards including induction into the MSU Graduate School Hall of Fame and 1st place in the Navy HacktheMachine Data Science Competition. An active community leader, Dr. Francis serves on the Steering Committee for Leadership Greater Huntsville Management Academy and contributes his expertise to Huntsville, AL.
Dr. Chris Hill
Director
Army Materiel Command Analysis Group
U.S. Army Materiel Command
Dr. Hill was appointed to a Senior Leader position in May 2017. He serves as Director, Army Materiel Command Analysis Group (AMCAG) and as Chief Data and Analytics Officer (CDAO) for AMC. He is responsible to the Commanding General for analysis and studies. Dr Hill ensures credible, timely, and independent strategic-level analysis of the materiel installations, lifecycle logistics, and services systems modeling and simulation, and data to support equipping, sustaining, and warfighting decisions. In his role as the Command’s Chief of Data and Analytics, he is responsible for the execution of analytics across the Command. To include enterprise-wide analysis and management of data standards, governance, policy and procedures.
Bruce Holsinger - Dinner Speaker
Author, Culpability
Bruce Holsinger is the author of five novels, including Culpability, The Displacements, and The Gifted School, as well as many works of nonfiction, most recently On Parchment: Animals, Archives, and the Making of Culture from Herodotus to the Digital Age. His books have been recognized with the Colorado Book Award, the John Hurt Fisher Prize, the Philip Brett Award, the John Nicholas Brown Prize, the Modern Language Association's Prize for a First Book, and others. His essays and reviews have appeared in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, and many other publications and he has been profiled on NPR's Weekend Edition, Here & Now, and Marketplace. A Guggenheim Fellow and Fellow of the Medieval Academy of America, he teaches in the Department of English at the University of Virginia and serves as editor of the quarterly journal New Literary History. He also teaches craft classes and serves as board chairman for WriterHouse, a nonprofit in Charlottesville.
Culpability (Oprah's Book Club) explores a world newly shaped by chatbots, autonomous cars, drones, and other nonhuman forces in ways that are thrilling, challenging, and unimaginably provocative.
Josh Jones
CEO of QuantHub
Demystifying AI: A Look at Past, Present, and Future
Josh Jones is the CEO of Alabama-based QuantHub, a platform that colleges and schools are using to teach AI and data literacy.
Dr. Josh Kalin
Director of Artificial Intelligence and AI/Autonomy Subject Matter Expert at Integration Innovation, Inc. (i3)
How your AI agent will lie, blackmail, and even murder (and get away with it) - a review of securing our Agentic AI future
Dr. Josh Kalin serves as Director of Artificial Intelligence and AI/Autonomy Subject Matter Expert at Integration Innovation, Inc. (i3), where he leads cross-domain efforts at the junction of AI, autonomy, and cybersecurity. He has served in projects across commercial and U.S. government domains in advanced sensors, industrial robotics, and autonomous terrestrial and extraterrestrial vehicle systems. His work has resulted in multiple peer-reviewed publications and seven granted patents, including innovations in training image generation for autonomous systems. He holds four advanced degrees spanning physics, mechanical engineering, and computer science, equipping him with a broad technical foundation. Outside of work, Josh is a passionate maker: he has owned over 50 vehicles, designs and builds robots and custom computers, and is authoring an ML textbook while building an AI security course. He is committed to developing practical, secure AI systems and mentoring the next generation of practitioners.
Jason Kearns
Director of Cybersecurity, Davidson Technologies Inc.
Workshop: AI and Cyber: Automating Exploitation with Agentic Systems
Jason Kearns serves as Director of Cybersecurity at Davidson Technologies, where he leads the design and implementation of advanced enterprise security architectures supporting Department of Defense programs and corporate operations. In addition to operational leadership, he regularly contributes to internal research and development efforts supporting innovation initiatives, emerging technology studies at the cross-section of cybersecurity and AI/ML and operates an internal cybersecurity community of interest to further technical capabilities in the domain.
Prior to Davidson, Jason was the Senior IT Security Architect at telecommunications engineering firm ADTRAN, where he led global cloud security modernization, developed enterprise threat intelligence capabilities, and enhanced cyber resiliency across global operations. His work directly advanced ADTRAN’s security posture and alignment with international cybersecurity frameworks. With more than a decade of multi-domain technical expertise, Jason brings unique depth in secure network design, distributed cloud architecture, security automation, and threat analytics development. He holds top industry security engineering, architecture and cloud certifications to include ISSEP, ISSAP, AWS Security and Solutions Architecture Professional.
Jason remains active in the Huntsville community through Leadership Greater Huntsville, and previously Rotaract Club, supporting initiatives that foster professional growth and civic- engagement.
J. Langley
Chief Technology Officer, Cohesion Force, Inc.
Workshop: Building Your First AI Agents
J. Langley is the Founder of Huntsville AI and Chief Technical Officer of CohesionForce, Inc. With over 25 years of experience in Department of Defense (DoD) architecture, systems, and software development, he has a proven track record of delivering innovative solutions. Since 2006, he has specialized in artificial intelligence, focusing on natural language processing (NLP), image recognition, recommendation systems, and audio transcription technologies. In 2018, he founded Huntsville AI, creating a thriving community of practice to advance AI collaboration and innovation in Huntsville. Since its inception, Huntsville AI has held over 220 local meetups, 2 remote NeurIPS meetups, and been an active supporter of the NASA SpaceApps Challenge, the HudsonAlpha Tech Challenge, and the AI Huntsville Taskforce.
Ryan Letson
AI Huntsville Law and Ethics Committee
AI & Law
Ryan Letson specializes in representing technology clients across artificial intelligence, government contracting, and manufacturing sectors. He handles patent and trademark prosecution, counsels clients on AI and machine learning IP strategies, and manages technology transactions including licensing agreements. Ryan’s expertise spans emerging technologies, from autonomous vehicles to biometric sensors and data communication networks.
William Marx
Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer
Vision to Value: A Layered Approach to AI in Defense and Aerospace
As Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of INTUITIVE, William J. Marx, Ph.D., oversees the development of strategies, business, and operations planning for technology and systems required to maintain a competitive edge within INTUITIVE’s marketplace. Dr. Marx is responsible for developing the technical vision for the company, aligned with the company’s technology needs, business objectives, and customer missions.
He is responsible for setting the overall goals of the company related to Research and Development. He is working to increase INTUITIVE’s technical portfolio and capabilities associated with Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML), big data analytics, cloud engineering and platform development, digital engineering and digital twins, and data science and visualization. Dr. Marx is responsible for the development of INTUITIVE’s growing IP and patent library; his team has been awarded 11 patents and has multiple additional patents pending.
Dr. Marx joined INTUITIVE in 2013 as the Deputy Director of Design and Engineering. Later, he was appointed as Director of Research and Development. In those roles, he was responsible for providing technical direction to existing programs and projects and for the execution of several R&D initiatives. Dr. Marx has also contributed to INTUITIVE’s success in the areas of process improvement, software and technology development, and new business capture and pursuit. Prior to joining INTUITIVE, Dr. Marx held various technical and management positions with Rockwell International, The Boeing Company, and Schafer Corporation. In these capacities, he was responsible for programs for the US Army, US Air Force, US Navy, MDA, NASA MSFC, NASA HQ, and DARPA. He was also an Adjunct Associate Professor at UA-Huntsville, where he taught Engineering Economics. He has written software in FORTRAN, C, JOVIAL, Matlab/Simulink, Lisp, Visual Basic, and tk/tcl. He has experience with dozens of software packages associated with flight performance prediction, structural design and optimization, finite element modeling and analysis, trajectory analyses, missile 6-dof performance predictions, and 3D modeling and animation.
COL (Ret.) Howard D. McInvale, PhD
Guidehouse, Inc., Director of Defense, Diplomacy, & Intelligence
Insights From My Foxhole: Aligning AI Strategy and Development for Optimal Impact
Howard D. McInvale serves as a Director of Defense, Diplomacy, & Intelligence at Guidehouse, Inc., an integrated commercial and public sector consulting firm headquartered in McLean, VA. Doug leads Guidehouse Huntsville, AL office activities supporting numerous Army and DoD clients in the areas of Modernization, Acquisition, and Sustainment (MAS). His teams of experts address contemporary challenges in Digital Transformation, Supply Chain Risk Management, Predictive Analytics, Process Improvement, Fleet Management, and Artificial Intelligence. In his current role, Dr. McInvale applies his career of military experience as an Army officer and his intelligence experience as Distinguished Visiting Professor for Operations Research Technology at the National Security Agency, to deliver enterprise-level data solutions for sophisticated operational and acquisition organizations that support the Warfighter. An expert in system of systems engineering and mathematics, Doug is passionate about helping strategic partners foster more data-centric approaches and optimize their business goals.
Prior to his tenure with Guidehouse, Dr. McInvale worked as a Principal Operations Research Analyst & Space Engineer for a Federally Funded Research and Development Corporation (FFRDC) where he led Digital Transformation activities for the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). Dr. McInvale is an award-winning researcher with 15 peer-reviewed scholarly journal publications and 50 professional talks. Doug is a graduate of West Point and an Airborne Ranger with duties in combat and at the Pentagon and positions of leadership from Infantry Commander to Academy Professor. Doug is a credentialed Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt (MBB) from the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE). His advanced degrees are an M.S. in Industrial & Systems Engineering from Virginia Tech and an Interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Systems Engineering and Decision Science from Vanderbilt University. Doug and his wife, Amy, have three children and reside in Madison, AL.
Dr. Vineetha Menon
Associate Professor of Computer Science
Agentic AI for Human-Centric Behavioral Intelligence
Dr. Vineetha Menon is an Associate Professor of Computer Science and Director of the Big Data Analytics Laboratory at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. She has over a decade of expertise in multidisciplinary data science research, including generative AI, bias and transparency in large language models (LLMs), deep learning, AI-driven drug discovery, cybersecurity, explainable AI, and human-AI trust. Dr. Menon has advised defense, industrial, and global clients on human-AI teaming, performance prediction, organizational resilience, and risk-mitigation frameworks. She is widely recognized as a mentor, speaker, and AI visionary, with invitations to present at international technical conferences, defense symposiums, executive summits, and media outlets. Her recognitions include the 2023 IEEE Region 3 Outstanding Young Professional Award, the 2022 IEEE Huntsville Young Professional of the Year Award, and the 2021 IEEE Eta Kappa Nu Outstanding Young Professional Award, alongside the 2020 National Academies Early Career Fellowship for AI-driven disaster resilience research. She has also been honored locally as a Huntsville Chamber Mover and Shaker (2021), Top 40 Under 40 (2025), and Reveille 25 Outstanding Alumni by Mississippi State University (2025).
Mickey Mentzer
Cincinnati Reds, Senior Director of Baseball Systems
AI & Baseball
Mickey Mentzer is the Senior Director of Baseball Systems for the Cincinnati Reds. In this role his teams are tasked with managing the massive amounts of data for both the sport and business side of the organization. His teams are also responsible for the interfaces for the front office, coaching staff, sports science, and players. Before his role with the Reds, he had the opportunity to work in the innovation space for companies like P&G, Kroger, Anthem and 5/3. He also architected a platform for the social app ooVoo that supported 180 million users globally during its time.
Andrew Miller
Brooklyn Law School, Assistant Professor of Law
AI and Law
Professor Andrew Miller joined Brooklyn Law School as Assistant Professor of Law in the summer of 2025, bringing expertise in privacy law and technology, including artificial intelligence (AI). He teaches Civil Procedure, Administrative Law, and courses relating to the intersection of law and technology.
Professor Miller previously taught at Yale Law School, where he was a Clinical Lecturer in Law, Clinical Fellow in Private Law, and Associate Research Scholar in Law. He also served as the Director of Yale Law’s Private Law Clinic, which he co-founded in 2022 and where students worked on cutting-edge and theoretically challenging matters in consumer protection, contract, tort, and property law. His research focuses on the theoretical and doctrinal implications of algorithmic decision-making in consumer markets. He is also a frequent presenter at scholarly symposia on AI and the law, speaking on topics such as bias in AI, perspectives on the No AI Fraud Act, comparative perspectives on facial recognition regulation, and the future risks, opportunities, and challenges of AI.
After graduating from Yale Law School in 2018, Professor Miller clerked for Judge Diane Wood on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and spent two years at Loevy & Loevy, a Chicago civil rights firm. At Loevy & Loevy, Miller focused on seeking redress for people harmed by the misuse of facial recognition, digital surveillance, and other artificial intelligence technologies.
Eric Moore
Partner PATTERSON + SHERIDAN LLP
Patenting Agentic AI
Specialty knowledge in patent law: Eric Moore is a fierce advocate for his clients’ intellectual property, whether liaising with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) or advising on patent litigation. He prepares and prosecutes patent applications for communications technologies, complex software and information technology, and electronics and semiconductor technologies.
After completing law school in 2015, Eric began his IP career by joining the USPTO as a patent examiner. During his tenure, he quickly earned a reputation for his outstanding work quality and high production rates.
Eric’s duties at the patent office included examining applications, performing extensive prior art searches, conducting applicant interviews, and preparing and issuing office actions. This experience would inspire him to develop his own ideas for advancing the economy through patents — ideas that have since become a reality. Today, Eric applies that knowledge to file patents on behalf of inventors worldwide, preparing each application with the diligence of an attorney and the scrutiny of an examiner.
Speaking the language of software developers: Eric has worked within the computer science discipline for more than a decade, first entering the field as a developer of military software. As a result, he possesses a deep understanding of computer-related technologies and now leverages his insight to support software companies in their efforts to improve the lives of millions. He often assists clients in identifying patentable subject matter through invention mining sessions, helping them translate ideas into viable applications.
At Patterson + Sheridan, Eric has drafted and prosecuted hundreds of patent applications related to complex computer technologies, including machine learning, virtual computing, user interfaces, and telecommunications. He has also extensively studied and devised effective strategies for avoiding and resolving “abstract idea” rejections under 35 U.S.C. § 101.
In addition to preparing patent applications and helping clients overcome patentability issues and rejections from the USPTO through strategic prosecution, Eric applies his legal skills and technical background to assisting in dispute resolution, including patent litigation.
Eric holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Alabama in Huntsville and a J.D. from the Ave Maria School of Law. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and children, playing guitar, exploring technology, and studying philosophy.
Shane Morris
Beautiful Majestic Dolphin, Partner
The Hidden NASA: Climate, Chaos, and the Data We Forgot to Brag About
Shane Morris is a senior technologist, data engineer, and AI-builder working at the intersection of national security, federal innovation, and absurdly specific dipping sauces. He’s built scalable data systems for the Army, Navy and Air Force, designed anomaly detection frameworks for critical infrastructure, and led AI enablement efforts across DoD and civilian agencies. Shane also moonlights as a tech influencer with a significant TikTok following, where he breaks down policy, bureaucracy, and machine learning with a voice equal parts professor and stand-up comic. He’s worked with the DoD, DHS and a host of other alphabet agencies, and still somehow finds time to make terrible dad jokes on the internet. Prior to his career working with the federal government, Morris enjoyed a decade plus long run in the music business, which means his playlists are probably better than your playlists.
Grant Moyle
ROI Training, Chief Technology Officer and Master Trainer
Workshop: AI 101
Grant Moyle is the Chief Technology Officer and Master Trainer at ROI Training. Over the last 20+ years, Grant has worked with the world’s leading organizations to modernize their computing operations into the Cloud, and leverage AI and ML to solve business problems. His customers include NASA, NIH, Google, Goldman Sachs, Mayo Clinic, and HSBC.
A 2-time Google Cloud Trainer of the Year, Grant has trained thousands of business and technology professionals around the world. He has degrees from Johns Hopkins University in Biomedical, Electrical and Computing Engineering. He holds multiple certifications from Google Cloud, AWS, Microsoft and ISC2. Since a young age, Grant has had a passion for technology and is an avid space enthusiast. Grant enjoys annual visits to the US Space and Rocket Center for his space camper son Duncan.
Focused on helping organizations achieve digital transformation thru upskilling, ROI Training is the global leader in customized technology and management training solutions. ROI is an AWS Advanced Tier Training Partner and has been awarded Training Partner of the Year six times by Google Cloud. ROI has authored 10 Generative AI classes and trained over 500,000 people on Cloud and AI technologies.
Dr. Nobal Niraula
Technical Fellow, Boeing AI
Agentic AI: What’s Next and Why It Matters
Dr. Nobal Niraula is a Technical Fellow in Boeing Artificial Intelligence and a recognized expert in Natural Language Processing (NLP), Machine Learning (ML), and conversational systems. His impact is evidenced by a strong record of research publications, patents, and best paper awards, alongside service as a reviewer for top-tier NLP conferences and invitations to speak at leading universities, international conferences, and research societies.
With 20 years of AI research and development, Nobal has developed and deployed advanced AI/ML solutions to solve aerospace challenges at Boeing. He holds patents from his work across Boeing Research & Technology, Microsoft Research, AT&T Labs Research, and French national labs INRIA and CNRS. Nobal earned a Ph.D. in AI from the University of Memphis (USA), master’s degrees in Computer Networks from the Asian Institute of Technology (Thailand) and Telecom SudParis (France), and a B.E. in Computer Engineering from Tribhuvan University (Nepal); outside of work, he co-founded Algoscool, a coding school for kids.
Josh Phillips
Chief Digital Officer, CohesionForce, Inc.
Workshop: From Prompts to Processes: Engineering Agentic Development Environments
Josh Phillips is Chief Digital Officer at CohesionForce, where he leads digital transformation and artificial intelligence initiatives. He has over a decade of experience spanning software engineering, data engineering, and AI application development, with recent work focused on multimodal models, agentic systems, and AI-assisted test & development. In addition to his role at CFI, he organizes a monthly paper review series on emerging AI research and regularly speaks on practical applications of AI in engineering and business contexts.
Marcus H. Sachs, P.E.
SVP and Chief Engineer, Center for Internet Security
Exploitation of Agentic AI by Cyber Threat Actors
Marcus (Marc) Sachs is the Senior Vice President and Chief Engineer at the Center for Internet Security. He is a retired US Army Officer and was a White House appointee in the George W. Bush administration. His private sector experience includes senior leadership roles at SRI International, Verizon Communications, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation and Pattern Computer. Prior to joining CIS he was the Deputy Director for Research at Auburn University’s McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security. He holds a joint appointment with the Idaho National Laboratory and is a registered Professional Engineer.
Madison Travis
Digital Communications Strategist
Vision to Value: A Layered Approach to AI in Defense and Aerospace
As Digital Communications Strategist, she is responsible for developing an effective marketing strategy, curating digital content, and managing digital platforms for INTUITIVE – transforming technical capabilities into an impactful message.
Madison Travis currently serves as the Digital Communications Strategist for Intuitive Research Technology Corporation (INTUITIVE®), and engineering and analysis firm located in Huntsville, Alabama. She manages multiple high-impact marketing campaigns tied to contract activities and corporate priorities.
Madison reports to the Director of Communications and Engagement and works closely with Executive Leadership to intentionally curate corporate messaging and marketing efforts. In her role, she manages multiple strategic campaigns that are directly tied to various contract efforts and proposal submissions. By working alongside Division Managers and technical SMEs across all corporate locations, she transforms capabilities and past performance into effective marketing for the company. Additionally, Madison plays a key role in educating employees about technical priorities and emerging technologies, while also overseeing external communications across the company’s website and social media platforms, in partnership with a team of graphic designers and content personnel.
Nicolai Wadstrom
Partner, Co-Head of Ares Venture Capital and AI Innovation Groups
Mr. Wadstrom is a Partner and Co-Head of the Ares Venture Capital Group, BootstrapLabs, an Ares company, where he focuses on venture capital investing. He is also Co-Head of the Ares AI Innovation Group, which focuses on driving internal AI strategy.
Prior to joining Ares in 2024, Mr. Wadstrom was the Founder, CEO, and General Partner of BootstrapLabs, a venture capital firm based in Silicon Valley with an applied AI investment thesis since 2015, where he worked with AI portfolio company founders to build and scale technology, products, teams, and operations. Prior to this he was an angel investor in early-stage technology companies in the US and Europe.
Mr. Wadstrom is a serial entrepreneur that has built companies since his early 20’s and brings over 30 years of entrepreneurial and operational experience as a founder, CEO, and CTO, launching and growing software technology companies across various domains, such as VR, internet, financial trading systems, and enterprise software. He is currently a member or observer of the board of Charm Solutions, Klear, and Hayden AI among others.
He is a frequent industry speaker on topics such as artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship, innovation, disruption, startups, venture capital and how AI technology can be leveraged to build a better future. Mr. Wadstrom has been called to speak and advise at events organized by Interpol, the United Nations, various US government agencies, the World Economic Forum in Davos, Super Returns conferences, and many others.
Dr. Kristin Weger
Clinical Associate Professor of Engineering Management
Agentic AI for Human-Centric Behavioral Intelligence
Dr. Kristin Weger is a Clinical Associate Professor of Engineering Management in the Industrial & Systems Engineering and Engineering Management Department at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. She also directs the Leadership and Organizational Behavior Laboratory. Her expertise spans behavioral science, the identification of behavioral features in complex systems, lean and agile leadership development, organizational transformation, operations and shop floor management, emotional intelligence, and the digitalization of regulatory and operational processes. With over a decade of consulting and research experience, Dr. Weger has partnered with global organizations across the defense, aerospace, automotive, construction, manufacturing, and energy sectors. Internationally recognized for her work in process and leadership excellence, she has trained more than 500 leaders at all organizational levels, from frontline supervisors to executives.
A. David Weigel
Director of the INTUITIVE® Planetarium at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center
Workshop:
A. David Weigel is the Director of the INTUITIVE® Planetarium at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL, where he is optimally situated to share his joy of exploring the universe with others. Under his leadership, the planetarium was honored by USA Today in 2025 as the #2 planetarium in the United States. Weigel and the planetarium team strive to innovate within the field by creating live, interactive astronomy experiences supported by immersive, data-driven visualizations of the latest discoveries.
He has produced several signature programs that run daily—including JWST: The Story Unfolds, Our Place in Space, and Mission to Mars—as well as a new and unique weekly live show for the popular Cocktails & Cosmos series. Weigel has hosted domecasts and livestreams in collaboration with NASA, NOIRLab, and Cosm that have received international acclaim, and he recently produced a short film in collaboration with the University of Arizona Astrobiology Center, Big Questions: Astrobiology. He has been with the Rocket Center since 2019, beginning the day before the planetarium opened.
Since 2015, Weigel has also served as an astrovizicist for the open-source software project WorldWide Telescope (WWT), where he creates interactive astronomical visualizations and educational video tours of the universe in collaboration with organizations such as the Harvard Center for Astrophysics, NOIRLab, Space Telescope Science Institute, and the American Astronomical Society. Through his work at both the Rocket Center and WWT, he pioneered the concept of Data to Dome, Dome to Phone—integrating live, interactive science communication with data-driven visualizations that extend beyond the dome. He has taught workshops internationally on science communication, data visualization, and AI techniques, and his WWT interactives have reached audiences in the hundreds of millions on social media, particularly surrounding JWST imagery. Explore an example of his work featuring zoomable, contextual Vera Rubin Observatory imagery here: https://projects.cosmicds.cfa.harvard.edu/rubin-first-look/.
Weigel has also taught specialized high school courses on human spaceflight and the colonization of Mars for the Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering and the Alabama Governor’s School.
Previously, as the Planetarium Director at Samford University, Weigel developed a project-based mentoring program for 5th–12th grade students to sharpen 3D modeling, 3D printing, and programming skills. He has produced two fulldome planetarium movies for Princess Cruises in collaboration with the Discovery Channel and has created a variety of planetarium and virtual reality shorts.
He holds a Master of Science degree in Engineering Physics (Space Physics) from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from Furman University.
An avid rock climber, David enjoys spending time outdoors with family and friends in his spare time.
Mark Zais, PhD
Senior Technologist and Director of Data & Analytics at Integration Innovation Inc. (i3)
How your AI agent will lie, blackmail, and even murder (and get away with it) - a review of securing our Agentic AI future
Mark Zais, PhD is a Senior Technologist and Director of Data & Analytics at Integration Innovation Inc. (i3). Prior to joining i3 in 2022, Mark served in the military for 26 years before retiring as an Army Colonel. He spent the first part of his career in multiple assignments as a Longbow Apache (AH-64D) helicopter pilot before transitioning to the Operations Research military specialty. Mark’s military Operations Research assignments included Department of the Army Staff, Office of the Secretary of Defense, and U.S. Special Operations Command, where he served as Chief Data Scientist. His academic and professional research focuses on data science, machine learning, metaheuristics, and simulation-optimization. Mark has a degree in Operations Research from the United States Military Academy (West Point), master’s degrees in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and a Ph.D. in Business Administration (Operations Research) from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Denise Zheng
Accenture Federal Services, Chief AI Officer and Data & AI Lead
How Agentic AI will change the Workplace
Denise Zheng is Chief AI Officer and Data & AI Lead for Accenture Federal Services. Previously, she was Managing Director and Global Generative AI and Ecosystem Lead at Accenture where she helped companies navigate adoption and scaling new classes of artificial intelligence. She has held various leadership roles at Accenture including as Strategic Initiatives Lead for Accenture’s Chair and CEO.
Denise has a unique blend of expertise, including advanced technology R&D initiatives, strategy, and driving major cross-industry initiatives on artificial intelligence, data privacy, and cybersecurity working with CEOs of Fortune 500 companies.
Prior to joining Accenture, Denise was head of technology and innovation at Business Roundtable. She also led the Strategic Technologies Program at CSIS, ranked top thinktank in the United States, and served as lead systems engineering and technical advisor and chief of staff of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s foundational cyber and AI program – Plan X.
Denise has testified multiple times before the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives as an expert on digital trade, data privacy, and internet governance issues. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, and she has been interviewed by CNN, BBC, CBS, and NPR on a range of technology issues.
Denise completed her bachelor’s and graduate studies at University of Michigan, London School of Economics, Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, and has an MBA from The Wharton School of Business.