- Introducer

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Lt. Gen. David Bassett -

Director, Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA)

Army Lt. Gen. David G. Bassett is the director of the Defense Contract Management Agency, headquartered at Fort Lee, Virginia. As the director, he leads a Department of Defense agency consisting of more than 12,000 civilians and military personnel who manage more than 300,000 contracts, performed at more than 10,000 locations worldwide, with a total value in excess of $5 trillion. Bassett assumed leadership of DCMA on June 4, 2020. He came to the agency after serving as Program Executive Officer for Command, Control and Communications-Tactical (PEO C3T) since January 2018, where he was responsible for the development, acquisition, fielding and support of the Army’s tactical network, a critical modernization priority. Bassett was commissioned into the Signal Corps in 1988 through ROTC concurrent with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Virginia. As a junior officer, he served in Germany in tactical positions with the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment and 123rd Signal Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division. Following the Signal Officer’s Advanced Course and completion of a Master of Science in Computer Science through the University of Virginia, Bassett was assigned to the U.S. European Command Staff, where he served as the Requirements Analysis and Interoperability Action Officer, J6. He transferred to the Army Acquisition Corps in 1999 and was assigned to Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, as Operations Officer, Communications and Electronics Command Software Engineering Center. Bassett went on to manage software development efforts for the Army’s Future Combat Systems program. He then served on the Joint Staff as the Ground Maneuver Analyst, Capabilities and Acquisition Division, J8. From July 2009 to May 2012, Bassett served as the Army’s Project Manager for Tactical Vehicles within the Program Executive Office for Combat Support & Combat Service Support (PEO CS&CSS). He then managed the Joint Program Office, Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTV), through the Engineering and Manufacturing Development award. In September 2013, Bassett was appointed Program Executive Officer, Ground Combat Systems, where he managed the portfolio of the Army’s combat vehicle fleet including major modernization efforts to Abrams, Bradley, Stryker and self-propelled howitzer programs while also initiating the Army’s Armored-Multi Purpose Vehicle program. Previous he served as Deputy Program Executive Officer for CS&CSS. Bassett is a graduate of the Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and a distinguished graduate of the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in Washington, D.C.

David Cadman -

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition Enablers (Acting), Office of Acquisition Enablers, AE

Mr. David S. Cadman is currently serving as the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Acquisition Enablers. He also serves as the Director for Acquisition Data and Analytics (ADA) where he is responsible for the development and implementation of acquisition portfolio based analytical methods focused on data analytics which includes but is not limited to data mining, simulation, machine and statistical learning, probability theory, mathematical optimization, and visualization of results. ADA establishes program management policy that applies these methods as appropriate to acquisition portfolios, Major Defense Acquisition Programs and business systems and functions. Before the A&S reorganization he served as Director for Performance Assessments and Root Cause Analyses (PARCA) and Deputy Director, Root Cause Analyses (RCA). Where he identified root causes on Major Acquisition Programs that had a critical Nunn-McCurdy cost breach or upon request of the Secretary of Defense. Additional assignments Mr. Cadman has had while at the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) include serving as Deputy Director for the Technology Security and Foreign Disclosure Office (TSFDO) within the Defense Technology Security Administration (DTSA) where he supported DoD’s security cooperation efforts, to include international armaments cooperation, strategic planning, and Defense Technology and Trade Initiatives. Mr. Cadman also worked as the aviation sector lead for the Office of Industrial Policy in OSD where he was responsible for industrial base oversight. In this role, Mr. Cadman assessed the capabilities and overall health of the aviation industrial base upon which the Department of Defense relies for current and future war fighting capabilities. Previously, Mr. Cadman served in the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Program Office as the Deputy Director, Air Vehicle where he oversaw government and contractor activities related to the F-35’s vehicle systems, mission systems, airframe structures and materials, manufacture and build risk reduction. Mr. Cadman was accountable for cost, schedule, and performance on the $13 billion air vehicle design and the development effort of the multinational industry team. Mr. Cadman also served as the JSF X-program Science and Technology Coordinator developing requirements, assessing science and technology trends, and evaluating potential technology gaps. Mr. Cadman’s other positions include a leading role on the F/A-18 E/F airframe development program and serving as an F-14 structural engineer at the Naval Aviation Depot. Prior to entering federal service, Mr. Cadman worked for Boeing Helicopter performing dynamic analysis of developmental vertical lift aircraft. Mr. Cadman holds a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Maryland and a Master’s of Science in National Resource Strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. Mr. Cadman is a graduate of the Defense Acquisition University Advanced Program Managers course and has Acquisition Workforce Level III certifications in Program Management; Systems Planning, Research and Engineering; and Production Quality and Manufacturing.

Dr. William Casebeer -

Director of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Riverside Research

William D. Casebeer, PhD, MA, is Director of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Riverside Research’s Open Innovation Center. Bill’s lab uses next-generation technology to advance human- machine teaming, neuromorphic computing, object and activity classification and recognition, and defensive and offensive cyberwarfare capabilities. Bill has decades of experience leading interdisciplinary teams of scientists and engineers, providing creative solutions to pressing national security problems. He has held Director, Senior Director, and Program Manager roles at Scientific Systems Company, Inc., the Innovation Lab at Beyond Conflict, and the Human Systems and Autonomy Lab at Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Technology Laboratories. He also served as Program Manager in the Defense Sciences Office and Biological Technologies Office at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Bill retired from active US Air Force duty as a Lieutenant Colonel and Intelligence Analyst in August 2011 and is a graduate of the Air Force Academy, the University of Arizona, the Naval Postgraduate School, and the University of California at San Diego.

Ramesh Menon -

CTO and Chief AI Officer, Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)

Mr. Ramesh Menon was appointed Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Office of the Chief Information Officer (CIO), Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) on March 1, 2021. Mr. Menon is responsible for technology and strategy planning, experimentation, emerging technology solutions architecture supporting DIA and IC priorities including FVEY partners. Mr. Menon assumed his current position upon his appointment to the SES / DISL-T1. Mr. Menon serves as the CTO and authoritative information technology expert for DIA. He develops a cohesive technological strategy for CIO’s, business, and mission partner’s capabilities on the Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System and in the Department of Defense Intelligence Information Systems enterprise. Mr. Menon serves as the senior DIA technologist and interface to the Intelligence Community, Department of Defense, Military Service’s Intelligence Centers, Combatant Commands, international partners, national labs, industry and academia. He conducts feasibility assessments of current and future technology trends within the private and public sectors and makes recommendations on adoption that will increase DIA’s decision advantage. As the CTO, Mr. Menon will serve as the principal advisor for artificial intelligence to the Director and collaborate with other IC and DoD AI leaders. Born in India Mr. Menon earned a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) from California State University. He has co-authored three books and has a patent pending for supply chain assurance using Block chain technology. Mr. Menon was a CTO in the private sector at IBM and a Chief Architect at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU-APL) leading Artificial Intelligence, cloud, cyber and strategic national security initiatives. Mr. Menon is a member of IEEE congressional delegation on science and technology and an invited frequent guest lecturer on emerging technologies at Johns Hopkins University. He was a member of Brookings Institution AI expert panel on autonomous weapon systems and served on space innovation council workgroup along with NASA, SMC and DARPA. He is also a mentor to AFRL catalyst campus, NASA Frontier Development Labs supporting OSINT and EdgeAI to operate in contested spaces.

Dr. William Streilein -

Chief Technology Officer, Office of the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer, U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)

Dr. William W. Streilein is the Chief Technology Officer for the Chief Digital and AI Office of the DoD, providing strategic awareness, direction and leadership for enterprise scale data, analytical and AI capabilities. Prior to his current role, Bill worked at MIT Lincoln Laboratory where he served as principal staff in the Biotechnology and Human Systems Division. He supported efforts across the division focusing on concept, strategy, and program development in bioengineering, bioinformatics, and biodefense and leveraged his technical and leadership experience to emphasize the application of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to solve national biosecurity, health, and human performance challenges. Bill was also the leader of the Cyber Analytics and Decisions Group, where his research interests focused on cyber security, passive network and traffic analysis, streaming analytics, and computer vision. Prior to MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Streilein spent nine years working as a software engineer within the private sector. He serves as a chair of the Artificial Intelligence for Cyber Security (AICS) and Robust Artificial Intelligence Systems Assurance (RAISA) academic workshops and is a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) and an active member of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI). Bill is a recognized leader in areas such as machine learning, artificial intelligence, cyber security, and statistical analysis.Dr. Streilein holds a BA degree in mathematics from Austin College, an MM degree in electronic and computer music from the University of Miami, and a PhD degree in cognitive and neural systems from Boston University. He is a senior member of the IEEE. He has been at Lincoln Laboratory since 1998.

Cherissa Tamayori -

Director of Acquisition and Senior Contracting Official, Defense Innovation Unit (DIU)

Cherissa Tamayori is the Director of Acquisition and Senior Contracting Official for the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU). In this role, she serves as the senior acquisition advisor to the Director of DIU and is responsible for the development, implementation, and execution of all phases of the DIU project lifecycle across the six technology portfolios. Prior to accepting this role, Cherissa served as the Deputy Director of Acquisition at DIU where she was responsible for oversight and execution of contracting activities utilizing Other Transaction Authority. Additionally, she coordinated contracting activities between DIU and its support entities to execute projects for a customer base that spans the entire Department of Defense. Prior to joining DIU, Cherissa served as a contracting officer at the Naval Sea Systems Command where she managed multi-billion dollar contract portfolios for various undersea systems programs. As a contract specialist, she negotiated and administered complex shipbuilding procurements including the refueling, overhaul, and modernization of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and the design and construction of auxiliary ships and patrol boats. In addition to these roles, Cherissa has served in various contracting positions within the Navy. Cherissa graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Chaminade University of Honolulu and a Certificate in Management from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. Cherissa is Level III certified in Contracting and has been a member of the Defense Acquisition Corps since 2012.

Justin Woulfe -

Chief Technology Officer, Systecon North America

Justin Woulfe is the Chief Technology Officer and co-founder of Systecon North with expertise in Predictive Analytics and Systems, Logistics & Cost Optimization. For the past 15 years, he has focused on balancing cost and capability within the Aerospace & Defense industry. Mr. Woulfe is a recognized expert in applying strategies for data analytics to complex systems and instituting model-based engineering within the Department of Defense. Justin has a BS in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Military Institute, an MS in Engineering Management from Drexel University and a MS in Supply Chain Management from Syracuse University through the DoD LOGTECH program. His research and analysis has resulted in billions of dollars in savings and increases in readiness on large, complex acquisition and sustainment programs.