Bryan Vorndran is the Vice President and Deputy Chief Information Security Officer (Deputy CISO) for Supply Chain & Third-Party Security at Microsoft. In this executive role, leads a global program that fortifies Microsoft’s supply chain against emerging threats, drives third-party risk reduction, and ensures compliance with international security standards – delivering resilience at scale and strategic assurance to the enterprise.
Bryan is a globally recognized cybersecurity and risk management leader with over 20 years of experience in the United States Intelligence Community. As the FBI’s top cyber official, Bryan spearheaded globally impactful operations that set new standards in enforcement. Under his leadership, the FBI delivered over $500 million in financial restitution to ransomware victims, led the U.S. Government’s strategic cryptocurrency disruption campaign against North Korea—seizing nearly $1 billion in illicit assets—and executed covert operations to neutralize Chinese and Russian malware embedded in U.S. infrastructure. These efforts shaped national security policy and operational strategy.
Bryan is a trusted strategic advisor to Fortune 500 Boards and senior executives, offering deep insights into adversary tactics and enterprise defense strategies. His advocacy before the Securities and Exchange Commission and Federal Communications Commission have directly influenced regulatory reforms that strengthen industry-wide resilience. Bryan is a frequent speaker at industry events and has extensive experience with Congressional testimony.
He taught a master’s-level course at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies for multiple years and has served as a guest lecturer at Georgetown University, Harvard University, and the University of Michigan. He is also the co-creator and host of the podcast Ahead of the Threat, which prepares board directors for emerging challenges in cyber and technology.
Bryan holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Lafayette College and an MBA from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.
Before joining the FBI, Bryan worked as an engineer at Procter & Gamble and Merck & Company.
Katherine Wetmur is Managing Director and the Chief Information Officer for Cyber, Data, Risk and Resilience at Morgan Stanley. In this role, she oversees global efforts to strengthen cybersecurity, enhance data governance, and advance operational resilience. She leads the Firm’s first-line defenses for cyber and fraud risk and is responsible for the Firmwide Data Office, Non-Financial Risk Technology, and our International Technology offices.
Katherine partners with business and technology leaders worldwide to address evolving threats, ensure regulatory compliance, and safeguard the Firm’s data integrity.
Since joining Morgan Stanley in 2022, Katherine has held several senior technology leadership roles, including International Chief Information Officer and Head of Reliability & Production Engineering for the Firm’s Institutional and Corporate businesses. She holds a B.S. in Materials Science from Rice University. Katherine co-chairs the Firm’s Pride and Ally Network. She was a founding member of Women in Technology (WIT) and is an active mentor, championing LGBTQ+ visibility, and expanding access to STEM education for underrepresented groups.
Beyond the Firm, she serves on the Board of Sheltered Harbor, Analysis & Resilience Center (ARC) and SustainableIT.org. Her leadership has been recognized by Financial News’ Top 100 Women in Finance (2019, 2020) and Fast Company’s Queer50 list (2023, 2024). An avid endurance athlete, Katherine participates in marathons and cycling events for charitable causes.
Ana Dutra is a Global, Veteran Board Director, 2X CEO, and Fortune 250 C-Level Executive who advises public, private, PE and family-owned company boards. She leverages 30+ years of strategic governance and P&L experience building multi-billion-dollar businesses organically and via M&A, advancing Technology/Digital and Cybersecurity practices, guiding sustainability strategies and identifying and mitigating enterprise risk.
Ana is respected not only for her operational and P&L leadership across +25 countries in public/Fortune 250 companies as CEO and Senior Executive, but also for her board service on 8 global public/12+ private, PE or family-owned company boards and several non-for-profits. She has chaired boards as well as multiple Nom/ Gov, Comp and Human Capital, Strategy and Technology committees. She is a Qualified Financial Expert, Qualified Technology Expert and a Qualified Risk Expert.
Ana currently serves on the board of Pembina Pipeline, Carparts.com, Lifespace, ELJ and the Latino Corporate Directors Association. She’s a faculty member of NACD, University of Chicago Booth, Kellogg and Fundacao Don Cabral. Ana holds a Masters in Economics, a Law Degree and an MBA from Kellogg. She started her career as a Professor of Economics and Finance in Brazil.
Ana is the proud mother of 3 daughters and is an avid yoga practitioner and instructor, triathlete and tennis player. She lives in Florida with her husband and their rescue dogs.
Steve Pugh has served as Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) of Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE: ICE) since September 2021. He leads the cybersecurity program for all of ICE, including the New York Stock Exchange, securing critical economic infrastructure across multiple subsidiaries, geographies and regulatory jurisdictions. Further, Pugh is responsible for cybersecurity across regulated futures and options exchanges, central counterparty clearing houses (CCPs), trade repositories, equities venues and systemically important financial market utilities (SIFMUs).
Prior to joining ICE, Pugh served as the former Chief Information Security Officer of the White House Military Office and has more than 25 years of experience in cybersecurity, national security, and intelligence. Most recently, he was the Chief Security Officer for Twilio.
Pugh has served under three U.S. Presidents as a military communications aide. He spent 18 years in the U.S. Air Force as a cyber warfare officer and deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Pugh holds a Bachelor of Computer Science from Valdosta State University and a Master of Management from the University of Phoenix. He serves as a board member for the non-profit Savvy Cyber Kids which focuses on cyber safety for preschool through high school students.
Bonnie is responsible for advising US-based private companies on their IPO listing at the NYSE. Bonnie brings 20+ years of senior finance leadership primarily within the technology industry and a unique end-to-end perspective from having taken companies public to managing investor communications and marketing post-IPO.
Prior to joining NYSE, Bonnie held various roles within public and private technology companies as well as investment banking. Bonnie is a CPA and received her M.B.A from Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.
Michael Reinking, CFA is the head of the NYSE Market Access Center (MAC) Desk, which provides market insight and intelligence to listed companies. Prior to his role at the NYSE, Michael spent over 15 years on the buyside, as a trader and analyst. His investment experience spans across financial products in both quantitative and fundamental-based strategies. Reinking earned a BS in Finance and International Business from Penn State University. He is also a CFA charterholder.
John Stankey has led AT&T as CEO and President since July 2020. He was elected Chairman of the Board in February 2025. With more than $122 billion in 2024 revenues, AT&T is one of the world’s largest companies in technology and telecom. Between 2019 and 2023, AT&T invested more than $145 billion in its wireless and wireline networks, including capital investments and acquisitions of wireless spectrum. It is consistently one of the top annual investors of capital in the United States.
John’s leadership is driving AT&T’s transformation and its focus on being the best connectivity provider. Since Alexander Graham Bell’s first phone call, AT&T has connected people to greater possibility – and it’s still true today with the innovative opportunities provided by 5G and fiber.
AT&T is a global leader in communications with more than 100 million U.S. mobile and broadband customers, including nearly 2.5 million business customers of all sizes.
John joined AT&T in 1985 and has 40 years of accomplished leadership spanning nearly every area of AT&T’s business. He has served in a variety of roles, including Chief Operating Officer, CEO of WarnerMedia; CEO of AT&T Entertainment Group; Chief Strategy Officer; Chief Technology Officer; CEO of AT&T Operations; and CEO of AT&T Business Solutions.
He currently serves on AT&T’s board of directors.
John holds a B.B.A. in Finance from Loyola Marymount University and an M.B.A. from UCLA.
Lynn Martin is President of NYSE Group, which includes the New York Stock Exchange, the world’s largest stock market.
Martin is the 68th President of the New York Stock Exchange and the second woman to lead the exchange in more than 230-year history. The NYSE, the premier venue for capital raising, is the listing home to the world’s most influential and innovative companies.
In addition to the exchange, NYSE Group includes four fully electronic equity markets, including NYSE Arca, the industry leader in ETFs, and two options exchanges.
Martin is also Chair of Fixed Income & Data Services at Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE: ICE), the parent of NYSE Group. Most recently, she was President of that business, responsible for ICE Bonds execution venues, securities pricing and analytics, reference data, indices, desktop solutions, consolidated feeds and connectivity services that cover all major asset classes.
She previously served as President of ICE Data Services, COO of ICE Clear U.S., and in a number of leadership roles including CEO of NYSE Liffe U.S. and CEO of New York Portfolio Clearing. Martin began her career at IBM in its Global Services organization.
Martin holds a BS in Computer Science from Manhattan College and an MA in Statistics from Columbia University. She currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Partnership for New York City, the Inner-City Scholarship Fund and the New York State Emerging Technology Advisory Board. Martin also serves on the Manhattan College Board of Trustees.
Jacob is the Global Deputy Head & Head of Strategy for IBM X-Force: A 300-person consulting practice spanning 20+ countries globally, consisting of ethical hackers, researchers, threat intelligence analysts, and incident/crisis responders. X-Force provides offensive & defensive security services to over 1,000 clients from Fortune 5 to mid-sized enterprises. Offensively, through penetration testing, vulnerability management, and adversarial simulation, X-Force is hired by clients to safely find, prioritize, & fix exploitable vulnerabilities before hackers do and take down your business. Defensively, through a reactive 24/7/365 globally staffed cybersecurity incident response hotline, and proactive assessments, program development, & training, X-Force is hired by clients to rapidly prepare, detect, investigate, respond, & take command against attacks to minimize business impacts and resume operations as efficient as possible.
Spanning corporate leadership and as a military officer, Jacob has 20 years of experience in crisis leadership, risk management, and security operations, both internally as a practitioner leading teams himself, and externally as a consultant advising organizations and foreign militaries. Jacob began his career graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy as the football Team Captain & MVP, then as a U.S. Air Force officer he was ranked #1 of 1,151 for performance leading teams on 4 continents, and at IBM he has led teams across all three major lines-of-business. Having directly managed over 600 personnel, $200+ million annual budgets, and numerous global security programs & operations on six continents, Jake's unique blend of corporate-, military-, cyber-, & physical security experience uniquely positions him as an industry thought leader—especially for the modern, interconnected enterprise.
Jim Bridenstine has dedicated his life to the United States of America. First as a Navy pilot, then a U.S. Congressman, then as the NASA Administrator. He is currently the managing
partner for The Artemis Group, a speaker, and media contributor.
Jim Bridenstine was nominated by President Donald Trump and confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the 13th Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), where he was responsible for managing NASA’s 70,000-person workforce and $23 billion annual budget. As administrator, he led NASA in
advancing American aeronautics, science, and space exploration objectives.
Prior to serving at NASA, Bridenstine represented Oklahoma’s First Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served on the Armed Services Committee and the Science, Space and Technology Committee.
Bridenstine’s career in federal service began in 1998 as a pilot in the U.S. Navy. After transitioning from active duty, Bridenstine returned to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to be the executive director of the Tulsa Air and Space Museum & Planetarium, continued serving in the U.S. Navy Reserve.
Bridenstine completed a triple major at Rice University in Economics, Business, and Psychology and an MBA at Cornell University. He is an Eagle Scout and graduate of Jenks High School in Jenks, OK. He and his wife, Michelle, have three children.
Dr. Jonathan W. Cirtain serves as Chief Executive Officer and President of Axiom Space.
An accomplished physicist and technology executive, Dr. Cirtain brings extensive experience spanning both the space and nuclear industries. Prior to joining IBX, he spent seven years at BWX Technologies (BWXT), where he held senior leadership roles including Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer, President and CEO of BWXT Medical, and Chief Technology Officer. At BWXT, he drove innovation, technical development, and commercial expansion across multiple business lines.
Earlier in his career, Dr. Cirtain spent nearly a decade at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, where he served in leadership roles such as Manager of the Heliophysics, Planetary, and Space Weather Office and Chief Strategist. He also conducted research as a Research Astrophysicist at Harvard University.
A recognized leader in science and innovation, Dr. Cirtain has developed and led teams working on revolutionary technologies, including scientific space payloads, plasma confinement systems, solid rocket motor systems for suborbital vehicles, and advanced graphics processing technologies. He also co-founded Astraea, Inc., a machine learning and data science analytics company focused on Earth observation technologies. Dr. Cirtain is currently an adjunct professor of nuclear engineering at the University of Michigan.
Dr. Cirtain earned his Ph.D. in Physics from Montana State University and completed a doctoral fellowship at Harvard University. He holds dual bachelor's degrees in Physics and Mathematics from the University of Memphis. Throughout his career, he has served on advisory committees for organizations including NASA, the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Office of Science and Technology Policy, the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering, the Royal Academy of Sciences, the European Space Agency, and numerous universities.
Max is an aerospace, consumer electronics, and internet entrepreneur. Founded, scaled, and successfully sold four companies, including Launcher (acquired by Vast), Mevo (acquired by Logitech), and Livestream (acquired by IAC/Vimeo).
Marshall Smith is CEO of Starlab Space Stations. He is responsible for guiding Starlab’s vision, strategy, operations and sustainable success, representing its mission and interests to stakeholders worldwide. Smith brings a wealth of experience designing and building complex, human-rated space systems, as well as formulating deep space architectures, and developing human and robotic space systems and multi-billion dollar launch vehicles.
Smith was previously the president of Voyager Technologies’ Space Solutions business segment, where he led the strategic, operational and financial performance of the business segment, aligning company goals and stakeholder expectations. Smith previously served as chief technology officer at Voyager, leading technical strategy, as well as vice president of Exploration, supporting Nanoracks, which was acquired in 2021. There he oversaw commercial space station development, autonomous outpost platforms, support systems and airlocks.
Prior to joining Voyager in 2021, Smith served 37 years at NASA, where he concluded his career as the deputy associate administrator for Systems Engineering & Integration at NASA Headquarters. During his tenure, he held various leadership roles, including director for Human Lunar Exploration Programs and director for Cross-Program Systems Integration/Exploration Systems. Smith led several initiatives that integrated innovative commercial partnerships into NASA’s deep-space exploration programs, including the Human Landing System.
Smith is the recipient of the NASA Systems Engineering Excellence of the Year Award, the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal and the NASA Exceptional Service Medal. He earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from Virginia Tech.
Morgan Brennan is anchor of CNBC’s “Worldwide Exchange” (M-F, 5AM-6AM ET), which broadcasts from CNBC Global Headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, N.J.
Previously, she was co-anchor of CNBC’s “Closing Bell: Overtime,” “Squawk Alley,” and the 10AM ET hour of “Squawk on the Street.” She joined the network in December 2013 as a general assignment reporter based at CNBC Global Headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., and continues to cover a variety of sectors, including manufacturing, and defense and space. She is also host of the CNBC podcast, Manifest Space.
Prior to joining CNBC, Brennan was a staff writer and reporter for Forbes Media where she reported for Forbes Magazine, ForbesLife Magazine and Forbes.com, most recently covering real estate. She began her career at Forbes in 2009, holding several positions including anchor/reporter and producer for the Forbes Video Network, covering a wide range of business and finance topics.
Previously, Brennan was a regular guest on a variety of networks discussing business and economic stories and also interned at Newsweek International, where she was a fact-checker and contributing writer.
Brennan is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a member of the Explorers Club. She graduated summa cum laude from New York University, majoring in Social Science with a double concentration in Anthropology and Media Studies.
Delian Asparouhov is a partner at Founders Fund and Co-Founder and President of Varda Space Industries, which is building the world's first space autonomous orbital pharmaceutical processing and hypersonic reentry capsules. Before joining Founders Fund, he was a principal at Khosla Ventures, head of growth at Teespring, and founder of a healthcare company called Nightingale. Delian is Bulgarian, attended MIT, and likes to kitesurf and play soccer.
Ian Cinnamon is the CEO and Co-Founder of Apex, a high-rate configurable satellite bus platform manufacturer named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies of 2025. Backed by over $500 million from the world’s best investors, Apex’s first satellite bus set a world record as the fastest cleansheet design to production spacecraft operating in space.
Focused on meeting the needs of the rapidly expanding space industry and advancing critical national security missions like Golden Dome, Apex provides scalable platforms to both the commercial and government sectors. Apex's Los Angeles production facility can deliver satellite buses to customers in weeks rather than the industry standard of months or years, with the capacity to produce over 200 buses per year at full scale.
Prior to his work with Apex, Ian founded Synapse, a company specializing in artificial intelligence for security and defense. Ian led the company through acquisition by Palantir. Earlier in his career, Ian co-founded Superlabs, which was sold to Zynga, where he served as Director of Product after the acquisition.
Ian is a Forbes "30 Under 30" honoree and an alumnus of Y Combinator. He received his B.S. from MIT and his MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Eric Romo is President and Chief Operating Officer of Impulse Space, the in-space mobility company founded by Tom Mueller. Beginning his career as one of the first propulsion engineering hires at SpaceX, he subsequently founded companies in the solar energy and virtual reality industries and spent four years as a Director at Facebook Reality Labs. Eric has a master's degree in mechanical engineering and an MBA, both from Stanford University.
K2 Space is building the largest and highest-power satellites ever flown, unlocking performance levels previously out of reach across every orbit. By scaling capability and production, K2 delivers systems ready for the most demanding missions – from national security and global communications to deep-space research – with reliable performance wherever they operate.
K2 Space was founded by former SpaceX engineers and has raised more than $450M from leading investors including Altimeter, Redpoint, T. Rowe Price, Lightspeed, Alpine Space Ventures, and First Round.
Karan brings fifteen years of experience building and growing businesses from idea through to exit. Most recently, he led commercialization at Text IQ, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) startup, helping scale the company from seed stage through a nine-figure exit via strategic acquisition. Prior to Text IQ, Karan spent ten years at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), where he built new businesses for Fortune 500 clients.
Chris Taylor is the Founder & CEO of Aalyria Technologies, Inc. – an advanced all-domain networking and laser communications tech company. He was previously the CEO of Govini. He has served as a Senior Advisor to the Managing Director of the National Security Innovation Network (NSIN) and has also advised the Defense Innovation Board at the Department of Defense (DoD). Chris previously founded and led Novitas Group, a tech startup that utilized a unique talent-opportunity matching platform to assist veterans in their search for meaningful employment in their preferred communities. He conceived of and convinced The White House and ABC’s Shark Tank to collaborate on the first all-veteran episode, which aired on Veterans Day 2014.
As the CEO of Mission Essential, Chris grew the company from $185 million to nearly $800 million in revenue in three years. Chris taught as an adjunct associate professor of national security studies at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service Security Studies Program, where he taught the graduate seminar “The Business of National Security” and instituted and taught the “Hacking for Defense” seminar for three years. He has also been a Lecturer in Management at George Washington University’s School of Business, where he also taught the Hacking for Defense graduate seminar.
Chris spent 14 years in the U.S. Marine Corps as an enlisted infantryman and Force Recon Marine. Twice selected for meritorious promotion, he was the Distinguished Honor Graduate at the NCO Leadership Academy, the Distinguished Leadership Graduate at Amphibious Reconnaissance School, and the Class Commander at Marine Combatant Diver Course 93-40. Chris finished his undergraduate degree at night and left the Marine Corps to attend the College of William & Mary where he earned his MBA in Strategy & Leadership, and received the Dean’s Award for Leadership and Service at graduation. He is also a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School, where he earned a Master of Public Administration degree in Political Economy and International Security and was chosen by his class to lead them into Harvard Yard for graduation. Chris also served as a member of the Defense Leadership Project at the Center for Public Leadership, where he co-authored Transforming the National Security Culture.
Chris has attended Harvard University’s Program for Senior Executives in National and International Security, as well as the Aspen Institute’s Executive Seminar and the Justice and Society Seminar. He also serves on advisory boards at Govini, Ox Intel, and Acalvio Technologies. Chris also spent 13 years as a trustee of the American University of Afghanistan.
Dr. Dana Anderson is Professor of Physics and of Electrical Engineering, and is a Fellow of the JILA Institute at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He is also co-Founder and Chief Science Officer of Infleqtion. He received a BSEE degree from Cornell University in 1975 and his PhD in quantum optics from the University of Arizona in 1981; his thesis focused on the then new technology of ring-laser gyroscopes. Dr. Anderson did his postdoctoral work at Caltech, carrying out the development on the prototype gravitational wave interferometer which later evolved into “LIGO” —the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory. Dr. Anderson joined the faculty at the University of Colorado in 1984 where he continued work on optical gyroscopes and also on optical neural networks using dynamic holography. The latter was recognized by the Optical Society of America’s R.W. Wood Prize. Dr. Anderson co-founded ColdQuanta (now Infleqtion) in 2007 to become the first manufacturer of quantum components, instruments, and systems based on cold and ultracold atoms. Infleqtion’s commercial BEC system drew the attention of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), which then led to the NASA Cold Atom Lab (CAL) mission to put a BEC system on the International Space Station. Infleqtion systems have been operating continuously on the ISS for well over five years.
Dr. Anderson has published over 100 scientific papers as is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and of the Optical Society of America. He is also recipient of a Sloan Foundation Fellow, a Humboldt Senior Research Award, and the Colorado Governor’s CO-Labs award for the high impact research leading to the development of foundational technology and recipient of the Willie E. Lamb Award for pioneering work in the foundations of atomtronics.
Mikkel Vestergaard Frandsen, a humanitarian entrepreneur, is known for his groundbreaking contributions at the intersection of climate, health and technology. As the founder and CEO of Sceye®, he is building revolutionary stratospheric platforms to provide unsurpassed global connectivity and Earth observation capabilities. As the founder of public health companies LifeStraw® and Vestergaard®, he created life-saving solutions around fresh drinking water and infectious diseases that, among others, helped reduce global malaria deaths by over half. For this work, Mikkel was made an elder by the Luhya tribe of Western Kenya, a rare honor given to foreigners who have had an immense impact on their lives. Mikkel has earned dozens of humanitarian, innovation, and design awards for his visionary leadership and commitment to creating a healthier, more equitable world.
Adam Gilmour is CEO and Co-founder of Gilmour Space Technologies, an Australian company developing new space capabilities in launch vehicles, satellite platforms, hypersonic testing, and commercial orbital access from Australia.
Before starting the company, Adam spent two decades in banking, managing a billion-dollar global derivative business. A lifelong space enthusiast, his inspiration for change came after the 2004 X-Prize competition, which showed how private teams could make spaceflight far more affordable.
Today, Adam leads a growing team in Queensland, Australia, working to deliver reliable, low-cost access to space and build sovereign launch capability for global customers.
Ezequiel Sánchez is graduated in Marketing from ESIC and has an MBA from ESCP in its Oxford-Madrid-Paris stream. Currently, he serves as Executive President of PLD Space, the pioneering aerospace company and European leader in the development of reusable rockets, with a recognized prestige in the sector and a solid project that is materialized in its MIURA family launch vehicle.
With more than 20 years of experience developing management training and Executive Master programs in the areas of Strategy, Business Management and Organization, Operations Management in other Business Schools (such as IE, ESCP or EDEM).
He has developed his activity in the General Management of companies in changing/rapid growth markets such as fashion, where he has managed for 10 years the Footwear unit of the Inditex Group (Zara, Pull&Bear, Bershka...). Previously, he has worked as Deputy Director of Strategic Planning in the development of new businesses in companies such as Telecinco and in strategy consulting at the management consulting firm Arthur D Little.
Speaker at various national and international conferences such as TEDx, and regular contributor to various media and blogs on strategy and strategic management, highlighting his own blog since 2009. You can follow him at @ezequielsanchez and linkedIn.
Member of different Boards of Directors as independent director of several companies and advisor to Management in processes of strategic change and business development.
Christian Gutierrez is a Vice President of Hivemind Engineering at Shield AI, leading the expansion and integration of Shield AI’s Hivemind AI Pilot onto a variety of platforms. Christian served 20 years in the U.S. Air Force working on the F-117A and F-16 as an Avionics Specialist and deployed to Iraq in 2005. He transitioned into Command and Control, serving in NORAD's Alert Mission and directly supported several hurricane contingency efforts along the Gulf Coast. After retiring from the Air Force, Christian spent over ten years at Lockheed Martin as a flight software and guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) engineer for UAVs, spacecraft, and hypersonic missiles, advancing to lead a $500M project and a 275-person team. He holds a BS in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of Houston.
Joseph Yaffe is the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Legal Officer of Aetherflux, a next-generation space infrastructure company. At Aetherflux, Joe oversees global operations and strategy, helping to drive the commercialization of space-based power and the "Galactic Brain"—a constellation of orbital data centers designed to solve the energy constraints facing the AI industry. Prior to joining Aetherflux, Joe served as the Managing Partner of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP’s Palo Alto office. For over 30 years, he was a trusted advisor to Silicon Valley’s most influential founders, boards, and public companies, guiding them through complex IPOs, M&A transactions, and high-stakes corporate governance matters. He has been consistently recognized as one of the nation’s top corporate attorneys by Chambers USA and the Daily Journal
Philip Johnston is Co-Founder and CEO of Starcloud, which builds data centres in space to address the AI energy bottleneck. Starcloud recently became the first entity to launch and operate an Nvidia H100 GPU (AI chip) in space, 100x more powerful GPU compute than has been on orbit before. Starcloud was also recently the first entity to train an LLM in space and to run a version of Gemini in space. Philip is a second-time founder who previously spent time at McKinsey and Company working on satellite projects for national space agencies. He has an MPA in National Security and Technology from Harvard University, an MBA from Wharton, an MA in Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics from Columbia University, and he is a CFA Charterholder.
Mark has been a venture investor for over a decade, a managing director at two significant hedge funds, and has served tours as an entrepreneur.
Over the last decade, Mark spent most of his time focused on Advanced Technology areas, including quantum technologies, AI/ML, compute/chips, robotics, drones, space-based investments, vision systems, green-tech, and big data. He established Quantum1 Group to be a critical financial partner to the rapidly evolving community of commercially scalable Advanced Technology companies.
Mark also co-ran WorldQuant Ventures, the private investing arm of Millennium Management, where he led 25 deals and co-managed a portfolio of 70+ names.
Before WorldQuant Ventures, Mark held senior roles at Carbon6 Ventures, Harbinger Capital Partners, and Barclays Capital. Mark began his career in 1994 as an entrepreneur when he joined All Points Software.
Inspired by Knight Rider and Star Trek, Shahin grew up with a passion to endow superpowers to humanity through feats of engineering. He learned BASIC on an IBM PC XT clone he built at his aunt’s computer store and used to dial into Bulletin Board Systems when he was in the 4th grade. He learned about engines by taking apart an Alfa Romeo at his Uncle’s repair shop a few years later. He aspired to design microchips, software, and systems that could someday amount to the fictional K.I.T.T., and build warp drives that could propel humanity to far corners of the galaxy.
Shahin has had the privilege of partnering with amazing founding teams for over two decades. After working for several software startups, he built his first startup in 2004 building upon his PhD research designing chips, systems, and software to capture and interpret brain signals. He later had the pleasure of meeting Lux’s founding team, who invited him to partner with them in 2006, where he has cofounded and led Lux’s investments into companies that have gone on to become publicly traded (e.g., NYSE:AEVA and NYSE:PL), and acquired by the likes of Intel (Nervana), Amazon (Zoox), Silicon Laboratories (Silicon Clocks), and Lattice Semiconductor (SiBeam).
Todd Master is Umbra’s COO. He has over 20 years of management and technical leadership experience in space systems. Prior to Umbra, he was a DARPA program manager where he created and managed CONFERS, a globally recognized body for on-orbit servicing operations standards, and DARPA Launch Challenge, a prize-based competition that catalyzed development of flexible and responsive space launch capabilities. He previously worked at Orbital ATK, International Launch Services, and served as an Air Force officer responsible for military and intelligence community space systems. Mr. Master has an M.S. in astronautical engineering from the University of Southern California and a B.S. in mechanical engineering and engineering & public policy from Carnegie Mellon University.
Trevor Bennett is a co-founder at Starfish Space, where he leads the company across business and technology development. Prior to founding Starfish, he worked at Blue Origin on the New Glenn rocket as well as at both NASA Goddard and JPL on space robotic missions. He has extensive technical expertise in Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) algorithms with a particular focus on rendezvous, proximity operations, and docking (RPOD). Trevor earned a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Texas A&M, and a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Colorado.
Anton Brevde is the Chief Investment Officer at IBX, where he manages the current portfolio, the firm’s incubation program, and their venture investment strategy. Anton has dedicated his career to entrepreneurship and investing in the deep tech industry, especially in the commercial space sector.
Prior to joining IBX, Anton was a General Partner at Prime Movers Lab, a renowned deep tech venture capital fund with $1.2B in assets under management. During his time at Prime Movers Lab, Anton oversaw the aerospace practice, where he led investments in Axiom Space, Quantum Space, E-Space, Space Perspective, and Overview Energy.
Before his tenure at Prime Movers Lab, Anton co-founded and served as CEO of Asseta, a B2B marketplace for capital equipment and spare parts. Asseta went through Y-Combinator in the Summer of 2013.
With over 18 years of international and domestic space, public policy, and management experience, Krystal Azelton (nee Wilson) is the Senior Director, Program Planning at Secure World Foundation, a private, operating foundation dedicated to the secure and sustainable use of space. There, she focuses provides support for organizational strategic goals and program planning as well on the Human and Environmental Security initiative, which promotes improved governance and cooperation in the delivery and use of information derived from space systems. She is also the co-chair the annual Summit for Space Sustainability. In this role, she represents herself and the organization at the United Nations, the Group on Earth Observation, and at topical conferences, events and workshops around the world.
Marc Berte is the Founder and CEO of Overview Energy, a company building space energy for Earth to deliver directable energy from orbit to the grid. His career spans mission architecture, high-power directed energy, and grid-scale energy systems, with roles at Raytheon, the Aerospace Corporation, the Missile Defense Agency, IDA, X-energy, and Orison. He has served as CTO for multiple deep tech startups and advises several fusion and space companies. Marc founded Overview to address constraints in our energy system that are now defining the AI era: access to continuous, flexible power without rebuilding the grid. He holds an M.S. in Nuclear Engineering and dual B.S. degrees in Nuclear and Aerospace Engineering from MIT.
Jonathan Johnson is the former Chairman and CEO of Overstock.com (NASDAQ: OSTK) where over 21+ years he helped build the company from a small start-up to a company doing $3B in sales. He is the lead director of The J.M. Smucker Co. (NYSE: SJM), a $12B market cap consumer packaged goods company, where he serves on the Compensation and People Committee and the Nominating, Governance, and Corporate Responsibility Committee. Jonathan is also on the board of directors of Nursa, a privately held healthcare staffing platform that connects nurses with facilities to find flexible, well-compensated per diem jobs and facilities fill shifts quickly, where he chairs the audit committee, and Bloom, a privately held social-impact staffing company that works with top English-speaking talent from around the world. He has served on the boards of numerous private for-profit companies and non-profit organizations. He and his wife Courtney have been married for 37 years, have five adult sons and five granddaughters, and live in Holladay, Utah.
Jane Sadowsky is a seasoned independent director who currently serves on three global boards: two NYSE-listed mining companies, Allied Gold (AAUC) and Nexa Resources (NEXA), and one PE-backed technology company, Scientific Games, as well as two non-profit boards: NACD NY Chapter and Art Omi. She retired from a distinguished career in investment banking as a Senior Managing Director and Head of the Power & Utility Group at Evercore Partners and is currently a Senior Advisor at Moelis & Co. In addition to her board work, Jane coaches senior executives both within Moelis and externally, and she launched a furniture business during the pandemic. Jane has authored several articles on a range of topics, all written from a governance perspective, published in Fortune, Dow Jones Risk Journal, Directorship Magazine, and other leading periodicals. She is also a frequent speaker, panelist, and moderator on governance, board leadership, and related issues. She earned her BA from the University of Pennsylvania, her MBA from Wharton, and her coaching credentials from Columbia University.
Bio coming soon
Called by Fortune Magazine America's leading advisor for the new CEO, Marc is expert in the role of the CEO and the founder and CEO of Feigen Advisors, LLC. Founded in 2007, Feigen Advisors has served over 50 chief executives. The firm’s CEO clients considerably outperform the S&P 500 and their tenure is twice as long as their peers.
Marc is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a member of the Board of the Social Science Research Council, and a member of the Board of Advisors of the Cambridge Judge Business School in the UK. He is an Honorary Fellow at St John’s College, Cambridge and has a BA with honors in History from the University of Pennsylvania, an M. Phil. in International Relations from Cambridge University, where he was a Thouron Fellow, and an MBA from The Harvard Business School.
Wilbur Ross is a prominent American investor and former government official, best known for his career in restructuring distressed companies and serving as the 39th U.S. Secretary of Commerce. While his early career earned him the nickname "King of Bankruptcy," his later years have been defined by a pivot toward the "New Space Race," focusing on the commercialization of the space industry.
Born in 1937 in New Jersey, Ross graduated from Yale University and earned his MBA from Harvard Business School.
He spent 24 years at Rothschild Inc., where he specialized in bankruptcy and restructuring. In 2000, he founded WL Ross & Co., famously consolidating failing assets in the steel, coal, and textile industries to create multi-billion dollar enterprises like the International Steel Group.
Ross was sworn in under the Trump administration. His tenure was marked by aggressive trade policies and a significant revitalization of the Department of Commerce's role in space policy.
Ross is often credited with modernizing the U.S. government's approach to the commercial space sector. He viewed space not just as a frontier for exploration, but as a massive economic engine. Ross revitalized this office within the Department of Commerce, positioning it as a "one-stop shop" for the commercial space industry to reduce regulatory "red tape." He advocated for moving the responsibility of tracking space debris and managing "space traffic" from the military to the Department of Commerce to better serve private companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin. He played a key role in international space diplomacy, presiding over agreements with countries like Australia and Luxembourg to participate in NASA’s Artemis lunar program.
In 2025, Wilbur Ross emerged as a major financial backer and strategic partner and Board Member of iRocket, a startup developing autonomous, reusable small-launch vehicles. Ross’s special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), BPGC Acquisition Corp., entered into a merger agreement with iRocket. The deal valued the company at approximately $400 million and is poised to go public under the ticker symbol IRX. Beyond just a financial investment, Ross joined the iRocket Board of Directors. His involvement is intended to leverage his government experience to help the company secure defense contracts and navigate the regulatory landscape. Ross has stated that iRocket’s "MACH-i" engine technology and 24-hour turnaround capability are essential for national security and the growing demand for "tactically responsive" space launches.
Asad Malik is an award-winning American tech entrepreneur, engineer, and inventor with a distinguished track record of delivering over $1B in critical projects for the Department of Defense (DoD). Recognized in 2023 as one of SSPI’s prestigious “20 Under 35” young space and satellite professionals, Malik is a leading figure in the advancement of next-generation aerospace and defense technology. iRocket, as a Space and Defense innovator, has signed a $642M launch services agreement with a private satellite company in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and was recently awarded a $151B SHIELD IDIQ contract for missile interceptors and solid rocket motors. iRocket's Factory ONE is located in the Long Island Innovation Park, the second-largest industrial park in the nation after Silicon Valley. Currently, Malik leads his company's strategic vision, having successfully raised $52M in funding through a combination of strategic government contracts and top-tier private investment from investors like Nova Threshold, BPGC, Village Global (Backed by Reid Hoffman, Bill Gates, Eric Schmidt), and others. A prolific innovator, he has coauthored 3 U.S. Patents, and he is the co-inventor of the Rocket Engine with Dual Contour Nozzle (U.S. Patent #18/046,790), a breakthrough technology developed alongside Dr. Jeffery A. Muss for the U.S. Space Force’s 100% reusable rocket program. Malik also developed MARQUS, a sophisticated FEA analysis and 3D design optimization tool used by the U.S. Navy PEO Submarines for hull structure design.
Malik holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from New York University and is an alumnus of the NYU Stern Endless Frontiers Accelerator (2021). He is an active member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).
With over 18 years of international and domestic space, public policy, and management experience, Krystal Azelton (nee Wilson) is the Senior Director, Program Planning at Secure World Foundation, a private, operating foundation dedicated to the secure and sustainable use of space. There, she focuses provides support for organizational strategic goals and program planning as well on the Human and Environmental Security initiative, which promotes improved governance and cooperation in the delivery and use of information derived from space systems. She is also the co-chair the annual Summit for Space Sustainability. In this role, she represents herself and the organization at the United Nations, the Group on Earth Observation, and at topical conferences, events and workshops around the world.
Joseph (Joe) Cavatoni serves as the Senior Market Strategist, Americas and Head of Public Policy, US at the World Gold Council. In this dual capacity, Joe drives the organization's engagement with US government elected officials, agencies, and think tanks to advocate for the gold market and supply chain. He also serves as a key spokesperson for the organization, promoting and educating key stakeholders on the gold industry through media and strategic meetings.
Joe joined the World Gold Council in September 2016. During his three-decade career in the financial services industry, he has developed and demonstrated expertise in the areas of global capital markets, exchange traded funds, asset management, trading, and business/platform development. He also spent more than 15 years working in Asia.
Prior to joining the World Gold Council, Joe was a managing director at BlackRock where he was responsible for iShares Capital Markets (Americas) and was a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. His responsibilities also included product development and management as well as running a global team. Prior to BlackRock, he held senior positions at UBS, Merrill Lynch and Bank of America focused on equity derivatives trading, securities financing and lending.
Joe holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from George Washington University and a Master of Business Administration degree jointly from Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
John Love is President and Chief Executive Officer of USCF. Mr. Love previously served as Senior Portfolio Manager for USCF's products, including the United States Oil Fund (USO) and United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG), the largest oil and natural gas ETFs in the U.S. Since USCF's founding, Mr. Love contributed to the firm's evolution through operations, trading, research, product development, marketing, capital markets, and more. Mr. Love is a graduate of the University of Southern California. He is registered with FINRA for Series 7, 63 and with the NFA for Series 3 and has completed his Swaps Proficiency Requirements. John is a registered representative of ALPS Distributors, Inc.
Nate is Co-Founder and President of The ETF Institute, the first and only independent organization providing ETF industry professionals and financial advisors with certification, education, and training pertaining to exchange-traded funds. Nate is also President of NovaDius Wealth Management, an ETF-focused registered investment advisor providing comprehensive wealth management. Nate hosts the weekly podcasts “ETF Prime” and “Crypto Prime”, and offers ETF perspectives at The ETF Educator blog. Nate regularly contributes to major financial media outlets including Bloomberg, CNBC, Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Barron’s.
Christian Magoon is the Founder and CEO of Amplify ETFs. Christian has launched almost 100 ETFs and helped drive widespread ETF adoption through his advocacy and education efforts. Christian has built a track record of innovative growth throughout his career by introducing new, and often first-mover, strategies to market through his alignment with leading investment managers and index providers. Additionally, Christian has pursued timely collaborations and embraced global partnerships and acquisitions to drive Amplify ETFs' expansion.
Appearing regularly on CNBC’s "ETF Edge" and other national, trade, and business press, Christian lends his insights about the latest developments in the ETF industry, sector-specific observations, as well as advancements and new offerings from Amplify ETFs.
Prior to founding Amplify ETFs, Christian served as President of Claymore Securities (now Guggenheim Investments). He led product development, marketing and distribution for ETFs, unit investment trusts and closed-end funds. Christian launched Claymore’s ETF business in 2006 and it became one of the fastest growing and most innovative ETF sponsors in the industry. Christian is also the founder of Magoon Capital, LLC.
Ryan Lee is a Senior Vice President on the Product & Strategy Team at Direxion, responsible for product development and support, as well as other strategic initiatives for the firm. Prior to joining Direxion, Ryan was a Vice President on the ETF Capital Markets Team at JP Morgan Asset Management, supporting all things liquidity for the JPMAM ETF franchise. Ryan began his career at the New York Stock Exchange on the ETF Team and holds a degree in Economics and Philosophy from Boston College.
