Speakers

Mr. Justin Fanelli is the Acting CTO for the Dept of Navy and the Technical Director of PEO Digital.

As CTO, he is chartered to measurably improve technology-driven mission outcomes within the Dept of Navy.   

As TD, the PEO is chartered to expedite the performant, secure transformation of enterprise IT infrastructure within the Dept of Navy’s acquisition apparatus. He currently serves as an Advisor for Advanced Research Project Agency – Health (ARPA-H). Recent roles for Mr. Fanelli have included, Chief Data Architect for Defense Health, Technical Director for Navy Manpower, Personnel, Training and Education (MPTE), Executive Lead for Navy's Digital Transformation in 5G and DevSecOps.  With Dept of Navy roles, Mr Fanelli’s team has recently been recognized for transforming modern service delivery including multi-billion dollars in cost avoidance and leapahead impacts with the Etter Award. Within Defense Healthcare, Mr. Fanelli’s teams delivered the first one-stop data enterprise for revolutionized healthcare and research outcomes. Previously within DOD, Mr. Fanelli has served as a Service Chiefs Fellow at the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA), Principal Engineer for Navy Enterprise Business Systems and Chief Systems Engineer for Command and Control (C2). 

Outside of the office, Mr. Fanelli teaches technology courses at Georgetown University and advises on innovation.  He holds a Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering from the Pennsylvania State University, a Masters degree in Electrical and Systems Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and is a Senior Executive Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School. He is certified in Lean Six Sigma, Agile Development, GIAC Security Leadership, Defense Acquisition University Engineering and Program Management, has served as Philadelphia Mayor’s Commission on Technology (MCOT) Board Member, North Catholic High School Alumni Association President, currently serves as an advisor to National Science Foundation startups, a partner at NextGen Ventures, a Cornerstone Schools Executive Board Member, volunteer and speaker at TechImpact and AFCEA and is a member of the Cosmos Club. His awards include National Intelligence Meritorious Unit Citation, Civilian Exemplary Achievement Award, Secretary of the Navy’s Innovation Award, Project Management Institute's Project of the Year, Federal Health IT Innovation Award and he is a two time FedHealth 100 honoree. He lives in Arlington, VA and loves book recommendations.

Dr. Jen Blum is the second black woman to ever graduate with a Ph.D. in Astrophysics from the University of Michigan. She is one of just 26 black women in the U.S. with a Ph.D. in Astrophysics. Her specialty includes satellite systems, aircraft radar, data science and A.I. technology. Her current expertise is in cybersecurity algorithm development, advanced statistical data science methodologies, and business applications of artificial intelligence. She has designed and developed application programming interfaces (APIs) for industry and government clients. Additionally, she was a senior IT strategist and helped to develop critical cyber infrastructure. Prior to that assignment, Dr. Blum worked as a government data scientist where she created machine learning algorithms for cyber security missions. She was involved in advanced cyber security technologies and business solutions for Jacobs as Senior Director Data Scientist. Dr. Blum is currently the Director of A.I. and Analytics Solutions in Warfare Systems within Mission Technologies. Dr. Blum is also a professional voice actress and has been involved in radio commercials, audio book narrations, and virtual reality stories.

Andy Green is executive vice president of HII and president of HII’s Mission Technologies division. Named to this position in 2016, he is responsible for HII’s national security solutions in the areas of C5ISR, big data, unmanned systems, electronic warfare, space, advanced modeling and simulation, fleet sustainment, and nuclear services.

Green previously served as corporate vice president of strategy and corporate development and as vice president, component manufacturing with HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding division, where he directed the manufacture of major components used in the construction of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines. He joined HII in 2011 as corporate vice president of investor relations, where he was responsible for the company’s relationships with Wall Street analysts and shareholders.

Before joining HII, Green served as vice president of investor relations at Celanese Corp. and was a managing director of high-yield capital markets at Wells Fargo, where he covered the defense and aerospace industry.

Prior to attending graduate school, Green was a manufacturing plant engineer at Eaton Corp. He also qualified as a nuclear engineer and strategic weapons system officer in the U.S. Navy, having served aboard the ballistic missile submarine USS Tecumseh (SSBN 628) and as an instructor for junior officers.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in systems engineering from the United States Naval Academy and an MBA from Duke University.

Green serves on the board of directors of The Entwistle Co. and the Professional Services Council where he also serves on the Executive Committee. He is a five-time recipient of the Washington 100 Award and was named as one of WashingtonExec’s Top Executives to Watch in 2024.

Chris Bishop is the chief growth officer at HII’s Mission Technologies division. Returning to this role in January 2025, he is responsible for defining and implementing the division’s strategy to ensure long-term, sustainable revenue and profit growth.

Bishop previously served as senior vice president and the chief growth officer at Alion Science and Technology and as senior vice president and chief growth and strategy officer for ManTech International’s Mission Solutions and Services Group. He also served in leadership positions at URS Corporation, NCI Information Systems and SRA International.

Bishop holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Virginia and an MBA and certificate in international business from Marymount University. He has completed management development programs in high-performance leadership at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.

Bishop is a former board member of the Professional Services Council, an active member of the American Council for Technology (ACT) and Industry Advisory Council (IAC), and a graduate of the ACT/IAC Partners Program.

Duane Fotheringham is the president of the Uncrewed Systems group in HII’s Mission Technologies division. He is responsible for HII’s work in unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) and autonomy software.

Fotheringham previously served as president and chairman of the board of Hydroid, which was acquired by HII in 2020. Hydroid was a field-proven technology leader in advanced marine robotics, specifically autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). He joined Hydroid in 2008 as the vice president of operations and was responsible for the research and development, engineering and manufacturing of the REMUS line of AUVs.

Fotheringham began his career in the U.S. Navy, serving as a submarine officer aboard the HII-built USS Salt Lake City (SSN 716). He then spent more than a decade with Kongsberg Underwater Technology, where he managed the company’s underwater surveillance business and held hydroacoustics, hydrography, underwater positioning, fisheries acoustics and underwater vehicle responsibilities.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Washington State University and an MBA from the City University of Seattle, as well as executive education from the International Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland.

John Bell is chief technology officer for HII Mission Technologies. Named to this position in August 2024, he is responsible for technical excellence and innovation in growth, product and services delivery, and internal research and development (IR&D). He manages the investments and teams of subject experts needed to ensure that HII remains a thought leader in its markets during the ongoing industrial and operational revolution.

Bell previously served as the technical director for Mission Technologies’ Live, Virtual, Constructive (LVC) Solutions business group. As an expert in modeling and simulation for training, test and evaluation of advanced weapons systems, he was instrumental in the development and implementation of technology solutions in advanced modeling and simulation, networking, information systems, communications and cybersecurity for global U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force enterprise LVC training programs. He served as the HII’s technical lead for the Navy Continuous Training Environment (NCTE), supporting engineering development and operations since its inception in 2006.

Bell began developing Department of Defense modeling and simulation software systems in 1995 for DARPA’s Synthetic Theater of War (STOW), which later formed the basis for NCTE’s LVC technologies. He began his career as a software developer and systems administrator supporting NASA real-time satellite data collection and monitoring systems.

Bell holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Old Dominion University.

HII is a global, all-domain defense provider. HII’s mission is to deliver the world’s most powerful ships and all-domain solutions in service of the nation, creating the advantage for our customers to protect peace and freedom around the world. As the nation’s largest military shipbuilder, and with a more than 135-year history of advancing U.S. national security, HII delivers critical capabilities extending from ships to unmanned systems, cyber, ISR, AI/ML and synthetic training. Headquartered in Virginia, HII’s workforce is 44,000 strong.