A highly accomplished Information Technology and Cybersecurity leader with over 25 years of experience, Oralondo L. Hicks currently serves as the Chief of the Zero Trust Program Management Office Cyber Architecture, Engineering, and Deployment at the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) at, Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Alabama.

Oralondo’ s career reflects a deep commitment to safeguarding critical national assets. Prior to joining MDA, he held key leadership roles within the Department of Defense and various Federal agencies, including Command Authorizing Official-Designated Representative (AO-DR), Program ISSM, Command Cyber Integration Director, Command ISSM & ISSO, SETA Team Lead, TASK Program Manager, Command Cyber Security SME, Information Assurance Manager, and System IA Team Lead. Additionally, Oralondo served 9.5 years in the United States Air Force specializing in Information Assurance, Network Detection, and IT instruction.

At MDA, Oralondo leads a team of cyber professionals responsible for the strategic planning, engineering, and deployment of critical cybersecurity initiatives. This includes spearheading the Agency's Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) implementation, ensuring alignment with DoD and MDA mandates and timelines. As the Chief of the Zero Trust PfMO, Oralondo plays a critical role in outlining priorities, managing inter-agency reporting, and collaborating with the DoD/DISA Zero Trust Program Management Office for external funding and resourcing.

Oralondo’ s responsibilities extend to leading the Comply to Connect (C2C) project, a key component of the ZTA rollout, and partnering with Agency Directors and Program Managers to deploy essential cybersecurity tools such as Machine Learning/Artificial Intelligence, SIEM/SOAR, DLP and Tanium. Furthermore, Oralondo oversees the deployment of MDA's communications infrastructure in support of real-world missions, ensuring secure and reliable connectivity for critical operations.

Oralondo’ s educational background includes a Master of Information Technology (MIT) with concentrations in Program Management and Internet Security, as well as a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Network Administration from American Intercontinental University. He maintains a comprehensive suite of industry certifications, including ISACA-CISA, ISACA-CISM, SANS-GSLC, FITSP-M, CCSK-CSA, Network+, Security+, CCNA, CCND, ACSA, and ITIL.

Oralondo is also a College/High School Football and Baseball referee and umpire participating in numerous collegiate Division 1 & 2 postseason series and bowl games.  He is a member of the American Athletic Conference (AAC), Conference USA (C-USA), and Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC).

Joseph “Joe” Parker serves as a Cybersecurity Advisor (CSA) with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), based in Huntsville, AL.  
As a CSA, Mr. Parker provides cybersecurity assistance to critical infrastructure owners and operators within both private and public sectors throughout North Alabama.  Mr. Parker has 31 years of service with the Federal Government; 29 with the Department of Defense in both active duty and civilian roles as a Counterintelligence Special Agent with the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) and the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA).  Mr. Parker has also served as a Task Force member with the FBI Cyber Division’s Threat Analytics and Collaboration Unit (TACU) for many years and continues this relationship representing CISA. Mr. Parker is the DoD recipient of the 2022 Intelligence Community National CI and Security Profession Award: Countering Technical and Cyber Threats.

Dr. Steve F. Pierce was promoted to senior level and assigned as the chief technology officer, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command in March 2014.

Dr. Pierce graduated from the United States Military Academy with a Bachelor of Science and was commissioned in the field artillery. His initial assignment was with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C., serving in various staff and command positions.  Subsequent tours included battery command in V Corps Artillery in Germany, Fire Support coordinator and battalion command in the 7th Infantry Division, and Operations Research/Systems Analysis team leader at the Directorate of Combat Developments, Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where he headed up the Fire Support Trendline Analysis for the chief of staff of the Army. He was assigned as a professor and course director in the Department of Systems Engineering, West Point, New York. Dr. Pierce was then command-selected to be the director of Strategic Policy and Plans and special assistant to the superintendent.

Upon military retirement, Dr. Pierce joined a defense corporation as a military analyst and program manager. Later, he entered government civil service as a senior analyst in the Space and Missile Defense Future Warfare Center before being promoted to division chief. He led key Army and joint studies to include three operational missile defense studies for combatant commanders and a homeland defense study. In his previous position as director of the Decision Support Directorate, USASMDC’s Future Warfare Center, Dr. Pierce led a directorate that included the Studies and Analysis Division, Models and Simulations Division, the Information and Computational Engineering Division, and the Cyberspace Support Branch, 2008-2014.

Dr. Pierce earned a master’s degree in industrial engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology, a Master of Business Administration in finance from Long Island University, and a doctorate in industrial and systems engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. He is also a graduate of the Air Command and Staff College and the Defense Acquisition University Senior Service College. His academic recognition includes Phi Kappa Phi National Academic Honor Society, Alpha Pi Mu Engineering Honor Society and Delta Mu Delta National Business Honor Society. Dr. Pierce was selected as a National Who’s Who Teacher of the Year for his work as a volunteer teacher of algebra and calculus in a private high school.

Dr. Pierce’s military decorations include the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal (three awards), the Army Commendation Medal (two awards), and the Army Achievement Medal (two awards). He has also earned the Master Parachutist Badge and Ranger Tab.

In 2005, Dr. Pierce was selected by the Association of the United States Army as the Department of the Army Civilian of the Year – Redstone Huntsville Chapter. He is also a member of the Army Acquisition Corps and is Level III certified in program management and systems planning, research, development and engineering.

Dr. Pierce and his wife have seven children and twelve grandchildren.

Dr. Meggan Schoenberg is the Principal Director for Integrated Network System of Systems (INSS) in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (ASD) for Critical Technologies, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)). In this position, she serves as the Department of Defense’s (DoD) senior official and subject matter expert for INSS. Dr. Schoenberg leads the DoD’s vision, strategy, and roadmap for INSS centered on tactical to strategic integrated command control and communication (IC3) systems. She oversees the strategic alignment and coordination of the Department’s more than $11 billion annual portfolio in IC3 including science and technology (S&T), prototyping, test and evaluation, and industrial base development.

Dr. Schoenberg has over 30 years of experience in both Industry and Civil Service. She has over 20 years of industry experience researching, designing, developing, and deploying IC3 technology for OSD and the Joint Staff, the United States Air Force, and commercial telecommunications. This includes deploying technology in theater to the Army Deep Operations Coordination Cell during the Kosovo conflict.

As a Civil Service scientist and engineer, Dr. Schoenberg came to OUSD(R&E) in 2022 to support ASD Mission Capabilities Mission Integration as the Chief Engineer for Joint All Domain Command and Control, Mission Digital Environment, and Nuclear Command Control Communications before assuming the INSS role in 2023.

Prior to joining OUSD(R&E) in 2022, Dr. Schoenberg led the Navy Surface Warfare Command Dahlgren Division Intelligence and Cyber Advanced Technologies Branch and Cyber Engineering Branch developing and delivering Naval and Special Force capabilities to the warfighter. As Principal Department of Navy Modeling and Simulation (M&S) Technical Advisor to U.S. Fleet Forces Command (USFFC) (2018 – 2020), she advanced critical live, virtual, constructive capabilities and policies to certify carrier strike groups for deployment; strengthened and institutionalized testing and training resource sharing; and secured funding and transition for next generation strategic capabilities. In 2018 she completed a 3-year tour as the Office of Naval Research Global (ONRG) Science Advisor to Commanding General, United States Marine Corps Forces Command, accelerating S&T technology transition and earning the Meritorious Civil Service Award. In 2015 she completed a 3-year tour as ONRG Science Advisor to Commander, Navy Warfare Development Command, where she enabled immediate transition of S&T capabilities, initiated results driven requirements and budget informing S&T experimentation programs, established a transition path for training M&S technologies, was the senior advisor to the Chief of Naval Operations Rapid Innovation Cell, and the principal technical advisor for the USFFC lead Miami Submarine investigation.

Dr. Schoenberg has successfully publicly defended her accepted dissertation in Complex Systems Governance at Old Dominion University, building on a Master of Systems Engineering from Virginia Tech, a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Penn State University. She is an acquisition professional for DoD. Most recently, she authored the “Context in Complex Systems Governance” chapter of the Masters/PhD level textbook, Complex Systems Governance Theory and Practice.