Speakers

Dr. Carter Christopher is Director of the Geospatial Science and Human Security Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. In this role, he leads ORNL's geospatial science research portfolio, along with division staff and activities. Formerly, Dr. Christopher served as ORNL’s Section Head for Human Dynamics R&D where he led and integrated the Human Geography, Location Intelligence, Critical Infrastructure Resilience, Geospatial Data Modeling, and Geoinformatics Engineering research groups to address national- and global-scale challenges for National Security and Energy Security. During his tenure at the lab, he has been the Principal Investigator and Program Manager for a diverse portfolio, ranging from hazardous material routing and risk characterization to large-scale human mobility modeling, to alternative PNT solutions for the electric grid. He has also led the development of new programs in environmental security, communications security, and geospatial intelligence. 

Prior to joining ORNL, Dr. Christopher was Head of Geospatial at an aerospace start-up, and he had a distinguished 12-year career in the Intelligence Community. He spent more than 10 years at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency where he led a number of geospatial modernization programs, including AI/ML-driven object detection and mapping, cloud modernization and geospatial software-as-a-service delivery for the IC, data science and advanced geospatial analysis, and global GIS training. Dr. Christopher closed his Federal career at the US State Department as Deputy to the Geographer of the United States, where he helped stand up the Department’s enterprise GIS and led human geography and humanitarian mapping initiatives. 

Prior to Federal service, Dr. Christopher held analyst and project management roles in the geospatial private sector where he supported the US Army Corps of Engineers, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and a variety of State and Local government customers. He has a PhD in Earth Systems and Geoinformation Science, a MS in Geography and Remote Sensing, and a BA in Government. He is an active member of the American Association of Geographers (AAG), American Geographical Society (AGS), and US Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF).

Mr. Marlan Macklin is the Deputy Principal Director for FutureG in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)). The FutureG Office guides U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) research, funding, and execution of programs developing 5G and future generation wireless technologies. In his current position, Mr. Macklin is responsible for ensuring the office’s strategic alignment, overseeing budget execution, and providing program execution oversight.

Mr. Macklin’s career is deeply rooted in international cooperative defense acquisition programs. Prior to joining the FutureG Office, he served at the U.S. Mission to NATO as Chief of the Communications & Electronics Division, advising on acquisition strategies, emerging technologies, and U.S. industrial base engagement in Europe. As a Country Programs Manager within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (OUSD(A&S)) and former Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology & Logistics, he advanced cooperative programs, negotiated international agreements, and enabled foreign industrial participation with allies across the Indo-Pacific and Middle East.

During the pandemic, Mr. Macklin served as the OUSD(A&S) representative on the Secretary of Defense’s COVID-19 Task Force supporting DoD’s contributions to domestic and international COVID-19 response activities. In other assignments throughout his career, Mr. Macklin advanced Foreign Military Sales, armaments cooperation, and security assistance policy in U.S. Army organizations including the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Defense Exports & Cooperation; the Program Executive Office for Command, Control, Communications-Tactical; the Communications-Electronics Life Cycle Management Command; and the Army Materiel Command

Alejandro Moreno is the Associate Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the Department of Energy. In this role, he leads the Department’s efforts to advance the development of a wide range of energy generation, end use, transportation, and advanced manufacturing technologies. His office oversees $3 billion annually for cutting edge research across the US national laboratory system, private industry, and universities, as well as extensive partnerships with other federal agencies, state and local governments and energy sector leaders to understand and support the clean energy transition. 

Mr. George H. Ohanian is the Directorate Chief for the Warfighter Support and Production Directorate within the U.S. Army Geospatial Center, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In this role he oversees a staff of Civilians, a Military Support Team and a host of Contractors that enable geospatial wide area data collection, processing, dissemination and reach back support to the Army’s generating and operating force. Mr. Ohanian’s responsibilities include oversight and management of nine fixed wing aircraft that perform wide area high altitude mapping, Army-specific geospatial information and services production and support including: terrain analysis, digital mapping, crisis response as well as geospatial engineering reach-back support, training, and domain expertise from Theater through Brigade/Battalion levels and for the Operating/Generating force.

Previously Mr. Ohanian served as the Military and Civilian Engineering Support Branch Chief within the U.S. Army Geospatial Center (AGC), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) responsible for the overall programmatic, engineering, technical, business, and human resource functions to develop, manage, field, and maintain hardware and software products that supported civilian and military Surveyors and Combat Engineers.

While at DISA, Mr. Ohanian served as the Program Manager (PM) for the Strategic and National Command, Control Computers and Intelligence (SNC3I) Joint Systems Engineering and Integration Office (JSEIO) with responsibility for overseeing the execution of a diverse (unclassified/classified) communication, command and control portfolio which supported national level nuclear command and control communication capabilities for senior leaders. Mr. Ohanian also led the business and acquisition strategy to modernize the Global Command and Control - Joint (GCCS-J) capabilities that supported the common operational picture across all COCOM's.

Mr. Ohanian’s career has been devoted to addressing complex organizational, business, programmatic, acquisition, technical and research and development projects and programs. His background and experiences are very diverse, having served at strategic, operational, and tactical levels, in multiple industries, academia, not-for profit organizations and the Department of Defense (DoD). As such, his background and experiences allow him to view and address problems in unique non- traditional ways to deliver agile and unique solutions to end users.

Mr. Ohanian holds undergraduate degree in engineering from the University of Maryland and a graduate degree from George Washington University in Information Systems. He is DAIWA Level III certified in Project Management and holds many other technical certificates. Mr. Ohanian has published numerous articles related to optimization and application of terrain management and geospatial capabilities, technology modernization and application of novel constructs to solve complex tactical level common operational picture requirements. He has received numerous awards with the most recent being the De Fleury Bronze Medal.

He is married to Dr. Michelle Ohanian, has 2 daughters, 2 dogs, 1 motorcycle, makes great hot sauce and resides in Fairfax County Virginia.

Shafiq Rahman is a seasoned IT executive with over 25 years of experience leading program and project management initiatives across the transportation, healthcare, and higher education sectors. As Chief Information and Digital Transformation Officer at the Maryland Department of Transportation, he has spearheaded transformative efforts, including enterprise IT consolidation, cloud migration strategies, AI/ML integration, and critical infrastructure modernization.  Previously, at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, Shafiq led major technology initiatives such as centralization EMR operations across multiple hospitals, the development of the Proton Therapy Center and the deployment of automated radiation treatment systems. He holds three master’s degrees and numerous certifications in IT and management. 

Shafiq has been recognized with multiple accolades, including the prestigious “Hero Award,” and his pioneering work in telemedicine has been featured in the SAM Journal. He is widely respected for his visionary leadership, deep technical expertise, and strong communication skills, all of which have consistently driven successful IT transformations.

CAPT Daniel P. Rogers manages the Coast Guard’s Office of Data & Analytics, reporting to Mr. Campo, the senior official responsible for Data & Artificial Intelligence Strategy. The Office of Data & Analytics champions, advances, and matures data governance, data management, and advanced analytics, while coordinating Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to enhance operational effectiveness and efficiency.

CAPT Rogers is unique in that he’s the last officer on active duty having served as a District Organizational Performance Consultant. In this capacity, CAPT Rogers was responsible for assisting Coast Guard Sectors, Air Stations, Support Centers, Cutters, and Stations in the Coast Guard Seventh District (South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and the Caribbean) to improve overall mission performance and effectiveness.

CAPT Rogers reports to the Coast Guard Office of Data & Analytics after having served as Commanding Officer, Coast Guard Base New Orleans, LA, where he was the senior mission support professional for the Eighth District, which encompasses 26 states and more than 6000 personnel. He also served as Executive Officer of Base Kodiak, AK, providing mission support to the Seventeenth District, the Last Frontier. Other staff roles include program analyst for the Department of Homeland Security Joint Requirements Council and the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Military Campaign Office, where he was responsible for rapid implementation of the Coast Guard’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Strategic Plan. CAPT Rogers was also the Coast Guard’s Industrial Program Manager, where he provided policy support, integration, and business transformation of the Coast Guard’s Naval Engineering Support Units, Industrial Production Facilities, and Maintenance & Weapons Augmentation Teams, comprised of 1000 personnel at 21 facilities across the Coast Guard.

Coast Guard operational roles include service aboard Coast Guard Cutter DILIGENCE, Logistics Department Head of Sector Boston, MA, birthplace of the Coast Guard, and multiple incident responses for oil spills, Mississippi River floods, a Haitian earthquake, and Hawaiian vaccination efforts. Support roles include New Orleans Industrial Manager during Hurricane Katrina, Procurement Branch Chief of Surface Forces Logistics Center Industrial Operations, visiting instructor at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, aide to the Seventh District Commander, and facilitator for the Commandant’s Leadership Excellence and Diversity (LEAD) Council.

A native of Odessa, Texas, CAPT Rogers is a 2000 graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy with a Bachelor of Science in Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering. He holds a Master of Science in Industrial Administration from Purdue and a Doctorate in Strategic Leadership from Regent University. He is a licensed engineer, a Naval & Industrial Engineering Program Evaluator for the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, and a Committee Chair for the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying Fundamentals of Engineering Exam. He is also primary author for two books: “The Review for Professional Engineers’ Examination in Industrial Engineering, Fifth Edition” and “Leadership Devotionals for the Christian Executive”. His military awards include the Coast Guard Meritorious Service Medal (four awards), Coast Guard Commendation Medal, and Coast Guard Achievement Medal (two awards).

Dr. Sarah J. Ryker is the Acting Director of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the science arm of the U.S. Department of the Interior. Her permanent position is USGS Associate Director for Energy and Mineral Resources, overseeing USGS science, supply chain analysis, and mapping of energy and mineral resources. This includes resources’ full life cycles from occurrence to supply, demand, extraction, and trade; economic and environmental effects of resource extraction and disposal; and mine waste and energy waste as a resource. She oversees development of the whole-of-government List of Critical Minerals, co-chairs the National Science and Technology Council's Critical Minerals Subcommittee coordinating body, is a member of the USE IT Act-directed Carbon Capture, Utilization and Sequestration Permitting Task Force, and oversees Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act activities related to critical minerals, energy supply chains, and mapping.

Under Dr. Ryker’s leadership the USGS has launched the Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI) to re-map the nation’s surface and subsurface, along with multiple initiatives leveraging both AI and geoscience expertise to advance the nation’s understanding of its natural resources. She previously served as Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Water and Science in the Department of the Interior and held USGS science and leadership roles in water and Earth observations from space, as well as roles with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and Council on Environmental Quality

John Thomas is the Chief Innovation and Performance Officer for DDOT and is managing the Innovation and Performance Administration (IPA),  which drives technological integration across agencies, optimizing business processes and outcomes through advanced data analytics. IPA pioneers the adoption of emerging technologies to propel agencies toward the future while spearheading strategic asset planning initiatives to sustain agency assets. IPA comprises three divisions: Analytics, Asset, and Performance Management (AAPM); Innovation (ID); Strategic Asset Planning (SAP); Fleet Management (FM); Support Service Division (SSD) and Customer Clearing House (CCH). Mr. Thomas has more than 20 years of experience at DDOT managing operations and programs.

Dr. Shelley Cazares applies Google’s latest Foundational Models to real-world use cases in the US government. Previously she was the head of Public Sector Research at Clarifai, a startup in applied AI/ML, where she and her team trained and delivered computer vision models to U.S. government agencies for operational missions.

At the Institute for Defense Analyses, she advised the Directors of NGA Research and IARPA on their AI/ML research portfolios. On sabbatical, she served 23 days as an “analog astronaut” in a deep space simulation at NASA. At OSD CAPE, she developed data analytics tools to assess all AI/ML programs in the DoD and IC, influencing the FY19-23 POM.

Earlier, she was a Principal Research Scientist at Boston Scientific Corporation, patenting over 40 AI/ML inventions in implantable cardiac devices. She earned her doctorate in Engineering

Matt Hancher is the Director of Engineering in Geo Sustainability at Google, where he leads several engineering teams including Google Earth and Earth Engine. He co-founded the Earth Engine team in 2009 to bring Google’s datacenter computing expertise to bear on global challenges in Earth data science and related fields. In addition to managing these engineering teams, he  also works directly on applications ranging from deforestation monitoring to public health.’

Prior to joining Google, he  worked in the Intelligent Systems Division at the NASA Ames Research Center, where he was the lead developer of the NASA Vision Workbench, an open-source image processing library in C++ and led the Planetary Content Team, working with partners in the private sector to make NASA’s planetary data more accessible and useful to the world.

Beth Hartman is the Industry Executive for Federal Science and Research on Google Public Sector's Rapid Innovation Team. She brings over 15 years of experience working in energy innovation and research to the team, most recently at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

Prior to the DOE, Beth served as Chief of Staff for the CEO and a Manager on the Electricity and Energy Policy teams at Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), where she supported a variety of initiatives focused on innovation in the energy industry including the eLab Accelerator and several utility projects with ComEd, Duke Energy and others. Before joining RMI Beth spent 4 years at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) working in partnership with the DOE and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to lead the Incubatenergy Network, a community of over 20 clean energy incubators and accelerators that have collectively supported more than 500 startup companies focused on innovative energy solutions.

Matt Hutchinson (Hutch) is a Solutions Scientist at Woolpert, where he specializes in cloud-native geospatial analysis and remote sensing using Google Earth Engine and open-source tools.

His career spans academia, industry, and government, including roles at Planet Labs and Planet Federal —where he served as Product Manager, Sales Engineer, and Director of Presales—and as an Intelligence Officer at the CIA focusing on geospatial modeling and analysis. He holds a Ph.D. in Spatial Sciences from Curtin University in Australia, where his research developed an agent-based framework for intelligent geocoding.

Matt’s work integrates technical implementation, product strategy, and national security, with recent efforts increasingly focused on climate resilience and coastal monitoring.

Jeremy is a Cloud Geographer in Google Public Sector, where he enables federal, state, and local customers to leverage Google's geospatial capabilities and AI-driven earth observation products. In previous roles in academia, government, and startups his projects focused on enabling broader access to cloud-native geospatial tools and data to support decision making in agriculture, disaster resilience, and natural resource management.

Kristin White is a dynamic change-agent and executive with 20 years’ experience transforming transportation. Her philosophy is using tech for good, making government more innovative, elevating women, and leading with heart and authenticity. 

She oversees strategy and partnerships as Google’s Transportation Industry Executive. The world’s 4th largest company launched Google Public Sector to use tech to achieve public sector goals including safety, resiliency, connecting communities, and economic growth. 

The youngest Federal Highway Administrator ever appointed by the White House, she ran the country’s largest transportation agency with over $300B and 3,000 employees. Previously she was COO of the transportation tech nonprot ITS America. She’s a lawyer by trade, having worked in federal, state and local government, and started her career as a Fulbright Fellow in Japan. She’s won awards for women in innovation and government transformation. 

Born in the Black Hills of South Dakota, she’s a relay runner, yogi, hiker and dog mom and spends time on her nonprofit to elevate women in transportation innovation.