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Join us September 26 at 2 PM EST
As the USAF and USSF rise to meet the challenge of integrated deterrence, they must rely on core principles of urgency, partnership, and a culture of innovation. By combining advanced technology with collaborative efforts, the Department of the Air Force can work with traditional and nontraditional partners to address emerging threats swiftly and effectively. Commercial companies and start-ups are innovating at speed and becoming a more critical part of the military’s innovation system, but the ability to field and integrate new technologies requires agility and deep mission understanding. Join us as we talk with leaders and experts about how the DOD and industry can work together to deliver game-changing technology to the warfighter.
Speakers
Col. Elliott Leigh
Director
AFWERX
Col. Elliott J. Leigh is the Director of AFWERX and the Chief Commercialization Officer for the Department of the Air Force. He leads the strategy and execution of approximately $1.4 billion per year across the Air Force and Space Force through AFVentures, Spark, Prime, SpaceWERX, the Small Business Innovation Research and the Small Business Technology Transfer programs.
Col. Leigh entered the Air Force in 2002 as a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. He has served in numerous test and evaluation and program management roles, including Chief of the B-21 Raider developmental test program, and most recently as a Materiel Leader for the Special Programs Directorate in the U.S. Space Force, where he led the execution of a critical $2 billion space control program. Col. Leigh is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School and the Army Command and General Staff College.
Dr. John Matyjas
Scientific Adviser to the Commander, Air Combat Command
Department of the Air Force
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Dr. John Matyjas
Scientific Adviser to the Commander, Air Combat Command
Department of the Air Force
DR. JOHN MATYJAS serves as Chief Scientist for Air Combat Command at Langley Air Force Base. Previously, Dr. Matyjas was employed by the Air Force Research Laboratory and was inducted as Fellow in 2016.
Dr. Matyjas spearheaded a new NIST Lab Accreditation Program to accelerate digital capability development in 2021 and co-founded the "ACC Fed Lab" at Beale & Nellis Air Force Bases.
Dr. Matyjas conferred a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University at Buffalo, published over 100 articles with 2,300+ citations and three patents. In 2022, Dr. Matyjas was recognized by the White House prestigious Presidential Rank Award.
Barry Cornish
Vice President, Aerospace
Booz Allen
Barry Cornish
Vice President, Aerospace
Booz Allen
George Jackson
Executive Producer
GovExec TV
George Jackson is the vice president of events at GovExec – the largest and most-influential media company in the public sector marketplace. George joined GovExec in October of 2020 to enhance the scale of their events and audience experiences.
He graduated from The Ohio State University in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in English. In 2006, he earned his master’s in broadcast journalism from the University of Maryland, College Park.
George spent the first five years of his journalism career at WJHL-TV in Johnson City Tenn. – beginning as an overnight producer for the station’s 6 a.m. broadcast. He advanced to lead on-air reporter for WJHL’s 11 p.m. newscast.
As a reporter, George examined the earnings of two non-profit hospital systems, felony charges filed against a local sheriff, predatory paving companies, a health benefits backlog for local veterans, and a series of cold-case murder investigations. He received an honorable mention for Best TV Reporter in the 2011 Tennessee AP Broadcast awards and won a Best Investigative Reporting award from Media General in 2010.
George joined DC’s ABC affiliate WJLA-TV in 2012 to produce Capital Insider, which won him an Emmy award. One year later, he developed and recorded the pilot episode of Government Matters – a program about the business of government. It debuted as a weekly show on Sunday, August 4th of 2013. George led Government Matters through September of 2020, expanded its reach to a daily worldwide audience, and produced its first feature-length documentary “The Dawn of Generation AI.”
George is from Toledo, Ohio. He lives with his wife, twin daughters, and a pair of rescue dogs in Northern Virginia.
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