Speakers

Director of the Defense Information Systems Agency Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Cyber capabilities. He is responsible for leading the acquisition, development, and technology insertion of cyber security solutions from the enterprise perimeter to the endpoint.

Key capabilities in his portfolio include cyber data and analytics, zero trust (Thunderdome), and identity management. Dr. Hermann previously led the Agency’s Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Services where he oversaw the development and acquisition of DoD-wide enterprise information technology unified capabilities, business systems, and warfighting command and control capabilities for the Department of Defense.

A retired U.S. Air Force Communications and Cyber Officer, Dr. Hermann has served in a variety of communications, acquisition-related, software, test and evaluation, information technology, and educational positions. He developed techniques for evaluating software product maturity and reliability used for major aircraft acquisition programs. He also has extensive experience teaching systems and software engineering, delivering information technology services, and leading educational departments.

As a National Defense Fellow, he published research on a normative U.S. Government response to cyber-attacks. In his final active-duty tour, Colonel Hermann led DISA’s Net-Centric Enterprise Services (NCES) program’s collaboration services team and served as the Chief of DISA’s Enterprise Applications Services Division.

After military retirement, Dr. Hermann spent several years in industry before rejoining the government in July 2016. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science with a focus on Software Engineering from Arizona State University. He is also a distinguished graduate of the Air War College, the College of Naval Command and Staff, and the Air Force Institute of Technology.

Mr. Kelly is a versatile business leader and strategist with 30 years of experience educating senior leaders in the public and private sectors on intelligence, risk, and their intersection with information and communications technologies. He is a recognized expert on the intersection of technology, policy and strategy – with deep expertise in the changing cybersecurity landscape.

During his 20 years in government as both a federal employee and a contractor, he advised executive leaders in government and industry on the strategic implications of emerging technology, cyberspace operations, global influence, and international governance regimes. He served as the Acting CIO and Senior Technical Advisor for the US Government’s Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, focused on how emerging technologies challenge current assumptions about policy, law, and economics. Within the Department of Defense (DoD), he served as Deputy Director for Cyber Capabilities, Chief of Cyber Intelligence, and as the Head of the Information Operations (IO) Policy and Plans in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence. At DoD, he was intimately involved with the establishment of US Cyber Command, the development of DoD and national policies on cyberspace, coordination of cyberspace policy and research with allies, and assessment of the threats posed by foreign investment in technology. As President of Pointweaver, LLC, Mr. Kelly works as a consultant advising multi-billion dollar commercial clients on cybersecurity, operational and geopolitical business risk, and government foreign investment reviews and mitigation plans. Over the span of about two decades, Mr. Kelly provided support to DoD, the National Intelligence Council, the Navy, the Air Force, and the Army on the future of technology evolution.

He holds an MA in International Relations and Economics from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a BA in Government from Georgetown University.

Daniel L. Richard currently serves as the Associate Deputy Director of CIA for Digital Innovation. Previously he served as the Director, Office of Cyber and Digital Policy in DDI, and prior to that he was Chief of Staff to the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency and CIA’s Senior Deputy General Counsel. As Senior Deputy General Counsel, he was responsible for overseeing all operational legal guidance and served as the Central Intelligence Agency’s Acting General Counsel from January to June 2017.

Mr. Richard was born and raised in Washington, D.C. He obtained his B.A. in History with an emphasis in Russian from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1991. He went on to get his M.A. in National Security Studies from Georgetown University in 1992 and J.D. from George Washington University Law School in 1995. After graduating from law school, Mr. Richard served as a legislative assistant for a congressman from southern Florida before joining CIA in 1996 as an analyst. He transferred to CIA’s Office of General Counsel (OGC) in 1998. Recently, Mr. Richard graduated from the National War College here in Washington D.C. studying U.S. strategy towards China.

He is the 2014 recipient of OGC’s Stewart Award, OGC’s highest honor, and for more than a decade Mr. Richard has served as an Adjunct Law Professor at George Washington University Law School, teaching Intelligence Law. He has also been a guest lecturer at Georgetown University Law School and the National War College. He is married to his wife Amy, and they have two children.

Katie Arrington will oversee the protection and modernization of IonQ’s global enterprise systems, safeguard digital assets and supply chains, and strengthen operational and cyber resilience across the company’s rapidly expanding footprint.

Her move to IonQ reflects a continued personal mission she has championed throughout her career—ensuring U.S. warfighters, government agencies, and industry have access to the world’s most advanced, secure technology.

Most recently, Arrington performed the duties of the Department of War’s Chief Information Officer, advising the Secretary on enterprise information management; satellite, communications, and spectrum capabilities; cyber assurance; and space and emerging technology policy. Earlier, as Deputy CIO for Cybersecurity, she led defense-wide oversight of cyber strategy, governance, and compliance.

A former state legislator and a longtime member of the defense innovation ecosystem, Arrington began her federal service as the CISO for Acquisition & Sustainment, where she developed and implemented the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC). She was also instrumental in bringing AI to the COVID Supply Chain efforts. Her industry leadership includes senior roles with Exiger, Booz Allen Hamilton, Centuria Corporation, and Dispersive Networks—each focused on strengthening the defense industrial base, accelerating innovation, and protecting national security.

Alex Kreilein is vice president, Product Security and Public Sector Solutions at Qualys. He leads efforts to deliver secure, resilient, and trustworthy products by focusing on vulnerability management, automation, and developer enablement. At Microsoft Azure, Alex led security and resiliency programs for mission-critical workloads. He has been a cloud-native critical infrastructure company CISO and a leader at the Department of Homeland Security. He holds graduate degrees from CU Boulder and the US Naval War College.