Maynard Holliday
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Critical Technologies
Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering

Mr. Maynard A. Holliday is Performing the Duties of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Critical Technologies in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. In this capacity, he oversees investment and capability analysis of the Pentagon’s critical technology areas. He has oversight of 11 principal directors assigned to those critical technology portfolios and their roadmaps — the comprehensive strategies to manage, provide oversight and guide choices for each critical technology area. These critical technology areas include 5G; Advanced Computing & Software; Directed Energy; Human-Machine Interfaces; Hypersonics; Integrated Network Systems-of-Systems; Integrated Sensing & Cyber; Microelectronics; Renewable Energy Generation & Storage; Space Technology; and Trusted Artificial Intelligence & Autonomy. Mr. Holliday has more than 30 years of professional experience leading technological innovations in both government and the private sector. Most recently, he was a Senior Engineer at the RAND Corporation working on autonomous vehicle safety metrics and policy, explainable artificial intelligence, swarm robotics and drone defense.

Christopher Collins
Executive Director
Developmental Test, Evaluation, and Assessments (ED,DTE&A)
Office of the Undersecretary of Defense Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)

Mr. Christopher C. Collins is the Executive Director, Developmental Test, Evaluation, and Assessments (ED,DTE&A) within the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)). DTE&A supports the Department of Defense’s acquisition programs using innovative and efficient DT&E strategies to ensure production readiness and fielded systems to meet Warfighter/User needs; improve the Defense Acquisition T&E workforce “practice of the profession;” and advance T&E policy and guidance. DTE&A also conducts Independent Technical Review Assessments (ITRA) and Milestone Assessments for major acquisition programs. Mr. Collins was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in April 2020. Prior to his appointment, he was the COMNAVSEASYSCOM Deputy for Test and Evaluation. He has also served in various engineering and test leadership positions in the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense Program within the Missile Defense Agency. He also completed a one-year experiential assignment with the United States Air Force on the Headquarters Staff.

Dr. Kingsley Fregene
Director, Technology Integration
Lockheed Martin Corporation

Kingsley Fregene is the Director of Technology Integration at Lockheed Martin. In this role, he oversees practices for defining and executing a strategic portfolio of research and technology development activities. Prior to his current role, he was the Chief Engineer for Applied Research, guiding the execution of a diverse portfolio of advanced technology development efforts. Before that, he led the Robotics & Intelligent Systems group at Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Labs, and a variety of autonomy, sensing, and civil aviation efforts at Honeywell. Across various roles, Kingsley has led teams to develop and field systems that save lives and keep humans out of harm’s way. His work is also inspiring the next generation by featuring in the children’s books Tiny Robots (2015) and Mimic-Makers: Biomimicry Inventors Inspired by Nature (2021). Kingsley is an IEEE Fellow and a recipient of the 2021 American Automatic Control Council’s Control Engineering Practice Award. He received his Ph.D. and M.A.Sc. degrees from the University of Waterloo, Canada, and his B.Eng. with first class honors from the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Nigeria, all in Electrical & Computer Engineering.

Dr. Elizabeth Beise
Professor and Senior Associate Provost
University of Maryland

Dr. Beise is a Professor of Physics and the Associate Provost for Academic Planning and Programs. Her research in experimental nuclear physics focuses on the use of electromagnetic and weak probes of the internal structure of protons, neutrons and light nuclei, and on the use of nuclear physics techniques to test fundamental symmetries of nature.

Dr. Reza Ghodssi
Herbert Rabin Distinguished Chair in Engineering
University of Maryland, College Park

Executive Director of Research and Innovation
University of Maryland MATRIX Lab

Dr. Ghodssi is the Director of the MEMS Sensors and Actuators Lab (MSAL) in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) and the Institute for Systems Research (ISR) at the University of Maryland. He served as ISR Director for eight years. Dr. Ghodssi‘s research interests are in the design and development of micro/nano/bio devices and systems for chemical and biological sensing, small-scale energy conversion and harvesting with a strong emphasis toward healthcare applications.

Colonel (Retired) James “Jimmy” H. Jenkins III
President of the Armed Forces Portfolio
BlueHalo

Colonel (Retired) James H. Jenkins III (Jimmy) is President of the Armed Forces Portfolio at BlueHalo. Prior to that, he was the Director of Strategic Programs Strategy and Capture for Dynetics’ working hypersonics, high-energy lasers, Indirect Fire Protection Capabilities (IFPC), space systems, sensors, and other areas.

Dr. Julie Marble
Director of Intelligent Human Machine Systems
Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security (ARLIS)
University of Maryland, College Park

Dr. Julie Marble leads the Intelligent Human Machine Systems core competency. She has more than 25 years of experience in Human-Machine Teaming, Human-Robot Interaction, and Human Reliability Analysis and holds a PhD in Human Factors and Cognitive Psychology from Purdue University.

Dr. Charles Rea
Chief Technologist and Division Head for Autonomy and Artificial Intelligence
Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD)

Dr. Charles Rea is a seasoned professional with 19 years of experience in Perception, Artificial Intelligence, and Intelligent Robotic Autonomous Systems. He currently serves as NAWCAD’s Division Head of the Autonomy & AI Applications Division, leading a team of 35 research scientists and engineers in developing next generation systems for the Navy, Air Force, and Department of Defense programs. Dr. Rea plays a pivotal role in the transition to the Air Wing of the Future. He holds a Doctorate of Engineering from the George Washington University (2023), a Masters of Science in Electrical Engineering (2013), and a Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering (2008), both from West Virginia University. Charles is a NAWCAD Associate Fellow and a member of various professional organizations.

Dr. Brian Sadler
Senior Research Fellow
Center for Autonomy
Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences
University of Texas at Austin

Before joining UT Austin this year, Brian Sadler spent eight years as a science executive, advisor, research portfolio and program manager, and principal investigator focused on AI/ML for multi-agent autonomous systems, networking, and signal processing at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory.

Dr. Anuja Sonalker
Founder, CEO
STEER Tech

Dr. Sonalker is a seasoned technology executive focused on driving innovation through first principles and quick go-to-market. Leveraging my cybersecurity expertise to create offerings where security is inbuilt and cost-of-doing business. She is leading a high powered team to build Secure, Robust, Autonomous Vehicles at STEER since 2016.

Dr. Marc Steinberg
Science of Autonomy Program Officer
Office of Naval Research

Dr. Marc Steinberg is the Science of Autonomy program officer at ONR. At the basic research level, he focuses on highly multidisciplinary autonomy research that cuts across different technical areas and mission domains.