Alberto is currently a Senior Policy Advisor in the National Semiconductor Technology Center at the U.S. Department of Commerce. Prior to this position, he was a political appointee in the Biden administration serving as a Policy Advisor within the U.S. Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration’s Office of Global Markets. After graduating in 2019 from Brown University with a degree in History, he joined Deloitte Consulting’s Government and Public Services practice where he supported State and Federal Health agencies and social enterprises. He spent most of his time growing up in Providence, RI with brief periods in New York and the Dominican Republic. He attended Bronx Community College, where he built his academic foundation before transferring to Brown University in 2016. Lastly, Alberto is passionate about the intersection of the public and private sectors coming together to solve societal challenges and ensuring everyone has access to thrive professionally.

Tyra Beaman currently serves as a Watch Officer in the U.S. Department of State’s Operations Center where she supports the Secretary of State and senior Department officials by providing 24/7 monitoring and briefing of world events and crises. Tyra began her career as a U.S. Foreign Service Officer in 2019, first serving in Consulate Rio de Janeiro in the Political and Consular Sections. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, Tyra worked and studied in Latin America and West Africa as a Charles Rangel Fellow and U.S. Fulbright English Teaching Assistant, and in Georgetown University’s Master of Science in Foreign Service program. As a native of Richmond, Virginia, Tyra consistently promotes voter education and gun violence prevention through various civic organizations, including Moms Demand Action, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and the Joseph and Evelyn Lowery Institute. Tyra is a proud Spelman College alumna and is proficient in Portuguese and Spanish.

Rachel Brooks is a risk intelligence professional focused on curbing digital threats to democracy. She specializes in analyzing disinformation, hate speech, and extremism and is passionate about programs uplifting access to trustworthy information. Currently project manager at Microsoft’s Democracy Forward Initiative, Rachel supports the company’s information integrity, journalism, and media literacy workstreams. Rachel served as an intelligence analyst at Concentric where she authored hundreds of intelligence products assessing open source and dark web threats facing clients and designed trainings on analytical writing. Rachel also researched foreign disinformation campaigns targeting democracies with Army Cyber Command’s Virtual Student Federal Service and Rotary International’s Peace Fellowship. She served two years as a Fulbright grantee on Jeju Island, South Korea. Rachel lives in the Seattle area with her partner and sits on the Pacific Coast Analyst Roundtable board. She earned her B.A. from William & Mary and M.A. from England’s University of Bradford.

Jasper Campbell is a Deputy Director at ThayerMahan, Inc. where he leads a team of engineers and technicians that design and build autonomous maritime surveillance platforms for the company's defense and offshore energy clients. Previously, he co-founded a video analytics company for public safety and served on Active Duty in the U.S. Coast Guard for six years as an officer, where he led counter-narcotics operations at sea, developed coastal surveillance systems, and spearheaded service-wide tech acquisitions. His analysis on maritime and national security affairs has been featured in U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, The Strategy Bridge, RealClear Defense and The Center for International Maritime Security. Jasper graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy with a B.S. in electrical engineering.

Caleb Clemons is a Senior Analyst at the Defense Intelligence Agency, where he serves as an executive briefer to senior policymakers in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. In this role, he provides daily briefings to senior clients on worldwide developments relevant to DoD Research and Engineering issues, including microelectronics, quantum, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, space technology, and hypersonic systems. Prior to this position, Caleb served as a missile systems engineer in Huntsville, Alabama, where he grew up. Caleb earned a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree from Auburn University in 2016 and was awarded a patent for his research at the university. Furthermore, he earned a Master of Science in engineering management degree from the Florida Institute of Technology in 2020 and has completed a fellowship in nuclear nonproliferation policy. Caleb is currently assigned to the Pentagon.

Grant Cuprak is a Major in the United States Army and has spent the last four years in the Office of Net Assessment (ONA) within the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Grant leads a small special projects team that connects ONA’s decades of insights to senior-most policymakers within the DoD, the interagency, Congress, and U.S. allies. Prior to ONA, Grant led the 1st Infantry Division's Strategic Engagements Cell while on rotation in Poland from 2018-2019. He has previously deployed three times to Afghanistan. A native of Connecticut, Grant received his master’s in policy management from Georgetown University and is a graduate of the United States Military Academy. Grant and his wife, Joelle, and their three rescue dogs Geronimo (Mo), Lawrence (Larry), and Fitzgerald (Fitzy) live in Alexandria, VA.

Phillip R. Davis II is a Foreign Affairs Officer with the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, Office of Regional Security and Arms Transfers, focusing on Indo-Pacific issues. He recently completed his Presidential Management Fellowship (PMF) where he served in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. He previously completed PMF rotations at the U.S. Mission to International Organizations in Vienna and the Department of Defense. Before graduate school, Phillip gained experience in international affairs and government by working for the U.S. House of Representatives, the Federal Emergency Management Administration, and the United Kingdom Parliament. Phillip received a B.A. in international relations from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.A. in international security from the Josef Korbel School of International Studies - University of Denver. Phillip is from the DMV and lives in North Bethesda, MD with his wife, Sofia, and dog, Demi.

Sofia Economopoulos is a Manager at Economist Impact, where she leads research programs across a variety of issue areas, including sustainable energy, international trade, and childcare. Prior to joining the Economist Group, Sofia worked in government affairs for Warner Bros. Discovery and GE, and as an international visitor liaison for the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program. She holds a B.A. in foreign affairs and media studies from the University of Virginia and a Master of Science in foreign service from Georgetown University. When she is not pursuing her passion for all things Greece, she enjoys roasting her friends with impressions and training for her sunset career as a florist.

Sibilla serves as a judicial law clerk for Judge Timothy M. Reif at the United States Court of International Trade in New York. Her work focuses primarily on the judicial oversight of decisions regarding import transactions into the United States. Prior to clerking, Sibilla worked as a litigation associate at Ballard Spahr. She holds a B.A. from the University of St Andrews, where she was a member of the horse-riding team, and a J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center, where she was an articles editor for the Georgetown Journal of International Law and a fellow for the Institute of International Economic Law. She grew up in France and the United States, is fluent in French, and speaks German and Spanish. In addition to her professional endeavors, Sibilla loves the great outdoors, camping, horses, hiking, skiing, and plans to own a ranch someday.

Cedric is the Food Systems Policy Director at Food Systems for the Future. He previously served as a Special Assistant to the CEO at Food Systems for the Future, where he supported the CEO's strategic initiatives and helped lead the organization's growth efforts. Prior to this role, he led the Global Participatory Quinoa research program at Washington State University. Cedric’s leadership in global food security has garnered numerous accolades, including the prestigious World Hunger Leadership Award in 2018. He has participated in numerous White House briefings on issues related to global food security. He also served as the youngest member of the Global Agriculture Task Force of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, a fellow for the U.S. Borlaug Fellowship on Global Food Security, and a member of the Private Sector Mechanism to the UN Committee on World Food Security. Cedric holds an M.S. and Ph.D. in crop science from Washington State University and a B.S. in agricultural science with Honors from the University of Rwanda.

Matthew is passionate about the development and impact of new technologies, from the atomic to global scale. As a senior engineer at Seagate Technology, he employs AI and advanced characterization techniques to drive innovation of more cost-effective and sustainable data storage technologies. In his role developing academic-industry partnerships, Matthew fosters research collaborations with universities and research centers both in the U.S. and internationally. He is especially interested in cultivating mutually beneficial partnerships with African institutions to build science and engineering capacity and catalyze African scientific research. Matthew earned his B.S. in chemical engineering and chemistry at the University of Minnesota, completed his Ph.D. in chemistry at the University of California-Berkeley, and conducted postdoctoral research in materials science and engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Currently residing in Minnesota, he enjoys reading, tennis, strategy games, and water sports on the Minnesota lakes.

​Tina Huang is the Director of Strategic Initiatives at EqualAI where she develops key partnerships and leads programs such as the Corporate Badge Program and Congressional “Deep Dive” AI Workshop Series. Previously, Tina was the Policy Program Manager at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI), where she led programs to enhance AI collaboration between academia, industry, civil society, and policymakers. Tina also served as an AI policy fellow for former representative Jerry McNerney (CA-09) and was a research analyst at Georgetown’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET). She is a senior adviser to Girl Security, an adjunct fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and a 2022 Shawn Brimley next generation national security fellow at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). Tina is a first-generation Chinese-American, born in Alaska, grew up in Florida, and is now enjoying life on the west coast.

Corey Jacobson is the Chief of Staff at the Defense Department’s Office of Strategic Capital. He was previously Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy, whose portfolio includes the strategic capabilities of integrated deterrence: space, nuclear weapons, cyber, missile defense, electromagnetic warfare, and countering weapons of mass destruction. Prior to joining the Biden administration, Corey was the Legislative Director for Congressman Ted Lieu (D-CA) and the National Security Advisor for Congressman Henry Waxman (D-CA). A San Francisco Bay Area native, Corey graduated from the George Washington University and holds a master’s in global politics from the London School of Economics. He also serves as an officer in the United States Navy Reserve. Corey lives in Virginia with his wife, Annie, and their two children.

Allison Lazarus is the Head of Investor Relations at Anduril Industries, a venture-backed defense technology company. From 2021-2024, she worked as the company's first Chief of Staff, executing on the CEO's strategic initiatives as the company scaled from 90 people when she joined to over 2,000 today. She previously served as a professional staff member on the Senate Armed Services Committee under Chairman John McCain with a portfolio including defense science and technology, and worked for McKinsey & Company on strategy for clients in the public sector. She received M.B.A. and M.P.P. degrees from Harvard Business School and Harvard Kennedy School, where she was a Belfer Center Student Fellow and research assistant for the late Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, and a B.A. in history from Yale University. Allison is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio and currently resides with her husband and two sons in Boston, MA.

Chris Li is Director of Research for the Asia-Pacific Initiative at Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, where he focuses on U.S.-China relations, Asia-Pacific security, and technology competition. His research interests also include Chinese politics, cross-strait relations, and emerging technology. Previously at the Center, Chris served on the research staff of the Avoiding Great Power War Project and as coordinator of the China Working Group, while also contributing to the Technology and Public Purpose Project, led by former Secretary of Defense Ash Carter. Prior to joining the Belfer Center, Chris was special assistant for life sciences strategy in the Office of the Provost at Harvard and conducted research in a molecular biology lab at Massachusetts General Hospital. A proud native of New Jersey, Chris received his B.A. in biology from Harvard University and a M.A. in global affairs from Tsinghua University, where he was a Schwarzman Scholar.

Soo is currently a military analyst with the Department of Defense focusing on North Korean military capabilities. In this role, she closely tracks North Korean missile launches, evaluates developments in military technology, and assesses the tactics, techniques, and procedures of North Korea’s armed forces. Soo’s prior accounts include China’s political-military affairs and cross-strait issues, as well as the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Previously, Soo was a research assistant at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul, South Korea. She researched complex foreign policy issues and international security concerns within the Indo-Pacific region and served as assistant editor of The Asan Forum, a bimonthly journal for in-depth analysis of changes across the Asia-Pacific. Soo holds a B.A. in political science from Amherst College and a M.A. in Asian studies from Georgetown University's Walsh School of Foreign Service.

Eliza Mace leads a Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) research group within MITRE’s National Security Engineering Center FFRDC. Her team of engineers specializes in adapting state-of-the-art AI and ML algorithms to meet warfighter and analyst needs across DoD and IC missions through prototyping, experimentation, and policy development. Eliza’s recent work includes an extensive assessment of Computer Vision systems to inform government enterprise AI strategy and architecture. Over the course of her career at MITRE, Eliza has conducted research on self-supervised learning for overhead remote sensing data; mission-aligned text-to-image generation; object detection for pattern-of-life analysis; user trust and adoption of automation; adversarial attack identification; and large-scale annotation for uncooperative, open-source data. Eliza holds a Bachelor of Science in physics from MIT and a Master of Science in computer science from Columbia University.

Michelle McCluer is the Director of Mastercard's Fusion Center where she plays a pivotal role in shaping security strategy and ensuring a proactive defense posture across global operations. With a deep expertise in cyber intelligence, ethical leadership, and risk management, she is not just a thought leader but also a published author dedicated to child internet safety. Michelle's background is reinforced by her education from the Saïd School of Business, University of Oxford, and Villanova University, alongside certifications such as CISSP. She is a proud alum of The HOW Institute for Society NXT-GEN Fellowship for Moral Leadership. Her commitment extends beyond professional responsibilities into community service, where she contributes as a CyberPeace Builder and engages in multiple cybersecurity and leadership forums. At Mastercard, Michelle has been instrumental in orchestrating global security strategies, managing international teams, and responding to significant security challenges, demonstrating exceptional leadership and commitment to enhancing global cybersecurity infrastructure.

Connor McCubrey is a Vice President at Nextfed, a strategy consulting and mergers and acquisitions advisory firm specializing in national security and aerospace. Connor advises clients across industry on M&A and strategic growth in the aerospace, defense, government services, and intelligence markets and is passionate about industrial base issues. Previously, Connor proudly served in the United States Marine Corps, leading Marines as a Combat Engineer Officer and managing the legislative portfolio for the Deputy Commandant of Combat Development and Integration. He also worked on foreign policy and national security issues while serving as a Defense Legislative Fellow in the U.S. Senate. Connor earned a B.S. in political science from the United States Naval Academy, an M.A. in security studies from Georgetown University, and an M.B.A. from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. Connor hails from Marietta, GA, and now lives with his wife Kelly on Capitol Hill.

Kunal is a product manager at Vannevar Labs, a defense tech startup building tools to help the Department of Defense address the challenges of strategic competition. He previously worked on national security challenges as a military analyst in government and as a management consultant at McKinsey. Kunal holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and an A.B. from Dartmouth College, where he majored in Government and Economics.

Chandler is an Associate at Pallas Advisors. His background includes working with leading cybersecurity, space, and nuclear expertise organizations. Chandler's strategy development and operations work has been pivotal in shaping national security institutions. He also served in the U.S. Air Force for five years in logistics and maintenance roles, notably executing Operation ALLIES REFUGE, the largest non-combatant evacuation operation airlift in U.S. history. Chandler has written numerous articles addressing American foreign policy, cybersecurity, and Indo-Pacific security. He earned a B.S. in English from the U.S. Air Force Academy and an M.A. in international relations with a specialization in cyber diplomacy from Norwich University.
 

Tim Pietrack is a native of Ann Arbor, Michigan, and serves as an Active Duty Navy Public Affairs Officer. He earned his B.S. in imaging from Western Michigan University and his M.A. in communication from Johns Hopkins University. Tim has led communication efforts for humanitarian relief in the Philippines, aboard the USS Harry S. Truman during Operation Inherent Resolve, and for all U.S. Naval installations in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. In Washington, DC, he served as a spokesman for the Navy, covering warfighting capabilities, fleet readiness, budget, and acquisitions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he was assigned as the Deputy Chief of Public Affairs and Strategic Communications for the Department of Defense Coronavirus Task Force. His most recent assignment was Deputy Chief of Public Affairs Operations and lead spokesperson at United States Africa Command.

Allegra is a Program Manager at In-Q-Tel (IQT), where she works alongside IQT's government partners and portfolio companies to ensure successful solution transfer across various tech focus areas including energy, space, microelectronics, and biotechnology. Prior to joining IQT, Allegra led global product innovation in emerging markets at Nestle and served in various national security roles for the U.S. government. Previously, Allegra was a White House speechwriter and a journalist for the Associated Press. Allegra holds an A.B. from Harvard, an M.B.A. from The Wharton School, and an M.A. in international studies from The University of Pennsylvania. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and speaks French, Italian, and Russian. 

Kelsey Ritchie Frierson is an Associate at Beacon Global Strategies, where she advises clients on a range of national security and technology issues. She was previously a 2023-2024 Congressional Innovation Fellow, where she worked on Capitol Hill as a tech policy advisor focused on artificial intelligence. She previously was the Lead Client Solutions Manager for Logically AI, a tech startup that uses AI/ML to identify foreign influence campaigns online. She also worked as the Project Manager for the Online Speech Project at the American Enterprise Institute, where she organized an expert working group and public events about Section 230 and various internet regulation and content moderation policy. Previously, she worked in Deloitte’s federal consulting practice, supporting a variety of national security clients. She received her master's in global policy studies from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas, and bachelor's degrees in political science and journalism from Texas Christian University. She is originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma, and she now lives with her husband on Capitol Hill.

Rahaf Safi is a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance. Previously, she was based in the Middle East working directly with refugees, displaced persons, and host communities through international and local organizations. Her work and research focus on civil society, civilian protection, and crisis response. Rahaf holds a master’s in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government where she was a Topol Fellow at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy. She is also a Harry S. Truman Scholar and received her bachelor’s degrees in philosophy and political science from Indiana University.

Johanna Sanchez is a career Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State. She is currently the Public Diplomacy Officer at U.S. Embassy Asuncion, Paraguay overseeing the educational and cultural outreach portfolio strengthening people-to-people ties between the United States and Paraguay through initiatives and programming. Previously, she was posted at the U.S. Consulate General in Hyderabad, India where she served as a Vice-Consul. Johanna is a recipient of the 2016 Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Graduate Fellowship Program and from 2011 to 2013 served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Paraguay. Johanna received a bachelor’s degree in world politics from Hamilton College and a master’s degree in public administration from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, specializing in international development practice with a focus on technology, media, and communications. Johanna is a proud New Yorker, born in the Dominican Republic but raised in the Bronx.

Felicia Schwartz is the Financial Times' U.S. foreign affairs and defense correspondent and is based in Washington, DC. She is responsible for the paper's U.S. national security coverage, including writing about the Department of State, the Department of Defense, the National Security Council, and the U.S. intelligence community. She regularly travels with the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and the Secretary of State, and has reported from more than 40 countries. Before joining the FT in 2022, she spent eight years at The Wall Street Journal where she was the State Department Correspondent and then the Israel/Palestinian Territories Correspondent and oversaw the paper's coverage of Israel, the West Bank, Gaza, and Jordan. A native of Harrison, NY, she has a degree in history and geography from Dartmouth College.

Yulia Shalomov is the Program and Operations Lead at Our Secure Future. She previously served as associate director for the N7 Initiative with the Atlantic Council’s Middle East Programs, where she led the Center’s programmatic work on Israel and helped launch its peacemaking initiative building on the 2020 Abraham Accords. Prior to joining the Council, Yulia contributed to policy research and multilateral advocacy on peace and security issues at the International Crisis Group and International Peace Institute. She has worked extensively in the social sector on peacebuilding, human and minority rights issues, and civil society engagement. This includes a focus on gender equality and women’s political representation. Yulia holds a master's degree in international development and policy from the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy. She also has a degree in international affairs, focusing on international law and organizations and conflict resolution, from the George Washington University.

Patrick Shilo is currently an advisor in the Office of the Deputy Secretary of State focusing on the intersection of policy, process, and operations. Prior to joining the State Department, Patrick served as a special assistant on the National Security Council in the Biden-Harris administration, under Chairman Jack Reed on the Senate Armed Services Committee and on the National Security and Communications teams at Third Way, a center-left Washington, DC think tank. Patrick received a B.A. in government and international politics from George Mason University and resides in Arlington, VA.

Dillon is currently the Chief of Staff & Senior Counsel at the Virginia Department of Emergency Management. Dillon previously worked as an honors attorney with the U.S. Department of Transportation and the National Transportation Safety Board, where he was involved in national and international policy, planning, regulatory, litigation, and legislative matters. Dillon obtained his law degree from the University of Richmond, where he is now an adjunct professor of law. Prior to law school, he worked as a professional firefighter assigned to the special operations team focused on large-scale, multi-agency responses. Dillon is a graduate of Harvard's National Preparedness Leadership Initiative, FEMA's Vanguard Executive Crisis Leadership Program, and the Naval Postgraduate School’s Center for Homeland Defense and Security Executive Leaders Program. He volunteers his time as a board member and board advisor with two national organizations. Most importantly, Dillon is a proud husband, and a father of three incredible kids.

Seth is a Captain in the U.S. Army currently serving as Trial Counsel at Fort Meade, MD. In this role, he has prosecuted soldiers for offenses including sexual assault, domestic violence, aggravated assault, and defrauding the government, and advised on dozens of criminal investigations. Previously, Seth was stationed at NATO SHAPE in Belgium and in Baumholder, Germany, where he supervised internal investigations, advised commanders on the lawfulness of fiscal expenditures, and provided legal representation to soldiers who were victims of crimes. Seth holds a B.A. from Tufts University in political science and history and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. He enjoys playing violin, bar trivia, and reading historical fiction.

Madeleine Westerhout is the Chief of Staff at American Global Strategies, LLC, an international strategic advisory firm. She previously served at the White House, first as Special Assistant to the President and Executive Assistant to the President of the United States, where she functioned as the primary gatekeeper to the president. In this role, Ms. Westerhout managed the president’s calls, flow of schedule, and overall run of the Oval Office. She was later promoted to Special Assistant to the President and Director of Oval Office Operations. In this capacity, she operated as the liaison between the Oval Office and West Wing, cabinet secretaries, members of Congress, the president’s re-election campaign, national party committee, and other stakeholders. Ms. Westerhout began her career at the Republican National Committee, serving both the Finance Director and Chief of Staff. Ms. Westerhout holds a Bachelor of Science in political science from the College of Charleston.

Amanda H. Zeidan is a political coned foreign service officer and proud native of Peachtree Corners, Georgia. She is currently a Watch Officer at the Department of State's Operation Center. Her prior tours include NEA Staff Assistant to A/S Barbara A. Leaf, Human Rights Officer in Morocco, and Acting Consular Chief in Guinea. Prior to State, Amanda served in the Office of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid as a Foreign Affairs Fellow, Department of the Treasury, Financial Crimes Unit; Community Economic Development Peace Corps Volunteer in Sheki, Azerbaijan; Coca-Cola Enterprises, and the Carter Center. She holds an M.S. from Georgetown University in global business finance, where she was the recipient of Institute for the Study of Diplomacy’s Allen W. Dulles Graduate Fellowship, and a B.A. from University of Nevada, Las Vegas where she majored in political science.