Mr. Wahid Nawabi was appointed as Chairman of the Board of Directors in September 2021. Under his leadership, AV has transformed into a disruptive force in the industry, focused on innovation, agility, and delivering mission-critical solutions at the speed of relevance. With more than 30 years of experience spanning engineering, operations, and executive leadership, he brings a rare combination of vision, technical expertise, and human-centered leadership. Since joining AV, he has reshaped the company's strategy, launched multiple award-winning breakthrough products, and led a cultural reinvention that has driven eightfold revenue growth, expanded operating margins, and outpaced industry benchmarks.
Dr. James Lewis is an author whose current work focuses on how to make American foreign policy effective, how innovation changes global competition, and how technology reshapes societies. Also, he drafted the first comprehensive national strategy for cybersecurity and developed groundbreaking policies for satellites, semiconductors, telecommunications, and internet policy. Dr. Lewis led a long-running Track 1.5 dialogue with Chinese counterparts on cybersecurity and espionage. At the direction of the UN Groups of Governmental Experts Chairs, he drafted the 2010, 2013, and 2015 Reports that led to global agreement on Norms for Responsible State Behavior in cyberspace. His government service included assignments to insurgencies in Central America, the liberation of Panama, and the first Gulf War and was also a delegate to the Cambodia peace talks, the P-5 talks on conventional arms transfers, and the negotiations that created the Wassenaar Arrangement. Dr. Lewis co-drafted the text of the Wassenaar Arrangement and was also the one who directed the first substantial redrafting of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. In support of national intelligence programs, he created policies and regulations liberalizing exports of encryption and reconnaissance satellites.
Mr. Erik Raven is a leading voice in national security matters, bringing to bear more than two decades of leadership in executive and legislative positions. Most recently, he served as the Under Secretary of the Navy from April 2022 to August 2024. In this role, he served as the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Management Officer of the Department of the Navy, comprised of more than 800,000 Sailors, Marines, and civilians, and an annual budget exceeding $250 billion. Mr. Raven led planning, programming, budgeting, and execution processes to align resources to the 2022 National Defense Strategy and the Secretary of the Navy's strategic guidance; played a critical role in designing and implementing the AUKUS Pillar 1 program to deliver conventionally-armed, nuclear powered submarines to Australia; and oversaw presidential drawdown authorities for fielding naval capabilities to Ukraine and Taiwan. Mr. Raven was designated to be the Department of Defense's Senior Defense Official for Guam, leading the coordination of infrastructure activities among numerous DoD components and liaising with the Government of Guam. Prior to his service in the executive branch, he served over 20 years in the United States Senate in a variety of positions. Previously, he was a professional staff member for the Subcommittee on Defense, responsible for oversight of numerous defense and intelligence programs. Mr. Raven also served in a variety of positions in the personal offices of three U.S. Senators, from staff assistant, to national security advisor, to legislative director.
Ms. Mackenzie Eaglen works on defense strategy, defense budgets, and military readiness and is also a regular guest lecturer at universities, a member of the board of advisers of the Alexander Hamilton Society, and a member of the steering committee of the Leadership Council for Women in National Security. Ms. Eaglen is also one of the 12-member US Army War College Board of Visitors which offers advice about academic program objectives and effectiveness, and serves on the US Army Science Board, an advisory body that provides guidance on scientific and other matters to the Army's senior leadership. In 2023, she became a member of the Commission on the Future of the Navy, established by Congress to study the strategy, budget, and policy concerning the future strength of the US Navy fleet. While working at AEI, she served as a staff member on the National Defense Strategy Commission, a congressionally mandated bipartisan review group whose final report in November 2018, "Providing for the Common Defense," included assessments and recommendations for the administration. Earlier, she served as a staff member on the 2014 congressionally mandated National Defense Panel and in 2010, on the congressionally mandated bipartisan Quadrennial Defense Review Independent Panel. Before joining AEI, Ms. Eaglen worked on defense issues in the House of Representatives, in the US Senate, and at the Pentagon in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and on the Joint Staff.
Mr. Justin Sherman is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service and a distinguished fellow at Georgetown Law's Center on Privacy & Technology and is also the scholar in residence at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, at the same time a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. Mr. Sherman has been consulted for and has advised CEOs, government officials, investors, attorneys, product managers, communications strategists, and threat intelligence teams, including in volatile, complex, and high-risk scenarios. Mr. Sherman has testified repeatedly to Congress; spoken at the White House, the United Nations, and NATO; and briefed leaders around the globe.
Mr. Teo Ozsan works closely with senior executives and investors to deliver clarity and confidence across corporate strategy, portfolio shaping, acquisitions and divestitures, and long-term value creation. Mr. Ozsan's advisory style is characterized by a pragmatic, outcome-oriented approach grounded in deep sector understanding, a dual view of clients' financial and strategic objectives, and in providing value in long-term partnership. As Managing Partner, he has a central role in scaling Renaissance's value proposition, building the firm's team, developing talent, and infrastructure, and expanding the firm's global client base. Prior to joining Renaissance in 2013, he spent a decade at Lazard, working across private equity, technology, media, telecom, and A&D groups.
Dr. Thomas G. Mahnken is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments and is also a Senior Research Professor at the Philip Merrill Center for Strategic Studies at The Johns Hopkins University's Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). Dr. Mahnken currently serves as a member of the Congressionally-mandated 2022 National Defense Strategy Commission and as a member of the Army Science Board. His previous government career includes service as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Policy Planning from 2006–2009 where he helped craft the 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review and 2008 National Defense Strategy, in the Office of Net Assessment, and in the Non-Proliferation Policy Office in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Dr. Mahnken also served as a member of the 2018 National Defense Strategy Commission and on the Board of Visitors of the United States Marine Corps University. In 2009, he was awarded the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service and in 2016 the Department of the Navy Superior Civilian Service Medal. In 2025, he received the Joseph J. Kruzel Memorial Award for Distinguished Public Service from the International Security Section of the American Political Science Association.
Dr. Eric Labs specializes in issues related to the procurement, budgeting, and sizing of the forces for the Department of the Navy and the Coast Guard. Dr. Labs has testified before Congress numerous times and published many reports under the auspices of the Congressional Budget Office as well as articles and papers in academic journals and conferences, including the U.S. Naval Institute's Proceedings, Sea Power magazine, the Naval War College Review, Foreign Affairs, and Security Studies. Also, he has given presentations to a variety of industry, government, and academic audiences. Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson awarded him the Navy Superior Public Service Award in February 2019. Dr. Labs has received CBO’s highest honor, the Director's Award for Exceptional Achievement, in 2001, 2003, 2007, 2014, and 2024.
Mr. Alex Krutz is known across the industry as the "Factory Doctor" and has a reputation for rapidly improving business strategy, quality, delivery and financial performance. During 2025, he stepped away from his business to serve as a Presidential Appointee in the role of Deputy Assistant Secretary for Manufacturing at the U.S. Department of Commerce. Mr. Krutz led the Office of Manufacturing Industries, the U.S. Government's leading advocate for advancing the competitive position of U.S. manufacturing industries in the global marketplace. In this role, he led a team of 65 trade specialists. His focus was industry engagement and analysis, supported bi-lateral trade agreements, supported Section 232 investigations, and advanced National Economic Security workstreams. Prior to his government role, he had 20+ years of leadership across diverse industries as a U.S. Army veteran and former leader at companies including Pratt & Whitney and GKN Aerospace, and trusted advisor to airframe OEMs, supply chain leaders, and private equity. Before starting Patriot Industrial Partners, he worked for United Technologies, GKN Aerospace and various A&D businesses in roles of general management, operations, supply chain and program management. His experience spans across engines, APUs, structures, composites and large complex assemblies.
Mr. John Cofrancesco is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of American AI Logistics (AAIL), a company delivering AI-powered infrastructure to federal resellers and national security partners. The company's solutions are designed to reduce operational friction and increase responsiveness across government acquisition channels. Prior to founding AAIL, he served as Vice President, Business Development at Fortress Information Security, the leading cybersecurity provider for critical infrastructure in the United States. During his time there, Fortress secured backing from Goldman Sachs Asset Management to support its expansion into federal markets and national defense. Mr. Cofrancesco led strategic growth efforts, helping the company align its cybersecurity capabilities with the operational needs of regulated industries and government stakeholders. Mr. Cofrancesco began his public service career with the U.S. Navy where he managed the Department of Defense's largest electronic records compliance program. His work sits at the intersection of national security, artificial intelligence, and federal procurement—transforming how emerging technologies are applied to mission-critical outcomes.
Dr. Caitlin Lee is a political scientist with a research focus on innovation, force planning, emerging technology and organizational culture. In her previous role at the Mitchell Institute, she stood up the Center for UAV and Autonomy Studies. Before Mitchell, she held several management and research leadership positions at RAND, including Associate Director of NSRD's Acquisition and Technology Policy program and Acting Associate Director of the Strategy and Doctrine program in RAND Project AIR FORCE. At RAND, she led several projects related to global force management and joint officer development, and supported projects related to readiness, military innovation, command and control, and special mission analysis. In addition to all these achievements, she is also an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, where she teaches a class on force planning.
LTG David Bassett (Ret.) joined The Cohen Group as a Senior Counselor in May 2024 after a distinguished 35-year career in the US Army. Most recently he served as the Director of the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA). In this role, he led a team of more than 12,000 military and civilian employees responsible for the management and administration of over 300,000 contracts across the Defense Department with a total value of over $3.5 trillion. This included the full range of Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force, Army, and Defense Agencies' portfolios from the building of surface ships, submarines, aircraft, ground vehicles, unmanned systems, and the weapons, communication, and electronic systems on them to the overhaul, maintenance, and repair of equipment and systems across the Defense Department. Over the course of his career, he has held many senior-level military positions. Prior to his role at DCMA, he served as the Army Program Executive Officer for Command, Control, and Communications-Tactical where he was responsible for the development, acquisition, fielding, and support of the Army's tactical networks, a critical modernization priority.
Mr. Eric Chase leads the defense, intelligence, security and government services practice at the firm, supporting transaction due diligence and strategy engagements for private equity sponsors, corporate clients and institutional lenders active in the defense and aerospace sectors. Prior to joining CSP Associates, he was with Toffler Associates where he helped form the emerging national security technology practice. Mr. Chase's passion for aerospace & defense began nearly 20 years ago in the Marine Corps where he served in numerous roles including the Marine Corps Intelligence Activity, the Defense Attaché Service, and the newly formed Marine Innovation Unit where he continues to serve today as the Head of Defense Engagement as a reservist in conjunction with his private sector work.
Mr. Michael Herson is President & CEO at American Defense International, Inc., a Washington, DC based Defense and Aerospace government affairs firm that represents many of biggest names in the defense industry. In 1990, he was appointed as the Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Management and Personnel, the Pentagon's senior manpower official responsible for all personnel policy and oversight of the recruiting, training, compensation, support and management of the Department's military and civilian personnel. In 1993, he was awarded the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service. On June 7, 1994, he won the Republican primary election becoming his party's nominee for the U.S. Congress in New Jersey's Sixth District and received national recognition as one of the youngest candidates in the country. Mr. Herson is a member of the American Security Project's Consensus for American Security, serves on the Board of Trustees at the Lexington Institute, is a member of the board of the Institute for Indo-Pacific Security, and is a regular guest on the Defense & Aerospace Report Washington Roundtable podcast. Defense News has recognized him as one of the top 100 influential people in US Defense, and the Hill newspaper consistently names him as one of the top lobbyists in Washington and one of the top "Hired Guns" in the nation's capital.
Mr. Byron Callan joined Capital Alpha Partners in 2010 to cover defense and broader industrials and serves as a Managing Partner. Most recently, he spent three years on the buy-side, including as a Portfolio Manager at Lion's Path Capital and as an analyst and cofounder of Perella Weinberg Partners' Aerospace Defense & Security investment fund. Previously, he served as Senior Vice President at Prudential Equity Group, responsible for equity research in the A&D sector. Prior to Prudential, he was First Vice President at Merrill Lynch where he also covered A&D stocks and was Global Coordinator for the sector. His research has been recognized by Institutional Investor magazine, where he was ranked for a total of 15 years. Mr. Callan is a member of the Atlantic Council and is a non-resident expert at Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
Mr. Todd Harrison focuses on defense strategy and budgeting, the defense industrial base, and space policy and security. Previously, he served as senior vice president and head of research at Metrea, a senior fellow and director of Defense Budget Analysis and the Aerospace Security Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and the senior fellow for defense budget studies at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. Mr. Harrison has also served as a captain in the US Air Force Reserves and held affiliations with Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs.
Mr. Robert Thomson is the Managing Director of Alderson Aerospace Consulting, a specialist consultancy focused on the Aerospace & Defense and Aviation sectors. Alderson provides support on strategy, operations and M&A transactions to corporate clients and investors, building on his four decades of experience in the A&D and aviation ecosystems. Prior to establishing Alderson, he ran Roland Berger's UK Aerospace & Defense practice for over 20 years, as well as serving as Roland Berger's Managing Partner in London. During this time, he worked for many primes, tier 1/2s, service companies and government organizations across the world. His career started at Marconi Space Systems, and has an engineering degree from Cambridge University, where he was elected to the Sir Henry Royce scholarship prior to joining Rolls-Royce plc.
Mr. Vago Muradian has been an international security reporter, editor, commentator and broadcaster for nearly 25 years. For 14 years, he was the editor of Defense News, expanding its network of correspondents to 21 countries. Also, he was the founding host of Defense News with Vago Muradian. Before joining Defense News, he was the founder and managing editor of Defense Daily International and the business and international reporter for Defense Daily, the leading U.S. daily newsletter covering the defense and aerospace industry. Mr. Muradian joined Defense Daily from Air Force Times, the independent U.S. publication covering the U.S. Air Force where he covered global operations. His career started at Inside the Army.
Ms. Kathleen Boyle provides strategic leadership to achieve enterprise growth through the development and delivery of supply chain risk and supplier performance management solutions which help customers assure compliance, eliminate supply chain risk and receive quality product on time. Starting with an internship in 1991, she has over 30 years of organizational and management experience with the Verify group of companies. Ms. Boyle is a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Governors for Aerospace Industries Association, Founding President and current Board Member of Women In Defense – Greater Los Angeles Chapter and serves as the FBI's Defense Industry Sector Chief for the Bureau's West Coast InfraGard association.
Mr. Pierre Chao brings three decades of A&D investment, equity analysis, investment banking, strategy management consulting and M&A due diligence expertise. Founded in 2019, Proteus Capital Solutions is focused on making control investments in middle-market aerospace, defense and government services companies with the strategic goal of building the next generation of mid-tier competitors in the sector. Prior to Proteus Capital Solutions, he co-founded Renaissance Strategic Advisors — a premier Washington, DC, and London-based A&D strategy and M&A due diligence firm. From 1995-2003, he was an Institutional Investor ranked A&D equity analyst with Smith Barney, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter and Credit Suisse First Boston. Mr. Chao led the #1 ranked U.S. and global A&D team every year eligible. His career began as an M&A banker in the New York and London offices of Prudential-Bache Capital Funding.
Mr. Jay Wynn has led or supported more than a hundred strategy engagements and M&A transactions in the aerospace, defense, and government services sectors. His career began as an advisor in the A&D sector over 20 years ago, working as a consultant with ANSER Corporation, serving clients at the Pentagon. Prior to founding Fairmont Consulting Group, he served as a managing director with CSP Associates where he led or played a key supporting role in transaction and strategic advisory engagements. Previous to CSP, he was with Bain & Company in their Private Equity Group, providing due diligence advisory services to clients across a range of industries.
Mr. Jeremiah Gertler provides market intelligence, analysis, and insight to private clients worldwide. Prior to joining Teal Group, he was the military aviation analyst for the Congressional Research Service for 12 years, where he testified before Congressional committees, briefed members and staff on policy, budget, technical, and other matters, and wrote and maintained reports on major military aviation programs. In previous Capitol Hill billets, he oversaw the entire defense procurement and missile defense budgets on the professional staff of the House Committee on Armed Services for FY2000 through 2005, responsible for $78 billion a year. Earlier, he served as military legislative assistant to a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. As senior fellow at the Center for Strategic & International Studies, he was principal author or co-author of major reports on Department of Defense reform and missile defense, and initiated studies on reserve component roles and missions, systems acquisition, military logistics, and Special Forces aviation.
Mr. Jeffrey Bialos is a partner in the global law firm of Eversheds Sutherland where he is Co-Head of the firm's Aerospace, Defense and Security Practice. His areas of practice include M&A, joint ventures, antitrust, export controls, foreign investment, government contracts, and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Mr. Bialos has advised aerospace, defense and other high-tech firms making complex business decisions, governance, structuring transactions and regulatory compliance. Also, he has handled the antitrust review of major defense and aerospace transactions pursuant to the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act and advised clients on the foreign acquisition of sensitive assets in defense and aerospace, financial services, and a range of other business areas. From 1999 to 2000, he served as the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Industrial Affairs and received the Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Medal. Previously, in 1997 to 1999, he served as the Special Advisor to Under Secretary of State for Economic, Business and Agricultural Affairs Stuart M. Eisenstat. Prior to this, he served as Principal Deputy Assistant of Commerce for Import Administration.
Dr. Kevin Michaels has 40 years of professional experience, including more than 600 consulting engagements for leading aviation and aerospace companies across the globe. In 2001, he co-founded AeroStrategy and successfully grew the consultancy until its acquisition by ICF International in 2011. Earlier, he was Director, Strategic Development at Rockwell Collins Government Systems and a Principal with The Canaan Group — a consultancy that co-founded the MRO Conference series with Aviation Week Network. Dr. Michaels is a globally recognized expert in the aerospace manufacturing and MRO sectors and has significant functional expertise in corporate and business strategy, M&A advisory, technology and market assessment, and cluster development. His experience spans commercial and military markets. Dr. Michaels authored AeroDynamic: Inside the High-Stakes Global Jetliner Ecosystem, winner of the 2019 Choice Outstanding Academic Title Award. In 2021, he was the recipient of the Annual Gilbert W. Speed Award for leadership across the global aerospace supply chain. Dr. Michaels co-authored Time Machines: A Modern History of Business Aviation with his colleague Richard Aboulafia.
Dr. Ronald J. Epstein actively covers Aerospace, Defense and Multi-Industrials with large aerospace components listed in the United States, Canada and Brazil. In the Institutional Investor All-America Research poll, he was ranked as a top-three analyst in Aerospace & Defense Electronics for the last 15 years and led the #1 team for the last eight years. Dr. Epstein is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, a Technology Advisor to United Airlines Ventures, on the Board of Regents of the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, an Affiliate Professor at the University of North Carolina and is a mentor for the Techstars Space Accelerator. Previously, he worked as a research scientist in applied aerodynamics technology at Boeing Phantom Works. Also, he was an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, teaching fluid dynamics and control systems.
Joanna Speed specializes in uniting prominent and influential aerospace industry leaders to illuminate pressing issues, proactively confront industry challenges, and deliver answers to stakeholders. She recently served as Chief Growth Officer of an alliance of distribution companies, providing supply chain solutions to the A&D industry, and previously was the Managing Director, Aerospace and Defense Events for the Aviation Week Network — which included the SpeedNews Legacy — where she led the launch and execution of multiple events, marketing strategies and audience engagement platforms. During her prior tenure, she emerged as a thought leader for pioneering forecasting and intelligence forums in the A&D arena. In 2022, she played a pivotal role in the successful launch of AeroOne — a groundbreaking initiative for the Aerospace Industry Association of Michigan, to unite aerospace OEMs and suppliers in the Midwest region. Also, she advised the Association for Corporate Growth - Los Angeles, particularly through the successful curation and launch of the Aerospace & Defense Middle Market Leadership Forum, a program strategically designed for dealmakers within the sector. Joanna is a recipient of the Service to the Flag Award for Industry by Women In Defense and served as President for the Women In Defense Greater Los Angeles Chapter — a subsidiary organization under the National Defense Industrial Association. She is a member of the Board of Directors of LeFiell Manufacturing, and is dedicated to serving A&D middle market companies, while also maintaining a commitment to community volunteer work. Recently, she was recognized by Business Insider as one of the top 15 most influential women in aerospace.
Mr. Richard Aboulafia joined AeroDynamic Advisory in January 2022. Since 1988, he has tracked aircraft programs, markets, and companies as an analyst and consultant. At AeroDynamic Advisory, he manages consulting projects in the commercial and military aviation field and analyzes broader defense and aerospace market and industry trends. Mr. Aboulafia has advised numerous aerospace companies, including most prime and many second- and third-tier contractors in the US, Europe, and Asia.
