Dr. Jia Xu leads technology road mapping and development and engineering execution. Previously, he led strategic planning and business development for the same business unit. Before joining Honeywell, he worked as chief architect for UAM systems at Airbus, where he built operational architectures and business cases for UAM. Dr. Xu also held leadership positions at the RAND Corporation, driving its research agenda in AI/ML, UAS and autonomy. On the vehicle side, he has led UAS design efforts at General Atomics.
Dr. Evelyn Farkas has three decades of experience working on national security and foreign policy in the U.S. executive, legislative branch, private sector, and for international organizations overseas. In 2019-2020 she ran to represent New York's 17th Congressional District in the House of Representatives. Dr. Farkas is currently the executive director of the McCain Institute at Arizona State University. Prior to that, she was president of Farkas Global Strategies and a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States and the Atlantic Council. From 2012 to 2015, she served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia/Ukraine/Eurasia, also covering the Balkans, Caucasus, and conventional arms control. From 2010 to 2012, she was the senior advisor to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe and special advisor to the Secretary of Defense for the NATO Summit. Prior to that, she was the executive director of the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism and senior fellow at the American Security Project.
The Honorable Nazak Nikakhtar brings over two decades of experience in international trade and national security. Through leadership roles in the U.S. government and private sector, she has leveraged her valuable insights into the expansive range of U.S. and international laws, regulatory and policy processes, and federal agency resources to achieve clients' business objectives. From 2018 to 2021, with unanimous confirmation by the U.S. Senate, she served as the Department of Commerce's Assistant Secretary for Industry & Analysis at the International Trade Administration. She also fulfilled the duties of the Under Secretary for Industry and Security at Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security. As one of the key national security experts in the U.S. government, she developed and implemented innovative laws, regulations, and policies to safeguard strategically important technologies, strengthen the U.S. industrial base and protect the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States. As the head of the agency's trade policy office, she advised the U.S. government on legal and economic issues impacting critical technologies, advanced manufacturing, financial services, e-commerce, data privacy, cybersecurity, critical minerals/rare earths, and energy competition. Finally, as the federal agency’s lead on supply chain assessments, she spearheaded the United States' first-ever whole-of-government initiative to evaluate and strengthen supply chains across all strategic sectors of the economy.
Mr. Robert Thomson is a leading expert in the Aerospace & Defense and aviation sectors. His clients include many of the world's leading companies in Europe, the Americas and Asia, where he advises on strategy, M&A, program management, and operational performance improvement. Mr. Thomson's recent focus has been on sustainability and he is one of the key contributing authors to Roland Berger's "Roadmap to True Zero" and "Defence Zero", as well as working on the implications of sustainability for the supply chain. He is also an expert on strategic war gaming. Prior to joining Roland Berger in 2000, he worked at Rolls-Royce as an engineer and as an Investment Manager, in which capacity he was one of the founders of Objective Asset Management.
Ms. Abby Lilly was appointed to her current position in September 2019 and is responsible for all aspects of supply chain strategy, supply chain operations, and subcontract program management for the Rotary and Mission Systems Business Area. From October 2020 to March 2023, she assumed leadership of the Lockheed Martin Supply Chain Council and was responsible for supply chain policy, enterprise initiatives and cross business area collaboration for the corporation. Ms. Lilly brings more than 25 years of aerospace industry experience to Lockheed Martin. Previously, she served as the Vice President of Global Supply Chain for Eaton Aerospace where she had overall supply chain responsibility for 25 plants around the world. Prior to Eaton Aerospace, she was the Vice President of Supply Chain for GKN Aerospace North America with responsibility for 14 plants in North America. Prior to GKN, Abby held a number of leadership positions in Supply Chain, Operations and Programs with Rolls-Royce North America.
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. Mr. Muradian was also 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. He joined Defense Daily from Air Force Times, the independent U.S. publication covering the U.S. Air Force where he covered global operations. Mr. Muradian started his career at Inside the Army.
Mr. Matthew Cordner is responsible for A&D related activity within the global SAP Practice of HCL, including business development, bids, proposals and implementation support. He serves as Industry Advisor to client leadership, providing thought leadership and consulting for Digital Transformation initiatives. Mr. Cordner began his career at Bell as a design engineer on the V-22 program and subsequently held a variety of leadership positions in Engineering, Manufacturing, R&D, Program Management, Manufacturing Engineering, Production Control and Quality. He managed numerous aircraft, technology, process improvement and software implementation projects during his 33-year tenure at Textron. Mr. Cordner was Executive Director of Xworx — Bell's R&D organization responsible for developing innovative technologies as well as building and testing flying prototypes for Bell's next generation of vertical lift aircraft.
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. David Nolletti has 20 years of restructuring, corporate renewal, crisis management, and project management experience. He has extensive experience in aerospace, defense, distribution, consumer products, sporting goods, aerospace maintenance repair and overhaul, and general industrial verticals. More specifically, he also has deep knowledge of representing debtors and creditors in aerospace manufacturing and airline bankruptcy proceedings. Prior to joining the Riveron, he was President, CEO, and Co-founder of Cold Mountain Capital LLC., a family front office private equity investment platform focused on acquiring and managing underperforming aerospace, defense, and heavy industrial manufacturing companies. Prior to his time at Cold Mountain, he was a global marketing and market research manager at Procter & Gamble and served as a commissioned officer in the United States Army on both active duty and in the reserves.
As a Navy Supply Corps Officer, RADM Peter Stamatopoulos has deployed across the globe in submarines, aircraft carriers, amphibious assault ships, and operational staffs, and has commanded tactical, regional and global supply chain organizations charged to grow and sustain naval and joint force operations, activities, and investments. As an Admiral, he served as CEO leading eleven direct report portfolio companies consisting of 23,000 employees responsible for running Navy's Global End-to-End Supply Chain Operations for Surface, Undersea and Aviation segments. Most recently, he led the architecture and deployment of a Navy-wide supply chain reform effort which realized $2.2B in supply chain benefit with more than $709M in year over year savings yielding monetized gains of more than $7B in Fleet mission-readiness in its first three years.
Mr. Steven Grundman is a business strategist and public policy analyst to the aerospace and defense sector, work that he performs across four platforms — Grundman Advisory, a business-strategy consultancy of which he is the founder; the Atlantic Council, where he is a senior fellow; Syracuse University, where he leads the National Security Studies program; and the consultancy Renaissance Strategic Advisors, where he is an Executive in Residence. For a decade before founding Grundman Advisory, he was a Vice President and Director of Aerospace & Defense Consulting at Charles River Associates, where he was responsible for the company's multi-million dollar line of business with global aerospace and defense companies. From 1994 to 2000, he served in a succession of appointments at the U.S. Department of Defense that culminated in his assignment as Deputy Under Secretary for Industrial Affairs and Installations.
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. Prior to CSP, he was with Bain & Company in their Private Equity Group, providing due diligence advisory services to clients across a range of industries.
Dr. W. Alexander Vacca examines the competitive implications of technology, military affairs, business, and politics. He joined Northrop Grumman in 2001 in their Electronics sector and has worked and supported program captures and business initiatives in military aircraft, space, and missiles, working in California, Florida, and Virginia. Dr. Vacca has done pro bono work on matters of industrial competitiveness and capacity at the Eisenhower School, the Office of Net Assessment, and the TechAmerica Foundation, and publishes occasionally on matters of military innovation.
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, and earlier, 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. 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. From 1997 to 1999, he served as the Special Advisor to Under Secretary of State for Economic, Business and Agricultural Affairs Stuart M. Eisenstat. Previously, he served as Principal Deputy Assistant of Commerce for Import Administration.
Dr. Kevin Michaels has over 30 years of experience, including hundreds of consulting engagements for leading aviation and aerospace companies across the globe. Previously, he was a Vice President with ICF's Aerospace & MRO consulting practice from 2011-2016. Also, he was a co-founder and partner with AeroStrategy from 2001-2011 until its acquisition by ICF. Dr. Michaels is a globally recognized expert in the aerospace manufacturing and MRO sectors and has significant expertise in business-to-business marketing, customer satisfaction, M&A advisory, technology assessment, cluster development, and strategic planning. His experience spans all major market segments, including air transport, business & general aviation, and military.
Dr. Ronald Epstein actively covers companies listed in the United States, Canada and Brazil. 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.
Ms. Joanna Speed specializes in bringing together prominent aerospace industry executives to expose the issues, confront the challenges, and answer the questions facing its stakeholders. Ms. Speed recently served as Chief Growth Officer of Aeromed Group, 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 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. Ms. Speed is a recipient of the Service to the Flag Award for Industry by Women In Defense and serves as the current President for the Women In Defense Greater Los Angeles Chapter – a subsidiary organization under the National Defense Industrial Association. Recently, she was recognized by Business Insider as one of the top 15 most recognized and 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 and now 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. Mr. Aboulafia also advises numerous financial institutions on aerospace market conditions.
