THE AEROSPACE EVENT –
WASHINGTON, DC

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.

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. Richard has advised numerous aerospace companies, including most prime and many second- and third-tier contractors in the US, Europe, and Asia.

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. Mr. Thomson started his career 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. 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.

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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.

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. He was also an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, teaching fluid dynamics and control systems.

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).

Dr. Thomas G. Mahnken is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. He 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. He 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. 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. 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.

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.

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. Alex Krutz, also known as the "Factory Doctor," is a manufacturing leader with over 20 years of experience in both the public and private sector, with expertise in strategy & transactions, reshoring initiatives, and business transformation. Mr. Krutz served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Manufacturing at the U.S. Department of Commerce, where he advanced U.S. manufacturing competitiveness and the America First Trade Policy. He has been quoted by leading national and international news organizations, and has delivered keynote presentations at multiple industry conferences.

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.

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.

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.

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. He most recently 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, LTG Bassett 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 (PEO C3T), where he was responsible for the development, acquisition, fielding, and support of the Army's tactical networks, a critical modernization priority.

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.