Managing Director, Logically.ai

Brian Murphy is a leader in AI and machine learning solutions, specializing in developing advanced technologies to detect harmful content across languages and platforms. As Managing Director at Logically.ai, he spearheads efforts to scale innovative threat detection strategies. 

With over two decades of service in the FBI, Murphy held positions ranging from special agent to senior executive service national manager. His extensive career spans intelligence operations in New York, Afghanistan, Algeria, and Washington, D.C., among other locations. Before joining Logically, Murphy served as both the Principal and Acting Under Secretary for Intelligence at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Murphy’s career began in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1994, with a recall to active duty in 2004 for service in Iraq. In addition to his government roles, he has been an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, teaching homeland security and domestic intelligence architecture. He is also the President of the Information Professionals Association, a non-profit dedicated to cognitive security.

Murphy is deeply involved in the academic and research community, serving on DHS’s Election Infrastructure Committee and joining Pitt Cyber as an Affiliate Practice Scholar in 2023. His academic achievements include a PhD from Georgetown University, an MA from Columbia University, and a BA from William and Mary. He is also a certified U.S. Intelligence Officer, Joint Duty Certified, and holds a Top Secret clearance. In 2023, he authored Foreign Disinformation in America and the U.S. Government’s Ethical Obligations to Respond.

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Executive Director, National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE)

Since 2012, Michelle Ciulla Lipkin has led NAMLE, transforming it into the world’s largest membership organization for media literacy. She launched the U.S. Media Literacy Week, now in its 10th year, and established the National Media Literacy Alliance, a unique coalition uniting teacher organizations across all major school subjects. Under her leadership, NAMLE has hosted eight national conferences and built numerous high-profile partnerships. Recognized globally as a media literacy advocate, Lipkin received UNESCO’s 2020 Global Media and Information Literacy Award. She is passionate about making media literacy a national priority and believes it is a crucial life skill for all.

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Chief of Research and Advocacy, USAFacts

Richard Coffin is the Chief of Research and Advocacy at USAFacts, a non-partisan civic initiative founded by Steve Ballmer to make government data more accessible and understandable. As the organization’s first employee in 2015, Richard played a crucial role in its initial development, guiding research, overseeing its launch, and shaping the product vision, content strategy, and data acquisition. His leadership has been central in evolving USAFacts into a key resource for civic engagement.

In his current role, Richard leads the organization’s research efforts, ensuring data accuracy, high standards of analysis, and subject matter expertise. He manages publications and reports that help both citizens and policymakers make informed decisions. Richard also oversees government outreach and partnerships, focusing on providing accurate, accessible data to enhance transparency and policy-making.

Prior to USAFacts, Richard was a Fulbright Scholar in Santiago, Chile, researching the effects of electoral reforms on voter behavior. Before that, he worked in corporate strategy at Microsoft and as a polling analyst at Penn, Schoen & Berland and Burson-Marsteller, honing his expertise in public opinion research and strategic communications. His experience across research and strategy drives his ongoing mission to promote transparency and data accessibility through his work at USAFacts.

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Senior Manager of Strategic Partnerships, Brennan Center for Justice

Veronica Degraffenreid is the Senior Manager of Strategic Partnerships at the Brennan Center’s Elections and Government Program. In this role, she works to advance partnerships that strengthen democratic processes and election integrity.

Previously, Degraffenreid served as the Acting Secretary of the Pennsylvania Commonwealth, overseeing state election administration. Before that, she spent six years as Director of Election Operations for the North Carolina State Board of Elections, where she led efforts to modernize the state's election systems. She managed key election program areas including voter registration, precinct administration, and voting technology, and developed North Carolina’s first voting systems certification program.

Earlier in her career, Degraffenreid spent nearly a decade as a special litigation legal assistant with the North Carolina Department of Justice, specializing in redistricting and election-related litigation.

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Reserve Chief of Staff, U.S. Coast Guard 13th District

Captain Sharon Russell brings 22 years of distinguished service to the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve. Currently serving as the Reserve Chief of Staff for the Coast Guard’s 13th District, her career includes extensive experience in Marine Safety, Port Security, and leading emergency response operations. Captain Russell has played key roles in high-profile disaster responses, including Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Irma, Florence, and Matthew, as well as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and the GOLDEN RAY capsized vessel. In 2024, she served as Deputy Incident Commander for the Coast Guard’s response to the Key Bridge incident.

Notably, she was the lead Maritime Security planner for the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida, coordinating security for 50,000 delegates and media across 27 interagency organizations. In 2021, Captain Russell led the Coast Guard’s COVID-19 vaccination efforts, achieving a 95% vaccination rate.

In her civilian role, Ms. Russell serves as Deputy Chief of the Allies and Partners Force Development Division on the Joint Staff at the Department of Defense, where she fosters collaborative force development with U.S. allies. Prior to this, she worked at the U.S. Department of State as a senior advisor, specializing in international environmental policy and hazardous materials regulations.

A native of St. Petersburg, Florida, Captain Russell holds a BA in International Relations from Emory University and two MA degrees: one in Environmental Policy from American University and another in Emergency Management from Tulane University. She currently resides in Suffolk, Virginia, with her husband Marty.

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Founder and Strategic Advisor, Inventive Insights LLC

J.D. Maddox is an expert in political warfare, and an academic, writer and former political candidate. He has served as a Central Intelligence Agency branch chief, deputy coordinator of the U.S. Global Engagement Center, advisor to the Secretary of Homeland Security, and as a U.S. Army Psychological Operations team leader. He currently consults on Operations in the Information Environment to government organizations, and consults to commercial and political organizations on strategic communications. He’s an adjunct professor of national security studies at George Mason University’s Schar School, teaching Disinformation and Policy Responses, and teaches Open Source Information Analysis at Tulane University. He also recently initiated “Tab D,” a biweekly report highlighting U.S. adversaries’ narrative vulnerabilities.

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Managing Director, Head of Global Digital Crisis, Edelman

With over 20 years in reputation management and digital communications, Dave Fleet guides global companies through complex crises, safeguarding their reputations in a digital landscape. He leads Edelman’s Counter-Disinformation Unit, a pioneering private-sector initiative against mis- and disinformation, and heads the Societal Issues Navigator, advising companies on major global events and complex societal issues. Dave is also part of Edelman’s global AI taskforce, focusing on generative AI risk resilience. He has previously led Edelman’s Canadian Digital practice and held key roles in both private and public sectors. Dave holds an honors degree in business administration from the University of Bath.

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Senior Fellow, Intelligence Program, Harvard Belfer Center

Beth Sanner is the Director of Geopolitics and Strategy at International Capital Strategies. She has held a wide range of national security positions for over 35 years, including in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Council, and the U.S. Department of State. Her last government role was as the Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Mission Integration, where she oversaw the integration of Intelligence Community collection, analysis, and programs and served as the President Trump’s intelligence briefer. Prior to this role, Ms. Sanner was the Director of the President’s Daily Brief, Vice Chair of the National Intelligence Council, and a senior executive in CIA’s Directorate of Analysis. Ms. Sanner continues to inform both business and government leaders and everyday Americans about foreign affairs through consulting, speaking engagements, writings, and as a CNN national security contributor. She also is a Distinguished Fellow at the German Marshall Fund, a Non-Resident Senior Fellow with the Intelligence Program at Harvard University’s Belfer Center, and a Senior Fellow at the U.S. Chamber Foundation.

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Co-Founder, VerbaAI LLC

Aaraj Vij is the Co-Founder and CEO of VerbaAI, a software startup dedicated to strengthening our information environment. His work focuses on combating the threats posed by mis- and disinformation in the digital age, leveraging cutting-edge AI to develop tools that empower individuals, civic organizations, and policymakers to better navigate online content. Prior to VerbaAI, Aaraj Co-Directed W&M DisinfoLab, the country’s first undergraduate-led mis/disinformation think tank. There, he spearheaded groundbreaking multidisciplinary studies on disinformation resilience and the benefits and harms of public-facing generative AI tools. 

This year, Aaraj partnered with the League of Women Voters of Illinois, Virginia, and Utah to launch VerbaAI Election Facts: a one-stop-shop for fact-checking election news. Election Facts has proven to be a crucial resource in combating misinformation during the 2024 election cycle, helping voters across the country access accurate and timely information. Aaraj’s work has earned support from Microsoft Democracy Forward, Lighthouse Labs, and the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation.

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Founder, Military Veterans in Journalism

Zack Baddorf is a national security and foreign policy practitioner with more than twenty years of experience tackling complex international issues on the frontlines of the world’s conflicts, including in Ukraine, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Central African Republic, Kashmir, and the West Bank.

He has led and executed projects for US Special Operations Command, US Central Command, the US Air Force, the US Navy, and the US Peace Corps, as well as various nongovernmental organizations and private companies.

As a foreign correspondent, Baddorf’s research and analysis has been published in the New York Times, Washington Post, Associated Press, and many other publications. He co-founded the Military Veterans in Journalism nonprofit association and serves on its board of directors.

Baddorf has received multiple awards for his strategic initiatives, creative problem solving, and ability to manage crises.

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Professor of Epidemiology, Columbia University

Katherine M. Keyes, PhD, is Professor of Epidemiology at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Katherine’s research focuses on psychiatric and substance use epidemiology across the lifecourse, including adolescent substance use, mental health, and injury outcomes including suicide and overdose.  She is particularly focused on methodological challenges in estimating the impact of technology on mental health, as well as using mathematical agent-based and other simulation models to inform public health and policy interventions. She is the author of more than 450 peer-reviewed publications, and two textbooks published by Oxford University Press: “Epidemiology Matters: A New Introduction to Methodological Foundation”, published in 2014 and “Population Health Science” published in 2016. Her work is funded by the National Institute of Drug Abuse, National Institution of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institute of Mental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Columbia University.

Connect with Prof. Katherine Keyes @epi_kerrykeyes 

Professor of Politics and International Affairs, Princeton University

Jacob Shapiro is Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University. Shapiro co-founded and directs the Empirical Studies of Conflict Project, a multi-university consortium that studies politically motivated violence in countries around the world. He also leads Princeton’s Accelerator initiative, which is working with consortium partners on three continents to build shared infrastructure to radically increase the pace of scientific research on the information environment. 

Shapiro has published on conflict, economic development, and security in a wide range of peer reviewed journals, as well as more than 100 policy articles, reports, and book chapters. He is author of The Terrorist’s Dilemma: Managing Violent Covert Organizations and co-author of Small Wars, Big Data: The Information Revolution in Modern Conflict. Shapiro has conducted field research and large-scale policy evaluations in Afghanistan, Colombia, India, and Pakistan. He received the 2016 Karl Deutsch Award from the International Studies Association, given to a scholar younger than 40, or within 10 years of earning a Ph.D., who has made the most significant contribution to the study of international relations. 

Shapiro has advised government agencies, NGOs, and large technology companies on issues related to security policy, transparency, support to academic research, and foreign malign influence. He earned a Ph.D. in Political Science and M.A. in Economics at Stanford University and a B.A. in Political Science at the University of Michigan. Shapiro is a veteran of the United States Navy.

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National Security Journalist, Freelance

Kevin Baron is a global security and politics journalist with 25 years experience in Washington, DC, as a reporter, editor, executive editor, live events editor, on-stage host, and on-air analyst. He is the former editorial director of POLITICO Live. Previously, he was the founding executive editor of Defense One overseeing the newsroom, all editorial output, live events, and media partnerships from 2013 to 2023. Baron was a resident daily Pentagon reporter for many years, traveling from war zones to world capitals, covered international security and politics for Defense One, Foreign Policy, National Journal, Stars and Stripes, the Boston Globe's Washington bureau, and the Center for Public Integrity. He is also a former national security/military analyst at NBC News and MSNBC. From 1998-2003, Baron was an international policy specialist covering issues including international education, global AIDS, immigration, and the United Nations. Baron earned his M.A. in media and public affairs from George Washington University, and B.A. in international studies from the University of Richmond, and also studied in Paris. Raised in Florida, Baron lives in Northern Virginia with his three sons. 

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Principal & Distinguished Chair of the Accelerator, LDA Ventures & Stimson Center

Dr. David Bray is a Distinguished Fellow and Chair of the Accelerator with the Alfred Lee Loomis Innovation Council at the non-partisan Henry L. Stimson Center. He is also a non-resident Distinguished Fellow with the Business Executives for National Security, and a CEO and transformation leader for different “under the radar” tech and data ventures seeking to get started in novel situations. He is Principal at LeadDoAdapt Ventures and has served in a variety of leadership roles in turbulent environments, including bioterrorism preparedness and response from 2000-2005. Dr. Bray previously was the Executive Director for a bipartisan National Commission on R&D, provided non-partisan leadership as a federal agency Senior Executive, worked with the U.S. Navy and Marines on improving organizational adaptability, and aided U.S. Special Operation Command’s J5 Directorate on the challenges of countering disinformation online. He has received both the Joint Civilian Service Commendation Award and the National Intelligence Exceptional Achievement Medal. David accepted a leadership role in December 2019 to direct the successful bipartisan Commission on the Geopolitical Impacts of New Technologies and Data that included Senator Mark Warner, Senator Rob Portman, Rep. Suzan DelBene, and Rep. Michael McCaul. From 2017 to the start of 2020, David also served as Executive Director for the People-Centered Internet coalition Chaired by Internet co-originator Vint Cerf and was named a Senior Fellow with the Institute for Human-Machine Cognition starting in 2018. Business Insider named him one of the top “24 Americans Who Are Changing the World” under 40 and he was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. For twelve different startups, he has served as President, CEO, Chief Strategy Officer, and Strategic Advisor roles.

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Cybersecurity Reporter, CNN

Sean Lyngaas is CNN’s cybersecurity reporter. He reports on all forms of hacking, along with government and corporate attempts to thwart them. Prior to joining CNN, Lyngaas was the senior reporter for CyberScoop, where he consistently broke news on election security and cybersecurity issues facing the energy, health and manufacturing sectors. Lyngaas’ exclusives on foreign interference activity in the 2020 US election were widely cited by national news outlets.

As a reporter on the cybersecurity beat for nearly a decade, Lyngaas has also worked as a correspondent for Federal Computer Week and Smart Grid Today. In 2017, he received a grant from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting to investigate cybersecurity in the nuclear sector, and his reporting on the subject spanned Europe and the U.S.

Lyngaas has also been a freelance foreign correspondent based in Ivory Coast, reporting for The New York Times, The Washington Post, BBC News and other outlets. He covered Ghana’s 2016 presidential elections for The Times, and has also reported from the Middle East for The Economist.

Lyngaas earned a B.A. in public policy from Duke University and an M.A. from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He currently lives in the Washington area and is a proud dad and husband.

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CEO, Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology

Cory Simpson brings over 20 years of expertise across government, military, and private sectors, blending national security, cybersecurity, business, law, and strategy. Recognized globally, Cory develops clear, actionable solutions for complex challenges. A U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps veteran, Cory now serves in the Army Reserve as a legal advisor to U.S. Army Cyber Command, with a distinguished military career in national security law, general counsel, and advocacy roles.

As CEO of Gray Space Strategies and the Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology (ICIT), Cory leads initiatives to enhance the resilience of critical infrastructure. He also advises CSC 2.0, continuing the U.S. Cyberspace Solarium Commission’s work, and serves on the Cyber Guild’s Board of Directors. Cory holds an LL.M. in Military Law, a J.D. from West Virginia University College of Law, and a B.A. in Accounting with a Philosophy minor from Transylvania University.

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Managing Editor, The Cipher Brief

Tom Nagorski is Managing Editor at The Cipher Brief, a national and global security publication. He served previously as Global Editor for Grid and as ABC News’ Managing Editor for International Coverage. At ABC he was also Foreign Editor, Senior Broadcast Producer for World News Tonight and an international reporter and producer. He has also served as Executive Vice President of the Asia Society. Nagorski has reported from dozens of countries, and his journalism has been honored with eight Emmy Awards, the Dupont Award for excellence in international coverage, the Overseas Press Club Award and a fellowship from the Henry Luce Foundation. 

His writing has appeared in several publications and he is the author of Miracles on the Water: The Heroic Survivors of a World War II U-Boat Attack.

Tom Nagorski is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on the advisory board of Princeton University's Department of East Asian Studies.

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Commander, 2nd Brigade, 91st Training Division

COL David Acosta is currently a student at the US Army War College at Carlisle Barracks PA. He was commissioned as an Army Field Artillery officer in May 1998 from the United States Air Force Academy. He served at various levels throughout his career from the company/battery level to Division staff and at the Headquarters, Department of the Army G-3/5/7. He commanded the 303d Information Operations (IO) Battalion, 151st Theater IO Group at Camp Parks CA for 49 months, and recently served as the G3 Information Operations (IO) Chief for the US Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (Airborne). His operational tours include Company Fire Support Officer, B/2-2 Infantry, OPERATION JOINT GUARDIAN in Kosovo, HQ Stabilization Forces IO Planner, OPERATION JOINT FORGE in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and IO Planner and Deputy G7, OPERATIONs IRAQI FREEDOM and NEW DAWN in Iraq. COL Acosta holds a Bachelors of Science in History (Russian Area) from the US Air Force Academy and a Master of Science in Joint Information Operations from the Naval Postgraduate School. He is the author of The Makara of Hizballah: Deception in the 2006 Summer War.

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CEO, Babel Street

Michael Southworth is the CEO at Babel Street.  He is an executive leader with deep experience building multinational private and public companies through growth, acquisitions, and business transformations.  Prior to Babel Street, Michael held executive roles at Transflo and Verint / Contact Solutions with a focus on AI and automation.  Earlier in his career, Michael held COO & CFO roles at Corning / MobileAccess and Lucent Technologies / Chromatis.   

Michael is a Silicon Valley native with strong technology roots and business orientation, directing companies from the start-up phase through major periods of growth and leading numerous equity and debt financings and over $5.0 billion in mergers and acquisitions.  He serves as a current Board member for multiple public and non-profit businesses and holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of California at Berkeley.

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Senior Vice President, American Foreign Policy Council

Ilan Berman serves as Senior Vice President of the American Foreign Policy Council in Washington, DC, where he specializes in regional security for the Middle East, Central Asia, and the Russian Federation. With decades of expertise, Ilan has consulted for key U.S. agencies, including the Central Intelligence Agency and the Departments of State and Defense, advising on complex foreign policy and national security issues. His insights have been valuable to multiple governmental agencies and congressional offices, and he’s widely recognized as one of America’s leading authorities on Iran and the broader Middle East, a distinction acknowledged by CNN.

In addition to his advisory role, Ilan is a member of the Associated Faculty at Missouri State University’s Department of Defense and Strategic Studies, sharing his knowledge with the next generation of strategic thinkers. Ilan is also a prolific writer, contributing to major publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, The New York Times, Foreign Policy, and USA Today, where he provides in-depth analysis on issues shaping U.S. foreign policy and global security.

Ilan has edited six influential books on totalitarianism, asymmetry in warfare, media authoritarianism, and ideological conflicts within the Muslim world. His recent work, Wars of Ideas: Theology, Interpretation, and Power in the Muslim World (2021), explores theological and interpretative influences on power structures, while Challenging Moscow’s Message: Russian Disinformation and the Western Response (2023) examines modern Russian influence operations and disinformation tactics. Ilan has also authored six books, including Tehran Rising (2005) on Iran's geopolitical ambitions, Implosion (2013), analyzing Russia's internal crises, and The Fight for Iran (2020), which addresses the political struggles within Iran. His work continues to shape both scholarly and policy conversations on global security dynamics.

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Vice President and Executive Director, UL Research Institutes

Dr. Jill Crisman is vice president and executive director of the Digital Safety Research Institute (DSRI) at UL Research Institutes.

Before joining UL Research Institutes, Crisman was the principal director for artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning modernization in the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)), chief scientist for the Department of Defense’s Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC), and chief scientist at Next Century Corp. At the JAIC and within OUSD(R&E), she worked to help modernize the Department of Defense for both agile software and AI systems. She also served as a program manager for the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) and was a founding faculty member of the Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering in Massachusetts.

Throughout her career, Crisman worked on numerous computer vision applications, including robotic navigation, satellite image understanding, 3D reconstruction from video, and object tracking through multi-view surveillance video. Crisman earned her Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering from Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania where, for her thesis, she created some of the first computer vision perception algorithms for self-driving cars.

President and CEO, The Partnership for Public Service

Max Stier is the founding president and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service. At the Partnership, he oversees efforts to provide data, insights and recommendations to the executive and legislative branches, create and deliver programs for federal leaders at all levels, strengthen and support the federal workforce, and build connections among the public, private and charitable sectors.

A former public servant in all three branches of government and a member of the Inaugural Advisory Council of the National Institute of Social Sciences, Max has authored more than 100 opinion pieces, is routinely called upon to testify on major issues before Congress and has been cited in outlets such as The Washington Post, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. He was also featured in Michael Lewis’ best-selling book, “The Fifth Risk,” and has been named “Washingtonian of the Year” by Washingtonian Magazine—an award recognizing “people who make our region better.”

Before coming to the Partnership, Max worked on the personal staff of Rep. Jim Leach, as a clerk for Chief Judge James Oakes of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and for Justice David Souter of the U.S. Supreme Court. He also served as special litigation counsel to Assistant Attorney General Anne Bingaman at the Department of Justice. In 1995, he joined the law firm of Williams & Connolly, where he practiced primarily in the area of white-collar defense. In his most recent federal role, he served as the deputy general counsel for litigation at the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

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President, GordonVentures, LLC

The former Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence (PDDNI), The Honorable Susan M. 'Sue' Gordon advised the President and National Security Council as the nation’s top career intelligence officer. In over three decades of service, at both the Central Intelligence Agency and National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Ms. Gordon was known as a visionary leader who delivered innovative solutions across a range of issues, including the formation of In-Q-Tel.

Today, Ms. Gordon is the President of GordonVentures, LLC and a leading voice in intelligence, cyber, space, and disruptive technologies as an independent director, advisor, and university fellow. Ms. Gordon also continues to shape national security as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Defense Innovation Board.

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Vice President, Safety and Security, CNA

David J. Kaufman is the Vice President and Director for Safety and Security at CNA, a non-profit organization that provides in-depth research, analysis, and results-oriented solutions to government leaders.  He is responsible for executive management, development, and execution of CNA’s work in the areas of public safety, homeland security, emergency management, and public health.  From 2009 to 2015, Mr. Kaufman served as the Associate Administrator for Policy, Program Analysis, and International Affairs at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, where he framed FEMA’s strategic direction, led development of its Whole Community Approach to Emergency Management, and launched the Strategic Foresight Initiative, exploring the impacts of global trends on disaster management. 

Mr. Kaufman is a subject matter expert for the Naval Postgraduate School’s Center for Homeland Defense and Security; served a faculty member in Georgetown University’s graduate program in Emergency and Disaster Management, and has served as a Chair and Appointed Committee and Roundtable Member for National Academy of Sciences on emergency management and homeland security issues, and in several senior positions in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).  Mr. Kaufman holds a Master of Public Policy degree from the University of Michigan; a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations, Political Science, and History from the University of Wisconsin-Madison; and is a graduate of the Center for Homeland Defense and Security’s Executive Leaders Program.  

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Professor & Research Director, Syracuse University Institute for Democracy, Journalism, & Citizenship

Johanna L. Dunaway received her Ph.D. from Rice University in 2006. She is a professor of political science at Syracuse University and the research director for the Syracuse University Institute for Democracy, Journalism, & Citizenship, in Washington, D.C. Her areas of research and teaching include news media and political communication, with an emphasis on how the changing media environment is shaping news consumption and political knowledge, attitudes, and behavior. Her publications appear in journals such as the American Journal of Political Science, the Journal of Politics, Journal of Communication, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, Political Communication, and Public Opinion Quarterly. Johanna’s recent books include: Home Style Opinion: How Local Newspapers Can Slow Polarization, published in 2021 by Cambridge University Press, and News and Democratic Citizens in the Mobile Era, published with Oxford University Press in December, 2022. Her current book, The House that Fox Built? Representation, Political Accountability, and the Rise of Cable News, is forthcoming with Cambridge University Press. Johanna was also awarded a Carnegie Fellowship in 2024 to fund her work on news and political polarization.

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