People Category: Keynote

Sarah Beaudin

Sarah W. Beaudin is Chief Engineer and Engineering Director for Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems’ E-2D Advanced Hawkeye Block II program.

In her more than 20 years with Northrop Grumman, in California and Florida, Sarah brings a wide variety of digital, technical, programmatic, and customer engagement experience to the table, on programs including F-35, X-47B, NATO AGS, B-21, E-2D, with customers including USAF, USN, DAAA (Italy), and JASDF (Japan). 

Sarah holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, with a minor in Spanish.  She is a life member of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), and was a charter board member of the Antelope Valley Section of SWE. 

Ludovic Ybanez

After his electrical engineering degree in 2002, Ludovic Ybanez joined Safran, where he held several positions in the Design Office on turboshaft and on avionic systems. He was then appointed head of EWIS R&T department before being seconded to IRT Saint Exupery, a French research institute, as head of electrical power technologies for future electrical Aircraft. In 2019, he joined Airbus’ central research & technology in Germany before joining, in 2020, Airbus UpNext as head of ASCEND demonstrator focused on the potential and feasibility of cryogenic and superconducting technologies for aircraft electric propulsion. In addition, he is Managing director of Airbus Exo Zero Emissions SAS.

Diana Siegel

Diana Siegel is the Chief Financial Officer for Electra.Aero, a developer of a hybrid-electric, ultra-short takeoff and landing aircraft able to take off and land independent of traditional airports within soccer field-sized spaces, such as barges or converted parking lots.

Prior to joining Electra, Diana led the commercial programs team at Aurora Flight Sciences where she developed Aurora’s advanced air mobility programs portfolio from its beginnings to a 150+ person team, which included the build and flight test of a full-scale eVTOL demonstrator for parent company, Boeing. Learnings from eVTOL technology convinced Diana of the need to find a more energy efficient and cost-effective way to move people than vertical lift aircraft could, to truly impact how many of us travel today. Electra’s blown-lift eSTOL provides that opportunity. She co-led Electra’s initial customer outreach, that to date has yielded a pre-order book of 1000+ aircraft.

Prior to joining the advanced air mobility industry, Diana was a management consultant with BCG, and worked in product development and systems engineering roles for Airbus Group’s MBDA, Lufthansa-Technik, and avionics developer, Avidyne.

She holds a Masters in Aero/Astro from MIT’s and a Bachelors in Electrical Engineering from the University of Queensland.

Thomas Browning

Thomas Browning serves as the Deputy Chief Technology Officer for Mission Capabilities (DCTO(MC)) in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E).  In this role, he directs an organization whose mission is to accelerate the development and integration of new technology to maintain United States’ technological superiority. His responsibilities include identifying, incubating, and transitioning technologies, systems, and system of systems that close time-critical gaps in high-priority, multi-component missions. He is focused on driving down technical risk, gaining Warfighter feedback to better inform requirements, and ensuring that concepts transitioning into acquisition provide needed capability are timely and affordable.

Prior to assuming his current duties, Mr. Browning served as the Director of the Adaptive Capabilities Office (ACO), at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).  In this role, he worked to develop architectural solutions that combined new technologies with new warfighting constructs to address critical National Security challenges. He worked closely with the Services and employed Department of Defense (DoD) wide advanced research and development discoveries to enable joint lethality in contested environments.  He served as the DARPA lead representative for two multi-organization efforts: Assault Breaker II Initiative (ABII) and the Technology Development Working Group (TDWG).

Mr. Browning is a 30-year United States Air Force veteran, retiring at the rank of Colonel as Director of the Combat Air Force Special Access Programs Management Office (CAF SAPMO) – responsible for cradle-to-grave management and execution of the $25B+ CAF SAP portfolio.  He also was direct SAP representative to six United States Air Force Major Command commanders.  Prior to that, he accumulated over 3500 hours across numerous assignments in the F-15A/B/C/D and T-38 aircraft, and commanded at the Squadron and Group levels.  He supported Headquarters North American Aerospace Command (NORAD) as Chief of Battle Management Operations and Executive Officer, performing duties as Commander’s Battle Staff Executive during the events of 9/11. He also served as Deputy Commander for all United States Air Force Forces in Iraq (9 AETF-I) during the final year of OPERATION NEW DAWN.

Mr. Browning is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and holds a Master of Strategic Studies from the Air War College, a Master of Military Operational Art and Science from the Air Command and Staff College, and a Master of Aeronautical Science and Aerospace Management from Embry Riddle University.

Official Bio

Bryan Rosselli

Bryan Rosselli is vice president of Business Transformation & Execution at Raytheon Missiles & Defense, a business of Raytheon Technologies. He leads a team responsible for optimizing operations of the business with a focus on integrating teams, tools and processes across functions, enriching customer value streams and driving execution across the product lifecycle.

Previously, Rosselli served as vice president of Strategic Missile Defense, leading a business area that aligns defense work to all Missile Defense Agency programs, providing advanced missile defense technologies that enable systems to see farther and guide interceptors to their targets with even greater precision. He also served as vice president of Mission Systems and Sensors at Raytheon’s Integrated Defense Systems business prior to the company’s merger with United Technologies Corporation in 2020.

Rosselli is an experienced engineer and program leader with a background in both ground and airborne radars, as well as product operations, systems engineering and test for a diverse range of domestic and international customers.

He holds a bachelor’s degrees in physics and mechanical engineering from Washington University, a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Loyola Marymount University and an MBA from the University of Southern California.

Official Bio

The Honorable Heidi Shyu

Ms. Heidi Shyu is the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)). In this role, she serves as the Chief Technology Officer for the Department of Defense (DoD), mandated with ensuring the technological superiority of the U.S. military, and is responsible for the research, development, and prototyping activities across the DoD enterprise. She also oversees the activities of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), the Space Development Agency (SDA), the DoD Laboratory and Engineering Center enterprise, and the Under Secretariat staff focused on developing advanced technology and capability for the U.S. military.

Previously, she served as the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology (ASA(ALT)), from September 2012 to January 2016. Prior to this, she was Acting ASA(ALT) beginning in June 2011 and appointed the Principal Deputy in November 2010. As the ASA(ALT), she served as the Army Acquisition Executive, the Senior Procurement Executive, the Science Advisor to the Secretary of the Army, and the Army’s Senior Research and Development official. She had principal responsibility for all Department of the Army matters related to logistics. Ms. Shyu also led the execution of the Army’s acquisition function and the acquisition management system. Her responsibilities included providing oversight for the life cycle management and sustainment of Army weapons systems and equipment from research and development through test and evaluation, acquisition, logistics, fielding, and disposition.

Prior to her government service, Ms. Shyu was the Vice President of Technology Strategy for Raytheon Company’s Space and Airborne Systems.

Ms. Shyu holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mathematics from the University of New Brunswick (UNB) in Canada, a Master of Science Degree in Mathematics from the University of Toronto, Master of Science Degree in System Science (Electrical Engineering) from UCLA, and the Engineer Degree from UCLA. She received an Honorary Doctorate of Science from the UNB. She is also a graduate of the UCLA Executive Management Course Program.

A member of the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board from 2000 to 2010, she served as the Vice Chairman from 2003 to 2005 and Chairman from 2005 to 2008. Ms. Shyu is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and AIAA Honorary Fellow.

Official Bio

Peter Green

Peter F. Green has served as deputy laboratory director for Science and Technology and chief research officer of NREL and senior vice president of the Alliance for Sustainable Energy—the company that operates NREL for the U.S. Department of Energy—since 2016.

In his role as deputy laboratory director for Science and Technology, Green is responsible for NREL’s science and research goals, strengthening the laboratory’s core capabilities, and enhancing NREL’s research portfolio. In addition, he oversees the Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program, NREL-university interactions, and the postdoctoral research program.

Prior to his appointment at NREL, Green spent 20 years in academia and 11 years at Sandia National Laboratories, where his professional career began in 1985. He moved from Sandia to The University of Texas in 1996, where he became the B.F. Goodrich Endowed Professor of Materials Engineering and a professor of chemical engineering. In 2005, he was recruited to the University of Michigan to become chair of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. He was also the Vincent T. and Gloria M. Gorguze Endowed Professor of Engineering as well as professor of chemical engineering, applied physics, and macromolecular science and technology. He served as director of a DOE Energy Frontiers Research Center: Center for Solar and Thermal Energy Conversion.

Green’s prior leadership experience includes serving as president of the Materials Research Society (MRS). He has been a member of advisory boards for the national academies, national laboratories, and universities.

His awards include election to the position of fellow of a number of societies: MRS, American Physical Society, American Ceramics Society, Royal Society of Chemistry, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Other recognition includes inaugural editor in chief, MRS Communications; National Science Foundation Creativity Extension Award; divisional associate editor, Physical Review Letters; and “Outstanding Referee” for the Journals of the American Physical Society.

He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in physics from Hunter College and a master’s and doctorate in materials science and engineering from Cornell University.

Will Roper

For three years, Dr. Will Roper served as the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics. In this role, he led all research, development, procurement, and logistics for both the U.S. Air Force and Space Force: an annual budget totaling $60 billion. But he is best known for accelerating acquisition timelines and fostering disruptive innovation inside of government.

While at the Air Force, Will took large strides in opening defense market opportunities to commercial companies, spearheading initiatives like AFWERX and Small Business Innovative Research reform that connected 2,300 tech companies with military problems and associated contracts. He also led Department-wide technology transformations for software, artificial intelligence (AI), and digital engineering and initiated high-tech programs for hypersonic weapons, autonomous drones, advanced satellites and rockets, and a militarized internet of things (IoT), all while overseeing the day-to-day readiness of over 5,300 military aircraft and satellites. 

Prior to departing the Air Force, he demonstrated the first use of AI on a military weapon system (the U-2 spy plane) and first IoT kill chain, downing a cruise missile with inexpensive artillery. He also led the turnaround of the troubled KC- 46 tanker program by redesigning its critical 3D vision system. But in addition to technology, Will was equally passionate about competing for talent, updating 50-year-old body standards for all Air Force programs to increase accessibility for women and people of color to pursue military careers.

Earlier in his career, Dr. Roper was the founding Director of the Pentagon’s Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO), growing this once-classified innovation office from $50 million to $1.6 billion annually. Solving the military’s most pressing problems, his programs spanned concepts like artillery-based missile defense, multi-domain missiles, smartphone-navigating weapons, big-data-enabled sensing, standoff arsenal planes, autonomous wingmen, and swarming drones—including the world’s largest drone swarm demonstration in 2017. During his tenure as Director, he transitioned over three fourths of SCO’s programs into military programs and served as the Principal Staff Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for disruption and innovation.

Will has a bachelor’s and master’s in physics from Georgia Tech and a doctorate
in mathematics from Oxford, where he studied string theory as a Rhodes
Scholar.

Jean Botti

Jean Botti is the CEO of VoltAero SA and of Cassiollc, and former CTO of Airbus.

From March 2016 until March 2017 he was Chief Innovation and Strategy Officer at Philips NV. In Netherlands.

From May 2006 to March 2016 he was Airbus Group Chief Technical Officer. Botti began his professional career at Renault in 1978 before joining the Chassis Engineering division of General Motors in the U.S. in 1989. Upon his return to France in 1992, Botti was appointed General Motors’ Director of European Engineering for chassis components. In 1997, he returned to the U.S. to take over the reins of the Delphi Corporation’s Customer Solution Center, a position he held until 2002.

From 2002 to 2004, he managed Delphi’s new corporate Dynamics, Propulsion and Thermal Innovation Center as Chief Technical Officer. He rounded out his time at Delphi as the Business Line Executive for the Powertrain product line, before joining Airbus Group in 2006.

As of 2017, Botti held 31 patents and four defensive publications for the work carried out over the course of his career, and was elected as a Delphi Hall of Fame fellow. He also received the General Motors President’s Council Award in 1998, and was named a fellow of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE).

Botti graduated from the National Institute of Applied Sciences (INSA) in Toulouse, France, in 1986, with a degree in mechanical engineering. He pursued further studies  in the U.S., where he earned an MBA from Central Michigan University and a degree in Research and Development Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), both in 1991. In addition, he was awarded a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the National Conservatory of Arts and Trades (CNAM) Paris in 1995, in collaboration with the University of Michigan. Botti was awarded honorary degrees from Bath University and Cardiff University in 2010 and 2012 respectively, both in the U.K., as well as from the U.S´s University of South Alabama in 2014.

Botti has been involved with a number of research organisations. Since 2014, he has been serving as a Senator of the acatech German Academy of Science and Engineering, advising the institution on strategic matters. In 2013, Botti joined the French National Air and Space Academy. He became a member of the National Academy of Technologies of France in 2011, where he provided important insights into new technologies – in particular to the Energy Committee – and was an active contributor to Academy reports promoting technology in training programmes.

Botti also served with the European Research Area Board (ERAB) as the representative for aeronautics and space. In addition, he served as a member of the Federation of German Industries’ (BDI) Technical Committee.

He received   in 2016the Medal of Honor from the French Civil Aviation Organization ( DGAC).

He is a recipient of the French Legion d’Honneur (Chevalier).

Bran Ferren

 

One of Fast Company’s “100 Most Creative People in Business,” Bran Ferren is a master of the arts & sciences. Equal parts artist + designer & scientist + engineer, he is an expert on leveraging curiosity and creativity to inspire innovation. His 2014 TED Talk entitled “To Create for the Ages, Let’s Combine Art and Engineering” has been translated into 27 languages and viewed over a million times.

Bran is co-founder and chief creative officer of Applied Minds LLC, a company that for 20 years has provided advanced technology, creative design, and consulting services to both commercial and government clients. At Applied Minds, past and present clients include Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Cubic Corporation, Boeing, General Motors, Ford Motor Company, John Deere, Scientific Games, Sony, Herman Miller, Intel Corporation, L-3 Communications, Genworth Financial, UCLA, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Library of Congress.

Prior to Applied Minds, Bran held various leadership positions, including president of Research & Development for the Walt Disney Company. At Disney, he advised CEO’s Michael Eisner, Frank Wells and senior leadership on emerging technology and business opportunities and led the development of key innovations for divisions such as ABC Television. At Disney’s Imagineering division, where he was president of Creative Technology, he was responsible for advanced technology research and development for the theme parks and played key roles in creating major park attractions such as Test Track by General Motors, and Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Prior to that, Bran was president of Associates & Ferren, a company acquired by Disney.

Bran is a prolific inventor, named on over 570 domestic and foreign patent applications and 269 issued US patents. He developed numerous successful technologies, designs, experiences, and innovations used in consumer products, theme parks, imaging, broadcast television, theater, film production, arena concerts, buildings, aerospace, command centers, exhibits, and motor vehicles.

He has led many special purpose vehicle (and containerized) design and fabrication programs, for both government and commercial customers. These have been used for applications as diverse as film & video production, oilfield geological exploration, remote fabrication, and even transporting the Bill of Rights while on a 50-state national tour. His recent vehicle project, the KiraVan, has been featured in Wired Magazine, international publications and hundreds of websites. His recent design for the Genworth R70i Aging Experience has also been receiving major international media coverage, and also appears extensively on the web.

Bran is also an Oscar nominee and Academy Award winner for Science and Technical Achievement, whose work has appeared in films such as Altered States and Little Shop of Horrors. Major theater credits include award- winning special effects, lighting, and sound design for Broadway shows including Evita, Cats, and the Lion King. For his work in theater, he has received two New York Drama Desk Awards, the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle award, the Maharam Foundation Award, and the American Theater Wing, Hewes Design Awards.

He has pioneered technologies and staging concepts for music legends including Emerson, Lake & Palmer, R.E.M., Depeche Mode, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Laurie Anderson, and Paul McCartney.

His body of work has been recognized by the Wally Russell Lifetime Achievement Award in Lighting Design, the Kilby International Award for significant contributions to society, the US Intelligence Community Seal Medallion, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Inland California Chapter, Honor Award, and the Sir Arthur Clarke Award for Imagination in Service to Society.

Bran has been a senior advisory board member or consultant for science, advanced technology, and innovation to over two dozen U.S. government agencies and organizations including the CIA, NSA, DHS, DNI, SEC, FCC, PBS, United States Senate, Army, Air Force, Navy, Space Force, and Special Operations Command. A popular public speaker, he has delivered over 250 keynote speeches worldwide.