People Category: Speaker

Olivier Chazot is professor and head of the Aeronautics and Aerospace Department at the Von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics (VKI). He is an expert in hypersonic aerothermodynamics. His research activities cover ground testing strategy in high enthalpy facilities and plasma wind tunnels for aerospace re-entry missions, modeling development, and CFD validation. He specifically studies laminar to turbulent transition in hypersonic regime and gas-surface interactions on TPS in reacting flows. His main research focus is the duplication of real-flight conditions in ground testing facilities. He participated in multiple ESA missions for the development of flight experiments like the Mars Express mission, EXPERT probe, IXV and Space Rider programs, and QARMAN re-entry CubeSat.

Dr. Valerie M. Browning is Vice President for Research and Technology within the Corporate Technology Office.  In this role, she executes transformational R&D projects working with all business areas, partners in academia, and government S&T organizations. She champions technology collaborations with universities as well as customer R&D and commercial company joint technology development. She chairs the Lockheed Martin’s Technology Council and is responsible for steering transformational cross-enterprise technology programs across all 21st Century Warfare technology domains.

Prior to joining Lockheed Martin, Dr. Browning served as the Acting Director of Defense Research & Engineering for Research & Technology where she provided leadership and coordination across DoD’s S&T enterprise efforts to rapidly develop, mature and protect key technologies and ensure U.S. warfighter dominance. Prior to this role she served as the Director of DARPA’s Defense Sciences Office where she was responsible for the management and execution of a broad portfolio of high-risk, high payoff research initiatives focused on game-changing technologies for U.S. national security.

Dr. Browning has also worked as an independent consultant providing subject matter expertise and strategic planning support to the Department of Defense, Department of Energy, and other government clients in the areas of advanced materials and alternative energy. She also served as Chief Technology Officer for HELM System Solutions, Inc., a woman-owned small research and development business. Early in her career, Valerie served as a program manager in DARPA’s Defense Sciences Office where she initiated and managed a diverse R&D portfolio in areas that included metamaterials, bio-magnetics, unmanned underwater vehicle energy storage, portable power, thermoelectric materials and others. She also worked as a research physicist at the Naval Research Laboratory where her primary areas of research included thermoelectric materials, superconductors, magnetics, and magnetic oxide materials. Dr. Browning earned a doctorate in physics from The Catholic University of America, a Master of Science degree in physics from the University of Maryland, and a Bachelor of Science degree in physics from Virginia Tech.

Gretchen Stewart is the Chief Data Scientist for Intel’s public sector working closely with Intel’s Ecosystem of software, hardware and partner vendors in developing solutions and programs focused on the convergence of high-performance computing and data analytics.  In her solution architecture role, she is building data analytics/ AI/ ML practice within Intel working closely with federal and state government, research institutions, universities, energy, and advanced manufacturing customers.  She has been working closely with customers on ethical and responsible AI, building it in and not bolting it on. In enhancing Intel’s ecosystem with these AI solutions and programs, she works with disruptors, start-up and mainstream software vendors to ensure governments, educational institutions and enterprise customers advance the future of research, have competitive advantages, build smarter cities and provided enhanced services to citizens.

She has over 20 years’ experience in the technology sector. Her last position prior to joining Intel was successfully leading the world-wide cross organization team as the Account General Manager for the US Air Force, working closely with AFWA, AFRL and USAF senior leadership to ensure support of the mission.  Her extensive knowledge of and leadership experience with product life cycle development and bringing new products to market from conception to sales delivery ensured products were delivered on time and under budget.  She has led, motivated and managed server sales team that continually meet or exceeded their sales revenue targets.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Wells College and an MBA degree from University of New Hampshire System, along with leadership and branding certifications from Harvard and Dartmouth. She graduated with distinction 9 months, 8 course data analytics program jointly developed by Harvard Business School, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Harvard Faculty of Arts and Science in June 2019.

Outside of work, Gretchen is active in mentoring young women starting their careers through Women’s Unlimited in Boston, volunteers locally monitoring water quality, was past Treasurer of the Hanscom Representatives Association.  She was co-chair and emcee of the New Horizon AFCEA event in March 2019.  Former President of the Lexington-Concord, greater Boston AFCEA chapter, and she is representing industry on the AFCEA International Board striving to promote STEM programs and dialogue with government, industry, and academia.

Christine Darden (born September 10, 1942, as Christine Mann) is an American mathematician, data analyst, and aeronautical engineer who devoted much of her 40-year career in aerodynamics at NASA to researching supersonic flight and sonic booms. She had an M.S. in mathematics and had been teaching at Virginia State University before starting to work at the Langley Research Center in 1967. She earned a PhD in engineering at George Washington University in 1983 and has published numerous articles in her field. She was the first African-American woman at NASA’s Langley Research Center to be promoted into the Senior Executive Service, the top rank in the federal civil service.

Darden is one of the researchers featured in the book Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race (2016), a history of some of the most influential African-American women mathematicians and engineers at NASA in the mid-20th century, by Margot Lee Shetterly.

In 2019, Darden was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.