THE AEROSPACE EVENT –
WASHINGTON, DC

Dr. Kevin Michaels has 37 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. Currently, he is co-authoring 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 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. Additionally, he advises numerous financial institutions on aerospace market conditions.

Mr. David Wireman co-leads AlixPartners' global Aerospace, Defense and Aviation practice. With over 30 years of industry and consulting experience leading whole-enterprise business and operations performance improvement campaigns, he has extensive experience in M&A activities for domestic and international A&D and Private Equity clients. Working with defense prime contractors and deep into the supply chain, he brings a pragmatic approach coupled with deep expertise to help clients tackle their most pressing challenges. His primary areas of focus include program management, engineering, manufacturing, supply chain management and MRO/sustainment. Mr. Wireman began his career as a flight control engineer with Lockheed Martin where he led wind tunnel and flight testing for a fighter aircraft program.

Mr. Michael Herson is President & CEO at American Defense International, Inc., a Washington, DC based Defense and Aerospace government affairs firm that represents many of biggest names in the defense industry. In 1990, he was appointed as the Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Management and Personnel, the Pentagon's senior manpower official responsible for all personnel policy and oversight of the recruiting, training, compensation, support and management of the Department's military and civilian personnel. In 1993, he was awarded the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service. On June 7, 1994, he won the Republican primary election becoming his party's nominee for the U.S. Congress in New Jersey's Sixth District and received national recognition as one of the youngest candidates in the country. Mr. Herson is a member of the American Security Project's Consensus for American Security, serves on the Board of Trustees at the Lexington Institute, and is a regular guest on the Defense & Aerospace Report Washington Roundtable podcast. Defense News has recognized him as one of the top 100 influential people in US Defense, and the Hill newspaper consistently names him as one of the top lobbyists in Washington and one of the top "Hired Guns" in the nation's capital.

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 Karako's research focuses on national security, missile defense, nuclear deterrence and public law. In 2010–2011, he was an American Political Science Association congressional fellow, working with the professional staff of the House Armed Services Committee and the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces on U.S. strategic forces policy, nonproliferation, and NATO. Dr. Karako is also currently a fellow with the Institute for Politics and Strategy of Carnegie Mellon University.

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 Trafton has over 15 years of experience in finance, risk management and cybersecurity. His responsibilities include cybersecurity, U.S. export control compliance, and Responsible AI for High Performance Computing (HPC) and AI systems across multiple portfolio companies and joint ventures. Mr. Trafton oversees cybersecurity and Responsible AI for G42 in its partnership with Microsoft for Azure regional expansion and sovereign AI. Prior to joining G42, he was a Senior Managing Director at Ankura Consulting Group where he led cybersecurity engagements focused on the Defense Industrial Base (DFARS/CMMC), U.S. federal government cloud security (FedRAMP), Foreign Direct Investment (CFIUS), and international trade control matters. In his roles, he has served as a fiduciary of U.S. federal agencies in national security matters and provides regular briefings to U.S. federal agency regulators on cybersecurity and export control compliance in HPC and AI systems. Mr. Trafton was named one of the Top 50 Cybersecurity Consultants and Leaders for 2023 by The Consulting Report.

Ms. Amy Gowder leads a $5 billion operation focused on developing and manufacturing advanced and next-generation engines and systems for military air combat, trainer, tanker, helicopter, and marine applications as well as civil applications. With more than 26,000 engines in operation for 300 U.S. and international military customers, she and her team also provide service and support to ensure the fleet remains mission ready. Ms. Gowder has over 20 years of leadership experience in the aerospace and technology industry. Prior to joining GE, she served as Chief Operating Officer for Aerojet Rocketdyne where she led the Engineering, Operations, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality & Mission Assurance, Safety, Health & Environment, and Information Technology organizations, and had oversight of 11 sites in nine states. During her tenure at Lockheed Martin, she held several key executive positions such as president and general manager of Commercial Engine Solutions. As vice president and general manager for Lockheed Martin's Training and Logistics Solutions in the Rotary and Mission Systems business, she was responsible for the execution and strategic growth of the mission readiness and sustainment programs with more than 5,000 employees around the globe. Prior to Lockheed Martin, she worked for Accenture and specialized in Supply Chain Management for the high technology industry.

Ms. Anne D. Shybunko-Moore joined GSE Dynamics in 2001 and has been strategically growing the company and expanding its capabilities. Nationally, she is a member of the Supplier Management Council of the AIA and currently serves on the AIA Board of Governors. In 2023, she was elected to a two-year term on the Executive Committee, the leading governing body of the AIA comprised of senior representatives of member companies, to be the voice of Small Business. From 2014-2017, she was an appointed member of The National Women's Business Council — a non-partisan federal advisory council created to serve as an independent source of advice and counsel to the President, Congress, and the U.S. Small Business Administration on economic issues of importance to women business owners. As a local leader on Long Island, she has earned the title of Long Island's Top 50 Women twice by Long Island Business News and the title of one of Long Island's 40 Rising Stars Under the age of 40. In 2022, she was inducted into the Long Island Business News Hall of Fame.

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.

Mr. David Nolletti is a Senior Managing Director working out of Riveron’s New York City office where he leads the Aerospace, Defense, Aviation and Space Practice. Mr. Nolletti has more than 25 years' executive leadership, performance improvement, and restructuring experience and brings practical, hands-on leadership to engagements based on his extensive experience in operations, sales, marketing, and strategy as a functional vice president, general manager, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Restructuring Officer, Chief Executive Officer, Board Member, and Chairman of the Board of Directors. Mr. Nolletti has represented both debtors and creditors in aerospace and aviation bankruptcy proceedings. Prior to joining 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.

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.

Ms. Joanna Speed specializes in bringing together prominent aerospace industry executives to expose the issues, confront challenges, and answer questions facing stakeholders. She recently served as Chief Growth Officer of an alliance of distribution companies, providing supply chain solutions to the A&D industry, 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. In 2022, she played a pivotal role in the successful launch of AeroOne — a groundbreaking initiative for the Aerospace Industry Association of Michigan to unite aerospace OEMs and suppliers. Joanna is a recipient of the Service to the Flag Award for Industry by Women In Defense and served as President for the Women In Defense Greater Los Angeles Chapter — a subsidiary organization under the National Defense Industrial Association. Also, she is a member of the Board of Directors of LeFiell Manufacturing, and is an advisor to Association for Corporate Growth (ACG). Recently, she was recognized by Business Insider as one of the top 15 most influential women in aerospace.

Mr. Peter Mattis returned to the foundation in Fall of 2023 after having served as editor of China Brief from 2011 to 2013 and as a fellow in the China program from 2013 to 2018. Most recently, he was Senior Fellow with the U.S. House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party on loan from the Special Competitive Studies Project where he served as Director for Intelligence. From 2019 to 2021, he served as the Senate-appointed staff director of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China where he was a part of the legislative team that passed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act, Tibetan Policy and Support Act, and the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. He began his government career as a counterintelligence analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency, where he earned exceptional performance awards for analytic leadership and community support.

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.