Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
SBPO | Program Manager (SETA)

Anne Neumann has been supporting DARPA for over 13 years and is a Program Manager in the  Small Business Programs Office focusing on Policy and Outreach for the DARPA SBIR/STTR programs as well as ensuring the office remains focused on creating an environment that considers small business concerns as a primary source of innovative solutions; expanding small business relationships and training opportunities within DoD and other federal agencies; and enabling the small business community to create and transition radical, game-changing technologies.  She started her career at DARPA in the Small Business Programs Office and continued onto the Information Processing Technology Office and to the Strategic Technology Office where she was a Business Financial Manager before returning to the SBIR/STTR programs.  Ms. Neumann has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and Economics from Elon University.

RRM&A, LLC

Mr. McNamara had a distinguished forty year career with the Department of Navy culminating in eight years as a member of the Senior Executive Service (SES) — four years as the Deputy Program Manager for the Virginia Class Submarine and four as Executive Director PEO Submarines.  In 2008 he retired and established RRM & Associates, LLC.

He has more than 22 years in senior program and executive management positions in acquisition and procurement and is a recognized leader in the Navy acquisition community. He is Level III certified in two Acquisition Professional competencies – Program Management, and Research and Systems Engineering. He has been awarded the DOD Small Business Program Manager of the Year in 2002 and holds the distinction of having managed over $1 Billion in successful Small Business Innovative Research [SBIR] transitions to the fleet. As a Legislative Fellow, he worked on Capitol Hill in the United States Senate.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) | SBIR Management and Program Analyst

In 1998 Dusty Lang began working at Patuxent River Naval Air Station at the Hazardous Materials Warehouse.  After subsequent positions in the Information Resource Management Office and PMA-207, in 2006 she moved to the Naval Air Systems Command Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) office.   During her time in the NAVAIR SBIR office, she served as the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Lead, with a brief intermission, from 2015-2016, as the Department of the Navy STTR/STP Program Manager.  In 2016 she moved to the Department of Homeland Security SBIR program.

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) | Outreach and Assistance Program Manager

The mission of the DOE SBIR/STTR Programs Office is to manage the administration and evaluation of about 2,000 Phase I and Phase II grant applications each year.  The annual budget of the DOE SBIR/STTR programs is $205M and enables the DOE to award approximately 400 Phase I and II grants every year.

Chris O’Gwin is principally responsible for managing the DOE SBIR/STTR Outreach and Assistance program.  In this capacity, he facilitates a nationwide effort to develop and increase its underrepresented small business research and development base in search of SBIR/STTR grant opportunities.

Chris has worked for the DOE since November 1987, holding positions of leadership in both administrative and technical organizations.  He received a BS in Business Education from Longwood University and an MS in Government from the Johns Hopkins University.

U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) | General Engineer

Joshua Arnold is a General Engineer in the Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration Office of Pipeline Safety, Washington, DC. He has worked at DOT PHMSA since October 2015. At PHMSA, Joshua is a Research and Development manager for the university and small business programs, conducts special permit reviews, and is a composite piping subject matter expert. Prior to joining PHMSA, Joshua worked at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in the Bio-Acoustic & Flow Laboratory. He studied mechanical engineering at Washington State University, earning his Bachelor of Science in 2011 and Master of Science in 2013, with an emphasis on acoustics and thermofluids.

Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC) | Program Leader, Small Business Vouchers Pilot at Sandia National Laboratories

David Kistin, of Sandia National Laboratories, is the program lead for the Center for Collaboration and Commercialization (C3), a “front door” to Sandia created to strengthen partnerships, technology transfer and ties to the community. This work focuses on several services created to boost Sandia’s interaction with industry, academia and government entities.

David also serves as the lead for Sandia’s Entrepreneur Exploration (EEx) program, which connects principal investigators with entrepreneurial opportunities and resources provided by a multitude of partners. This program is designed to invigorate an entrepreneurial culture and inspire researchers to either go into the business world or develop that innovative mindset while at the Labs.
David has worked in the entrepreneurial ecosystem his entire career. He joined Sandia from UpSpring Associates, a management consulting firm focused on the design, growth and measurement of mission-driven ventures across New Mexico, throughout the U.S. and around the world. He began his career as the founder of a bioenergy startup based in New Mexico with operations in Mexico and western Canada.

David completed his MBA and his BA at the University of New Mexico, where he focused on Latin American Studies and Political Economy.

Marine Corps Systems Command (MARCOR) | Deputy Program Manager for the Small Business Innovation Research Program Office

Mr. Robert Renner, Jr., currently serves as the Deputy Program Manager for the Small Business Innovation Research Program Office at Marine Corps Systems Command. In this role, he executes the Command’s vision of enabling small businesses to explore their technological potential and profit from its commercialization.

Mr. Renner recently joined the Federal civilian workforce after over a decade serving as a government contractor, and has worked for Marine Corps Systems Command’s SBIR program office since August 2016. Prior to joining the SBIR office, he provided strategic communications support to the U.S. Army’s Project Manager Enterprise Services and Project Manager Terrestrial Sensors offices at Fort Belvoir, Va.

Missile Defense Agency (MDA) | Acting SBIR/STTR Operations Manager

Christina “Tina” Barnhill is the Acting SBIR/STTR Operations Manager at the Missile Defense Agency (MDA). She has 25 years of experience delivering prime results and best practices, and is an experienced, multi-disciplined, Department of Defense (DoD) civilian with extensive focus on small business efforts, Industry, and DoD major weapons systems acquisition for small businesses. Tina develops and executes SBIR/STTR program strategies, best practices for small business resources, and assists small businesses with ways to best market their capabilities to the Missile Defense Agency. In 2013, she established a Commercialization and Transition Office within the MDA SBIR/STTR Program Office, and has extensive experience with the DoD Mentor Protégé Program.

Tina earned her Master of Science degree in Program Management from the Florida Institute of Technology in 2009.

In June of 2015, after having been nominated by a small business, Tina won the 2015 “Champion of Small Business Technology Commercialization” award presented by the DoD National Small Business Association.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) | Lead SBIR Support

Derek Bramble serves as Lead SBIR Support for NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA, where’s been in the role for more than 3 years now. His time in LaRC’s SBIR office has afforded him a deep appreciation for the grand efforts and accomplishments of American small businesses, the breadth and diversity of technologies being developed across the program, and the awe-inspiring NASA missions these technologies support. Prior to that, he spent 5 years in NASA Langley’s Office of Procurement and also worked in the private sector for a number of years. He holds an MBA from the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, VA (of which he is also a resident) and a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications-Journalism from the University of Miami. He hails from the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) | SBIR/STTR Center Co-Lead

Dr. Quenton Bonds is currently a CTTL at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Greenbelt Maryland, supporting the Strategic Partnerships Office as the SBIR Co-Lead.  Before joining the SPO, his work at NASA has mainly been focused in the design and development of Remote Sensors for Geoscience and various other Space and or Aircraft applications.  In particular, he has been very involved in the research and development of radar & radiometric sensors and developing novel radiometer calibration algorithms within Goddard’s Microwave Instruments and Technology Branch (MITB).  He has supported the MITB on a myriad of projects, just to name a few; SWESARR – Snow Water Equivalent Synthetic Aperture Radar and Radiometer, WISM – A Wideband Instrument for Snow Measurement, HIWRAP – High-altitude Imaging Wind and Rain Airborne Profiler and CubeRRT – CubeSat Radiometer Radio Frequency Interference (RFI), recently launched May 2018.  He has served these projects in various capacities, from Design Engineer & Instrument Lead, to providing Proposal Development and PDL type support.

National Institutes of Health (NIH) | Program Manager, SBIR

Mr. Robert Vinson serves as a Program Manager for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) SBIR/STTR Program in the Office of Extramural Programs, Office of Extramural Research (OER). In this role he is responsible for providing resources to Federal staffers and access to critical information for the small business community seeking early-stage Federal funding. His duties include serving as the Contracting Officer’s Representative for the NIH Niche Assessment Program and the Commercialization Accelerator Program. These programs provide technical assistance, market analysis, and commercialization guidance for NIH SBIR/STTR Phase I and Phase II awardees. Rob is also the OER Task Manager for the NIH Performance Outcomes Data System.
Before joining the SBIR/STTR Program Office, he was a Senior Grants Policy Analyst at the National Heart, Lung, & Blood Institute (NHLBI). In that role, he managed initiatives and special projects on a variety of grants and administrative policy issues. Rob had been with NHLBI since 1993 where his career began as a Grants Management Specialist and rose to the positions of Team Leader, Grants Management Officer, and Branch Chief. Prior to joining NIH Rob was a commercial loan officer, with an emphasis on small business development and community revitalization.

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) | NIST SBIR Program Manager

Mary Clague is the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program Manager at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). She has worked in NIST’s Technology Partnerships Office since 2001 and has been with the SBIR Program for the past 14 years. Prior to working at NIST, she held corporate information positions with Lockheed Martin, COMSAT Corp., and CALCULON. Ms. Clague graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in Technology Management.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) | Meteorologist

Dr. Peter B. Roohr is a meteorologist managing the science and technology planning for NOAA lightning detection and fire weather forecasting, NWS COMET Partner’s and Small Business Innovation Research programs within the Science and Technology Integration Office at Headquarters National Weather Service in Silver Spring MD. He is also a subject matter expert in topics of atmospheric electricity, winter weather and volcanic ash, and serves as NWS member of NOAA Research and Development Enterprise Committee. He grew up in Alexandria VA and obtained a B.A. degree in Environmental Science at the University of Virginia (minor in Astronomy), and M.S. (1991) and PhD (1999) degrees in Atmospheric Science from Colorado State University. His thesis and dissertation concentrated on the incorporation of lightning data into nowcasting of phenomena such as intense bands of snow and ice. From 1986 to 2007 he was a U.S. Air Force officer managing major weather system program acquisition and technology transition, as well as directing the diverse operations and policy development of four major weather squadrons/divisions in Korea, within AF Materiel Command, at AF Weather Agency and at the Pentagon.

National Science Foundation (NSF) | Program Director, Industrial Innovation and Partnerships, Engineering Directorate

Linda K. Molnar, PhD, is a US-based scientist and entrepreneur with more than 20 years of experience in the life science and chemical industries, integrating her scientific research and engineering background with commercialization for startups, and international, government, and business environments. Recently, she joined the US National Science Foundation (NSF) as a Program Director in the Engineering Directorate, Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships. Previously, she was co-founder and CEO of Simpatica Medicine, Inc., an artificial intelligence precision medicine company based in San Francisco, California. Linda has founded and worked with life science startup companies from many universities. She has also provided strategic consultancy to venture capital firms, public companies, non-profit institutes, and the federal government. Her background includes positions as Managing Director in the Life Sciences Merchant Banking group and Venture Group at Burrill & Company, Executive in Residence at Momentum Biosciences, Program Officer for the National Cancer Institute in the Office of the Director (Center for Strategic Scientific Initiatives), and research and business development roles at Caliper Life Sciences, NASA Ames Research Center, and Rohm & Haas Co. Linda completed the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton Executive Management Program and holds a Ph.D. from the Program in Polymer Science and Technology (Materials Science and Chemical Engineering) from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a B.S. in Chemistry (Biology) from the University of Pittsburgh.

National Science Foundation (NSF)

Program Director for Electronic Hardware, Robotics, and Wireless Technologies with the SBIR/STTR Program

Murali S. Nair is a Program Director in the areas of Electronic Hardware, Robotics, and Wireless Technologies with the SBIR/STTR Program. Prior to joining NSF, he was the Founder CEO of a Bluetooth wireless product company. In this capacity, he raised equity capital for worldwide operations in the U.S., China and India. He designed, planned and implemented the product development cycle, and managed the marketing strategy, strategic alliances and business development processes. Before that, he was a Senior Systems Engineer at L-3 Communications where he provided strategic advice to the Executive VP for a complete re-plan of the Hughes contract for real-time, embedded ground control software for the $350M PANAMSAT communications satellite.
Prior to joining L-3 Communications, he was a Mission Planner at Motorola Iridium where he was involved in all aspects of satellite operations including orbit determination, generating guidance targets and orbital slot placement. Before joining Iridium, he was a faculty member at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, where he developed an entire Space Systems Design Lab from concept inception to fully operational mode and national prominence, and supervised five (5) space system designs, three (3) of which were winners in the National AIAA/Loral Design Competition.
He is a recipient of a number of awards including NSF’s second highest award for meritorious service and the President’s Innovation Award for Space Systems Design courses while at Embry-Riddle. Murali is a graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology and the University of Texas. He is a registered professional engineer in the State of Florida.

U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)

Outreach and Partnership Strategist, Office of Innovation

Brittany Sickler serves as outreach, training, and partnership strategist for the SBA’s Office of Investment and Innovation. Her primary duties support the advancement of the Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/ STTR) programs, which enable small businesses to explore their technological potential and profit from its commercialization. She oversees initiatives to increase understanding of SBIR/STTR opportunities with SBA offices and partner networks across the country, as well as manages the agency’s Federal and State Technology (FAST) Partnership Program. Brittany spent almost four years in SBA’s North Dakota District Office as an Economic Development Specialist, building and strengthening connections throughout the state, particularly with regional startup networks and rural communities. She also served as Special Advisor in SBA’s Office of Entrepreneurial Development, advancing strategic initiatives and coordinating SBA’s first Virtual Conference.
Prior to SBA, Brittany served in Guatemala as a Peace Corps Volunteer and Volunteer Leader in the Sustainable Community Tourism program, a combination of economic development and environmental conservation. She was a Masters International Fellow, completing a Master’s in International Community Economic Development from Southern New Hampshire University. She also holds degrees in Business Administration and Spanish from Indiana Wesleyan University. Her career in economic development started in Southern Florida with microlender ACCION USA, providing small business loans to individuals who could not access traditional credit.

U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)

Senior Advisor, Office of Intergovernmental Affairs

Star Wilbraham is on detail to SBA’s Office of Innovation assisting with several projects/programs including the SBIR Road Tour. In her regular role, she is the Senior Advisor for SBA’s Office of Intergovernmental Affairs serving as a liaison to elected and appointed officials of state, county, local, and tribal governments, the organizations that represent them, as well as to other federal agencies. While at SBA, Star has also worked with the Office of Government Contracting and Business Development and the Office of Disaster Assistance’s Program Policy and Evaluation team.

In addition to her SBA experience, Star has worked extensively with community development financial institutions (CDFIs) and other organizations supporting underserved and underrepresented communities across the country. She worked for several years with the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s CDFI Fund and as an independent consultant. Star has a Master of Science in Policy and Program Management from Carnegie Mellon University and a Bachelor of Business Administration from James Madison University. She also completed the Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs (Los Angeles). She currently lives and works in the Washington, D.C. area.

U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM)

SBIR Program Manager for Special Operations Forces, Acquisition, Technology & Logistics (SOF AT&L)

Mr. Anthony J Aldrich is the Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Program Manager for Special Operations Forces, Acquisition, Technology & Logistics (SOF AT&L), Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. He is responsible for all USSOCOM SOF AT&L SBIR funded activities. Mr. Aldrich has over 14 years of civilian Federal service.
Mr. Aldrich entered Federal Service in 2002 as a Physicist at Eglin Air Force Base in Fort Walton Beach, Florida where he served in the Guided Weapons Evaluation Facility as a Hardware-In-the-Loop Test and Evaluation engineer. In 2005, he transferred to the Eglin Range Support Squadron serving as an Electronics Engineer and Program Manager for the threat radar, tracking radar and telemetry systems. Mr. Aldrich transferred to Us Army Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation in 2009, where he supported the Range Radar Replacement Program as a Project Director.
Prior to entering Civil Service, Mr. Aldrich worked at various small businesses designing Industrial Control Systems, Medical Equipment and Aviation Electronics.
EDUCATION: University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK -Bachelor of Science degree in Physics, 1984.

U.S. Air Force (USAF)

Program Outreach AFRL/SB – Peerless Technologies Corp.

Dave Pope currently serves as the Program Outreach Specialist for the Air Force SBIR/STTR Program. His background consists of technical writing, audio/visual engineering, as well as communications and marketing as a contractor for the Air Force. He has held positions including technical writing and database manager for the BigSafari contract on the Predator and C130 variants. He has also worked recording graduate level classes for students at the Air Force Institute of Technology in their distance learning program. Supplemental and other course material recorded has been used at the campuses of University of Dayton and Virginia Tech. In his current position, Mr. Pope helps prospective SBIR companies get in contact with Air Force directorates, attends SBA and SBIR events for matchmaking sessions, gathers metrics, and works as a key grip for SBIR success story and seeding the future videos.
He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communications from Wright State University. Prior to his current assignment, Dave Pope was an audio/visual engineer at the Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright-Patterson AFB, OH.

U.S. Air Force (USAF)

Air Force SBIR/STTR Portfolio Manager

Mario Rios currently serves as the CRP Portfolio Manager for the Air Force SBIR/STTR Commercialization Readiness Program (CRP). He currently resides and supports the Air Force Sustainment Center and other organizations at Hill AFB. He has active duty and Industry experience. Mario started his career as an active duty Officer for the ICBM Sustainment Wing holding several Program Management and Logistics positions in that organization. As an Officer, Mario supported the Rocket System Launch Program (RSLP), Emergency Response Program and the Propulsion System Rocket Engine (PSRE) Replacement Program. After leaving active duty, he served in the Air Force Reserves as the Mission Manger for the Experimental Launch and Test Division of Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC). His industry experience includes working for Raytheon in support of Supply Chain Procurements from DLA and as a supervisor for the Army’s Sentinel Readiness Program. He has been part of the Air Force Association (AFA) for many years and has held various State and National committee positions within the association.
He has a Bachelors Degree in Industrial Engineering with Administrative Systems from ITESM University in Mexico. While in the AF Reserves, Mario attended Space 200 course in residence, as well as completed Squadron Officer School (SOS). He was selected to represent Utah in the 2017-2018 Emerging Leader Program of the AFA.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Program Specialist

Elden Hawkes is a Program Specialist and coordinates and implements the procedures for the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) related to the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. This includes planning, developing, and providing logistical expertise for competitive SBIR grants and applications and special projects related to the advancement of the SBIR program.
Prior to joining NIFA, he served as the Policy and Development Coordinator for the American Fisheries Society. He holds a B.S. in Environmental Science and Marine Science and an M.S. in Food and Agriculture with a concentration in Natural Resource Management both from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)

Primary Patent Examiner

Paul Lee is a Primary Patent Examiner with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and is currently serving 80% percent of his time with the Outreach division of the Texas Regional Office. He examines patent applications in the area of sensor data processing as used in measuring, calibrating, or testing.

Prior to joining the USPTO in 2010, he was a product engineer at Texas Instruments where he developed software and hardware to test and qualify packaged integrated circuits to meet customer specifications.

Paul has an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Paul enjoys teaching violin in his spare time, and is a member of a community orchestra.

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)

Supervisory Patent Examiner (SPE)

Thanh Truong is a Supervisory Patent Examiner (SPE) at the United State Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and currently serves on detail as a Resource SPE at the Dallas, Texas Regional Office of the USPTO. In 2001, Thanh joined the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and became a primary examiner in 2007. Served on a career development details as a TC 3700 Coach/Trainer, and became a SPE for Art Unit 3731 since 2013.
Thanh graduated from Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia in 1991 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. After graduation Thanh worked for Brenco, Inc., a bearing manufacturing company in Petersburg, Virginia as a Manufacturing Engineer. He then
worked as a Capital Project Engineer at Crown Cork and Seal, a packaging manufacturing company in Sandston, Virginia, and later as a Senior Project Engineer at White Cap, Inc., a plastic closure manufacturing company, in Chicago, Illinois.

U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)

District Director, New Mexico District

John M. Garcia is the District Director of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) New Mexico District Office. Garcia is responsible for the statewide delivery of SBA programs and services to the 33 counties in the state. He supports business owners in starting and growing their businesses, creating jobs and developing local economies throughout New Mexico. Garcia is both an experienced small business owner and public servant and has earned high acclaim for his achievements as a veteran advocate and small business champion at the city, state and national levels. As past president and owner of Garcia and Associates, a service-disabled veteran owned consulting company, he advised both public and private sector senior leaders in strategic planning, tactical marketing and business development with a special emphasis on veteran wellness and entrepreneurial development.

New Mexico Economic Development Department (NMEDD)

Director, Office of Science and Technology

Myrriah Tomar is the Director of the Office of Science and Technology for the New Mexico Economic Development Department. She completed her Ph.D. in Molecular Biology at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical School and her B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of New Mexico. Shortly after graduating with her Ph.D., Myrriah worked with the start-up company Safewhite Inc. as an Associate Scientist serving to transition their core technology into a product. She was awarded a post-doctoral fellowship by The Ohio State University for her research on obesity-induced pancreatic cancer.
Prior to her role at the State of New Mexico, Myrriah worked in the office of technology transfer at Rice University evaluating faculty invention disclosures for novelty and commercial potential.

New Mexico Angels 

President

Mr. John Chavez is the President of the New Mexico Angels. President since 2008, he has been an angel investor since 2003. Mr. Chavez is also the Managing Director of Phase One Ventures, a start-up fund out of Santa Fe, NM and Managing Director of New Mexico Start-Up Factory I and II. Outside of the Angels, he is the President of Tafoya and Brainerd Partners LLC, a nationwide business development consulting firm. Prior to his work in consulting, Mr. Chavez was appointed Cabinet Secretary of the Taxation and Revenue Department by by New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson. During his six year tenure as Tax Secretary he also served as the President of the Federation of Taxation Administrators for one year.

Mr. Chavez received the following degrees from New Mexico State University: Master of Business Administration, Bachelor of Art in Economics and Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance

New Mexico Procurement Technical Assistance Center (NMPTAC) 

Statewide Program Manager

Therese Rivera graduated from NMSU with a degree in Business Administration & Economics. Immediately following graduation, she began her career at the New Mexico Economic Development Department; she served as the Program Manager of the state’s highest regarded incentive programs, the Job Training Incentive Program for about 17 years until she was promoted to Division Director in 2011.
During her time at the State Economic Development Department, she completed several professional development programs, including the 4-year Economic Development Institute through the University of Oklahoma; completed 4 years of economic development finance through the National Development Council; and completed 1 year of the Institute of Organization Management (IOM) which is conducted by the US Chamber of Commerce.

In February 2019, Therese retired from NMEDD and started as the Statewide Program Manager of NMPTAC (Procurement Technical Assistance Center), where she oversees the federal grant funded by the Defense Logistics Agency for the purpose of providing free counseling to businesses to assist them in all aspects of government contracting.

Management Sciences, Inc. 

Vice-President; Research and Development

Kenneth Blemel is vice-president for research and development at Management Sciences, Inc., a woman-owned business founded in 1976. Mr. Blemel holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in applied mathematics and is the inventor of the sensing technology on which the company’s business is based. He holds twelve patents and has additional patents pending. He is PI on 21 SBIR Phase I contracts, 12 Phase II contracts, and 3 Phase III contracts.

Qynergy Corporation 

President and CEO

Dr. Wish Krishnamoorthy is presently the CEO at Qynergy Corporation. Qynergy is a technology development company that moves ideas from concept to product for government customers.  Dr. Krishnamoorthy directs Qynergy’s efforts to develop business opportunities, attract customers and scientists, garner funding and guide technology development.   In doing so he has developed close relationships, with both Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratories, which help greatly in the application of Qynergy’s technology transfer business model.

Dr. Krishnamoorthy is also the founder and CEO of Wish Consulting LLC.  In this role he mentors entrepreneurs, evaluates technologies for venture capitalists and programs for government funding agencies.  He is also closely involved with several institutions that develop small companies and improve economic development in New Mexico. He is a member of the Economic Development Council at the Air Force Research Labs to provide guidance for better interaction between the labs and small business. He in on the board of the High Desert Discovery District (HD3), an organization that helps grow small businesses into viable companies. He has been a mentor for ABQid, an organization that mentors entrepreneurs to hone their ideas into a viable business.  

Vibrant Corporation 

Engineering Manager

Mr. Eric Biedermann is an award winning and recognized expert in PCRT technology. He joined Vibrant in 2009 as an Application Engineer, creating and implementing PCRT inspections for customer applications in the aerospace and power generation industries. Since then he has won and managed ten Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) contracts, along with other government programs and numerous commercial contracts. In 2016 Mr. Biedermann became Vibrant’s Engineering Manager responsible for Application Engineering staff and projects. He came to Vibrant from Rolls-Royce Corp. where he earned the Rolls-Royce Corporation Engineering Excellence Award for Superior Team Performance for Aerodynamic Design and Analysis of a Fuel Cell Hypercharger. At Vibrant he was part of a joint Vibrant-Pratt & Whitney Canada team that earned the Airlines for America (A4A-SAE) “Better Way” award for “Application of Advanced NDT Methods for Field Performance Improvement of the PW100 Series Engine.”

Mr. Biedermann holds a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University, and a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical/Astronautical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His curriculum vitae includes more than a dozen journal and conference proceedings, publications and presentations on PCRT. He leads Vibrant’s work on international standards committees resulting in the successful publication or revision of four international standards on PCRT, and a special award from ASTM Committee E07 on Nondestructive Testing for his work on the committee.
 

Descartes Labs 

Strategic Advisor; State and Local Government Market

Javier Gonzales is the former mayor of Santa Fe, New Mexico, having served office from 2014-2018. Mr. Gonzales now works at Descartes Labs as the Strategic Advisor State and Local Government Market. In this role, Mr. Gonzales is responsible for building the State and Local government markets for Descartes Labs.