We are proud to announce that we have received commitments from four separate distinguished leaders to help us put a bookend on DAFITC 2023. These leaders will sit-down together on the DAFITC main stage on Wednesday, August 30, in a broad-ranging discussion about their current positions, where they see the IT and Cyber communities within the Air & Space Forces headed, and to share their closing impressions of the entire 3-day event.

Panel members include:

Lt Gen Bob Skinner serves as the Director of the Defense Information Systems Agency and Commander, Joint Force Headquarters DoDIN. Lt Gen Kevin Kennedy serves as the commander of Sixteen Air Force, Air Forces Cyber, and Joint Force Headquarters Cyber (Air Force). Both Generals Skinner and Kennedy keynoted DAFITC in 2022.

Also joining the panel will be Lt Gen Leah Lauderback, who serves as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Cyber Effects Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, and Lt Gen DeAnna Burt, who serves as the Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Operations, Cyber, and Nuclear, at Headquarters U.S. Space Force.

We look forward to these leaders’ insightful thoughts & impressions of the conference… make sure you come prepared with questions!

PUBLIC SECTOR:

Ms. Leslie A. Beavers is a career member of the Senior Executive Service and the DoD Principal Deputy CIO, assisting the CIO in advising the Secretary of Defense on Information Management/Information Technology (IT) and Information Assurance, as well as non-intelligence space systems; critical satellite communications, navigation, and timing programs; spectrum; and telecommunications matters.

Lt. Gen. DeAnna M. Burt is the Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Operations, Cyber, and Nuclear, United States Space Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. As the Chief Operations Officer, Lt. Gen. Burt has overall responsibility for Operations, Sustainment, Cyber, and Nuclear Operations of the United States Space Force.

Dr. Wanda T. Jones-Heath, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is the Principal Cyber Advisor for the Department of the Air Force, comprised of the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force. As the Principal Cyber Advisor for the DAF, her duties include synchronizing, coordinating and overseeing the implementation of the DAF Cyber Strategy and advising the Secretary of the Air Force on all cyber programs.

Lt. Gen. Kevin B. Kennedy is the Commander, Sixteenth Air Force; Commander, Air Forces Cyber, and Commander, Joint Force Headquarters-Cyber (Air Force), Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. Lt. Gen. Kennedy is responsible for more than 49,000 personnel conducting worldwide operations. Sixteenth Air Force Airmen deliver multisource intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance products, applications, capabilities and resources.

Lt. Gen. Leah G. Lauderback is the Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Cyber Effects Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. She is responsible to the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Air Force for policy formulation, planning, evaluation, oversight and leadership of the Air Force’s ISR operations, cyber effects and warfighter communications operations, and electromagnetic spectrum superiority operations.

Lt. Gen. Robert J. Skinner is the Director of the Defense Information Systems Agency and the Commander of the Joint Force Headquarters- Department of Defense Information Network, Fort George G. Meade, Maryland.

As Director of the Defense Information Systems Agency, Lt. Gen. Skinner manages a global network and leads nearly 19,000 service members, civilians and contractors who plan, develop, deliver and operate joint, interoperable command and control capabilities and defend an enterprise infrastructure in more than 42 countries.

PRIVATE SECTOR:

Mr. Chris Bedi is the

CIO of ServiceNow.

Since 2015, Chris’ role spans digital strategy, customer experience, analytics and AI, cyber, product vision, service operations, and customer advocacy.

Ms. Jen Sovada, former AF intelligence officer and current President of SandboxAQ’s Global Public Sector, explores the nexus of quantum physics and A.I. to address the most complex global challenges and security issues.

Mr. Jason Zander, Microsoft’s Executive V.P of Strategic Missions and Technologies, oversees AF and SF mission engineering as well as innovations in microelectronics, cloud/satellite connections and quantum computing.