Dalila Benachenhou is currently CEO of Femvestor, Inc., a data insight consulting firm. She is also a consultant with The World Bank where she is helping build machine learning models to help with fraud detection. She also teaches statistics at GWU. Her expertise lies in text mining and building machine learning models to detect rare events, or to translate sign language. She has built fuzzy System trading models and developed affinity portfolios with over 20 years of experience with text mining and analysis.

Dr. Newton Campbell is a Solutions Architect specializing in artificial intelligence and machine learning. He is a Computer Scientist, STEM educator, and Space Advocate. Through SAIC, he currently serves as a Computer Scientist and Artificial Intelligence SME on the NASA Langley Research Center Data Science Team, where he leads R&D of artificial intelligence capabilities for the Aerial Systems Contingency Management program. He also serves as a Lead Data Analyst on the General Services Administration’s Centers of Excellence initiative, overseeing data modernization for USDA. Prior to these, he led multiple DARPA research programs as Principal Investigator and was recognized as a DARPA Rising star in 2015. He is co-host of the Ad Astra podcast and was recently featured as a competition judge, blog writer, and AI Expert in Intel's Artificial Intelligence Academy campaign, in partnership with The Planetary Society.

Dr. Campbell completed his BS at SUNY Buffalo, his MS at James Madison University, and his PhD at Nova Southeastern University, all with a major in Computer Science. He regularly coordinates STEM activities with schools and media groups in the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan area. He is an active member of the Planetary Society, the Philosophical Society of Washington, and IEEE.

Captain (retired), U.S. Navy

Steve Jordon is Executive Director of the Northern Virginia Technology Council’s (NVTC) Veterans Employment Initiative (VEI) and Vice President of the NVTC Foundation. NVTC is the trade association for the technology community in the National Capital Region and serves a membership of nearly 1000 companies and organizations representing over 300,000 employees. Steve leads a “business driven” approach to addressing the significant challenges of military members, Veterans and their spouses in transitioning to civilian employment. The VEI has facilitated over 12,000 Veteran hires since 2013.

Prior to assuming his present position, Steve spent over 30 years in the Navy, retiring as a Captain in 2012. He was a naval helicopter pilot and flew over 4000 hours in eight different aircraft and survived more than 1000 shipboard landings. Steve’s significant military tours included: Exchange Pilot with the Royal Navy, Commanding Officer of the Navy Strike Helicopter squadron- HSL-43 BattleCats, “Air Boss” on the USS Peleliu during Operation Enduring Freedom, U.S. Naval Delegate to NATO and U.S. Naval Attaché to Canada.

Steve earned a B.S. degree in Biology and Environmental Studies from Tulane University, M.A. in National Security Studies from the Naval War College, is a Fellow of the Daniel K. Inouye Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies and a Political and Military Affairs sub-specialist and holds a Certificate in Non-Profit Management.

Steve is Co-Founder and Chairman of the Emma Jordon Kidz Fighting Cancer Foundation. Steve was a member of the 2018 Monster.com Best Companies for Veterans and the Virginia Department of Veteran Services Virginia Values Veterans (V3) Award selection committees. He serves on the board of the Joint Base Andrews Fisher House, is a member of the Transition Alliance for the Virginia Department of Veterans Services, and serves on the Leadership Council of Serving Together, the Virginia Advisory Committee of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition and the Virginia Chamber of Commerce Military and Veterans Affairs Council.

Asaad Taha is a leading Social Impact Entrepreneur and Senior Principle Adviser with multisectoral expertise on the continuum of social impact programs—from the strategic level to frontline delivery. He has a special interest in the Health Science.

His background shows a quality education in multidisciplinary fields and 14-plus years in health, development, and management. In-the-trenches experiences have built his reputation in systems thinking and development, program design and execution, results-based monitoring and management, and implementation and oversight of donor and government-funded programs.

Asaad’s record includes working engagement with national and global agencies, institutions, international non-governmental organizations (INGOs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and community-based organizations (CBOs), as well as:

• The Department for International Development (DFID)

• United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

• Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (GFATM)

• United States Department of State (DoS)

• United Nations Department for International Department.

Pro-active engagement in this work has strengthened his skills and abilities in mobilizing multidisciplinary and multisectoral best practices.

In practice and person, Asaad conveys his passion for creative, innovative, and best-of-breed solutions. Resilient but persistent, he exploits his frontline experience and international partnerships to promote, develop, mentor, deliver, and support sustainable growth.

Asaad Taha is Arab/English bi-lingual consultant, speaker, and thought leader in Social Impact strategy, systems design, and delivery solutions. Founder and Managing Partner of S4F Solutions, he currently works with the Program Design Topical Interest Group at The American Evaluation Association (AEA) and Patient Safety Cultural Technical Expert Panel at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

Casey W. O'Brien is the Executive Director and Principal Investigator of the National CyberWatch Center, a cybersecurity education and research consortium focused on advancing cybersecurity education and strengthening the national cybersecurity workforce.

Casey has more than 20 years of industry experience in information security and large-scale IT implementation and project management in challenging and cutting edge computing environments that include both the public and private sectors.

Casey’s teaching and research interests include: Practice-Based Education solutions to the cybersecurity workforce skills crisis that combines work practice analysis, problem-based classroom or virtual instruction, and adaptive personalized simulation using serious gaming technologies; accelerated learning programs integrating validated assessments, instruction, practice labs, and challenge scenarios to improve cybersecurity talent management in organizations; rapid deployment of customizable and adaptive curriculum that raises learner capability maturity in foundational cybersecurity concepts, principles, and practices; and formative credentialing solutions that increase the number of capable cybersecurity professionals.

Casey is the Technical Editor of five textbooks: Ethical Hacking & Systems Defense, Linux Server Fundamentals, Information Security Fundamentals, Introduction to Scripting, and Networking Fundamentals.

Casey earned a B.A. in Cognitive/Behavioral Psychology from the University of St. Thomas and an M.A. in Existential/Phenomenological Psychology from Duquesne University.

Ms. Tosin Adetoro has a bachelor's in physics from Frostburg State University and a master's in technology education from Virginia Tech. She also received her Educational Leadership and Administration Certificate from George Washington University. A National Board Certified Teacher, endorsed in Physics and Technology Education, Tosin has over ten years of experience in the education field. She began her teaching career in Loudoun County, Virginia where she taught Aerospace Science, Applied Technology, Physics courses, and served as the LCPS Aerospace Educator In-Residence at the Stephen F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly.

In 2014, Tosin launched Get Into STEM, LLC to continue to share her STEM passion and skills with the world. Get Into STEM allows for Tosin to design and execute STEM programming that provide supplemental activities for hundreds of students and teachers annually. Tosin has worked with children of all ages in programs such as Upward Bound, Technology Student Association, People to People International, the Nu Xi Zeta HAVE Foundation, Jack and Jill of America, Smithsonian Enterprises, and Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington. Throughout her STEM education career, Tosin has also worked as a STEM Education Coordinator for Northern Virginia Community College, a Director of Professional Development at IBSS Corporation, Science and STEM Coordinator for an entrepreneurial-STEM-art program at a private school in Herndon Virginia, and more recently an Elementary STEAM Specialist in Falls Church Virginia.

For more information about her program: www.getintostem.org

Founder & Chief Experience Designer at Capitol Interactive

Joseph has created award-winning VR, AR, and 360 experiences for Discovery Communications, US Postal Service, AARP, and more. He has lectured on the use cases of virtual reality for numerous events and organizations, as well as on User Experience Design for VR at UMBC and on VR as a tool for public diplomacy at the US State Department.

As organizer of the DCVR Meetup, Joseph has organized dozens of events and activities to grow the local VR community into an inclusive collective of nearly 2,000 designers, developers, and filmmakers.

Kirk Borne is a data scientist and an astrophysicist who has used his talents at Booz Allen since 2015. He was professor of astrophysics and computational science at George Mason University (GMU) for 12 years. He served as undergraduate advisor for the GMU data science program and graduate advisor in the computational science and informatics Ph.D. program.

Kirk spent nearly 20 years supporting NASA projects, including NASA's Hubble Space Telescope as data archive project scientist, NASA's Astronomy Data Center, and NASA's Space Science Data Operations Office. He has extensive experience in large scientific databases and information systems, including expertise in scientific data mining. He was a contributor to the design and development of the new Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, for which he contributed in the areas of science data management, informatics and statistical science research, galaxies research, and education and public outreach.

Vice President

US Jobs, Policy and Industry Affairs

She has a strong commitment to creating an awareness of the importance of consumer electronics as a driver of new jobs.

Prior to her current position she has done marketing, business development and strategic planning in such industries as pharmaceuticals, Financial Services, Care Giving, and Technology.

She is also going to be a host of The Workforce Show.

She's a graduate of University of Michigan and comes from Middletown, Ohio (the home of the author of Hillbilly Elegy, J.D.Vance).

President of Peer Consulting

Dr. Abron has long been a strong advocate of environmental justice and improving our efforts to find environmental sustainability.

She is President and Chief Executive Officer of PEER and a pioneer and visionary in the industry. She has built one of the largest black, female-owned and operated, environmental engineering firms in the United States.

Dr. Abron’s experience spans over 45 years in planning, managing and directing environmental engineering programs for the improvement, maintenance and enhancement of the natural and built environments.