Speakers
Featured Speakers

Congressman Rob Wittman was first elected to the United States Congress to serve Virginia’s First Congressional District in 2007. While in office, he has focused on strengthening our military and supporting our nation’s veterans, promoting a flourishing economy through fiscal responsibility and pro-growth policies, fixing our crumbling infrastructure, increasing access to high-speed internet, and promoting workforce development through Career and Technical Education (CTE) and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) programs.
In the U.S. Congress, Congressman Wittman serves on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Natural Resources Committee, where he is well-positioned to represent the needs of Virginia's First District. He has earned a strong reputation for being an advocate for our men and women in uniform and for being a champion of the Chesapeake Bay.
On the Armed Services Committee, Congressman Wittman serves as vice chairman of the full committee and the chairman of the Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee. On the Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee, Congressman Wittman oversees the largest portfolio of modernization programs on the House Armed Services Committee, with vast ramifications for the future of the U.S. military’s ground and air forces and munitions stockpiles. Congressman Wittman also serves on the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). As co-chair of the Congressional Shipbuilding Caucus, he is a staunch advocate for a robust naval fleet and a healthy domestic shipbuilding industry. He also currently serves on the U.S. Naval Academy’s Board of Visitors.
As a member of the House Committee on Natural Resources, Congressman Wittman serves on both the Energy and Minerals Subcommittee, as well as the Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries Subcommittee, where he brings his professional expertise in water quality, fisheries, and other natural resource issues. He is a proud champion of the Chesapeake Bay for its environmental and economic attributes and has introduced legislation that will increase the accountability and effectiveness of cleaning up the bay. He serves as co-chair of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Caucus, which brings the bay’s issues into focus for Members of Congress.
As a co-chair of the House Rural Broadband Caucus, Congressman Wittman is leading the way to bring high-speed internet to the unserved areas of the First District and the nation. His Serving Rural America Act served as a model for the NTIA Broadband Infrastructure Program, a $288 million funding program for partnerships between localities and providers of fixed broadband service to support broadband deployment. His other infrastructure priorities include deepening and widening the Port of Virginia, easing congestion on I-95, improving traffic and safety concerns along I-64, improving and expanding the Long Bridge, expanding the capacity of the Virginia Railway Express (VRE), and providing sustainable funding mechanisms to Dulles International Airport (IAD) and Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA).
Congressman Wittman was re-elected for his eighth full term in the House of Representatives in November 2022 and prior to that, he served in several levels of government. Congressman Wittman won his first campaign for public office in 1986 when he was elected to the Montross Town Council, where he served for 10 years, four of them as mayor. In 1995, he was elected to the Westmoreland County Board of Supervisors and was elected its chairman in 2003. In 2005, voters in the 99th Legislative District elected Rob to the Virginia House of Delegates, where he served until his election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2007.
Prior to his election to Congress, Rob spent 26 years working in state government, most recently as field director for the Virginia Health Department's Division of Shellfish Sanitation. Earlier in his career, he worked as an environmental health specialist for local health departments in Virginia's Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula regions.
He holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University, a Master of Public Health degree in Health Policy and Administration from the University of North Carolina, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Virginia Tech.

The Honorable Michael Cadenazzi was sworn in as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy (ASD(IBP)) on September 23, 2025. In this role, he is the principal advisor to the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment on industrial base policies and leads the Department of Defense's efforts to develop and maintain the U.S. defense industrial base to ensure a secure supply of materials critical to national security.
Over the past two decades, Mr. Cadenazzi has served as a serial entrepreneur and consultant with experience in managing and addressing challenging issues across the aerospace & defense sector.
He has launched multiple defense industry services and technology start-ups across the signals intelligence, program analysis, data analytics, and market assessment and strategy sectors, and executed two successful transfers of business ownership. His extensive sector experience includes work from the space to undersea domains and from aircraft and munitions to armor, weapons, ships, and services. His clients have included domestic and international firms from large prime contractors to all levels in the supply chain. His direct experience spans strategy, mergers & acquisitions, operations, supply chain and organizational transformation.
Prior to his civilian career, Mr. Cadenazzi served for ten years as an active-duty U.S. Navy cryptologic warfare officer. He completed the Cryptologic Division Office Course at Corry Station in Pensacola Florida before his first tour at Naval Communications & Telecommunications Area Master Station (NCTAMS) WESTPAC in Agana, Guam. Following graduate education, he was assigned to the staff of Commander, U.S. Navy SIXTH Fleet in Gaeta Italy. He completed his military service on the staff of U.S. Naval Forces Europe in London, the United Kingdom.
Mr. Cadenazzi holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Tulane University and a master’s degree in electrical engineering with an emphasis on RF communications and signals intelligence from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School. He was commissioned an ensign in 1995 through the Tulane Naval Reserve Officer Corps (NROTC) program.

Congressman Scott Franklin serves the citizens of Florida’s 18th Congressional District. He is a 20-year veteran in insurance and risk management, having led Lanier Upshaw in Lakeland, FL as President & CEO for 20 years before merging into BKS Partners on January 1, 2020, where he served as Managing Partner. He was first elected to Congress in 2020 and was recently sworn in for a second term on January 3, 2023.
Scott’s first career was as a Naval Aviator, where he flew jets from the decks of 13 aircraft carriers during 26 years of service, including 14 years on active duty, followed by 12 years in the reserves. He had numerous deployments to the Mediterranean, Persian Gulf, and North Atlantic, and saw combat operations in the Gulf, Bosnia, and Kosovo. He was recalled to active duty twice after 9/11 with U.S. Central Command.
Scott has served in leadership capacities with many community and civic organizations, including chairman of the Florida chapter of Young Presidents Organization (YPO), Lakeland Economic Development Council, Lakeland Rotary Club, and director for the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce, Sun ‘n Fun Fly-In, the Aerospace Center for Excellence, Lakeland Downtown Development Authority, Lakeland International Airport Advisory Board, Central Florida Speech & Hearing Center and the Barney Barnett School of Business and Free Enterprise at Florida Southern College. He is a graduate of Leadership Florida, Leadership Lakeland, Leadership Polk and the Tampa Bay Partnership’s CEO Direct program. Scott served as a Lakeland City Commissioner and Mayor Pro Tem prior to running for Congress.
He is a 1986 graduate of the United States Naval Academy and holds an MBA from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Scott is also a graduate of the Air Command & Staff College and Wharton’s Executive Leadership Development Program.
In his third term in Congress, Scott serves on the House Appropriations Committee where he was appointed to the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Energy and Water Subcommittees. Scott also serves as Chairman of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee's Environment Subcommittee. In 2023, Speaker McCarthy appointed Scott to sit on the Naval Academy Board of Visitors.
He and his wife, Amy, have been married for over 30 years and have three adult children.

John McCanney is the Director – Transitions of the Department of War (DoW) Office for Small Business Innovation, within the Office of the Undersecretary of War for Research & Engineering (OUSW R&E). He is responsible for accelerating Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) capability adoption across the Department. He ensures DoW components are cultivating capabilities that are aligned with the strategic interests of the Department and are focused on rapidly transitioning critical capabilities at scale to meet Warfighter needs.
Mr. McCanney previously served as AFWERX’s Chief of the Innovation Contracting, where he led contracting outreach and education in innovation activities, such as SBIR/STTR Phase III and the Department of the Air Force (DAF) Strategic Funding Increase / Tactical Funding Increase (STRATFI/TACFI) programs. He worked with the DAF Specific Topic team and mission-partner contracting offices to rapidly execute a $400M annual portfolio, accelerated selection-to-award timing, and streamlined DAF contracting processes. Previously, he was the AFWERX Open Topic SBIR/STTR Contracting Sprints Lead, championing the execution of over $2B in contracts, also serving on the Air Force COVID-19 Task Force and leading the rapid execution of $300M+ in critical technologies during the pandemic.
Over his 17 years as a DoW civilian, Mr. McCanney has worked aggressively to reform contracting/acquisition policy and procedures, with a focus on applying speed and creativity; continuously improving the ability of the Department to develop and deliver capabilities. He is the recipient of the Armed Forces Civilian Service Medal and the Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition Innovation in Contracting award.

Corey Nickens serves as the Client Executive for the Assisted Acquisition Services’ (AAS) Defense unit, housed under the General Services Administration’s (GSA) Federal Acquisition Service (FAS).
Corey previously served as AAS Deputy Assistant Commissioner from 2020 to 2023, and Acquisition Quality Director for AAS’ Federal Systems Integration and Management Center (FEDSIM) from 2017 to 2020.
Corey is a participant in various professional organizations that work to increase collaboration between public and private sector organizations. He has held leadership roles in ACT-IAC’s professional development programs, as well as the Executive Leadership Conference (ELC).
Corey holds a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science from Drexel University and a Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems from the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC).

John Anthony Gastright, Jr. is the Senior Vice President for Government Affairs at Amentum, Vice Chairman of the International Stability Operations Association and President of the Institute for Indo Pacific Security.
From January 2008 to February 2021, he was the Senior Vice President for Government Affairs, Communications and Afghanistan Operations at DynCorp International. From March 2005 to December 2007, he was Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh and the U.S. Interagency Coordinator for Afghanistan. From June 2004 to March 2005, he was the Director for House Affairs at the Bureau of Legislative Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, and from. From March 2003 to June 2004 he served as Special Assistant to Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage.
Prior to service at the State Department, Mr. Gastright served as a congressional staffer in the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate from 1995 to 2003. From 1988 to 1994, he was an officer in the United States Navy and from 1987 to 1988 he served as a City of Charleston South Carolina police officer.
He is currently pursuing a Doctor of International Affairs at Johns Hopkins University and has been awarded master’s degrees from the Catholic University, the Naval War College and a bachelor’s degree from the Citadel.
John Gastright and his wife Kendra have three children. They reside on a family farm in Croom, Maryland.

Prior to joining PSC, Tim was the Staff Director for the Subcommittees on Technology Modernization and Oversight and Investigations on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee. He was responsible for oversight of VA’s $6 billion IT budget, and IT modernization programs to include Electronic Health Records, Financial Management and Supply Chain. He also worked extensively with industry and VA on a variety of contracting issues covering the vast array of supply and services contracts that VA awards on a yearly basis.
From 2009 to 2021 he served as a Level 3 Contracting Officer Representative and Program Manager for Homeland Security Standards at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. During his time at NIST he served as a Brookings Institute Legis Fellow and Department of Commerce Detail to the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee performing financial and contracting oversight and subject matter expertise on homeland security issues for the committee in the 113th and 115th Congresses.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and business from the Virginia Military Institute, and lives in Cabin John, Maryland with his wife and their two sons.

Megan Dake began her current role at Lockheed Martin in February 2025 as the Vice President of Corporate Contracts and Estimating. Megan’s experience spans 30 years in federal contracting roles leading multi-billion dollar programs, contract execution and policy implementation.
Prior to her current role, Megan served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Procurement. In this position, she served as the Enterprise Head of Army Contracting leading over 9000 professionals in the execution of the contracting for weapons systems and critical services to support the warfighter. She led all aspects of Army contracting of new capability supporting modernization efforts to the life cycle management and sustainment of weapon systems. Additionally, she served as the Senior Services Manager and was responsible for the oversight of $60B in service acquisitions.
Megan has demonstrated expertise in strategic acquisition planning, program execution, nontraditional contracting methods, and talent development. She has a proven record of building strong partnerships with internal stakeholders, Government and industry, academia, and non-profit organizations. She previously served as the Senior Contracting Official for the National Guard Bureau as well as the Marine Corps Systems Command. Megan also was in leadership roles at the Missile Defense Agency, Army Contracting Command and the Program Executive Office Soldier.
Megan’s exceptional service to the American people was recognized with the FY24 Meritorious Executive Presidential Rank Award, a testament to her outstanding leadership and dedication. She holds a Master's degree in Contract Management as well as a Bachelor's degree in Business and Management. Megan is an active board member and incoming Chair of the National Contract Management Association and has served as a Presidentially Appointed AbilityOne Commissioner.
The Honorable Christopher J. Lowman, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment
The Honorable Deborah G. Rosenblum, Acting Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition & Sustainment, DoD
Young Bang, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology, U.S. Army
Brian Burton, Senior Advisor for International and Industry Engagement, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy
The Honorable Frank Calvelli, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration, U.S. Department of the Air Force
The Honorable Laura D. Taylor-Kale, PhD, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy, U.S. Department of Defense