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NGA at the 2024 GEO Resilience Summit

About the Event

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and GEOHuntsville will co-host the GeoResilience Summit and Career Fair April 3, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT, at the Jackson Center in Huntsville. The summit is an exciting, full-day event with keynote speakers, panels, a career fair, student scholarship announcements and mentoring opportunities. This is an opportunity for participants to engage in discussions with experts from government, industry and academia about the impact of GEOINT on national security and the explosion of technological innovations in Huntsville’s growing geospatial ecosystem, home to the Marshall Space Flight Center and the U.S. Space and Rocket Center.
 
The resilience theme is based on the 2023 National Intelligence Strategy, with discussions on climate and its impact on human populations, environmental impacts to crops and food production, coastal and community disaster impacts to a geography, human health impacts to a geography, and cyber impacts on IT security, privacy and data systems. 
 
Student educators and advisors cannot afford to miss the panel on preparing the next generation of geospatial talent. Experts will discuss the skills that are in demand, how to get started in the geospatial career field, and learn how the members of the intelligence community are upscaling AI/ML skill sets to strengthen national security. There is no cost for full-time high school and college students to attend the career fair.
 
Students and professionals alike are invited to attend the GeoResilience Summit and Student Career Fair at the Jackson Center, 6001 Moquin Dr NW, Huntsville, AL 35806. 

View the full schedule and purchase tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/georesilience-summit-tickets-829209266237  

Featured Speakers

NGA's Speaker Schedule

Wednesday April 3

8:45 am – 9:15 am | Morning Keynote, Tonya Wilkerson, NGA Deputy Director | Discovery Hall A


9:15 am – 9:55 am | How GIS Developments are Strengthening U.S. Resilience | | Discovery Hall A
Having GIS data has become crucial for mission-critical networks including communications, energy and disaster recovery systems. Panelists will discuss how this can help identify patterns and trends that protect and secure critical missions and information security data. Panelists include: 

• Gary Buchanan, Chief Information Security Officer, NGA
• Supriya Chinthavali, Lead, Geoinformatics Engineering group, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
• Gary Dunow, VP for Strategic Development, USGIF
• E. Barlow Keener, Communications, Technology & Media Team, Womble Bond Dickinson 
• Morgan Malone, Cintel Energy Project Manager, Cintel, Inc.
• Moderator: Angela Rittenbach, President and CEO of Riverstone Solutions, Inc.


10:05 am – 10:45 am | How GEOINT can map Changes in Human Health | Discovery Hall A
In this session experts discuss how GEOINT was used during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to map the progression of the pandemic, and how geospatial information is used to combat infectious diseases caused by water-borne disasters and infections, and food-derived diseases caused by droughts. Panelists include: 

• Dr. Budhu Bhaduri, Director of the Geospatial Science and Human Security Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
• Dr. Josh Clevenger, Faculty Investigator, HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology
• Amanda Weber, Strategic Advisor for Plans Integration, Strategic Competition & Global Health, NGA
• Moderator: David Lucas, Partner, Womble Bond Dickinson and GEOHuntsville Executive Director

 

12:15 pm – 12:55 pm |  Geospatial Roles in Disaster Response & Climate Change | Discovery Hall A
This panel examines how GEOINT provides analysts and first responders the information on the ground for them to provide effective disaster response and how climate change is reshaping our geography. Panelists include: 

• Jordan Bell, Remote Sensing Scientist, Marshall Space Flight Center, NASA
• Michael Benson, Director of the Office of Geography, NGA
• Ryan Lanclos, Director of National Government and Public Safety Solutions, Esri
• Chris Terry, Geographic Information System (GIS) Specialist, City of Huntsville
• Moderator: Stan Tillman, GEOHuntsville Board Member


12:55 pm – 1:35 pm |  Expanding into Outer Space |  Discovery Hall A
This panel will discuss space activities and how these activities contribute to national resilience. Panelists include: 

• Scott MacDonald, Chief Scientist, Missile and Space Intelligence Center, DIA
• Adam Maher, Founder and CEO, URSA Space
• Timothy Randall, GEOINT Mission Manager for Space and Counterspace, NGA
• Colonel Mike Teter (Retired), SPACECOM
• Dr. Karl Walli, Executive Vice President, Radiance Technologies
• Moderator: Joe Fehrenbach, GEOHuntsville Board Space Committee Lead


1:45 pm – 2:35 pm | How STEM Prepares for Geospatial Careers | Discovery Hall A
This panel will discuss what skills are in demand, how to get started in the geospatial career field and some key differences between federal and industry resumes. Panelists include: 

• Jo-Ellen Adkins, Acting Director of Human Development, NGA
• Chase Golden, Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering 
• Dr. Sara Graves, University of Alabama, Huntsville
• Dr. Michael Pretes, Professor and Chair of the Department of Geoscience, University of North Alabama
• Dr. Wubishet Tadesse, Chair of the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Alabama A&M University
• Moderator: Sue Kalweit, Managing Director, Deloitte