Autonomy Panel 

David Michelson

DIU  |  Director, Autonomy

David is the portfolio director for autonomy at DIU. He works on all things autonomy across all domains. He is excited for all the opportunities to come and impact for our nation’s warfighters!

Colin Carroll

DOD  |  Chief of Staff

Colin Carroll serves as the Chief of Staff to the Deputy Secretary of Defense. Prior to returning to the Department of Defense, Colin spent several years in private industry. As Vice President of Strategic Growth and Engineering at Anduril Industries and as the President of Applied Intuition Government, Colin built and led defense growth and engineering operations at two venture capital backed technology product start-ups that focus on delivering autonomous weapon systems to the warfighter. A native of Washington, DC, Colin graduated from the United States Naval Academy with a degree in Aerospace Engineering, and was commissioned into the United States Marine Corps as a Ground Intelligence Officer.

Kara Kramer

AeroVironment  |  Director, Business Development

Kara Kramer is the Director of Business Development at AeroVironment, leading the USAF, Non-DoD, and OSD portfolios. Kara’s recent experience is in leadership roles at defense technology start-ups, in companies like Shift5 and Istari, where she showcased her ability to drive advancements in drone technology and innovation with the Department of Defense and broader US Government. Her prior experience includes serving in the intelligence community and working at traditional defense contractors such as Booz Allen Hamilton and Thomson Reuters. 

Brian Streem

Vermeer  |  CEO & Founder

Brian Streem, CEO of Vermeer, is at the helm of pioneering advancements in positioning & navigation technology. With a diverse background that traces back to the film industry, Brian’s journey is marked by a unique blend of creativity & technical ingenuity. His early fascination with cameras became the catalyst for a groundbreaking camera based solution to the GPS-denied problem. In navigating both uncharted territories & industry norms, Brian’s journey highlights the power of interdisciplinary thinking. His success underscores the idea that even outsiders can thrive in traditionally rigid sectors, such as defense technology, through determination & innovation. Brian has spent the last 13 months living in Ukraine, deploying his tech.

Dr. Matt Markel

Epirus  |  CTO

A leading expert in radar and electronic warfare (EW) systems with decades of experience at the intersection of emerging technology and national security, Dr. Matt Markel was previously Chief Executive Officer of Spartan Radar, a radar technology company dedicated to improving transportation through better sensing, Vice President of Radar Systems at self-driving vehicle developer Ghost Autonomy and Head of Radar at Waymo, Google’s self-driving car project.​​ Prior to that, Markel served as Principal Engineering Fellow on Raytheon’s Space and Airborne Systems technical team where he led the transition of key radar and EW capabilities to the Department of Defense.

Eric Rosenbach

[ Moderator ]

Harvard Kennedy School  |  Director, DETS

The Honorable Eric Rosenbach is a Senior Lecturer at the Harvard Kennedy School and is the Director of the Defense, Emerging Technology, and Strategy (DETS) Program at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. He previously co-led the Belfer Center with former Secretary of Defense Ash Carter. Rosenbach currently serves on the Secretary of State’s International Security Advisory Board and on the Secretary of Defense’s Defense Business Board. Rosenbach previously held several senior level appointee jobs in government. Before serving as Pentagon Chief of Staff, Rosenbach was the Senate-confirmed Assistant Secretary of Defense for Global Security and Homeland Defense. Earlier, Rosenbach served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Cyber Policy.