Digital & AI Panel 

Chris Benson

Istari Digital  |  Co-Founder & CTO

Chris Benson is a co-founder and CTO of Istari Digital, a company that is re-thinking digital engineering from first principles, focused on security first, decentralization of data and ease-of-use.  Istari Digital is applying its novel digital engineering platform to develop and certify a new X-plane to become the world's first digitally certified aircraft in a Program called Flyer Øne. 

Justin Fanelli

U.S. Navy  |  CTO & Tech Director, PEO Digital

Mr. Justin Fanelli is the Acting CTO for the Dept of Navy and Technical Director of PEO Digital, driving technology-led mission success and secure IT transformation. He advises ARPA-H and several S&T boards. His teams have achieved multi-billion dollar savings and breakthrough impacts, while Defense Healthcare initiatives established a one‑stop data enterprise. Previously, he served as Chief Data Architect for Defense Health and Executive Lead for Navy’s digital transformation in 5G and DevSecOps. An educator at Georgetown and guest lecturer at top universities, he holds degrees from Penn State and UPenn and is a Senior Executive Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School. Awarded for innovative leadership, he is certified in Lean Six Sigma, Agile, and GIAC Security Leadership.

Enrique Oti

Second Front Systems  |  Chief Strategy Officer

Enrique Oti is the Chief Strategy Officer of Second Front Systems, where he fast-tracks government access to disruptive, commercially-proven software as a service applications for national security missions. Enrique had a 23-yr career in the US Air Force and commanded an intelligence support squadron in Korea, and was a co-founder of the Defense Innovation Unit in Silicon Valley. He co-founded the Kessel Run software development program, and in his final assignment served as the Kessel Run commander, retiring as a Colonel. Enrique earned a BS in History from the U.S. Air Force Academy, an MS in Strategic Intelligence from the Joint Military Intelligence College, and an MA in International Relations from Zhejiang University in China.

Brig Gen Michael McGinley

U.S. Air Force  |  Director, GigEagle

Brig. Gen. McGinley is Director of DoD’s GigEagle Agile Talent Ecosystem Initiative, where he leads DoD’s first Joint, artificial intelligence-driven enterprise talent operations system, built to access and engage whole-of-nation talent for national security. He also serves as the Mobilization Assistant to the Military Deputy at the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition. Previously, he launched and led the Defense Innovation Unit’s Boston operations. General McGinley graduated with highest honors in Business from UNC Chapel Hill and earned his Juris Doctor from the Georgetown University Law Center, where he was a Managing Editor of The Georgetown Law Journal. In his civilian capacity, he is an executive at Google, helping dual-use technology firms innovate.

Eugene Kuznetsov

CDAO  |  Chief Information Officer

Eugene Kuznetsov is Chief Information Officer at the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office. He oversees digital transformation, AI integration, and improved access to data. Previously, he led Enterprise Platforms and Services at CDAO and served as CTO at Naval Special Warfare Command. He has also held roles at Commure, Salesforce, and DataPower Technology. An MIT alumnus, Eugene holds multiple patents and was recognized as one of InfoWorld’s top CTOs.

Fred Heiding

[ Moderator ]

Harvard Kennedy School, Belfer Center

Dr. Fred Heiding is a research fellow at Harvard's Belfer Center, a board member at DEF CON’s Misinformation Village, and part of WEF's Cybercrime Center. He has appeared in Black Hat, DEF CON, BSides, IEEE Access, and HBR. Fred has identified over 45 CVEs.