Your Guide to the 2024 Intel Summit

Potomac Officers Club events are always vital avenues for government contracting industry members to stay up to date on new trends and to network with peers and federal collaborators. But every year, the Intel Summit provides a one-of-a-kind opportunity to hear insights from the most secretive sector of the U.S. government: the Intelligence Community.

On Sept. 19, POC will hold the tenth annual Intel Summit at the Hilton McLean in Virginia. Let us walk you through how the day is scheduled to play out and the opportunities you’ll be afforded along the way.

Be sure to save your spot at the event before it sells out! (This is your low ticket warning.)

7:00–8:00 a.m.: Networking Reception

You’ll want to arrive on the early side of this window in order to claim a seat, acquire refreshments and mingle with all of the other highly successful, keen GovCon professionals who will be gradually accumulating throughout the hour. Tables will be set up so you can familiarize yourself with the sponsors, who include SAIC, Acuity, Accenture Federal Services and more.

8:05–8:45 a.m.: Opening Keynote, Nand Mulchandani

CIA Chief Technology Officer Nand Mulchandani will kick things off with a sure-to-be revealing keynote address. Mulchandani began his career nurturing a series of startups before eventually transitioning to the public sector, playing a key role in the Department of Defense’s Joint Artificial Intelligence Center before becoming the CIA’s first-ever CTO in April 2022.

In this position, Mulchandani has a highly important responsibility to ensure the agency has its ear to the ground for the latest and greatest innovations from the tech sector, and steadily incorporates them into its processes.

All of the keynotes will include time for audience questions, so bring your comments and concerns to share with Mulchandani and his colleagues.

8:45–9:20 a.m.: Morning Keynote, Dr. William Benard

The proceedings will then take a turn toward the research and development community: Dr. William Benard, Office of Collection director at the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity will take the stage. Dr. Benard has deep experience in the defense and IC R&D field, having spent time at the Army Research Laboratory and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. He has completed successful studies in distributed sensing, additive manufacturing, X-ray lithography systems and NASA payloads, among many others.

Dr. Benard is also committed to semiconductor material, device and architecture research, so for those wondering about the intersection of intelligence and the movement to return chip production to U.S. shores, be sure to tune in.

9:20–9:50 a.m.: Networking Break

Esteemed Intelligence Community officials will be walking amongst the crowd. Take full advantage of this fruitful time!

You will next have the choice between two simultaneous panel sessions.

9:50–10:50 a.m.: Panel A—Accelerating Mission IT for the Intelligence Community

Moderated by SAIC’s Jay Meil, this panel will feature:

• Mark Chatelain, Associate Chief Information Officer of National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
• Dale Chidester, Deputy CIO of CIA
• Margaret Smith, Data and AI Growth Lead at Accenture Federal Services

Discussion will center on:

• The intersection of enterprise IT and data
• How AI, cloud and enterprise IT are combining to accelerate outcomes for the IC
• The biggest challenges in mission IT and what industry can do to help

9:50–10:50 a.m.: Panel B—Driving Intelligence Outcomes: Strategic Data Enablement and AI in the IC

Moderated by Acuity’s KC Wilberg, this panel will feature:

• Andrew Black, Technical Director of Emerging Technologies (AI/ML & Quantum) at Amazon Web Services
• Jimmy L. Hall, Jr., Director of Technology & Innovation Office at U.S. Department of State
• Ramesh Menon, CIO at Defense Intelligence Agency
• Brian Scheffler, Former ODNI CTO (Ret. July 2024); Founder & CEO of Binary Knowledge Solutions LLC

Discussion will center on:

• How strategic data enablement and AI are revolutionizing the IC
• The latest methodologies and technologies that are unlocking new levels of intelligence, efficiency and mission success
• CIO insights into the best practices for implementing AI-driven data strategies, overcoming common challenges and maximizing the value of intelligence operations
• Practical knowledge on leveraging these advancements to achieve transformative outcomes in the IC

After a brief 10 minute break, attendees will then choose between:

11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.: Panel C—OSINT and AI: Industry as an Enabler

Moderated by SOSi’s Jim Edwards, this panel will feature:

• Brad Ahlskog, Chief of the Open-Source Intelligence Integration Center at DIA
• Frank Miller, Vice President for Intelligence Integration at Exovera
• Sean Underwood, VP of Global Government at ShadowDragon
• And two more panelists TBA!

Discussion will center on:

• Exploration of the various facets of open-source intelligence, or OSINT
• How ubiquitous data is increasing the importance of AI and publicly available information, or PAI, to OSINT within the IC.
• Industry’s role in gaining and sustaining access to PAI that supports mission requirements, ensuring data provenance and developing new exploitation capabilities.
• Thoughtful approaches to acquire the requisite tools, data and services.

11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.: Panel D—IC and DOD Integration for Decision Advantage

Moderated by CACI’s Kendra Albanese, this panel will feature:

• Sean Batir, Maven CTO, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
• Jock Padgett, DCDAO for Advanced C2 Acceleration, Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office, DOD
• Dr. Timothy Wood, Deputy Program Manager, MARS Program Management Office, DIA
• And one more panelist TBA!

Discussion will center on:

• An overview of the current and evolving threat landscape
• Data quality, accessibility and interoperability
• Innovation and experimentation
• Cultural considerations

The sessions will then break for a delicious lunch. Don’t be afraid to pull up a chair next to someone you don’t know!

One more crucial decision awaits:

1:00–2:00 p.m.: Panel E—Government and Industry Collaboration in Transition to Great Power Competition

Moderated by Amentum’s David Marlowe, this panel will feature:

• Dr. Jessica Appler, Director of Maintaining Technology Advantage, DOD
• Special Agent Sarah Masiello, AFOSI Liaison Officer to SAF/AQ of Air Force Office of Special Investigations
• Matthew Ross, Executive Director of Global Integration at DIA

Discussion will center on:

• Government priorities for intentional development of capability or change in programs or process
• Where the government sees the greatest need for investment
• How industry and government can collaborate to accelerate this development and facilitate faster and closer partnership
• Options for more agile procurement, greater fluidity of talent between government and industry, and more commonality of process across IC members

1:00–2:00 p.m.: Panel F—Expanding Mission Visibility Through Data Centricity and Tool Consolidation

Moderated by Splunk’s Tereza Jacoby, this panel will feature:

• Rich Baich, SVP & Chief Information Security Officer at AT&T
• Erik Blasch, Program Officer at Air Force Office of Scientific Research
• Ian Fowlie, Chief of Enterprise Information Technology Engineering at DIA
• Mark Munsiell, Director, Data and Digital Innovation Directorate at NGA

Discussion will center on:

• Why secure data centricity across IC and DOD platforms is a critical component to assuring data for AI
• The need for scalable solutions to manage the increasing volume and variety of data generated
• The importance of decoupling data from applications, consolidating tools and implementing business models that simplify data management and enhance data assurance across various applications, environments and computing edges.

2:00–2:30 p.m.: Networking Break

2:30–3:05 p.m.: Afternoon Keynote, Ryan Young

For nearly the entirety of this century, Ryan Young has been driving the mission and focuses of the FBI. Young currently serves as executive assistant director of the bureau’s intelligence branch His list of accomplishments since he joined the FBI in 2001 includes standing up the Syria-Iraq Task Force and heading up the bureau’s second largest joint terrorism task force and weapons of mass destruction investigations in southern California.

Count on Young to illuminate the audience about the law enforcement side of the IC.

3:05–3:40 p.m.: Closing Keynote, Dana Madsen

Bringing the day to a graceful, riveting close will be National Intelligence Manager for Cyber Dana Madsen, hailing from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Madsen is a career IC official, joining in 2000 and holding roles since like deputy chief of a CIA cyber threat program and membership to CIA’s Senior Analytic Service, its expert track for analysts.

His current job involves facilitating the integration of cyber collection and analysis and determining the allocation of resources for the cyber mission via the Intelligence Planning, Programming, Budgeting and Execution system. You won’t want to miss this one!

Join us for this fascinating day of cross-talk and Q&As! Register for the 2024 Intel Summit today.