New Hampshire Tech Alliance

New Hampshire Tech Alliance

2026 Agenda

 

NENSC Committee Co-Chairs

Tom Fournier, Owner, OrgNxt LLC

Scott Merrick, Founder & Principal, Darby Field Advisors

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8:00 AM Registration Opens

Registration sponsored by UNH College of Professional Studies

Opening Remarks

  • Julie Demers, Executive Director, NH Tech Alliance
  • Tom Fournier, Co-Chair, Northeast National Security Conference Committee
  • Leonard Lublin, Deputy General Manager, BAE Systems’ FAST Labs

Coffee Break 

Morning coffee break sponsored by Pulsar Security

Breakout Sessions

Breakout Sessions

Track 1: Ocean

Keynote

Generating a Robust Supply Chain and Material Network for Today and The Future

Academia’s Role in National Security – Workforce Readiness and Solutions Pipeline

Optimizing the Solution Pipeline – Getting Capabilities into the Hands That Need Them

  • Moderator: Toby Stapleton, Managing Director, TXX Strategies Group, Chair of the Blue Venture Forum, President of the Marine & Oceanographic Technology Network (MOTN), Co-founder of the Blue Innovation Symposium
  • David Coit, Co-founder and Managing Director, North Atlantic Capital
  • Mike Flanigan, Co-Founder and CEO, Seasats
  • Dustin Varnell, Director, Spirit Advisory
  • Geoff Edelson, Chief Scientist, BAE Systems

Fireside Chat

Track 2: Space

Keynote

New England Space Leaders Panel

  • Moderator – Col Peter Norton, USSF Retired, VP Executive Partnership Outreach, U.S. Space Force Association
  • Travis Pond, Maj, USSF, Systems Delta 85 – Deputy Branch Chief – FMS, Space Systems Command (SSC)
  • Rebecca D. Manning, Maj, USSF, Commander, Detachment 1, Space Delta 13, Space Training and Readiness Command (STARCOM)

Space Industry Panel

Northeast Space Economic Coalition (NESEC) Panel

Track 3: Regional Collaboration

Regional Associations and Alliances

  • Julie Demers, Executive Director, New Hampshire Tech Alliance
  • Randy Makee, Executive Director, New Hampshire Aerospace and Defense Consortium (NHADC)
  • Chris Torina, Director of Entrepreneurship + Director of the National Security Innovation Hub, Northeastern University’s Roux Institute
  • Jennifer MacDonald, MD, Chief Operating Officer, Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI) | BioFabUSA

Academic Research in Support of National Security

  • Aaron Ramsey, Senior Director of Corporate Relations, College of Engineering, Purdue
  • Adam Gross, Vice Chancellor – Ivy+ Career Link, Ivy Tech Community College
  • Anne Maglia, PhD, Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development (LINC Program), UMASS Lowell

George Washington University- NIST Prep Program

  • Moderator: Sabrina Drass, Manager of Research Programs, The George Washington University
  • Prof. David A. Broniatowski, Professor of Engineering Management and Systems Engineering, The George Washington University

Regional Workforce Development Q&A Panel

  • Moderator: Amy Gryzbowski Ph.D., Vice President Workforce Development and Community Relations, New England Institute of Technology
  • Patton
  • Mike Fischer, President, York County Community College, Maine
  • Lance Fiondella, Prof. Electrical and Computer Engineering, Cybersecurity Center Director, UMASS Dartmouth

 

Lunch

BAE FAST Labs

Tech Showcase

Presentations by Defense Service Organizations

These presentations will be an overview of the organization, what technology needs they have, and how businesses can utilize their services.

  • Army Applications Lab – Barry Tishgart, Entrepreneur in Residence, Army Futures Command
    Description

    AAL is an innovation organization. We help ensure that Army Futures Command consistently delivers the best technology in the world to Army units, we find the best ways to do that, and we capture and report best innovation practices to support their adoption across the enterprise. We energize the commercial innovation base to solve Army problems. We don’t simply release solicitations and wait for companies to reply. We actively work in every section of the Lab to make the Army a business partner of preference for the best innovators and technologists in the world. In so doing, we expand the base of viable companies willing and ready to work with the DoD.

  • AFWERX – Aneel Alvares, Military Deputy Director, AFWERX
    Description

    As the innovation arm of the Department of the Air Force (DAF) and powered by the Air Force Research Laboratory, AFWERX cultivates and transitions impactful emerging technologies to deter and win wars.  AFWERX brings cutting edge American ingenuity from small businesses and start-ups to address the most pressing challenges of the DAF.  The four core arms of AFWERX – AFVentures, Spark, Prime and SpaceWERX – serve to expand the defense industrial base for advanced technologies, empower Airmen and Guardian talent, and drive faster technology transition to operational capability.

  • DARPAConnect – Karen Krause-Bencal, DARPAConnect
    Description

     DARPA (the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) is the U.S. Department of Defense’s premier R&D agency, relentlessly pursuing groundbreaking innovations in artificial intelligence, biotechnology, advanced manufacturing, cybersecurity, and more. Renowned for turning bold ideas into field-ready capabilities, DARPA continues to push the boundaries of possibility. The DARPAConnect program serves as the front door to the agency, with resources, opportunities and pathways to teach innovators “How to DARPA.”.

  • DEVCOM – Mr. Jeffrey Pacuska, Program Manager- OUSD R&E ManTech, US Army DEVCOM Soldier Center

Investing in National Security

Cocktail Reception

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