Rear Admiral Nevin P. Carr, Jr.

Chief of Naval Research, Director, Test and Evaluation and Technology Requirements

Rear Admiral Nevin Carr has spent his Navy career at sea in cruisers and destroyers, deploying to the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, Indian Ocean, Persian Gulf, North and South Atlantic, South Pacific, Baltic, Caribbean and Red Seas. Shipboard tours included USS King (DDG 41); USS McCandless (FF 1084); USS Thomas S. Gates (CG 51); USS Vella Gulf (CG 72); Cruiser/Destroyer Group 8 staff embarked in USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69); and the 2nd Fleet staff embarked in USS Mt. Whitney (LCC 20). He commanded USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) and USS Cape St. George (CG 71), winning Battle Efficiency Awards and Golden Anchors in both tours. While in command of Cape St. George, the ship participated in combat operations in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in both the European and Central Command theaters.

Ashore, Carr has served in the office of the Secretary of Defense where he worked on the Arleigh Burke, Ticonderoga and Seawolf programs, and several Ballistic Missile Defense programs. He later served in the office of the Chief of Naval Operations as requirements officer for the Aegis Cruiser and Destroyer programs, and was executive assistant to the Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command. Following promotion to flag rank in 2006 he was assigned as the deputy director of Surface Warfare for Combat Systems and Weapons, and later as deputy assistant Secretary of the Navy (International Programs) and director, Navy International Program Office.

Carr graduated in 1979 from the U.S. Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science in Naval Architecture. He received his Master of Science in Operations Research from the Naval Postgraduate School and completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.

In December 2008, he became the 22nd chief of Naval Research, with additional duties as director, Test and Evaluation and Technology Requirements.

Earl C. Wyatt

Director, Rapid Fielding

Mr. Wyatt is the Director of Rapid Fielding in the office of the Director, Defense Research and Engineering. Mr. Wyatt is responsible for policy and oversight of fielding capabilities that counter unconventional and time-sensitive threats. He facilitates rapid technology transition within the Department through discovery and demonstration of advanced technology concepts and works with interagency and coalition partners, industry, and academia to facilitate the timely satisfaction of validated priority operational needs.

Prior to assuming his position in September 2009, Mr. Wyatt served as a Defense team Principal, Science and Technology and Unmanned Systems Subject Matter Expert for Booz Allen Hamilton. He was responsible for providing assistance to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Tactical Technology and Strategic Technology Offices, and the Air Force Research Laboratory's Air Vehicles, Sensors, Propulsion, and Material and Manufacturing Directorates. He supported the development and demonstration of innovative concepts for advanced platforms, weapons, space systems, maritime operations, information assurance, and strategic and tactical networks for the Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps.

Before joining Booz Allen Hamilton, Mr. Wyatt served in the United States Air Force for more than 26 years, achieving the rank of Colonel, and he was Air Force Acquisition Professional Development Level III Program Manager. As the DARPA Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) Program Manager, Mr. Wyatt managed the development/demonstration of the revolutionary UCAV program, integrating robust communications and adaptive control technology with the next-generation stealth platform. Under his leadership, this science and technology effort demonstrated autonomous unmanned air vehicle operations up to 35,000 feet in altitude, and single operator multiple-vehicle control.

Mr. Wyatt's Air Force assignments included serving as Aeronautical Systems Center's (ASC) Director of Plans and Programs, responsible for strategic and developmental planning, and F-16 Chief of Product Development, responsible for integration of Night Vision capability to enable 24-hour F-16 operations during the Kosovo conflict. He also served as Chief of F-16 International Programs, responsible for air vehicle capability enhancement deliveries to Greece, Portugal, Singapore and Korea.

As the Joint Strike Fighter's (JSF) Manufacturing and Producibility IPT lead, Mr. Wyatt managed the manufacturing and environmental segments for the JSF concept demonstration phase. He also served as the B-2 Chief of Integration and Deputy for Production; Air Force Systems Command, Systems Officer for the F-15, Tactical Electronic Warfare System; Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation deputy for radar warning systems software evaluation; and Wing Weather Officer for the First Tactical Fighter Wing.

Mr. Wyatt is a native of Brooklyn, New York, and holds B.S. degrees in Physics from Syracuse University and Electrical Engineering from the Air Force's Institute of Technology. He has M.S. degrees in Systems Analysis from the University of West Florida, and in National Resource Strategy from the National Defense University, Industrial College of the Air Forces.

Sean J. Stackley (Invited - Not Yet Confirmed)

Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Research, Development & Acquisition

Sean J. Stackley assumed the duties of Assistant Secretary of the Navy (ASN) (Research, Development & Acquisition (RDA)) following his confirmation by the Senate in July 2008. As the Navy's Acquisition Executive, Mr. Stackley is responsible for the research, development and acquisition of Navy and Marine Corps platforms and warfare systems which includes oversight of more than 100,000 people and an annual budget in excess of $50 billion.

Prior to his appointment to ASN (RDA), Mr. Stackley served as a professional staff member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. During his tenure with the Committee, he was responsible for overseeing Navy and Marine Corps programs, U.S. Transportation Command matters and related policy for the Seapower Subcommittee. He also advised on Navy and Marine Corps operations & maintenance, science & technology and acquisition policy.

Mr. Stackley began his career as a Navy Surface Warfare Officer, serving in Engineering and Combat Systems assignments aboard USS John Young (DD 973). Upon completing his warfare qualifications, he was designated as an engineering duty officer and served in a series of industrial, fleet, program office and headquarters assignments in ship design and construction, maintenance, logistics and acquisition policy.

From 2001 to 2005, Mr. Stackley served as the Navy's LPD 17 program manager, with responsibility for all aspects of procurement for this major ship program. Having served earlier in his career as production officer for the USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) and project Naval architect overseeing structural design for the Canadian Patrol Frigate, HMCS Halifax (FFH 330), he had the unique experience of having performed a principal role in the design, construction, test and delivery of three first-of-class warships.

Mr. Stackley was commissioned and graduated with distinction from the United States Naval Academy in 1979 with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. He holds the degrees of Ocean Engineer and Master of Science, Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Mr. Stackley earned certification as professional engineer, Commonwealth of Virginia, in 1994.

Rep. Ike Skelton

Missouri's Fourth District

U.S. Rep. Ike Skelton (D-MO) has represented Missouri's Fourth Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1977. His district includes Missouri's state capital, Jefferson City, and much of the Ozark region of the state. The northernmost part of the Fourth District includes Ray County, located north of the Missouri River. The southernmost point of the district is Webster County, only 30 miles from the Arkansas border.

Skelton, a native of Lexington, is a graduate of Wentworth Military Academy and the University of Missouri at Columbia where he received A.B. and L.L.B. degrees. He was named as a member of Phi Beta Kappa and the Law Review. Prior to his election to Congress, Skelton served as Lafayette County Prosecuting Attorney and as a Missouri State Senator.

A leader in the House on defense issues, Skelton is the Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. Skelton's district is home to Fort Leonard Wood, Whiteman Air Force Base, and the Missouri National Guard Training Center. Skelton was instrumental in bringing the Army Engineer School to Fort Leonard Wood and the B-2 Stealth bomber to Whiteman.

As most of the Fourth Congressional District is comprised of small towns and farming communities, Skelton looks after the needs of rural America. He is a former chairman of the Small Business Subcommittee on Procurement, Tourism and Rural Development and the Congressional Rural Caucus.

Skelton is an Eagle Scout, a member of Sigma Chi social fraternity, a Lions Club member, and vice chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation. Skelton is an elder of the First Christian Church in Lexington. He and his late wife Susie have three sons. Skelton remarried Patricia Martin in 2009.

http://www.house.gov/skelton/biography.shtml

Karen G. Mills

Administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration

Karen G. Mills was sworn in April 6, 2009, as the 23rd Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration. Appointed by President Barack Obama and confirmed unanimously by the Senate, Ms. Mills directs a federal agency with more than 2,000 full-time employees, and a leading role helping small business owners and entrepreneurs secure financing, technical assistance, training and federal contracts. SBA also plays a leading role in disaster recovery by making low interest loans for businesses and residents. With a portfolio of direct and guaranteed business loans and disaster loans worth more than $84 billion, SBA is the nation's largest single financial backer of small business.

Since 1983, Ms. Mills has been an active hands-on investor in and successful manager of small businesses. Ms. Mills also has distinguished herself as a passionate advocate for small business policy that encourages innovation, economic development and job creation.

Most recently, as the president of MMP Group, Ms. Mills invested in and took a leading role in companies involved in the consumer products, food, distribution, textile and industrial components sectors. Prior to that, in the late 1990s, she was a co-founder and a managing director of Solera Capital.

Ms. Mills has spent much of her career working with small manufacturing firms, including producers of hardwood flooring, refrigerator motors and plastic injection molding. During the recession of the early 1990s, her hands-on management and commitment to innovation is credited with helping several small manufacturers increase efficiency and competitiveness, and ultimately survive in a tough economy.

Her background also includes consulting in the U.S. and Europe for the management consulting firm McKinsey and Co. and product management for General Foods. In 2007, she was appointed by Maine Gov. John Baldacci as chair of the state's Council on Competitiveness and the Economy, where she focused on attracting investment in rural and regional development initiatives. She also served on the Governor's Council for the Redevelopment of the Brunswick Naval Air Station.

For several years Ms. Mills has been a leading voice in the U.S. competitiveness discussion and is author of an influential Brookings Institution paper on the federal role in regional economic development clusters - geographic concentrations of interconnected businesses that share knowledge and resources to spur innovation, economic growth and higher wage employment. Ms. Mills' work with boat builders in Maine in using composite materials to increase global competitiveness is one of the leading examples of the success of economic development clusters.

She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and has been vice chairman of the Harvard Overseers. Ms. Mills has an A.B. in economics from Harvard University, and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School where she was a Baker Scholar. Mills and her husband Barry Mills, president of Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, have three sons.

David Metzger

Partner, Arnold and Porter LLP

David P. Metzger practices in the area of government contracts. His practice concentrates on all aspects of federal government contracting law, including litigation, bid protests, claims, and contract administration issues. Metzger has prosecuted and defended a large number of bid protests before the Government Accountability Office (GAO), agencies, the Court of Federal Claims, and other forums. He has defended terminations for default, prosecuted claims before the Boards of Contract Appeals, initiated and defended suits in the federal district courts involving government prime contractors and subcontractors, and brought appeals on behalf of small businesses before the Office of Hearings and Appeals (OHA) of the SBA. Metzger has drafted and litigated teaming and joint venture agreements, advised clients on a wide variety of statutes and regulations affecting government contracts, and handled matters involving audits and investigations, A-76 challenges, commercial items, flow-down clauses, government contracts compliance, cost and pricing, employment, enhanced use leasing and privatization, extraordinary contractual relief, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, GSA Schedules and Government-Wide Acquisition Contracts (GWACs), intellectual property and technical data rights, past performance, performance-based contracting, licensing, research consortia, the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and other small business programs, suspension and debarment, technology transfer, trade secrets, and other issues. Metzger has successfully defended cost and pricing and executive compensation disputes with the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA), dealt with Inspectors General, and resolved allegations of fraud and wrongdoing before the Department of Justice.

He is a past president of the Boards of Contract Appeals Bar Association (BCABA). He is the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the BCABA, and Chairman of the BCABA's Executive Policy Forum. He serves as the current chair of the General Counsel's Committee of the Professional Services Council and a member of the Board of Directors of the Small Business Technology Coalition. Metzger is also a member of the Board of Visitors of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School and serves as co-chair of the ABA Public Contract Law Section Special Committee on ADR.

Metzger is a member of the Virginia, District of Columbia and Wisconsin Bar Associations, and admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, Court of Federal Claims, Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and numerous federal district courts. Prior to entering private practice, he served for four years on Capitol Hill as an Administrative Assistant to a U.S. Representative and as Staff Director to the House Subcommittee on Energy, Environment, Safety and Research. He also served for four years as Director for Innovation and Procurement Policy at the U.S. Small Business Administration.

John Williams

Director, Navy SBIR/STTR and Technology Transfer Program

John Williams is Director of the Navy's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program, Small Businesses Technology Transfer (STTR) and Technology Transfer (T2) Programs. He has dedicated his last 12 years to the Office of Naval Research, initially serving as Deputy of the Navy SBIR Program until his promotion to Director in 2005. Williams' naval career has spanned 20 years and has touched upon projects ranging from the Navy's Manufacturing Technology Program, the Navy and Private Shipyards, the National Shipbuilding Research Program. He has also held positions at the Naval Surface Warfare Center and the Naval Sea Systems Command.

As Director of the Navy SBIR/STTR Program, Williams has worked to increase not only the commercialization but also the transition of Navy SBIR/STTR technologies into the fleet. In 2000, he initiated the Transition Assistance Program (TAP), a 10 month program to educate and assist all Navy Phase II awardees in the Technology Transition process. He expanded this effort to include the Primes Initiative, aimed at increasing the involvement of DOD prime contractors. In 2007, the annual TAP concluding event, the Navy Opportunity Forum, attracted over 1300 representatives from DOD primes, program offices, and small businesses.

The Navy has led the way towards increasing the involvement of Acquisition Program offices and major defense contractors in SBIR by promoting a culture that encourages partnership between our nation's small high tech firms and those organizations that make Phase III investments. The Navy awards the greatest number of Phase III contracts. And, its Phase III (non-SBIR) contract funding ($342M in FY04) has surpassed the Phase I and II SBIR funding every year since 2002.

Williams is also Director of the Navy T2 program which oversees all Navy CRADA's and sets policy for Navy ORTA's. He has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Maryland College Park and a Masters in Engineering Management, Marketing of Technology from the George Washington University.

Joseph P. Lawrence III, Ph.D.

Director of Transition, Office of Naval Research

Joseph P. Lawrence III, Ph.D., received a B.S.E.E. from the University of Maryland, College Park, an M.S.E. from Princeton University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, College Park, all in Electrical Engineering. Dr. Lawrence started his career as a member of the technical staff at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C., in 1966, initially with the Radar Division, working on a variety of radar and multi-sensor integration projects. He later joined the NRL Tactical Electronic Warfare (EW) Division, where he was responsible for anti-ship missile engagement modeling development and applications, as well as a large variety of Electronic Warfare (EW) systems analyses, development, and evaluation efforts as Head of the Advanced EW Systems Section. Subsequently, as Head of the Surface Electronic Warfare Systems Branch, he was responsible for research and development of systems and techniques spanning the full timeline of surface EW engagement.

Dr. Lawrence was selected to be the ONR Manager for the Fleet/Force Protection Future Naval Capability (FNC) initiative in 2000, where he was responsible for a wide range of applied S&T including platform signatures, sensors, HM&E, and defensive weapons. He was appointed as the Director of the ONR Surveillance, Communications and Electronic Combat Division (ONR 313) in September 2001. In this latter position he was responsible for performance of DoN S&T in the areas of surveillance (RF and EO/IR), communications, navigation (including GPS), and electronic warfare.

In 2004 he was detailed as Associate Technical Director - Transitions (ATD-T) for the Office of Naval Research, and as such has responsibility within ONR for approximately one third of the DoN S&T budget, including FNCs and ACTDs.

In 2005 he was formally selected as the ATD-T, which has since been re-titled as the Director of Transitions. He is a member of the Federal Senior Executive Service.

Dr. Roger D. Boss

Deputy SPAWAR Chief Technology Officer

Dr. Boss, a native Ohioan, received his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Kent State University in 1980 and his Doctorate in Analytical Chemistry from Michigan State University in 1985. Upon graduation he came to work for SPAWAR Systems Center (SSC) Pacific predecessor lab Naval Ocean Systems Center. He is currently the Deputy SPAWAR Chief Technology Officer, pacific, and the Head of the S&T Forecasting, Assessment, and Technology Division.

His previous duties have included evaluation, selection, and oversight for SSC San Diego in-house research and development projects, serving as the Deputy of Operations for the Research and Applied Sciences Department, serving as the Chair of the SSC Pacific Science and Technology Advisory Board, serving on the SSC Pacific Business Development Board, and serving as the Liaison to Industry for SSC Pacific. He has been a member of the organizing committee for the Engineering the Total Ship Symposia in 2006, 2008, and 2010.

His research interests have included solution chemistry, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, synthesis and studies of high temperature superconductors, spectroscopic investigations of battery electrode chemistry, image compression, non-linear dynamics, conducting polymers, and drag reduction. He has published 25 peer reviewed papers and has 5 patents. His awards include the Waldo Semon Scholarship, the L.L. Quill Fellowship, a National Science Foundation Fellowship, and the Department of the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award.

Dr. James B. Sheehy

Chief Technology Officer, Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR)

Dr. Sheehy, a member of the Senior Executive Service since 2000, is the Chief Technology Officer of the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR). As Chief Technology Officer he oversees the department's research portfolio, ranging from advanced integrated life support systems to helmet mounted displays to ejection seats to knowledge management products. Dr. Sheehy, one of NAVAIR's esteemed fellows, has an MS from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Ph.D. from the Pennsylvania State University. He continues to conduct original research in the areas of helmet mounted displays, optics, nonlinear materials and their application to agile laser eye protection. Dr. Sheehy has over 170 publications and presentations, several patents, and is active in several professional societies.

James H. Smerchansky

Deputy Commander, Systems Engineering Interoperability, Architectures & Technology (SIAT) Marine Corps System Command

Mr. Smerchansky was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in August 2006 and currently serves as the Deputy Commander, System Engineering, Interoperability, Architectures and Technology (SIAT) for Marine Corps Systems Command (MCSC). As the Deputy Commander, SIAT, Mr. Smerchansky is responsible for leading Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) systems engineering and integration efforts, ensuring Marine Corps systems interoperability with coalition and Joint forces, and identifying and pursuing science & technology transition opportunities for Marine Corps systems. Mr. Smerchansky also serves as the Systems Engineering Competency Director, the Technical Authority Deputy Warranting Officer, and the lead for the Marine Corps System Engineering Community of Interest. Prior to reporting to Marine Corps Systems Command, Mr. Smerchansky served as the Director for Above Water Sensor and the Director of Technology Development and Transition in Program Executive Officer, Integrated Warfare Systems (PEO-IWS). Additionally, he was responsible for the acquisition of the $1.6 Billion Cobra Judy Replacement Program.

He began his career at the Naval Sea Combat Systems Engineering Station (SEABAT) in Norfolk, VA as an In-Service engineer on Submarine Combat Systems. In 1989, he transferred to the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) headquarters in Washington, D.C. At NAVSEA he held various engineering and project management positions within the Submarine Combat Systems community including Chief Engineer for Submarine Sonar. As the lead for the development of the Sonar System for the Virginia Class Submarine he initiated an effort to merge legacy sonar systems with the Virginia Class baseline. This Integrated Development Program (IDP) was the first of its kind for Submarines and marked the beginning of the use of Commercial Off-the- Shelf (COTS) products to provide sonar system performance to the operational fleet. In 1997, Mr. Smerchansky became the manager of the Towed Acoustics Systems Program responsible for life-cycle management of all submarine towed array and towed array handling systems. As a result of his efforts to advance towed array reliability through the use of next generation technology, Mr. Smerchansky was awarded the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award.

In 2001, he was assigned as the Deputy Program Manager, Strategic and Attack Submarines. He was charged with the support and modernization of the SSN688/SSN21/SSBN 726 Class Submarines to meet the Navy missions of the 21st Century.

From 2002 - 2004, Mr. Smerchansky was the Science and Technology Advisor to the Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii where he assisted and advised the Commander in the identification of technologies having a critical impact on combat readiness. He was responsible to leverage the DoN S&T community to provide rapid technology insertions, long-term investment strategy and surge capability in support of high priority Fleet issues. In recognition of his long-lasting contributions to the operating forces in the Pacific, he was awarded the Navy Superior Civilian Service Award.

Upon returning to Washington, D.C., Mr. Smerchansky became the Deputy Executive Director for Undersea Technology at the Naval Sea Systems Command. He was responsible to identify opportunities to merge evolving technologies into the development of ongoing or planned programs, and assess and implement initiatives for applications of technological innovations into existing fleet operational platforms.

Mr. Smerchansky holds a Bachelor of Engineering Degree in Electrical Engineering from Youngstown State University (1985) and a Masters in Engineering Management from Old Dominion University (1992).

Captain Heidemarie M. Stefanyshyn-Piper

Naval Systems Engineering Chief Technology Officer, Naval Sea Systems Command

Captain Stefanyshyn-Piper was born in St. Paul, MN, where she graduated from Derham Hall High School in 1980. She attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology on a Navy ROTC scholarship, where she received a B. S. in Mechanical Engineering in 1984 and a M. S. in Mechanical Engineering in 1985. She was commissioned an Ensign in the Engineering Duty Officer Community in 1985.

As an Engineering Duty Officer, Captain Piper served at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, Shore Intermediate Maintenance Activity Pearl Harbor, Commander Naval Surface Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, and Naval Sea Systems Command Supervisor of Salvage and Diving. She completed Engineering Duty Officer Basic Course in 1988, receiving the VADM Bryant Award. She qualified as a Surface Warfare Officer onboard USS GRAPPLE (ARS 53). She is also a qualified and experienced diving and salvage officer. Major salvage projects include the development of salvage plan for the Peruvian Navy salvage of the Peruvian submarine PACOCHA; and the de-stranding of the tanker EXXON HOUSTON, off Barber's Point, Oahu, Hawaii.

Selected as an astronaut by NASA in 1996, Captain Piper reported to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. A veteran of two space flights, STS-115 in 2006, and STS-126 in 2008, she has logged over 27 days and 15 hours in space, including 33 hours and 42 minutes of Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA) in 5 space walks.

In August 2009, Captain Piper reported to the Naval Sea Systems Command as Naval Systems Engineering Chief Technology Officer.

Captain Piper's personal decorations include: Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Commendation Medal (2 awards), Navy Achievement Medal (2 awards) and NASA Space Flight Medal (2 awards).

Ms. Kevin Wheeler

Deputy Democratic Staff Director for Senator Mary L. Landrieu, Chair of the Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship

Kevin Wheeler works for Senator Mary L. Landrieu on the Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship as the Deputy Democratic Staff Director. Before joining Senator Landrieu's staff last year, she worked for Senator John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) on the Committee for 11 years. Prior to working on the Committee, Kevin spent three years as the assistant editor of Business New Haven, a regional business journal in Connecticut and worked for U.S. Senators Lloyd Bentsen and Bob Krueger of Texas from 1990 to 1993, and for Bill Curry, a Democrat who ran for Governor of Connecticut, in 1993.

Dr. Arun Seraphin

Formerly Professional Staff Member, Senate armed Services Committee, currently employed by DARPA on detail to the White House Office of S&T Policy

Dr. Arun A. Seraphin is the Assistant Director for Defense Programs at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). His areas of responsibility include developing and implementing White House initiatives and policies in areas including defense research and engineering; defense manufacturing and industrial base; and promoting innovation in government research and engineering organizations. He is currently on detail to OSTP from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) where he is the Special Assistant for Policy Initiatives to the Director of DARPA.

Between 2001 and 2010, Dr. Seraphin was a Professional Staff Member on the staff of the United States Senate Committee on Armed Services. His areas of responsibility include the Department of Defense’s science and technology programs, information technology systems, technology transition issues, defense laboratories, Small Business Innovation Research program, manufacturing programs, and test and evaluation programs. As such he assisted Senators in their oversight of DOD technology programs, including in the authorization of budgets, civilian nominations, policy, and hearings. In 2009, he was named one of ten Defense “Staffers to Know” by Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper.

Dr. Seraphin earned a Ph.D. in Electronic Materials from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he performed research on silicon nanotechnology. His research focused on the development of novel silicon nanostructures and tailoring their optical properties. He also holds bachelor’s degrees in Political Science with a concentration in American Government and Engineering Science with a concentration in Materials Science from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Tim McClees

Professional Staff Member, House Armed Services Committee