Agenda
2026 Agenda
Attendees can expect additions to this agenda and slight time adjustments as circumstances may require.
EDGE26: PRE-CONFERENCE ACTIVITIES
The activities below have limited attendance and require advance registration
Saturday, January 3
| 2:00 – 5:00 PM | REGISTRATION OPEN Palms Resort Hotel, Ballroom Level Registration Desk |
| 5:00 – 7:00 PM | EDGE26 Early Arrival Networking Opportunity Legacy Club at Circa |
Sunday, January 4
| 9:00 AM | EDGE26 Golf Outing Revere Golf Club, Lexington Course Meet in the main lobby by the bell desk at 8:45 AM for departure at 9 AM. |
| 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM | REGISTRATION OPEN Palms Resort Hotel, Ballroom Level Registration Desk |
| 10:30 AM – 2:00 PM | EDGE Firing Line: Adrenaline Mountain Shooting Experience |
| 10:30 AM – 2:00 PM | EDGE in the Desert: ATV Excursion |
| 3:00 – 5:00 PM | Once in a Lifetime: Best of Three Grains Tasting Experience |
| 3:00 – 5:00 PM | Once in a Lifetime: Wine Tasting Experience Mr. Coco’s (located near the Fantasy Tower elevator lobby) |
| 6:00 – 8:00 PM | GBEF Member & Carahsoft Reception with invited guests Nove (elevator located near the Fantasy Tower elevator lobby) |
| 8:30 – 10:30 PM | EDGE After Hours Mabel’s Bar |
EDGE26: Day 1
Monday, January 5
| 7:00 AM – 12:00 PM | REGISTRATION Palm’s Resort Hotel, Pearl Theater |
| 1:30 – 4:00 PM | Grand Ballroom Foyer |
| 7:00 – 7:45 AM | Breakfast Pearl Theater |
| 8:00 AM | EDGE26 OPENING Donald W. Upson, Chairman and Founder, GBEF Laura Hudson, President, GBEF Sarah Forsgren, Vice President, GBEF Dr. Barry C. West, Program Chairman, EDGE |
| 8:15 AM | EDGE26 INTEGRATING AI IN GOVERNMENT Technology Survey Results John McLaughlin, President, McLaughlin & Associates |
| 8:35 AM | HOMELAND SECURITY: THE GOLDEN KEY TO AMERICA’S PROMISE |
| 9:00 AM | TECHNOLOGY, SOCIAL MEDIA, AND CAPITOL CHAOS The Honorable Darrell Issa, U.S. House of Representatives (R, CA-48)* |
| 9:25 AM | KEEPING PACE WITH REAL-TIME EVERYTHING Lamont Copeland, Senior Director, Solutions Architecture, Verizon Frontline^ |
| 9:55 AM | AIRPORT MODERNIZATION: DFW AND THE WORLD CUP A Case Study Donald Stakes, Acting Deputy Executive Assistant Commissioner, U.S. Customs and Border Protection John Wagner, President, John Wagner Consulting, LLC^ “With a live connection to DFW“ |
| 10:25 AM | DRIVING INNOVATION IN UAS & C-UAS Dr. Nicholas ‘Nick’ Martin, Director, Defense Microelectronics Activity |
| 10:40 AM | THE UNITED STATES, CANADA, and CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE Dale McFee, Deputy Minister, Executive Council, Government of Alberta, Canada^ |
| 11:00 AM | ACCELERATING INNOVATION FOR AMERICAN DEFENSE AND NATIONAL SECURITY Dr. John Olson (Maj. Gen, USSF, Ret.), CEO, AXIONS Corporation^ |
| 11:20 AM | ACCURATE AND INSTANT: BIOMETRICS AND IDENTITY VALIDATION Patrick Clancey, CEO National Security Solutions, IDEMIA^ |
| 11:45 AM | FAST, SECURE, AND EFFICIENT: TSA IN THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION Adam Stahl, Chief of Staff, Transportation Security Administration |
| 12:05 PM | GBEF TECHNOLOGY LEADERSHIP AWARDS |
| 12:25 PM | PLENARY DAY 1: CLOSING REMARKS |
| 12:30 – 1:30 PM | Networking Lunch Greene St. Kitchen |
| 1:30 – 2:40 PM | EDGE26 Executive Roundtables Session 1 (3-4 roundtables to be held concurrently) Grand Ballroom 1, Grand Ballroom 3, Grand Ballroom 4, Grand Ballroom 6 |
| AI, CYBER, AND SUPPLY CHAIN RISK MANAGEMENT Moderator: Jon Johnson, Strategic Advisor, NASA SEWP^ Christopher Forsgren, Senior Associate, Steptoe LLC^ Jeanette McMillian, Subject Matter Expert Dr. Nicholas ‘Nick’ Martin, Director, Defense Microelectronics Activity Joanne Woytek, Program Director, NASA SEWP^ | |
| TECHNOLOGY, TARRIFS, AND CARGO INTEGRITY Co-Moderator: James McCament, Chief Digital Transformation Officer, US Customs and Border Protection* Co-Moderator: Ray Provencio, Port Director, Port of El Paso, Office of Field Operations, US Customs and Border Protection Donald Stakes, Acting Deputy Executive Assistant Commissioner, U.S. Customs and Border Protection John Wagner, President, John Wagner Consulting, LLC^ Jeffrey G. Weiss, Partner, Steptoe, LLC | |
| WHAT’S NEXT WITH AI: LLM TO AGENTIC Co-Moderator: Joshua Jackson, Global AI Sales Leader, Cisco^ Co-Moderator: Sunil Madhigiri, Chief Technology Officer, US Customs and Border Protection Dr. William ‘Bill’ Streilein, Chief Technology Officer, Nobilis David Nguyen, CEO and Founder, US AI^ Dr. John Olson (Maj. Gen, USSF, Ret.), CEO, AXIONS Corporation^ | |
| ZERO TRUST IN TODAY’S AI AND TOMORROW’S QUANTUM WORLD Exploring how federal agencies are adapting zero trust frameworks to prepare for and address accelerating threats that evolve in real time. Moderator: Michael Riemer, SVP Network Security Group (NSG) and Field CISO, Ivanti^ Nick Andersen, Chief Information Security Officer, CISA Tim Galluzi, Chief Information Officer, State of Nevada Antoine McCord, Chief Information Officer, U.S. Department of Homeland Security* Michael ‘Mick’ Stawasz, Deputy Chief for Computer Crime, US Department of Justice, Criminal Division*^ | |
| 2:45 – 4:00 PM | EDGE26 Executive Roundtables Session 2 (3-4 roundtables to be held concurrently) Grand Ballroom 1, Grand Ballroom 3, Grand Ballroom 4, Grand Ballroom 6 |
| AI GOVERNANCE How government agencies and critical industries are building secure testbeds, defining ethical boundaries, and scaling AI across mission-critical operations. Moderator: Sanjeev ‘Sonny’ Bhagowalia, Chief Information Officer, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Hemant Jain, Chief Information Security Officer, State of Indiana Michelle Kerchner, Chief of Staff, Office of Information Technology, Infrastructure and Support, U.S. Customs and Boarder Protection Antoine McCord, Chief Information Officer, US Department of Homeland Security* Michael ‘Mick’ Stawasz, Deputy Chief for Computer Crime, US Department of Justice, Criminal Division*^ Eileen Vidrine, CEO and Founder, Vidrine Vantage LLC^ | |
| SECURING AMERICAN INFRASTRUCTURE Co-Moderator: Adam Lee, Chief Security Officer, Dominion Energy^ Co-Moderator: Adam Stahl, Chief of Staff, Transportation Security Administration Nick Andersen, Chief Information Security Officer, CISA Dennis ‘Lee’ Forsgren, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Civil Works, U.S. Department of the Army | |
| ‘There’s Something Happening Here…’ (Part 1 of 2) C-UAS SIMULATION (Two-Session Roundtable) Director: Matt Service, CEO Blue Lights Digital Red Team Lead: Mauro Lopez, Special Operations Supervisor, San Diego Division, U.S. Border Patrol Blue Team Lead: Jeffrey S. Sallet, Partner, Investigations & Compliance, Forensic & Integrity Services, Ernst & Young LLP^ Joe Adamo, Vice President, SAIC^ Jeffrey ‘Skunk’ Baxter, Senior Fellow and Board of Regents, Potomac Institute for Policy Studies (SME National Security and Defense)^ Ashan Benedict, Deputy Chief, US Capitol Police Sean Fitzgerald, Assistant Director, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Tom de Cocq van Delwijnen, Seconded Netherlands Police, INTERPOL Innovation Center^ Doug DePodesta, Special Agent in Charge, Chicago, Federal Bureau of Investigation Matthew Elliston, Assistant Director, Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement* Roxana Kennedy, Chief of Police, City of Chula Vista, California William ‘Matt’ McCool, Special Agent in Charge, New York Field Office, U.S. Secret Service* Michael Nicolini, Commander, Protective Services Unit, Louisiana State Police Mark Stainbrook, Chief of Police, Beverly Hills, California Stephan Vick, Division Commander, Executive Protection Division, Virginia State Police | |
| 4:00 PM | EDGE26 Day One Adjournment |
| 6:00 – 8:00 PM | EDGE26 Opening Reception Moon |
| 9:00 – 11:00 PM | EDGE After Hours (limited availability, separate advanced registration required) Ghost Bar |
EDGE26: Day 2
Tuesday, January 6
| 7:00 AM – 12:00 PM | REGISTRATION Pearl Theater |
| 1:30 – 4:00 PM | Grand Ballroom Foyer |
| 7:00 – 7:45 AM | Breakfast Pearl Theater |
| 8:00 AM | HIGHLIGHT VIDEO AND WELCOME TO DAY TWO |
| 8:15 AM | TECH INNOVATION ACROSS THE DHS MISSION PORTFOLIO A Fireside Chat Sanjeev ‘Sonny’ Bhagowalia, Chief Information Officer, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Antoine McCord, Chief Information Officer, U.S. Department of Homeland Security* (awaiting confirmation) |
| 8:45 AM | FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY Srini Attili, Executive Vice President, SAIC^ |
| 9:15 AM | TECHNOLOGY AS A CATALYST FOR SMARTER CITIES AND STATES Driving Process Improvement Across Citizen Services. |
| 9:45 AM | AUTONOMOUS TRANSPORTATION ON LAND, SEA, AND AIR Pavan Pidugu, Chief Information Officer, U.S. Department of Transportation Tim Galluzi, Chief Information Officer, State of Nevada |
| 10:15 AM | ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND CRIME: TRENDS Michael ‘Mick’ Stawasz, Deputy Chief for Computer Crime, Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice*^ |
| 10:40 AM | CLOSING THE DOOR ON BENEFIT FRAUD: AI, TECHNOLOGY, AND PROCESS Mark Haskins, Ph.D., Benefits Fraud SME^ Nicole Housley, Lead Investigator, Retailer Operations and Compliance, Special Investigations Unit, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)* Matthew K. O’Neill, Co-Founder/Partner, 50H Consulting, LLC, SME Benefit Fraud Haywood ‘Woody’ Talcove, CEO, LexisNexis Risk Solutions Government^ |
| 11:00 AM | MODERNIZING AMERICA’S INFRASTRUCTURE Dennis ‘Lee’ Forsgren, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Civil Works, U.S. Department of the Army |
| 11:25 AM | FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY: COUNTER UAS |
| 11:50 AM | OUT OF THE BOX WITH SKUNK BAXTER Jeffrey ‘Skunk’ Baxter, Senior Fellow and Board of Regents, Potomac Institute for Policy Studies^ Major General Robert ‘Bobby’ Kinney, Mobilization Assistant to the Director, Defense Intelligence Agency Dr. William ‘Bill’ Streilein, Chief Technology Officer, Noblis |
| 12:20 PM | PLENARY DAY 2: CLOSING REMARKS |
| 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM | Lunch Greene St. Kitchen |
| 1:30 – 2:40 PM | Roundtables Session 1 Grand Ballroom 1, Grand Ballroom 3, Grand Ballroom 4, Grand Ballroom 6 |
| BIOMETRICS AND IDENTITY VALIDATION Moderator: CeCe DeCamp, Senior Vice President, Civilian Business Group, SAIC^ William ‘Will’ Graves, Deputy Assistant Director, Futures Identity, Office of Biometric Identity Management, US Department of Homeland Security J. ‘Matt’ Gilkeson, Chief Technology Officer, Transportation Security Administration* Nael Samha, Executive Director, Targeting and Analysis Systems Program Directorate, US Customs and Border Protection | |
| CLOSING THE DOOR ON BENEFIT FRAUD: AI, TECHNOLOGY, AND PROCESS Co-Moderator: Mark Haskins, Ph.D., Benefits Fraud SME^ Co-Moderator: Haywood ‘Woody’ Talcove, CEO, LexisNexis Risk Solutions Government^ Nicole Housley, Lead Investigator, Retailer Operations and Compliance, Special Investigations Unit, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)* Matthew K. O’Neill, Co-Founder/Partner, 50H Consulting, LLC, SME Benefit Fraud | |
| Counter-UAS and Airspace Sovereignty Federal and SLTT strategies for managing drone threats and enabling safe UAS operations. Co-Moderator: Patrick Flynn, Director Growth, CBP/Biometric Programs, GDIT^ Michael Banks, Chief, U.S. Border Patrol* Matthew Elliston, Assistant Director, Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement* Sean Fitzgerald, Assistant Director, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Dr. Nicholas ‘Nick’ Martin, Director, Defense Microelectronics Activity Dr. John Olson (Maj. Gen, USSF, Ret.), CEO, AXIONS Corporation^ | |
| FAST AND FOCUSED: HSTF AND COLLABORATIVE LAW ENFORCEMENT TO FIGHT CRIME Co-Moderator: Jeremy Willingham, Federal Strategic Accounts, Mark 43^ Co-Moderator: Sean Fitzgerald, Assistant Director, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Chris Amon, Special Agent in Charge, Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, Chicago Division^ Doug DePodesta, Special Agent in Charge, Chicago, Federal Bureau of Investigation Antionette Ursitti, Chief of Detectives, Chicago Police Department | |
| 2:45 – 4:00 PM | EDGE26 Executive Roundtables Session 2 Grand Ballroom 1, Grand Ballroom 3, Grand Ballroom 4, Grand Ballroom 6 |
| ‘There’s Something Happening Here…’ (Part 2 of 2) C-UAS SIMULATION (Two-Session Roundtable) Director: Matt Service, CEO Blue Lights Digital Red Team Lead: Mauro Lopez, Special Operations Supervisor, San Diego Division, U.S. Border Patrol Blue Team Lead: Jeffrey S. Sallet, Partner, Investigations & Compliance, Forensic & Integrity Services, Ernst & Young LLP^ Joe Adamo, Vice President, SAIC^ Jeffrey ‘Skunk’ Baxter, Senior Fellow and Board of Regents, Potomac Institute for Policy Studies (SME National Security and Defense)^ Ashan Benedict, Deputy Chief, US Capitol Police Sean Fitzgerald, Assistant Director, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Tom de Cocq van Delwijnen, Seconded Netherlands Police, INTERPOL Innovation Center^ Doug DePodesta, Special Agent in Charge, Chicago, Federal Bureau of Investigation Matthew Elliston, Assistant Director, Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement* Roxana Kennedy, Chief of Police, City of Chula Vista, California William ‘Matt’ McCool, Special Agent in Charge, New York Field Office, U.S. Secret Service* Michael Nicolini, Commander, Protective Services Unit, Louisiana State Police Mark Stainbrook, Chief of Police, Beverly Hills, California Stephan Vick, Division Commander, Executive Protection Division, Virginia State Police | |
| 4:00 PM | EDGE26 Day Two Adjournment |
| 6:00 – 7:00 PM | Pre-Concert Reception Kaos Nightclub |
| 7:00 – 9:00 PM | American Vinyl All-Star Band Concert Kaos Nightclub |
| 9:00 – 11:00 PM | EDGE After Hours (limited availability, separate advanced registration required) |
EDGE26: Day 3 – Town Hall
Wednesday, January 7
| 7:30 – 8:15 AM | BREAKFAST Pearl Theater Foyer |
| 8:30 AM | HIGHLIGHT VIDEO AND WELCOME TO DAY THREE |
| 8:45 AM | HOMELAND SECURITY TASK FORCE (HSTF) Sean Fitzgerald, Assistant Director, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement |
| 9:10 AM | HSTF: CHICAGO CASE STUDY Chris Amon, Special Agent in Charge, Chicago, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives^ Doug DePodesta, Special Agent in Charge, Chicago, Federal Bureau of Investigation Sean Fitzgerald, Assistant Director, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Antionette Ursitti, Chief of Detectives, Chicago Police Department |
| 9:40 AM | UAS IN LAW ENFORCEMENT Opportunities, Challenges, and Best Practices Roxana Kennedy, Chief of Police, City of Chula Vista, California Mark Stainbrook, Chief of Police, Beverly Hills, California |
| 10:10 AM | ICE: TECHNOLOGY AND IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT Matthew Elliston, Assistant Director, Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement* |
| 10:35 AM | IN REAL TIME: IDENTIFY, VALIDATE, INTEGRATE Sunil Madhugiri, Chief Technology Officer, U.S. Customs and Border Protection |
| 11:00 AM | HIGH PROFILE PROTECTION Moderator: Derek Mayer, Chief Security Officer, P4 Companies Michael Nicolini, Commander, Louisiana State Police, Protective Services Unit Stephan Vick, Division Commander, Virginia State Police, Executive Protection Division |
| 11:30 AM | SKYFALL Readout from the C-UAS Simulation Matt Service, CEO, Blue Lights Digital Jeffrey S. Sallet, Partner, Investigations & Compliance, Forensic & Integrity Services, Ernst & Young LLP^ |
| 12:00 PM | EDGE26 CLOSING REMARKS |
Post-Conference Activities
Additional post-conference activities may be added.
| 6:00 – 8:00 PM | GBEF Member and Invited Guests Closing Dinner (invite only, separate advanced registration required) |