Progress, Potential, and Possibilities Podcast / Show

Send us a textDr. Jeffrey B. Bacon, Ph.D., LTC (USA), is Co-Program Manager for B24IC, a Biointelligence and Biosecurity program for the U.S. Intelligence Community, at the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity ( IARPA - https://www.iarpa.gov/ ), which seeks to develop new capabilities, matching the wider synthetic biology and biotechnology fields, ensuring the Intelligence Community’s (IC’s) capability to meet the biointelligence and biosecurity threats of the 21st century. Dr. Bacon has a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Biology / Environmental Science, from Norwich University; a Masters of Science in Engineering Management, from Missouri University of Science and Technology; a Master of Science (MS) in Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction – Biodefense, from the U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology; and a Doctor of Philosophy - PhD, in International Relations and National Security Studies, from The Fletcher School at Tufts. Previously Dr. Bacon also spent over 25 years at United States Department of the Army as a Nuclear Strategy and Counterproliferation Officer, US Army Corps of Engineers Regiment, as well as serving time as Branch Chief, US Army Nuclear CWMD Agency. Dr. Bacon also served as Department Chair, Counterproliferation & Information and Influence Intelligence, at National Intelligence University; as Interagency Chair/Army Senior Service Advisor, National Intelligence University while at the Defense Intelligence Agency; as Team Lead, Data Analytics and Predictive Modeling, on the DoD Coronavirus-2019 Task Force; and as Executive Officer/Program Manager, Research and Development Directorate, Defense Threat Reduction Agency. Relevant Information Links - https://www.iarpa.gov/who-we-are/about-us https://ni-u.edu/wp/ https://app.brazenconnect.com/events/dbrZJ?utm_medium=website&utm_source=orisecalendar&utm_campaign=vcf012523 Support the show

Send us a textJoelle Elbez-Uzan, is the Head, Nuclear Safety Office, overseeing the development of the DEMO Fusion Reactor ( https://euro-fusion.org/programme/demo/ ), at EUROfusion. DEMO (DEMOnstration Power Plant) refers to a proposed class of nuclear fusion experimental reactors that are intended to demonstrate the net production of electric power from nuclear fusion. EUROfusion is a consortium of national fusion research institutes located in the European Union, the UK, Switzerland and Ukraine. It was established in 2014 to succeed the European Fusion Development Agreement (EFDA) as the umbrella organization of Europe's fusion research laboratories. Prior to this role, Ms. Elbez-Uzan spent over a decade at the ITER Organization as Head of the Division of Nuclear Safety. ITER (the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) is being built in southern France where upon completion of construction of the main reactor and first plasma, planned for late 2028, it will be the world's largest magnetic confinement plasma physics experiment and the largest experimental tokamak nuclear fusion reactor. Prior to this role, Ms. Elbez-Uzan spent several years as Deputy Head of the Nuclear Safety Department, at the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), a key player in research, development and innovation in four main areas: defense and security, low carbon energies (nuclear and renewable energies), technological research for industry, and fundamental research in the physical sciences and life sciences.​ Ms. Elbez-Uzan studied engineering in Lille where she specialized in instrumentation and measurement, doing comparative studies between all forms of energy, resulted in her career path into nuclear energy. Support the show

Send us a textTom & Jen Satterly, are the Co-Founder’s, and CEO and COO, of the All Secure Foundation ( https://allsecurefoundation.org/ ), an organization that assists special operations active duty and combat veterans, and their families, in recovery of post-traumatic stress through education, awareness, and resources for healing, workshop retreats, and PTS resilience training. Their organization has been recognized as a top rated non profit by Great Nonprofit s and has grown to serve thousands of combat families. Tom is a highly decorated combat veteran ( https://www.tomsatterly.com/ ), having served in the U.S. Army 25 years, the last 20 in the U.S. Military’s most elite Tier One unit, Delta Force. He has been involved in, and led, some of our nation’s most important military campaigns. Tom fought in and was portrayed in the Oscar Winning 2001 film: Black Hawk Down (Operation Gothic Serpent) which was the longest sustained firefight since Vietnam. As a member of Delta Force, he has been deployed countless times and led hundreds of missions including the capture of Saddam Hussein. He is the recipient of numerous medals including 5 Bronze Stars, 2 for Valorous acts, and he was the first American to attend German Ranger School after competing against hundreds of soldiers to win the singular honor. Tom’s best-selling book, “All Secure: A Special Operations Soldier’s Fight to Survive on the Battlefield and the Homefront”, was released on 2019 is available at all major booksellers ( https://www.amazon.com/All-Secure-Operators-Battlefield-Homefront/dp/1546076573/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=all+secure&qid=1573674379&sr=8-4 ). Jen spent 15 years as an award-winning filmmaker and photographer, spending the last three years as Director of Film and Photography of an elite Special Operations training company fully embedded with Navy SEALS, Green Berets, and Army Rangers in large-scale realistic training missions. During her time embedding with Special Operations warriors, Jen began to see a pattern with the soldiers, sailors, and airmen she worked alongside, some of the very same issues Tom began facing related to complex Post-Traumatic Stress. She began searching for answers to help them find a way to constructively deal with PTS and its symptoms which included isolation, anxiety, severe depression, anger issues and a long list of medical challenges. Jen made it her mission to not only help the service member but also the families who often suffer from secondary PTS and are innocent causalities of the longest war. Additionally, Jen is the founder of Virago, a platform for educating and empowering women who are facing the challenges of PTS on the home front. Jen’s book, "Arsenal of Hope: Tactics for Taking on PTSD, Together" was released in 2021 and is available at all major booksellers ( https://www.amazon.com/Arsenal-Hope-Tactics-Taking-Together/dp/1642936790/ref=sr_1_1?crid=TWPRY17781OK&keywords=jennifer+satterly&qid=1674497626&sprefix=jeniffe+satterly%2Caps%2C293&sr=8-1 ). Support the show

Send us a textMichael (Mike) D. Lahiff serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ZeroEyes ( https://zeroeyes.com/ ), an intelligent video analytics company that uses artificial intelligence with existing security cameras to detect weapons and send alerts to local staff and first responders. ZeroEyes delivers a proactive, human-verified A.I. gun detection solution that integrates into existing security cameras to stop mass shootings and gun-related violence; by reducing response times, providing actionable intelligence, and delivering clarity – ultimately saving lives. The company is the only AI-based gun detection video analytics platform with US Department of Homeland Security SAFETY Act Designation. Prior to founding ZeroEyes, Mr. Lahiff served as Director of Digital Programs at Comcast NBC Universal where he oversaw the coordination between project management teams and software development teams in order to deliver multiple digital products. Prior to joining Comcast, Mr. Lahiff was the managing member of Horsemen Partners, a private fund focused on acquisitions of small and medium sized businesses. Mr. Lahiff also spent ten years in the United States Navy, six of which were as a Navy SEAL. During service, he received 18 medals including the Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Navy Good Conduct Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, National Defense Service Medal, NATO Medal, and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal. Mr. Lahiff holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Finance from Columbia College and a Master of Business Administration in Private Equity & Venture Capital from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.Support the show

Send us a textDr. Haileyesus Getahun, MD, MPH, Ph.D. is Director of AMR (Antimicrobial Resistance) Global Coordination at the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Quadripartite (FAO/UNEP/WHO/WOAH) Joint Secretariat on Antimicrobial Resistance. ( https://www.who.int/about/people/biography/dr-haileyesus-getahun ) Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatens the effective prevention and treatment of an ever-increasing range of infections caused by bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi. AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death. As a result, the medicines become ineffective and infections persist in the body, increasing the risk of spread to others. Over 1.27 million deaths worldwide were attributed to AMR infections in 2019. Antimicrobials - including antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals and antiparasitics - are medicines used to prevent and treat infections in humans, animals and plants. Microorganisms that develop antimicrobial resistance are sometimes referred to as “superbugs”. Dr. Getahun coordinates the global One Health multi-sectoral response to AMR across the human, animal, plant, food, feed and environment sectors; directs the Secretariat of the Global Leaders Group on AMR ( https://www.amrleaders.org ) currently co-chaired by Their Excellencies Prime Minister of Barbados and Bangladesh; facilitates the research and development agenda through priority setting and gap analysis, and provides policy and programmatic guidance to nurture and scale up evidence-based interventions to enhance antimicrobial stewardship activities, awareness and behavioral change across all sectors. Support the show

Send us a textDr. Richard K. Burt MD ( https://astemcelljourney.com/about/drrichardburt/ ) is a Fulbright Scholar, Professor of Medicine at Scripps Health Care, tenured retired Professor of Medicine at Northwestern University where he served as Chief of Immunotherapy and Autoimmune Diseases, and CEO of Genani Biotechnology. Dr. Burt endeavored for thirty-five years, first with animal models and then with some of the world’s first clinical trials, to bring the field of stem cell and cellular therapy to the patient’s bedside. Dr. Burt has published more than 145 mostly first author articles and is the Editor of four medical textbooks. He was the first Autoimmune Committee Chairperson for the International Bone Marrow Transplant Registry (IBMTR) and was the principal investigator of a National Institute of Health (NIH) $10,000,000 multi-center contract to develop stem cell clinical trials for autoimmune diseases. Dr. Burt performed America’s first hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) for multiple sclerosis (MS), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), Crohn’s disease (CD), stiff person syndrome (SPS), and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) and published the world’s first randomized clinical stem cell transplantation trials for systemic sclerosis and multiple sclerosis. Dr. Burt has been awarded Leukemia Scholar of America, the Lupus Foundation of America Fidelitas Award, the Van Bekkum Award by the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation, the Distinguished Clinical Achievement Award by the Clinical Research Forum, and the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation Clinical Achievement Award. Dr. Burt was presented in Vatican City, Rome with the “Keys to the Vatican”, was speaker at the Festival of Thinkers in Leadership in Healthcare in the United Arab Emirates, and chaired the biotechnology session at the Baku Azerbaijan International Humanitarian Forum. Dr. Burt was recognized by Science Illustrated for accomplishing one of the Top 10 medical breakthroughs for the next ten years, and by Scientific American as one of the Top 50 individuals, teams, or organizations for improving humanity and outstanding leadership. His newest book is entitled "Everyday Miracles - Curing Multiple Sclerosis, Scleroderma, and Autoimmune Diseases by Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant". Support the show

Send us a textRear Admiral Lorin C. Selby, is the 26th Chief of Naval Research, for the United States Navy ( https://www.navy.mil/Leadership/Flag-Officer-Biographies/Search/Article/2236263/rear-admiral-lorin-selby/ ), a position he assumed command of in May of 2020. The Office of Naval Research (ONR) is an organization within the United States Department of the Navy responsible for the science and technology programs of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. Established by Congress in 1946, its mission is to plan, foster, and encourage scientific research to maintain future naval power and preserve national security. Rear Adm. Selby graduated from the University of Virginia with a Bachelor of Science in nuclear engineering and earned his commission through the Navy’s Reserve Officers Training Corps program. He also holds a Master of Science in nuclear engineering and a Nuclear Engineer degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Rear Adm. Selby’s shipboard tours include USS Puffer (SSN 652), USS Pogy (SSN 647) and USS Connecticut (SSN 22). From July 2004 to May 2007, he commanded USS Greeneville (SSN 772) in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. During these assignments, Rear Adm. Selby conducted several deployments to the western and northern Pacific, northern Atlantic and Arctic oceans. Ashore, Rear Adm. Selby’s staff assignments include duty as a company officer and instructor at the U.S. Naval Academy; service as the deputy director of the Navy’s liaison office to the U.S. House of Representatives; and duty as the Submarine Platforms and Strategic Programs branch head in the Submarine Warfare Directorate on the Navy Staff. Following selection as an acquisition professional, he served as the program manager for both the Submarine Imaging and Electronic Warfare Systems Program Office (PMS 435) and the Advanced Undersea Systems Program Office (PMS 394). As a flag officer, Rear Adm. Selby served as commander, Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) from October 2014 to August 2016. In this position, he led more than 17,000 scientists, engineers, technicians and support personnel, both civilian and active duty, within eight NSWC divisions located across the country. From June 2016 until May 2020, Rear Adm. Selby served as the Navy’s chief engineer and the Naval Sea Systems Command deputy commander for Ship Design, Integration and Naval Engineering, where he led the engineering and scientific expertise, knowledge and technical authority necessary to design, build, maintain, repair, modernize, certify and dispose of the Navy’s ships, aircraft carriers, submarines and associated combat and weapons systems. Rear Adm. Selby is authorized to wear the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit (three awards), Meritorious Service Medal (four awards), the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (six awards), the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (three awards) and various unit awards.Support the show

Send us a textDr. Victoria Coleman, Ph.D. is the Chief Scientist of the United States Air Force ( https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Biographies/Display/Article/2556343/dr-victoria-coleman/ ), where she serves as the Chief Scientific Adviser to the Secretary of the Air Force, Air Force Chief of Staff, and Chief of Space Operations, providing assessments on a wide range of scientific and technical issues affecting the department’s mission. In this role, Dr. Coleman identifies and analyzes technical issues, bringing them to the attention of department leaders and interacts with other principals, operational commanders, combatant commands, acquisition, and science and technology communities to address cross-organizational issues and provide solutions. Dr. Coleman also interacts with other services and the Office of the Secretary of Defense on issues affecting the Department of the Air Force’s technical enterprise. She serves on the Executive Committee of the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board and is the Principal Science and Technology Representative of the Air Force to the civilian scientific and engineering community and to the public at large. Dr. Coleman is on leave from University of California, Berkeley where since 2016, she has held an academic research appointment at the Berkeley Center for Information Technology in the Interest of Society where she leads science and technology policy on microelectronics and efforts to develop tools for countering digital authoritarianism. Dr. Coleman has more than 35 years of experience in computer science and technology, including as both an academic leader and industry executive. Prior to accepting the role of Chief Scientist of the Air Force, Dr. Coleman served as the 22nd Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) where she oversaw a large suite of disruptive and innovative programs as well as leadership of the Microsystems Exploratory Council. Before DARPA, she served as the Chief Executive Officer of Atlas AI P.B.C, a Silicon Valley start-up that brings world-class artificial intelligence solutions to sustainable development. By combining satellite data with other data sets, Atlas AI’s proprietary deep-learning models create actionable insights for governments, non-governmental organizations and commercial companies. Dr. Coleman began her academic career in 1988 as a lecturer in computer science at Royal Holloway College, University of London, United Kingdom. She subsequently joined Queen Mary College, University of London, as a reader in computer science. There, she taught undergraduate and graduate courses in computer science, created a Master of Science program in Dependable Computer Systems and supervised Doctor of Philosophy students. In 1998, Dr. Coleman became the founding director of the System Design Laboratory at SRI International. The lab conducted research in trustworthy systems and cyber security. The programs she directed won support from DARPA. She also participated in the creation of the technologies leading to the spinout of Siri prior to its acquisition by Apple. She worked alongside the newly-formed Department of Homeland Security, creating the department’s cyber security agenda and becoming the founding Director of the DHS Cyber Security Research and Development Center. In 2004, Dr. Coleman became the Director of the Trust and Manageability Lab in the Corporate Technology Group of Intel and began serving as a member of Santa Clara University’s Computer Science and Engineering Department’s Advisory Board. In 2006, she became the Vice President of the Computer Science Laboratory at Samsung. In 2010, she took the position of Vice President of Software Engineering at Hewlett-Packard. In 2011, she became Nokia’s Vice President of Emerging Platforms. Dr. CSupport the show

Send us a textDr. Stuart Minchin, Ph.D. is the Director General of the Pacific Community ( SPC - https://www.spc.int/about-us/director-general ) which is the largest intergovernmental organization in the Pacific and serves as a science and technology for development organization owned by the 26 Member countries and territories in the Pacific region. SPC’s 650 member staff deliver services and scientific advice to the Pacific across the domains of Oceans, Islands and People, and has deep expertise in food security, water resources, fisheries, disasters, energy, maritime, health, statistics, education, human rights, social development and natural resources. Dr. Minchin previously served as the Chief of the Environmental Geoscience Division of Geoscience Australia, and has an extensive background in the management and modelling of environmental data and the online delivery of data, modelling and reporting tools for improved natural resource management. He has a long track record of conceiving, developing and delivering transformational and innovative projects in the Environmental and Natural Resource Management domains. Dr. Minchin has represented Australia in key international forums and was Australia’s Principal Delegate to both the UN Global Geospatial Information Management Group of Experts (UNGGIM) and the Intergovernmental Group on Earth Observations (GEO). Dr. Minchin has previously been responsible for the Environmental Observation and Landscape Science (EOLS) research program in CSIRO and prior to that was a Principal Scientist with the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment. Dr. Minchin has a PhD in Aquatic/Environmental Chemistry, from Monash University, where he also did his undergraduate work in Chemistry achieving a BSc (Hons). He also holds a BSc (Aquatic Science), Aquatic Chemistry and Aquatic Biology from Deakin University.Support the show

Send us a textJudge Karen Friedman is the Director of Criminal Justice Innovation, Development and Engagement, at the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, at the U.S. Department of Justice ( https://bja.ojp.gov/bio/karen-friedman ), a position she was appointed to by President Biden on January 3rd of 2022. The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) was created in 1984 to reduce violent crime, create safer communities, and reform the U.S. criminal justice system, and helps America’s state, local, and tribal jurisdictions reduce and prevent crime, reduce recidivism, and promote a fair and safe criminal justice system. BJA focuses its programmatic and policy efforts on providing a wide range of resources, including training and technical assistance, to law enforcement, courts, corrections, treatment, reentry, justice information sharing, and community-based partners, to address chronic and emerging criminal justice challenges nationwide. Judge Friedman comes to this important role after serving over 20 years as a member of the Maryland Judiciary sitting in Baltimore. In that capacity she served on every level of trial court and completed her service on the Baltimore City Circuit Court, the highest trial court in the state. She headed Baltimore’s drug treatment court and sat on the judiciary’s Equal Justice Commission’s sentencing subcommittee. Judge Friedman is known in Baltimore for her expertise on the intersection of criminal justice with behavioral health, as well as for her innovative approach to sentencing and probation. She is looking forward to using the wealth of knowledge gained on the bench in Baltimore to help improve the lives of those affected by the criminal justice system. Judge Friedman earned her undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and her law degree from the University of Maryland School of Law. She is also the host of the Justice Today Podcast, the official podcast of the Office of Justice ProgramsSupport the show