SEMPRE

SEMPRE is led by Dr. Rob Spalding, Brig Gen USAF (ret), former senior director of strategy at the National Security Council, White House. He is supported by a team of experienced industry veterans. SEMPRE is a continuation of his vision of secure digital infrastructure created while at the NSC. Rob has served in senior positions of strategy and diplomacy within the Defense and State Departments for more than 26 years, retiring as brigadier general. He was the chief architect for the current widely praised National Security Strategy and the Senior Director for Strategy to the President at the National Security Council. Rob’s innovation while serving in the White House has led to a reset in national security and public policy regarding telecommunications in the US as well as globally. Rob has written extensively on national security matters. His academic papers and editorial work are frequently published and cited, both nationally and internationally. He has been interviewed about the economy and national security on FOX News, BBC, OAN and CNBC, as well as numerous radio and YouTube channels, both nationally and internationally. Rob is a skilled combat leader and a seasoned diplomat. Under Rob’s leadership, the 509th Operations Group—the nation’s only B-2 Stealth Bomber unit—experienced unprecedented technological and operational advances. Rob led his team through complex B-2 technological issues all the while achieving tremendous results at little to no cost to the government. He is a former China strategist for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Joint Staff at the Pentagon, as well as having served as the senior defense official and defense attaché in Beijing. Rob’s relationship with business leaders, fostered during his time as a Military Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, allowed him to recommend pragmatic solutions to complex foreign policy and national security issues, now driving positive economic outcomes for the nation. Rob is an Olmsted Scholar, a Life Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute, Washington, D.C., as well as a Senior Associate Fellow at the Henry Jackson Society of London. He has lectured globally, including engagements at European Cybersec 2019, KAS-ASPI, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, and Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. He holds a doctorate in economics and mathematics from the University of Missouri, Kansas City.

Coral Gables

US Cellular

A mobile wireless industry veteran, Mark leads sales and operations for the wholesale business unit within UScellular. Under Mark’sleadership UScellular plays a unique role in the North American market as a mobile operator focused on the novel commercialconstruct, architecture and technology enablement needs of large wholesale clients.About UScellular: UScellular is the 4th largest post-paid Mobile Operator and the 5th largest tower company in the USA. UScellularWholesale serves as a nationwide connectivity services provider within the IoT, MVNO, Private Cellular Network and Fixed WirelessAccess market verticals.

James Brehm & Associates

An independent advisor and technology evangelist, James Brehm is a regular speaker at industry conferences and one of the leading voices on the state of the IoT and M2M market today. Mr. Brehm is a regular contributor to CNBC and is frequently quoted by media outlets such as Business Week, RCR Wireless, ComputerWorld, PC Magazine, and the San Jose Mercury News. Over the past decade, Mr. Brehm has spoken to various groups on topics including wireless services, mobile marketing and advertising, mobile content, VoIP, activation and provisioning, service creation, mobile apps, premium messaging, wireless security, fixed-mobile convergence, mobile broadband (LTE and WiMAX), the telecom regulatory environment and vertical market deployment of web-enabled services. From 2011 to 2014, Brehm served as practice leader, strategist and senior consultant for Compass Intelligence. Prior to joining Compass Intelligence, Mr. Brehm served in multiple roles for nine (9) years at Growth Consulting firm Frost & Sullivan. Prior to joining Frost & Sullivan, Mr. Brehm worked in marketing, sales management, and business development roles for Rackspace Managed Hosting and Interland (now Web.com), two of the largest pure play web hosting companies in the U.S. His responsibilities included research on the competitive landscape of the market, developing new product offerings, assessing emerging markets, improving the over all value chain for Global 1000 clients, due diligence, and acquisition analysis. Mr. Brehm entered the high tech arena in the mid 1990’s working in sales management within the telecom arena for MCI and later working for Gateway, Inc in multiple roles including product marketing, product management, training, and sales management.

Transforma

Matt Hatton, Founding Partner, Transforma InsightsMatt is a well-respected commentator and technology industry expert with 25 years’ experience at the cutting edge of technology research and consulting. He is a thought-leader in Telecommunications, Digital Transformation and the Internet of Things. He is widely quoted in trade publications and frequent speaker at conferences. In 2020 Matt co-wrote a book The Internet of Things Myth. Matt is currently Founding Partner at Transforma Insights, the leading advisors on IoT, AI and Digital Transformation. Previously he was Founder and CEO of Machina Research, which was acquired by Gartner in 2016. Prior to founding Machina Research Matt was a technology industry analyst, working at firms including Analysys Mason and Yankee Group.Matt holds an MSc in Telecoms from University College London.

The Besen Group

Alex Besen is the Founder & CEO of The Besen Group LLC. He provides strategic advisory, business development, market research and training services in the mobile data industry. He has over 30 years of hands-on experience in the mobile industry working for operators and vendors in North America and Europe in numerous roles including business development, marketing, project management and finance. He has been working with mobile network operators in developing their digital transformation strategies, advising MVNOs and enterprises to launch their mobile and mobile data services. Previously, he worked at Ericsson with mobile operators on MVNO and UMTS projects in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region. He was also responsible for identifying potential partners and hosting workshops at Ericsson Mobility World (a mobile data laboratory) where developers create, optimize and commercialize mobile applications. Prior to this position, he was employed at T-Mobile USA (formerly known as Omnipoint Communications) where he was responsible for partnerships, and joint ventures and provided billing, customer care, marketing and vendor financing solutions to mobile operators. He began his mobile career with Pocket Communications based in Washington, DC where he managed the company’s auction activity for C-block spectrum licenses as well as other activities associated with market research, market segmentation, pricing plans and market distribution strategies. He holds a BS degree in Management from the University of Tampa and an MBA degree in International Business from the American University. He is fluent in French, Turkish and proficient in Italian.

City of Atlanta Dept. of Public Works

Keith Robinson is a visionary and accomplished creative senior-level strategy executive with 20+ years of experience in transforming strategic plans into workable solutions. Mr. Robinson has served in several roles at the City of Atlanta. Currently, he is the Deputy Commissioner for the Department of Public Works (DPW). The department is currently going through innovative change with the use of technology and new business practices to improve operational efficiencies and improve outcomes for residents. Prior to his current role, Mr. Robinson served as the Deputy Director for the Mayor’s Office of Innovation and Performance. In this role, Mr. Robinson was responsible for providing tactical support for the development of the City’s budget. His team was also responsible for citywide financial and operational performance. During his tenure he has worked closely with City department heads to develop strategic initiatives. In addition, Mr. Robinson has worked on groundbreaking projects that include connected vehicles, smart cities, smart homes, mHealth, public/private partnerships, big data, public financing, and cybersecurity just to name a few. In the private sector, Mr. Robinson was global director for a consulting firm. His client based ranged from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies. He brings a considerable amount of experience in various industries such as: oil/gas, industrial automation, intelligent buildings, supply chain & logistics, telecommunications, electronic manufacturing, water/wastewater, transportation, and government. This insight gives him a comprehensive view on various best practices, business models and insight on trends that will shape society in the future. He is a graduate of Fisk University and currently resides in the Atlanta area with his wife and kids.

GetWireless

Terra Bastolich is the Chief Marketing Officer with responsibility for corporate business development and marketing communications. Terra is a true advocate for IoT technology and has held strategic leadership roles in sales and marketing for key hardware providers in IOT. She is an industry veteran and has been recognized by numerous industry publications for her thought leadership in the wireless industry; including Connected World’s “Women of M2M” and “IOT Now Magazine”. Terra also takes a personal role in a notable non-profit (Safe Haven Foster Shoppe) raising awareness and funding for essentials and clothing for foster children.

Vodafone

Erik Kling has more than 25 years of experience in the communication technology field covering hardware, software, services and solution elements of the industry. Erik has held senior sales and product management roles at Siemens Communications and wireless startup companies along with over 15 years specifically in the IoT space. Erik joined Vodafone in September 2010 and is currently leading the Vodafone IoT business in the Americas as President & Head of IoT Americas. He most recently held the position as Vice President IoT New Business Development, developing the Enterprise market, channels to market with its various segments and industries globally. His responsibilities include leading the Americas IoT business, assure revenue delivery & growth including winning and developing key customers through multiple sales channels. Erik represents Vodafone’s IOT business and has full responsibility for Americas regional P&L delivery. Erik’s experience has spanned the globe with multiple roles in Europe, based in Spain and Germany and over 20 years in the Americas. Erik was born in Germany, lived in Spain, Mexico and Canada.

Somos

Sridhar (Sri) Ramachandran currently serves as Senior VP and Chief Technology Officer ofSomos, Inc. Sri is an accomplished global executive with a broad spectrum of experiences inpublic and private companies in communications and cloud services. He brings deep domainexpertise in mobile, VoIP, Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud services, as well as extensiveexperience leading cross-functional and global Agile teams.Over the last 25 years, Sri has brought his technical vision and leadership to several leadingtechnology companies. Prior to Somos, he served as VP and Americas Head of IoT & Mobility atG&D Mobile Security, a global security company. He also held CTO roles at Numerex/SierraWireless, and the Interconnection division of Telcordia Technologies. He was the co-founderand CTO of NexTone, a pioneer in the VoIP industry.In 2006, Sri was recognized by VON Magazine as the “VON Pioneer and SBC Father” and isnamed as an inventor on 14 patents. Additionally, he serves as a strategic advisor to severaltechnology companies for product, technology and go-to market strategy.Sri has a MS in Computer Engineering and a Bachelor of Technology in Electrical Engineeringfrom the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras.

GFI Software / Ignite Tech

Eric Vaughan, CEO of IgniteTech and GFI Software, is a visionary leader at the forefront of the AI revolution. With over 30 years of experience in the technology industry, Vaughan has founded and led three software companies, demonstrating a deep understanding of the transformative power of technology. In recent years, Vaughan has become a vocal advocate for AI-first thinking, recognizing the urgency of this paradigm shift for businesses. He believes that AI is not just an exciting development but a necessity for companies to remain relevant in the rapidly evolving technological landscape. His passion for AI is not driven by mere excitement but by a deep-seated belief that if businesses do not adapt, they risk being left behind. Vaughans commitment to AI transformation is evident in his bold initiative of AI Mondays, where the entire company dedicates one day solely to Gen AI—no calls, no visits, just pure innovation. This initiative is a testament to his belief in the transformative power of AI and his commitment to driving its adoption within his companies. Vaughans journey is a testament to the urgency of adopting AI-first thinking and the transformative power of AI in business. His leadership and vision have positioned IgniteTech and GFI Software at the vanguard of the AI revolution, demonstrating the potential of AI to transform businesses and industries.

Parallel Communications

John has extensive expertise in a broad range of technology fields including telecommunications, IoT, AI and ML, AR/VR/XR, holography, radiometric sensing, mobility, agriculture and environmental technology, semiconductors, and fintech. He serves on the DevNetwork AI/ML Advisory Board, as well as an advisor to multiple nonprofits. He has over 35 years of experience in engineering, product development, marketing, business development, and public relations in technology fields. Before joining Parallel, John was responsible for marketing and business development for a semiconductor startup, and was a divisional manager at NEC America where he successfully launched multiple product lines and managed new technology introductions. John holds a bachelor’s degree in Broadcasting from the University of Wisconsin–Platteville.