DISTINGUISHED GUESTS
MG JOHN F. WHARTON
MG John F. Wharton (U.S. Army retired) has served the Nation for more than three decades and has extensive experience in leadership, technology, acquisition, and logistics. His focus is on national security and technology acceleration in support of national priorities and homeland security. John remains very active in national programs and smart technologies across all sectors to include cities, infrastructure, energy, telecommunications, and logistics. Internationally, he advises and develops strategies for countries to position them and assure their economic stability and future. He is widely known in the Department of State, United States Agency for International Development, and the United Nations for his work in technology solutions in support of humanitarian assistance and future sustainable development goals. In his last military assignment, John served as Commanding General of the US Army Research, Development and Engineering Command at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, controlling 75% of the Army’s R&D budget and over 1,500 Cooperative R&D Agreements.
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HON. TODD L. SCHAFER
Hon. Todd L. Schafer (Acting Assistant Secretary of the Navy retired), is a proven extraordinary leader, providing unrivaled strategic vision and transformational change. He consistently provides rapid and innovative responses to demanding and complex emergent requirements. Todd began his career in 1989 as an Air Force Financial Management intern. His 36-plus years of experience incorporates policy making; requirements generation; planning; programming; budgeting; cost estimating and analysis; accounting and finance, including working capital funds; audit; human resources; manpower; contracting; program and risk management; modeling and simulation; energy, installations and environment; and transformation. His civilian leadership service spans the departments of the Air Force, Army and Navy. Assignments have been at the base, laboratory, program office, acquisition center, major command, unified combatant command, military department, and joint and coalition levels. Todd has also successfully defended budgets to Congress and the Office of Management and Budget. He has significant acquisition exposure and training. He is a skilled orator before senior leadership and large audiences.​​
