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Speakers

Keynotes

Bob Stevens

Robert J. Stevens serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Lockheed Martin. He has held a variety of increasingly responsible executive positions with the Corporation, including President and Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and head of Strategic Planning through a career that has included experience in program management, finance, manufacturing, and operations.

Stevens is a Fellow of the American Astronautical Society, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the Royal Aeronautical Society, and the International Academy of Astronautics. He serves on the International Advisory Boards of the Atlantic Council and the British-American Business Council and serves as a member of the Aerospace Industries Association’s Board of Governors. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, is Lead Director of the Monsanto Company, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation. Stevens also served on President Bush's Commission to Examine the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry.

Born in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, Stevens is a summa cum laude graduate of Slippery Rock University from which he received the Distinguished Alumni Award. He earned a master's degree in engineering and management from the Polytechnic University of New York and, with a Fairchild Fellowship, earned a master's degree in business from Columbia University. He is a graduate of the Department of Defense Systems Management College Program Management course and also served in the United States Marine Corps. He has been recognized by the National Management Association as Executive of the Year, by Government Computer News as the Industry Executive of the Year, by the Partnership for Public Service with the Private Sector Council Leadership Award, and by the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation with the Globe and Anchor Award. In 2010, he received the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation’s inaugural LeJeune Recognition for Exemplary Leadership. 

Deborah Adler Myers

Debbie Myers is general manager and executive vice president of programming for Science Channel, reporting to President and General Manager of Discovery Channel, Clark Bunting. Myers leads the development, production, scheduling, research, marketing and communications efforts for Science Channel, with direct responsibility for driving the revenue and ratings for the brand.

Since taking over responsibility for Science Channel, Myers has launched 20 new series, including Head Games, Meteorite Men and Sci-Fi Science: Physics of the Impossible with Professor Michio Kaku. Myers oversaw development and production of Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman, which premiered to record ratings, ranking as the highest rated series launch in Science Channel history. This summer Myers launches the highly anticipated BBC co-production Wonders of the Solar System hosted by physicist Dr. Brian Cox.

While with the Emerging Networks team previous to Science Channel, Myers was responsible for the launch of Investigation Discovery (I.D.) and its runaway ratings success with the development of On the Case with Paula Zahn, The Shift and Disappeared and seven other series.

Myers joined Discovery Communications in June 2005 and has been responsible for more than 500 hours of content across all of Discovery’s networks, including the launch of TLC’s franchise Little People, Big World. Most recently, Myers was Senior Vice President, daytime and fringe programming for TLC. Previously, as Vice President of production for TLC, Myers created more than 500 hours of original content and oversaw the launches of LA Ink, Say Yes to the Dress, Big Medicine, Take Home Chef and Take Home Handyman as well as continuing series including What Not to Wear, Miami Ink and A Baby Story.

Prior to joining Discovery, Myers ran her own production company, Aha! Entertainment, where she created series and pilots for NBC, Paramount, VH-1 and 20th Television. Myers was also instrumental in launching several cable networks, including E! Entertainment and Oxygen. She served for eight years as Vice President of Programming and Development at E!, where she created and ran 17 signature series, including the Emmy Award-winning Talk Soup and E! News. Myers is the former Governor of the Production Executives group of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

Myers also serves as an active member of the NASA Advisory Council Education and Public Outreach Committee. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Telecommunications and Film, minors in Drama and Public Relations from San Diego State University-California State University.

Kathleen Matthews

Kathleen Matthews is Marriott International's Executive Vice President of Global Communications and Public Affairs. She is responsible for the company’s external and internal communications, including global brand and corporate public relations, corporate social responsibility and community engagement, diversity initiatives and government affairs. She also co-chairs Marriott’s Executive Green Council.

A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, Matthews was an award-winning producer, reporter and news anchor who covered news in the nation's capital for 25 years. She was the evening news anchor at WJLA-TV, the ABC affiliate in Washington, D.C. She also hosted "Capital Sunday," a half-hour talk show focusing on current events in Washington, and "Working Woman," an internationally syndicated magazine show. An honors graduate from Stanford University, Matthews has been awarded nine local Emmys.

She has been honored as a “Woman Who Means Business” by the Washington Business Journal and a Washingtonian of the year by Washingtonian Magazine. Highly involved in the community, Matthews serves on the Board of Trustees for U.S. Travel Association, Catholic Charities Foundation, Ford’s Theatre and the Shakespeare Theatre Company.

Matthews and her husband, Chris Matthews of MSNBC, have three children.

Featured Speakers

Patricia C. Adams

Patricia C. Adams is the deputy assistant secretary of the United States Navy for civilian human resources. In this capacity, Adams serves as director of human resources for the United States Navy and as senior advisor to the under secretary and the assistant secretary of the Navy (manpower and reserve affairs) on policies and programs impacting the civilian workforce.

Adams recently retired from Marriott International after a 25-year career. Her accomplishments there included assisting in the reengineering of the Marriott Corporate Lodging Organization into a centralized business unit – a reorganization that enabled a customer focused strategic direction for the company. She also directed the design of hiring profiles for executive and management positions, which included the identification of core competencies for these positions. She directed projects involving organizational design and interventions, training and assessment, and manpower planning. Adams is a national certified counselor specializing in the area of career transitions and the implications of career transitions for job and life planning. She earned her master’s of science degree in counseling from Loyola College in Maryland and her bachelor of science in hotel, restaurant and institutional management from Michigan State University. 

Dr. Barbara M. Alving

Barbara M. Alving directs the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) at the National Institutes of Health. NCRR helps laboratory scientists and clinical researchers understand, detect, treat, and prevent a wide range of both common and rare diseases.

Alving earned her medical degree cum laude from Georgetown University School of Medicine, and received her residency training in internal medicine at the Johns Hopkins University Hospital. Alving joined the Department of Hematology at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and became chief of the department in 1992. She left the Army at the rank of colonel in 1996 to become the director of the medical oncology/hematology section at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C. In September 2001, she became the deputy director of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), and served as acting director for two years, from September 2003 to February 2005. In March 2005 she became the acting director of NCRR and was named director in April 2007.

Alving is a co-inventor on two patents, has edited three books, and has published more than 100 papers in the areas of thrombosis and hemostasis. 

Dr. Rajshree Agarwal

Rajshree Agarwal is a Chaired Professor in Strategy and Entrepreneurship at the University of Maryland. Her research interests focus on the implications of entrepreneurship and innovation for industry and firm evolution. Her recent projects examine the micro-foundations of macro phenomena, linking knowledge diffusion among firms, industries, and regions to the underlying mechanisms of employee entrepreneurship and mobility. She is an associate editor of the Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal and the editor of the SSRN Entrepreneurship and Economics Journal. She also serves, or has served, on the editorial board of the Academy of Management Journal, the Academy of Management Review, Strategic Management Journal and Strategic Organization. She has received research grants from the Kauffman Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, the Marketing Science Institute, the National Science Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Prior to coming to University of Maryland, she undertook efforts at the University of Illinois towards creating specialized certificate programs and courses to help serve this need. In part as recognition of these efforts, and in part for her scholarly achievements, the University of Illinois bestowed her with the “University Scholar” designation in 2009, the highest honor given to its faculty in recognition of overall excellence. Agarwal has a PhD in economics from the University at Buffalo.

Dr. Hugh Courtney

Hugh Courtney is Vice Dean of Programs and Professor of the Practice of Strategy at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. In addition, he is Chairman of the Board of Directors of D&E Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: DECC), a provider of voice, data and video services in central and eastern Pennsylvania. Courtney also maintains an active consulting practice focused on business strategy formulation in highly uncertain and/or oligopoly markets. He serves clients on his own and through affiliations with McKinsey & Company, Katzenbach Partners LLC, Decision Strategies International, and the Analysis Group. Before returning to academia in 2002, Courtney was an Associate Principal with McKinsey & Company in Washington, D.C. Courtney earned his PhD in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his B.A. in economics from Northwestern University.

Scot Faulkner

Faulkner is the Chief Administrative Officer for IntelliDyne LLC, an IT services firm that supports major programs in the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, and Justice. Most notably, IntelliDyne LLC operates the worldwide IT for the military healthcare system (TRICARE). Mr. Faulkner is also the author of the critically acclaimed bestseller, “Naked Emperors; The Failure of the Republican Revolution.” In 1995, Faulkner was elected the first Chief Administrative Officer of the U.S. House of Representatives. He oversaw a $1 billion annual budget and all nonlegislative operations, which served 14,000 employees and 3 million tourists. Faulkner was the National Director of Personnel for the Reagan Bush Campaign of 1980. He went on to serve in the Presidential Transition and on the White House Staff. During the Reagan Administration, Faulkner held executive positions at the Federal Aviation Administration, the General Services Administration, and the Peace Corps. His accomplishments have been recognized with 26 management awards and four letters of commendation from the President of the United States. Faulkner earned a Masters Degree in Public Administration from American University and a Bachelors Degree in Government from Lawrence University. He studied at the London School of Economics and at Georgetown University.

Dr. Alan Gregerman

Alan S. Gregerman is President and Chief Innovation Officer of VENTURE WORKS, Inc., a consulting firm based in the Washington, D.C., area that helps leading companies to develop winning strategies and create successful new products, services, ventures and new ways of doing business. Gregerman is an internationally-known expert on business strategy and innovation. In the past 15 years he has helped over 300 teams to create important innovations-with a 90% success rate. He is also an award-winning teacher and public speaker who has been called "the most creative person in the Mid-Atlantic" and "the Robin Williams of business consulting." His book, "Lessons from the Sandbox," provides a powerful formula for business success based on the magic of childhood. Before starting VENTURE WORKS he was Director of Entrepreneurial Services for a national consulting firm, Special Assistant for Operations at the U.S. Department of Commerce, and the first Visiting Scholar in Entrepreneurship and Economic Growth at the Library of Congress. He has also worked as a mapmaker and a subway mechanic. Gregerman earned his B.A. in geography, magna cum laude, from Northwestern University, and his M.A. in economic geography and PhD in urban and technological planning, with highest honors, from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Brian F. Keenan

Brian F. Keenan is the executive vice president for human resources for the Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC). Keenan joined SAIC in 2000 as the eastern region human resources director. In 2004, Keenan assumed the role of vice president and director of United States human resources operations, serving in this role until accepting his current position in 2007.

As executive vice president for human resources, Keenan works closely with the executive leadership team to create competitive advantage, enable growth and deliver maximum business results through the recruitment and retention of quality employees.

Prior to joining SAIC, Keenan spent more than 15 years at Mobil and ExxonMobil, advancing into human resource leadership roles in the United States and international upstream and downstream businesses, as well as corporate headquarters.

Keenan holds an MBA from the University of Houston and is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy. He served seven years in the United States Army, which included time spent in the 82nd Airborne Division and the Joint Special Operations Command. 

Wendy Lawson

Wendy Lawson is vice president of learning and leadership development for Discovery Communications. She is responsible for the ongoing build of global learning systems, processes and practices as enablers to organizational change and value creation. Before coming to Discovery, Lawson held positions of increasing responsibility at Freddie Mac and Lockheed Martin leading divisions and groups, including human capital strategy and development, human resources business partnerships, and organization effectiveness and executive development. Lawson’s career has focused on the areas of organization, team and individual learning and development and the design and execution of organizational processes of strategic human capital planning, succession planning, executive coaching, organization and leadership development, organizational surveying and performance management. She has been able to leverage the application of these processes through significant M&A and reorganization efforts. Lawson has a M.A. in psychology from Louisiana Tech University, a B.A. in psychology from George Mason University and has attended executive development programs at Stanford University, MIT and Columbia University and is a Leadership America alumna. 

Julie Moll

Julie Moll is senior vice president, portfolio strategy and research for Marriott International. She is responsible for framing competitive strategies as well as identifying and validating new product and business opportunities for the Marriott portfolio of brands. She leads strategic brand research, competitive intelligence and consumer and market trends, and is also responsible for synthesizing and applying insights to shape portfolio and brand direction. Moll joined Marriott in 1983 as a business analyst with the then-new Courtyard division. She has held a variety of strategic marketing, planning and regional management positions related to the design and launch of Marriott Suites, business travel sales and new business ventures. Moll joined brand management in 1999 as vice president, business travel marketing and later served as brand vice president, Marriott Hotels and Resorts. She assumed her current position in October 2003. Moll received her M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and her B.A. in social anthropology from Yale College.

Susan C. Schwab

Susan C. Schwab is the former United States Trade Representative (2006-09), a Cabinet post and the President's principal advisor, strategist, negotiator, and spokesperson on international trade and commerce. She served as Deputy United States Trade Representative (USTR) from 2005-06.

Ambassador Schwab's career has spanned the public, private and non-profit sectors, with an emphasis on U.S. trade and competitiveness. She previously served as president and CEO of the University System of Maryland Foundation, dean of the University of Maryland's School of Public Policy, director of corporate business development for Motorola, Inc., Assistant Secretary of Commerce and director-general of the U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service, chief economist and legislative director for Senator John C. Danforth (R-MO), a trade policy officer at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, and an agricultural trade negotiator at the Office of the USTR. She holds a B.A. from Williams College, a master's from Stanford University, and a PhD from The George Washington University.

June E. Streckfus

June Streckfus serves as executive director of the Maryland Business Roundtable for Education (MBRT) -- a coalition of more than 100 Maryland companies that have made a long-term commitment to support education reform and improve student achievement in Maryland. Streckfus has received numerous awards, including Maryland's Top 100 Women and 2002 Innovator of the Year Award from The Daily Record. Streckfus was appointed as Co-Chair of Governor O'Malley's Education Transition Team in 2006, and served on the U.S. Department of Education's Negotiated Rulemaking Committee for Academic Competitiveness Grants in 2007. She has extensive experience in government as she served as state administrator for U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski. Prior to that appointment, she served as intergovernmental coordinator and assistant to the administrative officer of Baltimore County government. A strong proponent of education, Streckfus began her career as a classroom teacher, where she also developed curriculum and taught inservice courses to teachers. Streckfus has a B.S. degree in education from University of Maryland, College Park, a master's degree and a certificate of advanced study in liberal arts from Johns Hopkins University.