Wharton DC

Keynote Moderator: Innovating to Scale a $1 Billion Business – Lessons from Unicorn CEOs

John Gustavo Blair is the Vice President, Business Investment at Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA). He previously served as the Director of National Business Investment at the FCEDA.

Originally from the Washington, DC area, Mr. Blair has been at the FCEDA since 2017 and handles the relationship with emerging tech companies in sectors ranging from artificial intelligence and blockchain to drones and autonomous vehicles. John serves as the President of the Volunteer Fairfax Board of Director and represents the FCEDA in its memberships at the international organizations, Chamber of Digital Commerce, a leading blockchain association and at the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI). John has completed the Leadership Fairfax program.

As an MBA student at George Mason University, John collaborated with his classmates to revive the MBA Student Association. As President, John created a succession plan for the organization to continue after his graduation. As a new alumnus of GMU, he became President of the GMU School of Management Alumni Chapter in 2005, serving until 2007. In this two-year period, John recruited a new board, which created committees and conceived and delivered a vision of an annual signature event called the “Annual Business Celebration”, which continues to be a regular event now in its 17th year. The Board under John’s leadership was able to energize the alumni chapter and increase event attendance by 500%.

Keynote Panelist: Does AI Need Guardrails?

Dr. Pablo Breuer is an Executive at a publicly traded Fortune 50
company where he is the global governance lead for AI enablement. 

A 22-year veteran of the Navy, Pablo’s tours included top-level
positions at U.S. Special Operations Command Donovan Group, SOFWERX, the NSA, US Cyber Command and US Naval Forces Central Command. He is a DoD Cyber Cup and Defcon Black Badge winner and has taught at the Naval Postgraduate School, National University, California State University Monterey Bay, and Carnegie Mellon CERT/SEI. Pablo is the co-founder of the Cognitive Security Collaborative and coauthor of the DISARM (Disinformation Analysis and Response Measures) framework, the methodology used by the US and EU governments and NATO to address Misinformation and Disinformation.
 
He is a sought-after speaker in the fields of cybersecurity, Mis- and
Disinformation, and protecting critical assets from attack. Pablo sits on several Boards including OASIS Open and the DISARM Foundation and has mentored countless students and professionals.

Pablo has a B.S. in Computer Science from the U.S. Naval Academy, a PhD. In Information Sciences from the Naval Postgraduate School and a Certificate in AI Business Strategy from The Johns Hopkins University.

Keynote Panelist: Does AI Need Guardrails?

Sarah Murphy Gray, PhD, has extensive experience in policy, research, and program management across various organizations. Notable roles include serving as Senior Policy and Program Associate at the Center for Global Policy Solutions, where Sarah contributed to the Closing the Racial Wealth Gap Initiative, and as Head of Responsible AI at Google Cloud. Sarah's earlier positions include internships focused on economic security and community development, such as at PolicyLink and The Young People's Project.

An educational background in social policy, with a doctorate from The Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University, complements a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from Princeton University. Sarah’s work emphasizes equity in economic policies, community engagement, and innovative educational practices.

Keynote Panelist: Global Solutions Institute

Mark W. Grobmyer is an attorney with substantial investment
banking and international law experience. He is Chairman of the
Global Solutions Institute which matches global problems with
technology and other solutions and then seeks to accelerate the
deployment of the solutions at scale globally. He also serves on a
Blue Ribbon Climate Panel related to the UN Foundation and as
Managing Director of the P80 Group Foundation. He has also served as Chairman of the World Leaders Symposium Committee.

The Committee was developed as a part of the Center for the Study
of the Presidency and Congress Millennium Project, which he
chaired. He has also served as a lecturer and speaker for many
programs and seminars presented in the several countries. Mark
also serves as Chairman of the Global Technology Deployment
Initiative and as has been for many years a Senior Advisor to SEAF, the NASA Launch Initiative, the International Center for Sustainable Development, the American Society of Association Executives, the International Sister Cities Conference, the Congressional Award Foundation and Chief Executive Magazine, the "Club Journal" of Fortune 1000 CEOs.

Keynote Moderator: The Future of Healthcare
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Keynote Moderator: AI's Impact on Healthcare: From Innovation to Implementation
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Session Moderator: Healthcare Pitch Session

Jeffrey Hausfeld, M.D., M.B.A., F.A.C.S., has served on the national board and committees of specialty medical societies since he began his practice in Otolaryngology/Facial Plastic Surgery in 1982. He is an Associate Clinical Professor of Surgery at George Washington University School of Health Sciences and an alumnus of the Yale University School of Medicine. Dr. Hausfeld is widely published in the medical literature, is the pioneer of innovative laser surgery techniques, is the author of a lay oriented medical book on snoring and sleep apnea, and has appeared on numerous local and national television and radio shows as a medical expert.

He has also served as a health care consultant, spokesperson, and executive coach for multi-national pharmaceutical companies, health care firms, as well as the U.S. military. Dr. Hausfeld stepped down from his clinical duties after receiving a Masters in Business Administration from Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Hausfeld is presently developing assisted living facilities specializing in Alzheimer's and dementia care.

He serves as a consultant to several healthcare/life science startups in diagnostics, devices, biotech and Health IT. He also serves on the Investment Advisory Board of the Center for Innovation Technology's Life Science Gap Fund. The fund supports promising healthcare and life sciences ventures in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Dr. Hausfeld is the Chairman and Founder of the Society of Physician Entrepreneurs (www.sopenet.org ), a global network focused on educating healthcare and life science professionals in Bioentrepreneurship and Innovation.

Dr. Hausfeld is orchestrating the Series B Financing of BioFactura (www.biofactura.com) and acted as the lead investor in this round. He will serve as Chairman of the Board of BioFactura as well as their Chief Medical Officer as the company develops its Biosimilar platform as well as its novel Bio-defense therapeutics.

Keynote Moderator: Global Solutions Institute

Tammy Hettinger is the Executive Director of the Fulbright Association, where she leads a national network of over 140,000 U.S. Fulbright alumni and 54 chapters committed to advancing global understanding and collaboration. A changemaker dedicated to building strategic partnerships and driving mission-driven impact, Tammy brings more than 20 years of leadership experience across the nonprofit sector.

Prior to joining the Fulbright Association, Tammy served as Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships and Development at NAFSA: Association of International Educators, where she launched new global engagement strategies, expanded corporate partnerships, and increased sponsorship revenue.

TEDx Talk: Becoming CEO of Your Career
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Session Panelist: AI and the Future of Work
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Workshop: Becoming CEO of Your Career

Nicole McNamara has one of the more varied resumes in big tech: hospitality, gaming, non-profit leadership, entrepreneur, Salesforce Innovation and now AI at Google. That range isn't a
collection of unrelated jobs, it's the reason she's good at what she does. Every industry teaches you to read a room differently, and Nicole has learned to translate between rooms that don't naturally speak the same language, whether that's a casino floor, a non-profit board, or a Fortune 500 executive team staring down a seismic technology shift.

As the first woman to lead Salesforce's Global Innovation Consulting team, Nicole sat across the table from executives who knew their industries were changing under them and needed someone willing to tell them the truth to keep shareholders satisfied and customers showing up.

Today, she leads AI go-to-market strategy for Power and Energy at Google. She hosts "Who Moved My Career?!", a podcast on career reinvention that ranks in the top 10% globally, where she's interviewed more than 50 authors, academics, and executives about the moments that changed their trajectories. That same voice has landed her on television as a commentator on
AI and the future of work, and in 2026 she was named a Chamber ALX 40 Over 40 honoree for that work's impact locally and nationally. Nicole speaks and facilitates on transformation, AI readiness, and what she calls "Enterprise of One": the idea that every professional now has to run their career like a business, whether they signed up for it or not.

Keynote Panelist: Innovating to Scale a $1 Billion Business – Lessons from Unicorn CEOs

Caren Merrick is an entrepreneur, investor, board director, author, and former Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade with more than three decades of experience building businesses and advancing innovation. She co-founded webMethods, helping build the enterprise software company from startup through IPO and global scale; its technology continues today as IBM webMethods.

As Secretary, Caren led 13 agencies spanning economic development, innovation, energy, workforce, and small-business finance, helping secure more than $140 billion in capital investment. As Vice Chair of the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation, she helped advance Virginia’s innovation and investment ecosystem and its emergence as a top-10 state for investment. Today, she advises private equity on investments supporting American reindustrialization.

Caren also co-founded and chaired the webMethods Foundation, an innovative model of employee-engaged philanthropy. The first woman in her family to earn a college degree and a UCLA graduate, she believes deeply in opportunity and business as a force for good. Her forthcoming book explores how leaders can capture insight, see what others may miss, and turn insight into wise action.

Keynote Panelist: Does AI Need Guardrails?

Dr. John R. Unger II helps institutions build artificial intelligence that is not only powerful, but responsible, reliable, and worthy of public trust. A Rhodes Scholar (Oxford, PPE), he is Adjunct Professor in West Virginia University’s Statler College, where he is helping establish an AI Center of Excellence and teaches Responsible and Reliable AI and Cybersecurity Ethics. A former White House Senior Advisor working on AI ethics and a former West Virginia State Senate Majority Leader, his work returns to one question: not only what our technologies can do, but what kind of people we are becoming as we build them. His conviction is that inventing a better future depends less on the machines we design than on the wisdom, dignity, and moral vision we bring to building them.

Keynote Moderator: Does AI Need Guardrails?

Christopher Wolf practiced law for nearly 40 years, concluding his career as a partner at Hogan Lovells Cadwalader. An accomplished litigator and recognized as a pioneer in Internet law, he established a leading practice in Internet, privacy and cybersecurity law.

He founded the Future of Privacy Forum, an international think tank dedicated to advancing responsible data practices. Throughout his career, he earned top-tier legal rankings from Chambers and was named a "Tech Titan" by Washingtonian Magazine. MSNBC called him a “pioneer in Internet law."

He holds a bachelor's degree from Bowdoin College (cum laude), attended the London School of Economics, and earned his law degree from the. Washington & Lee University School of Law (magna cum laude, Order of the
Coif).

His philanthropy includes the Capital Jewish Museum, where he is Board President, Young Concert Artists and the Anti-Defamation League.

Previously he was on the Boards of WETA, the National Symphony Orchestra, Food & Friends, the DC History Center, the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) and others. 

Chris is a fourth generation Washingtonian and lives in Northwest DC with his husband Jim Beller, a playwright.

Session Moderator: Startup Showcase

Mr. Tien Wong is a tech investor, entrepreneur, and CEO. He is Chairman & CEO of Opus8, Inc., a private investment and advisory firm investing in exceptional life science and tech enabled services companies, as well as specializing in raising capital for promising tech companies and alternative investment fund managers.

He is Founder of CONNECTpreneur, a global community of 25,000+ founders, investors, CEOs, and business leaders. CONNECTpreneur organizes the world’s largest monthly virtual investor pitch events as well as in-person Forums.
Mr. Wong is also a Venture Partner in IronGate Capital Advisors, a VC and Fund of Funds manager investing in dual use technologies; Investment Advisory Board member of Virginia Venture Partners; and Chairman of Lumious, an ed tech company which provides learning & development services to Fortune 500 customers.

Mr. Wong was appointed by Governor Martin O'Malley to the 9-person Maryland Venture Fund Authority which oversees $84 million in VC allocations; he serves on the Boards of Directors of the Austin Venture Association, Association for Enterprise Growth (Chair), Frederick Innovative Technology Corp., Inc. (FITCI), and Junior Achievement, as well as on the Council of Advisors for the Washington Institute for Business, Government, & Society and the Entrepreneurship Advisory Council of The Universities at Shady Grove. He is a Mentor at the Mach37 Cybersecurity Accelerator and Conscious Venture Labs.

Mr. Wong has been named by Washingtonian magazine as a “Tech Titan” for the last 7 years (’17 – ‘23). He is a frequent guest lecturer on entrepreneurship, leadership, venture capital, and private equity at the University of Maryland and Georgetown University where he is an Entrepreneur in Residence. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College.

A recognized international expert in CRM, direct marketing, and BPO, Mr. Wong has presented at dozens of conferences around the world. He has also provided industry commentary on the ABC, Fox, NBC, CNBC, Maryland Public Television, and China’s CCTV networks, as well as for Time Magazine, The Washington Post, Inc. Magazine, and Success Magazine.