Chad retired from the U.S. Air Force in 2023 as a general officer with 29-years of cyber operations, communications, and information technology experience. He is a 9-time commander, including the White House Communications Agency. Prior to retirement, Chad served as Director of Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Cyber, as well as Chief Information Officer for U.S. European Command.
Chad currently serves as President and CEO of The Raduege Group LLC, as a Partner with Elara Nova, and as Chairman and CEO of the Air Force Cyberspace & Air Traffic Control Association. He also serves on multiple Boards of Advisors, to include America’s Future Series, and on the Board of Directors for AFCEA International. He earned his bachelor’s degree in business management from The Ohio State University.
Gilberto “Coach” Perez is a recently retired U.S. Air Force officer and Managing Director of the Cyber, Data & Communications sector at Elara Nova, bringing more than 20 years of leadership in cyberspace operations, enterprise IT, and global communications.
Throughout his distinguished career, Gilberto earned a reputation for being a “high-connector” of ideas, people, processes, and technologies. He builds high-performance team culture where clients can clearly navigate organizational change, unlock strategic advantages, and deliver meaningful mission impact. As a thoughtful leader, he published 20+ articles to articulate lessons and concepts that translate complex ideas into clear, actionable guidance for leaders and organizations.
Gilberto has a proven track record of leading multimillion-dollar IT projects in mission-critical environments, from the White House under two Administrations, the Pentagon, and as a three-time commander. He designs tailored strategies by deconstructing challenging problems, identifying opportunities, and providing trusted guidance to actualize executives’ business goals.
Gilberto earned his B.S. in Management as a Distinguished Graduate from the U.S. Air Force Academy, holds three master’s degrees including an MBA from the University of Tampa, and is completing his Ed.D in Organizational Change and Leadership at the University of Southern California in 2026. He also holds certifications in Project Management (Northwestern University), Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (Dartmouth), and is currently pursuing Leadership Performance Coaching (Brown University).
His contributions to national security and to the stewardship of the cyber and IT profession have been recognized with the U.S. Presidential Lifetime Service Award, AFCEA Saint Isidore Cyber Award, MCPA Order of Thor, SCRA Bronze Order of Mercury, and DISA Mentor of the Year.
In 2006, Gilberto became the Co-Founder of the Perez Brothers Scholarship to expand educational opportunities for the next generation of leaders. He also serves on the AFCEA International Cyber Committee, AFA Aerospace Education Council, Air Force Cyberspace and Air Traffic Control Association Board, U.S. Air Force Academy Admissions Team, and All Sports Community Service Advisor.
He and his wife of 19 years, Angeline, have been together since middle school, are the proud parents of four children, and currently live in Tampa, FL.
General (Ret) Timothy D. Haugh served for more than 30 years in the United States Air Force, culminating in his assignment as the 4th Commander, U.S. Cyber Command and 19th Director of the National Security Agency. In these roles, Gen Haugh served as the National Manager for all federal government National Security Systems and led all DoD cyber operations.
A native of Hughesville, Pennsylvania, Gen (Ret) Haugh earned his commission in 1991 as a distinguished graduate of the ROTC program at Lehigh University.
During his career, Gen (Ret) Haugh commanded at the squadron, group, wing, numbered air force, and joint levels. His other notable tours included assignments as Deputy Commander of Joint Task Force Ares, Commander of Cyber National Mission Force, and Commander of Sixteenth Air Force.
In addition to earning his Bachelor of Arts in Russian Studies from Lehigh University, Gen (Ret) Haugh holds Master of Science degrees from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, the Naval Postgraduate School, and Southern Methodist University.
Gen (Ret) Haugh and his bride, Mrs. Sherie Haugh, have been married for more than 34 years, and have a son, daughter, daughter in law, and granddaughter.
In addition to his role as Senior Principal Advisor at Elara Nova, Gen (Ret) Haugh serves as a Distinguished Fellow at the Blue Center at Yale University; Distinguished Fellow at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service; and also serves as an advisor to multiple funds and companies.
Dale Meyerrose is an international, preeminent technology and cybersecurity strategist. He has more than four decades of combined public, private, and academic leadership experience. He consults with business, government, and academic organizations on strategy, digital transformation, telemedicine and robotics technologies, cybersecurity, and executive leadership. He is chairman of the board and president for both ImCon International and Rual 5G, technology companies that sell Internet access and digital services internationally to rural and remote areas. Dr. Meyerrose is an adjunct contract professor for the United States Air Force, a Trustee and the Treasurer for the U.S. Air Force Academy Falcon Foundation and sits on multiple advisory boards.
Dr. Meyerrose was the first President-appointed, U.S. Senate-confirmed chief information officer for the U.S. Intelligence Community when it reorganized in 2005. Just prior to that, Dr. Meyerrose spent over 30 years forging a highly decorated career in the U.S. Air Force. He served as the chief information officer for seven major military commands. As a cybersecurity pioneer, he created terminology and processes for defending critical networks that laid the foundation for creating Department of Defense cyber disciplines, which were widely copied across the U.S. Government and by industry. Dr. Meyerrose had major leadership roles against the early cyber-attacks on government networks, creation of the early cybersecurity response centers, and developing the first-ever homeland defense architectures for the Nation in the wake of the attacks of September 11th, 2001. He is a Southwest Asia veteran who supported combat operations in the Balkans and the Middle East and space operations on a global basis.
In addition to his highly decorated military career, Dr. Meyerrose won numerous professional awards including the International Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association Person of the Year, the Executive CIO Top 10 Leaders and Innovators Public Service Award for excellence in public leadership, and “The Federal 100” by Federal Computer Weekly. He was also recognized by Government Computer News for Outstanding Information Technology Achievement in Government. Dr. Meyerrose is a noted keynote speaker at policy and technical national and international conferences and lectured at over twenty universities. He has been inducted into five Halls of Fame and honored with eleven lifetime achievement awards by various national and international professional associations.
Dr. Meyerrose graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and from the University of Utah with a Master in Business Administration. He earned a Doctor of Professional Studies in Information Management from Syracuse University, where his award-winning research focused on introducing new technologies to telemedicine. He graduated from the National War College and attended senior executive programs at: National Defense University in Washington, DC; Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama; Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government; University of California at Berkley Haas School of Business; and the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.
Tom has over 34 years of leadership experience and retired as a Lieutenant General in the United States Air Force. A recognized leader in aircraft and component maintenance, repair, and overhaul, he served in multiple depot assignments and ultimately commanded the U.S. Air Force’s global supply chain and depot maintenance enterprise—an organization of 39,000 personnel across 26 locations. He culminated his military service as the senior logistician for the Air Force where he was responsible to the Chief of Staff and Secretary of the Air Force for resourcing and prioritizing $19 billion annually in weapon system sustainment and $12 billion in construction and facility programs.
General Harry Raduege is a Senior Partner at Elara Nova: The Space Consultancy a global professional consulting firm that guides businesses and government agencies to maximize the strategic advantages of the space domain. He also is a Senior Counselor with The Cohen Group, a strategic advisory firm led by former U.S. Senator and Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen and serves as a director and advisor to other space, cyberspace, and information technology organizations.
Raduege retired from the US Air Force after 35 years serving in the areas of information technology; command and control; communications; and space, network, and cyber operations. He is the former President and CEO of the National Cybersecurity Center, a national-level nonprofit organization that provides collaborative cybersecurity knowledge, workforce development, and services to the United States to better protect our cities, states, and national assets. He also is a former Director of the Defense Information Systems Agency and Manager of the National Communications System. In these positions and following the tragic events of September 11th, 2001, he led efforts to restore communications in the Pentagon and throughout New York City. He also led efforts to upgrade Presidential and National Security communications through a $1 billion transformational communications program that was delivered on time and under budget.
Mike is a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General and former five-time Program Executive Officer with more than three decades of experience leading large-scale defense acquisition, modernization, and sustainment programs. He most recently served as PEO & Director of the F-35 Joint Program Office, overseeing a $20B+ annual budget and the lifecycle management of the world’s premier fifth-generation fighter aircraft for U.S. and international customers.
Throughout his career, Lt Gen Schmidt led major portfolios spanning fighters, bombers, ISR, special operations, and advanced command, control, communications, cyber, and network systems. He worked extensively with Congress, senior Department of War leadership, all US military services, industry partners, and international allies to deliver critical capabilities at scale.
Lt Gen Schmidt holds advanced degrees in National Security Strategy, Business Finance, and Industrial Engineering, is a certified acquisition professional, and completed a legislative fellowship on Capitol Hill.
Mike is currently the President and Founder of Schmidt Global Consulting, helping industry develop leaders and deliver solutions that align to Department of War priorities. He also serves as an advisor to the Dayton Development Coalition and Jobs Ohio in garnering economic development throughout Ohio. He lives near Dayton Ohio and is a proud husband and father.
Bob Skinner is President of Skinner’s Strategic Solutions, LLC and currently serves on the Board of Advisors of Axonious, Govly and ColorTokens companies; supports the US Air Force Academy as a distinguished visiting professor as the Milanovich Computer and Cyber Sciences Chair; President of the Command, Control, Communications and Computer Association and advises multiple other public and private companies.
Previously, Bob achieved the rank of Lieutenant General in the U.S. Air Force where he accumulated over four decades of experience in Cyber, Communications, Information Technology and space operations. He began his career in the U.S. Navy working with/for the highest Naval Leadership levels. Bob went on to lead multiple cyber and information technology units; commanded the Air Forces Cyber unit responsible for the entire Air Force’s cyber capabilities. His technical and leadership expertise were leveraged in his capstone assignment leading the entire Department of Defense’s Cyber Defense operations while simultaneously leading a ~20,000 force and multi-billion dollar enterprise of cyber and information technology capabilities.
Bob is universally respected as a high-energy operational technologist; motivational leader; and change agent. As a cyber subject matter expert, he has addressed technical, business and university forums, drove key task forces, and provided testimony before Congress. He currently advises industry and academia on building effective government and international relationships while improving organizational culture. He also builds and shapes cybersecurity, technology, innovation and workforce development strategies. He has effectively and rapidly deployed teams solving the most complex National Security Issues. Bob has received a number of prestigious awards, including 3x Top Federal 100; FedScoop 50; Washington 100; Federal 100 Executive.
He earned his Bachelor of Science degree at night while in the military, has a Master of Science degree from Oklahoma City University, and has attended numerous leadership courses including Harvard’s Kennedy School and Virginia’s Darden University. He is a graduate of the DOD’s Eisenhower School, CAPSTONE Program and PINNACLE Senior Leadership Forums.
Eileen Vidrine is a national security executive, U.S. Army veteran and the former Chief Data and Artificial Intelligence officer for the Department of the Air Force. Ms. Vidrine possesses more than 35 years of experience leading transformative change initiatives in defense, intelligence, air and space. A visionary leader within the Federal Senior Executive Service, she was handpicked as the first strategic advisor for data to the Federal chief information officer, where she spearheaded data and emerging technology strategies.
In her leadership roles, Ms. Vidrine has consistently driven innovation by establishing new programs that enhance workforce capabilities and promote best practices in data management and AI. Known for her ability to disrupt outdated processes, she has built high-performance teams and cultivated collaborative work cultures that value individual skills, inspire confidence, and foster professional growth.
She continues to mentor and develop the next generation of data and AI leaders. She was recently named to the Blackhat AI Security Council and is an advisory board member to the Mark Cuban AI Foundation. Ms. Vidrine’s contributions to the AI and data community have been recognized with prestigious awards, including the AIM AI 100 Visionary Leader, CDO Magazine Executive of the Year 2023 and the DataIQ 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award. Ms. Vidrine received her M.S. in Systems Management from the University of Southern California and attended executive leadership programs at the Harvard Kennedy School.