Propelling Forward to the 2023 American Aerospace & Defense Summit [Summit Recap]

To complete the 2023 fall events season, the team headed to the sunny "Grand Canyon State" to host our American Aerospace & Defense Summit!

The 9th annual Summit was held from December 4-5, 2023, at the We-Ko-Pa Resort in Phoenix, Arizona. 

That's a wrap for 2023!

We want to share our deep appreciation to everyone involved in making this year's event a successful one. From the speaking sessions, 1-2-1 meetings, and networking receptions, to the roundtable discussions and empower hours, we can truly say that it was a fantastic event!

Below, we'll share a recap of the event highlights from our 9th annual American Aerospace & Defense Summit. Whether you were in attendance or plan to attend future summits, this recap will help you get a better feel of the overall experience on-site.

Day 1 of the 9th American Aerospace & Defense Summit began with a warm welcome from our co-chair, Valorie Ziegler, Director, Operations at Ball Aerospace Space Systems. Valorie's opening remarks set the tone for an engaging event!

We kicked off with a dynamic opening keynote led by Peter Lengyel, President and CEO at Safran USA. Peter took the stage and spoke on the topic of engineering clean energy and how Safran is striving to become a zero-emissions organization. Lengyel then discussed how they are reducing the environmental impact of operations to support sustainability, managing the development of new tools and technologies to support their projects, and analyzing the benefits of strategic partnerships to optimize engineering capabilities.

Following the keynote, Kimberly Caldwell, Senior Director, Global Research and Technology at Spirit Aerosystems, led a plenary session on using technology as a cornerstone to attract next-generation aerospace talent. In their session, they provided insights on what talent attraction and retention looks like at Spirit Aerospace, and how to build, grow, and retain a resilient workforce. Kimberly also addressed talent scarcity by making aerospace manufacturing a more desirable entry point and how fostering local talent can create the next generation of aerospace professionals. 

David Ferris, Director, Global Public Sector Capture at Interos then spoke on the topic of mastering modern risk management with a resilience operations center (ROC). They then touched on how to align risk management objectives with your organization's goals to create a comprehensive risk strategy that drives resilience and growth, breaking down silos for agile teams and the power of leveraging automation and data-driven insights. 

Next, we proceeded with a break from speaking sessions for refreshments, networking, and pre-arranged 1-2-1 meetings, which was an optimal time for attendees to make new connections and discover new business solutions available.

Over in Room 2 & 3, introductions were made by our emcees Paul Koether, Director, Joint All Domain Operations at Lockheed Martin, and Amie Emerson, VP, Core & Supplier Quality at Spirit Aerosystems.

Day 1 continued with sessions from Greg Maxwell, VP, Operations Strategy and Global Supply Chain at Northrop Grumman in Room 1, Dominic Perez, Chief Technical Officer at Curtiss-Wright in Room 2, and Kim Smith, VP, Total Quality, Global Services at Boeing in Room 3.

In Greg's session, he spoke on the topic of teaching resilience and strategies for mitigating risk and navigation disruptions. In the other room, Dominic touched on the optionally manned future and how new technology is affecting real-time information during military operations. Alongside, Kim's session provided insights for creating a culture of quality and quality as a leadership skill in the other room.

Following these, workshop sessions were held by Kevin Gallagher, Solutions Engineer at iBase-t, Dan Chaney, VP, Enterprise AI and Data Science at FutureTech, and Lynette Bryan, Director, Enterprise Sales at Planisware. They each discussed integrating quality across your manufacturing shop, developing and deploying enterprise-class AI infrastructure, and the future of project portfolio management (PPM) in the aerospace and defense industry.

The Lunch & Learn Roundtable Discussions followed shortly after, which was a moderated discussion on crucial topics in the industry. The tables were led by executives from the following companies: Avetta, FutureTech, Interos, Covalent Networks, SAP Cognitus, 1factory, SEKO Logistics and CakeBoxx.

Following the roundtables, we heard from more industry executives during their thoughtful workshops. Stephen Werst, Director of Customer Success and Product Strategy at Sigmetrix spoke on mechanical variation management and an engineering, manufacturing, and inspection strategy directly influencing product profitability. Eric Whitley, Director, Industrial Transformation at L2L discussed ways to revolutionize the aerospace industry and essential transformation with the connected worker platform. In addition, Sean Wade, Digital Transformation Executive, and Jeffrey Miller, Principal Lead, Federal Aerospace & Defense at Rockwell Automation provided insights on creating, delivering, and evolving the aerospace factory of the future.

Moving into the afternoon, engaging sessions were led by Brian Morrison, VP, General Manager, Cyber Systems at General Dynamics, and Gwendolyn Sisto, Director, Proliferated LEO Assembly, Integration, & Test at Maxar. Brian touched on the coming challenge of cryptographic modernization and enabling improved defense communications. Meanwhile, Gwendolyn provided insights in Maxar's keys to success for high-rate production. From there, we broke into our next 1-2-1 meetings and Networking Happy Hour.

Following the break, the key highlight of the day belongs to the inspiring panel of speakers leading the Women In Leadership session. 
 
The Women in Leadership Panel, featuring Amy Johnson, VP, Defense Electronics, Land and Air Systems at General Dynamics Mission Systems, Tiffany Nesbit, VP, Engineering at Elbit Systems of America, Sonu Goel, VP, Navaids and Non-Radar Surveillance (NAS) at Thales, and Amie Emerson, VP, Core & Supplier Quality at Spirit Aerosystems provided an insightful look into female leadership in the aerospace and defense industry. 
 
The panelists offered valuable perspectives on the biggest challenges they've faced in their leadership careers and discussed how they and their organizations are nurturing the next wave of skilled professionals. As the conversation progressed, each speaker reflected on the most impactful advice they received from their mentors and shared with the audience their own wisdom for the upcoming generation of leaders.

To wrap up a successful Day 1, we reached our closing panel with Jeff Place, Deputy President, Naval Power at Raytheon Technologies, Peter Lengyel, President and CEO at Safran USA, John Baylouny, EVP and COO at Leonardo DRS, which was moderated by our emcee, Paul Koether. The panel shared insights on flying forward into the future of aerospace and defense by analyzing how the industry has changed in the last 5 years, noting the biggest challenges and what will be the biggest disruptors in the next few years. In addition, they discussed how to support and empower the workforce of tomorrow and what their personal goals are for the industry moving forward. 

To conclude, we held our Chair's Closing Remarks and ended with our Networking Drinks Reception for all our delegates, sponsors, and speakers to enjoy.

A massive shout out to our incredible emcees and co-chairs, Valorie Ziegler, Director, Operations at Ball Aerospace Space Systems, Paul Koether, Director, Joint All Domain Operations at Lockheed Martin, and Amie Emerson, VP, Core & Supplier Quality at Spirit Aerosystems for leading our discussions throughout the day.

 Big thank you as well to L2L for sponsoring the featured cocktail of the evening, the Grinch!

Day 2 of the American Aerospace & Defense Summit launched with a Networking Breakfast, followed by our emcee, Valorie Zeigler, providing their opening remarks.

The morning commenced with an opening keynote led by John Baylouny, EVP and COO at Leonardo DRS. John spoke on the topic of the new space race and forecasting the future of the stars. John then provided insights on adapting developments across military and commercial sectors, developing next generation solutions for security and resiliency, incentivizing onshore chip production and preparing for shortages.

Jess Salzbrun, Chief Information Officer, Defense & Systems at GE Aerospace then presented a plenary on navigating the inflection point from hardware-intensive to software-driven excellence. Jess discussed exploring the shift from hardware complexity to software innovation in Aerospace & Defense, shared insights on balancing advantages like cost reduction and heightened autonomy with current challenges, and connecting aspirations for this future with practical steps. 

Shortly after, Carol Erikson, VP, Digital Transformation, Space Systems and Paul Nelson, Director Engineering - Digital Transformation at Northrop Grumman led an engaging Fireside Chat on the topic of the infinite opportunities and ongoing challenges with digital transformation -- from virtual to reality.

Next, we proceeded with our final break just in time for refreshments, networking, and pre-arranged 1-2-1 meetings

Wrapping up the morning, sessions were led by Sonu Goel, VP, Navaids and Non-Radar Surveillance (NAS) at Thales, and Adaora Nelson, VP, Quality and Mission Assurance at Raytheon. 

At noon, John McGurrin, Procurement and Supply Chain Executive at SAP and Nitin Khanna, Senior Partner, A&D Practice Principal at Cognitus led a plenary on unleashing the power of data, analytics and end-to-end compliance for Aerospace & Defense.

Following those, our Lunch & Learn Roundtable Discussions included four incredible sessions from the following industry leaders: Valorie Ziegler, Director, Operations at Ball Aerospace Space Systems, Jenness Simler, VP, Boeing Global Service & Defense Policy, Government Operations at Boeing, Greg Maxwell, VP, Operations Strategy and Global Supply Chain at Northrop Grumman, and David Ranson, Director, Engineering at Parker Aerospace.

Later in the afternoon, Tiffany Nesbit, VP, Engineering at Elbit Systems of America held a plenary on enhancing combat mission systems with the latest technological developments. Tiffany discussed how Elbit plans to leverage the latest digital technologies, analyzed the success behind their aircraft with plans to expand programs, and touched upon their recent case study. 

A key highlight of Day 2 belongs to this insightful panel, the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Panel, which featured Donna M. Shafer, Associate Center Director, Johnson Space Center at NASA - National Aeronautics and Space, Jenness Simler, VP, Boeing Global Services & Defense Policy, Government Operations at Boeing, and Dominic Perez, Chief Technical Officer at Curtiss-Wright. 

In the panel, our speakers shared their definitions of diversity, equity, and inclusion in an ever-changing work environment. Each speaker touched on factors that influenced their thinking around DEI and motivated them to get involved in being an advocate for change. As we wrapped up, they provided insights on what successes and outcomes their organizations realized from diversity initiatives and what next steps or calls to action the audience should bring back to build a culture that empowered DEI.

Stephen Howes, VP, F-35 Production Operations at Lockheed Martin then led the final plenary on future-proofing production plants and how to improve productivity and modernize operations. In his discussion, Stephen touched on how to equip manufacturing sites to adapt to changes in manufacturing and withstand technological changes, as well as integrating continuous training and nurturing emerging talent on site and further insights to their recent case study.

To wrap up the two-day Summit, our chair Valorie Ziegler provided their closing remarks and assisted in announcing our survey prize giveaway. Another huge shout out to our incredible emcees, Paul Koether, Director, Joint All Domain Operations at Lockheed Martin, and Amie Emerson, VP, Core & Supplier Quality at Spirit Aerosystems for leading our discussions throughout the day for leading our breakout rooms throughout the day. 

We are thrilled to announce that the 2023 American Aerospace & Defense Summit was a great success. We extend our gratitude to every delegate, sponsor, and speaker for their valuable contributions in making the event a triumph. The dedication and passion of all those present are vital to the success of these Summits. We hope that the event was as impactful for you as it was for us. For those who were unable to attend this year but are interested in attending next year, registrations are currently open!

 
Join us for the 10th annual celebration: December 4-5, 2024 at the Renaissance Phoenix Glendale Hotel & Spa
  
Visit aadsummit.com to learn more and secure your spot today!

Spots are quickly filling up for our 2024 Summits for potential attendees, exhibitors, or speakers! To stay up-to-date on our upcoming events, be sure to check out our upcoming events at generisgp.com/events.

“Great platform for networking and good subject matter!”

- Evan McCasland, Chief Engineer of Production Systems @ Wisk Aero

“Highly informative and great opportunity to connect with industry peers. This has been a wonderful experience!”

- Ashley Foreman, Facilities Manager @ Lockheed Martin

“The quality of the show is always great! Good to learn about what’s important to the industry.”

- Robert Morales, Engineering Manager @ Super Radiator Coils

“Great, intimate event packed full of good learning coupled with networking opportunities.”

- Janet Jenkins, Director, Supply Chain @ Wisk Aero

“Good! Lots of relevant content and opportunity to see products in the industry”

- Scott Hubbard, Sr. Manager, Supply Chain Business Excellence @ Elbit systems of America

Learn more about our upcoming North American events and secure your spot today:

• 10th American Manufacturing Summit | March 19-20, 2024
• 10th American Biomanufacturing Summit | April 10-11, 2024
• 8th American Supply Chain Summit | April 30 - May 1, 2024
• 7th American Packaging Summit | May 21-22, 2024
• ... and more 2024 events!

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