SEPTEMBER 22-24, 2026 | NATIONAL HARBOR, MD
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  Detailed Guide  


TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2026


7:00 AM
Woodrow Wilson Lobby 

Defense TechConnect Summit: Registration


7:30 AM
Woodrow Wilson Lobby 

Defense TechConnect Summit, SBIR/STTR Innovation Summit, and Resilience Week: Coffee and Networking


8:30 AM
Woodrow Wilson A 

Defense TechConnect Summit, Resilience Week, and SBIR/STTR Fall Innovation Conference Keynotes

After the Presentation of Colors and National Anthem, join us for keynotes featuring defense, investment, energy resilience, and small business leadership.

Presentation of Colors
U.S. Air Force Honor Guard
National Anthem
TSgt Collin Power, Vocalist, U.S. Air Force Band
Welcome
Jennifer Rocha, Strategic Partnerships, TechConnect Division, ATI
Opening Remarks
Mica Dolan, President & CEO, Advanced Technology International (ATI)
Resilience Week Keynote Fireside Chat with Idaho National Laboratory
Sam Howerton, Chief Scientist, Department of Homeland Security
Fireside Chat with DARPA, Led by Jennifer Rocha, TechConnect Division, ATI
Jennifer Thabet, Office Director Small Business Programs Office, DARPA
HON Christopher Grisafe, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy (DASN(Energy)), U.S. Navy
Erwin Gianchandani, Assistant Director, TIP, NSF

10:00 AM
Woodrow Wilson Lobby and Baltimore Lobby 

Defense TechConnect Summit: Networking Coffee Break


10:30 AM
Baltimore 3-4 

Defense TechConnect Summit, OELS, and Resilience Week: EMC² & LEAN Power Network: FY27 Roadmap - Opportunities, Funding & Acquisition Reform

Government leaders from EMC² and the LEAN Power Network present the FY27 roadmap: consortium overview, BRFS highlights and success stories, best practices and funding mechanisms, and FY27 priorities including acquisition reform and modeling for operational relevance.

Jim Caley, Director of Operational Energy, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Energy, U.S. Navy
Lesley Wilhelm, Action Officer - Wargaming, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (RDT&E), U.S. Navy
Kyle Degener, Deputy Division Manager, Power and Energy, NSWC CRANE
Sandy Wilson, EMC2 Program Manager, Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC Crane)
TBA, Advanced Technology International (ATI)

10:30 AM
Annapolis 3 

Resilience Week: Critical Connections: Ensuring Secure and Resilient Communications

In an increasingly interconnected world, secure and resilient communications are the backbone of national security, economic stability, and public safety. Investigations have revealed that adversarial actors are targeting commercial telecommunications infrastructure, compromising network security and sensitive communications. These incidents underscore the urgent need for secure and resilient communications to protect critical data and national security. Building resilience in these systems protects against disruptions caused by cyberattacks, natural disasters, or technical failures, while preserving operational continuity and public safety. This panel will explore the critical role of telecommunications and network infrastructure in maintaining reliable communication systems, as well as the indispensable function of Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) services in supporting communications and network traffic. Experts from government and industry will discuss emerging threats, innovative solutions, and best practices for safeguarding these vital systems. Attendees will gain insight into the importance of robust infrastructure, the integration of advanced technologies, and the collaborative security efforts required to ensure the resilience of communication networks in the face of evolving hazards and threats.

Brannan Villee, Division Director, Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency (HSARPA), DHS Science & Technology
Mark Grubb, Next Generation 911 Technical Subject Matter Expert, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
Brad Moran, Principal PNT Systems Engineer, MITRE Corporation

11:30 AM
Annapolis 3 

Resilience Week: Measuring What Matters: Quantifying Resilient Lifeline Infrastructure for National Security and Community Continuity

Lifeline infrastructure, including energy, water, communications, transportation, and fuel systems, underpins national security, economic stability, and the continuity of communities before, during, and after disruptive events. As the frequency and complexity of natural hazards, cyber threats, aging infrastructure, and geopolitical disruptions continue to increase, there is a growing need for robust approaches to quantify infrastructure resilience and translate technical assessments into actionable decisions. This panel will bring together experts from national laboratories, academia, government, and industry to discuss emerging methods and tools for assessing the resilience of critical lifeline infrastructure. Panelists will explore advances in resilience metrics, probabilistic risk assessment, interdependency modeling, digital twins, geospatial analytics, artificial intelligence, and decision-support frameworks that improve understanding of infrastructure vulnerabilities, cascading failures, and recovery pathways. The discussion will highlight how quantitative resilience assessments can support infrastructure investment, emergency preparedness, system modernization, and national security planning while strengthening community continuity and long-term adaptability. Through case studies and interactive discussion, attendees will gain insights into current research, operational applications, and future priorities for measuring and enhancing infrastructure resilience across interconnected systems. The session will also examine opportunities for integrating resilience assessment into infrastructure planning, policy development, and public-private partnerships to better prepare communities and critical systems for an increasingly uncertain risk environment.

Mikhail Chester, Director, Metis Center for Infrastructure and Sustainable Engineering, Arizona State University
James Elsworth, Resilient Infrastructure and Security Center, National Laboratory of the Rockies

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2026


1:00 PM
Prince George's Hall B-C 

Defense TechConnect Summit: Defense TechConnect, MOSA, SBIR/STTR Pavillion and Smart Cities Expo Hall Opens (1:00PM-6:00PM)

Join us for day one in the exhibit hall, featuring over 200 exhibitors, SBIR/STTR Agency Pavillion, and Expo Theater


1:00 PM
Prince George's Hall B-C 

Defense TechConnect Summit and OELS: LEAN Power Office Hours at EMC² Booth (1:00PM-6:00PM)

Have a question about LEAN Power and current funding opportunities? Representatives from ATI, Crane Indiana, and Navy Op Energy will be available to speak with attendees on a first come, first serve basis. No appointments required or needed.


1:00 PM
Woodrow Wilson Lobby and Baltimore Lobby 

Defense TechConnect Summit, SBIR/STTR Innovation Summit, and Resilience Week: Coffee and Networking


1:30 PM
Baltimore 1 

Defense TechConnect Summit, OELS, and Resilience Week: Energy on the Battlefield

The Energy on the Battlefield panel will bring together leaders from across the Department of War and Department of Energy for a fast-paced discussion on one of the most critical challenges facing the future force: how to generate, store, move and manage energy in contested environments. Drawing on firsthand experience from their organizations and the field, Kawa Amina, DIU; Cayle Bradley, DOE/ARPA-E; Matt Huffman, NSWC Carderock Division; Matt Sigstad, Department of the Air Force; and Captain Teddy Herrera, USMC Expeditionary Energy Office, will highlight the operational energy challenges they see today, the gaps that must be solved and the technologies that could reshape battlefield power tomorrow. From advanced batteries and expeditionary power to contested logistics, energy resilience and emerging technologies, the panel will offer candid perspectives on what the warfighter needs and where industry, government and innovators can make the greatest impact. The session will conclude with a moderated discussion and audience Q&A.

Mike Mazzocco, CEO and President, Alytic, Inc.
Matthew Huffman, NSWC Carderock, Code 635, Power and Energy, U.S. Navy
Captain Teddy Herrera, Expeditionary Energy Officer, Chief Engineer’s Staff, Science & Technology Portfolio Acquisition Executive Marine Corps (PAE-MC), U.S. Marine Corps
Cayle Bradley, Technology-to-Market Advisor, ARPA-E

1:30 PM
Annapolis 3 

Resilience Week, Defense TechConnect Summit and OELS: Is Your Grid Mission-Ready? Technical Assistance for Defense-Critical Energy Infrastructure

America's electric grid is foundational to national defense, yet the civilian utility grids that power defense critical military installations face growing threats: aging infrastructure, rapid load growth, and cyber-physical risk. The Defense Resilience Technical Assistance (DRTA) program, led by Idaho National Laboratory (INL), brings coordinated multi-lab expertise directly to defense-serving utilities. From power quality and grid modernization to cybersecurity, digital assurance, and supply chain risk, this program meets utilities where they are and delivers support tailored to each utility's infrastructure, threat environment, and mission requirements. This session translates that capability into practice. Attendees learn what TA is available, how it has been applied, and how to apply for Technical Assistance and Training.

Leta Comer, Project Manager, Idaho National Laboratory
Tim Klett, Senior Technology Integration Strategist, Idaho National Laboratory
Becca Avery, Power Systems Engineer, Idaho National Laboratory

2:30 PM
Baltimore 2 

Defense TechConnect Summit, OELS, and Resilience Week: Critical Technology Spotlights: Energy and Resilience I

The Defense TechConnect (DTC) Critical Technology Spotlights are designed to accelerate private-sector and defense-sourced technology solutions aligned with warfighter and national security problem-sets.

Review Panelists
Bob Burton, Director of Defense Technologies, North Carolina Military Business Center
Kevin Mish, Program Manager, Abbott on Call
Lily Toto, Senior Associate, Two Lanterns Venture Capital
James Caley, Director of Operational Energy, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Energy, U.S. Navy
Cayle Bradley, Technology-to-Market Advisor, ARPA-E
Ben Moebes, Vice President of Federal Sales, Ericcson
Troy Warshel, Executive Vice President, Potomac International Partners, Inc.
Alex Johnson, Operational Energy S&T Lead, DPAE Expeditionary & Mine Warfare, U.S. Navy
Opening Remarks
Ben Moebes, Vice President of Federal Sales, Ericcson
Innovators
2:49 PM
Universal Power System Integration Platform, Gentiam Consulting LLC dba Gentiam Power, California
3:10 PM

2:30 PM
Annapolis 3 

Resilience Week: Beyond the Cyber Gap: Reframing Cyber Resilience and Mission Assurance Through Integration and Visibility

The prevailing narrative within the defense engineering community laments a critical "cyber capability gap" among personnel managing operational technology (OT). This session argues that this diagnosis is fundamentally flawed. The defense enterprise does not suffer from a lack of tactical cyber expertise; rather, it suffers from a systemic deficit in mission integration and visibility. Facility engineers, cyber defenders, and mission commanders operate in siloed frameworks with deeply embedded infrastructure dependencies. This fragmentation carries severe strategic consequences. Without a unified operational picture, the true "Operational Blast Radius" of a cyber-physical failure is obscured, leading to artificially inflated readiness assessments that fail congressional Defense Readiness Reporting System (DRRS) mandates. By exploring consequence-driven dependency mapping, such as the DAF CROCS model and IEEE resilient frameworks, this paper reframes the objective of infrastructure security. It urges defense leadership and the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) to abandon sole dependence on the panacea of superficial compliance checklists and universal cyber training. Instead, true mission assurance demands a paradigm shift toward "Mission Resilience" aligning market incentives with operational consequence to secure critical ecosystems that enable Mission Essential Tasks.

Moderator: Daryl Haegley, Director, Department of the Air Force, Cyber Resiliency Office for Control Systems
Carlos Munoz, Chief Information Officer, Naval Facilities Command
Rabia Chaudhry, Director, DC Water Resiliency
Steve Brain, Federal Cybersecurity Strategic Advisor, Dominion Power
Ginger Wright, Program Manager, Idaho National Laboratory

3:30 PM
Baltimore 2 

Defense TechConnect Summit, OELS, and Resilience Week: Critical Technology Spotlights: Energy and Resilience II

The Defense TechConnect (DTC) Critical Technology Spotlights are designed to accelerate private-sector and defense-sourced technology solutions aligned with warfighter and national security problem-sets.

Review Panelists
Earl Armstrong, Naval Operational Energy Office, Tech Advisor, Naval Surface Warfare Center
Orysia Buchan, Small Business Programs Program Manager, SBIR Co-Lead Commercialization, Lockheed Martin
Troy Warshel, Executive Vice President, Potomac International Partners, Inc.
Alex Stephenson, Partner, Oval Park Capital
James Caley, Director of Operational Energy, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Energy, U.S. Navy
Cayle Bradley, Technology-to-Market Advisor, ARPA-E
Alex Johnson, Operational Energy S&T Lead, DPAE Expeditionary & Mine Warfare, U.S. Navy
Innovators
3:35 PM
Underground wireless transmission, Terra Watts Inc., Tennessee
3:42 PM
Autonomous Rescue Swimmer, Gander Robotics, Massachusetts
3:56 PM
Eyesafe Laser Power Beaming, Redhelm Labs, Maryland
4:10 PM
Pods and DROPS System, TB2 Aerospace, New York

3:30 PM
Annapolis 3 

Resilience Week: Next Generation Microgrids: Not Your Grandparents' Microgrid

As microgrids evolve to higher Technology Readiness Levels (TRL), advancements at lower to mid TRLs are critical for meeting future demands and resilience requirements. This panel will delve into the latest developments in real-time controls, operational optimization, and power electronics, including AI integration and self-healing capabilities. This session will provide insights from the perspectives of industry leaders and national laboratories on the progress made and the challenges ahead. Join us to understand how these innovations are shaping the next generation of microgrids.

Moderator: Michael Ropp, Principal Member of Technical Staff, Sandia National Laboratories
Bob Harwig, Senior Manager, S&C Electric
Kurt Myers, Senior Technical Developer, Idaho National Laboratory

4:00 PM
Prince George's Hall B-C 

Defense TechConnect Summit: Defense TechConnect Summit, MOSA, SBIR/STTR Pavillion, and Smart Cities Expo Hall Reception

Raise a glass and network with attendees and exhibitors from all co-located events!


The poster session is strongly attended by both military and industry technology scouts seeking future solutions to their needs.


WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2026


7:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Woodrow Wilson Lobby 

Registration


8:30 AM
Woodrow Wilson A 

Defense TechConnect Summit: Defense, National Security and SBIR/STTR Keynotes

Join us for keynotes featuring defense, national security, and SBA leadership.

Welcome to Day Two
Jennifer Rocha, Strategic Partnerships, TechConnect Division, ATI
Hide in Plain Sight: Using Patent Secrecy Orders to Protect American Ingenuity and Preserve Commercial Advantage
John Squires, Undersecretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director, United States Patent and Trademark Office
Resilience Week Keynote
Andrew McClure, Director of the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER), U.S. Department of Energy
SBIR/STTR Keynote Fireside Chat
Kelly Loeffler, Administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)
SBIR/STTR Keynote Fireside Chat
Joshua Carter, Associate Administrator, Office of Investment and Innovation, U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)
DOE Leadership Keynote Fireside Chat with Mike Stebbins, ATI
Anthony Pugliese, Director of the Office of Technology Commercialization and the Chief Commercialization Officer, U.S. Department of Energy
Fireside Chat with DASN for Defense Industrial Base
John Williams (Moderator), Executive Director, Small Business Innovation Research Consortium (SBIRC)
Andrew Machliochetti, DASN for Defense Industrial Base, U.S. Navy

10:00 AM
Woodrow Wilson Lobby and Baltimore Lobby 

Networking Coffee Break


10:30 AM
Baltimore 1 

Defense TechConnect Summit and OELS: From Idea to Breakthrough: Opening Pathways to DARPA through DARPAConnect

Navigating the defense innovation ecosystem can be a complex journey for entities new to the national security space. This session introduces DARPAConnect, the “front door” to the agency designed to demystify and open accessible pathways to DARPA’s unique funding opportunities. Jennifer Thabet and Jess Resig will share practical tools, educational resources, and guidance to help nontraditional innovators successfully navigate the agency and transform groundbreaking ideas into national security breakthroughs.

Jennifer Thabet, Office Director Small Business Programs Office, DARPA
Jess Resig, Chief Program Officer, Applied Research Institute

10:30 AM
Annapolis 3 

Resilience Week: When Cyber Meets Physical: Understanding the New Grid Risks

The electric grid is changing fast. Digitalization, distributed energy resources, AI-enabled technologies, and advanced communications are reshaping how utilities operate, while customer expectations shift alongside them. These changes bring new operational challenges that cut across traditional engineering disciplines. In this panel discussion, utility, industry, laboratory, and consulting experts unpack these trends and what they mean for day-to-day operations. Attendees will hear directly from practitioners navigating these issues now and will have a chance to weigh in on what matters most to them.

Moderator: Jonathan Monken, Senior Partner, Converge Strategies
Becca Avery, Power Systems Engineer, Idaho National Laboratory
Theo Laughner, Chief Development / Engineering Officer, Life Scale Analytics
Lee Watson, Chairman, CEO & Founder, Forge Institute
Cole Smith, IT Cybersecurity Specialist and Program Manager, U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Electricity

11:30 AM
Annapolis 3 

Resilience Week: When Cyber Meets Physical: Turning Challenges into Opportunities

Solving the next generation of grid challenges requires new approaches to system design, operations, and collaboration. This interactive workshop focuses on practical strategies to strengthen data collection and system visibility, apply cyber-informed engineering principles, and use AI-assisted tools to improve operational awareness and decision-making. Participants will walk away with an understanding of concrete opportunities and next steps for strengthening resilience across critical infrastructure sectors.

Moderator: Jonathan Monken, Senior Partner, Converge Strategies
Theo Laughner, Chief Development / Engineering Officer, Life Scale Analytics
Lee Watson, Chairman, CEO & Founder, Forge Institute
Becca Avery, Power Systems Engineer, Idaho National Laboratory

1:00 PM
Prince George's Hall B-C 

Defense TechConnect Summit: Defense TechConnect Summit, MOSA, SBIR/STTR Pavillion and Smart Cities Expo Hall Opens (1:00 PM - 6:00 PM)

Join us for day two (final day) in the exhibit hall, featuring over 200 exhibitors, SBIR/STTR Agency Pavillion, and Expo Theater


1:00 PM
Prince George's Hall B-C 

Defense TechConnect Summit and OELS: LEAN Power Office Hours at EMC² Booth (1:00 PM - 6:00 PM)

Have a question about LEAN Power and current funding opportunities? Representatives from ATI, Crane Indiana, and Navy Op Energy will be available to speak with attendees on a first come, first serve basis. No appointments required or needed.


1:00 PM
Woodrow Wilson Lobby and Baltimore Lobby 

Defense TechConnect Summit, SBIR/STTR Innovation Summit, and Resilience Week: Coffee and Networking


1:30 PM
Annapolis 3 

Resilience Week: Energy Sector Cloud Cybersecurity Profile

Energy sector organizations are increasingly evaluating whether cloud-delivered capabilities can support cybersecurity modernization, operational data analysis, and selected OT functions. This reflects changes in the technology market, the threat landscape, and the growing need to analyze OT data and monitor security across more complex environments. As organizations evaluate cloud-enabled capabilities, they must also manage shifting dependencies between themselves, cloud service providers, and technology providers, making clear cybersecurity roles, responsibilities, and risk management practices more consequential. To help sector organizations navigate these considerations, DOE CESER facilitated a multidisciplinary working group to develop the Energy Sector Cloud Cybersecurity Profile (the Profile). Organized around the NIST CSF, the Profile helps sector stakeholders manage shared dependencies and collaborate on secure cloud integration practices that support infrastructure hardening across energy sector operations. This session will introduce the Profile, explain why cloud is increasingly difficult to ignore in OT environments, what changes when cloud supports OT, how to balance opportunity and risk, and how organizations can apply the Profile to their cloud integration evaluations. The Profile will be available as a downloadable document and an interactive web-based tool.

Moderator: Brian Benestelli, Director, Cyber Risk Engineering, Axio
Fowad Muneer, Program Manager, U.S. Department of Energy Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response
Jonathan Homer, Chief Security Officer & Vice President of Integrated Security, CPS Energy

2:30 PM
Annapolis 3 

Resilience Week, Defense TechConnect Summit and OELS: Empowering Infrastructure Resilience by Harnessing Data

Because much of the Nation’s critical infrastructure is owned and operated by the private sector, infrastructure resilience requires strong public-private partnerships, trusted information sharing, and clear communication across critical infrastructure sectors. As cyber, physical, and supply-chain risks grow increasingly interconnected, organizations need robust, data-driven strategies to identify vulnerabilities, assess risk, and implement timely mitigation measures. The increasing complexity and connectivity of America’s critical infrastructure has heightened the urgency for these strategies to address new and emerging cyber risks. By identifying vulnerabilities, assessing risks, and implementing mitigation strategies through cross-sector collaboration, organizations can strengthen the resilience of critical infrastructure environments and ensure uninterrupted operations. This panel will examine how industrial control systems projects generate and apply data to advance infrastructure resilience. Panelists will discuss how data can confirm infrastructure vulnerabilities, inform vulnerability management, and quantify risk across critical infrastructure sectors. Attendees will gain practical insight into how data-driven research, cross-sector collaboration, and iterative testing can proactively strengthen the cybersecurity posture of critical infrastructure resilience, inform future R&D priorities, and support national security by bringing together infrastructure owners and operators, government agencies, technology providers, and industry.

Eileen Rubin, Program Manager, DHS Science & Technology
Thomas Edgar, Chief Cybersecurity Research Scientist, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Will Woodworth, Secure by Design Analyst, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)
Kelly Murray, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Center for Cross Sector Coordination

3:30 PM
Annapolis 3 

Resilience Week, Defense TechConnect Summit and OELS: The Secure Transformation of Manufacturing Systems and Supply Chain Networks

Manufacturing systems and processes in particular have proved to be pervasively vulnerable to cyber attacks from sophisticated adversaries. Attacks are complex, non-linear, and rapidly evolving. The risks across all critical infrastructure sectors are growing at a staggering pace, and manufacturing has critical consequences of both enormous economic impact and existential national security impacts. Consequently, it is imperative to have improved visibility and control over manufacturing systems to achieve robust cyber and physical security countermeasures that broadly translate to the future transformation of manufacturing and supply chains networks. This session will discuss architectures that support integrated orchestration of individual manufacturing automation systems and the entire supply chain networks, to achieve local (per manufacturer) and global (network-wide) cybersecurity, intelligent efficiency, and product quality.

Moderator: Howard Grimes, CEO, CyManll
Wayne Austad, Chief Technology Officer, National & Homeland Security, Idaho National Laboratory
Gabriela Ciocarlie, Stephen Bloom Chair Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science, Stevens Institute of Technology/CyManII
Ginger Wright, Chief Technology Officer for Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience, Idaho National Laboratory

4:00 PM
Prince George's Hall B-C 

Defense TechConnect Summit: Defense TechConnect Summit, MOSA, SBIR/STTR Pavillion, and Smart Cities Expo Hall Reception

Raise a glass and network with attendees and exhibitors from all co-located events! This is the final day of the Expo!


4:15 PM
Prince George's Hall B-C 

Resilience Week: Expo, Poster, & Reception

Meet with Resilience Week Poster Presenters! Grab a drink ticket and check out the posters! Sponsored by Idaho National Laboratory and IEEE


THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2026


7:30 AM
Woodrow Wilson Lobby 

Registration


8:00 AM
Woodrow Wilson Lobby and Baltimore Lobby 

Coffee and Networking


9:00 AM
Annapolis 3 

Resilience Week, Defense TechConnect Summit and OELS: A Data-Driven Framework for Assessing the Economics of Grid Resilience

Resilience events cost utility customers billions of dollars every year. However, geographically-specific evaluation of the economic costs of widespread, long duration (WLD) interruptions, the benefits of mitigation technologies, and their incorporation into electricity planning is nascent. This panel discusses the latest advancements in measuring the economic impact of WLD power interruptions and methods to include these impacts in utility and public decision making. This LBNL-moderated expert panel will discuss how resilience valuation approaches can inform utility planning, regulatory analyses, and investment prioritization, based on the experiences of industry and academic experts. The session emphasizes applied discussion and engagement across interdependent lifeline sectors rather than standalone technical presentations. Interactive discussion and audience participation will explore how resilience objectives, investment priorities, and planning decisions may differ across utilities, regulators, and community stakeholders under varying hazard and operational conditions.

Moderator: Juan Pablo Carvallo, Staff Scientist, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Sunhee Baik, Research Scientist, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Rick Siepka, Strategic Advisor - Electric Distribution Grid Planning, Dominion Energy
Benjamin Leibowicz, Associate Professor, University of Texas, Austin
Russ Like, Sr. Technical Leader - DER Integration, EPRI

9:00 AM
Baltimore 2 

Resilience Week: IEEE Papers

This session highlights the best accepted papers from the IEEE, featuring significant research and innovative solutions. The event brought together experts from around the nation to discuss the latest advancements in technology and engineering.


10:00 AM
Annapolis 3 

Resilience Week, Defense TechConnect Summit and OELS: Defining Cyber-Informed: A Methodology for Limiting Physical Consequences

This work proposes a consequence-based engineering methodology that formally defines Cyber-Informed Engineering and evaluates cyber resilience from the perspective of physical outcomes rather than initiating events. Instead of analyzing specific attack paths, vulnerabilities, or threat actors, the approach begins by defining catastrophic system states and identifying the process variables that must remain constrained to prevent them. The dependencies required to maintain those constraints are then examined to determine whether any single trusted dependency can, through compromise, failure, or manipulation, drive the system across the catastrophic boundary. The methodology is motivated by the observation that the initiating event is often less important than the system's ability to tolerate that event without unacceptable consequences. By focusing on consequence prevention rather than compromise prevention, the approach treats compromise as a condition that must be survivable rather than a failure condition in itself. This shifts the engineering objective from protecting individual components to ensuring that catastrophic outcomes remain physically unreachable. A representative process-control example demonstrates the methodology and would act as a basis for interactive discussion regarding how this methodology could be applied to other domains, particularly that of electric power systems and other critical infrastructure sectors.

Carolyn Hughes, Cyber-physical Systems Engineer, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab

10:00 AM
Baltimore 2 

Resilience Week: IEEE Papers

This session highlights the best accepted papers from the IEEE, featuring significant research and innovative solutions. The event brought together experts from around the nation to discuss the latest advancements in technology and engineering.


11:00 AM
Annapolis 3 

Resilience Week, Defense TechConnect Summit and OELS: From Prediction to Preparedness: Accelerating Grid Resilience Under Climate Stress and Extreme Hazard Conditions

As the frequency, severity, and duration of extreme weather events continue to escalate, electric utilities and power providers face mounting pressure to grow capacity while maintaining reliable, affordable service under increasingly adverse climate conditions. In response, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Electricity (OE), in partnership with Idaho National Laboratory (INL), has developed Resilience Guard — a comprehensive suite of risk management tools designed to help utilities predict, assess, and prepare for both imminent and long-term natural hazard threats. To demonstrate these capabilities, this session will guide attendees through two scenarios: (1) an imminent, high-category hurricane threatening utilities across the southeastern United States, and (2) a long-term extreme heat threat facing utilities in the western United States. These scenarios will illustrate how Storm-DEPART optimizes storm preparation and resource staging, how ACCLIMATE models the trajectory of sustained heat events and their infrastructure implications, and how Grid Hardening AI delivers practical, actionable mitigation guidance across both contexts. Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of how Resilience Guard's integrated capabilities — grounded in rigorous data science and predictive modeling — provide utilities with an end-to-end solution for assessing current and future climate risk and building resilient energy infrastructure systems.

Ryan Cobey, Senior Infrastructure Specialist, Idaho National Laboratory
Joe Kendall, Senior Critical Infrastructure Analyst, Idaho National Laboratory
Tim Klett, Senior Technology Integration Specialist, Idaho National Laboratory

11:00 AM
Baltimore 2 

Resilience Week: IEEE Papers

This session highlights the best accepted papers from the IEEE, featuring significant research and innovative solutions. The event brought together experts from around the nation to discuss the latest advancements in technology and engineering.

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