Retired U.S. Army Command Sergeant Major with 28 years of experience leading
elite, high-performance organizations within U.S. Army Special Operations. He
served in the Army’s most selective units, advising senior military and government
leaders on strategy, risk, and execution in complex global environments. Rob was
instrumental in the design and execution of enterprise-level human performance
initiatives, driving measurable improvements in performance, resilience, and
organizational readiness.

Today, Rob serves as a board advisor, professional speaker, and business
consultant, working with leadership teams across multiple industries to strengthen
organizational performance, decision-making, and culture under pressure. He is
actively building an entrepreneurial portfolio through investments in
owner-operator businesses and brings a disciplined, outcomes-focused approach to
governance, growth, and talent development. Rob is currently enrolled in the
Strategic Leadership Executive MBA Program at The University of Tennessee.

Kenneth Ford is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Florida Institute for Human & Machine Cognition (IHMC) — a not-for-profit research institute located in Pensacola, Florida. IHMC has grown into one of the nation’s premier research organizations with world-class scientists and engineers investigating a broad range of topics related to building technological systems aimed at amplifying and extending human cognition, perception, locomotion, and resilience. Richard Florida has described IHMC as “a new model for interdisciplinary research institutes that strive to be both entrepreneurial and academic, firmly grounded and inspiringly ambitious.” IHMC headquarters are in Pensacola with a branch research facility in Ocala, Florida. Ford is the author of hundreds of scientific papers and six books. Ford received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Tulane University. He is Emeritus Editor-in-Chief of AAAI/MIT Press and has been involved in the editing of several journals. Ford is a Fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, a charter Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, a member of the Association for Computing Machinery, a member of the IEEE Computer Society, and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.   

In January 1997, Ford was asked by NASA to develop and direct its new Center of Excellence in Information Technology at the Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley. He served as Associate Center Director and Director of NASA’s Center of Excellence in Information Technology. In July 1999, Ford was awarded the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal. That same year, Ford returned to private life and to the IHMC. 

In October of 2002, Ford was nominated to serve on the National Science Board (NSB) and the United States Senate confirmed his nomination in March of 2003. The NSB is the governing board of the National Science Foundation (NSF) and plays an important role in advising the President and Congress on science policy issues. In 2005, Ford was appointed and sworn in as a member of the Air Force Science Advisory Board. In 2007, he became a member of the NASA Advisory Council and on October 16, 2008, Ford was named as Chairman – a capacity in which he served until October 2011. In February of 2012, Ford was named to a two-year term on the Defense Science Board (DSB). In 2013, he became a member of the Advanced Technology Board which supports the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). In 2018, Dr. Ford was appointed to the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence.

Ford has received many awards and honors. In 2004 Florida Trend Magazine named Ford one of Florida’s four most influential citizens working in academia. The University of Bordeaux awarded the Doctor Honoris Causas in 2005. In 2008 the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) award Ford the Robert S. Englemore Memorial Award for his work in artificial intelligence. In August 2010, Ford was awarded NASA’s Distinguished Public Service Medal – the highest honor the agency confers.  In 2012 Tulane University named Ford its Outstanding Alumnus in the School of Science and Engineering. In 2015, AAAI named Ford the recipient of the 2015 Distinguished Service Award. Also, in 2015, he was elected as Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). In 2017 Ford was inducted into the Florida Inventor’s Hall of Fame. In 2020, Florida Trend Magazine named Ford one of its Living Legends, a list of all-time influential Florida leaders in business, medicine, academia, entertainment, politics, and sport.

Alexander R. Oliver is a retired Navy SEAL with over 21 years of distinguished service, including leadership roles at the Naval Special Warfare Development Group (NSWDG) where he selected, trained and mentored the next generation of America’s most elite warrior athletes. As the founder of Virginia High Performance LLC (VHP), Alex has been instrumental in advancing human performance and rehabilitation programs for elite military personnel and veterans. He pioneered initiatives such as the Human Performance Program at NSWDG and the “Continue Mission” program at VHP, which leverages science and holistic based research and modalities to deliver programs specifically to meet each veteran’s goals and needs. His work has directly contributed to US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) efforts like the Preservation of the Force and Family (POTFF) and he has supported the recovery and readiness of over 1,600 active duty personnel and veterans.

Ed Sanders joined Rolls-Royce Nuclear Submarines in 2023. His first substantive role was as Head of Security and Resilience within the Licence Authority Team. Prior to then taking on Head of program for AUKUS, Ed was seconded to the Chief of Staff position for Rolls-Royce Submarines. Prior to joining the submarine business, Ed was a career solider serving 10 years with the New Zealand Defense Force with the 1st NZ Special Air Service (SAS) Gp before transitioning to the British Army where he served another 22 years with the 22nd British SAS Regiment before retiring as a senior Officer. Ed holds a master’s degree in security and risk management, is certified with the World institute for nuclear security (WINS) as a Certified Nuclear Security Specialist, is a chartered member with the security professional resister (CsyP) and was awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross during an offensive action operation in Afghanistan in 2001.

Sebastien Bouchard is a former Special Operations Forces operator and founding member of the Canadian Special Operations Regiment (CSOR). He joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 2000, motivated by a sense of service and a longing for challenge. Over his career, he completed ten operational deployments—including seven combat missions—in places like Afghanistan, Iraq, and Northern Africa.

Rising to the rank of Warrant Officer, Sebastien served as Head Instructor of CSOR’s Sniper Program, where he trained and mentored elite marksmen. Today, he leads a global special risk mitigation firm, applying his operational experience, leadership, and strategic insight to provide discreet, high-impact solutions to complex global challenges.

Daniel Corbett is a former U.S. Navy SEAL operator who served with elite units including SEAL Teams 5, 6, and 17. Enlisting in 2002, he deployed to Iraq and later joined SEAL Team 6, executing global missions in some of the world’s most challenging environments.

After transitioning from active duty, Daniel instructed future SEALs at the Naval Special Warfare Basic Training Command and later applied his expertise in the private sector, supporting complex international operations. His 2017 imprisonment in Serbia while on assignment became the subject of his best-selling memoir, American Mercenary, now in development as a television series.

Today, Daniel continues to lead entrepreneurial and strategic initiatives focused on unconventional solutions to global security challenges.