Dr. Christopher Tucker, Chairman, American Geographical Society
Dr. Tucker has spent the last two decades at the intersection of technology, strategy, geography, and national security. As Chairman of the AGS, he launched a multi-year strategic dialog known as Geography2050, focused on the vital trends that will reshape the geography of our planet over the coming decades. Dr. Christopher Tucker also manages Yale House Ventures, a portfolio of social ventures and technology companies that span the worlds of energy, geospatial, sensor, cyber-security, open source, and social media technologies, across the domains of defense/intelligence, international affairs, civilian government, commercial industry, NGOs, and academe. He is also the Chairman and CEO of The MapStory Foundation and President of the foreign policy advocacy group, Friends of the Arc. Dr. Tucker earned his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. at Columbia University in New York.
Dr. Demetrice Jordan, Instructor and Faculty Fellow, Harvard Medical School
Demetrice “Dee” Jordan is an Instructor in the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine. She holds a dual-PhD in Health Geography and Environmental Science and Policy from Michigan State University, and a Master of Public Health in Global Health and graduate certificate in Global Infectious Diseases from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Her research focuses on the spatial-ecological determinants of disease risk for vector-borne parasitic diseases and Neglected Tropical Diseases of sub-Saharan Africa and the tropics.
Dr. Hendrick Hamann, Professor, Stony Brook University; Chief AI Scientist, Brookhaven National Laboratory
Dr. Hendrik F. Hamann is a Professor at Stony Brook University (SBU) and AI Chief Scientist at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) in Environment, Biology, Nuclear Science and Nonproliferation. Before joining BNL and SBU, Hendrik worked for 26 years at IBM Research, most recently in the role of Chief Science Officer at the TJ Watson Research Center, where he was responsible for the development of AI foundation models for accelerated scientific discovery. He has authored more than 260 scientific papers, holds over 180 patents and has won several awards including the 2016 AIP Prize for Industrial Applications of Physics and the 2024 Cozzarelli Prize of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Mr. Jon Estridge, Vice President, York Space Systems
Jon is the Vice President for DC Operations at York Space Systems, where he is responsible for interfacing with and representing York’s interests with Congress and the Executive Branch. Prior to this role, he was a Professional Staff Member for the Senate Intelligence Committee where he provided oversight of National Security Space programs in excess of $25 billion dollars and championed efforts to expand investment in and utilization of the commercial space industry. Prior to his time in the Senate, he spent sixteen years with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency where he was Director for NGA’s Warfighter Support Office. Mr. Estridge is a 2005 graduate of the Eisenhower School where he earned an MS in National Resource Strategy and focused on the space industry, senior acquisition course, and the Information Technology management program. Additionally, he earned an MS in IT Management from George Mason, and a BA from The Ohio State University where he graduated Magna Cum Laude and was a distinguished graduate from the Reserve Officer Training Corps.
VADM (Ret) Bob Sharp, former Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
Vice Admiral Bob Sharp, USN (Ret.) served as Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency from February 2019 until June 2022. As Director, he and his team were responsible for delivering world-class geospatial intelligence to provide a decisive advantage to policy makers, military service members, intelligence professionals, first responders, and international partners. Previously, VADM Sharp served as a Naval Intelligence Officer for over 34 years, and as a leader within the Navy’s Information Warfare Community since its inception. Among other career endeavors, he conducted multiple deployments to Afghanistan as director for intelligence (J2) of a special operations task force; served as director of intelligence, Naval Special Warfare Development Group; commanded Joint Intelligence Center, U.S. Central Command; and commanded the Office of Naval Intelligence and directed the National Maritime Intelligence-Integration Office. VADM Sharp is currently CEO of B Sharp – Global Solutions, doing a combination of consulting, advisory board and fellowship work focused on helping people who are trying to make the world a better place succeed. He holds a BA from the University of the Pacific and an MS in National Resource Strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces.