Summit Agenda

Exhibit Hall Open 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM October 28, and 7:30 AM-4:30 PM October 29.

Main Stage Sessions

Building the Future of America's Industrial Base in the Intermountain West

10.28.2026 | AM SESSION

The Intermountain West is no longer a footnote in America's aerospace and defense story. It is becoming the center of it. From counter-drone systems defending critical infrastructure to the next generation of advanced air mobility reshaping how people and cargo move, this session is the launchpad for Zero Gravity Summit and examines the technologies, policies, and partnerships turning Utah into a proving ground for the nation's industrial future.

Sponsored by the Governor’s Office of Economic Development.

  • Gregg Robison, CEO, RAM Aerospace

    Aaron Starks, CEO & President, 47G

  • McKay Christensen, CEO, Thanksgiving Point Science & Technology Center

    Todd Brightwell, CEO, Southern Utah Economic Alliance

    Melinda Pfundstein, Executive Director, Southern Utah University

    Mayor Benjamin Nadolski, Mayor, Ogden City

    Ben Hart, Executive Director, Utah Inland Port Authority

    Ben Reeves, City Manager, Eagle Mountain City

  • Angela Smith, Chief Operating Officer, Nucleus Institute

  • Moderator: Aaron Starks, CEO & President, 47G

    Tyler Griffin, C-UAS Program Director, Lockheed Martin

    Jon Gruen, CEO, Fortem Technologies

  • Moderator: Kerry Buckley, VP, Center for Integrated Transportation, MITRE

    Joseph Block, Infrastructure and Charging Specialist, BETA Technologies

    Bonny Warner Simi, President of Operations, Joby Aviation

  • 47G, USA-Bobsled/Skeleton, and Partners

  • Moderator: Steve Starks, Chief Executive Officer, The Larry H Miller Company

    Sarah Hirshland, CEO, United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee

Contested Logistics and Golden Dome: Defending What Matters

10.28.2026 | PM SESSION

From the architecture of missile defense to the sustainment of intercontinental deterrence to the operations holding it all together in space, this session covers the full spectrum of what it takes to defend the homeland. The threats are layered. The solutions have to be too. This is how we build them.

Sponsored by Origin Ventures.

  • Moderator: Congressman Blake Moore, United States Representative

    Brig. Gen. Kenneth McGhee, Operations Advisor, Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles, United States Air Force

    Maj. Gen. William "Buck" Rogers, USAF Portfolio Acquisition Executive for ICBMs and Director of the ICBM Systems Directorate

  • Isaac Chambers, CEO, Silkline

    Delian Asparouhov, Co-Founder and President, Varda

  • Moderator: Dan Sennott, Greenberg Traurig

    Alexi Stershic, Director, Advanced Expeditionary Defense, Lockheed Martin Corporation

  • Shawn Miller, President, Spectrum Superiority, Communications and Spectrum Dominance, L3Harris Technologies

  • Moderator: Josh LeFevre, Site Lead, Insights & Innovation, The MITRE Corporation

    Shawn Miller, President, Spectrum Superiority, Communications and Spectrum Dominance, L3Harris Technologies

    A.C. Charania, Advisor, Balerion Space Ventures

    Winnie Lai, CEO, Auriga

    Delian Asparouhov, Co-Founder and President, Varda

  • Moderator: Senator John Curtis, United States Senate

    Sarah Pearson, Director of Strategic Initiatives, DIU

  • ​Join Fortem Technologies for a live counter-UAS demonstration at 47G: Zero Gravity Summit and see Fortem’s integrated airspace security technology in action.

    ​Using Utah Department of Transportation’s command vehicle to support radar cueing, Fortem will demonstrate how its technology detects, tracks, and engages a small unmanned aircraft. This demonstration will feature Fortem’s TrueView® Radar and DroneHunter® autonomous interceptor, showcasing the ability to safely capture and control a target drone in flight. All flight operations will take place within a controlled, designated demonstration area, outdoors, directly west of the Zero Gravity Summit venue.

Advanced Materials, Energy, and Manufacturing: Building Hard Tech at Scale

10.29.2026 | AM SESSION

Advanced composites. High-rate production lines. Allied industrial partnerships. This session covers what it actually takes to build hard tech at scale, from the materials enabling next-generation systems to the manufacturing capacity required to sustain them, and the international market opportunities expanding the industrial base beyond domestic cycles.

Sponsored by Hexcel.

  • Congresswoman Celeste Maloy, United States Representative

  • Lisa Shimkat, Associate Administrator of Field Operations, U.S. Small Business Administration

  • Tom O'Leary, CEO & Co-Founder, JetZero

  • Moderator: Imad Atallah, VP of Product Management and Commercial Growth, Hexcel Corporation

    Dr. Whitney Mason, Director, MXO Office, DARPA

    Dr. Ashley Spear, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Utah

    Dr. Jacob Hochhalter, Associate VP of Research, University of Utah

  • Andy Yakulis, CEO and Co-Founder, Vector

    Lucien Zeigler, CSO and Co-Founder, SR2 Defense Systems

  • Moderator: Bryan Erwin, Managing Partner, BlueWave Merchant Partners

    Hiro Rodriguez, Executive Director, Advocacy Center, Global Markets, International Trade Administration

    Matthew Steinhelfer, AUKUS Senior Advisor, U.S. Department of State

    Nicole Porreca, Senior Director, Government Operations, The Boeing Company

  • Tami Tran, CEO, Rylex, and Mayor, Kaysville City

Applied AI and Quantum Technologies: Securing American Advantage

10.29.2026 | PM SESSION

AI and quantum are no longer in the lab. They are being deployed across defense and intelligence contexts, and the gap between organizations that can operate at that pace and those that cannot is widening. This session examines what applied deployment actually looks like, where it is working, and what the U.S. needs to get right to hold the advantage.

Sponsored by the Holland & Knight.

  • Moderator: Ike Blanton, Partner, Holland & Knight

    Congressman Mike Kennedy, United States Representative

    Chris Stewart, Former United Stated Representative

  • Moderator: Marissa Serafino, Attorney, Holland & Knight LLP

    Garfield Jones, SVP Global Strategy and Research, QuSecure

    Craig Miller, Director, Public Sector Strategy and Operations, IonQ

  • Moderator: To Be Announced

    Shaun White, Retired Professional Snowboarder & Skateboarder, Olympic Gold Medalist & Creator of The Snow League