Featured Speakers

SHAUN WHITE

Olympic Gold Medalist & Creator of The Snow League

Bonny WARNER SIMI

President of Operations, Joby Aviation

  • Bonny Simi is Joby Aviation’s President of Operations. Prior to joining the team at Joby, Bonny held several operational and strategic roles at JetBlue within Flight Operations, System Operations, People, Airports, and Customer Support. Most notably, she founded and led JetBlue Technology Ventures. As a pilot, Bonny has commanded Boeing, Airbus and Embraer aircraft at both United Airlines and JetBlue Airways. She is an Emmy-nominated sports reporter and a 3-time Olympian in the sport of Luge.

  • Shaun White is an American athlete who is regarded as one of the greatest action sports athletes of all time. A five-time Olympian, Shaun won gold medals in the half-pipe event in 2006, 2010, and 2018. He is one of the most decorated athletes in X Games history, becoming the first athlete to compete in both the Winter and Summer games and has won 15 gold medals, an all-time X Games record. Shaun announced his retirement from the sport of snowboarding prior to competing in the 2022 Beijing Winter games, his fifth and final Olympics. Born in San Diego, Shaun turned professional at 13 and signed his first deal with Burton at 7. His endorsements have included Oakley, Target, Red Bull, and Ralph Lauren. Named among Bloomberg Businessweek’s 100 Most Powerful Athletes and Forbes’ 30 Under 30, he has won 11 ESPY Awards and has helmed the Air + Style festival since 2014. In January 2022, Shaun launched his active lifestyle brand, WHITESPACE, followed by the 2023 debut of his docuseries “The Last Run” on MAX and his curated autobiography, “Airborne.” He partnered to acquire We Are Camp, the parent company of Windells and High Cascade, aiming to grow youth participation in action sports. In June 2024, Shaun announced the launch of The Snow League, the first professional league for global snowboarding and freeskiing, which launched in 2024. Born with a congenital heart defect for which he required two open-heart operations before age one, Shaun is an advocate for children battling illness and an active supporter of St. Jude’s Children’s Research Center, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, and Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Brig. Gen. Kenneth McGhee

Operations Advisor, ICBM, United States Air Force

  • Brig. Gen. Kenneth McGhee is the Operations Advisor, Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles for the Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager-Critical Major Weapon Systems, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. In this role, he provides counsel and assistance to the DRPM-CMWS on all military matters and interfaces directly on the DRPM-CMWS’s behalf with senior civilian and military members of the Department of the Air Force staffs, Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, Major Commands, the Joint Staff, the Office of the Secretary of War, other governmental agencies and major industry partners.

    Brig. Gen. McGhee earned his commission through the Reserve Officer Training Corps in 1998 from the University of Memphis, Tennessee. A career nuclear officer, Brig. Gen. McGhee has served in a variety of assignments within the nuclear enterprise with duties related to ICBM operations, training and maintenance. His staff assignments include positions within Twentieth Air Force, United States Strategic Command, Air Force Global Strike Command, the Joint Staff and the Department of the Air Force. Brig. Gen. McGhee is a graduate of the National Laboratories Technical Fellowship Program at Sandia National Laboratory and National War College. Prior to his current position, Brig. Gen. McGhee was the Senior Military Assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force.

SARAH HIRSHLAND

CEO, United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee

  • Sarah Hirshland is a transformative leader in global sports administration, serving as Chief Executive Officer of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) since 2018. Throughout her tenure, she has reshaped the organization’s identity and direction—placing athletes at the heart of every decision while championing transparency, inclusivity, and long-term sustainability.

    Under her leadership, the USOPC has undergone sweeping reforms focused on athlete well-being, including expanded mental health support, strengthened athlete safety protocols, and enhanced insurance benefits—particularly for female athletes. She has prioritized inclusive representation, institutionalizing athlete voices within the USOPC’s governance model, and signaling the equal importance of the Paralympic movement through the landmark integration of “Paralympic” into the organization’s name. 

    Hirshland’s strategic vision has delivered powerful results on the world stage. Team USA’s performance at the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games was historic: the U.S. led the Olympic medal table with 126 medals—the most ever won in a non-U.S.-hosted Games—and finished third in the Paralympic medal count with 105 medals. She is also leading one of the most consequential philanthropic efforts in the USOPC’s history: a $500 million campaign through the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Foundation to support athlete development and financial security. Central to that campaign was a historic $100 million donation from philanthropist Ross Stevens, designed to support Olympians and Paralympians well beyond their competitive years.  

    Hirshland played a pivotal role in securing Salt Lake City’s successful bid to host the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, continuing the legacy of U.S. leadership in the global sports movement. Her influence extends internationally through her role as Vice President of PanAm Sports and as a member of the International Olympic Committee’s Program Commission. 

    In recognition of her leadership, Hirshland was named Sports Business Journal’s 2025 Executive of the Year and selected for CNBC’s prestigious 2025 Changemakers list. These accolades reflect her ability to guide the USOPC through a time of generational change—balancing tradition with innovation, and stability with ambition. She was also named to Forbes’ first-ever Accessibility 100 list, which highlights the biggest innovators and impact-makers advancing accessibility for people with disabilities.

    Prior to joining the USOPC, Hirshland served as Chief Commercial Officer for the United States Golf Association (USGA) and previously was a Senior Vice President at Wasserman. Her career has consistently reflected a deep understanding of the intersection between sport, business, and impact.

    Sarah is a graduate of Duke University and resides in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with her husband, Keith.

TOM o’LEARY

CEO & Co-Founder, JETZERO

  • Before JetZero, Tom’s career spanned startups in aviation, automotive, and technology. Tom has held posts at Autoweb.com, Ford Dealer Connection, eBay Motors, and Tesla. In 2015, he moved into Aerospace, later joining BETA Technologies as COO. There, he recruited Mark Page to design BETA’s all-electric aircraft. Tom and Mark founded JetZero in 2020 to focus exclusively on the development of a blended-wing-body jetliner. Tom received a B.A. in political science from Furman University with a focus on environmental policy.

More speakers coming soon.

ANDY YAKULIS

CEO and Co-Founder, Vector

  • Andy Yakulis is CEO and co-founder of Vector, the nation’s Modern Warfare as a Service provider. A seasoned leader with 18 years of service as an Army officer and special operations commander, Yakulis has built a career at the intersection of defense technology, innovation and private investment, bridging advanced solutions with U.S. national security needs.

    Throughout his military career, Yakulis led tactical combat operations and worked to integrate cutting-edge technology into the Department of Defense. He also collaborated with private capital to drive investments in defense technology. As a pilot-in-command and air mission commander, he holds the Federal Aviation Administration’s highest commercial aviation rating, the Helicopter Airline Transport Pilot certification, with extensive experience piloting both military and civilian aircraft.

    Yakulis earned a Master of Science in management as a Sloan Fellow at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, focusing on technology innovation and venture capital. He also co-founded the health tech startup Medeloop.ai, scaling operations to secure initial customers and raise millions in venture funding. Additionally, he holds a Master of Arts in defense and strategic studies from the Naval War College, where he represented the U.S. Army in an elite international officer program.

    A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point with a Bachelor of Science in geospatial information science, Yakulis was a Division I lacrosse athlete and four-year varsity letterman.

BEN HART

EXECUTIvE DIRECTOR, UTAH INLAND PORT AUTHORITY

  • Benjamin Hart serves as the executive director of the Utah Inland Port Authority (UIPA) after being appointed by the UIPA board in September, 2022. During his tenure at UIPA Hart has prioritized economic optimization with port facility development, along with strong internal controls and transparency for the organization. Under his leadership the Port is focused on statewide, along with regional projects and ensuring world-class global access for Utah businesses.

    Prior to his position at UIPA, Hart served as the deputy director of the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity (Go Utah). During his time at Go Utah, Hart oversaw The Unified Economic Opportunity Commission, corporate recruitment efforts, international and diplomatic responsibilities, small business programs and statewide workforce partnerships.

    Prior to his time at Go Utah, Hart served as the director of employer initiatives for the Department of Workforce Services, the CDBG and Economic Development administrator at Layton City, and in underwriting at Zions Bank.

    Hart has served on numerous statewide and national government and trade association boards during his career. He completed both his undergraduate and graduate studies at the University of Utah, where he currently serves as an adjunct instructor. Hart lives in Layton, Utah with his wife and three kids.

Imad Atallah

VP of Product Management and Commercial Growth, Hexcel

  • Imad Atallah is Vice President, Product Management and Commercial Growth at Hexcel Corporation, where he leads product management for Hexcel's carbon fibers, reinforcements, and matrix portfolio while helping shape the company's commercial aerospace growth strategy.

    Since joining Hexcel in 2011, Atallah has held leadership roles spanning product management, strategic marketing, and business growth. Prior to Hexcel, he held engineering, program management, and commercial leadership positions at Honeywell, Avidyne Corporation, and CAE Electronics. He holds a degree in mechanical engineering from McGill University

Delian Asparouhov

Co-Founder and President, Varda

  • Delian is a Partner at Founders Fund and President and Co-Founder of Varda Space Industries. Varda is pushing the bounds of innovation in the orbital economy by manufacturing pharmaceuticals and advanced materials that can’t be made as effectively on Earth, revolutionizing biopharma production and enabling cutting-edge microgravity research. He also co-created the Hill & Valley Forum, which brings together leaders from Washington and Silicon Valley to strengthen collaboration on technology and national security.

Lucien zeigler

CSO and co-founder, sr2 defense systems

  • Lucien Zeigler is a defense entrepreneur and investor focused on building next-generation defense and technology platforms in Saudi Arabia. He is CSO and Co-Founder of SR2 Defense Systems, Chairman and CEO of REDSALT Defense, and General Partner of MASNA Ventures, the first-ever venture capital fund focused on Saudi Arabia's defense sector.

    Previously, Lucien was Principal and Head of MENA at Pilatus Venture Capital in Silicon Valley. A 3x entrepreneur, he holds a B.A. from the University of Virginia and an M.A. from George Mason University. He sits on the panel of experts at Prince Sultan University's Haqiaq Center for Legal Studies in Riyadh and serves on the board of multiple entities across tech, defense, and investment.

    Lucien is a member of the Tomouh Community of leaders, a frequent public speaker, and has been working and living in Riyadh for over 15 years. He lives in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and Saint Michaels, Maryland with his family.