Federal Front Doors: Helping Startups Get Started with DoD

Dr. Stepanenko was appointed in October 2023 as a Deputy District Director. She transferred to the SBA from the Department of Homeland Security after nine years of federal service, where she has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership and a deep understanding of federal operations. She held key roles, including a Section Chief with the Analysis and Integrity Division, a Researcher with the Refugee, Asylum, and International Operations Research Division, US Citizenship and Immigration Services, and a Program Manager with the US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Deputy District Director Stepanenko an MBA with Honors and a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership.

Khalil Mack is speaking at Future Squadron Network 2026.

As the Regional Director of the USPTO's Southwest Regional Outreach Office, Hope Shimabuku carries out the strategic direction of the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO, and is responsible for leading the Southwest office. Focusing on the region and actively engaging with the community, Ms. Shimabuku ensures the USPTO’s initiatives and programs are tailored to the region’s unique ecosystem of industries and stakeholders.

Mr. Brian S. McJilton holds two key leadership positions at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. As Director of Small Business, he oversees approximately $4.5 billion in procurement reviews to maximize small business involvement in meeting the Air Force's science and technology requirements. Concurrently, as Acting Director of Strategic Partnering, he guides the organization in fostering and supporting collaborations with industry, academia, and government entities to further build and broaden relationships both internal and external to the Department of Air Force. This collaboration leverages shared resources, tools, expertise, and innovative ideas to address critical technology needs for the Air and Space Forces.

Kathy Reid is the Spark Division Deputy for AFWERX, enabling Airmen and Guardians across the innovation ecosystem. She oversees programs such as DAF Spark Cells, The Refinery, Project Arc, Challenges, Combat Innovation and Fellowship, and supporting Airmen and Guardian innovation projects addressing technology gaps with organic and industry solution sets. For 7 years, she served as the Chief Innovation Officer for the 96 Test Wing at Eglin Air Force Base where she developed an innovation program that enabled 9,800 military, civilian and contractor personnel to increase lethality and readiness for the 96 Test Wing’s test and evaluation, base operations and services support missions. She spent 24 years as a DoD contractor providing systems and software engineering support for several small businesses, and 13 years in civil service computer scientist and engineer to include 6 years as the Wing Innovation Officer. She has achieved certifications as a Program Management Professional (PMP), Capability Maturity Model Integration SCAMPI Lead Appraiser and CMMI Introduction to Development Instructor. She pioneered the 90+ innovation assets coined “Spark in a Box” enabling Spark Cells to rapidly setup infrastructure and execution capabilities for their unit and Defense Homeland Security to emulate for their Lift Cell innovation program. Her work served as the grass roots innovation program sought out by Air Force Installations across the globe as a benchmark capability for Wing innovation programs.

Dr. Carolina Cruz-Neira, a University of Central Florida faculty and a member of the National Academy of Engineering, is a pioneer in the areas of virtual reality (VR), interactive visualization, and digital twins. Her innovations have been instrumental in facilitating data analysis, decision-making, design reviews, and training and education. Her work evolved into standard tools used in industry, government, and academia. She is known world-wide for being the creator of the CAVE VR system, for transferring research into practice by spearheading Open-Source initiatives and by supporting entrepreneurial initiatives to commercialize research. She is recognized for founding successful applied research centers: the Virtual Reality Applications Center at Iowa State University, the Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise, and the Emerging Analytics Center at the University of Arkansas. Her research leadership has received recognition from major companies for increasing product safety and improving design and production processes that have saved time, lives, and millions of dollars. She enjoys intersecting her research with the arts and the humanities through dance performances and museum installations. She has been named by Forbes Magazine among the 50 over 50 Innovators of 2025, and one of the top three greatest women visionaries in VR. She is the first person inducted to the National Academy of Engineering for immersive technologies and virtual reality. She has been inducted to the US Congressional Record, she is a member of the IEEE VR Academy, an IEEE Fellow, an ACM Computer Pioneer, an AWE XR Hall of Fame member, and a Modeling and Simulation Hall of Fame. She received the IEEE VR Achievement Award, and the International Digital Media & Arts Society Distinguished Career Award among many national and international recognitions. She serves on national and international technology boards as well as government technology advisory committees. Her life’s work addressing large problems through interdisciplinary teams has become a key to innovation and is considered standard practice in driving American competitiveness in the global economy.

Ms. Ashley Farrier currently serves as the Director of the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP). As Director, Ms. Farrier has assisted the USSOCOM acquisition workforce with advancing small business participation in Special Operations Forces (SOF) unique procurements since August 2022. Prior to her appointment, Ms. Farrier served as the Division Chief for the Headquarters and Services Support Contracting Division within Special Operations Forces Acquisition, Technology & Logistics (SOF AT&L). During this time, she was responsible for overseeing the execution of the Command’s multibillion-dollar professional services portfolio. Ms. Farrier has a strong background in Federal contracting having worked in contracting for 13 years both at USSOCOM and with the United States Army Corps of Engineers prior to her current appointment. During her contracting tenure, she held multiple warrants and began her advocacy for partnering with Small Businesses.

Drew Hendricks is a DICE - Sr. Strategy & Operations at DIU.