Christopher Zember

Christopher Zember (“Z”) has held senior executive positions in government, industry and academia. He envisioned and guided the establishment of several innovative organizations and programs that are thriving today, including the DOD's National Security Innovation Network, Hacking for Defense, and Army Applications Lab. Currently, Z leads a $240 million portfolio of Public-Private Partnerships for the DOD’s Industrial Base Resilience Office designed to leverage and stimulate private investment to rapidly rebuild domestic industrial base capability and capacity. He also serves as a Senior Fellow at the Army Research Laboratory, with a focus on research business operations, and holds an adjunct faculty position at Johns Hopkins University. Previously, as Chief Strategy Officer at Alion Science & Technology, Z directly participated in over $500 million in mergers and acquisitions, and developed a corporate strategy that led to over $30 billion in new contracts. As a government senior executive, Z led a policy think tank at the National Defense University, focused on the intersection of technology and national security. As a member of the International Security Council at the World Economic Forum, he informed global leaders on this same topic. Z also previously directed 10 research & engineering centers, with over 7,000 scientists, engineers, and analysts working around the globe.