On this newest joint episode of Disruptive by Design, host Kimberly Underwood is joined by SIGNAL Media’s Editor in Chief, George Seffers, and Luca Pagni and Joyson Cherian from Gov & Beyond. Tune into this special episode to learn more about SIGNAL Media and W2, a strategic communications agency.
In this crossover episode with Long Blue Leadership podcast, AFCEA International’s VP for Defense, Col. Michael Black, USAF (Ret.), walks us through his career, talks about staying calm under pressure and shares his “Five F’s Leadership Philosophy.”
Check out this exciting episode today!
Check out our newest #DisruptivebyDesign episode, repurposed from our Emerging Leaders panel at TechNet Augusta 2025!
As government agencies often experience pressure to acquire new tools to address emerging threats, capabilities of current enterprise systems are often overlooked. Fraud, Waste, and Abuse (FWA) is a significant concern that manifests uniquely across various organizations, as risks range from outstanding financial losses to national security vulnerabilities.
This panel examines how agencies can leverage their existing enterprise systems to reduce FWA, providing actionable strategies for integrating existing software to proactively address unique FWA challenges.
In this episode, host Kimberly Underwood speaks with ArnieBellini, a technology entrepreneur, venture capitalist and philanthropist in Tampa Bay. He talks about his passion for cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and U.S. technology innovation, and is especially concerned with growing the next generation of leaders in these fields. In fact, Bellini and his wife donated $40 million to establish the Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing at the University of South Florida. He also is starting cybersecurityconference called CyberBay to connect leaders and companies in the area to advanced solutions for cybersecurity.
Step into this special episode of Disruptive by Design wherethe future is funded. Tune in for this panel discussion featuring top venture capital experts who’ve backed the boldest ideas, scaled the fastest-growing startups and shaped the innovation economy from the inside out. Originally presented at AFCEA’s TechNet Emergence event in July, this episode is a front-row seat, whether you're a founder seeking funding, an operator looking to level upor simply curious about how the smartest money moves.
In this newest episode, repurposed from an AFCEA International Small Business Committee (SBC) meeting, learn about AI and small business growth. Dan Roche, Senior Director of Capture at ICF, walks us through the dos and don’ts of artificial intelligence.
In this episode, host Kimberly Underwood speaks with Meredith Caligiuri with Viasat, whose breadth of knowledge, capacity to innovate and expertise are as outstanding as is her passion for STEM education. Tune in to learn about her work on the space frontier and Meredith's dedication to STEM and a robotics team. If STEM is your passion, be sure to check out AFCEA's Educational Foundation, awarding millions in STEM-based student scholarships and teacher grants: afcea.org/afcea-educational-foundation
In this special crossover episode with Tech Transforms, we showcase a recent interview between host Carolyn Ford and AFCEA President and CEO Lt. General Susan S. Lawrence, USA (Ret.) The two share a compelling conversation about the future of national defense in an AI-powered world. Together, they unpack:
Why cybersecurity and data integrity must be the foundation of AI adoption
How real-world conflicts like Ukraine are reshaping battlefield technologies
What ethical AI deployment looks like across the military, government, and industry
Why collaboration, not competition, is key to staying ahead of adversaries
How to prepare today’s workforce for tomorrow’s digital fight
They also discuss the value of participating in AFCEA’s TechNet Emergence, where government, industry and academia will unite to set the stage for #emergingtechnologies.
The future of national security isn’t years away. It’s happening now.
Event is July 15 and 16 in Reston, VA, and on-site registration is available. https://www.afcea.org/events/technet-emergence-2025
*Registration is FREE for active-duty military and government
In this week's episode, host Kimberly Underwood sits down with Dr. Charles Clancy from MITRE to talk all things #TechNetEmergence. Join us on July 15-16 in Reston, VA! Don't miss this opportunity to hear from government, industry and academia experts that will unite to set the stage for emerging technologies.
Register: https://buff.ly/iUaSMM4
Check out sponsorship opportunities: https://buff.ly/HnGCPKi
*Registration is FREE for active-duty military and government
In this special episode, AFCEA International Vice President for Defense, Col. Mike Black, USAF, (Ret.), sits down for a conversation with two AFCEA Emerging Leaders. Tune in to hear insights from John Barker, DevOps Engineer, Knack Works, and Viplav Patel, Government Account Manager, CALIBRE Systems.
Learn more about AFCEA’s Emerging Leaders program: https://www.afcea.org/emerging-leaders
In this special episode, we are presenting the Emerging Leader panel from AFCEA's TechNet Cyber conference, held in May 2025. Quantum computer development is advancing rapidly, presenting an imminent threat to current cryptographic systems. Many traditional encryption methods will soon be vulnerable to decryption by our nation’s adversaries, putting sensitive data at risk and challenging the security of critical communications and networks. This panel explores Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC), focusing on the latest research, technologies and NIST standards designed to protect the defense community with quantum-resistant networks. Experts will discuss the implications and next steps for transitioning to an interoperable architecture capable of defending against both classical and quantum attacks. The panel will also address how to develop this architecture to be scalable, efficient, and seamlessly integrated, minimizing risk to your network.
Note: Episode is audio only
In this newest episode,Disruptive by Design host Kimberly Underwood speaks with Andrew Borene,Executive Director for Global Security and International Markets at Flashpointand lifetime AFCEA member. Learn about how to navigate the biggest cybersecuritythreats and hear his advice for emerging leaders. Also in this episode:breaking down Flashpoint’s 2025 Global Threat Intelligence Report.
Resources:
ISC2: CybersecurityCertifications and Continuing Education isc2.org
Flashpoint 2025 Global ThreatIntelligence Report flashpoint.io/resources/report/flashpoint-2025-global-threat-intelligence-gtir/
Navigating Careers: Tools, Resources and Support for Those Transitioning to the Private Sector
In this Disruptive by Design episode, experts will address the critical need for the government to have a capable and ready workforce and how developing such a workforce involves a multi-disciplinary approach across policy, program development, strategy, data analytics and data science.
Resources:
www.afcea.org/afcea-membership/afcea-career-center
www.afcea.org/events
Featuring:
Patrick Johnson, Director of the Workforce Innovation Division
Office of the DOD CIO
Tom Weinert
Founder, Mount Indie
EDWOSB
Nancy Hilliard
Director of Corporate Membership
AFCEA International
In this special episode, Katie Arrington, who is performing the duties of chief information officer (PTDO CIO), speaks with SIGNAL's podcast guest host Nuray Taylor about her priorities at the Department of Defense and the work being done to provide warfighters the best options, the best technology, the best chance of survival.
In this special episode, Lt. Gen. Paul Stanton, director of the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) and commander of Joint Forces Headquarters-Department of Defense Information Network (JFHQ-DODIN), speaks with SIGNAL's guest hosts George I. Seffers and Nuray Taylor about his priorities for both organizations, which include readiness, campaigning, continuous modernization and establishing lethality in the cyber arena as a means of deterring attacks.
Ret. Maj. Gen. Patrick Higby joins SIGNAL Media’s Kimberly Underwood to discuss life after the service and offer advice on planning for success after the military. Learn about life beyond the uniform and nonprofit organizations that support veterans!
Resources:
Freedom Hunters - A veteran-focused hunting organization that helps veterans, particularly disabled veterans, participate in outdoor activities: https://freedomhunters.org/
No Person Left Behind (NPLB) Outdoors - An organization focused on helping wounded warriors and veterans by providing various outdoor activities like hikes, beach trips, and shooting events: https://www.nplboutdoors.org/
In this week’s episode, Kimberly Underwood sits down with Persistent Systems Executive Vice President for Corporate Strategy, Leslie Hulser as she delves into the company’s newest project. Learn about the Mobile Ad-Hoc Network (MANET) and its installation in the Baltic Sea Nations.
Resource links:
Persistent Systems website: https://www.persistentsystems.com/
Leslie Hulser LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lesliehulser
In this newest Disruptive by Design episode, we repurposed the Emerging Leaders panel from WEST 2025 (01/28/2025).
Today’s critical infrastructure must defend against a diverse and evolving threat landscape. With new technologies that pose an increased potential for harm against our nation’s security, reliance on existing compliance processes is insufficient. To optimize cybersecurity solutions, particularly in a highly interconnected networking environment, Systems Security Engineering (SSE) provides an Engineering mission-first approach to constructing a cyber-resilient architecture.
Speakers:
- Robert Morgan, Ph.D., Senior Cyber Software Engineer, Beyond Ordinary Software Solutionshttps://www.linkedin.com/in/robertpurpose/- Kasey Cleaver, Ph.D., Technical Program Manager, Dark Wolf Solutions
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kasey-cleaver-ph-d-ba4857163/?trk=public_post_feed-actor-image- Johnathan Villalobos, Cyber Piloting and Transitions Lead, PEO Digital
https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnathanvillalobossolutions/Moderator:
- Andy Sauer, CEO and Co-Founder, Sentinel Blue
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andysauer-sb/
The U.S. Air Force is making history with an initiative thatbrings back the warrant officer role in the cyber space domain. Podcast host Kimberly Underwood speaks with Lt. Col. Justin Ellsworth, the division chief, Cyber Force Management & 17X Career Field Manager assigned to the Deputy Chief of Staff, Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Cyber Effects Operations,on the decision and what it means for the service and its airmen during a time of great global power competition and significant shifts in the strategic environment. The service’s warrant officer program focuses on maintaining technical leadership and highly perishable skills in the cyber domain.
In this week’s Disruptive by Design, hear from Jarrod, a member of the Central Florida AFCEA Chapter’s Emerging Leaders. Jarrod talks to us about his career in cybersecurity, cyber threats and how to safeguard critical infrastructure to protect national security. Check it out!
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Southern Illinois University Information Technology Program - https://academics.siu.edu/computing-and-technology/information-technology/
NDIA Greater Tampa Bay - The Greater Tampa Bay Chapter of the National Defense Industry Association (NDIA): https://www.ndiatampabay.org/
Cyber Florida: The Florida Center for Cybersecurity at the University of South Florida: https://cyberflorida.org/
AFCEA Central Florida Chapter - https://afceacentralflorida.org/
Censys - The Leading Internet Intelligence Platform for Threat Hunting and Attack Surface Management: https://censys.com/
The 2024 State of the Internet Report - https://censys.com/the-2024-state-of-the-internet-report/
Connect with Jarrod on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jarrodechols/
