Military entrepreneurship summit

Mrs. Patricia “Patty” Barron was appointed as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy in January 2021.

Mrs. Barron is currently responsible for a broad portfolio that includes policy, advocacy, and oversight of all community support to service members and their families, including quality-of-life issues; key legislative and policy issues affecting military families; family, child, and youth programs; the Military OneSource program and non-medical counseling resources; military spouse career advancement; morale, welfare, and recreation; defense resale policy for commissaries and exchanges; and family advocacy programs. Her oversight also includes casualty and mortuary affairs and military funeral honors.

Prior to joining Military Community and Family Policy, she served as the Director of the Family Readiness Directorate at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) and supported all AUSA family programs and events by providing management and oversight to all directorate activities. Previously, she served as the Director of Outreach, Military Family Projects, at Zero to Three and also worked as the Director of Youth Initiatives at the National Military Family Association (NMFA) where she oversaw NMFA’s Operation Purple Camp program.

As an Army spouse for 30 years, she has been involved in myriad efforts to support military families. She served on the Department of Defense Military Family Readiness Council, Zero to Three’s “Coming Together Around Military Families” Advisory Committee, the Sesame Workshop “Talk, Listen, Connect: Phase Two” Advisory Panel, the National Child Traumatic Stress Network Advisory Board, the Child Care Aware of America Advisory Board, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America National Military Leadership Council.

Mrs. Barron earned a Bachelor of Science in nursing from the University of San Francisco, a Master of Science in education from Long Island University, an Executive Certificate in nonprofit management from Georgetown University, and an Executive Education Certificate from The Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Mrs. Barron is married to retired Army Colonel Michael Barron. They have three adult children: Michael, Megan, and Joseph; a son-in-law, Vance; and two granddaughters, Sofia and Violet.

Derrick Brent is the Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the USPTO. As the Deputy Director, he serves as the principal advisor to Kathi Vidal, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO, managing a wide portfolio of programs and operations for one of the largest intellectual property (IP) offices in the world, with more than 13,000 employees and an annual budget of more than $4 billion. His responsibilities include working with Director Vidal to lead the USPTO; advance IP policy and procedures for the benefit of the country; expand the USPTO’s outreach efforts to incentivize and support more innovation and entrepreneurship nationwide; and execute the agency’s policies, priorities, and programs. 

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Christina Calloway is an attorney for Trademarks Customer Outreach  with the USPTO. She began her career at the USPTO as a trademark examining attorney, where she served on a team dedicated to reviewing sound and motion trademark applications.

Ms. Calloway has collaborated with numerous local and national organizations, educational institutions, and businesses to educate small business owners and creators about intellectual property. Throughout her career, Ms. Calloway has sought to merge her personal passion for the arts and professional pursuits in public service and has been awarded recognition for her service and leadership professionally and personally. She is an executive board member of the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Association and served on the City of Alexandria’s Commission for the Arts.

A proud “army brat,” Ms. Calloway obtained her Juris Doctor degree from Howard University School of Law. She also received both her master's degree in public administration and Bachelor of Arts in English from Georgia Southern University.

Barbara E. Carson is Managing Director of Programs and Services at the D'Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) and brings more than 25 years of experience, military service, and proven leadership in successfully building and delivering programs across government and military sectors. Carson is responsible for the day-to-day management and oversight of the Institute’s national programs and services, which focus on entrepreneurship, career training, and community services.

Carson retired as a Colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserve (USAFR); her last assignment was to the Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Office of Public Affairs. She has served more than 25 years as an active-duty and reserve officer, and her experience includes nuclear command and control and public affairs assignments across the United States, Japan, and Europe.

Prior to joining the IVMF, Carson spent nearly a decade in leadership at the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), most recently serving as the Deputy Associate Administrator for the Office of Disaster Assistance. There, she was responsible for developing, implementing, and evaluating the SBA’s disaster loan program throughout the nation. Also at the SBA, Carson served as Deputy Associate Administrator for Government Contracting and Business Development where she advocated to increase small business contracting opportunities in federal agencies and led SBA federal procurement programs including 8(a), HUBZone, Woman-Owned Small Business, and All Small Mentor Protégé programs. Carson has also served as the SBA’s Associate Administrator for the Office of Veterans Business Development, where her military background was an asset to the program.

Carson received her Master of Science in management from Lesley University and a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Iowa.

Lianne, a devoted military spouse and proud parent of two, is the founder of Gemini Naturals, a hair color brand specializing in safe and non-toxic formulations for textured hair. With a background as a physician assistant, she brings a unique perspective to her business, incorporating a deep understanding of healthcare principles, safety, and care into the development of her hair care products. Beyond her professional pursuits, Lianne finds joy in traveling, interior design, and photography. Her diverse interests and experiences as an Air Force spouse inspire her innovative approach to entrepreneurship.

Nate Gilman is the President of MM-SEAS, software which makes U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) licensing paperwork simple and easy for mariners. As President of MM-SEAS, Nate cuts through bureaucratic red tape with innovative software solutions. A seasoned mariner himself, he understands the challenges mariners face and is passionate about creating lasting improvements. Throughout his career, Nate has tackled problems others deemed unfixable. He's a firm believer in empowering the maritime workforce, recognizing the generational wealth-building potential of seafaring careers. A proud veteran of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Commissioned Corps, Nate's dedication to the maritime industry is undeniable.

Wendy Hively is a veteran Navy spouse, career scientist, and founder of Charliemadison Originals—a successful jewelry brand named after her daughters that unites the military community, inspires connection through all seasons of military life, and gives back to nonprofit organizations. After 10 years of being a solopreneur, Wendy is honored to run the business alongside her daughter, Madison. Collaboration and giving back are the heart of the brand’s mission. Their family’s deep military roots inspired their global online community filled with military families who champion the brand’s annual donations, more than $30,000 to date, to military-affiliated nonprofits.

Moni is a multi-venture entrepreneur and active duty Air Force spouse. She is the founder and CEO of the Association of Military Spouse Entrepreneurs. Her most notable work has been with Blue Star Families, Heroes at Home, the Military Spouse Advocacy Network, and Semper K9. 

Also known for her work in the tech space, Moni has created and raised capital for her three military lifestyle apps: MilCam, MilEmoji, and My Ultimate PCS.

She is also the founder of MilSpouse Creative and Entrepreneur, the global networking community for military spouse entrepreneurs full of mentorship and resources.

Moni holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke in communications and public relations and is a Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority Inc. member. 

Moni has been married to her high school sweetheart Roy for 24 years and has three kids who remind her of gratitude daily. She's a spin junkie and travel lover and enjoys daily snuggling with her kids.

Cynthia Kao is the Executive Director of Operation Code, as well as a two-time tech founder and CEO. She was also a documentary filmmaker and a contributing writer at Forbes Magazine. She served in the U.S. Air Force Reserves as a public affairs specialist, deploying twice overseas, and served as an active-duty military spouse for 15 years. Cynthia is also the mother of a service-disabled veteran son. She spent the first 15 years of her career as a licensed clinical social worker in the non-profit sector, specializing in trauma, addiction, and resilience therapy. Cynthia exited her first startup as an interactive multimedia and innovative digital media founder after 10 years in the fall of 2022.

Today, she runs an early-stage health-tech startup named Rebirth Innovation, focused on organizational health, employee assistance programs, preventing burnout, and creating thriving work cultures.

Originally from Toronto, Canada, Cynthia now calls Washington D.C./northern Virginia region home and enjoys advocating for the military community and mental health awareness. In her spare time, she serves her community as a volunteer paramedic, enjoys outdoor sports, and spends time with her three grown children and her Russian Blue cat named Chairman Meow.

Don Miller retired from the U.S. Navy after a 22 year career in 1997. He began work for AMSEC LLC in 1997, where he was a senior program manager providing information technology solutions for various Department of the Navy agencies and commercial entities. In 2007 he founded Analytic Solutions LLC, providing information technology and consulting support for the Department of the Navy and various small business enterprises. He began working with the Veteran’s Business Outreach Center (VBOC) in 2013, providing training, counseling, and mentoring to veteran and veteran family small businesses. Don is currently the Director of the VBOC supporting Virginia, West Virginia, Washington D.C., Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania. He is married to the former Daphane Gamell and has three children. He is an alumnus of the University of Nebraska. 

Dr. Tahina Montoya serves as a strategic advisor in the Veteran Experience Office at the Department of Veteran Affairs. She is an Air Force veteran with over 15 years of experience and continues to serve as an officer in the Air Force Reserves, where she is a political/military strategist and gender advisor assigned to the Defense Intelligence Agency. Dr. Montoya is an adjunct professor at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs, where she teaches "Gender, War, and Peace" and is an affiliate faculty member for the Cisneros Hispanic Leadership Institute.

Eduardo F. Ortiz is CEO and a founding co-owner at Coforma, a digital services firm that crafts creative technology solutions that help people live better lives. He is a combat veteran who served in the United States Marine Corps and several civilian agencies. Eduardo is passionate about leveraging product and technology practices to remove points of friction that prevent people from accessing critical services. This passion has driven his professional journey from a software engineer and product strategist to entrepreneurship. Eduardo holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Maryland and lives in Maryland with his wife, son, and two dogs.

Gina M. Raimondo serves as the 40th U.S. Secretary of Commerce and was sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris on March 3, 2021. As Secretary of Commerce, she is focused on a simple but vital mission—to spur good-paying jobs, empower entrepreneurs to innovate and grow, and help American workers and businesses compete.

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Carly is a former public health professional hailing from Midwestern lake country. She is married to Jersey Shore native and former U.S. Army Captain Joe Rhyne. In 2020, Carly pivoted from a traditional career path to launch Ellipticraft LLC, an innovative new venture producing a patented and award-winning personal watercraft. As founder of an outdoor product company, Carly is committed to delivering high-quality, easy-to-use, and immersive products that allow customers to experience the physical and mental health benefits of the water.

Keith Rosenliao is the owner of Cayuga Climbs, co-founder of Aedify, and a proud military spouse of an active-duty Army veterinarian. Keith met his wife Beth in Ithaca when she was at Cornell under the Army’s Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP) to be a veterinarian, and he was at school for his Master of Business Administration. After they graduated, Keith took a job as a public lands consultant and then moved on to open Cayuga Climbs, Ithaca's first commercial rock climbing gym. After multiple moves, Keith manages the gym remotely, with two full-time and nine part-time staff on-site. 

Keith is also the co-founder of Aedify, which he started in 2020 to teach young professionals real-world skills. Aedify now develops educational video games to make learning fun, starting with a game that teaches teenagers and young adults personal finance. Keith and Beth reside in Alexandria, Virginia, with their three cats.

Fred Steckler is the Chief Administrative Officer for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). He is responsible for the delivery of all administrative service support functions for USPTO including human capital strategy, human resource management, telework policy and programs, facilities management, safety and security, transportation, and asset and records management.

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Dilawar Syed comes to SBA from the State Department, where he championed American businesses as Special Representative for Commercial and Business Affairs. As the State Department’s top commercial diplomat, Deputy Administrator Syed advocated for U.S. companies to compete and win abroad and helped ensure U.S. competitiveness in markets across the globe. In this role, he mobilized the private sector to support the people of Ukraine in the wake of Russia's invasion and advocated for commercial deals in strategic sectors such as aviation and defense, energy, and technology.

Before joining the Biden Administration, Syed was CEO at Lumiata, an artificial intelligence healthcare company focused on reducing healthcare costs and improving patient outcomes. Previously, Syed was president at the software company Freshworks. Earlier in his career, Syed oversaw business operations for Yahoo!'s platforms and infrastructure and was a product manager at Siebel Systems and SAP.

Dilawar Syed has driven civic efforts at the federal, state, and local level focusing on economic growth and entrepreneurship. As the founding chair of the California Entrepreneurship Task Force with the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development, Syed promoted inclusive entrepreneurship. He served on President Obama's White House Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) and chaired the White House Initiative on AAPIs’ Economic Growth Committee. In that role, Syed led the administration’s engagement with small businesses across the U.S. after the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. In 2020, Syed was tapped by San Jose, California, Mayor Sam Liccardo to help lead Silicon Valley’s pandemic economic recovery as a member of the Silicon Valley Recovery Roundtable.  

Syed holds a Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and earned a Bachelor of Arts in economics and computer science from the University of Texas at Austin. 

Hyacinth Tucker is an Army veteran and the proud owner of The Laundry Basket LLC, a leading mobile laundry and dry cleaning delivery service catering to the Greater District of Columbia, Maryland, and northern Virginia areas. With a strong commitment to excellence and service, Hyacinth has leveraged her military background to instill discipline, efficiency, and attention to detail into every aspect of her business operations.

During her time in the Army, Hyacinth honed invaluable leadership skills and a strong work ethic, laying the foundation for her entrepreneurial journey. Inspired by her military experience and a desire to serve her community, she founded The Laundry Basket LLC with a vision to revolutionize the way people approach laundry chores, offering unparalleled convenience and quality service to her customers.

Mr. Ashish S. Vazirani is the acting Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness as of September 8, 2023. As the Under Secretary, Mr. Vazirani serves as the principal staff assistant and advisor to the Secretary of Defense for force readiness; force management; health affairs; National Guard and Reserve component affairs; education and training; and military and civilian personnel requirements and management, including equal opportunity, morale, welfare, recreation, and quality of life matters.

He was previously sworn in as the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness on July 18, 2022. Prior to this Mr. Vazirani briefly served in the Department of the Navy as the principal advisor on issues pertaining to sexual assault, sexual harassment, and suicide prevention and response within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs.

Prior to joining the Department of Defense, Mr. Vazirani was Principal of A2O Strategies LLC where he provided advisory services to high growth, mid-size, and large enterprises, commercial and non-profit, on the development, implementation, and execution of growth strategies. Mr. Vazirani was Executive Director and CEO of the National Military Family Association (NMFA), where he provided strategic and operational oversight, and direction for all aspects of NMFA’s advocacy and programing to support military families. During his tenure, NMFA regained its four-star charity rating and expanded programming, including a child care fee relief program. Before joining NMFA, he led development and programming at the Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA) where he ensured implementation and measurement of standardized programs serving junior enlisted military families. Mr. Vazirani also served as a Member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Committee on the Well-Being of Military Families. Prior to his work with the ASYMCA, he spent over two decades as a management consultant working with leading high tech and pharmaceutical companies to create transformational change while delivering customer- centric solutions and profitable growth. Mr. Vazirani served on active duty in the United States Navy as a Submarine Officer from 1986 to 1993.

Mr. Vazirani holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Vanderbilt University, a Master of Engineering from the McCormick School of Engineering at Northwestern University, and an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He served as a member of the Board of Advisors of the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation. His family immigrated to the United States when he was 3 years old. He grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland, where he and his wife, Deborah, currently reside. They have an adult son and daughter. Mr. Vazirani is the son of a combat wounded, Vietnam-era Marine and the father of a currently serving Marine.

Kathi Vidal serves as the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO – America’s Innovation Agency. As the chief executive of the USPTO, she leads one of the largest intellectual property (IP) offices in the world, with more than 13,000 public servants and an annual budget of more than $4 billion. She is the principal IP advisor to the President and the Administration, through the Secretary of Commerce, and is focused on incentivizing and protecting U.S. innovation, entrepreneurship, and creativity. Named one of Managing IP’s top 50 most influential people in IP in 2022, she leads an agency whose mission is to help American workers and businesses compete and collaborate, especially in ground-breaking technologies and across all demographics. As Director of the USPTO, Vidal is working to expand American innovation for and from all, and to bring more ideas to impact, including serving as the Vice Chair of the Council for Inclusive Innovation (CI2), alongside Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo and the Council members, a Co-Chair of the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (NACIE), and the Co-Founder, with the Secretary, of the Women’s Entrepreneurship (WE) initiative. 

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