The NASA Industry Summit is hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce connecting NASA Earth science experts with industry stakeholders to use Earth observation to solve problems, drive economic development, and benefit society.
Moderator: Tom Wagner, Associate Director of NASA's ESD, Earth Action
Jeff O'Neil, Director of Gov Affairs, Planet
Allyson Jenkins, VP Public Sector, Pixxel
Andrew Canales, CRO, SkyFi
Vince Hurley, Director of BD, Civil ICEYE U.S.
4:35 - 4:45 p.m. - Closing Remarks
Nima Pahlevan, PM for Private Sector Engagement, NASA
4:45 - 6:00 p.m. - Happy Hour & EXPO
Speaker Bios & Agenda Placement
Fireside Chat
Dr. Howard Botts is Cotality’s Chief Scientist. Dr. Botts works closely with Cotality’s climate change and natural hazard scientists and geo-spatial professionals who generate and maintain solutions for the insurance, real estate, capital markets, mortgage, banking, and energy industries. With more than 40 years of experience in geo-spatial and natural hazard modeling, Dr. Botts is a recognized expert in developing climate change and natural hazard risk solutions. His work has been published extensively. He frequently presents to business and professional organizations on a variety of topics, climate change impacts on the real estate ecosystem, natural hazard risk, and weather forensics. Dr. Botts earned both a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts degree in Geography from California State University at Northridge and received a Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Energy Panel
Corey Froese, M.Sc., P.Eng., P.Geo. is a Principal Geological Engineer with BGC Engineering based in Western Canada. He has over 30 years experience in the management of complex landslide hazards that impact on linear infrastructure across North America and has spent much of the past 25 years focussed on the application of satellite-based earth observation technologies to better understand these hazards. During this time Corey has supported the Canadian Space Agency as an internal technical authority on their EO Application Development Program and currently supports US-based Pipeline Research Council International (PRCI) on collaborative research on the use of EO technologies to support monitoring and managing of threats to onshore pipelines across the United States.
Agriculture Panel
Dwane Roth is the owner of Front Porch Farms LLC and a Kansas-based agriculture and water-management consultant working at the intersection of producers, USDA programs, Earth observation (EO) science, and private-sector supply chains. Drawing on more than three decades of hands-on farming experience, he collaborates with farmers, researchers, and public agencies to apply satellite-based tools—such as evapotranspiration, soil moisture, and crop performance data—to improve irrigation efficiency, groundwater conservation, and decision-making at the field level. Dwane is actively involved in initiatives including OpenET, TAPS, and Master Irrigator, with a focus on translating EO data into practical, farmer-led solutions. His work emphasizes building trust in data and demonstrating how Earth science can deliver measurable outcomes in water-stressed agricultural regions such as the High Plains and Ogallala Aquifer.
Utilities Panel
Dr. Ryan Alimo is the CEO and Co-Founder of OpalAI, specializing in multimodal AI and autonomous systems. At OpalAI, he has served as Principal Investigator for multiple commercialized AI products, including FireVision/FireGPT (NASA SBIR Phase II), Urbanomy (USDOT SBIR Phase II), and various AI research projects.
Previously, as a Lead Machine Learning Scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Dr. Alimo spearheaded the development of AI Agent systems and vision-based navigation for Mars missions. His innovations automated critical operations for the Mars Rovers and the Deep Space Network, earning him two NASA Voyager Awards.
Dr. Alimo has secured over $15 million in research funding and mentored more than 30 researchers. He holds a PhD in Computational Science from UC San Diego, completed a postdoctoral fellowship in autonomous flying cars at Caltech, and is an MBA from UCLA Anderson.
Insurance Panel
Megan is responsible at Guy Carpenter for aiding in extreme weather advisory, event response and communication initiatives, and catastrophe model testing and evaluation. Her primary focus lies with the flood-based perils in the Americas, and she holds an Associate in Reinsurance designation from The Institutes. Before joining GC full time, Megan completed a Master of Science in Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology from the University of Wisconsin - Madison with a concentration in communication, climate change, and risk management. She additionally completed a Pathways internship with the National Weather Service and GC’s Catastrophe Co-op program, gaining practical experience in weather modeling, forecasting, and extensive catastrophe modeling.
Agriculture Panel
Donnell Brown left a career in high-tech corporate communications to enter the wine industry in 2009, as Executive Director of the Long Island Merlot Alliance and founding Event Director for the region’s annual Harvest East End. Working in wine in New York and, beginning in 2016, California, she developed a deep understanding of regional differences in grape-growing and winemaking. In 2017, she was appointed President of the National Grape Research Alliance (NGRA), working to align the research needs of wine, table, juice and raisin grapes nationwide, and catalyze game-changing, “big tent” projects of highest industry priority. She works to amplify the grape and wine industry’s science priorities via ongoing relationships and timely collaborations with relevant research funding agencies and academic institutions. She also is the voice behind the NGRA newsletter, a monthly research-focused email publication widely considered the best in the grape and wine industry.
Moderator of Finance Panel
Aravind Ravichandran is the Founder & CEO of TerraWatch Space, a strategic advisory firm focused on Earth observation (EO), that advises organizations globally on EO policy, strategy and commercialization. His expertise spans across strategy, market analysis and innovation, with a focus on bridging EO capabilities to real-world applications.
Aravind has worked with space agencies, EO companies, and enterprises across sectors such as agriculture, energy, insurance, climate and sustainability ensuring that EO data is translated into practical, impactful solutions. He has been invited to speak at leading EO and space conferences worldwide and regularly advises governments and enterprises on enabling the use of EO to solve business, climate and environmental problems.
Moderator of Utilities Panel Session
Priscilla Cole is the co-founder of Geospatial Risk, a platform generating content and events applying climate and physical risk to the private sector. This lens bridges earth observation with real-world decision-making in insurance, finance, infrastructure, and energy. In her previous work experience, Priscilla has worn many hats from analyst to engineer in a varied carrer centering around natural disasters - a satellite company, reinsurance, municipal government, and fintech. Priscilla is known for convening cross-sector conversations between scientists, technologists, practitioners, and investors, helping to align technical innovation with commercial and societal impact.
Finance Panel
Dr. Julio Herrera Estrada is a Vice President and Lead Data Scientist at BlackRock where he leads a team that quantifies investment risks and opportunities in public financial markets, focusing on geospatial factors such as natural hazards and natural capital. Prior to joining BlackRock in 2021, Dr. Herrera Estrada was an Applied Scientist at Descartes Labs, a geospatial analytics start-up, where he contributed to solutions for sustainable supply chains at Fortune 500 companies. He has also held roles at Stanford University as a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Department of Earth System Science and at the World Bank as a Short-Term Consultant in the Disaster Risk Management and Urban Development Unit. Dr. Herrera Estrada earned his PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Princeton University, where he was awarded a NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship, and holds a BS in Applied Mathematics from Columbia University.
Agriculture Panel
Joseph O. Sexton, Ph.D. is the Chief Scientist and Co-Founder of terraPulse, Inc., an ecological remote sensing company specializing in measurement, monitoring, and reporting of natural resources and risks. Dr. Sexton has a B.S. from the University of Florida Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Institute for Food and Agricultural Science, an M.S. in Forest Resources from Utah State University, and a Ph.D. In Ecology from Duke University. As a postdoctoral scientist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and research professor at the University of Maryland, Dr. Sexton led algorithm development of the NASA Global Forest Cover and Change Dataset, the world's first global, Landsat-based dataset of tree cover, which is now produced and distributed annually by terraPulse, Inc. While contributing an active record of peer-reviewed scientific publication, Dr. Sexton advises state and federal agencies, non-profit conservation organizations, university researchers, and commercial businesses across agriculture, forestry, real estate, insurance, and carbon markets on the development and application of remote sensing technologies for sustainable land management.
Finance Panel
George is Senior Principal – Market Lead: Government & Capital Markets. George joined Cotality (formerly CoreLogic) in February 2012, bringing an extensive background in commercial & corporate real estate data and technology platforms, as well as commercial development & asset management experience.
George’s work with the US Federal Government is anchored by Cotality solution and analytic offerings with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Cotality supports FEMA in both its hazard mitigation efforts as well as FEMA’s hazard event response program, providing post-event data and analytics in support of in-field recovery efforts. George is the Natural Hazard SME for Cotality engagements with other Federal Agencies, including the Federal Reserve Bank, the US Treasury – Office of Financial Research, the Veteran’s Administration, USDA, and additional Federal Agencies.
George has also taken a leading role in industry groups and initiatives, having served as Education Chair of the Mortgage Industry Standards Maintenance Organization (MISMO) ESG CoP (community of practice), as well as the Structured Finance Association (SFA) ESG Benchmarking Committee for MBS Policy. George was named a “HousingWire Insider 2023” for his industry work supporting natural hazard education.
Finance Panel
Brianne is the Head of Geospatial Analytics and Physical Risk in the Global Sustainability Office at Morgan Stanley. Brianne holds a PhD in hydrometeorology from Princeton University where her research focused on urban flood analytics and modeling. Brianne was formerly an Assistant Professor at Brooklyn College where she led projects to study flood risk and mitigation in major cities across North America. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Brianne worked as a data scientist at Arena Analytics, focusing on bias mitigation for HR tech models.
Energy Panel
Beckie Maddox is a Principal Environmental Specialist at Constellation Energy Generation, supporting environmental compliance for the company’s nuclear fleet in Illinois and the Mid-Atlantic region. With over 25 years of experience in environmental compliance—including consulting and power generation—Beckie specializes in air, water, and waste regulatory compliance. At Constellation, she manages air regulatory compliance, assists in thermal compliance for Illinois EPA water discharge permits, manages a thermal model computer program for the Illinois nuclear fleet, and provides governance and oversight for nuclear operations. In 2023, Beckie collaborated with a NASA Develop pop-up team to explore using satellite data to help predict grass movement in the Kankakee River in support of nuclear plant operations. Beckie holds a B.S. in Biology from Purdue University and a B.S. in Meteorology with a minor in Mathematics from Northern Illinois University.
Utilities Panel
James Fisher is the Senior Data Engineer and Technical Lead at Atomic Maps, a startup building a cloud platform to manage Earth Observation data at scale and enable asset-centric, risk-based decision making for critical industries. Before joining Atomic Maps in 2021, James earned his Master's degree in Earth and Environmental Science from Lehigh University, where he specialized in remote sensing applications using satellite and drone data for hydrology research. He has also supported FEMA flood risk mapping with the USGS across the full data lifecycle from acquisition to publication. James is passionate about the intersection of Earth Science, data, and technology, and aims to make geospatial data and tools more impactful for decision-makers.
Utilities Panel
Julia Gottfriedsen is Head of Data Science & AI at OroraTech, a Munich-based intelligence-as-a-service provider delivering space-based thermal intelligence for global wildfire detection, monitoring, and post-fire analysis. She leads the Data Science, Data Quality (Calibration & Validation), and Product Innovation teams, driving the development of AI-powered analytics used by governments and emergency services worldwide. Julia is known for her strong technical leadership, scientific rigor, and collaborative approach, and she actively builds strategic partnerships with organizations such as NVIDIA, Google, and NASA JPL. Her expertise spans on-orbit machine learning, satellite data validation, and predictive analytics for fire hazard and fire spread.
Insurance Panel
Will Cadell is the CEO of Sparkgeo, a geospatial consultancy that helps organizations turn Earth observation data into operational insight. With a background in engineering, remote sensing, and strategy, he works alongside teams at the intersection of EO science, analytics, and real world decision making.
At Sparkgeo, Will helps guide teams who build geospatial platforms and metrics used across insurance, agriculture, energy, and climate risk. These solutions leverage satellite data and derivative products from entities like NASA, NOAA, FEMA, and commercial providers to produce insights, from roof and property metrics for insurance to physical risk analytics for natural disasters.
Will is a frequent speaker and serves as an advisor on boards spanning investment and conservation, with a focus on expanding the practical role of geospatial in global dialogue.
Energy Panel
Laura Fischer is a Principal Team Lead at EPRI and manages EPRI’s Climate Risk and Resilience research program. She previously served as Lead for Workstream 1, Physical Climate Data and Guidance, for EPRI’s Climate Resilience and Adaptation Initiative (READi) and as an author for the Adaptation chapter and Technical Contributor for the Energy chapter of the Fifth National Climate Assessment. Prior to joining EPRI, Laura was an ORISE Fellow with the Climate Change Adaptation staff at the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), where she researched the impact of climate change on EPA programs and identified adaptation strategies being implemented to mitigate these impacts. Laura holds a Master of Science with Distinction in Environmental Change and Management from the University of Oxford and a Bachelor of Arts in Government from Georgetown University. Her dissertation at Oxford explored the relevance of extreme weather event attribution to long-term planning for disaster risk reduction.
Insurance Panel
Christine Wallinger is an insurance industry professional who leads data and analytics initiatives and has spent her career helping organizations turn complex data products into measurable outcomes. Her background spans client success, geospatial and hazard analytics, and catastrophe modeling - bridging product, engineering, and go-to-market to drive adoption for data products & solutions. Christine has partnered with insurance carriers to drive underwriting and claims decisions with property and hazard intelligence. Along the way, she has worked with third party data (including NASA Earth observations) to turn satellite data into real-world signals that underwriters and claims teams can actually use. She is wildly enthusiastic about making users wildly successful with compelling data. She is speaking in an individual capacity.
Utilities Panel
Josh Weiss is Hazen and Sawyer’s Director of Water Resources Innovations. He holds a BS in Civil Engineering from Georgia Tech; MS and PhD degrees in Geography and Environmental Engineering from Johns Hopkins University; and is a Board-Certified Water Resources Engineer. Dr. Weiss specializes in water supply planning, source water quality, system modeling, hydrology, climate change, and applications of remote sensing and forecasts for water resources management. He works with water utility operations staff and managers to integrate the latest data and tools into their decision-making toolboxes. He serves as a Lecturer in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering at Johns Hopkins.
Industry Panel
Stuart Blundell is the Senior Director of Business Development for MDA Space, one of the world’s largest providers of space-based radar intelligence. He brings over 30 years of experience in Earth Observation (EO) and Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT), supporting National Security and Federal Civil agencies including NGA, NRO, NASA, AGC, and the U.S. Air Force. He has held executive roles at Textron, Harris Corporation, and BlackSky, advancing the use of machine learning, satellite analytics, and EO tradecraft for national security missions. A geophysical engineer by training, Mr. Blundell holds advanced degrees from Johns Hopkins and the University of Wyoming and co‑founded the USGIF Modeling, Simulation, and Gaming Working Group.
Insurance Panel
Garrett Bradford is a Principal and GIS Consultant with Milliman’s San Francisco office. He has been with Milliman since 2010 and has a MS in Geographic Information Science from San Francisco State University. Garrett’s work focuses on capturing geospatial indicators of hazard risk to support insurance pricing and climate resiliency planning. He currently led Milliman’s work with the Western Fire Chiefs Association on the development of the WUI Fire Protection Score and is Milliman’s lead GIS consultant for the Risk Rating 2.0 project with the National Flood Insurance Program. Additionally, Garrett and his team have helped evaluate geographic triggers for numerous parametric products and currently serve as the calculation agent for a parametric reinsurance product.
Industry Panel
Vince Hurley leads Business Development for Civil agencies at ICEYE US, focusing on data for emergency management, agriculture, forestry, and wide area monitoring missions. Since joining in December 2024, he has leveraged his expertise in Earth observation technologies to enhance operational capabilities and decision-making processes for government partners.
Before ICEYE US, Vince spent nearly 5 years at Planet, most recently as Director of US Federal Civilian Sales, leading a team providing satellite imagery and analytics for wildfire management, agriculture monitoring, and infrastructure monitoring. His previous roles include Federal Account Executive at Symantec, Chief Growth Officer at Global Security and Innovative Strategies, Strategic Enterprise Account Manager at Adobe, and Director at Blackstone Technology Group, where he managed a portfolio of federal projects at DHS and USDA. Vince holds a BA in Political Science with a minor in Communications from Saint Mary's College of California.
Energy Panel
Ayo Adediran joined Shell in 2008 and is currently a Senior Earth Observation Advisor and Global Subject Matter Expert (SME) for Airborne Surveys including drone deployment.
He specializes in technology that enhances safety, enables digitization, and reduces carbon footprints. With advanced degrees in Remote Sensing and Environmental Management, his work supports the entire oil and gas life cycle including emergency response, environmental monitoring, nature-based solutions, and situational awareness.
Ayo is a passionate and demonstrated technology enabler with over 25 years professional experience that cut across various industries from academic, earth observations, natural resource management, land use planning and energy. He sits on the board of North America Geological Remote Sensing Society.
Finance Panel
Zef worked for 15+ years as a Portfolio Manager and Analyst of Energy Securities, trading relative value across asset classes - Equities, Commodities, Debt and Credit.
Prior to joining Bloomberg, Zef worked at BlueCrest Capital Management, Hess Energy Trading Co (now Hartree partners), Exxon and Lockheed Martin at NASA's Johnson Space Center Complex.
About the authors
John Neal
John Neal serves as the Executive Director for Space Policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce where he leads the Chamber’s Space Industry Council.
