Annual Data Forum

Lt. Gen. Bruce T. Crawford, USA (Ret.), is AFCEA International’s 12th President and CEO, assuming the association’s leadership role in June 2026. Until his appointment by AFCEA’s Board of Directors earlier in 2026, Gen. Crawford served as the vice chair of AFCEA’s Board of Directors. A long-time partner and supporter of AFCEA International, Gen. Crawford also served as the chair of the AFCEA Budget and Finance Committee and on the AFCEA Governance and Nominating Committees.  

He brings a wealth of expertise from a distinguished military career. Gen. Crawford retired from the U.S. Army in 2020 after serving for 34 years, culminating as the U.S. Army’s chief information officer and principal enterprise IT and cybersecurity policy adviser to the Secretary of the Army and the Army Chief of Staff. Before that, Gen. Crawford served in various operational, strategic and tactical positions in the United States, Europe, the Pacific and Southwest Asia. Following his transition from the Army, Gen. Crawford served as the chief of innovation, chair of the Digital Advisory Group, director of the Global Digital Center of Excellence and senior vice president for Strategic Development, Growth and Sales. 

Gen. Crawford earned a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from South Carolina State University. He also holds a Master of Science in administration from Central Michigan University, a Master of Science in national resource strategy from the National Defense University, and an Honorary Doctor of public service from South Carolina State University. Gen. Crawford currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Ryerson Holding Corporation, the Foundation Risk Partners and the George C. Marshall International Center. He previously served on the Board of Comtech Telecommunications Corp. and of Avalara Inc.  

Lieutenant General Jeth B. Rey assumed duties as the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-6 on January 1, 2025. In this capacity, he is the principal military advisor to the Chief of Staff of the Army and the Chief Information Officer for planning, strategy, network architecture, and implementation of Command, Control, Computers, Communications (C4) and Cyber Operations and Networks for worldwide Army operations. 

Lieutenant General Rey is a native of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Since his career began in September 1983, he has successfully served as an enlisted Soldier, Warrant Officer, and Officer including assignments in Special Operations units at Fort Bragg, Ranger Regiment at Fort Benning, and White House Communications Agency at Camp David Presidential Retreat. 
He is a graduate of Basic Training, Advanced Individual Training, Primary Leadership Development Course, Basic Noncommissioned Officer Course, Warrant Officer Candidate School, Officer Candidate School, Signal Officer Basic Course, Signal Captains Career Course, Naval Command and Staff College, and the Army War College. He has master’s degrees in Telecommunications Management from Webster University, National Security Studies from the U.S. Naval War College, and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College. 

His previous assignments include Director of Network C4 Services and Integration, Army G-6 (2024); Director of the Network Cross-Functional Team at Army Futures Command (2021-2024); Director of C4Systems, J6, United States Central Command (2019-2021); Army Cyber Command G3 (2018-2019); Executive Officer to the Army Chief Information Officer/G-6 (2017-2018); Commander of the 516th Signal Brigade, Fort Shafter, HI (2015-2017); Commander of the 112th Signal Battalion (Special Operations) (Airborne), 528th Sustainment Brigade (Special Operations) (Airborne), Fort Bragg, NC (2012-2014); Commander of the Special Missions Command, White House Communications Agency, Camp David Presidential Retreat (2010- 2012); Commander, Signal Squadron, United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC), Fort Bragg, NC (2007-2010); Signal Squadron Operations Officer, USASOC, Fort Bragg, NC (2005-2006); Alpha Company Commander, 112th Signal Battalion (Special Operations) (Airborne), Fort Bragg, NC (2004-2005); Signal Squadron Executive Officer, USASOC, Fort Bragg, NC (2002-2004); Tactical Communications Troop Commander, USASOC, Fort Bragg, NC (2000-2002); Communications Officer for the Combatant Commander at United States Southern Command, Quarry Heights, Panama/Miami, FL (1997-2000); and Signal Officer, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment (Airborne), Fort Benning, GA (1996). 

His awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster (OLC), Legion of Merit with 2 OLCs, Bronze Star with 1 OLC, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with 3 OLCs, Combat Action Badge, Master Parachutist Badge, Pathfinder Badge, and the Ranger Tab. Other awards include the Presidential Service Badge, the Army Staff Badge, and the Signal Corps Regimental Bronze Order of Mercury.

Peter Warren Singer is a Founder & Managing Partner at Useful Fiction LLC, a company specializing in strategic narrative, Strategist at New America, and a Professor of Practice at Arizona State University. He is also a noted keynote speaker, having delivered talks at venues that range from the White House to the Sydney Opera House. A New York Times Bestselling author, described in the Wall Street Journal as "the premier futurist in the national-security environment" and "all-around smart guy" in the Washington Post, he has been named by the Smithsonian as one of the nation's 100 leading innovators, by Defense News as one of the 100 most influential people in defense issues, by Foreign Policy to their Top 100 Global Thinkers List, and as an official "Mad Scientist" for the U.S. Army's Training and Doctrine Command. No author, living or dead, has more books on the professional US military reading lists.

Singer has served as a consultant for the US Military, Intelligence Community, and FBI. He was coordinator of the Obama campaign's defense policy task force, named to the US Military's Transformation Advisory Group, NATO's Innovation Advisory Board (for unmanned maritime systems), the NSA's Advisory Board, and is an Associate with the US Air Force's China Aerospace Studies Institute. He is also an adjunct professor in the United States Air Force (USAF) Airman Development and Applied Research program. In addition to his work on conflict issues, Singer was a member of the State Department's Advisory Committee on International Communications and Information Policy, and an advisor to SITE 525, SkyDio, and Zignal. In the entertainment sector, he has advised a range of programs, including for Warner Brothers, Dreamworks, Universal, HBO, Discovery, History Channel, and the video game series Call of Duty, the best-selling entertainment project in history.

His first book Corporate Warriors: The Rise of the Privatized Military Industry pioneered the study of the new industry of private companies providing military services for hire. It was named best book of the year by the American Political Science Association, among the top five international affairs books of the year by the Gelber Prize, and a "top ten summer read" by Businessweek.

Children at War was the first to comprehensively explore the tragic rise of child soldier groups and was recognized by the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Book of the Year Award.

Wired for War examined the implications of robotics and other new technologies for war, politics, ethics, and law in the 21st century. Described as "awesome" by Jon Stewart of the Daily Show, Wired for War made the NY Times non-fiction bestseller list in its first week of release.

Cybersecurity and Cyberwar: What Everyone Needs to Know explores the key questions we all face in the cyber age. It was described by the Chairman of Google as "an essential read" and by the former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO as "the most approachable and readable book ever written on the cyber world."

Ghost Fleet: A Novel of the Next World War melds nonfiction style research on emerging trends and technology with a fictional exploration of what the future of war will be like. Described as "a modern-day successor to tomes such as The Hunt For Red October" by USA Today.

LikeWar explores how social media has changed war and politics. It was named an Amazon book of the year and reviewed by Booklist as "LikeWar should be required reading for everyone living in a democracy and all who aspire to."

His latest book is Burn-In: A Novel of the Real Robotic Revolution. It has been described by the creator of Lost and Watchmen as "A visionary new form of storytelling—a rollercoaster ride of science fiction blended with science fact."

Prior to his current position, Dr. Singer was the founding Director of the Center for 21st Century Security and Intelligence at the Brookings Institution. He was the youngest scholar named Senior Fellow in Brookings' 102-year history. Singer received his Ph.D. in Government from Harvard and a BA from the School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton.

A native of Staten Island, NY, BG Ron Iammartino was commissioned from the U.S. Military Academy at Wes Point as an Air Defense Artillery (ADA) SHORAD Officer and later transferred to the Signal Corps. He is currently intransition to an assignment with Army Cyber Command, and most recently served as the Director for the Arm Unified Network Task Force, Headquarters, Department of the Army (HQDA) G6 (G6-3/5/7) at the Pentagon.

Prior to HQDA, BG Iammartino commanded the 2nd Signal Brigade in Wiesbaden, Germany, which was responsible for communications across 11 countries in the European Command and Africa Command theaters. He had also served as the G3/5 Director for the Army Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM) in Maryland.

As a Lieutenant Colonel, he commanded the 50th Signal Battalion at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where he had previously served as the S3 and Executive Officer (XO). Joint assignments include service as the J6 Liaison to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Communications Team and Engineering Manager for the FVEY Pegasus Program. Other select assignments include Aide-de-Camp to the Army Materiel Command DCG; XO to HQDA G6 AONS Director; S6, 3-29 Field Artillery; Commander, USAG Headquarters Company, Fort Monmouth, NJ; and Platoon Leader, C/1-44 ADA SHORAD. He deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn.

BG Iammartino holds a Ph.D. in Systems Engineering from the George Washington University, an M.A. in Quantitative Methods from Columbia University, an MBA from Monmouth University, and a B.S. from West Point. He has completed the Army War College Fellowship at Princeton University, JPME II, ILE II, and Airborne School.

BG Iammartino's awards and decorations are commensurate with his rank and time in service. He is authorized to wear the Combat Action Badge, Joint Staff Identification Badge, and Army Staff Identification Badge.

In addition to his military career, Ron is on the part-time faculty at the Rutgers University Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISE), where he has developed courses in Engineering AI Informatics, Applied Machine Learning, and Technological Innovation Strategy. He was previously a doctoral advisor and lecturer at the George Washington University. Ron's research is published in systems and engineering management journals.

He and his wife, Stephanie—a former neonatal nurse at INOVA Fairfax who now manages their active household— are the proud parents of four children: Dominic (13), a travel baseball and football player; Giavanna (11), a dancer and gifted crafter; Julianna (8), a Girl Scout and dancer; and Annalise (5), an aspiring dancer and swimmer.

COL Reggie Evans currently serves as the Director of the Command and Control (C2) Future Capability Directorate (FCD), Futures and Concepts Command (FCC). In this role, COL Evans is responsible for the continuous improvement of network transport, infrastructure, and enabling command and control in a data-centric environment.

COL Evans is also the Director of the newly established Army Data Operations Center (ADOC) Task Force. In this role, he leads the Army’s pivotal effort to synchronize and facilitate worldwide enterprise access to data, setting conditions for a truly data-centric force.

Both organizations enhance the Army’s lethality, mobility, and survivability in large-scale combat and multi-domain operations as part of the Joint Force.

COL Evans entered active duty in 1999 with a commission in the Signal Corps and a detailed assignment in Armor. He spent the last 24 years as a Communications Officer enabling communications across a variety of Army echelons.

As Capability Program Executive for Capability Program Executive Command and Control Information Network (CPE C2IN), Brigadier General Shane Taylor guides a workforce of more than 1,600 personnel who acquire, field and support the communications networks, radios, satellite systems and other hardware and software Soldiers require for information dominance on the battlefield. BG Taylor took command of CPE C2IN in June 2025.

His most recent assignment was Chief of Staff to the Assistant Secretary of the Army, (Acquisition, Logistics & Technology). In this position, he provided executive program oversight, and assistance and advisement to the Army Acquisition Executive to facilitate the delivery of timely and effective material solutions to the Army.

Prior to his assignment as Chief of Staff, he served as the Assistant Deputy for Acquisition and Systems Management, OASA(ALT). Other previous assignments include serving as Project Manager, Tactical Network, Program Executive Office Command, Control, Communications -Tactical (PEO C3T) at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland from June 2019-May 2023, and executive officer to the Principal Deputy, OASA(ALT) at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C. Prior to attending Senior Service College, he served as the Product Manager for Tactical Mission Command, under PEO C3T Project Manager Mission Command, from June 2014–June 2017. Other Army acquisition assignments include executive officer to the Deputy for Acquisition and Systems Management (DASM), Department of the Army Systems Coordinator (DASC) for Mission Command then DASC, Joint Tactical Radio Systems, Pentagon; deputy group leader, DCMA Space Sensors; deputy theater contracting officer, DCMA Iraq/Afghanistan; Patriot Missile program integrator, DCMA Space Sensors; and assistant product manager, Intelligent Munitions System (Scorpion), Program Executive Office for Ammunition.

BG Taylor earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Oklahoma State University. He earned a master’s in Industrial Engineering and Operations Management from Clemson University, an MBA from Pennsylvania State University, and a master’s in National Security and Resource Strategy from the Eisenhower School in Washington D.C.

His military education includes the Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, Army Airborne School, Combined Arms Services and Staff School, Command and General Staff College Common Core, the FA 51 Intermediate Qualification Course, the Program Management Officers Course, the Program Manager’s Course, and the Executive Program Manager’s Course. He is Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) advanced certified in program management and has foundational certification in engineering and technical management and is a DAWIA-certified contracting professional.

BG Taylor’s awards include the Legion of Merit, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the Army Achievement Medal with three oak leaf clusters, Kosovo Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, the NATO Medal, the Parachutist’s Badge, and the Army Staff Badge.

He is married to the former Paulette Clifton of Frederick, Oklahoma and they have two children, Chase, a cybersecurity student in the George Mason advance program, and Kirsten, a 2L at Gonzaga Law School in Washington state.

Born and educated on the East coast of Scotland, Major General Purves left his hometown of Edinburgh aged seventeen and joined the Royal Corps of Signals, commissioning in 1993.

He has served at Regimental Duty in Brigade, Division, Corps and Joint Force formations. The highlight of his early service was command of the 14th Signal Regiment (Electronic Warfare) during a period when the Regiment supported operations across the globe, including Afghanistan and support to the 2012 UK based Olympics. Major General Purves has served operationally in Northern Ireland, Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Balkans.

At staff, Major General Purves has served across MoD, Joint Force Command and Defence Digital. Senior staff appointments included Deputy Head of Capability for Joint Forces Command, Programme Director for the UK MOD Saudi Arabian National Guard Communication Project, Head of the Deployed and Interoperability Service Executive and Senior Responsible Owner for a 1.2Bn programme listed on the UK Government Major Projects Portfolio.

Major General Purves holds a BEng (Hons) in Software Engineering, an MSc in Design of Information Systems, and an MA in Military History.

He is married to Joanne (Jo) who is a Primary School teacher. He enjoys running, swimming, snowboarding and is a budding motocross rider, having taken up the sport during his time in Saudi Arabia. He is an Arabic scholar and takes every opportunity to travel and test his nascent language skills.

On 1 March 2024, he assumed his current role as Director Information and Army Chief Information Officer.

Brig. Gen. Paul H. Fredenburgh III, USA (Ret.), serves as AFCEA’s executive vice president for National Security and Defense. He retired following a distinguished military career in the U.S. Army that spanned 32 years and numerous commands and duty stations. He served as the deputy commander of Joint Force Headquarters–Department of Defense Information Network (JFHQ-DoDIN), where he directed an organization focused on command and control of global network and defensive cyber operations that enabled cyber mission assurance for the Defense Department. 

His other significant assignments include service as director, Command, Control, Communications and Cyber (C4) for the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and commandant of the Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy at the National Defense University. He successfully performed increasing responsibilities across a range of staff and command positions in joint, multinational, and Army units, both in the United States and while deployed. 

He earned a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont, and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the infantry, later transitioning to signal. He earned a Master of Arts in national security and strategic studies from the Naval College of Command and Staff, Newport, Rhode Island, and a Master of Science in National Resource Strategy with a concentration in information operations from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, National Defense University, Fort McNair, Washington, D.C. 

Michael “Mike” B. Black, senior vice president for Defense, joined AFCEA International in July 2022. He is a senior cyber/information technology leader with more than 40 years of experience in communications, cyber operations, project/program management, organizational development and leadership disciplines.

As the senior vice president, Defense, Mr. Black builds strong professional relationships with government, industry, academia partners to further position AFCEA International as a leader in the cyber, defense, security, intelligence and related information technology disciplines. He leads defense operations in support of planning and executing global, large-scale, technically focused, trade shows/conferences supporting Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Operations, Cyber and Homeland Security. Mr. Black is focused on providing opportunities for engagement between and among government, industry and academia, where training and education are hallmarks of AFCEA International events and continuous learning is a highlight of each individual event.

Prior to joining AFCEA International, Mr. Black served as the chief operating officer (COO) at Concise Network Solutions (CNS) for 4 years, where he directly supported the CEO in developing, executing and managing CNS’s master business plan. Prior to joining CNS, he served as the COO and chief corporate development officer at JMA Solutions for 2.5 years, where he worked in concert with senior executives to lead operations and the planning and execution of strategies to meet organizational objectives. Prior to joining JMA Solutions, he served as the COO at Premier Management Corporation for 4 years, where he was directly responsible for day-to-day operations, all business units and the company’s profit and loss. 

Prior to joining the private sector, Mr. Black spent 26 years in the U.S. Air Force holding various communications and leadership positions at many levels. He culminated his distinguished military career as a colonel, Commander, White House Communications Agency, leading a 1,200-person team of selectively manned military, Department of Defense civilian and contract personnel to provide “no fail” telecommunications services for the president, vice president, named successors, first lady, senior White House staff, National Security staff, U.S. Secret Service and the White House Military Office. 

Mr. Black holds a Bachelor of Science in basic science from the U.S. Air Force Academy, where he was a Distinguished Military Graduate. He holds a Master of Science in national resource strategy, with an information operations concentration, from the National Defense University, Industrial College of the Armed Forces; a Master’s Degree in military arts and science from the Army Command & General Staff College; and a Masters of Art Degree in management from Webster University. 

He is a published author, including writing several leadership articles for The New Face of Leadership Magazine as well the thesis “Coalition Command, Control, Communication, and Intelligence Systems Interoperability: A Necessity or Wishful Thinking?”

Mr. Black is a 2011 inductee into the White House Communications Agency Hall of Fame. He is the recipient of three 2020 Telly Awards (one silver and two bronze) honoring excellence in video and television for his Leadership Table Talk: Going Inside the White House Communications Agency (WHCA) interview.

Mr. Gabriele Chiulli serves as the acting Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the U.S. Army. In this role, he acts as the principal advisor to the Secretary of the Army on information resource management (IRM) and information technology (IT) and the effect of IRM and IT on warfighting capabilities. He sets strategic direction and oversees the execution of policies and programs for IRM and IT. His responsibilities include managing Army’s integrated IT architecture, guiding information sharing and cybersecurity policies, overseeing cybersecurity program management, managing the IRM processes lifecycle, and ensuring the synchronization of the IT enterprise.

Prior to his current role, Mr. Chiulli served as a Highly Qualified Expert (HQE) advisor to the Enterprise Cloud Management Agency (ECMA), a field operating agency of the Headquarters, Department of the Army (HDQA) CIO office, where he delivered and governed a secure multi-cloud ecosystem to support the Army’s digital transformation. He set the technical direction and overall roadmap for Army cloud transformation, which included incorporating zero trust elements, enabling rapid development, and developing the Army’s cloud workforce.

Until November 2024, Mr. Chiulli was the National Ground Intelligence Center (NGIC) Senior Technology Officer and Chief Technology Officer of the Army Military Intelligence Cloud Compute Service Provider, a role he assumed on 21 May 2023. In this capacity, he was responsible for leading NGIC’s ongoing modernization efforts to transform the Army Intelligence and Security Enterprise (AISE) technology enterprise. He has over 15 years of demonstrated technical, analytic, and policy expertise in support of Identity Intelligence, Information Technology, and national security operations.

Mr. Nicholaus H. Saacks assumed responsibilities as Deputy to the Commanding General, Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM), in April 2025. He serves as the command’s senior civilian leader and advisor to the Commanding General. 

As Deputy to the Commanding General, Mr. Saacks is responsible for developing the vision, objectives and strategies to achieve an integrated and synchronized enterprise approach for Command, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance- Medical (C5ISR-M) products and business systems in support of the joint warfighter. Mr. Saacks provides leadership and guidance to a global organization of more than 9,000 employees in 12 countries and over 86 sites, with an annual budget of more than $2 billion. 

Mr. Saacks was most recently the deputy Program Executive Officer, Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors (PEO IEW&S), Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. In this role, Mr. Saacks guided a workforce of more than 1,700 personnel supporting over 83 Army acquisition programs and efforts. Mr. Saacks’ responsibilities included the development, acquisition, fielding, and support of capabilities. These provide Soldiers the ability to detect, recognize, and identify targets; collect, tag, and mine intelligence to support force protection. In turn, are able to maneuver, persistent surveillance, and provide more detailed understanding of the battlefield. 

Mr. Saacks, who was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in February 2022, previously served as the Deputy Program Executive Officer, Command, Control and Communications-Tactical, where he supported the development, acquisition, fielding and support of the Army’s tactical network; a critical Army priority that provides information dominance to current and future Soldiers in challenging environments worldwide. Mr. Saacks began his career as a Department of Defense civilian employee in 2005 with Army Materiel Command. In 2006, he joined the Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM) at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, where he was an item manager for avionics and force protection systems. He became a member of the Army Acquisition Corps in 2009 and subsequently held a variety of sustainment and acquisition logistics positions within CECOM, Project Lead Network Enablers, and PEO C3T. In his role as the PEO C3T Readiness Management Division Director, he was responsible for directing, developing, and implementing logistics, property accountability, and fielding policies for the Army’s tactical network and mission command capabilities. Under his leadership, the PEO successfully fielded the Integrated Tactical Network, as well as state-of-the-art communications equipment to all six Security Force Assistance Brigades (SFABs). Mr. Saacks has been a leading voice in Transition to Sustainment, positively impacting Army policy while consistently transitioning systems to sustainment across the portfolio. 

Mr. Saacks holds a Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama. Mr. Saacks is a graduate of the Defense Acquisition University Senior Service College Fellowship and the Aberdeen Proving Ground Senior Leadership Development Cohort Program. 

He and his wife, Sara, have two children.