AFCEA’s New Orlando Chapter Opens Door to Unique Collaboration
AFCEA International is expanding its presence in the central Florida region with the official launch of the Orlando Chapter, an effort led by chapter President Courtney Powell.
Powell, president and CEO of AceApplications LLC, an information technology solutions provider for businesses, schools and government agencies, first got involved with AFCEA when he was looking to expand his small business’s scope to the federal market. Powell became a member of AFCEA and attended a TechNet Cyber conference to learn more about federal contracting, and there he met members of AFCEA’s Central Florida Chapter who helped him get involved in launching the Orlando Chapter.
With the U.S. Army Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation located in Orlando, Powell said his chapter will engage in the traditional military sectors, but he sees the area as place where health care, education, transportation and state and local government infrastructure can connect through technology and communications.
“It's just a great opportunity to tap into and promote collaboration and knowledge-sharing among all these various critical infrastructure sectors,” Powell said in an interview with SIGNAL Media.
The newest AFCEA chapter—which brings the total now to 139 chapters around the globe—resides in the middle of the central Florida community that has become a hub for simulation, training, artificial intelligence and augmented and virtual reality. On top of that, Orlando is a major tourism destination, which introduces transportation infrastructure, aviation and parks and recreation to the web of sectors that could benefit from working together.
Powell noted that while Walt Disney and Lockheed Martin are vastly different companies, cyber and artificial intelligence are common threads that can spark collaboration. Additionally, medical simulation, including robotic surgery and virtual reality medicine, has roots in Orlando, with centers like the Orlando Health Medical Education Center for Simulation-Based Training.
“Our plan is to support the core AFCEA mission but also to extend it into some of these areas that are probably considered nontraditional sectors,” Powell said. “But they're also critical industry or critical infrastructure sectors for our country.”
The newest chapter’s location also provides a unique opportunity for collaboration between the Central Florida Chapter, located in Tampa, and the Space Coast Chapter, located in Melbourne, Florida.
“We don't necessarily see ourselves as just a single entity,” Powell said.
As a newly formed chapter, Orlando has its 25 required members, but Powell said there are more than 40 people who frequently attend chapter events, and participation is growing.
Currently, Powell said his chapter hosts at least one event per month, including networking events, technology expos and small business panels.
As a small-business owner himself, Powell said he wants the Orlando Chapter to work with small businesses that haven’t had access to large agencies and give them a space to connect with other small businesses to form diverse ideas and solutions.
“I see the future of the chapter growing and supporting in so many different areas but definitely with a focus on STEM and IT [information technology] and AI and cyber,” Powell said.
On top of supporting small businesses and fostering collaboration between diverse infrastructure sectors, Powell said he hopes to start engaging the younger generation in STEM topics. He said he’d like for the Orlando Chapter to create STEM scholarships and host industry professionals to speak with K-12 students about opportunities in the science, technology, engineering and math disciplines.
“It's an ambitious goal, and it's a large effort, versus just focusing on one area, but we're up to the challenge, and we're already starting to see how it's paying dividends for us and our members,” Powell said.
AFCEA chapters provide the building blocks for the diverse network that supports the tens of thousands of homeland and global security, cyber, defense and intelligence professionals in government, military, industry and academia that AFCEA serves.
