Leadership

In that role, Russell assisted the Governor of Florida in the advancement of the state’s economic development by administering state and federal programs for local businesses and communities.
He also served as president and executive director of Florida Opportunity Fund, Inc., a state-created entity that provides venture capital to emerging Florida companies in the early-stage finance ecosystem.

Russell holds a Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School and Bachelor of Science degrees in both Finance and Political Science and Economics from Florida State University. Russell and his wife, along with their daughter, reside in South Florida.

In the US Air Force, he served in multiple roles supporting the intelligence and combat operations communities, including several deployments to the Middle East. Peter played an integral role in the design and development of the Predator UAV Operations Centers supporting Combatant commanders and the ISR communities in preparation for and continued support of air and ground operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other theaters of operation.

Following his service, Peter served as Deputy Country Lead at Leidos, supporting the US Office of Military Cooperation – Kuwait and the US Army Central Intelligence Directorate in Kuwait.

As a Defense industry contractor, his roles have ranged from System Administrator, Project Manager, Deputy Country Manager, Service Strategy and Design Lead, Solutions Architect, and Deputy Program Manager.

Peter’s experience includes serving as a senior system administrator for GDIT in Baghdad. He also served as a technical lead and senior system administrator for SANs and the virtual infrastructure team supporting US SOUTHCOM Headquarters. Please was also the Senior IT Program Manager to the Department of Defense, managing operations, planning, and projects for an Enterprise Information Technology Services Support Contract program including End User Services, IT Infrastructure Computing Services, Data and Information Management, Business Application Development, DevOps, Cyber Security, and High-Performance Computing.

Allen commanded the NATO International Security Assistance Force and United States Forces in Afghanistan from July 2011 to February 2013. As such, he was the first Marine Corps general officer to command a theater of war. Allen’s extensive contingency and combat operations include the Caribbean in 1994, the Balkans from 1995 to 1996, Iraq from 2007 to 2008, and Afghanistan from 2011 to 2013.  In Iraq, he participated in intense combat operations in the Al Anbar province where he was one of the principal actors supporting the emergence of the “Sahawa al Anbar” or tribal “Awakening” movement that helped defeat Al Qaeda. From 2008 to 2011 he served as the Deputy Commander and briefly as Commander of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), the combatant command charged with the strategic responsibility for Central Asia and the Middle East.

As a general officer, Allen served as the principal director of Asia-Pacific policy in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, a position he held for nearly three years. In this assignment, he was involved extensively on policy initiatives involving Mongolia, China, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia. He was also involved in the Six Party Talks on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. He played a major role in organizing the initial relief effort in the aftermath of the devastating South Asian tsunami from 2004 to 2005.

John Allen is a Strategic Advisor to the Microsoft Corporation and is a member of the Microsoft Advisory Council, as well as the Microsoft Technology and National Security Advisory Council.  He is a Senior Fellow at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is a permanent member of the Council on Foreign Relations and was appointed by President Biden to be a member of the U.S. Naval Academy’s Board of Visitors. He is a Distinguished Graduate of the Naval Academy, and was the first Marine Corps officer to serve as Commandant of Midshipmen at Annapolis. General Allen was President of The Brookings Institution from 2017 to 2022.

He is the co-author of the book Turning Point: Policymaking in the Era of Artificial Intelligence alongside Dr. Darrell M. West (Brookings Press, 2020). He is also the co-author of Future War and the Defense of Europe alongside LTG (Ret.) Frederick “Ben” Hodges and Professor Dr. Julian Lindley French (Oxford University Press, 2021).  Future War has been translated into German, Romanian, and, most recently, Ukrainian.  He is one of the originators of the term “hyperwar”.  As a co-inventor, Allen shares five AI related patents.

General Allen is a 2015 co-recipient of the Business Executive for National Security (BENS) Eisenhower Award.  He is also a 2016 co-recipient of the Scholar-Statesman Award from The Washington Institute.

He is the recipient of multiple US military and civilian agency personal and military awards.  He has received campaign medals for his service in Bosnia, Iraq, Korea, and Afghanistan, and has received ten international military awards and decorations, including the French Legion d’Honneur, the Order of Italian Republic, the Order of the Republic of Poland, the Order of Australia, and the Order of the Resplendent Banner with Special Cravat from the Republic of China (Taiwan).

General Allen graduated with military honors from the Naval Academy with the class of 1976, receiving a bachelor of science degree in operations analysis. He is a 1998 distinguished graduate of the National War College. General Allen also holds a master of arts degree in national security studies from Georgetown University, a master of science degree in strategic intelligence from the Defense Intelligence College, and a master of science degree in national security strategy from the National War College.

Previously, Oscar served in the Obama Administration in several senior positions with USDA, including as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Administration, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, and Senior Advisor on Immigration to Secretary Tom Vilsack. He also served as the California State Executive Director for USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), where he oversaw FSA programs across California, the nation’s largest agricultural producing state. Oscar also held senior roles in California under Governor Gray Davis, Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa, and Senate Majority Leader Gloria Romero.

Oscar’s experience also includes serving as Vice President for Government Relations, Western States, for Goldman Sachs and Vice President for Government Relations at Aura Financial. Prior to serving in government, Oscar worked with various nonprofit organizations, including the Constitutional Rights Foundation, Building Up Los Angeles, the Corporation for National Service, California Community College Foundation, National Hispanic Environmental Council, East Los Angeles Residents Association, and the UFW Foundation.

Oscar received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from The University of California, San Diego

Philip began his career working for companies in the space industry writing code for some of the largest high-tech fault-tolerant software systems ever created at the time including NASA’s space shuttle programs, the Iridium satellite constellation, Siemens power generation systems, and Harris Corporation in the Government Aerospace Systems Division. He then leveraged his experience with defense contractors and large software companies to found Riptide Software. As an active founder and technologist, Philip led Riptide to being recognized as one of the top places to work in Florida. Philip achieved significant growth as a Defense industry contractor with multiple awards exceeding $100M.

Philip’s experience includes founder and Chief Technical Officer (CTO) roles that provided leadership to all aspects of multiple Defense Industrial Base (DIB) projects in computer simulation, training, and research. During Philip’s tenure, Riptide was recognized in 5 consecutive years (2015-2020) as a Top Place to Work in Central Florida achieving the #1 ranking in 2018 among thousands of participating companies under 500 employees.

Currently, Philip is providing cybersecurity and vulnerability analysis consulting services as a CTO and Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH 2023). An astute businessperson and thought-leader, Phil’s authentic passion for serving his clients with the use of the latest software and security technologies is evident in his drive, engagement, and collaborations. This skill-set and knowledge have made him a highly sought-after consultant in the industry.

Philip has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Engineering and a Master of Science Degree in Computer Science. Philip’s most recent certifications and degrees are in cybersecurity achieving multiple certified ethical hacking accreditations in 2023. He has also continued his 20+ years of technical software development expertise by obtaining a Blockchain Software Development Nanodegree in 2022 and the FINRA Securities Industry Essentials Certification as an entry point to Series 7 licensure in March of 2023. Philip’s technology pursuits are continuing with specializations in the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) where he has already achieved registered practitioner status in 2023.

Philip is an avid offshore fisherman and holds a US Coast Guard Charter Fishing Captains License. Philip also trains regularly for a variety of athletic events including triathlons, and enjoys playing golf and spearfishing in his spare time.

Sam holds a Juris Doctor from The George Washington University Law School and Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from The University of Southern California.

In addition, Stanley served in the FEMA Florida Recovery Office as a Deputy Director of the Individual Assistance Program.

Stanley holds a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Biology, both from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

In these roles, Christopher had programmatic oversight of Everglades Restoration projects and contracts, regulatory development and compliance, the development and implementation of statewide conservation programs, water and wastewater projects and programs, and local government environmental and solid waste endeavors.

Christopher holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Florida, an L.L.M. in International and Environmental Law from the University of Cape Town, South Africa, and Bachelor of Arts in Political History and Economics from the New College of Florida.

Ron’s expertise extends from managing large interdisciplinary teams to leading global public affairs efforts for a billion-dollar parking and logistics company, where he played a key role in spearheading expansion efforts in Latin America. Ron’s ability to navigate diverse and complex political environments have contributed to his success in providing counsel to top-level decision-makers throughout the region. He has collaborated with business and political leaders across Latin America, working with technology companies, real estate developers, wineries and soccer teams.

Ron was named one of Miami’s “Leaders of the Future” by Latino Leaders Magazine. He was admitted to Harvard Kennedy School’s program for senior executives in government alongside elected leaders from across the globe. Ron is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an avid runner and triathlete currently residing in Miami Beach.

James is the chief data strategist and privacy officer for a number of publicly-traded companies. He is also the author of “Data Leverage: Unlocking the Surprising Growth Potential of Data Partnerships,” a bestselling book on data partnerships, privacy, and data strategy, and is frequently interviewed in publications around the world on privacy matters, such as the Guardian, the BBC, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and Forbes. James is a certified Fellow in Information Privacy and holds certifications in European and United States data security and privacy law.

James is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame Law School and Northwestern University.