Dr. David Perry is the President of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, host of the institute’s Defence Deconstructed Podcast and a co-director of the Triple Helix MINDs Collaborate Network.

He is the author of multiple publications related to defence budgeting, transformation and procurement and a columnist for the Canadian Naval Review. He received his PhD in political science from Carleton University where his dissertation examined the link between defence budgeting and defence procurement.

He is an adjunct professor at the Centre for Military and Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary and a research fellow of the Centre for the Study of Security and Development at Dalhousie University.

He was previously the Senior Security and Defence Analyst of the Conference of Defence Associations Institute and Deputy Director of Dalhousie University’s Centre for Foreign Policy Studies. Embassy Magazine and The Hill Times has named him one of the “Top 100 Influencing Canadian Foreign Policy.”

Dr. Susan Skone is a researcher and innovator with over 25 years of experience in space-based technologies, specializing in space environment threats to satellite navigation systems, non-terrestrial networks, and high-frequency applications across aerospace and maritime domains.

As a Professor of Geomatics Engineering and Associate Vice-President Research at the University of Calgary, she has led more than 50 international and government-sponsored research projects. Her pioneering contributions include globally adopted licensed software for secure satellite services, and the founding of companies delivering electromagnetic spectrum management and quantum-resistant satellite signal technologies under NATO DIANA.

She led the development of low-cost GPS payload solutions for the CanX-2 nanosatellite, now deployed in missions worldwide, and has shaped policy on space domain awareness for U.S. national risk strategies and action plans.

In parallel, Dr. Skone served for 27 years as a Maritime Surface Officer in the Royal Canadian Navy (Reserves), holding key operational roles aboard minor warships. As co-lead of Space-Defence Technologies Alberta, she now drives collaboration between academia and industry to advance dual-use technology readiness and grow capacity of Alberta’s aerospace sector.

Chris Lohmann leads innovation and market development for aerospace energy systems and sustainability in Canada for Boeing. Over a twenty-year career he has worked on energy transition challenges in renewable fuels, waste-to-energy, energy storage, EV infrastructure, and microgrids.

Prior to Boeing, he led the performance warranty group at Energi Insurance, underwriting and insuring the technical and engineering risk of emerging energy technologies to support project financing. At the U.S. Department of Energy he served as a Senior Finance Policy Advisor, addressing the hurdles faced by technologies bridging the gap between government R&D funding and private capital. He began his career in the US Marine Corps as an F/A-18D Weapons and Sensors Officer.

He holds an MBA from the University of Southern California, earned a BA from Yale University, and graduated high school at Lisgar Collegiate in Ottawa.

Christine Hanson has had a distinguished career spanning over two decades in public service, both in Canada and internationally. As an international lawyer, diplomat, and senior government executive, she brings expertise in Canada-U.S. trade, foreign policy, and intergovernmental affairs. Christine is known for shaping public policy, negotiating international agreements, and fostering collaboration among global leaders and governments.

Christine’s early professional work was with Global Affairs Canada, where she held a variety of diplomatic roles. She served as a senior diplomat at the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C., managing Canada’s relationship with the U.S. Congress. She provided strategic advice to Canadian ambassadors, ministers, premiers, and parliamentarians on key trade and foreign policy issues related to the American political landscape. She also worked at Canada’s Mission to the United Nations in New York.

After many years of living and working abroad, Christine returned to her home province of Nova Scotia. She served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission from 2016 to 2021. Later, she took on a significant role as Executive Director and Chief Administrative Officer of the Mass Casualty Commission, a federal/provincial public inquiry into the tragic mass casualty event in Nova Scotia in April 2020. Christine most recently served as the Regional Director of International Trade for Atlantic Canada at Global Affairs Canada. In this role, she led a team across the region that helped Canadian businesses expand into global markets and promoted economic growth through exports.

In addition to her professional roles, Christine has been serving on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Red Cross since 2020. Christine earned degrees in law, public administration, and political science from Dalhousie
University in Halifax. She later earned a graduate degree in international law from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. From 2015-2016, she was an International Women’s Forum Global Leadership Foundation Fellow at Harvard Business School and INSEAD in France.

Christine was appointed to be the NATO Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) Regional Director for North America in 2025.

Mark Norton is an industry veteran in advanced manufacturing and currently serves as the Executive Director for the Northwest I-90 Manufacturing Alliance (NIMA) and Principal of Norton Strategic Consulting. His expertise is deeply grounded in business development for advanced manufacturing, economic development for industry, and workforce pipeline development for the trades. He is a thought leader on LinkedIn, frequently writing about emerging technologies and markets in manufacturing, and issues related to workforce development for the trades and industry.

Joy Romero is a metallurgical engineer with over 30 years of experience in the energy sector. She is currently Executive Advisor, Innovation at Canadian Natural Resources Limited, Past President of the Clean Resource Innovation Network (CRIN), member Co-Lead for the Pathways Integrated Emissions Strategy Working Group, advisor at the University of Alberta and Southern Alberta Institute of Technology and serves on the Boards of Calgary’s Heritage Park.

She is an inductee of the Canadian Petroleum Hall of Fame, was recognized by Foresight Canada as one the top 20 women leading clean tech in Canada, a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medal, an Honourary Doctor of Science from Athabasca University, a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering and member of the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Dr. Jonathan M. Morris is a Professor in the Departments of Radiology, Otolaryngology, Neurosurgery, Radiation Oncology, and Anatomy at Mayo Clinic. He earned his M.D. from Howard University College of Medicine, followed by an internship at Washington Hospital Center and research fellowships at NIH/NINDS/NLM. He then completed his radiology and neuroradiology fellowships at Mayo Clinic. Dr. Morris serves as the Medical Director of the 3D Printing Anatomic Modeling Unit and the Center for Biomedical and Scientific Visualization, as well as the Executive Medical Director of Immersive and Experiential Learning at Mayo Clinic. His expertise spans Point-of-Care manufacturing for digital twinning, preoperative and virtual surgical planning, and the development of patient-specific surgical devices.

A recognized leader in extended reality (VR/AR/MR), Dr. Morris is driving innovation in medical education, clinical applications, intraoperative navigation, workforce training, and medical capital equipment training. His current focus is on creating AI enabled photorealistic digital twinned humans to serve as medical experts. Clinically, he specializes in minimally invasive thermal ablation of tumors affecting the neuroaxis and musculoskeletal system. With over 270 published articles, multiple books, and book chapters, Dr. Morris is regarded as an international authority in his fields. He has been married to his wife, Trina, since 1996, and together they have four sons.

Dr. Emma Spanswick is an Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Geospace Dynamics & Space Plasma Physics at the University of Calgary. She is an international leader in the development of space remote sensing infrastructure, with her science and space weather collaborations spanning the globe, involving national agencies such as NASA, ESA, the Canadian Space Agency, DRDC, DND, and the US Navy.

She has delivered on >$75M worth of sponsored projects related to dual-use technology development, autonomous remote sensors for northern environments, satellite sensor design, operational system development, and key scientific outcomes. She currently operates more than 120 sensors across Canada’s north, Alaska, and Greenland designed to remote sense the space environment and support strategic applications related to Canada’s needs in the Arctic.

Dr. Spanswick is also co-lead of Space-Defence Technologies Alberta, an initiative that aims to increase technology readiness within the academic research environment, supporting commercialization of relevant technologies in the space and defence sector.

Christopher Coates is a former senior Canadian military leader with extensive experience in defence, security, and allied operations. A helicopter pilot specializing in tactical and special operations aviation, he served in senior command roles in Canada and overseas, including as Deputy Commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and as Commander of Canadian Joint Operations Command (CJOC), leading to his focus on continental defence and the Arctic. Following military service, he worked in defence advisory roles both in Canada and internationally and now leads defence, security, and foreign policy programming at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, a leading Canadian public policy think tank.

Major-General Stéphane Masson began his military career in 1991 as a reservist with the 6e Régiment d’artillerie de campagne in Quebec City. In 2003, he transferred to the Regular Force.

Over the course of his service, he has been privileged to hold a variety of command and staff appointments. In 2008, as a Major, he commanded Q Battery, 5e Régiment d’artillerie légère du Canada at CFB Valcartier. Promoted to
Lieutenant-Colonel in 2012, he served as Commandant of the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery School at CFB Gagetown. He later served in several staff and leadership roles, including at Canadian Joint Operations Command Headquarters and as Commander of Canadian Forces Base Kingston.

In 2024, he concluded his tenure as Commander of 5th Canadian Division, known as the Army’s “Mighty Maroon Machine.” He subsequently served as Chief of Staff Army Strategy at Army Headquarters. Promoted to his current rank in 2026, he now serves as Chief of Army Force Development and as the Senior Serving Gunner in the Canadian Army.

Major-General Masson has deployed operationally to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Afghanistan, and Egypt, and has supported a number of domestic operations. He is a graduate of the Canadian Land Forces Command and Staff College, the Joint Command and Staff Program, and the National Security Program. He holds a Bachelor of Science, a Master of Defence Studies, and a Master of Public Administration.

Outside of his military duties, he values time with his wife and their three children.