Speakers

Rafael “Rafa” de Ameller is an Earth scientist, a technologist, and an innovator, and since 2018 is the lead of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration‘s Environmental Visualization Lab, also known as the NOAA VizLab.

As an expert in Earth systems and satellite data observations and visualization, he heads a team with diverse expertise, including media communications, graphic design, education, computer programming, and data systems engineering.  

About the NOAA VizLab:

This highly productive team is continuously engaged in preparing a wide variety of communications products for NOAA, including daily content for websites and multiple social media platforms, newsletters, educational infographics, geospatial data services and applications, story-driven news articles, technical reports, motion graphics animations, classroom tools, exhibits, and more.

Jonathan Porat was appointed State Chief Technology Officer in 2023 by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Previously, he served as CDT’s State Chief Technology Innovation Officer following a position as Seattle’s first Information Technology Engagement Manager. Porat worked across governments to lead initiatives with city executives, frontline staff, Seattle’s City Council, the Washington State Legislature, and the US Congress to identify business and policy issues, find innovative tech solutions, and ensure they would be sustainably managed for years to come. Previously, he worked at the US Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy and in the Executive Office of the President.

Dr. Spears-Dean recently joined the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) on July 1, 2020.  She leads the 9-1-1 and Geospatial Services (NGS) Bureau.  This bureau is responsible for providing 9-1-1 and geospatial services to a wide range of stakeholder and constituency groups that include state and local governments.  The services this bureau provides are legislatively mandated and delivered in partnership with the 9-1-1 Services and Virginia Geographic Information Services (VGIN) Advisory Boards.  Prior to joining VDEM, Dr. Spears-Dean was employed by the Virginia Information Technologies Agency (VITA) as the Public Safety Communications Coordinator for the state of Virginia.  She holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy from Virginia Commonwealth University, a M.B.A. from the University of Richmond, and a B.A. from The College of William and Mary.  

As a public safety practitioner and administrator, Dr. Spears-Dean has served in a variety of capacities.  Most recently, she was an appointee to the Federal Communications Commission’s Communications Security, Reliability, and Interoperability Council (CSRIC).  Dr. Spears-Dean has also served as a National Association of State 9-1-1 Administrators (NASNA) Board Member and a subject matter expert for several United States Department of Homeland Security work groups.  She is an accomplished author, presenter, and the recipient of the 2017 “Outstanding Government Leader” award; a national recognition presented by the NG9-1-1 Institute.  

Cameron Chehreh is Vice President, Sales and Marketing Group & General Manager of the Public Sector team.  In the GM role, Cameron will lead our go-to-market efforts across our US Public Sector business.  This includes US Federal civilian agencies, the Department of Defense & Intelligence community, defense contractors, and additional customers and partners.  Cameron will also lead our SLG and newly formed Defense and Intelligence Base sales team within our US Public Sector organization.  

Cameron is an industry veteran who humbly started his 25-year career implementing technology in a variety of companies ranging from start-ups to fortune 10 organizations.  He has held a variety of senior leadership roles within these organizations with an ethos of “mission first” which drives the success of the teams he has led.  He views leadership as a privilege and sees himself as a servant leader focused on people and the success of the team.  Cameron’s experience spans every facet of the industry from helping build the world’s first cloud computing company, USinternetworking in Annapolis, Maryland.  He has also previously held roles with General Dynamics IT.  

Cameron is a public speaker on information technology topics, including digital transformation, cloud computing, cyber security, service-oriented architecture, data center consolidation and optimization, and business topics covering strategic outsourcing, IT to business alignment, government markets, business strategy and operations, and organizational change.  

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Audio Engineering and Mass Communications from Middle Tennessee State University.  A former professional musician and trained audio engineer, Cameron loves music and spending time with his family.  He lives outside of Annapolis, Maryland with his wife Christine and daughters Camryn and Chelsea. 

Aaron Gussman is on a mission to transform government. With his background in Cloud and AI, he works with Public Sector customers to change the art of the possible, annihilate roadblocks, and build lasting solutions that bring value for years. As a Customer Engineer, he supports missions in Cloud, AI/ML, and Geospatial across the Federal landscape.

Carten Cordell is the deputy editor at Nextgov/FCW. Cordell has covered federal government, technology and acquisition for Federal Times, FedScoop and Washington Business Journal. An Alabama native, Cordell hold bachelor’s degrees in history and journalism from Auburn University and a master’s degree from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. His work has also appeared in USA Today, Writer's Digest and many other publications. He comes to Nextgov/FCW after a stint at Sage Communications, a marketing services agency that focuses on the government contracting market.