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2021 Keynotes will be announced soon!

The AUVSI XPONENTIAL 2021 keynotes are the trailblazers from across industry, government, and academia, who have the vision and drive to chart the future of unmanned systems. Our diverse line-up of keynote speakers will share their experiences to inspire attendees to move forward and build the future together.

A look back at our 2020 keynotes

Dr. Robert Ballard, President, Ocean Exploration Trust, and Director, Center for Ocean Exploration

Widely considered a pioneer in the development of deep-sea submersibles and remotely operated vehicle (ROVs) systems, Dr. Robert D. Ballard has made several important discoveries over the course of his 155+ deep-sea expeditions. Some of those discoveries include the discovery of John F. Kennedy’s boat ...
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James Burgess, CEO, Wing (an Alphabet Company)

James is CEO of Wing, an Alphabet company that provides drone delivery and traffic management services. He joined the organization in 2012 and has held a number of business and engineering ...
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Mark Blanks, Director, Virginia Tech Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership

Mark Blanks brings extensive experience in aviation and unmanned systems to his role as the director of the Virginia Tech Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership, where he leads an FAA-designated test site ...
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Tim Gallaudet, Ph.D., USN Ret., Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and Deputy Administrator, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

As the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and Deputy Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Rear Admiral Tim Gallaudet leads NOAA’s Blue Economy activities that ...
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Dr. Cara E. LaPointe, Co-Director, Institute for Assured Autonomy, Johns Hopkins University, Applied Physics Laboratory

A futurist who focuses on the intersection of technology, policy, ethics, and leadership, Dr. Cara LaPointe has accumulated a wealth of knowledge related to autonomous and unmanned technologies during her career. During her 20+ years in the United States Navy ...
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Desiree Matel-Anderson, Chief Wrangler, Field Innovation Team (FIT)

Described as the MacGyver of the disaster world, Desiree (Desi) Matel-Anderson empowers survivors to think beyond their current predicament and disrupt the status quo to build resilience ...
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Dr. Marc Raibert, Founder and Chairman, Boston Dynamics

Creativity and innovation are the pillars of the unmanned systems’ industry, and few people represent those pillars better than Dr. Marc Raibert, the founder and chairman of Boston Dynamics, which is known for its advanced robots such as the BigDog, Atlas, Spot and Handle ...
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Lt. Gen. Duke Z. Richardson, Military Deputy, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, United States Air Force

Lt. Gen. Duke Z. Richardson is responsible for research and development, test, production, product support, and modernization of Air Force programs worth more than $60 billion annually...
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Brian Wynne, President and CEO, AUVSI

An instrument-rated pilot for more than 20 years, electric vehicle driver for more than 15 years, early recipient of a Part 107 remote pilot certificate, and recent recipient of a commercial pilot certificate, Brian Wynne possesses a wealth of knowledge and experience in transportation and technology applications ...
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Keenan Wyrobek, Founder, Head of Product & Engineering, Zipline

Keenan Wyrobek is co-founder and head of product and engineering at Zipline, the world’s first drone delivery service whose focus is delivering life-saving medicine to the most difficult to reach places on earth. Prior to Zipline, Keenan was a co-founder and director of ...
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