On Aug. 15, the Potomac Officers Club will give you the chance to hear from top Navy officials and industry leaders at the 2024 Navy Summit! This event will host an elite lineup of experts who will come together to explore the ways in which the Department of the Navy is modernizing to tackle today’s challenges and pave a pathway for the future.
At the summit, you will have the opportunity to attend five keynote speeches. Keep reading for a detailed look into each speaker’s career experience.
Hon. Nickolas Guertin
Opening Keynote
8:05-8:45 a.m.
Hon. Nickolas Guertin currently serves as assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition. He was confirmed for the position in March 2023, and during his hearing, he highlighted workforce, supply chain and recruitment challenges as some areas he hopes to focus on in the role. Until January, he also served as director of operational test and evaluation within the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
Guertin has extensive Navy experience. He spent over two decades in the Navy reserve and has held roles within the Program Executive Office for Submarines, Naval Sea Systems Command and Naval Surface Warfare Center. He also served as deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development, test and evaluation for five years.
Outside of his military experience, he has held positions at Systems Planning and Analysis and Carnegie Mellon University.
Michael Stewart
Morning Keynote
8:45-9:20 a.m.
As director of the Navy’s Disruptive Capabilities Office, Michael Stewart works to accelerate the service branch’s delivery of advanced technologies. The office was established in 2023 to support Navy contributions to the Department of Defense’s Replicator program.
Along with his role in the Navy, Stewart serves as chairman of NATO’s Tri-Service Main Armaments Group and Naval Armaments Group.
Prior to assuming these roles, Stewart was director of business operations (deputy chief management officer) for the DON. Earlier, he served as the organization’s director of business transformation.
RADM Kurt Rothenhaus
Mid-Day Keynote
1:00-1:35 p.m.
Rear Adm. Kurt Rothenhaus currently serves as chief of Naval research, a role he stepped into in June 2023. Before assuming this position, he was program executive officer for command, control, computers, communications and intelligence.
His earlier roles in the Navy include program manager of the Tactical Networks Programs Office, commanding officer of Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific and deputy program manager for the Navy Communications and GPS Program Office (PMW/A 170). He has served in numerous operational assignments, including as combat systems officer on USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) and chief engineer on USS O’Brian (DD 975), among other roles.
Hon. Russell Rumbaugh
Afternoon Keynote
1:35-2:10 p.m.
Hon. Russell Rumbaugh is assistant secretary of the Navy (financial management and comptroller), a role in which he leads budget management for the DON and works to transform financial activities and related technology.
Prior to assuming his current position in January 2023, Rumbaugh was an adjunct professor within George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government and at Georgetown University’s Center for Security Studies.
He has also served as systems director at The Aerospace Corporation, analyst of defense acquisition policy for the Congressional Research Service and director of budgeting for foreign affairs and defense senior associate at the Henry L. Stimson Center.
Hon. Franklin Parker
Closing Keynote
2:10-2:45 p.m.
Hon. Franklin Parker was confirmed as assistant secretary of the Navy for manpower and reserve affairs in December 2022. In this role, he oversees policy and programs for a wide range of people-focused Navy activities and components, including Naval education, analytics and human resources systems, the Office of Force Resiliency and the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity, among numerous others.
Throughout his career, Parker has held roles in both public and private sector organizations, most recently serving as senior counsel of intelligence solutions at BAE Systems. Before joining the company, he spent a year in the position he currently holds, and earlier, he was chief counsel for the Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration.
To access exclusive insights from these five expert speakers, register for the 2024 Navy Summit today!
