Agenda
MADS 2026 | SEPT. 2-4, 2026 | FLOWOOD, MISSISSIPPI
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Wednesday, September 2, 2026 |
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7:00 AM
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Exhibitor Set Up Begins
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10:00 AM
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Registration Opens
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2:00 PM
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Welcome Remarks
Open MADS 2026 by framing Mississippi as a rising national hub for aerospace, defense, and space. Welcome national and industry attendees, set the "Mississippi Momentum" tone, and connect state leadership and MADS 2026 attendees for the three days ahead.
Confirmed Speakers:
The Honorable Tate Reeves - 65th Governor of Mississippi
Dr. Denise Jones Gregory, President, Jackson State University (JSU)
Davis Pace, President and CEO, Mississippi Enterprise for Technology (MSET)
Location: Grand Ballroom
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2:30 PM
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Government Affairs Panel
Examine how government affairs, policy, and public–private partnership shape Mississippi's aerospace, defense, and technology economy. Explore how companies engage state and federal government effectively, and how coordinated advocacy sustains the state's investment momentum.
Confirmed Speakers:
Rakhee Khambhati, Director of Government Partnerships, Reflect Orbital (Moderator)
Ryan Walker, External Relations Manager, Google
Michelle Richardson, Executive Vice President, Elevate Government Affairs
Location: Grand Ballroom
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3:30 PM
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Working with Industry Panel
Show how to work with and sell into major industry primes and manufacturers. How non-traditionals, suppliers, and startups become part of the supply chain, and how Mississippi's expanding defense-industrial base is creating real teaming and supplier opportunities right now.
Confirmed Speakers:
Darin Van Pelt, Director and Professor of Practice of General Engineering and Strategic Initiatives, University of Mississippi (Moderator)
Bret Perry, General Manager, Anduril Solid Rocket Motor Systems
Mark Kaufman, Co-Founder, Chairman, Chief Strategy Officer, X-Bow Systems Inc.
Michael W. Miller, CPA, Director, Supply Chain Management, Ingalls Shipbuilding
Paul Harris, Associate Director of Small Business Programs, Raytheon
Will Vildibill, Senior Project Manager for Business Technologies and Continuous Improvement, General Atomics-EMS
Location: Grand Ballroom
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4:30 PM
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Welcome Reception
4:30 PM Exhibit Hall Grand Opening
Location: Breakout 2/Exhibit Hall
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6:00 PM
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VIP Dinner (Invitation Only)
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Thursday, September 3, 2026 |
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7:30 AM
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Registration Opens and Breakfast Sponsored by Firehawk
Location: Hallway
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8:00 AM
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Fireside Chat with Rocket Lab
Rocket Lab tests the Archimedes engines for its Neutron rocket at Stennis Space Center. Rocket Lab CFO Adam Spice sits down with Gulf Coast Business Council President and CEO Jamie Miller to talk about the capital and infrastructure case behind that decision and what Mississippi has to do to win the next one.
Confirmed Speakers:
Jamie Miller, President and CEO, Gulf Coast Business Council (GCBC) (Moderator)
Adam Spice, Chief Financial Officer, Rocket Lab
Location: Grand Ballroom
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8:30 AM
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Exhibit Hall Opens
Location: Exhibit Hall
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8:45 AM-11:45 AM
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SBIR/STTR Bootcamp
A hands-on bootcamp that demystifies the SBIR/STTR non-dilutive funding pathway: How Mississippi small businesses and researchers find topics, write competitive proposals, navigate Phase 1, 2, 3, and transition to programs of record without giving up equity.
Confirmed Speakers:
Tasha Bibb, Senior Program Manager, Mississippi State University (MSU) (Moderator)
Joe Graben, Director of Strategic Partnerships and Program Management-Office of Innovation Management, The University of Southern Mississippi (USM)
Dr. Lu Lu, Scientific Consultant and Grant Writing Specialist, Eva Garland Consulting (EGC)
Tony Jeff, President and CEO, Innovate Mississippi
Jimmy Stringer, Executive Director of Government Affairs, Camgian
Latane Brackett, Innovation Program Manager, Jackson State University (JSU)
Elyce Curry, Senior Innovation Project Manager, ERDCWERX
Austin Check, Assistant Director, Office of Technology Management, MSU
Location: Breakout 1
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8:45 AM- 11:45 AM
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University Showcase
Showcase Mississippi's research universities as engines of defense and aerospace innovation and talent—their research capabilities, technology transfer, and partnership models for industry and government—with a spotlight on host institution JSU.
Confirmed Speakers:
PJ Waldrop, Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer, Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) (Moderator)
Dr. Almesha Campbell, Vice President for Research, Jackson State University (JSU)
Dr. John C. Higginbotham, Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development, University of Mississippi
Dr. Kelly Lucas, Vice President for Research, The University of Southern Mississippi (USM)
Dr. Scott Willard, Interim Vice President for Research and Economic Development, Mississippi State University (MSU)
Protecting the Research Enterprise: Research Security, Export Controls, and Compliance in the New Federal Landscape
This panel will explore how institutions can effectively implement federal policies, including NSPM-33 requirements, manage export controls, address foreign influence and conflicts of interest, protect sensitive research, and foster a culture of responsible research while maintaining productive domestic and international collaborations.
Confirmed Speakers:
Kelli Sharpe, Director of Public Relations, Jackson State University (JSU) (Moderator)
Brian Mitchell Warshawsky, Director of Research, Ethics, and Compliance, UC Berkeley
Dameion Brown, Director of Information Security & Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), JSU
Chris Jenkins, Assistant Director, Office of Research Compliance and Security, MSU
Marta Panickar, Director of Research Security, University of Mississippi
Dr. Brad Smith, Director of the Office of Research Security and Export Controls, USM
Location: Breakout 2
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10:00 AM
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Super Talk: MidDays with Gerard Gibert
Location: Hallway
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12:00 PM
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Lunch and Putting Together a Defense Deal
Pull back the curtain on how a defense or aerospace deal actually comes together in Mississippi and what it takes to get one across the finish line. Using the state's recent wins as live case studies, the panel maps a deal from different seats at the table: the company and its capital, the state's sites–incentives–workforce toolkit, and Washington D.C.'s authorization, appropriations, and requirements. A practical, over-lunch look at the anatomy of a deal and how Mississippi companies can position to win.
Confirmed Speakers:
Michael Grasso, Co-Founder and CEO, The Lumber Manufactory, Inc. (Moderator)
Patrick Besselievre, Project Manager–Aerospace & Defense, Mississippi Development Authority (MDA)
Tim Wolverton, Director of Legislative Affairs, Policy, and International Development, General Atomics
Shane Homan, Senior VP of Economic Development, Community Development Foundation (CDF)
Location: Grand Ballroom
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1:00 PM
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ADAM Member of the Year Award
Presented By:
Dr. Gary Butler, Founder and CEO, Camgian and Chairman of ADAM
Davis Pace, President and CEO, MSET
Location: Grand Ballroom
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2:00 PM
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Airport Tour
Location: Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport (JAN)
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4:45 PM
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Networking Reception
Location: Jackson State University Student Center
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Friday, September 4, 2026 |
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| 7:30 AM |
Breakfast Sponsored by Ingalls Shipbuilding
Location: Hallway
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| 8:00 AM |
Welcome Remarks—U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith
A federal keynote from Mississippi's U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith connecting congressional priorities, appropriations, and military construction to the state's aerospace and defense growth across Stennis and space, shipbuilding, and installations.
Confirmed Speakers:
U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, Mississippi
Location: Grand Ballroom
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| 8:30 AM |
Exhibit Hall Opens
Location: Exhibit Hall
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8:30 AM
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Working with Gov & DoW—Stennis Space Center
A working session on how companies engage the Department of War (DoW) and government customers—acquisition pathways, contracting mechanisms, and how to move from first contact to funded work and a program of record in Mississippi, rather than a dead-end demo. Focusing on: Doing business with Stennis Space Center and Mississippi’s UxS test & evaluation opportunities.
Confirmed Speakers:
Jace Ponder, Director, Governor's Office of Military Affairs, Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) (Moderator)
Dr. Joe Calantoni, Technical Director, U.S. Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command (CNMOC)
Dr. William Burnett, Director, National Data Buoy Center (NDBC)
Christine Powell, Director, NASA Stennis Space Center
Location: Grand Ballroom
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9:30 AM
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ADAM Member Showcase: Mississippi & American Dominance
Everybody can tell you what Mississippi builds. Fewer people can tell you what it costs to build here and how fast you can scale once you do. From Oxford to Gulfport, seabed autonomy to orbital access, Mississippi delivers across every domain. This session goes underneath that: what it takes to grow a company in Mississippi, from the operators doing it and the capital funding it.
Confirmed Speakers:
Rina White, Principal, Deep South Capital (Moderator)
George N. Nickolopoulos, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Integer Technologies
Zach Bergman, External Relations, The Spaceport Company
Location: Grand Ballroom
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10:15 AM
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Break
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10:30 AM
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Mississippi’s UxS Test & Evaluation Ecosystem
This panel will examine how organizations can use Mississippi's test and evaluation assets to scale and validate, while giving Warfighters access to realistic, mission-driven evaluation environments. Discover events such as Magnolia Crucible, which provide a visible focal point for government, industry, and private capital to test and validate solutions under realistic operational problems, conditions, and data.
Confirmed Speakers:
Bryan Farrell, Director, Raspet Flight Research Laboratory, MSU (Moderator)
Brig. Gen. Jamie Hankins, Director, Joint Staff, MSNG
Brig. Gen. (Ret.) John Nipp, Director Cyber Programs, Command Post Technologies
COL Kyle T. Moulton, Director, Operations/Plans/Training/Safety, U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC)
Brent McCullouch, Senior Project Coordinator, Command Post Technologies
Location: Grand Ballroom
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11:15 AM
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ADAM Member Showcase: Access Is the Product—Test, Launch, Operate
Rocket engines need test stands. Autonomous vessels need open water, airspace, and a port within reach. The preceding session laid out Mississippi's test and evaluation landscape; this one puts two operators on stage who have actually used it. Why Ocean Aero and Rocket Lab anchored test and production here, what the pathway looked like from inside the company rather than on a capabilities chart, and—with Camp Shelby now open to private industry under ATEC's new range initiative—what capacity the state still needs to build to capture what's coming next.
Confirmed Speakers:
John McKay, President and CEO, Mississippi Business Alliance (Moderator)
Keith Blystone, Chief of Staff/CFO, Ocean Aero
Jacob Rendon, Sr. Director of Neutron Development, Rocket Lab
Location: Grand Ballroom
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| 12:00 PM |
Lunch, Workforce Expansion in Mississippi, and Closing Remarks
Mississippi's defense industrial base grows only as fast as its talent pipeline. AccelerateMS, the state's Office of Workforce Development, joins MADS 2026 to lay out how education, training, and employers are being aligned around priority occupations and how companies can take advantage.
Confirmed Speakers:
Eric Hill, Chief Operating Officer, Glo (Moderator)
Trey Smith, Director of Talent Solutions, AccelerateMS
Erin Gordon, Industry Engagement Manager, AccelerateMS
Location: Grand Ballroom
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Event Attire
CONFERENCE: BUSINESS CASUAL
RECEPTIONS AND DINNER: POLISHED CASUAL