- DisrupTV
DisrupTV is a weekly podcast with hosts R "Ray" Wang and Vala Afshar. The show airs live at 11:00 a.m. PT/ 2:00 p.m. ET every Friday. The audience can expect A-list guests, the latest enterprise news, hot startups, insight from influencers, and much more. Tweet questions to #DisrupTV or @DisrupTVShow. We broadcast live on StreamYard.
Show Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/ConstellationR
Featured Guests:
Dr. David Bray
Distinguished Chair of the Accelerator, Stimson Center & Principal/CEO, LDA Ventures Inc.
David A. Bray is Chair of the Accelerator at the Loomis Council and a Distinguished Fellow with the Stimson Center. He is also a non-resident Distinguished Fellow with the Business Executives for National Security, and a CEO and transformation leader for different “under the radar” tech and data ventures seeking to get started in novel situations. He is Principal at LeadDoAdapt Ventures and has served in a variety of leadership roles in turbulent environments, including bioterrorism preparedness and response from 2000-2005. Dr. Bray previously was the Executive Director for a bipartisan National Commission on R&D, provided non-partisan leadership as a federal agency Senior Executive, worked with the U.S. Navy and Marines on improving organizational adaptability, and aided U.S. Special Operation Command’s J5 Directorate on the challenges of countering disinformation online. He has received both the Joint Civilian Service Commendation Award and the National Intelligence Exceptional Achievement Medal. David accepted a leadership role in December 2019 to direct the successful bipartisan Commission on the Geopolitical Impacts of New Technologies and Data that included Senator Mark Warner, Senator Rob Portman, Rep. Suzan DelBene, and Rep. Michael McCaul. From 2017 to the start of 2020, David also served as Executive Director for the People-Centered Internet coalition Chaired by Internet co-originator Vint Cerf and was named a Senior Fellow with the Institute for Human-Machine Cognition starting in 2018. Business Insider named him one of the top “24 Americans Who Are Changing the World” under 40 and he was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. For twelve different startups, he has served as President, CEO, Chief Strategy Officer, and Strategic Advisor roles.
David enjoys creative problem-solving linking public and private endeavors. He began working for the U.S. government at age 15 on computer simulations at a high-energy physics facility investigating quarks and neutrinos. In later roles, he designed new telemedicine interfaces and space-based forest fire forecasting prototypes for the Department of Defense. From 1998-2000 he volunteered as a part-time crew lead with Habitat for Humanity International in the Philippines, Honduras, Romania, and Nepal while also working as a project manager with Yahoo! and a Microsoft partner firm. Dr. Bray then joined as IT Chief for the Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Program at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, leading the program’s technology response to 9/11, anthrax in 2001, Severe Acute Respiratory System in 2003, and other international public health emergencies. He later completed a PhD from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School and two post-doctoral associateships at MIT and Harvard in 2008.
David likes to be a digital diplomat and a “human flak jacket” for teams of change agents working in turbulent environments. He volunteered in 2009 to deploy to Afghanistan to help “think differently” on military and humanitarian issues and in 2010 became a Senior National Intelligence Service Executive advocating for increased information interoperability, cybersecurity, and protection of civil liberties. In 2012, he became the Executive Director for the bipartisan National Commission for Review of Research and Development Programs of the United States Intelligence Community, leading an interagency team that received the National Intelligence Meritorious Unit Citation. He received both the Arthur S. Flemming Award and Roger W. Jones Award for Executive Leadership in 2013. He also was chosen to be an Eisenhower Fellow to meet with leaders in Taiwan and Australia on multisector cyber strategies for the “Internet of Everything” in 2015. He is the author of 40+ academic papers and published publications.
David’s passions include complicated, near-impossible missions involving humans and technology in challenging circumstances. Through the efforts of a team of “positive change agents”, he led the transformation of the Federal Communication Commission’s legacy IT with more than 207 different systems to award-winning tech. This included rolling out new cloud-based IT that achieved results in 1/2 the time at 1/6 the cost. He was the recipient of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronic Association’s Outstanding Achievement Award for Civilian Government. He also received the global CIO 100 Award twice, which usually is awarded to private sector Fortune 500 companies, both in 2015 and 2017, for his transformational leadership in change-adverse settings. From 2017-2021, he both worked with multiple services associated with the U.S. Department of Defense on improving organizational adaptability and countering disinformation online – including personally surviving a disinformation attack that occurred in 2018. In 2019, he was invited to give the AI World Society Distinguished Lecture to the United Nations on UN Charter Day.
As Principal at LeadDoAdapt Ventures, Dr. Bray’s passions include providing Board-level and CEO-level leadership to different “under the radar” tech and data ventures seeking to get started in novel situations to include activities that shape the Future of Data, Bio, and Space. He provides strategic direction, advice, and leadership to organizations confronting turbulent environments on multiple topics ranging from quantum computing to commercial space endeavors; synthetic biology to data cooperatives paired with AI. He accepted a role of Co-Chair for 2016-2017 with an IEEE Committee focused on Artificial Intelligence, automated systems, and innovative policies globally and has been serving as a Visiting Executive In-Residence at Harvard University since 2015 and as a Faculty Member giving talks on Impact and Disruption at Singularity University since 2017. In 2021 and 2022, he was named a Distinguished Fellow with the Atlantic Council. In 2023, he was named a distinguished Academy Fellow with the National Academy of Public Administration focused on the role of transformative technologies, like AI, on public service.
In 2022, the Business Executives for National Security welcomed him as a Distinguished Fellow focused on the intersection of transformative technologies, global collaborations, and over-the-horizon challenges for the future ahead. David has been an invited keynote speaker to CEOs, world leaders, and crowds of more than 3,000 participants at events in India, Vietnam, Australia, Taiwan, Dubai, South Africa, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Canada, Belgium, Sweden, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
Sue Gordon
Transformative Leader & Disruptive Technologies Expert, Former Top-Ranking National Intelligence & National Security Official
Sue M. Gordon is regarded as one of the most accomplished leaders in the history of national security, having served as the country’s number two ranking intelligence official and a trusted advisor to our nation’s key decision makers. As the Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence (PDDNI), she co-led the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and oversaw the entire Intelligence Community (IC), comprised of over a dozen agencies that collect information on threats against the United States. In particular, Gordon’s transformative leadership focused on integrating intelligence across the organization, expanding outreach and partnerships, driving innovation, and advancing diversity and inclusion throughout the Community.
With over three decades of legendary and dedicated service, Gordon has led at every level of the Intelligence Community with roles spanning numerous organizations and disciplines, learning to “see the world as it is, not as she prefers it to be.” Exclusively represented by Leading Authorities speakers bureau, she draws on this experience to provide a nonpartisan analysis on the future of national security and cyber security, as well as inspire effective leadership in an age of disruption. Through personal anecdotes from her time in the IC, she charismatically motivates audiences to challenge the status quo, adapt to changing environments, and apply innovation to their business. Known for her ability to apply new technologies, modernize organizations, and increase collaboration, Gordon speaks expertly on the changed world in which we find ourselves today, and the importance of honing the crafts of innovation and leadership to successfully build our future.
Prior to assuming the role of PDDNI, Gordon served as the Deputy Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) from 2015 to 2017. In this role, she helped to lead the agency and manage the National System of Geospatial Intelligence. Gordon was instrumental in driving NGA’s transformation to meet the challenges of a 21st century intelligence agency, championing agile governance, recruitment and retention of a diverse workforce, and expansion of geospatial intelligence services to the open marketplace.
Before her assignment with NGA, Gordon served for 27 years at the Central Intelligence Agency and was involved in some of the most monumental operations in U.S. history, including the raid of Osama Bin Laden. During her tenure, she rose to senior executive positions in each of the Agency’s four directorates: operations, analysis, science and technology, and support. In 1998, Gordon designed and spearheaded the formation of In-Q-Tel – a private, non-profit company that accelerates the development and delivery of cutting-edge technologies to national security agencies.
Gordon has been recognized for her creative executive leadership through numerous awards, including the Distinguished Intelligence and Distinguished Career Intelligence medals, Presidential Rank awards, and the Oliver Baker and William Webster awards. She is renowned for her commitment to mentorship and diversity, equity, and inclusion, serving as a champion for the LGBTQIA+ community.
Gordon frequently appears as a commentator on MSNBC, where she continues to share her sought-after expertise on the news of the day as it relates to national intelligence and security. In addition to serving as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Defense Innovation Board, Gordon is a fellow at Duke and Harvard Universities. She also sits on several boards, including as an independent director for Security Scoreboard, CACI International, BlackSky, and the Mitre Corporation; is a senior advisor for Pallas Advisors, the Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, and Primer.ai. Gordon is an advisory board member for Infleqtion, is a strategic advisor for Girl Security, and consults for several companies. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in zoology (biomechanics) from Duke University where she was a three-time captain of the Duke Women’s Basketball team.
Barry O'Sullivan
University College Cork, Ireland, and Member of the Irish Government’s AI Advisory Council
Prof. Barry O'Sullivan PhD, FAAAI, FAAIA, FEurAI, FIAE, FICS, MRIA is an award-winning academic and founding director of several internationally-focused and world-leading research organisations. He is an internationally regarded expert in artificial intelligence, constraint programming, AI ethics and policy. He contributes to several global Track II diplomacy efforts related to the geopolitics of AI, especially in their responsible use in intelligence and international security domains.
He is a full professor at the School of Computer Science & IT at University College Cork and has served as a member of its Governing Body. He is founding Director of the Insight SFI Research Centre for Data Analytics at UCC and Director of the SFI Centre for Research Training in AI. He is founding Editor-in-Chief of ACM AI Letters.
Prof. O'Sullivan is a Fellow and a past President of the European AI Association. He is also a Fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) and a Fellow of the Asia-Pacific AI Association. In 2018 Prof. O'Sullivan was appointed Vice Chair of the European Commission’s High-Level Expert Group on AI which developed the EU's approach to Trustworthy AI. He served as advisor to the EC's Joint Research Centre and currently serves as EU delegate to the Global Partnership on AI.
In 2019 Prof. O’Sullivan was appointed by Ireland’s Minister for Health to the Health Research Consent Declaration Committee. In 2020 he was appointed Chair of the Oversight Board of Health Data Research UK (North). In 2021 he was appointed by the Minister for Health as Chair of the National Research Ethics Committee for Medical Devices. In 2022 he was appointed by the Minister for Trade Promotion, Digital & Company Regulation to the Enterprise Digital Advisory Forum and to the Governments's AI Advisory Council In 2024.
His awards include: Fellow of the European AI Association (2012), UCC’s Leadership Award (2013), ACP Distinguished Service Award (2014), Science Foundation Ireland Researcher of the Year (2016), UCC Researcher of the Year (2017), elected to the Royal Irish Academy (2017), Fellow of the Irish Computer Society (2018), Fellow of the Irish Academy of Engineering (2019), IPEC-EATCS Nerode Prize (2020), Science Foundation Ireland Best International Engagement Award (2021), Fellow of the Asia-Pacific AI Association (2022), Fellow of the Association for the Advancement of AI (2022), European AI Association’s Distinguished Service Award (2023).
Prof. O’Sullivan has been involved in winning and overseeing over €400m in R&D funding.
