April 27th Agenda
7:30 AM – 8:30 AM | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Check-in 8:30 AM – 8:40 AM
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Room A+B ![]() Opening Remarks Bram Lillard (IDA) V. Bram Lillard assumed the role of Director of the Operational Evaluation Division (OED) in early 2022. In this position, Bram provides strategic leadership, project oversight, and direction for the division’s research program, which primarily supports the Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) within the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He also oversees OED’s contributions to strategic studies, weapon system sustainment analyses, and cybersecurity evaluations for DOD and anti-terrorism technology evaluations for the Department of Homeland Security. Bram joined IDA in 2004 as a member of the research staff. In 2013-14, he was the acting science advisor to DOT&E. He then served as OED’s assistant director in 2014-21, ascending to deputy director in late 2021. Prior to his current position, Bram was embedded in the Pentagon where he led IDA’s analytical support to the Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation office within the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He previously led OED’s Naval Warfare Group in support of DOT&E. In his early years at IDA, Bram was the submarine warfare project lead for DOT&E programs. He is an expert in quantitative data analysis methods, test design, naval warfare systems and operations and sustainment analyses for Defense Department weapon systems. Bram has both a doctorate and a master’s degree in physics from the University of Maryland. He earned his bachelor’s degree in physics and mathematics from State University of New York at Geneseo. Bram is also a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Senior Executives in National and International Security program, and he was awarded IDA’s prestigious Goodpaster Award for Excellence in Research in 2017. 8:40 AM – 9:20 AM
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Room A+B ![]() Keynote 3 The Honorable Christine Fox (Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory) The Honorable Christine Fox currently serves as a member of the President’s National Infrastructure Advisory Council, participates on many governance and advisory boards, and is a Senior Fellow at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. Previously, she was the Assistant Director for Policy and Analysis at JHU/APL, a position she held from 2014 to early 2022. Before joining APL, she served as Acting Deputy Secretary of Defense from 2013 to 2014 and as Director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation (CAPE) from 2009-2013. As Director, CAPE, Ms. Fox served as chief analyst to the Secretary of Defense. She officially retired from the Pentagon in May 2014. Prior to her DoD positions, she served as president of the Center for Naval Analyses from 2005 to 2009, after working there as a research analyst and manager since 1981. Ms. Fox holds a bachelor and master of science degree from George Mason University. 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM Room A+B
| Featured Panel: AI Assurance
Session Chair: Chad Bieber
This panel discussion will bring together an international group of AI Assurance Case experts from Academia and Government labs to discuss the challenges and opportunities of applying assurance cases to AI-enabled systems. The panel will discuss how assurance cases apply to AI-enabled systems, pitfalls in developing assurance cases, including human-system integration into the assurance case, and communicating the results of an assurance case to non-technical audiences. This panel discussion will be of interest to anyone who is involved in the development or use of AI systems. It will provide insights into the challenges and opportunities of using assurance cases to provide justified confidence to all stakeholders, from the AI users and operators to executives and acquisition decision-makers.10:30 AM – 10:50 AM
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Break 10:50 AM – 12:20 PM: Parallel Sessions Room A ![]()
| Session 4A: Transforming T&E to Assess Modern DoD Systems Session Chair: Kristen Alexander, DOT&E
Room B ![]()
| Session 4B: Artificial Intelligence Methods & Current Initiatives Session Chair: Brian Vickers, IDA
Room C
| Session 4C: Applications of Machine Learning and Uncertainty Quantification Session Chair: Jonathan Rathsam, NASA Langley Research Center
Room D
| Spotlight on Data Literacy Session Chair: Matthew Avery, IDA
Room E ![]()
| Mini-Tutorial 4 Session Chair: Gina Sigler, STAT COE
12:20 PM – 1:30 PM
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Lunch 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM: Parallel Sessions Room A ![]()
| Session 5A: Methods and Tools at National Labs Session Chair: Karl Pazdernik, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Room B ![]()
| Session 5B: Applications of Bayesian Statisics Session Chair: Victoria Sieck, STAT COE
Room C
| Session 5C: Methods and Tools for T&E Session Chair: Sam McGregor, AFOTEC
Room E ![]()
| Mini-Tutorial 5 Session Chair: John Haman, IDA
3:00 PM – 3:20 PM
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Break 3:20 PM – 4:20 PM: Parallel Sessions Room A ![]()
| Session 6A: Tools for Decision-Making and Data Management Session Chair: Tyler Lesthaeghe, University of Dayton Research Institute
Room B ![]()
| Session 6B: Methods for DoD System Supply Chain and Performance Estimation Session Chair: Margaret Zientek, IDA
Room C
| Session 6C: Statistical Methods for Ranking and Functional Data Types Session Chair: Elise Roberts, JHU/APL
Room E ![]()
| Mini-Tutorial 6 Session Chair: Elizabeth Gregory, NASA Langley Research Center
4:20 PM – 4:40 PM
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Room A+B ![]() Awards Army Wilks Award Wilks Award Winner to Be Announced ASA SDNS Student Poster Awards Student Winners to be Announced DATAWorks Distinguished Leadership Award Winner To Be Announced 4:40 PM – 4:50 PM
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Room A+B ![]() Closing Remarks General Norty Schwartz (U.S. Air Force, retired / Institute for Defense Analyses) Norton A. Schwartz serves as President of the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA), a nonprofit corporation operating in the public interest. IDA manages three Federally Funded Research and Development Centers that answer the most challenging U.S. security and science policy questions with objective analysis leveraging extraordinary scientific, technical, and analytic expertise. At IDA, General Schwartz (U.S. Air Force, retired) directs the activities of more than 1,000 scientists and technologists employed by IDA. General Schwartz has a long and prestigious career of service and leadership that spans over 5 decades. He was most recently President and CEO of Business Executives for National Security (BENS). During his 6-year tenure at BENS, he was also a member of IDA’s Board of Trustees. Prior to retiring from the U.S. Air Force, General Schwartz served as the 19th Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force from 2008 to 2012. He previously held senior joint positions as Director of the Joint Staff and as the Commander of the U.S. Transportation Command. He began his service as a pilot with the airlift evacuation out of Vietnam in 1975. General Schwartz is a U.S. Air Force Academy graduate and holds a master’s degree in business administration from Central Michigan University. He is also an alumnus of the Armed Forces Staff College and the National War College. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a 1994 Fellow of Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Seminar XXI. General Schwartz has been married to Suzie since 1981. |

