Speaker Bios

Richard Greenwood

Session: Operating in a Shifting Environment

Richard is an assurance partner in the Washington Metro technology practice with over 12 years of US experience in dealing with technology companies in all stages of development. Given his extensive experience in the software and internet sector, he is considered a subject matter expert in revenue recognition. Richard has recently led projects with several audit and non audit clients regarding the adoption of the new multiple element revenue recognition standards. He also sits on a National task force addressing developments in the new proposed revenue recognition exposure draft. He is also a regular presenter to external and internal audiences on the subject matter of revenue recognition.

Richard is a member of both the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He is a licensed CPA in the states of Massachusetts, Maryland and Washington DC.

Justin Lefevre

Session: Operating in a Shifting Environment

Justin Lefevre is based in the Baltimore office of PwC, specializing in matters relating to federal taxation, focusing primarily on multinational companies. He has over 11 years of experience in public accounting and is a member of the Financial Services Center of Excellence. Justin has extensive experience assisting public and private clients in in a wide variety of areas of including corporate and partnership tax consulting, tax compliance and financial statement preparation and review.

Justin received his B.S from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and his J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law. Justin is a member of the North Carolina State Bar.

Jeff Babka

Chief Operating Officer & Chief Financial Officer, Vibrant Media

Session: The Strategic CFO: Moving From Valuation to Value Creation

Jeff Babka has 35 years of experience in financial management of public and private companies, with a specific focus in the technology and telecommunications sectors.

Most recently, Jeff was CFO of Sophos, a global IT Security company based in Oxford, UK. Under Jeff's direction, Sophos made great progress on its IPO roadmap, having selected its underwriter slate and getting to within weeks of filing its F-1 with the SEC. In June, 2010, Sophos was acquired by Apax Partners in a transaction valuing the Company in excess of $830 million.

Prior to joining Sophos, Jeff was Senior Vice President and CFO of NeuStar, Inc., where he led NeuStar's efforts in support of its $700 million Initial Public Offering and listing on the New York Stock Exchange on June 29, 2005, and $700 million follow-on offering in December, 2005. In December 2005, NeuStar was awarded "IPO of the Year" for 2005 by International Financing Review and Renaissance Capital.

In 2006, he was the recipient of the Northern Virginia Technology Council's Public Company CFO of the Year Award.

Robert E. Weil

Chief Financial Officer, Restaurant Technologies, Inc.

Session: The Strategic CFO: Moving From Valuation to Value Creation

In 2007, Robert Weil joined RTI as Chief Financial Officer. Prior to RTI, Weil was CFO of MAIR Holdings, and Owner and Operator of Big Sky Airlines since 2000. He brings more than 15 years of finance and management experience to RTI. During his career at MAIR, Weil managed the business through significant change and complex financial dealings. Prior to MAIR, Weil held several financial positions at Northwest Airlines assuming increased responsibilities including Director of Finance for Ground Operations, Capital Planning and Financial Planning, and Analysis leadership roles. Weil is a graduate of Northwestern University with a BA in Economics and holds an MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Business.

Russell McGuire

Author and Senior Vice President of Strategy, Sprint

Session: The Power of Mobility: How Your Business
Can Compete & Win in the Next Technology Revolution

Russ McGuire is a leading strategist and visionary in the telecom industry. As vice president of strategy for Sprint, he is responsible for developing the strategic vision and strategic framework for the $40B+ telecommunications giant.

His experience includes 20 years in the telecom industry plus experience in the defense and nuclear power industries. Prior to joining Sprint, Russ was Chief Strategy Officer for TeleChoice, a leading business strategy consultancy solely focused on innovative telecom market opportunities. In this role he guided top executives from established and start-up telecom companies in developing core business strategies and market strategies to leverage their unique capabilities into sustainable market positions. Mr. McGuire was also highly sought out for his perspectives on the telecom industry as a top conference speaker and as a quoted resource in stories published by The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, The Associated Press, and many other national, industry, and local publications. Mr. McGuire has also been a regular columnist for Network World, Business Reform, and Success magazines.

Prior to TeleChoice, Mr. McGuire was vice president of strategic development for Williams Communications, where he was responsible for corporate strategy, new business analysis, and competitive intelligence. Mr. McGuire has also founded or co-founded two technology start-ups. Russ began his telecom career as a software developer for Northern Telecom. He has a Bachelors of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and has completed the Advanced Management Program for Telecommunications Executives at the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University. Russ also serves in Living Stones Ministries, helping churches leverage modern communications technologies.

Russ can be contacted at russ.s.mcguire@sprint.com.

Michael Scissons

President & CEO, Syncapse

Session: Social Media: From Trend to Investment

Michael Scissons is the President and CEO of Syncapse, a corporation he founded in 2007. Syncapse is the leading full-service social technology company that helps the world’s largest advertisers build, manage, and measure their connections with consumers in the digital landscape. As part of his role, Michael is responsible for overseeing global operations, product strategy, and service enhancements for Syncapse offerings and services developed for global companies including AB-inBEV, PepsiCo International, and Research in Motion, among many others.

Previously Michael served as the Canadian Director of Facebook media sales within the Interpublic network where he worked with companies to integrate their marketing into Facebook starting in early 2006. Stemming from a long-term entrepreneurial background, Michael has built multiple businesses in the online and offline worlds, manifesting a passion for business development at a very young age.

When Michael is not working ridiculously long hours, he likes to enjoy a good bottle of wine with his wife Adrienne and dog, Coco.

Wayne Pepper

Senior Presenter and Coach, David Allen Company

Session: Getting Things Done

Wayne is a Senior Presenter and Coach with the David Allen Company. He was introduced to Getting Things Done® in 1983, having participated in one of David Allen's first productivity seminars. Since 2005 he has presented the Getting Things Done methodology to audiences in the public and private sectors all over the world. His seminars are enthusiastically received by audiences large and small. Wayne is also responsible for training new presenters at the David Allen Company, and monitors the quality of the company's presentations.

Wayne graduated from Wesleyan University and UCLA with degrees in Theater Arts. He then honed his presentation skills working with Insight Seminars in Santa Monica until 1990. For over fifteen years Wayne held positions within the entertainment and online industries, working in product development and sales for such companies as Creative Artists Agency, Twentieth Century Fox, Grey Advertising, ACNielsen/EDI and IGN Entertainment. Wayne lives with his family in Southern California. He enjoys playing, coaching and refereeing soccer in his spare time.

The Honorable Richard A. Falkenrath, Ph.D.

Session: Cybersecurity: It’s a Hacker’s Market

Richard A. Falkenrath is a Principal with the Chertoff Group, a security and investment advisory consulting firm; Contributing Editor at Bloomberg News; and the Shelby Cullom and Kathryn W. Davis Adjunct Senior Fellow for Counterterrorism and Homeland Security at the Council on Foreign Relations. He is also a member of the Director’s Review Committee of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; the Threat Reduction Advisory Committee at the U.S. Department of Defense; and of the Aspen Strategy Group.

From July 2006 through April 2010 he served as Deputy Commissioner for Counterterrorism of the New York City Police Department, reporting directly to Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly. In this role he commanded the 350-person strong Counterterrorism Bureau; directed daily counterterrorism operations throughout New York City; managed the NYPD’s relationship with the Federal Bureau of Investigation through the Joint Terrorism Task Force; helped raise approximately $300 million in new federal grants for City-wide initiatives; and oversaw and implemented the most advanced urban security technology program in the world.

Prior to joining the NYPD, Dr. Falkenrath was the Stephen and Barbara Friedman Senior Fellow at The Brookings Institution, a private nonprofit organization devoted to independent research and innovative policy solutions in Washington, D.C. He was also an advisor and spokesman for Bush-Cheney 2004 reelection campaign; a security analyst at the Cable News Network (CNN); and a Managing Director at the Civitas Group LLC, a strategic advisory and investment firm.

Dr. Falkenrath served in the U.S. government from December 2000 until May 2004. In December 2000, Dr. Falkenrath joined the Bush-Cheney Transition Team, where he was involved in preparing for the presidential transition within the National Security Council. Immediately after the Presidential Inauguration in January 2001, Dr. Falkenrath joined the White House staff, where he served continuously until May 2004. His initial position was Director for Proliferation Strategy on the National Security Council staff, where he was responsibility for biological weapons proliferation and preparedness, missile defense, and Asian proliferation issues.

After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Dr. Falkenrath was named Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Policy and Plans within the Office of Homeland Security. In January 2003, he was promoted to Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Homeland Security Advisor. In these capacities, Dr. Falkenrath was responsible for developing and coordinating all aspects of U.S. homeland security policy and law, as well as counterterrorism threat assessment and response at all levels. He was the principal author of the National Strategy for Homeland Security and was centrally involved in the stand-up of the Department of Homeland Security, the Terrorist Threat Integration Center (the predecessor to today’s National Counterterrorism Center), and the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Center.

From September 1993 until December 2000, Dr. Falkenrath worked at the Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, first as a postdoctoral research fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs; then as Executive Director of the Center; and finally as Assistant Professor of Public Policy.

Dr. Falkenrath is a graduate of Occidental College, with degrees in economics and international relations. He holds a Ph.D. from the Department of War Studies at King’s College London, where he was a British Marshall Scholar. He is the author or coauthor of Shaping Europe’s Military Order. (1995), Avoiding Nuclear Anarchy (1996), America’s Achilles’ Heel: Nuclear, Biological, Chemical Terrorism and Covert Attack (1998), as well as numerous journal articles, chapters of edited volumes, prepared statements for congressional testimony, and op-ed articles.