Jeff Barnes serves as the Vice President of Affinity Partnerships for Moen’s Smart Water division, where he focuses on helping homeowners prevent the disruption, frustration, and expense of in-home flooding through innovative insurance and affinity partnerships. Before joining Moen at the end of 2023, Jeff led business development and partnerships at ADT Security for over eight years. During his tenure, he established key relationships with major national insurance brands, emphasizing the importance of delivering exceptional customer experiences while generating substantial claims savings for partners. With over seven years at Florida Power & Light and over 20 years in the service contract industry - Jeff has consistently demonstrated his ability to create new business channels and develop solutions that drive growth, reduce costs, and enhance consumer satisfaction. Residing in South Florida with his wife, Wendy, and their two poodles, Jeff enjoys spending time with his three adult children and his one remarkable granddaughter. Connect with Jeff on LinkedIn at www.LinkedIn.com/in/jjeffbarnes and learn more about Moen’s innovative solution for helping prevent in-home flooding at www.Moen.com/Flo.

Olivier Bernard is a seasoned technology leader with over 25 years of experience in marketing, strategy, and engineering, specializing in the IoT and M2M industries since 2005. He currently is a Principal IoT Specialist with AWS, where he drives the global go-to-market strategy for consumer products and the Smart Home. Before joining AWS, he was the Director of High-Performance IoT at Arm, where he led business development and corporate initiatives across the IoT value chain, collaborating with OEMs, ODMs, and Silicon Partners. Prior to that, he served as Executive Vice President at Maestro Wireless, where he founded the company’s American subsidiary before its successful acquisition by Lantronix. Olivier holds a diploma of Engineer from ESIEE (France), an MSEE from the University of Southern California, and an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley.

Andrew leads Tractive's pet GPS tracking and health monitoring business in North America. Previously he led the US business for Furbo Dog Camera and wildlife conservation technology initiatives for Vulcan. Prior to that he helped launch Trunk Club in Chicago as head of marketing. Andrew is the author of the ZooBorns book series with over 2 million books sold. He serves on the Board of the Seattle Aquarium and holds a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Cetingok is a Senior Managing Director within Raymond James’s Investment Banking department and currently serves as Global Head of the firm’s Diversified Industrials practice as well as Sector Head of the firm’s Security & Safety sector team. Mr. Cetingok joined Raymond James in 2012 as Co-Head of the Security, Defense & Government Services Group in connection with Raymond James’s acquisition of Morgan Keegan. In 2018, Mr. Cetingok assumed the dual role of Group Head of the Diversified Industrials practice, which is comprised of approximately 125 bankers across eight sector teams globally, and Sector Head of the Security & Safety group. In this capacity, Mr. Cetingok is responsible for sourcing, evaluating, and executing private placements, public and private offerings of debt and equity, and mergers & acquisitions transactions for companies serving the global security and safety industries. Mr. Cetingok has been actively covering the security and safety industries for approximately 25 years, and under his leadership, Raymond James’s Security & Safety Group has completed approximately 175 M&A and financing transactions, making it the industry’s most prolific investment banking franchise. Mr. Cetingok is also a member of the firm’s Capital Markets Committee. Prior to joining Raymond James, Mr. Cetingok spent approximately 15 years at Morgan Keegan, where he founded and led the firm’s Security & Defense Group. During his tenure at Morgan Keegan, Mr. Cetingok assumed increasing levels of responsibility within the Investment Banking department and held the distinction of being the youngest Managing Director in the firm’s history. Mr. Cetingok was also a member of the firm’s Investment Banking Management Committee and Chairman of its Transaction Committee. Mr. Cetingok was recognized by The M&A Advisor as a 40 Under 40 Dealmaker award recipient. Mr. Cetingok graduated magna cum laude from Rhodes College with a B.A. in Business Administration and International Studies. He is also a member of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society.

John Hughes is the Chief Engineer for residential controls at Trane Technologies. John's responsibilities in this role include innovation, process improvement, mentoring, technical capability building, and sustainment. John is active in the Air Conditioning Heating and Refrigeration Institute Demand Response Task Force (AHRI 1380). As Chair of the Home Connectivity Alliance Technical Workgroup, John is leading the integration between 13 major appliance brands to improve user experience and help consumers make smarter choices about energy usage. Since 2014, John has held various roles at Trane, including Controls Systems Engineering Manager, and Home Controls Engineering Manager. Prior to working for Trane, John worked for L-3 Communications and Southwest Research Institute as a Project Engineer, Systems Engineer, and Radio Frequency Design Engineer.

Dave Kranzler is the Director, IoT Services at Amazon Web Services. His mission is to help IoT device and solution builders across all industry verticals connect to the AWS Cloud, by providing the device-to-cloud software, tools, and services necessary to accelerate that journey. Prior to joining AWS, Dave was an IoT solution and device builder. He was Senior Vice President of Product Development at three IoT pioneers: SkyBell (smart home), Trilliant Networks (smart metering and smart grid), and Savi Technology (smart logistics). He was also a General Manager at Broadcom and Cypress Semiconductor, where he specialized in microprocessors, high-speed memories, and networking chips for embedded devices. Dave holds a BSEE from MIT and an MBA from Santa Clara University.

Sujata Neidig has 25 years of experience in the semiconductor industry and has served in a variety of roles ranging from product engineering to marketing and business development. She is currently Director of Marketing i.MX Processors Software and Customer Programs. She also represents NXP as the Vice President of Marketing of the Thread Group, an industry alliance that provides an IP-based wireless mesh networking protocol designed for homes and buildings. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.

Sean O'Neil, CEO, Cardinal Peak (FPT Software)

David Porter is the Managing Director of Vivint, an NRG company, where he leads the award-winning smart home and security brand. Mr. Porter was appointed to his current role in January of 2025, following several years in senior executive roles with Vivint. In his previous role as Chief Operating Officer, he oversaw field operations, supply chain, procurement, and customer experience and retention, helping cement Vivint's position as an innovative leader in the smart home and security industry. Prior to joining Vivint, Mr. Porter spent 14 years at Cummins Inc., a global manufacturer of diesel engines, where he held various leadership and executive roles across manufacturing, procurement, marketing distribution, and logistics. A retired United States Army Captain, he received his Bachelor of Science degree from Arizona State University, and his Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School. He and his wife Nola have been married for 32 years and have four adult children and two grandchildren.

Eric Villines brings over 20 years of experience in communications, consumer branding, and reputation management. As Head of Global Communications for Anker Innovations, he manages global communications strategy for its brands, including Anker, the world’s #1 mobile charging brand, and eufy, a leader in home automation and security. An accomplished author and speaker, Eric’s career spans diverse industries, including entertainment, consumer technology, energy, government affairs, and financial services. Outside of work, he enjoys skiing, surfing, traveling, and supporting nonprofits focused on human rights and environmental conservation.

Matt Alba is a seasoned telecom professional with over 17 years of experience in the communications industry. Since September 2024, he has served as a Product Manager at GVTC, where he focuses on developing innovative solutions that enhance connectivity and drive business growth. With deep expertise in telecom networks and cooperative operations, Matt's mission is bridging technology and customer needs, ensuring strategic alignment and competitive positioning. His passion for innovation, product development, and cross-functional collaboration makes him a key driver of success in the evolving telecom landscape.

Bringing over a decade of experience in the technology industry, Marcus has specialized in Conversational AI, with a keen focus on the security sector. At Replicant.ai, Marcus has partnered with numerous organizations to elevate service levels, drive operational efficiencies, and enhance profit margins. He will be sharing his insights at the Parks Associates’ CONNECTIONS event, where he continues to champion the transformative potential of AI in customer interactions.

Casey Anderson is a seasoned software engineering executive with over 25 years of experience driving innovation in smart home connectivity, embedded systems, and IoT solutions. He currently serves as the Senior Director of Controls Software Engineering at Lennox, where he leads the development of next-generation HVAC control systems that integrate seamlessly into connected home ecosystems. Prior to Lennox, Casey led a global team of software engineers at Allegion, the parent company of Schlage Locks, where he directed major initiatives across mobile, IoT, and SaaS platforms. His work was instrumental in delivering a connected lock solution that became foundational to Allegion’s connectivity and IoT strategy. Casey’s passion for home automation was honed during his career at Control4, where was designed and developed the first and second generations of home automation controllers and media distribution devices. At Tendril (now Uplight), he helped pioneer an energy management platform that connected utilities and consumers through intelligent thermostats and residential demand response programs. An advocate for interoperability and open standards, Casey has contributed extensively to the smart home ecosystem through his leadership roles with the Zigbee Alliance—now the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA). He served on the board of directors and held chair and secretary positions in multiple working groups, helping to shape standards that underpin today’s interoperable connected home devices.

Greg Baldauf is a seasoned professional in the SmartHome and Broadband industries, currently serving as the Director of Smart Life & Cloud Partnerships with Calix. Leveraging his extensive experience, Greg helps Calix drive the future of smart life solutions through strategic technology alignments and innovative partnerships. Greg leads initiatives to find partners in strategic alignment with Calix’s mission to help broadband service providers Simplify, Innovate, and Grow their businesses. Focusing on revenue generation and value creation, Greg’s leadership demonstrates a commitment to delivering advanced solutions creating value for his customers. Previously, Greg held key roles in various broadband, consulting, and technology firms refining his skills in revenue-generating strategies and earned a patent for his work launching the first residential connected door lock with Schlage. His expertise makes him a thought leader in the industry. Calix, a leading FTTx provider, supports over 1,800 fiber-based ISPs globally. Investing over $1.4B in R&D over the last 10 years, Calix has built a platform that enables rapid deployment of managed hardware and software services, creating long-term value for businesses, shareholders, and subscribers. To date, Calix has over 70 diverse partnerships creating even more value for joint customers.

Jeff Bales is a leading voice in IoT and insurance loss prevention, with over 15 years of experience driving sales, business development, and innovation at companies like GE Lighting, Comcast, and Pepper IoT. He currently serves as VP of Insurance Partnerships at Flume Water, where he works with insurers to implement connected home technology for proactive risk management. Jeff brings a unique blend of technical insight and industry expertise, helping insurers modernize their offerings and better protect policyholders in a digital world.

Ben Berg, Senior Director Product Management, Video, Alarm.com

Dr. Petrut Bogdan is Neuromorphic Architect at Innatera Nanosystems where he focuses on Hardware-Software co-design, product development and system architecture. He currently co-chairs the Neuromorphic Working Group of the EDGE AI Foundation, aiming to address grand challenges within neuromorphic computing by bringing together industrial and academic experts and offering long term support to open developments. Dr. Bogdan holds a BSc and PhD from the Department of Computer Science at the University of Manchester, UK. His research focused on bio-inspired learning and real-time modelling of very large-scale spiking neural networks modelled on the SpiNNaker 1 million ARM core brain-inspired computer.

CEO & Co-founder, Holios Jay Cahill is CEO and co-founder of Holios, a leading analytics platform for smart product companies. Holios helps product, marketing, and operations teams optimize product performance, customer engagement, and market fit using real-time data from connected devices. Prior to launching Holios, Jay co-founded Bluefin Technology Partners, a top provider of cloud and IoT solutions. He brings over two decades of experience driving enterprise growth and innovation across software, SaaS, and smart home technologies. Jay’s work with leading brands has helped reshape how smart product companies align KPIs such as activation, engagement and retention with actual consumer behavior. At the roundtable, he brings a data-centric perspective to bundling strategies, pricing optimization, and performance benchmarking.

Victor Carrasco is the Director of Strategic Accounts for Johnson Controls' Intrusion Products division. Victor has 20 plus years of experience in the security industry. Starting at ADT Security's commercial division in multiple roles from sales to project management for a total of 8 plus years. Then moving on to the Tyco product side of the house for the past 13 years, working on special projects and programs, eventually moving to a role of leading a great team in North America focused on partnering with some of the best companies in our industry.

Naveen Chhangani, SVP & Chief Product Officer, ADT

With over 30 years of experience in the consumer electronics, IoT, and smart technology industries, I have a proven track record of launching and scaling disruptive products and technologies in various markets and channels. I specialize in IoT strategy and partnerships, business development, VC funding, retail sales and marketing, and training. I have worked with global carriers, distributors, resellers, and retailers to deliver innovative and customer-centric solutions that enhance convenience, security, and efficiency. I am passionate about creating value for customers, stakeholders, and partners by leveraging my expertise in IoT, AI, wireless power, and access control.

Chad Conway, is Founding Partner of 981, a seed stage firm accelerating impact through supporting visionary founders building amazing hardware products that customers love. Being a former builder and Tesla product leader, he takes a hands-on approach, bringing an exclusive network of experienced operators to help founders build, launch, and scale faster. Pila Energy is one of the companies Chad has been advising. Before 981, Chad built SPAN from a napkin sketch into one of the fastest-growing hardware startups. Chad began his career at Tesla leading Powerwall development.

Brad Cook, Head of Product and Integrations, Alfred International, Inc.

Charlie Dougherty is a Senior Product Manager for Kwikset, leading the company’s portfolio of Matter, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth connected smart locks. Leveraging career experience in marketing both software and hardware products across a variety of smart home categories, Charlie is responsible for developing and launching innovative smart home solutions for Kwikset. Most recently, he drove the launch of Halo Select, the company’s first offering to support both Wi-Fi and Matter connectivity.

Gilles Drieu is an accomplished and passionate engineering leader with 25 years of experience in Silicon Valley, driving innovation and developing world-class products across renowned companies including Adobe, Apple, Motorola, Zendesk, and Google. Gilles is currently the Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President of Product Engineering at ADT, where he drives the development and deployment of next-generation smart home security systems that are transforming the industry and enhancing consumer safety. Before joining ADT, Gilles spent 9 years at Google, working on Nest, Home, Chromecast, and Assistant products, where he played a key role in delivering the Helpful Home vision with a global presence and millions of users. He also dedicated a couple of years to Data Protection and Privacy Engineering across Google’s entire product portfolio. Prior to his time at Google, Gilles held senior management positions at Adobe, Apple, Motorola, and Zendesk, where he launched numerous web, mobile, and SaaS products and technologies. He holds a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from l’Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Paris and a Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Rouen.

Tim Eskew is a highly accomplished Director of Residential Electronic Products at Schlage where he is responsible for Schlage’s portfolio of connected home products, cloud platform, mobile software and industry partnerships. Prior to joining Schlage, Tim has lead product, business development, and partnerships in a range of industries including connected fitness, embedded wireless, and smart meeting. Always curious, Tim is passionate about solving customer problems through innovative products, software, and services.

Reynolds F. (RF) Barnes, Senior Director in the Client Computing Group at Intel, is a industry veteran with over 25 years of wireless experience. Currently, RF leads Business Development and Strategic Initiatives where he drives global engagements to identify collaboration opportunities that help Intel and the broader ecosystem deliver leading wireless technologies and products, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and other related solutions for PC and IoT platforms. Prior to his current role as Business Development and Strategic Initiatives, RF held numerous leadership positions across Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Cellular products at Intel driving innovation above and beyond the standards to continuously improve the connectivity experience for anyone using a PC. He joined Intel in 2002 and was part of the team that developed Intel’s first Wi-Fi products enabling the Centrino mobile PC revolution. RF holds a BS in Computer Engineering and an MBA from The University of Texas as well as a BS in Computer Science from The University of Houston.

Laura is an accomplished product and sourcing leader with nearly three decades of experience in product development, merchandising, sourcing, logistics, cost negotiation and collaboration across global markets. As Director of Product and Product Partnerships at Brinks Home, she leads strategic initiatives that drive innovation, efficiency, and growth in the smart home security sector. Prior to Brinks Home, Laura held multiple leadership roles at Payless ShoeSource, where she managed global sourcing and product development, spearheading initiatives across North America, Latin America, Australia, the Middle East and Asia.

A successful forty five year career in the electronic security & telecommunications industry that includes building and leading the largest security, life safety, PERS and video third-party monitoring center in the US, with a proven executive track record in increasing revenue and opening new market verticals. Over a ten year period of focus and effort resulted in growing the company from a forty five thousand account regional center to over five hundred thousand accounts with fifty million dollars in annual revenue. Created the business plan, solicited the financing and secured a one hundred million dollar credit facility to fund the start up of King Capital Financial Services, which grew to become one of the longest running Dealer Financial & Acquisition Programs in the security industry. Providing Subject Matter Expert advisory for litigation, M&A and operations both domestically and internationally for the past 20 years.

Over 30 years in commercial insurance focusing primarily on emerging business risks related to new technologies. Recognized as the inventor of cyber insurance-see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyber_insurance Developed the first cyber insurance underwriting platform and policy in 1997. CEO of INSIREtrust from 1997 until 2020. Developed a number of micro embedded insurance products for the smart home industry. Examples are porch piracy protection for theft of packages being monitored by cameras. Similar coverage for water leaks and theft. Recently released new cyber insurance products for families and indviduals that can be delivered by smart home companies. Former Board Member and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Georgia State University Risk Management Foundation. Early in my career I focused on Fortune 2,000 property risks insured by FM Global.

Sharon Hagi serves as Chief Security Officer of Silicon Labs, where he leads the company’s comprehensive risk-based cybersecurity strategies and programs. Sharon has over 23 years of security experience in multiple technology disciplines. Prior to Silicon Labs, Sharon served as Vice President of Security at Ethoca, a Mastercard company, and Chief Technology Strategist at IBM Security. Sharon is a recognized subject matter expert and respected thought leader in IoT security where he has been promoting the vision and benefits of integrating silicon-rooted trust models and secure manufacturing operations. He holds patents in information security and applied machine learning and is a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). Sharon received his Honors BSc degrees in Computer Science and Physics from the University of Toronto, and he currently volunteers as a subject matter expert with the International Information System Security Certification Consortium (ISC)².

George Hechtman George’s role as Founding Principal at Hechtman Venture Development is that of a general contractor of sorts: identification of market opportunities, partnerships development, assembling the right “sub-contractors” for the project. Prior to founding HVD, George’s professional career included: · 2003-2007 President of PCI, a 100,000-subscriber cellular provider and mobile products distributor. George founded HVD after the company merged into a publicly held sister company in 2007. · 2000-2003 Head Administrative Officer, Good Guys Inc a $750million consumer electronics retailer, responsible for real estate, MIS, IT and HR. · 1994-1999, Senior Vice President, head of Western Division, OfficeMax Inc. Grew the division from 105 to 350 stores, managed expansion into Mexico. Active Memberships and involvement: Consumer Technology Association (CTA) https://www.cta.tech/ 5G Use Cases working group Winning at Wireless Retail Working Group Wireless Internet Service Provider Association (WISPA) https://www.wispa.org/ Speaker and/or moderator at semi-annual conferences Most recently moderated MDU retrofit panel, spoke on new technologies panel at March WISPAmerica Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) https://wballiance.com/ Currently leading “MDU Centralized Connectivity Management” project group Contributor: Wi-Fi Sensing. OpenRoaming Implementers, Operator Managed IoT and Smart Home, Wi-Fi HaLow project groups Security Industry Association (SIA) https://www.securityindustry.org/ The Marconi Society https://marconisociety.org/ Telecom Infra Project: Open Converged Wi-FI (TIP OpenLAN) TIP OCW, OpenLAN project groups. California Emerging Technology Fund, Board of Expert Advisors.

Morgan Hertel, with over 40 years of experience in the electronic security industry, is a well-respected leader who has served in many executive leadership roles for independent security integration companies and monitoring centers. Currently, as Vice President of Technology & Innovation for Rapid Response Monitoring, Morgan evaluates and harnesses the synergy between the latest technological advancements and the industry’s leading service providers to further advance the unmatched Dealer services of Rapid Response. Morgan serves as President of The Monitoring Association (TMA) and is actively involved in many local and national industry associations and initiatives, and he dedicates countless hours to the work of several forward-thinking committees throughout the industry, as well. Morgan holds the following certificates and licenses: NICET Level III Fire Alarm Technology, California Alarm Company Qualified Manager, Oregon Certified Trainer, Oregon Executive Manager, TMA Level I and II Central Station Operator, SIA Certified Operator and ESA Certified Alarm Installer.

John Hughes is the Chief Engineer for residential controls at Trane Technologies. John's responsibilities in this role include innovation, process improvement, mentoring, technical capability building, and sustainment. John is active in the Air Conditioning Heating and Refrigeration Institute Demand Response Task Force (AHRI 1380). As Chair of the Home Connectivity Alliance Technical Workgroup, John is leading the integration between 13 major appliance brands to improve user experience and help consumers make smarter choices about energy usage. Since 2014, John has held various roles at Trane, including Controls Systems Engineering Manager, and Home Controls Engineering Manager. Prior to working for Trane, John worked for L-3 Communications and Southwest Research Institute as a Project Engineer, Systems Engineer, and Radio Frequency Design Engineer.

Anthony Iannone is an experienced enterprise technology and operations executive with strong problem-solving skills who specializes in creating and implementing innovative and cost-effective solutions in the security and information technology spaces. With over twenty years of experience in the life safety and security verticals, many of which were focused on IP video and PERS technology development, he was selected as a leader in the security technology industry by Security System News as part of their 2019 '40 Under 40' list. He also has extensive experience in the specification, design, and construction of emergency command and life safety monitoring centers. Today, Anthony is a director at Affiliated Monitoring, one of the largest wholesale / third-party providers of life safety and IoT monitoring services in the United States. Anthony and his team are responsible for Affiliated's Live Agent Driven Video & PERS Monitoring solutions and technologies, and he led the charge for Affiliated to become the first third-party monitoring provider to achieve a UL827B listing for hosted and monitored video services. A graduate of the University of Manitoba, Anthony resides in South Orange, New Jersey with his wife Elizabeth and son Miles. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking, attending hockey games, and travelling.

Bryce has nearly 30 years of experience driving business growth globally with a strong emphasis on technology solutions. Currently the Chief Revenue Officer at Savant, he leads sales strategy, operations, and customer service for both the Savant professional smart home and power business and the GE Lighting, a Savant company retail business, while ensuring that the company continues to launch groundbreaking solutions and partnerships that are revolutionizing the smart home, power, and lighting spaces. Most recently he was President and an Operating Partner of Ascent Ventures where he directed strategic oversight of a dynamic portfolio of SaaS, solar, sales enablement, fintech, consumer and multi-site services, and construction companies. He served as both C-Suite and board member for multiple companies within the portfolio. In the five years prior, he served as Chief Sales Officer and Senior Vice President of Global Sales at Control4, where he led the worldwide sales organization with a focus on strengthening Control4’s channel presence, accelerating the business, and working with the field organization, dealers, and distributors to sell and deliver smart solutions to home and business owners. Previously, Bryce led sales and business operations for Nokia Corporation’s subdivision, Motive Inc., a customer experience management platform for connected devices and mobile services, including home automation and IoT. As Division COO he drove the company’s annual revenue from $50 million to $500 million. Before this he served in various executive level positions across Sales, Operations, Product & Business Development, and Marketing at Sprint-Nextel Corporation, which is now T-Mobile. Bryce is a certified Six Sigma Green Belt, a former Board Member of the Home Technology Association (2017-2021), and currently sits on the CEDIA Government Affairs committee. He has a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of San Francisco and holds an MBA from the University of Virginia.

Adam Justice is the CEO of Grid Connect Inc., a leading provider of IoT solutions, helping OEMs bring secure, innovative smart home products to market. Under his leadership, Grid Connect has developed proprietary smart home devices and collaborated with top brands—including Moen, Schlage, Rollease, and Wayne Water—to create connected products that integrate seamlessly with platforms such as Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, and Matter. With extensive experience in smart home security and interoperability, Adam understands the critical role of data protection in building consumer trust. He is a recognized voice in the industry, co-hosting The Smart Home Show, one of the longest-running and most popular podcasts covering smart home trends and challenges. Adam began his career as a consultant at Accenture, working on IT and systems projects for Fortune 500 companies before joining Grid Connect in 2009. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Informatics from Indiana University and is dedicated to advancing secure, user-friendly connected home solutions.

Val Kamenski is the Co-CEO and COO of Klika Tech, a global technology solutions and consulting company specializing in cloud computing, Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence, and embedded systems solutions. With over 15 years of experience delivering successful software projects to global clients, Val co-founded Klika Tech to help companies succeed in the IoT-driven world. Prior to founding Klika Tech, he led diverse engineering teams for clients in the U.S. and Europe, building complex systems for organizations such as IMAX and MTV. Beginning his career as a software developer, Val has maintained a deep-rooted passion for technology, artificial intelligence, and business innovation. He is particularly interested in the application of technology in real-world scenarios, with a focus on property technology (PropTech) where he believes technology can make a significant difference.

Dr. Wacks has been a pioneer in establishing the home systems industry and a management advisor to 150 clients worldwide. His business spans home and building systems, utility customer services, and digital entertainment networks (including HDTV and IPTV). Clients seek his help to locate strategic business partners, financing, and new customers. He also provides due-diligence for investors and expert witness services for litigants. Please visit www.kenwacks.com for information about clients and projects. He was appointed by the United States Department of Energy to the 13-member GridWise Architecture Council to develop smart grid strategies for reliable and efficient distribution of electricity. The Consumer Electronics Association chose Dr. Wacks to chair the international committee (ISO/IEC) establishing world standards for home and building systems and energy management. In addition, he has written American National Standards in home automation. Dr. Wacks chairs the Editorial Advisory Board of the CABA magazine iHomes & Buildings (available at www.caba.org) and is a featured contributor under the byline “Ken Wacks’Perspectives.” Dr. Wacks received his Ph.D. from MIT as a Hertz Fellow and studied at the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Lily Knowles serves as Arlo’s SVP of Strategic Partnerships, Marketing and CX. Prior to joining Arlo, Ms. Knowles was SVP of Marketing at VIZIO where she led global marketing for VIZIO’s products and services, including corporate marketing, product marketing, retail marketing, digital marketing and partnerships. Ms. Knowles has held senior GTM leadership roles for over 20 years with CE and IOT companies including Cisco-Linksys, Fabrik/SimpleTech and Universal Electronics. She holds an MBA from the University of California, Irvine, and a B.A. of Biochemisty from Azusa Pacific University.

Dave Kranzler is the Director, IoT Services at Amazon Web Services. His mission is to help IoT device and solution builders across all industry verticals connect to the AWS Cloud, by providing the device-to-cloud software, tools, and services necessary to accelerate that journey. Prior to joining AWS, Dave was an IoT solution and device builder. He was Senior Vice President of Product Development at three IoT pioneers: SkyBell (smart home), Trilliant Networks (smart metering and smart grid), and Savi Technology (smart logistics). He was also a General Manager at Broadcom and Cypress Semiconductor, where he specialized in microprocessors, high-speed memories, and networking chips for embedded devices. Dave holds a BSEE from MIT and an MBA from Santa Clara University.

Gene LaNois is the Vice President of Product Marketing at Vivint, an NRG company. A smart home expert with extensive channel and multi-trade experience, he is focused on enabling Vivint to chase all consumer and partnership opportunities. He is responsible for overseeing the strategy and direction of Vivint product marketing and channel expansion. Prior to joining Vivint, Mr. LaNois served as a Director for Google’s Professional and Industry Partnerships, working with energy utilities, and professional trade Partnerships. He joined Nest during its startup phase as General Manager of the company's Professional Channel and has held executive and leadership roles with several home and energy leaders including Watsco and Honeywell. Originally starting as the owner and President of his own HVAC mechanical & indoor air quality company in Western Massachusetts until its acquisition by a Fortune 500 competitor. Today, Gene is considered a home-centric B2B expert, and is a pivotal part in Vivint’s ongoing integration into the NRG energy ecosystem while continuing to advance and establish partnerships with other top home product manufacturers, to home builders and more.

Chris plays an integral role in several key initiatives for the Alliance, from recruiting and supporting new and expanding ecosystems, to providing technical expertise and guidance in our marketing and developer programs. Chris also represents the Alliance as guest speaker in key market segment events and speaking engagements. With a background in embedded systems, wireless, and developer community, Chris has been working at Zigbee companies since 2004, most recently in the Iris program at Lowe’s.

Spencer Maid is an accomplished executive with over 20 years of experience in sales, marketing, product management, and innovation development. As CEO of Origin AI, Spencer leads a diverse team of professionals to new levels of success in highly competitive industries, innovation-driven cultures, and fast-paced environments. With a strong technical and business background, Spencer has an impressive track record of strategic planning, business unit development, commercial leadership, project and product management, and global design and supply base development. Spencer has a proven ability to analyze an organization’s critical business requirements, identify deficiencies and potential opportunities, and develop innovative and cost-effective solutions for enhancing competitiveness, increasing shareholder value, and improving the business unit's return on capital. Previously, he founded a hardware company and sold it to a private equity firm. Under Spencer's leadership, Origin has become a recognized leader in the early-stage technology startup community, driven by a culture of innovation, collaboration, and a relentless focus on delivering value to customers. Spencer's exceptional leadership, strategic vision, and extensive experience have been instrumental in creating a new category in home security and IoT. As a highly respected leader in the early-stage technology startup community, Spencer has earned a reputation for being a visionary leader who is always at the forefront of new technology trends. Spencer's deep commitment to innovation and his ability to inspire and motivate his team make him an ideal leader and a true pioneer in the industry.

Dr. Tajinder (Taj) Manku is a serial entrepreneur and wireless technology inventor. Experienced in driving ideas to revenue, Taj founded numerous technology companies (e.g., Pravala, Sirific, and Tag-Comm) before the age of 40. The most notable, Sirific Wireless, merged with Icera and then sold to Nvidia for just shy of half a billion dollars. Sirific was the first company in the world to build a cellular chip that used more than one antenna. Today, Sirific’s silicon products can be found in mobile data devices worldwide. Taj’s educational background tells a story of drive and self-discipline. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in (Quantum) Physics and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Waterloo. Taj received his Ph.D. in one year, faster than any other Ph.D. student in the University’s history! During that time, he also published over 10 journal papers in the area of quantum strained semiconductors. Taj has been granted the designation of Professional Engineer (P. Eng.) in Canada. He was honoured to return to school in 2008 to complete an accelerated executive leadership program from Harvard University. Taj later served as a tenured Professor at his alma mater, the University of Waterloo. He also ran an RFIC consulting firm, working with communications industry giants like Nortel, Motorola, Lucent Technologies and Texas Instruments. In 2014, Taj co-founded Cognitive Systems Corp., where he is currently the CEO. With this latest endeavour, Taj is passionate about realizing a truly connected, smart home by adding motion sensing to WiFi networks. WiFi Motion™ is software that uses RF sensing and AI to interpret and react to motion in a WiFi-enabled environment. Taj holds over 150 granted patents, has written over 100 technical papers and has received various technology and business awards for his involvement in Software Defined Radios. Among his many accomplishments, he humbly accepted the Canadian Award of Research Excellence in Radio Technology. Most recently, Taj was recognized as one of the 10 Most Promising Wireless Technology Solution Providers (2019) by CIO Review.

Dave Mayne, President, M2M Services

Joe McNulty, SVP of Product & Partnerships, Whisker Labs

As a co-founder of SkyBell, Desiree plays a crucial role in steering the company’s strategic operations. Celebrating SkyBell’s 10 years in business in June 2023, Desiree has overseen the professional installation of over 2 Million Video Doorbells through the security industry. Desiree expertly leads SkyBell’s supply chain management and contract manufacturing, while overseeing the development and launch of SkyBell Connect, the company’s proprietary back-office system that overseas all deployed devices. Additionally, in her capacity as SkyBell’s Chief Operating Officer, Desiree focuses on nurturing existing customer relationships, steering Customer Support, and supervising Order Fulfillment. Before setting the foundation for SkyBell, Desiree served as Chief Operating Officer at Location Based Technologies, a firm renowned for its GPS tracking solutions.

Lee Miller is the Vice President of Multifamily at Brivo, a global leader in cloud-based security technology. In this role, he leads strategic initiatives with top multifamily firms and developers to enhance operational efficiency and ensure the safety of residents, properties, and assets. Before joining Brivo, Lee was Vice President of Sales at WhiteSky and Stratis, both RealPage companies, where he directed the strategic vision for smart building platforms and managed a global team of technical sales and solutions experts. Lee also served as Regional Sales Director for Control4 Europe, based in London, where he worked closely with some of Europe’s premier developers. His deep experience across both the European and U.S. multifamily markets plays a key role in Brivo’s global expansion and innovation strategy.

Veronica Moturi began her career as a customer service phone agent. In 2012, she joined Brinks Home™ as Manager, Consumer Affairs, and has since advanced to her current role as Senior Vice President, Customer Experience. Leveraging what she learned as a frontline representative and her deep understanding of the security industry, Veronica strategizes and executes initiatives aimed at reducing attrition, enhancing customer lifetime value, and improving both the customer and employee experiences. She is dedicated to not only transforming the call center through universal agents, career pathing, and technology-enhanced learning, but also developing a team-focused environment committed to the shared goal of fostering a best-in-class customer experience. Veronica’s leadership and passion have earned her recognition, including being named to Security Systems News’ “40 Under 40” and Industry Tech Outlook's “10 Most Admired Women Leaders 2024.” Veronica prides herself on building an innovative culture and championing solutions centered around our customers, employees, and core values. When not at work, Veronica enjoys exploring new restaurants and spending time with her husband and two kids.

Emily is a product leader with more than 10 years of experience driving innovation and strategy at the intersection of whole-home connectivity. Currently serving as Vice President of Product and Communications at Evolution Digital, Emily leads cross-functional teams to deliver scalable broadband, video and IoT solutions that align global service providers’ business goals with consumer needs. Prior to joining Evolution Digital, Emily served on Sling TV and DISH Network’s product communications team, providing a foundation for compelling narratives around roadmap conversations, launching new features and driving alignment between product, engineering and executive leadership. Emily earned her bachelor’s degrees in communications and political science from the University of Michigan, graduating with high honors.

Sean O'Neil, CEO, Cardinal Peak (FPT Software)

- Over 15 years of experience developing new production solutions with high impact, focusing on addressing customer pain points - BS in Electrical Engineering - MBA - emphasis in Marketing

Richard Plummer, Senior Director (Home Services), AIG

Keith Puckett, a former M&A investment banker, has transformed into a serial entrepreneur with a proven track record of creating disruptive start-ups. He is the Founder and CEO of Ubiety Technologies, which offers an AI engine and RF detection platform aimed at enhancing situational awareness across residential, commercial, and government security sectors. Ubiety can detect, categorize, and recognize individuals based on the devices they carry. Its AI engine, Eckleburg, processes high-speed radio frequency data to make real-time identity inferences using only passive RF signals, including WiFi, Bluetooth, and cellular data. Keith is passionate about contributing to safety and security of families throughout America!

Mr. Reed has over 28 years of experience in consumer technology with a primary focus on security products with professional monitoring services. He is currently the Head of Commercial Security Sales for RapidSOS. Previously, he was the VP of Sales and Operations of CenCom.com, Inc where he was responsible for the sales strategy and execution for a global home security service company. Reed headed sales and operations for both NextAlarm Monitoring Services, Inc and LaserShield Systems where he was responsible for placing the first professionally monitored DIY system into retail distribution. Reed is former President of HomePlug Powerline Alliance.

Greg Rhoades is the director of marketing for Leviton residential smart and new technology products including Decora Smart and Leviton Load Center. He is responsible for the marketing and training efforts, educating distributor counterpeople, electrical contractors and homeowners alike. For the past 19 years, Greg has appeared in dozens of TV shows and news articles explaining the benefits of smart home technology including security, energy management, convenience and fun! In his free time, Greg enjoys restoring his 200-year old New Orleans Creole Cottage with his wife, Jessica.

Jeff Rogers is the VP of Sales & Marketing at Sensory. Jeff has been influential in the development and design of hundreds of products over the last 29 years that use Sensory’s technologies. He has licensed speech recognition, voice biometrics and computer vision technologies to companies such as Apple, Amazon, Fujitsu, Garmin, GoPro, Google, Honda, Microsoft, Samsung, Zoom and many more.

Avi Rosenthal has been in the connected device industry for over 25 years. He is the currently the Managing Partner of BlueConnect Partners (formally bluesalve), a full-service consulting firm to the Consumer Products and Connected Device industries. He has held numerous leadership roles within the IoT industry at Nortek, Legrand, Evolve and Superna among others. He currently serves as the Chairperson of the Z-Wave Alliance, and as the chair of the Trade Policy working group of the CTA. Through his deep connections with manufacturers, dealers, and retailers, he has the insights and resources needed to develop, market and manufacture products and services for the IoT Industry. A patented inventor, he has developed over a hundred connected products. He is the recipient of the prestigious CTA Mark of Excellence Leadership Award.

Marcus Scheiber is Co-Founder and CEO of ROC-Connect, a leading IOT company providing Smart Home as a Service. ROC-Connect delivers full-end-to-end connected brands in the Smart Home space for channels as Retailers, Insurances & Financial Industries, as well as for Service Providers. Before starting ROC-Connect in 2012, Marcus founded the ms.GIS group of companies (Austria and US), a leading geospatial technology provider. Marcus held various positions as Co-CEO, board member, and investor. Earlier in his career, Marcus was working as a technical consultant with Prime-Computervision, and in C.S. research at the AIT (Austrian Institute of Technology). Marcus holds a Masters of Science in Management (Sloan Fellow) and a Master’s Degree of the University of Economics and Business Administration of Vienna, Austria.

From serving on the Board of Directors at the CSA to leading teams in creating innovative solutions, Patrick has been a driving force in the Smart Home industry for over 20 years.

Carie Small, Senior Director ADT Monitoring Product & Engineering, ADT

David Sym-Smith is a successful entrepreneur, proven CEO, motivational speaker, award winning executive. In his career, he has been the founder of multiple startups, he has been the CEO/President of both public and private companies, and he has served as a senior executive in many capacities. David has been part of several well-known successful startups, including Tele Atlas (acquired by Tom Tom) Innopath Software (acquired by Qualcomm), Areal Comm. (acquired by T-Mobile), American Personal Communications (acquired by Sprint), and more. David serves on the boards of companies. He supports entrepreneurs and small businesses. He is the Chief Evangelist and a board member of Multiple Incubators which work with entrepreneurs. David is a frequent speaker. He speaks on the topics of innovation, entrepreneurship, and business leadership. David was honored with the Tech Titans Technology Advocate and Innovation Awards, TIA People Choice Award, PCIA) Distinguished Citizen Award, as Compass Intelligence - Mobile & Wireless Award. Outside of the world of technology, David has served on numerous charity and non-profit boards.

Svetlin Todorov, CEO, Shelly USA

Tyler Tribe is a seasoned technology executive with 32 years of experience designing and delivering transformative software solutions. For the past five and a half years, he has played a pivotal role at Becklar, shaping the company’s vision and product strategy with an emphasis on AI-driven innovation and unifying platforms. His leadership has been instrumental in advancing Becklar’s mission to deliver industry-leading safety solutions and services. Tyler is especially passionate about the SMART Critical Event Monitoring category. This rapidly evolving sector blends technology, AI, and human-in-the-loop operators to protect People, Property, and Workers. He sees this industry as a critical frontier for scalable, life-enhancing solutions and is deeply committed to developing platforms that integrate intelligent automation with empathetic human support. Before joining Becklar, Tyler spent two decades at IBM, leading strategic initiatives across product development teams, enterprise solutions, and client experience worldwide. His deep expertise spans global corporations and fast-growing mid-market businesses, and he is widely respected for his ability to bridge technical execution with customer-centric design. Tyler takes pride in building strong, collaborative teams and creating environments where innovation can thrive. He is deeply motivated by the opportunity to help organizations improve the lives of their customers and employees through thoughtful technology. Colleagues and partners appreciate his steady leadership, strategic mindset, and commitment to continuous learning and improvement.

Paul Williams serves as the Managing Director of the Home Management Solutions Business Unit for Nice and leads the worldwide strategy and business for the connected home in this role. Paul has over 20 years of executive leadership in the connected home space and his career spans start-ups to Fortune 500 companies. Paul previously served as Nice North America’s Chief Product Officer where he led the product management teams and developed the product strategy and product roadmaps of all products / solutions for Nice in North America. Prior to joining Nice, he was at GE Lighting in the role of GM of Product Management and Growth where he was charged with reimagining lighting solutions. In three years, Paul’s team created a DIY smart home ecosystem with innovative products and scaled the consumer mobile app, taking it from just 30,000 users to more than 2 million. During his 14+ years of executive leadership at Control4, a manufacturer of smart home solutions, he was instrumental in building the company from a startup to IPO with double-digit, year-over-year growth.

Brock Winzeler is the President of Becklar’s Workforce Safety and Personal Health & Safety divisions. Becklar is a leading provider of connected safety solutions, combining innovative technology and compassionate service to enhance the freedom, confidence, and peace of mind of millions across North America. Under Brock’s leadership, Freeus grew into one of the country’s most recognized providers of mobile personal emergency response systems (mPERS), with over 2.5 million devices sold and support for more than one million subscribers through its award-winning monitoring centers. Becklar has championed advancements in AI-driven safety, IoT platform services, and 24/7 professional monitoring, driving $4M+ in annual R&D investments to ensure continuous innovation. Brock is passionate about creating systems that allow seniors to age in place with confidence and help workers stay safe in high-risk environments. Brock lives in Pleasant View, Utah, with his wife and four children. He is deeply committed to family, faith, and building solutions that genuinely care for people first.

Co-founder and the innovative “heart and soul” at Ivani, Matt specializes in creating quick turnaround solutions to real problems using systems engineering. Both an engineer and entrepreneur at heart, he has an ever-growing list of granted and pending patents. He holds his ASEP certification, Associate TRIZ certification, B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, and MBA. In rare sightings in the wild, he can be found playing soccer, bouldering at the climbing gym, or out on a hike. Expected topics of conversation include smart home tech, 3D printing, video games, and formula one.

Joel Jelderks, GM, Nuki

Sumati blends her experience as a mother with a child with food allergies, her success as a technology executive, and her ability to attract talent, fundraise, and generate revenue to bring Ladle to market. Highlights include: - Twenty years experience with Fortune 100 companies (Amazon, Intel, and Hewlett-Packard) leading go-to-market strategy for revenue-generating AI, Smart Home, and IoT platforms (Alexa “turn on the lights” and Alex Guard). - Managed million-dollar accounts for Walmart, Walgreens, Tencent, Big W, Tesco, Michaels Art & Crafts, and more while with HP’s Snapfish. The Ladle’s ecosystem is based on the successful Snapfish and Amazon Alexa models. - Ladle is Sumati’s third startup.

Eric Villines brings over 20 years of experience in communications, consumer branding, and reputation management. As Head of Global Communications for Anker Innovations, he manages global communications strategy for its brands, including Anker, the world’s #1 mobile charging brand, and eufy, a leader in home automation and security. An accomplished author and speaker, Eric’s career spans diverse industries, including entertainment, consumer technology, energy, government affairs, and financial services. Outside of work, he enjoys skiing, surfing, traveling, and supporting nonprofits focused on human rights and environmental conservation.

Joacim Westlund Prändel, Founder & Chairman, Flic - The Wireless Smart Button

Dean Avgiris, Executive Director - Xfinity Home, Comcast

Greg Baldauf is a seasoned professional in the SmartHome and Broadband industries, currently serving as the Director of Smart Life & Cloud Partnerships with Calix. Leveraging his extensive experience, Greg helps Calix drive the future of smart life solutions through strategic technology alignments and innovative partnerships. Greg leads initiatives to find partners in strategic alignment with Calix’s mission to help broadband service providers Simplify, Innovate, and Grow their businesses. Focusing on revenue generation and value creation, Greg’s leadership demonstrates a commitment to delivering advanced solutions creating value for his customers. Previously, Greg held key roles in various broadband, consulting, and technology firms refining his skills in revenue-generating strategies and earned a patent for his work launching the first residential connected door lock with Schlage. His expertise makes him a thought leader in the industry. Calix, a leading FTTx provider, supports over 1,800 fiber-based ISPs globally. Investing over $1.4B in R&D over the last 10 years, Calix has built a platform that enables rapid deployment of managed hardware and software services, creating long-term value for businesses, shareholders, and subscribers. To date, Calix has over 70 diverse partnerships creating even more value for joint customers.

As Director of Business Development and Product Management at Leviton, Justin Berghoff is responsible for providing vision, direction, and customer focus in developing new business and market development opportunities for the Residential Business Unit. General responsibilities include continuously evaluating the competitive landscape, identifying product and market needs, developing new business models, and establishing strategic business alliances. Justin joined Leviton in 2014 from an electronics technology startup in Atlanta, where he built out the team responsible for developing and executing the technology roadmap from the ground up. Prior to that, he spent over 12 years with Siemens in the U.S. and Germany in R&D, Project Management and Product Management capacities focused on electrical power distribution products. Justin has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in German from Ohio University and has an M.B.A. from Georgia State.

Elizabeth Brandel, Senior Director of Business Development, ecobee

Craig Campbell, Executive Chair, RSPNDR

Chris Carney is the CEO and founder of Abode, a top-rated DIY Security Solution. He brings almost 20 years of experience in the security and smart home industry. The vision of starting Abode in 2015 was to challenge the status quo in the residential home security market. His goal was to provide a simple, well designed home security system with flexible plans on an open platform to integrate into other smart home devices to give the consumer the ultimate choice and experience. Specializing in strategy and business development. Chris’ leadership has been instrumental to Abode and its success. Before founding Abode, Chris was Chief Operating Officer at Proximex Corporation, which was acquired by Tyco Security. Chris was also a Director of M&A at ADT. Chris holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Rhode Island.

Dr. David Keeley began working with Electronic Caregiver as the lead scientist and liaison at New Mexico State University for the company’s motion analysis and functional movement screenings. David helped ECG formulate, design, and deploy the company’s mobile clinical research lab and the many applications used to run it. He managed data analysis and helped bring numerous scientific studies to publication. In early 2018, David left a tenured position at NMSU to direct Electronic Caregiver’s ongoing clinical research programs as Chief Clinical Research Officer. In April 2020, David was promoted to Chief Technology Officer to lead and complete the final details of preparing Addison, the Virtual Caregiver for release to the general public. Addison is a state-of-the-art, 3D-animated caregiver providing health monitoring and chronic care management via an interactive touch-screen device placed in the home. Additionally, David has been instrumental in forming key relationships for Electronic Caregiver, including with the World Health Organization and European Health Organizations. David has also been expertly coordinating with ECG’s partners at AWS (Amazon Web Services), Dell, Google, and Intel. David is a mature and organized director of ECG’s technical operations. He has assisted the company with setting specifications, validating technique and collected data, establishing testing protocols, and translating clinical research into patient monitoring, mobile health, and wearable technology applications. David has also been a key contributor into the design of both domestic and international patent filings and is listed as a significant inventor on ECG IP assets. David holds a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and exercise science from East Central University, a master’s degree in human performance from Texas A&M University-Commerce and is a Doctor of Philosophy in biomechanics/statistics and research methods.

Frank DeFilippis, Builder Channel, Americas Professional, Sonos

Keally comes to solar with the conviction that carbon-neutral is the new black. She started in renewables as the Head of Marketing for the largest solar company in the Northeast before moving into marketing and public policy leadership roles at Sunrun and SunPower. As the National Organizing Director of The Alliance for Solar Choice (TASC), Fortune magazine described the netroots work she pioneered as radically changing political advocacy through digital technology. Prior to joining GAF Energy, she served as Head of Marketing at Mosaic. She has a BA from Brown University. Her favorite roof is the one she used to sit on as a kid, listening to the cicadas, outside her bedroom window in Southwest Ohio.

Gilles Drieu is an accomplished and passionate engineering leader with 25 years of experience in Silicon Valley, driving innovation and developing world-class products across renowned companies including Adobe, Apple, Motorola, Zendesk, and Google. Gilles is currently the Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President of Product Engineering at ADT, where he drives the development and deployment of next-generation smart home security systems that are transforming the industry and enhancing consumer safety. Before joining ADT, Gilles spent 9 years at Google, working on Nest, Home, Chromecast, and Assistant products, where he played a key role in delivering the Helpful Home vision with a global presence and millions of users. He also dedicated a couple of years to Data Protection and Privacy Engineering across Google’s entire product portfolio. Prior to his time at Google, Gilles held senior management positions at Adobe, Apple, Motorola, and Zendesk, where he launched numerous web, mobile, and SaaS products and technologies. He holds a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from l’Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Paris and a Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Rouen.

Nick English serves as CEO, North America for Kaadas Smart Solutions, leading the company’s expansion operations by leveraging strong manufacturing & engineering capabilities to bring high-quality, innovative products to a new market. English is an accomplished executive with successful experience running organizations & building and leading high-performance Operations, Sales and Management teams.

Dr. Eric Luster Dr. Eric Luster serves as the Chairman of the Board for Seniors Rising Homes, the CEO of Movement Interactive, Inc., and the founder and CEO of Seniors Rising LLC. He is the inventor of Hiji®Band & Hiji®Sense, a device created to track movement and detect/report Traumatic Brain Injuries TBI and the early detection of fall risks in seniors. After 23 years of working as a nuclear biology specialist, research scientist, and engineer in the top ranks of the Department of Defense, Dr. Luster began his pioneering work around concussion detection and wearable technologies in 2012. Today, as a visionary leader and business executive, he is on a mission to develop innovative products that solve problems. As the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Waymark Gardens (Senior Living Community – 150 units) and Community Advisory Board member for ASU’s Center for Innovation in Healthy and Resilient Aging (CIHRA); Dr. Luster continues to use his expertise to make an impact. Through Seniors Rising, Dr. Luster is helping underserved seniors nationwide prolong their independence and vitality through wearable technology and on-site Telemedicine solutions. His goal is to transform the healthcare sector by offering a comprehensive telehealth solution designed for underserved and low-income senior living communities.

Tim Eskew is a highly accomplished Director of Residential Electronic Products at Schlage where he is responsible for Schlage’s portfolio of connected home products, cloud platform, mobile software and industry partnerships. Prior to joining Schlage, Tim has lead product, business development, and partnerships in a range of industries including connected fitness, embedded wireless, and smart meeting. Always curious, Tim is passionate about solving customer problems through innovative products, software, and services.

As CMO and head of business development for Nomo, Anne brings more than 20 years of smart home and financial technology services experience to the role. Most recently, she spent more than a decade at Alarm.com with responsibility for all areas of marketing, communications, and PR. At Nomo, her focus is on employing technology to create innovative Corporate Sustainability, retail and builder programs to further the adoption of residential and commercial solar, battery back-up, EV and smart home services. She received her B.A. from Duke University and lives in the Washington, D.C. area with her two sons.

Daniel Forrest, CEO, Eyeforce

Florian Gallini, CEO, Interel

A successful forty five year career in the electronic security & telecommunications industry that includes building and leading the largest security, life safety, PERS and video third-party monitoring center in the US, with a proven executive track record in increasing revenue and opening new market verticals. Over a ten year period of focus and effort resulted in growing the company from a forty five thousand account regional center to over five hundred thousand accounts with fifty million dollars in annual revenue. Created the business plan, solicited the financing and secured a one hundred million dollar credit facility to fund the start up of King Capital Financial Services, which grew to become one of the longest running Dealer Financial & Acquisition Programs in the security industry. Providing Subject Matter Expert advisory for litigation, M&A and operations both domestically and internationally for the past 20 years.

Brinks Home™ welcomed Mike in February 2024. As SVP of Enterprise Business Development, Mike plays a key role in leading strategic initiatives for business development and building enterprise partnerships. With over 25 years of sales and marketing experience, Mike has a proven track record of accelerating growth and establishing successful partnerships. His extensive knowledge of product across the security, technology, e-commerce, and manufacturing industries is a valuable asset as Brinks Home continues to innovate smart home security solutions and solidify itself as a marketplace leader. Before joining Brinks Home, Mike was Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing at Johnson Controls. He co-founded the security and smart home manufacturer Qolsys, where he also acted as Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Earlier in his career, Mike spent 10 years in multiple positions at eBay, focusing on business development and growth through key partnerships. Mike holds a Bachelor of Science in Advertising from San Jose State University. Residing in San Jose, California, Mike enjoys spending time with family and friends snow skiing, biking, and golfing.

Geordie Hagerman is a seasoned executive with over 14 years of experience in wireless and high-tech industries. His expertise spans marketing, sales, product management, operations, and corporate development, particularly in the telecommunications sector. Notably, Geordie served as VP of Business Development at Pravala Networks, where he led highly successful marketing, fundraising, and sales initiatives. These efforts were pivotal in the company's eventual acquisition by Carnegie Technologies. Currently leading commercialization and marketing efforts at Cognitive Systems Corp., Geordie is focused on forging partnerships and shaping product roadmap strategies. Renowned for his strategic team management, Geordie prioritizes customer success and shareholder value in all endeavors. His vision encompasses unlocking new Wi-Fi services through innovative solutions, steering the organization towards sustained growth and financial success.

Sharon Hagi serves as Chief Security Officer of Silicon Labs, where he leads the company’s comprehensive risk-based cybersecurity strategies and programs. Sharon has over 23 years of security experience in multiple technology disciplines. Prior to Silicon Labs, Sharon served as Vice President of Security at Ethoca, a Mastercard company, and Chief Technology Strategist at IBM Security. Sharon is a recognized subject matter expert and respected thought leader in IoT security where he has been promoting the vision and benefits of integrating silicon-rooted trust models and secure manufacturing operations. He holds patents in information security and applied machine learning and is a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). Sharon received his Honors BSc degrees in Computer Science and Physics from the University of Toronto, and he currently volunteers as a subject matter expert with the International Information System Security Certification Consortium (ISC)².

Adam Hepworth, a trailblazer in the smart building industry since 1999, long before the era of smartphones. With visionary foresight, Adam pioneered web interfaces for building management, laying the foundation for today's intelligent infrastructures. Through highs and lows, Adam's resilience has been unwavering. A founding partner of Solexica, Connectrix Citylink & Della Connect, and a distinguished Senior Executive, he boasts a stellar track record in the global automation and smart building sectors. Throughout his illustrious career, Adam has masterfully navigated challenges, transforming them into opportunities and leading businesses to unparalleled success.

Dan's two-decade journey through Fortune 50 giants reflects his passion for founding, building, and growing innovative businesses within larger ecosystems. As an investor and Partner at Edison since 2018, Dan brings his expertise to growth-stage tech companies. He sources deals and leads investments with companies like Anonos, MacroFab, Recycle Track Systems, and RapidDeploy. Dan prioritizes building teams with grit, adept at fostering collaboration and consumer listening that achieves breakthrough results. An entrepreneur at heart, he's led internal ventures in consumer technology and services. Dan holds four patents, and was the CEO and co-founder of Xfinity Home. Notably at Comcast, he launched Xfinity WiFi, recognized for fundamentally transforming and democratizing consumer connectivity. Dan is a proud child of Romanian immigrants whose sacrifices provided the foundation for his success. He holds degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Boston University, an MS from Drexel University, and an MBA from Wharton.

Morgan Hertel, with over 40 years of experience in the electronic security industry, is a well-respected leader who has served in many executive leadership roles for independent security integration companies and monitoring centers. Currently, as Vice President of Technology & Innovation for Rapid Response Monitoring, Morgan evaluates and harnesses the synergy between the latest technological advancements and the industry’s leading service providers to further advance the unmatched Dealer services of Rapid Response. Morgan serves as President of The Monitoring Association (TMA) and is actively involved in many local and national industry associations and initiatives, and he dedicates countless hours to the work of several forward-thinking committees throughout the industry, as well. Morgan holds the following certificates and licenses: NICET Level III Fire Alarm Technology, California Alarm Company Qualified Manager, Oregon Certified Trainer, Oregon Executive Manager, TMA Level I and II Central Station Operator, SIA Certified Operator and ESA Certified Alarm Installer.

Mike Hetke, President and CEO, A3 Smart Home

Jim is a successful startup founder and technologist driven by harmonizing the relationship between humans and technology. He's successfully founded and exited two 8 figure IoT startups into Fortune 500 companies, and helped shape the smart home sector. Now, as the founder and CEO of nCent, he's driven by a passion to create a fair and equitable relationship between all consumers, their data, and enterprises. It is time to change the game for good, and empower consumers to be part of the revenue their data generates every day. Throughout his career, Jim has provided oversight in technology, architecture and innovation. He has done this across a variety of sectors including, Wellness, IoT and Smart Home, in a variety of roles including Delos’s CTO, Greenwave’s Chief Scientist, Fellow at Motorola/Google and Founder and Chief Architect 4Home and Premise Systems. He is a named inventor on 12 issued patents, and has 8 patents pending, thus far, on his innovations as he is building nCent. Starting his career as a decorated nuclear engineer with the US Navy, Jim's trajectory has been very unique. He's a global thought leader and inventor, speaking at events like CES and WebSummit. His insights grace tech publications like TechCrunch and VentureBeat. Inc. acknowledged him as a Top 20 IoT Leader in 2017. On a personal note, Jim has authored a SciFi series, "ReCollection," his first book, "Recalling your future" is available on Amazon.

Anthony Iannone is an experienced enterprise technology and operations executive with strong problem-solving skills who specializes in creating and implementing innovative and cost-effective solutions in the security and information technology spaces. With over twenty years of experience in the life safety and security verticals, many of which were focused on IP video and PERS technology development, he was selected as a leader in the security technology industry by Security System News as part of their 2019 '40 Under 40' list. He also has extensive experience in the specification, design, and construction of emergency command and life safety monitoring centers. Today, Anthony is a director at Affiliated Monitoring, one of the largest wholesale / third-party providers of life safety and IoT monitoring services in the United States. Anthony and his team are responsible for Affiliated's Live Agent Driven Video & PERS Monitoring solutions and technologies, and he led the charge for Affiliated to become the first third-party monitoring provider to achieve a UL827B listing for hosted and monitored video services. A graduate of the University of Manitoba, Anthony resides in South Orange, New Jersey with his wife Elizabeth and son Miles. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking, attending hockey games, and travelling.

Greg Jones, Portfolio Product Lead – Smart Home, Amazon Web Services

Hagan Kappler is the co-founder and CEO of Daisy, the first national brand in home and small business technology installation and services. Prior to Daisy, Hagan was the CEO of Threshold Brands, a private equity backed home and commercial services company with nine brands and over 550 locations. Prior to Threshold, Hagan led ServiceMaster Clean and Merry Maids, a $1B+ home and commercial services businesses with thousands of franchisees across the globe, and supported the $1.6B sale of ServiceMaster Brands to Roark Capital. Hagan led corporate development at Ingersoll Rand/Trane, a $23B HVAC and industrial company. She led the launch of Blonde Roast at Starbucks. She has extensive strategy and M&A experience, including McKinsey & Company, as well as Goldman Sachs. Hagan holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Williams College and an MBA from the Darden School at the University of Virginia. Hagan has four children and lives in Newport Beach, California.

Wolfgang Kirsch has 25+ years of experience in consumer electronics retailers across Europe. Before heading Shelly Group AD, Wolfgang Kirsch held a senior position at MediaMarktSaturn Retail Group until 2018, most recently as Chief Operating Officer. After driving expansion into numerous countries, he was most recently responsible for the development of own brands, the digitalization of the retail business, and the linking of online and offline channels across 14 countries, among other things. After leaving MediaMarktSaturn, Kirsch supported international corporations and medium-sized companies in their digital transformation and the development of direct-to-consumer businesses through his own consulting company, as an external consultant at McKinsey & Company, and on behalf of private equity companies. In parallel, he has contributed his experience to start-ups such as the retail-as-a-service provider Vaund and the sustainable coffee producer Vitaboni. As CEO of Shelly Group AD, Wolfgang Kirsch focuses on the development and expansion of Shelly Group's business through sales and marketing in the respective countries.

Mathew Koenig, Director, Sales Strategy and Enablement, Cox Communications

Kevin Kraus recently joined Fortune Brands Innovations, Inc. as part of the Divestiture of Yale and August North America from ASSA ABLOY. Kevin is the V.P. Technology Alliances and IoT Business Development for Fortune Brands, prior to the Divestiture, Kevin was V.P. Technology Alliances and IoT Business Development for ASSA ABLOY Smart Residential Group. Prior to being promoted Kevin was Director of Technology and Partner Integration since 2018 and is responsible for defining key product technologies and developing partner integration strategies and tools to support seamless lock integration. Prior to becoming the Director of technology and partner integration, Kevin was Director of product development for Yale Residential Locks. Responsible for product strategy, product development, and technology. Prior to joining ASSA ABLOY/Yale in 2009; Kevin spent 11 years as director of product management electronic locks for the Schlage Residential Business. Prior to Schlage Kevin spent 7 years with Honeywell’s Security Group as product manager for Honeywell Residential Security Products. Kevin has extensive experience in the IOT, Residential Security, and Home Automation Business and is regarded as a subject matter expert in residential electronic locks, residential security and home automation systems and residential systems communication technologies. Kevin has majors in both Electrical Engineering and Business Administration. Kevin is also on the CSA Aliance, Z-Wave Alliance, and Thread Board of Directors. Kevin is currently Vice Chair of the CSA Alliance and Treasure of both the Thread Group and Z-Wave Alliance.

Aleem Lakhani, CEO, VectorSolv Corporation

Kimberly Lancaster is the president and founder of Caster Communications, an award-winning consumer and emerging tech PR, social media, and consulting firm that specializes in helping smart home, specialty audio and video, digital health and technology clients expand their global reach. Priding herself on Caster’s stellar reputation, expanding client base and impressive accomplishments, Kim’s work ethic, dedication and enthusiasm for this business are core values she instills in the stellar Caster team every day. Over the nearly three decades, Kim has cultivated an esteemed background in public relations and has worked on everything from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies to the path in-between, including taking major accounts from start-up to NASDAQ. Kim is a member of the WBENC, PRSA, CEA and CEDIA. Kim is an esteemed speaker, presenter and certified instructor, and teaches courses on PR and social media for multiple organizations. Kim has been named a top social media influencer for #smarthome, #CEDIA and #InfoComm, and is a winner of the Alcott Award, PBN’s Women to Watch, 40 Under 40 (a while ago) and PRSA's Excellence Awards. Available to all clients for strategy, crisis management and brainstorming, Kim manages a range of clients, from Crestron and Hunter Douglas to the Z-Wave Alliance and beyond. Kimberly earned her M.A. in Global Business Communications from Emerson College in Boston and received her B.A. from the University of Rhode Island. Follow her on Twitter at @newscaster.

John has over 25 years of product, sales, and strategy leadership experience in the wireless and technology markets. John and his team are responsible for leading Asurion’s channel partner growth, setting the strategy for the expansion of new partners, and the commercialization of Asurion solutions that fit the needs of our partners and their customers. John previously served as Chief Product Officer of Asurion, leading the development, planning, commercialization, and management of Asurion’s products. Prior to joining Asurion, John spent twelve years with Alcatel-Lucent. While at Alcatel-Lucent, John held several leadership positions, including head of global sales and operations of the Genesys contact center enterprise division, general manager of the wireless applications business division, and VP of strategy and marketing of the network infrastructure business division. John holds an MBA from the Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley, and a bachelor’s degree from Universidad Metropolitana in Caracas, Venezuela.

Alexander Linn is an expert in the application of AI. As Founder and CEO of Shipshape he is on a mission to make all homes safe, reliable, efficient, and easy to maintain. Formerly an Engineer at Salesforce on their AI team. He holds multiple patents and started developing smart building tech in 2007, including novel HVAC technology.

Bill Loesch is co-founder and CEO of LeakSentinel Inc. He is a serial entrepreneur, founded four companies, and angel investor in Silicon Valley. His current startup has developed a low-cost and innovative water damage claim mitigation solution. He is the holder of 4 patents including “Non-Invasive, Independently Powered Leak Detector and Valve Shut-off Apparatus.”

Jennifer Mallett has been in the home technology industry for 24 years with 15 years’ experience on the manufacturer side and 8 years’ experience as the owner of her own integration company, Level Up Automation. She founded Level Up in 2016 with a vision to bring outstanding home automation experiences to the mid market segment. In 2020 she founded Level Up Franchise which has pioneered the first national franchise system in the industry. Today, Level Up Automation creates smart homes and intelligent buildings in Massachusetts, Arizona, Virginia, Connecticut, New York, Louisiana, Florida, Ohio, and Maryland. Prior to establishing Level Up Automation, Jennifer served as the head of the residential custom installation business unit for Bose in the U.S. and Canada, as well as providing additional global leadership advisory roles in Europe, India, the Middle East, and Australia. A graduate of Bentley University, Jennifer has a BS in Marketing and serves on the CEDIA Board of Directors as Treasurer.

Geoff Martin is a seasoned business executive who is currently President & Co-founder of software company, vipHomeLink, providing the leading Homeowner Experience & Engagement Platform to homeowners, often in collaboration with insurance carriers, home warranty companies, builders and other valued corporate partners. Geoff is a growth-oriented leader with extensive corporate M&A, capital raising, operations and partnerships expertise. His financial career includes nearly 20 years as a Wall Street investment banker, rising to Managing Director, and subsequently serving as Chief Financial Officer of a global transportation company. During his career, he has been involved with over $10B in executed corporate transactions worldwide. Geoff has been active with technology companies for over 10 years as an operator, advisor, and investor. He co-founded vipHomeLink in 2017 with partner Alfred Bentley. Geoff received his Bachelors in Economics from The Pennsylvania State University, and his MBA from New York University in 1995. He currently resides in Charleston, SC with his family.

Joe McNulty, SVP of Product & Partnerships, Whisker Labs

Deepal Mehta has over 30 years of broad-based accomplishments in strategic business unit (SBU) and profit center management, strategic planning, business development, and product marketing/management, focusing on semiconductor-based solutions. He has a BSEE, an MS in Electrical Engineering, and an MBA. At InnoPhase IoT, he leads Business Development, including Partner Programs, Marketing, and Strategic Sales development.

As a co-founder of SkyBell, Desiree plays a crucial role in steering the company’s strategic operations. Celebrating SkyBell’s 10 years in business in June 2023, Desiree has overseen the professional installation of over 2 Million Video Doorbells through the security industry. Desiree expertly leads SkyBell’s supply chain management and contract manufacturing, while overseeing the development and launch of SkyBell Connect, the company’s proprietary back-office system that overseas all deployed devices. Additionally, in her capacity as SkyBell’s Chief Operating Officer, Desiree focuses on nurturing existing customer relationships, steering Customer Support, and supervising Order Fulfillment. Before setting the foundation for SkyBell, Desiree served as Chief Operating Officer at Location Based Technologies, a firm renowned for its GPS tracking solutions.

As the Senior Vice President, Business Development and Strategic Marketing for Resideo, Linsey identifies potential partnerships, technology innovations and solutions to provide comfort, security, energy efficiency, control and life-saving monitoring to customers worldwide. She also serves on the board of directors of the Home Connectivity Alliance (HCA), where she plays a vital role in shaping the future of smart home connectivity and interoperability. A lifelong learner who is passionate about driving the technology and energy industries forward, Linsey can offer insights into topics including energy transition, incubating and growing SaaS businesses, advancing women in tech and the practical application of artificial intelligence for business value creation.

Sumit Kumar Nagpal is a serial entrepreneur with a focus on disruptive digital health innovation. He has co-founded and grown five companies over the past two and a half decades that have tackled progressively bolder challenges facing our healthcare economies, ranging from integrating longitudinal data and workflows across care settings, to bringing hospital-level care to the home.

Sujata Neidig has 25 years of experience in the semiconductor industry and has served in a variety of roles ranging from product engineering to marketing and business development. She is currently Director of Marketing i.MX Processors Software and Customer Programs. She also represents NXP as the Vice President of Marketing of the Thread Group, an industry alliance that provides an IP-based wireless mesh networking protocol designed for homes and buildings. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.

Tony Nicolaidis: Chief Commercial Officer at Origin AI Tony Nicolaidis is the Chief Commercial Officer at Origin AI, a role he assumed in January 2023 after serving as the Chief Revenue Officer since August 2022. Known for his dynamic approach in the B2B sector, Tony excels in strategic planning, scaling sales and customer success teams, and aligning marketing strategies with revenue goals. His expertise in establishing data-driven SaaS revenue metrics has been pivotal in communicating progress to key stakeholders. Before joining Origin AI, Tony was the Chief Revenue Officer at Successware from June 2020 to August 2022, where he spearheaded sales and customer success strategies to drive company growth. He also contributed his expertise as a Startup Advisor to various construction startups, advising on value proposition and commercialization from January 2020 to June 2020. Tony's earlier career includes over two decades at Stanley Black & Decker, Inc., where he held several key positions, including General Manager - Construction Technology Group and Vice President of Marketing and Product. His journey there showcased his versatility and leadership across various domains. Tony holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maryland and an MBA from Loyola University, Maryland. His educational background, combined with his extensive professional experience, makes him a knowledgeable and inspiring speaker, particularly in the fields of sales, business development, and customer success.

Sean O'Neil, CEO, Cardinal Peak (FPT Software)

CEO and Co-Founder of Xailient -22 years in Enterprise Software. -Serial entrepreneur. -Experienced CEO with 100+ employees at exit. -Alipay, Symantec, Oracle. -MIT electrical engineering.

Matt Passalacqua, a seasoned Senior Enterprise & Market Development Executive, has been at the forefront of nationwide multifamily market development since 2006. His expertise extends to both direct and indirect strategies with an unwavering commitment to the Multifamily Solutions vertical. In 2023, he joined Blueport as the VP of MDU Strategic Partners, where his mission is twofold: first, to bolster the strategic partnerships within the MDU Managed Wifi industry, and second, to revolutionize and refine standard multifamily deployment methods, ushering in a new era of seamless, touchless, and "Always On" end-user solutions. In a world where the needs of multifamily residents are constantly evolving, Matt and his dedicated team are steadfast in their pursuit of tailoring Blueport's solutions to meet the ever-changing demands of the MDU industry at every level.

Craig Rewerts unlocks value for partners and consumers at Ubiety. As VP Business Development, he leads revenue generation, including sales, partnerships, and go-to-market. Prior to joining Ubiety, Craig led high performance business and strategic development teams at Amazon and Microsoft, and brings a highly focused B2B2C business development expertise to Ubiety. During his time at Amazon, Craig was on the founding teams at Alexa Automotive, where he delivered Alexa experiences to consumers through integrations with automotive OEMs and aftermarket device manufacturers. After his time at Amazon, Craig joined the Global Internet of Things (IoT) team at Microsoft, where he led sales and go-to-market with strategic Global Solution Integrators (GSIs) and Independent Software Vendors (ISVs).

Avi Rosenthal has been in the connected device industry for over 25 years. He is the currently the Managing Partner of BlueConnect Partners (formally bluesalve), a full-service consulting firm to the Consumer Products and Connected Device industries. He has held numerous leadership roles within the IoT industry at Nortek, Legrand, Evolve and Superna among others. He currently serves as the Chairperson of the Z-Wave Alliance, and as the chair of the Trade Policy working group of the CTA. Through his deep connections with manufacturers, dealers, and retailers, he has the insights and resources needed to develop, market and manufacture products and services for the IoT Industry. A patented inventor, he has developed over a hundred connected products. He is the recipient of the prestigious CTA Mark of Excellence Leadership Award.

Madison Saab is Senior Vertical Solutions Manager at Alarm.com headquartered in Vienna, VA. Alarm.com creates innovative technology that deepens the connection between people and the things they care about most – their families, homes and businesses. Millions of people trust Alarm.com every day for better security, intelligence automation and dependable services. Alarm.com services are exclusively sold, set up and supported by a nationwide network of authorized service providers. During Madison’s 9-year tenure at Alarm.com, she led inside sales efforts for thousands of Alarm.com Service Provider Partners before joining the Strategic Sales Team to focus on growing new vertical markets such as builders and solar providers. Madison has her undergraduate degree in Industrial Engineering from West Virginia University. She currently resides in Morgantown, WV with her husband and two cats.

Braeden Scheer is the vice president of product management for SmartRent. He oversees product strategy and development, leading teams to design SmartRent’s best-in-class technology. Prior to joining SmartRent, he served in product management roles at Elevate, an Elm Street Technology company. He has a Bachelor of Science in business management from Grand Canyon University.

William Scheffler, VP Sales, Founder, Trident IoT

From serving on the Board of Directors at the CSA to leading teams in creating innovative solutions, Patrick has been a driving force in the Smart Home industry for over 20 years.

Roy is currently the President of Savant Power where he is leading the company’s efforts to blaze the trail to energy independence for home and business owners through innovative products and services, strategic partnerships, continuous operational improvement, and a robust sales strategy.

David Sym-Smith is a successful entrepreneur, proven CEO, motivational speaker, award winning executive. In his career, he has been the founder of multiple startups, he has been the CEO/President of both public and private companies, and he has served as a senior executive in many capacities. David has been part of several well-known successful startups, including Tele Atlas (acquired by Tom Tom) Innopath Software (acquired by Qualcomm), Areal Comm. (acquired by T-Mobile), American Personal Communications (acquired by Sprint), and more. David serves on the boards of companies. He supports entrepreneurs and small businesses. He is the Chief Evangelist and a board member of Multiple Incubators which work with entrepreneurs. David is a frequent speaker. He speaks on the topics of innovation, entrepreneurship, and business leadership. David was honored with the Tech Titans Technology Advocate and Innovation Awards, TIA People Choice Award, PCIA) Distinguished Citizen Award, as Compass Intelligence - Mobile & Wireless Award. Outside of the world of technology, David has served on numerous charity and non-profit boards.

Tyler Tribe is a seasoned technology executive with 32 years of experience designing and delivering transformative software solutions. For the past five and a half years, he has played a pivotal role at Becklar, shaping the company’s vision and product strategy with an emphasis on AI-driven innovation and unifying platforms. His leadership has been instrumental in advancing Becklar’s mission to deliver industry-leading safety solutions and services. Tyler is especially passionate about the SMART Critical Event Monitoring category. This rapidly evolving sector blends technology, AI, and human-in-the-loop operators to protect People, Property, and Workers. He sees this industry as a critical frontier for scalable, life-enhancing solutions and is deeply committed to developing platforms that integrate intelligent automation with empathetic human support. Before joining Becklar, Tyler spent two decades at IBM, leading strategic initiatives across product development teams, enterprise solutions, and client experience worldwide. His deep expertise spans global corporations and fast-growing mid-market businesses, and he is widely respected for his ability to bridge technical execution with customer-centric design. Tyler takes pride in building strong, collaborative teams and creating environments where innovation can thrive. He is deeply motivated by the opportunity to help organizations improve the lives of their customers and employees through thoughtful technology. Colleagues and partners appreciate his steady leadership, strategic mindset, and commitment to continuous learning and improvement.

Chris leads the Rainforest Automation team to deliver innovative solutions to its customers that exceed their expectations. With over 20 years of experience in technical and management roles in semiconductors, software, and hardware, across the networking and energy fields, Chris brings a technology and customer-centric view to solving the problems we all face with the transition to electrification.

Will West is the CEO of Oliver IQ. Will has been involved in the world of Home Automation for decades. He and his partner Eric Smith have created 5 industry leading and award winning companies together. A nice capstone to those awards was their receipt of the CEDIA Lifetime Achievement designation; an honor given to only a select few that have helped shape the industry. Will and Eric created Control4 and along with Mark Morgan, Glen Mella and many others, grew the Company to become the global leader in home automation. They successfully took the Company public in 2013. In 1998, he co-founded iBAHN with Eric Smith. Under Will’s leadership the company became the worldwide leader in broadband services for business travelers serving millions of customers in thousands of hotels. Prior to founding iBAHN, Will was CEO, and co-founder of PHAST Corporation, a manufacturer of high-end home automation equipment. Like his subsequent companies, PHAST became the leader in its field under his direction. Will's other professional experience includes Proctor and Gamble, the FSLIC, and Wasatch Advisors. He holds a degree in Finance from the University of Utah, and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He also holds the CFA designation. Will served as the chairman of the board of the Utah Capital Investment Corporation (the State of Utah's "Fund of Funds") where he served for close to 10 years. He served two terms as the Chairman of the Board for the Utah Technology Council (UTC) helping to create one of the most respected state technology associations in the Country. Along with his other commitments to the local community, Will sat on the Governor’s Economic Council and served multiple terms as Chairman of the Leonardo, Utah’s premier Science, Art, and Technology Museum. Will was also appointed to the Governing Board of the Utah Science Technology and Research initiative (USTAR). Will has been repeatedly named to Utah Business Magazine’s list of the 100 Most Influential People in the State. He was twice named Utah Valley Entrepreneur of the Year, and was named the Ernst and Young Master Entrepreneur Of The Year® in the intermountain region. He was also honored as the CEO of the Year by the Utah Technology Council.

Paul Williams serves as the Managing Director of the Home Management Solutions Business Unit for Nice and leads the worldwide strategy and business for the connected home in this role. Paul has over 20 years of executive leadership in the connected home space and his career spans start-ups to Fortune 500 companies. Paul previously served as Nice North America’s Chief Product Officer where he led the product management teams and developed the product strategy and product roadmaps of all products / solutions for Nice in North America. Prior to joining Nice, he was at GE Lighting in the role of GM of Product Management and Growth where he was charged with reimagining lighting solutions. In three years, Paul’s team created a DIY smart home ecosystem with innovative products and scaled the consumer mobile app, taking it from just 30,000 users to more than 2 million. During his 14+ years of executive leadership at Control4, a manufacturer of smart home solutions, he was instrumental in building the company from a startup to IPO with double-digit, year-over-year growth.

Kevin joined JCI via the Qolsys acquisition in 2020 and currently runs the Global Technical Account Management & Tech Support Teams. With members of his team in North American, EMEA and LATAM, he is responsible for supporting the Intrusion sales team on pre and post-sales activity, helping to win new business while growing and supporting existing business. Most importantly he and his team manage current dealer partners product expectations, needs and feedback loop while liaising directly with Product Management and Engineering on new designs, roadmap and strategy. In 2011, prior to joining JCI, Kevin was an integral part of the team that took Qolsys from an unknown startup in Silicon Valley to a household name and best-selling intrusion and smart home product in North America, culminating in a successful acquisition by JCI. Kevin got his start in the security industry in 2002 while in college, working his way up from Installer, then Regional Installation Manager to VP of Installation for two of the largest security companies in America, training and mentoring thousands of security professionals over 20+ years. He lives in Mapleton, Utah with his wife and 3 kids and enjoys skiing, wake surfing and riding his dirt bike in the mountains.

Co-founder and the innovative “heart and soul” at Ivani, Matt specializes in creating quick turnaround solutions to real problems using systems engineering. Both an engineer and entrepreneur at heart, he has an ever-growing list of granted and pending patents. He holds his ASEP certification, Associate TRIZ certification, B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, and MBA. In rare sightings in the wild, he can be found playing soccer, bouldering at the climbing gym, or out on a hike. Expected topics of conversation include smart home tech, 3D printing, video games, and formula one.

Steve Chazin has nearly three decades experience designing, building, and selling innovative enterprise and consumer technology that changed the world. Steve reimagined collaboration in the cloud at Cisco, Salesforce, and Symantec, launched four successful startups, and created new solutions for video editing, file sharing, and web services long before each became commonplace. As Vice President of Products for Alarm.com, Steve defines next-generation offerings for protecting people at home, at work and beyond. Combining his extensive tech experience with keen insights of emerging consumer trends, Steve has a history of predicting the future, and is currently developing health and wellness solutions for a post Covid-19 world. Steve has been a recurring guest on major network news programs, appeared in the BBC television series “Business Nightmares” and took part in the CNBC documentary “Steve Jobs: Billion Dollar Hippie”. Steve has written and published three books, is quoted by numerous online and printed publications, and is a highly sought-after speaker on topics like connected health and fitness, consumer technology and augmented reality. Steve was rehired by Steve Jobs to help reboot Apple in the late 1990s and was part of the team that returned Apple to profitability.

Jeff Elbaum is currently the Vice President of Global Sales at Iris® Powered by Generali, a global identity and cyber protection company that offers always-available identity resolution experts and tech-forward solutions. Iris is part of the multinational Generali Group, operating in 60 countries with over 72,000 employees. Prior to joining Iris in 2020, Jeff held several business development leadership positions in consumer security and privacy. He is also a veteran of AOL, where he was responsible for marketing of partner subscription products and overseeing member communications.

Katie Espeseth, Vice President - New Products, EPB

Anil Guntupalli is the Vice President of Technology Strategy and Network Cloud for Verizon. He is responsible for developing Network cloud and Edge platforms and driving virtualization, automation, & security across the networks. He is also responsible for developing next-generation network technologies and strategies, identifying and partnering with suppliers to enable Verizon’s technology strategy, and driving technology architecture efforts across Verizon. Prior to his current role, Anil headed product development and engineering of Fiosdevice development, Interactive Media Guide, Video on Demand, and advertising distribution platforms. Anil holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science from Midwestern State University, a second Master’s Degree in Telecommunications and Security from Boston University, and a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Mechanical Engineering.

I am a San Antonio native with a robust 20+-year tenure in the service provider industry. I was entrusted to lead GVTC's transformative initiative, "Creating Fiercely Loyal Customers." This endeavor aimed to reshape our organizational culture into a customer-centric powerhouse, redefining GVTC as a true solutions provider. In my current role, I am at the forefront of our product development and strategy efforts, driven by a vision to deliver a Connected, Smart, and Secure home experience for our customers. This includes offering the market's premier broadband and WiFi services, fortifying homes with smart security products, and tailoring our TV Streaming services to meet the diverse needs of both residential and business segments in our market.

John E. Mack III is Executive Vice President, Co-Head of Investment Banking and Head of Mergers & Acquisitions at Imperial Capital. Based in the Los Angeles office, Mr. Mack joined Imperial Capital in 2008 as part of the firm’s acquisition of certain assets of USBX Inc., an investment banking firm focused on mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Mack was founder and Chief Executive Officer of USBX. Prior to USBX, Mr. Mack served as the Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of Protection One, Inc. (NASDAQ: PONE), then the nation’s second largest provider of life safety and property monitoring services. Prior to assuming the role of CEO, Mr. Mack held the positions of Chief Financial Officer, Chief Strategy Officer and Executive Vice President of Business Development, where he was involved in over 200 acquisitions and oversaw the company’s growth from approximately 30,000 subscribers and $17 million in revenue to more than 1.6 million subscribers, $600 million in revenue and an enterprise value of over $2 billion. Before joining Protection One, Mr. Mack was a Senior Executive Officer with Westec Security, Inc. and prior to Westec he was a Senior Executive Officer with MCM, Inc., dba FAFCO Solar of Northern California. Mr. Mack earned a B.A. from Stanford University and an M.B.A from the University of California at Los Angeles.

Michael Martin, CEO and co-founder of RapidSOS, is a leading voice on public safety, personal security and technology innovation, commercializing startups, raising capital, and creating public and private partnerships. Michael has built RapidSOS, the world’s first intelligent safety platform that securely links life-saving data from over 500 million connected devices, apps and sensors directly to safety agents and over 15,000 911 and first responder agencies worldwide. RapidSOS has earned the trust and support of big tech, including foundational partners Apple and Google, Instacart, Uber, SimpliSafe, SiriusXM Connected Vehicles and more. He was named to Forbes’ 30 under 30 in the Healthcare category. In 2023, FastCompany named RapidSOS one of the world's most innovative brands. Michael also forms part of Fast Company’s Impact Council. Before RapidSOS, Michael had his own consulting firm and worked at Braemar Energy Ventures, a prominent New York-based firm focused on both traditional and alternative energy industries and efficiency-related IT areas. During his investing and advisory work, Michael assisted nearly 50 companies in commercializing their technologies, helping them secure over $2 billion in capital. Michael holds an MBA with High Distinction from Harvard Business School, where he received the R.F. Jasse Distinguished Award in Entrepreneurship and Leadership, the top entrepreneurship award for the class of 2015. Michael was also named one of the “World’s Best & Brightest MBAs” and one of the top HBS ‘15 graduates by Poets & Quants. Michael has also served as a Board Member of Board Observer for eight companies in four countries. He has also published pieces in a variety of media outlets, including The Washington Post, and has been featured on the homepage of MIT and across national media, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, CNBC, Newsweek, Fox News, TechCrunch, New Scientist, Smithsonian Magazine, and Popular Mechanics.

As the Senior Vice President, Business Development and Strategic Marketing for Resideo, Linsey identifies potential partnerships, technology innovations and solutions to provide comfort, security, energy efficiency, control and life-saving monitoring to customers worldwide. She also serves on the board of directors of the Home Connectivity Alliance (HCA), where she plays a vital role in shaping the future of smart home connectivity and interoperability. A lifelong learner who is passionate about driving the technology and energy industries forward, Linsey can offer insights into topics including energy transition, incubating and growing SaaS businesses, advancing women in tech and the practical application of artificial intelligence for business value creation.

Jim Nye is the Chief Product O4icer for the NRG Consumer team, responsible for the company’s consumer energy product strategy, including research and development, new product go-to-market initiatives, and the management of industry related partnerships. He was named to the position following NRG’s acquisition of Vivint, where he held the same title for the Utah-based leader in smart home and security innovation. Jim previously served as Senior Vice President of Product Management at Vivint, where he helped pioneer and bring to market many security and smart home innovations, including the first fully integrated smart home panel to integrate cellular connectivity and touchscreen technologies. Jim also led the strategy and development of Vivint’s video camera line, including the Vivint Doorbell Camera and other video products, and holds more than 50 patents for security and smart home technology innovations. Prior to his time at Vivint, Jim served as a program manager at Northrop Grumman, where he managed security upgrade initiatives for missile defense systems. Jim received a bachelor’s degree in management information systems from Brigham Young University and an MBA from the University of Colorado.

Carie Small, Senior Director ADT Monitoring Product & Engineering, ADT

Andrew leads Tractive's pet GPS tracking and health monitoring business in North America. Previously he led the US business for Furbo Dog Camera and wildlife conservation technology initiatives for Vulcan. Prior to that he helped launch Trunk Club in Chicago as head of marketing. Andrew is the author of the ZooBorns book series with over 2 million books sold. He serves on the Board of the Seattle Aquarium and holds a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Steve Chazin has nearly three decades experience designing, building, and selling innovative enterprise and consumer technology that changed the world. Steve reimagined collaboration in the cloud at Cisco, Salesforce, and Symantec, launched four successful startups, and created new solutions for video editing, file sharing, and web services long before each became commonplace. As Vice President of Products for Alarm.com, Steve defines next-generation offerings for protecting people at home, at work and beyond. Combining his extensive tech experience with keen insights of emerging consumer trends, Steve has a history of predicting the future, and is currently developing health and wellness solutions for a post Covid-19 world. Steve has been a recurring guest on major network news programs, appeared in the BBC television series “Business Nightmares” and took part in the CNBC documentary “Steve Jobs: Billion Dollar Hippie”. Steve has written and published three books, is quoted by numerous online and printed publications, and is a highly sought-after speaker on topics like connected health and fitness, consumer technology and augmented reality. Steve was rehired by Steve Jobs to help reboot Apple in the late 1990s and was part of the team that returned Apple to profitability.

Scott is the director of US Sales and Training at GrandCare. In addition to 20 years of experience in technology, Scott has studied psychology, religion, education and computing. He holds a master’s in education from Marquette University.

Dan Goodman is co-founder and President of Building36. Dan founded Building36 to create smart home solutions that make homes safer, more comfortable and energy efficient by designing them with both the homeowner and service provider in mind. Dan has nearly 20 years of engineering and technology experience. Prior to Building36, Dan was an applications engineer at Texas Instruments, founded a company that created the first Wi-Fi thermostat, and was head of sales for a startup company that helped pioneer zigbee wireless technology. Dan graduated from MIT with a degree in electrical engineer and computer science.

Morgan Hertel, with over 40 years of experience in the electronic security industry, is a well-respected leader who has served in many executive leadership roles for independent security integration companies and monitoring centers. Currently, as Vice President of Technology & Innovation for Rapid Response Monitoring, Morgan evaluates and harnesses the synergy between the latest technological advancements and the industry’s leading service providers to further advance the unmatched Dealer services of Rapid Response. Morgan serves as President of The Monitoring Association (TMA) and is actively involved in many local and national industry associations and initiatives, and he dedicates countless hours to the work of several forward-thinking committees throughout the industry, as well. Morgan holds the following certificates and licenses: NICET Level III Fire Alarm Technology, California Alarm Company Qualified Manager, Oregon Certified Trainer, Oregon Executive Manager, TMA Level I and II Central Station Operator, SIA Certified Operator and ESA Certified Alarm Installer.

Michael LotfyGiergesis Executive Vice President for the Home & Distribution division and has held the position since June 2023. In this role, he has full responsibility for all aspects of Schneider Electric’s residential & small buildings offerand solution development, including strategy, R&D, market development, production and go-to-market, utilizing his extensive industrialization experience. Michael leads a global staff spanning all four major Schneider Electric regions. His team is focused on leveraging Schneider’s legacy and leading technology in the home space to deliver innovative Home Energy Management Solutions to bring about a sustainable future for homes & small buildings. Michael is the youngest executive to lead a global business division in Schneider Electric. He is a passionate advocate for sustainability and has spearheaded DE&I initiatives throughout his career. Michael has more than 20 years of professional experience. He was previously SVP of Power Products for the NAM Hub where he oversaw the division portfolio’s double-digit growth in sales and launched five innovative products for the electrical industry.

Greg leads Business Development for Johnson Controls’ Intrusion business, where with his team, they are creating a portfolio of smart products that provide safety, security and automation to homes and businesses around the world.

Horacio Morales, VP of Sales, Nice North America

Veronica Moturi began her career as a customer service phone agent. In 2012, she joined Brinks Home™ as Manager, Consumer Affairs, and has since advanced to her current role as Senior Vice President, Customer Experience. Leveraging what she learned as a frontline representative and her deep understanding of the security industry, Veronica strategizes and executes initiatives aimed at reducing attrition, enhancing customer lifetime value, and improving both the customer and employee experiences. She is dedicated to not only transforming the call center through universal agents, career pathing, and technology-enhanced learning, but also developing a team-focused environment committed to the shared goal of fostering a best-in-class customer experience. Veronica’s leadership and passion have earned her recognition, including being named to Security Systems News’ “40 Under 40” and Industry Tech Outlook's “10 Most Admired Women Leaders 2024.” Veronica prides herself on building an innovative culture and championing solutions centered around our customers, employees, and core values. When not at work, Veronica enjoys exploring new restaurants and spending time with her husband and two kids.

Sujata Neidig has 25 years of experience in the semiconductor industry and has served in a variety of roles ranging from product engineering to marketing and business development. She is currently Director of Marketing i.MX Processors Software and Customer Programs. She also represents NXP as the Vice President of Marketing of the Thread Group, an industry alliance that provides an IP-based wireless mesh networking protocol designed for homes and buildings. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.

Roeland Nusselder is the CEO and co-founder of Plumerai, with offices in London and Amsterdam. Plumerai offers a full AI solution for the smart home, from People Detection, Vehicle Detection and Pet Detection to Familiar Face Identification and Stranger Identification. Plumerai’s software can be found in products on the shelves of Walmart and Best Buy. Thanks to its capability to run AI on-device with unmatched accuracy it has won several major US-based video doorbell companies as customers.

Eran Orr is the Founder & CEO of XRHealth, the leading healthcare platform in Spatial computing. XRHealth operates state-of-the-art therapeutic care Virtual Rooms, utilizing proprietary FDA and CE registered medical Extended Reality (XR) technology (virtual and augmented reality). XRHealth integrates immersive XR technology, licensed clinicians, and advanced data analytics on one platform, providing a comprehensive therapeutic care solution for patients to receive treatment from the comfort of their home. To date, he has been awarded four patents related to technology and healthcare and has published numerous studies in leading medical journals. Eran founded the company after a 12-year career as an executive officer in the Israeli Air Force. After experiencing an injury from flying in the AirForce and a long rehabilitation process, he realized that virtual reality could be applied to physical therapy and would eventually revolutionize the way healthcare is done. Eran is also a co-Founder and Chairman of the Board of Envoya, a leading pioneer in the field of advanced biomedical technologies. He has completed the Global Health Care Leaders Program at Harvard Medical School, earned a BA in Business Management, Government, and Politics, and an MBA in Entrepreneurship and Innovation Business Administration from Ben Gurion University.

Roel Peeters is the CEO & Co-founder of Roost. Mr. Peeters is a serial entrepreneur with over 20 years of startup experience ranging from enterprise software to consumer electronics and semiconductors. Before starting Roost in 2014, he was the co-founder of Ozmo Devices, a pioneer in low-power Wi-Fi. Ozmo delivered the enabling technology for the world’s first WiFi mouse (marketed by HP) and the WiFi remote control shipping with the Roku 3 box. Mr. Peeters is a co-inventor of low-power Wi-Fi Personal Area Networks (PAN) technology and successfully created a worldwide standard known as “Wi-Fi Direct”. Ozmo was acquired by Atmel in 2012. Prior to Ozmo, Mr. Peeters was one of the first employees at InQuira, a venture-funded search and web self-service enterprise software provider. As a marketing and sales executive, he was responsible for the development and execution of its highly successful early adopter program, signing up several Fortune 500 customers. InQuira was successfully acquired by Oracle. Earlier in his career, Mr. Peeters held various applications engineering, sales, and sales management positions in Europe, Southeast Asia, and the U.S. with ICOS Vision Systems (acquired by KLA-Tencor), a semiconductor equipment manufacturer. Mr. Peeters received his MBA from The Wharton School and an MSEE from the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium.

Keith Puckett, a former M&A investment banker, has transformed into a serial entrepreneur with a proven track record of creating disruptive start-ups. He is the Founder and CEO of Ubiety Technologies, which offers an AI engine and RF detection platform aimed at enhancing situational awareness across residential, commercial, and government security sectors. Ubiety can detect, categorize, and recognize individuals based on the devices they carry. Its AI engine, Eckleburg, processes high-speed radio frequency data to make real-time identity inferences using only passive RF signals, including WiFi, Bluetooth, and cellular data. Keith is passionate about contributing to safety and security of families throughout America!

Carie Small, Senior Director ADT Monitoring Product & Engineering, ADT

Will West is the CEO of Oliver IQ. Will has been involved in the world of Home Automation for decades. He and his partner Eric Smith have created 5 industry leading and award winning companies together. A nice capstone to those awards was their receipt of the CEDIA Lifetime Achievement designation; an honor given to only a select few that have helped shape the industry. Will and Eric created Control4 and along with Mark Morgan, Glen Mella and many others, grew the Company to become the global leader in home automation. They successfully took the Company public in 2013. In 1998, he co-founded iBAHN with Eric Smith. Under Will’s leadership the company became the worldwide leader in broadband services for business travelers serving millions of customers in thousands of hotels. Prior to founding iBAHN, Will was CEO, and co-founder of PHAST Corporation, a manufacturer of high-end home automation equipment. Like his subsequent companies, PHAST became the leader in its field under his direction. Will's other professional experience includes Proctor and Gamble, the FSLIC, and Wasatch Advisors. He holds a degree in Finance from the University of Utah, and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He also holds the CFA designation. Will served as the chairman of the board of the Utah Capital Investment Corporation (the State of Utah's "Fund of Funds") where he served for close to 10 years. He served two terms as the Chairman of the Board for the Utah Technology Council (UTC) helping to create one of the most respected state technology associations in the Country. Along with his other commitments to the local community, Will sat on the Governor’s Economic Council and served multiple terms as Chairman of the Leonardo, Utah’s premier Science, Art, and Technology Museum. Will was also appointed to the Governing Board of the Utah Science Technology and Research initiative (USTAR). Will has been repeatedly named to Utah Business Magazine’s list of the 100 Most Influential People in the State. He was twice named Utah Valley Entrepreneur of the Year, and was named the Ernst and Young Master Entrepreneur Of The Year® in the intermountain region. He was also honored as the CEO of the Year by the Utah Technology Council.

Paul Williams serves as the Managing Director of the Home Management Solutions Business Unit for Nice and leads the worldwide strategy and business for the connected home in this role. Paul has over 20 years of executive leadership in the connected home space and his career spans start-ups to Fortune 500 companies. Paul previously served as Nice North America’s Chief Product Officer where he led the product management teams and developed the product strategy and product roadmaps of all products / solutions for Nice in North America. Prior to joining Nice, he was at GE Lighting in the role of GM of Product Management and Growth where he was charged with reimagining lighting solutions. In three years, Paul’s team created a DIY smart home ecosystem with innovative products and scaled the consumer mobile app, taking it from just 30,000 users to more than 2 million. During his 14+ years of executive leadership at Control4, a manufacturer of smart home solutions, he was instrumental in building the company from a startup to IPO with double-digit, year-over-year growth.

Co-founder and the innovative “heart and soul” at Ivani, Matt specializes in creating quick turnaround solutions to real problems using systems engineering. Both an engineer and entrepreneur at heart, he has an ever-growing list of granted and pending patents. He holds his ASEP certification, Associate TRIZ certification, B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, and MBA. In rare sightings in the wild, he can be found playing soccer, bouldering at the climbing gym, or out on a hike. Expected topics of conversation include smart home tech, 3D printing, video games, and formula one.

Jeff cofounded Chefling in California in 2017 right after school graduation, aiming to modernize kitchen workflow using technologies. Its main product, Chefling app, has been featured by Amazon Alexa skill store multiple times. The company was invested by BSH, and acquired by Smarter in 2022.

Jing Xue, Senior Director of Product Management, Wyze Labs

Don Young is Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at ADT. He previously served as the company’s Chief Information Officer and Executive Vice President, Field Operations. Don started in the alarm industry in 1988 after serving four years in the United States Air Force as a computer programmer analyst. Since then he has held various leadership roles across many areas within the security industry. Don is currently president of The Monitoring Association (TMA) and past president of the Partnership for Priority Video Alarm Response (PPVAR).

John Barrett currently analyzes digital media and international trends for Parks Associates and also heads the company’s consumer research team. He regularly advises companies from both the content and hardware industries on their digital media strategies and has authored dozens of industry reports.

He holds an MA in international economics from the Johns Hopkins University: School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a BS in international affairs from Georgetown University.

INDUSTRY EXPERTISE: International Research, Digital Media, Mobile TV, Social Media, User-generated Content, Web 2.0

Ashton joined Parks Associates with over 15 years experience in sales, business development, account management and sponsorship sales within the hotel and sports industries. She is now part of the business development team managing event sponsorships and custom marketing services. Ashton graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington with a BA in Business Administration and concentration in Marketing. After working for Four Seasons Resorts for nearly 10 years, Ashton spent the next seven years working with PGA TOUR pro golfers and their corporate sponsors/partners before joining Parks Associates.

INDUSTRY EXPERTISE: Consumer electronics, mobility services and devices, connected health and wellness. Kristen Hanich heads Parks Associates' consumer electronics and mobility research, with expertise in other verticals including connected cars, mobile networking, healthcare, wellness, and independent living. She leads a mix of custom and syndicated research projects throughout the year, with a focus on major players and emerging trends. Kristen specializes in bridging the gap between data-driven and narrative approaches to understanding the consumer markets via a mix of qualitative and quantitative research approaches. Kristen has dual master's degrees in applied anthropology and public health from the Universities of North Texas in Denton and Fort Worth. She earned her BSc in health at the University of Texas at San Antonio and has a graduate certificate in Geographic Information Systems.

Daniel is responsible for smart home research involving market trend analysis, competitor and positioning assessments, technology evaluations, and forecasts of relevant industry metrics. Daniel is a market research industry veteran with 13 years of experience across multiple research types such as shopper insights, brand equity and brand health tracking, and customer experience. Daniel has also conducted research across multiple sectors such as consumer packaged goods, consumer electronics, specialty retail, and transportation, travel, and hospitality. Daniel has a BA in Sociology from the University of Texas at Arlington, with specializations in Research and Evaluation, Diversity, and Family and Gender Studies.

INDUSTRY EXPERTISE: Connected Health, Connected Home Technologies and Services, Connected Entertainment Products and Services. Jennifer manages the research department and Parks Associates' process for producing high-quality, relevant, and meaningful research. Jennifer also leads and advises on syndicated and custom research projects across all connected consumer verticals and guides questionnaire development for Parks Associates’ extensive consumer analytics survey program. Jennifer is a certified focus group moderator, with training from the Burke Institute. Jennifer earned her PhD in religion, politics, and society and an MA in church-state studies from Baylor University. She earned her BA in politics from the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.

Jason Paris joined Parks Associates as an analyst studying international telephone, cable, and satellite providers and is now a member of the business development team. Jason graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a BA in psychology and government. After working for the Texas House of Representatives, Jason spent the previous seven years in New York City working with portable and enterprise healthcare technologies.

Parks Associates mission is to help companies navigate the changing consumer technology landscapes through data-driven market insights, extensive consumer and industry intelligence, and executive conferences. With over two decades of dedication to the company, Elizabeth Parks, President and Chief Marketing Officer, has been instrumental in shaping its growth and success, along with the continued focus of delivering timely and quality industry and consumer insights on the broadband, entertainment, connected home and SMB industries. Elizabeth's commitment to Parks Associates' overarching mission is unwavering. Parks Associates provides clients with the most comprehensive consumer and industry research and analysis to empower businesses to make informed decisions in an ever-evolving landscape. Elizabeth's journey with Parks Associates began after graduating with a BA in psychology from the University of Texas at Austin. She lives in Plano Texas with her husband and three children.

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy is a veteran journalist and editor specializing in smart home technology. As the Smart Home Reviewer for The Verge, she covers the rapidly evolving connected home space, reviewing products, reporting on companies, and offering industry analysis. With over 30 years in journalism and over a decade focused on the smart home, Jennifer has contributed to The New York Times: Wirecutter, Dwell, Wired, The Ambient, BBC Science Focus, U.S. News & World Report, and more. Her work blends technical expertise with a consumer-first approach, making complex topics accessible and engaging. Jennifer began her career on London’s Fleet Street with The Daily Telegraph after earning a BA in English and American Studies from the University of Exeter. She later spent a decade in local news in Sun Valley, Idaho, before turning her focus to technology. Now based in Charleston, South Carolina, she lives in a semi-smart home with her husband, two children, two cats, a dog, and several chickens.

Ross Rubin is a contributing analyst at Parks Associates and the founder and principal analyst at Reticle Research Ross has focused on innovation in the technology, media and telecom markets for over 20 years. Prior to founding Reticle Research, he was executive director and principal analyst at The NPD Group. Prior to NPD, he founded and managed the consumer access and technology service at Jupiter Research (acquired by Forrester Research), where he served as vice president and chief research fellow. He has contributed to and been quoted by leading publications and media outlets hundreds of times. Ross is a graduate of Cornell University.