Disruptive Innovation Summit

Deborah Brosnan

President and Co-Founder
Deborah Brosnan Associates and OceanShot

Deborah Brosnan is a globally recognized ocean scientist and systems strategist designing nature-based infrastructure for resilience, biodiversity and risk reduction. Founder of Deborah Brosnan & Associates and co-creator of OceanShot, she works with sovereign leaders, institutional heads, engineers, planners and architects at the intersection of science, governance and innovation, advancing how living systems reshape the design, value and governance of the built world.

Edgar Westerhof

U.S. Director for Climate Adaptation
Arcadis

Edgar Westerhof is vice president and the U.S. Director for Climate Adaptation with Arcadis. Edgar is a water management engineer with 27 years of experience in international integrated urban water management. Following his move to the U.S. from the Netherlands, Edgar led participation in the HUD Rebuild by Design competition, including the BIG U Plan to protect Lower Manhattan. Edgar is the contributing author of the books Blue Dunes and Adapting Cities to Sea Level Rise.

Alex McDowell

Professor
USC School of Cinematic Arts

Alex McDowell is a royal designer, creative director and production designer with over 30 years of experience in film, game, animation and theatre. He is an advocate and originator of the narrative design system world-building. McDowell is head of narrative design at MakeMake Studios, professor of cinematic practice at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, director of the USC World Building Institute & World Building Media Lab and USC William Cameron Menzies Endowed Chair in Production Design. 

Craig Russell

Chief Design and Project Delivery Executive
Walt Disney Imagineering

Craig Russell recently retired from a 42-year career with Walt Disney Imagineering, where he led design and project execution of major projects worldwide and co-led the studio for almost a decade as chief design and project delivery executive. He now advises AEC and themed entertainment leaders on major projects, company culture, organizational vibrancy and process innovation. He is also active with global social housing non-profits and with local wildfire recovery efforts near his home in Los Angeles.

Dave Magnoni

Program Director 
IEEE

Dave Magnoni is a seasoned professional with over 20 years of experience in product management, strategy and project management. He is currently a program director with IEEE’s Future Directions, where he supports the Telepresence and Alternative Energy Generation and Storage initiatives. Throughout his career, Dave held significant roles across industries, including at Rutgers University, Intel, Art Technology Group (acquired by Oracle), Axeda (acquired by PTC) and the U.S. Navy. 

Mouse McCoy

Director
DARPA LUNAverse

Mouse McCoy is the founder and executive creative director of Studio 52 and co-founder of Hackrod, a digital industrial company. He coined the term “LUNAverse” to describe a foundational marketplace for cislunar space development, serving as a coalition of government, commercial, academic, and research organizations involved in DARPA’s LunA-10 (10-Year Lunar Architecture) initiative. Previously, he was CEO of Bandito Brothers, where he produced and directed the #1 box office film “Act of Valor” and directed Mattel’s “Hot Wheels for Real” campaign, which earned a Cannes Gold Lion.

Robert Mueller

Senior Technologist
NASA Kennedy Space Center

Rob Mueller is a senior technologist and principal investigator in the Exploration Research and Technology Programs Directorate at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. He is the co-founder of the NASA Swamp Works innovation labs and the Kennedy Granular Mechanics & Regolith Operations (GMRO) Lab. Mueller is a member and former chairman of the American Society of Civil Engineers Committee for Regolith Operations, Mobility and Robotics and a former chairman of the ASCE Aerospace Division Executive Committee.

Mathew Garver

CEO
HiQo Solutions

Mathew Garver is the CEO of HiQo Solutions, Inc., a global technology holding company operating across ten countries, focused on advanced artificial intelligence, machine learning, Edge AI, embedded systems, cloud engineering and software development for Fortune 500 companies. In 2023, he established HiQo University, a Poland-based global training program in AI and MLOps. He also serves as president of Liberty Street Capital, a private investment firm specializing in growth equity investments in AI-enabled business service platforms.

Magi Richani

Founder and CEO
Alpine Bio

Magi Richani is the founder and CEO of Alpine Bio, a San Francisco-based molecular farming company focused on creating sustainable plant-grown proteins. The company leverages plant genetics to turn plants into “living bioreactors” to produce dairy proteins at scale. In 2024, Magi was recognized by INC as one of the most influential female founders and was named to the top Agri-Food Pioneers list by the World Food Prize. She is also an MIT 35 Under 35 Innovator in the Climate category.