Alexis Bonnell is the Head of AI Adoption and Deployment at OpenAI focused on Government and Public Sector. Alexis previously served as a Federal Chief Innovation Officer, Chief Information Officer of the Air Force Research Laboratory, was the Emerging Technology Evangelist at Google, and was one of the first employees of the Internet Trade Association. Alexis has deployed more than 60 AI systems and solutions in Government. Alexis has introduced AI to over 700,000 public servants, and has led the most comprehensive AI Adoption Research program in US Government, specializing in AI Adoption Psychology, Living System Leadership, and Leading in an AI Age. She is an expert in human-machine teaming. She has won more than 15 Awards for her work in AI in government.  She loves the opportunity to share the power of AI in helping people, teams and organizations reach their fullest potential. Alexis has developed and delivered technology solutions in war zones, fortune 500 companies, global emergencies,  and in more than 50 countries. Alexis is an author and holds 2 masters and an honorary PHD, she recently became a grandmother and co-wrote her first children's book focused on introducing AI in a safe, fun way... and…she has really cool sneakers! 

 

The Honorable Paul R. Lawrence, Ph.D., was nominated by President Donald J. Trump to serve as the 11th Deputy Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Deputy Secretary Lawrence was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 27, 2025, and sworn in the following day by Secretary Doug Collins.

As VA Deputy Secretary, Dr Lawrence is the Department’s second-in-command and Chief Operating Officer directing policy and operations while ensuring coordinated action and compliance with the Secretary’s directives.

During President Trump’s first term, Deputy Secretary Lawrence served as VA’s 7th Under Secretary for Benefits, overseeing the delivery of more than $100 billion in direct benefits to millions of Veterans and their dependents. Since 2012, Dr Lawrence has been a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. Service to the Citizen recognized him as a Champion of Change with their 2019 Government Executive of the Year Award, and Federal Computer Week has selected Deputy Secretary Lawrence three times as one of their top 100 public service leaders.

Outside of his government service, Dr. Lawrence is a businessman with 35 years of experience solving management problems in large, complex organizations and the author of several books on effective and efficient government. As a private sector executive, he was a consulting partner at two Fortune 500 companies.

Dr. Lawrence served as a Captain in the U.S. Army, graduated from the Army’s Airborne School, and was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal. He earned a Master of Arts and Ph.D. in Economics from Virginia Tech and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Congressman Rob Wittman was first elected to the United States Congress to serve Virginia’s First Congressional District in 2007. While in office, he has focused on strengthening our military and supporting our nation’s veterans, promoting a flourishing economy through fiscal responsibility and pro-growth policies, fixing our crumbling infrastructure, increasing access to high-speed internet, and promoting workforce development through Career and Technical Education (CTE) and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) programs. 
 
In the U.S. Congress, Congressman Wittman serves as vice chairman of both the House Armed Services Committee and the House Natural Resources Committee, where he is well-positioned to represent the needs of Virginia's First District. He has earned a strong reputation for being an advocate for our men and women in uniform and for being a champion of the Chesapeake Bay. 
 
On the Armed Services Committee, Congressman Wittman serves as vice chairman of the full committee and the chairman of the Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee. On the Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee, Congressman Wittman oversees the largest portfolio of modernization programs on the House Armed Services Committee, with vast ramifications for the future of the U.S. military’s ground and air forces and munitions stockpiles. Congressman Wittman also serves on the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). As co-chair of the Congressional Shipbuilding Caucus, he is a staunch advocate for a robust naval fleet and a healthy domestic shipbuilding industry. He also serves on the U.S. Naval Academy’s Board of Visitors. 

As vice chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources, Congressman Wittman serves on both the Energy and Minerals Subcommittee, as well as the Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries Subcommittee, where he brings his professional expertise in water quality, fisheries, and other natural resource issues. He is a proud champion of the Chesapeake Bay for its environmental and economic attributes and has introduced legislation that will increase the accountability and effectiveness of cleaning up the bay. He serves as co-chair of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Caucus, which brings the bay’s issues into focus for Members of Congress. 
 
As a co-chair of the House Rural Broadband Caucus, Congressman Wittman is leading the way to bring high-speed internet to the unserved areas of the First District and the nation. His Serving Rural America Act served as a model for the NTIA Broadband Infrastructure Program, a $288 million funding program for partnerships between localities and providers of fixed broadband service to support broadband deployment. His other infrastructure priorities include deepening and widening the Port of Virginia, easing congestion on I-95, improving traffic and safety concerns along I-64, improving and expanding the Long Bridge, expanding the capacity of the Virginia Railway Express (VRE), and providing sustainable funding mechanisms to Dulles International Airport (IAD) and Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA). 
 
Congressman Wittman was re-elected for his ninth full term in the U.S. House of Representatives in November 2024 and prior to that, he served in several levels of government. Congressman Wittman won his first campaign for public office in 1986 when he was elected to the Montross Town Council, where he served for 10 years, four of them as mayor. In 1995, he was elected to the Westmoreland County Board of Supervisors and was elected its chairman in 2003. In 2005, voters in the 99th Legislative District elected Rob to the Virginia House of Delegates, where he served until his election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2007. 
 
Prior to his election to Congress, Rob spent 26 years working in state government, most recently as field director for the Virginia Health Department's Division of Shellfish Sanitation. Earlier in his career, he worked as an environmental health specialist for local health departments in Virginia's Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula regions. 
 
He holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University, a Master of Public Health degree in Health Policy and Administration from the University of North Carolina, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Virginia Tech.