Commander (ret.) Paul Speight – SME Immerging Technologies, at Capita Fire Service College. A leading expert in immersive fire service training, specializing in XR applications for real-world emergency response.

Ken Willette - Executive Director North American Fire Training Directors providing support to the member organizations that train more than 1.1 million volunteer and career emergency responders in the United States and Canada.

Director, Defence and Security Strategic Partnerships Deakin University, Australia James’ journey began as an undergraduate and Deakin Universities first Robotics Engineering graduate in 2002. Continuing with Deakin into a PhD he worked at IISRI (then ISR lab as part of the school of engineering) and completed a medical robotics (haptics) thesis in 2009. James has worked on over 180 applied research and development projects within IISRI in the Defence, emergency services, industrial, aerospace and healthcare domains. In 2018, James founded FLAIM systems an immersive firefighter learning company, initially in the role of CEO and then CTO he helped lead the growth of the company to over 40 staff, supplying technology to over 48 countries. James as Chief Technologies lead FLAIM through multiple funding rounds, receiving significant funding for growth. James works closely with the Australian Defence Force (ADF), internationally with all four services within the US and throughout Europe and the UK. James has a passion for supporting talent, creating high performance teams, and translating concepts to reality for real-world impact and looks forward to collaborating across domains. James leads the Deakin Defence and Security, Strategic Partnerships team, driving collaborative Deakin partnerships, focusing on the critical areas of defence, foreign interference, humanitarian effort, disaster relief and emergency services, cyber security, national security, aerospace as well as advanced manufacturing and innovation. James is a third-generation volunteer firefighter with over 30 years experience and currently holds the rank of 1st Lt. In June 2024 James was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to science and to the community.

Kirk McKinzie is a SMART First Responder Technologist, a 35-year fire service veteran, and partners with international teams focused on Next Gen solutions. He is an adjunct professor, SME, advisor, speaker, and author to government, enterprise, academia, start-ups, and operators focused on SMART city design, emergency response, venture capital, and interoperability.

Elizabeth Hyman is President and Chief Executive Officer of the XR Association (XRA), the trade association promoting the dynamic growth of the XR industry which includes virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed-reality, and immersive technologies yet to be invented. XRA is dedicated to the responsible development and thoughtful advancement of XR technologies across the globe. Prior to joining XRA, Hyman served as Executive Vice President of Public Advocacy at the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), where she led the association’s outreach to members of Congress, the Executive Branch, and other international, federal, state, and local government institutions that shape public policies affecting the IT industry. Hyman brings more than two decades of experience in the worlds of government, policy, and technology. She began her career in government, including positions at the U.S. Department of Justice, Executive Office of the President, and Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, and has experience in the private sector both in the practice of law and in business.