Linda Burger is the Director for the Office of Research and Technology Applications at the National Security Agency (NSA) and is the current Chair of the FLC Executive Board.

Prior to NSA, Linda led technology-based economic development programs for two Maryland counties, owned an information technology business, and worked as a systems consultant in the public and private sectors.

She earned an MAS from Johns Hopkins University, a BS in Information Systems Management from University of Maryland and is a Certified Licensing Professional (CLP) from the Licensing Executives Society.

John Dement supports the Department of Defense as the T2 Senior Advisor at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC).  He has served the FLC in various Board roles including Chair.  John is active with the Interagency Working Group on Technology Transfer (IAWGTT) and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Lab2Market activities to promote federal research and innovation.

John has been a Navy civil servant since 1990 at NSWC Crane. From 2007 to 2014, he served as the lab’s ORTA negotiating 140+ licenses and collaborative agreements.  He served the State of Indiana under an IPA (2015-16).  John has served as a Systems Engineer in Program Office, Science Advisor to the Fleet, and F-15E structural engineer.   He holds a BS in Civil Engineering and an MPA. 

Dr. Whitney Hastings is a senior technology transfer professional with the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Technology Transfer Center. She has decades of experience in technology transfer leading numerous technology transfer initiatives and managed diverse portfolios including therapeutics, medical devices, cosmetics, software and food safety technologies.

Prior to joining the NCI, Whitney was an Intellectual Property and Partnerships Manager at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), where she had a pivotal role in expanding the office to include patenting, licensing, enforcement and in growing the number of technology transfer partnerships at several FDA Centers. Before joining FDA she spent several years at NIH's Office of Technology Transfer (OTT), where she was a Senior Licensing and Patenting Manager and Acting Branch Chief of the Cancer Branch. Before working in technology transfer, Whitney worked in industry as an engineer with Corning, Inc. and was a fellow in the NCI Nanobiology program. She graduated with a BS in mechanical engineering and a minor in bioengineering from Clemson University and completed her master’s and PhD in Mechanical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

Whitney is the past Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC) Awards Chair, and the Promote Committee Chair where she led efforts to promote and recognize noteworthy technology transfer efforts of all Federal Government laboratories and oversees three subcommittees – Strategic Communications, Website, and Awards.

John Bittman is an Interagency Policy Specialist in the Technology Partnerships Office (TPO) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). He works on convening intramural technology transfer personnel, conducting outreach to commercialization stakeholders, and assisting in program and policy formulation on behalf of the interagency technology transfer community.

Prior to joining TPO, John was a Presidential Management Fellow at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). He worked as a Technology Transfer Manager and Invention Development and Marketing Specialist within the NCI’s Technology Transfer Center, and as a Special Assistant in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

John served on active duty in the U.S. Army as a paratrooper, where he was deployed to Iraq as part of Operation New Dawn. He holds a PSM in nanotechnology, a BS in interdisciplinary studies (Physical, Biomedical, and Behavioral Sciences), and a Certificate in technology ventures from the University of Central Florida.

Jeff DiTullio serves as the Innovation & Outreach Lead and Head of the Office of Research and Technology Applications (ORTA) for the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Soldier Center in Natick, MA, where he is responsible for Technology Transfer, International Programs, Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and the Office of Small Business Programs. 

Prior to joining the Soldier Center team, he served as Director of Business Development for Bionaut Pharmaceuticals where he was responsible for the licensing of technology and therapeutic programs.  He previously held several positions at Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives (MBI), most recently serving as Director of MBI’s Technology Commercialization Center, responsible for providing technology licensing and IP management services to research institutions and start-up companies.  Previously, he held an academic staff appointment as a Technical Instructor in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT.  

Jeff holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering and a MS in Environmental Science from the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. 

Stefan Susta currently serves as one of the VA’s regional technology transfer specialists, supporting VA research activities in a seven-state region (13 medical centers). In this role, he leads a small team of field technology transfer specialists and works closely with innovation specialists, VA prototyping teams, and university affiliates to protect, license, and transition VA’s IP. 

Before joining VA’s tech transfer program in 2020, Stefan served for five years as a technology transfer specialist (ORTA) and small business liaison at the Air Force Research Laboratory, where he supported the marketing and commercialization of the directorate’s patent portfolio and technology transfer activities to support synergistic collaborations between the Air Force, academia, and industry.  He has also worked in various technology-based industries and has served as a corporate officer in private industry. 

Stefan earned undergraduate degrees in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, and German from Virginia Tech, and an MBA from Wright State University.

Derek Parks is the Deputy Director for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Technology Partnerships Office, which oversees the Small Business Innovation Research grant program and NOAA's Technology Transfer and Cooperative Research and Development portfolios. Derek is a 30-year veteran of the U.S. Department of Commerce with experience in intellectual property and technology transfer, cooperative agreements, international trade, marketing and communications, and project/program management.

Derek is the Chair of the Promote Committees for the FLC. Prior to this role, he served the FLC as the Website Subcommittee Chair and a Member-at-Large. He also has represented NOAA on a number of interagency committess including the Interagency Committees for Technology Transfer and Bayh-Dole and the Lab-to-Market Sub-Committee of the National Science and Technology Council.  

Derek received his degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder, specializing in International Affairs and Italian Language studies. Outside of work, he has ten years of experience as a professional event photographer and enjoys playing guitar and drums.

Karen Presley is the Deputy Director of the Office of Research and Technology Applications at the National Security Agency (NSA) where she leads a team of technology transfer professionals.

Prior to joining NSA, Karen had vast experience in both the public and private sector and as an owner of an IP solutions business. She worked as an IP attorney with Washington DC law firms, a patent examiner with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, an electrical engineer with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and a computer systems engineer within the private sector. She also served as an adjunct professor with the University of Maryland Global College in the Cyber Security Policy Program.

Karen earned her JD from Texas Southern University, her LLM degree in Intellectual Property from George Washington University Law School, and a BS in Electrical Engineering from North Carolina A&T State University. She is Certified Licensing Professional (CLP) credentialed from the Licensing Executives Society, Inc. She is currently pursuing an MBA from New York University, Stern School of Business. 

Paige is the Technology Transfer manager at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division (NSWC PCD). Prior to her ORTA appointment, Paige was the STEM Outreach Program manager as well as the Education Partnership Program manager.

Paige graduated with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Florida in 2012 through the SMART Scholarship program. Upon graduation she began working at NSWC PCD in the Diving and Life Support Division, where she supported the design, testing, and transition of various diving systems supporting the Navy, Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, and first responders. In 2020, she earned a Master’s degree in STEM Leadership and Education from the American College of Education.

Paige was first introduced to the FLC in 2015 when she attended her first National Meeting. It was at this meeting that she truly understood the importance of technology transfer to national security and the economy. After the first FLC National Meeting, Paige became involved in work under a CRADA in Diving & Life Support Systems. This would eventually lead to her pursuing more work in technology transfer and setting up a full time Office of Research and Technology Applications at NSWC PCD. In 2019, she became the Southeast Regional Coordinator for the FLC, and in 2023, began the role of Chair of the Facilitate Committees.

David Kistin is the Manager of Technology and Economic Development at Sandia National Laboratories, where he leads technical assistance programs for industry partners in partnership with the State of New Mexico. He also serves as the Associate Director of Quantum Information Science (QIS) Ecosystem for the DOE Quantum Systems Accelerator (QSA), and as Director of the Sandia Science & Technology Park. 

Vladimir Popov is the Director of the Partnership Development Office (PDO) at the Frederick National Laboratory, National Cancer Institute (NCI). He is responsible for providing comprehensive project management oversight of partnership project objectives, as well as developing and maintaining relationships between, client organizations, and local business communities in Maryland.

Prior to this role, Vladimir worked as a business development manager for the PDO. Before joining the Frederick National Laboratory, he worked as a manager in the healthcare industry, entrepreneur, and licensing manager. He completed two postdoctoral fellowships at Thomas Jefferson University and the University of Pennsylvania and holds a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and a BS in Biochemistry from Thomas Jefferson University. He is currently pursuing his MBA at Johns Hopkins University – Carey Business School.

David Lee is a Technology Transfer Associate in the Technology Transfer (T2) Office within the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Armaments Center (DEVCOM AC) headquartered at Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey.

As a part of the DEVCOM AC T2 Team, David is responsible for all aspects of DEVCOM AC’s technology transfer practice including executing cooperative research agreements (with domestic, international, academic and industry partners), overseeing the DEVCOM AC patent portfolio, developing intellectual property licensing and marketing strategies, and facilitating and executing strategic partnerships, and agreements with other Federal and State partners.

David began his career with the Army as a Presidential Management Fellow working in labor relations and management employee relations. David received an AB in Government from Dartmouth College, a JD from Indiana University School of Law- Bloomington, and a BS in Biochemistry from Arizona State University. David is admitted to practice law in New Jersey.

Laurie Bagley leads the Technology Transfer office for the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) directing efforts to accelerate the commercialization and transfer of laboratory technologies to the marketplace, including developing an entrepreneurial ecosystem for lab scientists and implementing commercialization programs funded by the Department of Energy (DOE) and other federal programs.

She is also a member of the DOE National Laboratory Technology Transfer (NLTT) working group, an executive board member of the DOE Technology Transfer Working Group (TTWG), and a member of AUTM.

Laurie's previous experience includes research and marketing technologies for Princeton University's Office of Technology Licensing, IP consulting, and R&D and manufacturing experience in the medical device, semiconductor, and building products industries. Laurie holds a BS in Chemistry from Millersville University, Millersville, PA.

Annie E. Bullock-Yoder is a member of the Technology Transfer Office at the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC), Crane Division, where she serves as the intellectual property (IP) and licensing specialist. She is the point person for all NSWC Crane invention disclosures and leads efforts to market and commercialize the IP portfolio.

Annie has earned a Juris Doctor and a Master of Laws in intellectual property from Western Michigan University and a Bachelor of Science in biomedical engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. She has several professional licenses including membership in the Indiana State Bar and as a patent attorney with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Jennifer Stewart serves as the Office of Research and Technology Applications (ORTA) representative, the Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) lead and FLC representative for Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC), Corona Division.  As the ORTA, Jennifer acts as a broker, connecting Corona Division’s scientists and engineers with academia and industry for a variety of Technology Transfer (T2) and Technology Based Economic Development (TBED) activities. 

Jennifer graduated from the California Baptist University, Riverside, Calif., with a bachelor’s degree in business, and joined NSWC Corona’s Product Engineering Assessment Department in the measurement science mission area supporting the Marine Corps Infantry Weapons Gage Calibration Program in 2003.  Corona Division received its Federal Laboratory designation on Jan. 26, 2010.  In December 2012, she left Product Engineering Assessment Department to head up the ORTA position full time as the T2 manager, ORTA. 

Sharon Soucek directs the Office of Technology Transfer at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), based out of North Carolina. Her office supports NIEHS researchers to partner with their counterparts in academia, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector to deliver innovations that will benefit human health. Sharon earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from Northeastern University and her PhD in biochemistry and molecular biology from Emory University. Her career in technology transfer began with a licensing internship in Emory University’s office of technology transfer. After graduating, she worked as a technology transfer specialist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where she negotiated agreements for establishing research collaborations and transferring research materials, performed invention assessments, and devised marketing strategies for technologies developed in the Center for Global Health. She was awarded the FLC 2016 Excellence in Technology Transfer Award for supporting the commercialization of a Candida infection diagnostic.

Richard R. (Dick) Paul is an independent consultant with more than 40 years of R&D-related management experience. He retired from the U.S. Air Force in 2000 with the rank of Major General after serving 33 years, and from The Boeing Company in 2007 as a vice president after serving seven years.

During his Air Force career, Dick served in three Air Force laboratories, a product center, two major command headquarters, Headquarters USAF in the Pentagon, and a joint staff assignment. His latter three AF assignments were aligned with the Air Force science and technology enterprise, and in his final assignment, he served as the first commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory. At Boeing, he served as a vice president in Boeing’s centralized research and technology organization that develops advanced technologies for Boeing’s family of commercial aircraft and defense-related aerospace products and systems.

Dick is currently the chair of the FLC’s National Advisory Council. Formerly, he served on the National Science Foundation’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR/STTR) Advisory Committee, as chair of the Innovation Research Interchange (IRI) Board of Directors, and as a member of the Missions Committee of the Sandia National Laboratories Board of Directors, the National Research Council Air Force Studies Board, and the Air University Board of Visitors. On the civic front, Dick is a current director and vice chair of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra’s Board of Directors.