Mr. Walker is Vice President for Global Government Services at ABS. This responsibility includes ABS work with Government fleets of vessels as well as ABS initiatives/ programs with Government agencies on clean energy in the maritime domain (offshore wind, marine energy, advanced nuclear technology) and decarbonization of maritime operations (vessels, ports, and associated infrastructure).

Juan Ignacio Rodríguez works both in institutional communication and in the digitalization of processes at the Port Authority of Puerto Quequén, province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Puerto Quequén is the deepest port in Argentina and third in the country’s export of agricultural bulk.

In addition, Juan is a member of the work team that develops the Port Community System for Puerto Quequén.

With a degree in Communication and Journalism and a Master’s degree in Institutional Communication Management, Juan began working in Puerto Quequén in 2015. During the last ten years, he specialized, obtaining Master’s degrees in Port Management and Planning and Intermodality of State Ports, Spain; and the Expert Diploma in Innovation and Digitalization of the port logistics sector.

Currently, he is developing his Master’s Final Project in Business Administration titled “Proposal for the implementation of an innovation ecosystem in the Port of Quequén.”

His interdisciplinary experience covers political-electoral, pharmaceutical and health communication, as well as secondary education teaching.

Mr. Lobingier brings 25 years of experience in the field of Information Technology and has a diverse background in the Information Technology and Financial sectors. Brooks holds a BBA in Management Information Systems from Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth, TX.

Michael Scherer has over fourteen years of uncrewed systems experience, focusing in the maritime environment. At ASV Global, he scaled an autonomy architecture used on over a hundred self-driving boats and ships. Michael led and implemented the design, build, and commissioning of over a dozen USVs deployed to customers around the world. After being acquired by L3Harris, he went on to capture and manage a major US Navy USV program starting in 2019. In 2022, he became a founding member of Chance Maritime Technologies as CTO. Since then, he has led the engineering efforts at Chance Maritime Technologies, delivering multiple classes of long-endurance high-power USVs. Michael holds a BS in Computer Science from the University of Central Florida, and is pursuing an MS in Computer Science from Georgia Tech.

Megan O’Leary is Director of Operations at Blue Sky Maritime Coalition, a non-profit organization that aims to achieve net zero emissions in the waterborne transportation industry in the U.S. and Canada.

Prior to Blue Sky Maritime Coalition, Megan was Vice President, Product and Strategy Specialist at Angelo, Gordon & Co., an alternative asset firm. Her areas of expertise were distressed debt, liquid credit, multi-strategy, and special situations funds. She began her career at Bruderman Brothers Inc., a boutique merchant bank.

She pivoted from this career in 2020 and earned a Master of Arts in International Environmental Policy with a specialization in Sustainability Management from Middlebury Institute of International Studies. Megan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Italian from Tulane University.

Natascha A. Gutermuth is a lead Program Manager for the Biometrics Program Office, under U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Field Operations in Washington, DC. In this role, Ms. Gutermuth manages the Biometric Entry-Exit Program and deployment of facial comparison technology to U.S. ports of entry. Through collaboration with stakeholders, the Biometrics Program Office has operationalized biometric exit solutions at 49 airports, deployed biometric facial comparison solutions to 40 seaports, and integrated facial comparison technology throughout the traveler continuum.

In her 19 years of service, Ms. Gutermuth has worked in a wide variety of positions and locations. She served as a Branch Chief with the Preclearance Field Office in Washington D.C., overseeing Preclearance ports and operations in the UAE, Ireland, the Caribbean, and Canada. Prior to this assignment, she served as the Port Director for the Ports of Piegan, Chief Mountain, and Goat Haunt in Babb, MT, where she was responsible for overseeing the port operations of three remote ports of entry at the Northern land border. Due to the ports’ location on an Indian reservation, she closely collaborated with native American law enforcement and tribal members. Prior to this assignment, she served as a Chief over the Admissibility Review Unit at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), leading the activities of 80 employees, including several off-site locations. As the Chief over the Admissibility Review Unit, she ensured legal sufficiency over all admissibility decisions. Prior to this assignment, Ms. Gutermuth spent several years as a diplomat at CBP’s Toronto Preclearance, facilitating lawful travel and trade to the United States.

A native of Nuernberg, Germany, Ms. Gutermuth holds an Industrial Management degree from Berufsschule IV in Nuernberg, Germany, and graduated from the University of St. Thomas (UST) in Houston, TX, with a bachelor’s degree in business and French. She began her federal law enforcement career in 2005 when she joined U.S. Customs and Border Protection as a CBP Officer at LAX, Los Angeles International Airport, CA.

Janine M. Mansour has been on the commercial team at the Port of New Orleans since 2010 and currently serves as the Head of Key Accounts. In her role, she works with the Port’s key shipper, ocean carrier, inland transportation and logistics clients to provide client support, supply chain solutions and drive business growth across the Port’s cargo and rail business lines.

Janine attended Rice University, where she ran division-I cross-country and track and graduated with a B.A. in both Psychology and Policy Studies. She received her MBA with a concentration in Management from Tulane University in 2014. Through Tulane, Janine received the Allen R. Vorholt Fellowship for outstanding leadership and scholarship. Janine is a native New Orleanian, speaks Mandarin and she and her husband, Aubrey, have three children.