Speakers
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Four divisions at Mississippi State University (MSU)—the Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems (CAVS), the National Strategic Planning and Analysis Research Center (NSPARC), Bagley College of Engineering, and the MSU Athletics Department—along with The Communiversity at East Mississippi Community College (EMCC)—are once again hosting the Athlete Engineering Summit. The two-day event will take place on May 10 and 11 at The Communiversity. A free four-hour workshop will be held at The Communiversity of EMCC between noon and 4:00 on May 9, the day before the Summit’s official start. Also, a ticketed dinner event will be held at the MSU Baseball stadium the night of the 9th as the Diamond Dawgs take on the Tigers of Memphis. You may choose to sign up for these items on the registration page. In addition to these opportunities, there will be a free social event at the MSU football stadium the night of the 10th.
The following people are scheduled to speak at the Athlete Engineering Summit 2023. Check back for additions as speakers are confirmed!
Keynote Speaker – Dr. James F. (Jim) Reilly

NASA Astronaut and Executive Advisor to Booz Allen Hamilton
Connect with Jim: LinkedIn
Dr. Jim Reilly is an Executive Advisor in Booz Allen’s aerospace business. As a space systems expert and former astronaut, Jim works with the Booz Allen teams to develop innovative solutions for space-related services, earth systems characterization, and customer-facing applications for a variety of clients including the Department of Defense, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the intelligence community. In addition to the aerospace business, Jim recently joined the climate intelligence team and will work closely with Dr. Neil Jacobs who is joining the Firm as an executive advisor after serving as the Assistant Secretary for Earth Observation Programs at NOAA.
Jim has more than 25 years of multidisciplinary technical, engineering, and management experience in resource assessments; applications-focused earth systems characterization; space systems development, applications, and operations; and education.
Prior to joining Booz Allen, Jim Reilly was the Director of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) where he managed an annual $1.8 billion operating budget for the nation’s largest water, earth resources, biological science, natural hazards, and civilian mapping agency.
Before USGS, Jim served U.S. and allied militaries as a subject matter expert on space operations, and as a technical advisor supporting the National Security Space Institute of the U.S. Air Force.
As an astronaut at NASA, he had a distinguished 13-year career where he flew on three space shuttle missions and conducted five spacewalks totaling more than 856 hours in space.
In addition to Senior Management positions at TAEUS Corporation and PhotoStencil Corporation in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Jim has held management positions in the private sector, academia, in government service, in the military, and has owned his own space technology-focused company. He served 17 years with the U.S. Navy as a reserve engineering duty officer and was designated a space systems expert in the Navy’s Space Cadre
Jim earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees in geosciences from the University of Texas at Dallas.
Speaking the Same Language
Brock Anderson is the Owner of Ergo-ology, Inc. His primary effort focuses on strategic alignment of consulting services with customer needs, managing Ergo-ology’s team of Professional Ergonomist, and assisting with a variety of technical consulting projects to improve human performance and productivity in Industry.
Before launching Ergo-ology in 2015, Brock worked as the human performance coach for the Atlanta Falcons and Auburn University’s Athletic Teams. He also spent several years as the Global Head Ergonomics Program Manager for Coca-Cola, and began his career as a Corporate Ergonomist at Gulfstream Aerospace.
Brock’s post-graduate studies were in Industrial Engineering with a focus on Supply Chain Efficiencies. He also has a dual Master degree (in Biomechanics and Physiology) from Auburn University, where his primary research focused on Muscle Activation and Ergonomic Design. Brock is a Board-Certified Professional Ergonomist (CPE), Certified Industrial Ergonomist (CIE), a Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (LSSMBB).
As Vice President, Corporate Business Development, Wesley Barnett is responsible for the development and growth of Thorne’s Corporate Wellness business. He also works closely with the Sports Performance Team to manage the business relationships with Thorne’s Sports Performance Clients, including but not limited to: Olympic Sport Bodies and Organizations and teams as well as athletes at the professional, collegiate and amateur levels.
Wesley has been involved with Olympic sport for over half of his life both as an athlete and an administrator. He participated as an athlete in the 1992 Barcelona and 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games with his best finish coming in Atlanta where he finished 6th. After not making the 2000 Olympic Team, he worked in the Sport Performance Division of the USOC for 2 years, before leaving to take on the role as the CEO of USA Weightlifting for the next 5 years. He then returned to the USOPC as a Director in Sport Performance for the next 10 years.
Wesley attended the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs and graduated in 1994 with a Bachelor’s degree in Communication.
Mona Bhuta is currently President of Innovative Sports Training, Inc, the developers and providers of The MotionMonitor real-time biomechanics custom solutions. Mona joined the company in 2001 as a Client Support Engineer following graduation with an MS degree from the University of Michigan’s Mechanical Engineering program. Mona earned her BS from Mississippi State University’s Agricultural and Biological Engineering program while playing for MSU’s Women’s Tennis Team. During her tenure with The MotionMonitor, she has championed the development of hybrid systems that combine data collection from combinations of active optical, passive optical, electromagnetic trackers, markerless tracking and inertial measurement units (IMU). Mona has over 22 years of experience in the motion capture industry, providing consultation for a wide range of clients in academia, sports, clinics, hospitals and ergonomic settings.
Dr. Joe Bielitzki is a Founder and Chief Science Officer for Arteria Technology, Inc. Joe recently retired from his role as Chief Veterinary Officer at NASA, where he served for over 10 years. Joe served at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), where he was a Program Manager for the Peak Soldier Performance Program. He has served as the Chief Science Officer at Mars, Inc. and has been a Senior Fellow in Biomedical research at the University of Washington, Emory University and the University of Central Florida.
Joe received his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Illinois and a Bachelor of Sciences in Biology from the University of Illinois of Chicago.
Dr. Maryrose Blank supports the Booz Allen Human Performance team by providing subject matter expertise in psychology, health, and cognitive performance. With over 15 years of experience within the human performance industry, 13 of those years have been spent serving the Special Operations Community, training cognitive skills and delivering quantitative and qualitative data driven solutions to clients.
Maryrose’s expertise includes educating, training, and measuring readiness as it applies to cognitive skill development, sleep, biofeedback and neurofeedback applications, resiliency, and other mental skills. In addition to her work with service members, she has experience training athletes at all performance levels. Maryrose holds a Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D) in Sport and Performance Psychology, and a Masters of Education (M.Ed) in Counseling Psychology with a concentration in Athletic Counseling. She is also a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) with the Association of Applied Sport Psychology (AASP).
With over thirty years of coaching experience, Dave Bollwinkel is blessed with a wealth of teambuilding and motivational knowledge. His teaching experience ranges from high school, through major college, and into the N.B.A. Dave is a scout for the Chicago Bulls, and was formerly the head basketball coach at Saint Mary’s College. Having been an educator and coach throughout his professional career he now combines these skills to speak, train, and coach across the country on a variety of issues connected to teamwork and leadership.
As a professional speaker, Dave focuses on building better teamwork and enhancing leadership. Through his business, COACH On and Off the Court, he facilitates seminars, delivers keynotes, and provides coaching. All organizations benefit from better teamwork and this is reflected in his wide range of clients that include among others; FedEX, Western Digital, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, Seagate, UCLA, NetApp, Yale University, EMC, and the Los Angeles Unified School District. Dave’s approach to team building has twice be featured in the San Francisco Chronicle and his interactive teaching style can be observed in his two DVDs that are designed to assist in building better teamwork; Turn Your Team Into A Championship Team, and TEAM In Training.
Dave’s basketball coaching background includes serving as associate head coach at the University of Wisconsin in the Big Ten, three stints as an assistant in the PAC-12, as well as serving as an assistant in the Mountain West, WAC, Big West, and Conference U.S.A. From 1987 to 1992 he was head basketball coach at Division II Cal Poly University at Pomona. In 1991 his peers chose him California Collegiate Basketball Coach of the Year for the turnaround he accomplished in leading the Broncos to the top of their conference, an award he was again accorded following his first season as head coach at Saint Mary’s College.
Taking advantage of his coaching experience Dave Bollwinkel works on television as a color analyst for college basketball on Fox SportsNet, Comcast SportsNet, ESPN, and AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain. His ability behind the microphone was formerly heard on radio, as the basketball analyst on “Bear Talk” following all University of California men’s basketball games.
A college athlete himself, Dave played football at both Princeton and the University of California at Berkeley, from which he graduated with honors in 1972. He also earned a Master’s Degree in athletic administration from Saint Mary’s College in 1983. Known as a superb teacher and motivator, Dave’s preparation and experience will provide you with a variety of ideas on how you can strengthen teamwork and enhance leadership. Email: COACHOnandOff@aol.com Business Site: CoachOnandOfftheCourt.com Cell: 925/708-1259
Dr. Bethany Bracken, is a Principal Scientist at Charles River Analytics. Throughout her career, Dr. Bracken has used a variety of behavioral, physiological, cognitive, molecular, and neuroimaging methodologies to answer questions about the neurobiology of human and animal behavior. Her research includes use of commercially available sensors to assess human physiological and neurophysiological state, including development of several custom sensors such as our Stand-Off Multimodal Biometric Assay (SOMBA) a technology to detect the cardiac signal using light reflected off the skin. Other sensors also include our now commercially available functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) sensors, the fNIRS Pioneer™ and fNIRS Explorer™ sensors, a less obtrusive, and more rugged solution for functional imaging in real world environments. In addition, Dr. Bracken’s portfolio including multiple SBIRs and BAAs resulted in the design and release of our Sherlock™ software product, which now serves the basis of her research group’s approach to ingestion, processing, and analysis of sensor data for the purpose of human state assessment and performance prediction. At Charles River, she leads a team of talented scientists and engineers whose core focus is on projects involving neurophysiological and physiological sensing methods to assess human states such as stress, focused attention, and cognitive workload and to predict upcoming performance deficits.
Dr. Dave Brunner has over 13 years of experience serving the military in the field of sport and performance psychology. From 2012-2018 as a member of the Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness Training Center Directorate of Curriculum (CSF2-DoC) team, he served as the lead for all Quality Assurance and Quality Enhancement efforts while supporting curriculum development and delivery; along with the training and certification of all new hires. Concurrent with these duties, Dr. Brunner managed the Cognitive Enhancement for Performance (CEPP) program for the Army Human Performance Group (AHPG); providing the Special Operations and Intelligence communities with holistic human performance training solutions. He currently manages SAIC’s Holistic Human Performance Program (H2P2); which includes the delivery of a data driven holistic human performance training solutions for the Army and the Air Force. Prior to joining SAIC, Brunner has spent over 25 years coaching football at the collegiate and secondary levels. He served as the head football coach at two different 4-A high schools in North Carolina and South Carolina, and as a position coach and coordinator at two different Division I collegiate programs; the University of Idaho and Charleston Southern University. Further, he authored curriculum and taught classes in coaching education, leadership, and the philosophy, psychology, and management of sport. Brunner received his Ph.D. from the University of Idaho in the Philosophy, Pedagogy, and Psychology of Sport.
Dr. Reuben Burch is an Associate Professor of Industrial & Systems Engineering, the Jack Hatcher Endowed Chair for Engineering Entrepreneurship, the Associate Director of Human Factors & Athlete Engineering at the Center for Advanced Vehicular Center (CAVS), Honorary Commander of the Columbus Air Force Base, and founder of the Athlete Engineering research program at Mississippi State University (MSU). Prior to returning to academia, Dr. Burch spent 14 years working for and with global Fortune 500 companies in research and development areas such as virtual reality design, weapons systems and training, satellite systems and geospatial data, high-value financial software systems, logistics technology and management, autonomous vehicle design, wearables, and human performance. Dr. Burch’s primary research interests presently center around human factors and ergonomics, cognitive engineering, macroergonomics, and human-technology interactions with different athlete personas including: sports, industrial (repetitive motion tasks), tactical (warfighters and emergency first responders), and at-risk (tele-health and rehabilitation) athlete populations.
Dr. Bill Burgos is the former NBA Head of Strength and Conditioning of three NBA teams (i.e., Knicks, Magic, and Timberwolves) and former President of the NBSCA. Dr. Burgos was a member of several NBA committees, such as the NBA Sports Science Committee and the Jr NBA Leadership Council. Additionally, Dr. Burgos served on the NBA Gatorade Advisory Board, including Kinduct Technologies’ Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Burgos currently serves as an Advisory Board member for the Booz-Allen Tactical Leadership Council and is an adjunct professor at Mississippi State University and Austin Peay State University.
Lieutenant Colonel Bustillos is currently stationed at the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) in Fort Eustis, Virginia and serves as the Command Dietitian. She is on the team that implemented the Army Combat Fitness Test and is one of the initial Action Officers who developed and implemented the Army’s Holistic Health & Fitness (H2F) System. LTC Bustillos will transition to the role of Director of Nutritional Readiness in the Soldier Performance Division at Defense Heath Headquarters, US Army Office of the Surgeon General / US Army Medical Command, Falls Church, VA this summer. LTC
Bustillos is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian by trade, but her greatest career achievements center on research and health policy. She has a doctoral degree in Public Health from Texas A&M University Health Science Center in College Station, Texas.
A uniquely and highly qualified professional, Keith holds a PhD in applied sports science, a master’s degree in sports performance and a bachelors in exercise science / sports medicine. This multi-dimensional background places Keith firmly at the intersection of performance optimization, technology, and the emerging of business of human performance. Keith has been putting into action the best practices in sports science and performance optimization with some of the world’s best athletes, teams, organizations and companies over the last two decades. Keith has worked in the trenches of elite performance at the team level, working for the Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors, and Stanford University Men’s Basketball. A pioneer in in the use of technology and data-driven decisions, while in Toronto Keith helped lead the way for the way for the advancement of sports science in the NBA. Keith spearheaded an athletic development program that implemented and utilized cutting-edge approaches to athletic performance, that are now commonplace in sport today. Working with organizations, such as the NBA Players Associations, MLB, WNBA NFL, EPL, and AFL teams, Keith is able to bring his understanding of the day-to-day functioning of elite sport organizations and his insight into the world beyond sport to make meaningful and impactful connections. As an angel investor, strategic advisor, and consultant to companies ranging from early-stage startups to the well-established, Keith provides domain expertise to enhance organizational performance, product development and brand exposure. Keith continues to impact and advance the field of human performance by constantly exploring what is possible. His work with individual athletes and teams has led to dramatic improvements in overall health and performance and his role as an advisor to organizations and companies has enhanced their ability to build and sustain their brand.
Dr. Mark M. Derriso is currently serving as the Chief Engineer and Chief Data Officer for the 711th Human Performance Wing, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. He is the engineering technical authority for over 1,370 personnel, 70 occupational specialties and $350M+ in combined Science & Technology and Defense Health Program funding.
Dr. Derriso is responsible for providing technical oversight of human performance technology development to ensure successful product transition to customers and end users. Additionally, he is spearheading the organization digital engineering infrastructure development for implementing a data analytics and management ecosystems for human performance research and operations.
Dr. Derriso is also an accomplished researcher with 80+ technical publications in the areas of material/structural characterization, health monitoring systems, automatic controls, artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, and human performance. He is particularly experienced in creating innovative solutions using multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches requiring the integration of machines and human systems using advanced systems engineering principles and methodology. Dr. Derriso is a former college athlete, personal trainer, and football coach and has an A.A.S. degree in Electronics Engineering Technology from Kentucky State University, a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from Wright State University, a M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Dayton and a Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology.
Dr. Phillip Desrochers is a Scientist at Charles River Analytics in Cambridge, MA. He received his Ph.D. in Kinesiology with a specialization in Cognitive and Motor Neuroscience at Michigan State University. His research spans several domains including cognitive and motor neuroscience, neurorehabilitation, neurophysiology, biomechanics, robotics, and data science. Dr. Desrochers’ work has been cited nearly 200 times in peer-reviewed journals. Prior to his work at Charles River, Phil studied the neurophysiological underpinnings of upper and lower limb sensorimotor control and coordination in healthy individuals and those with movement disorders. At Charles River, Phil has developed a portfolio of research and development programs and products to provide objective and automated neurological and musculoskeletal assessment and rehabilitation. He is currently the Principal Investigator on projects funded by the United States Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory, the Naval Health Research Center, and the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program. In these projects, he leads the development of cutting-edge technologies, including augmented/virtual reality (AR/VR) and robotics, to evaluate and rehabilitate vestibular, oculomotor, postural, and biomechanical sequelae associated with traumatic brain injury (TBI), balance problems, and musculoskeletal injuries. These projects are highly applied and incorporate diverse research, development, and engineering approaches.
Cara joined Booz Allen in June 2022 as a senior consultant in the AI Futures Group, where her areas of interest include cybersecurity and cyber operations, cloud, privacy, and defense policy.
Before joining Booz Allen, Cara worked at a variety of technology companies, including Mandiant, Primer.ai, and One Defense, where she contributed to cross-functional teams focusing on cybersecurity, NLP, and digital influence campaigns.
Cara graduated with honors from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service with a B.S. in Foreign Service (International Politics) and an M.A. Security Studies (Technology and National Security).
Travis Eliason is a biomedical engineer in the Musculoskeletal Biomechanics Section at Southwest Research Institute. Over his career he has worked on a broad range of technology areas including developing high fidelity probabilistic finite element models of the human body, injury risk prediction, experimental biomechanics, and most recently the development of SwRI’s ENABLE markerless biomechanics technology. As part of the team developing ENABLE he has focused on developing technology that will facilitate the transition of biomechanics research from the laboratory out into the real word. The applications for an accurate, easy to use, markerless biomechanics tracking system are nearly endless across many different domains including sports, military, healthcare, product design, ergonomics, etc.
Kevin Forbes is the Director of Advisory for the Sports Innovation Lab, with over fifteen years of experience working in the field of sport and technology adoption. Over the past two years with the SIL, he has helped deliver various projects related to human performance technology, environmental sustainability in sport, fan inclusion and innovation in fan engagement. Prior to joining Sports Innovation Lab, Kevin spent ten years helping lead Kinduct, a human performance technology company from startup to scaleup through to acquisition.
Justin Foster is the Founder of The Excelling Edge LLC and a Cognitive Performance Consultant for Senaptec, Inc. He helps high performers gain a competitive edge by equipping them with cognitive training and human performance technologies to unleash their potential. Justin has been a Senaptec user since 2015 and now serves as a consultant for Senaptec. He works with military and elite performance clients to implement and maximize their use of Senaptec technologies. He leads the development of Senaptec Sensory Station training programs and training content while assisting with special projects to advance the company’s mission. Justin provides a range of service packages for Senaptec clients including professional development workshops, customize program development and consultation.
Justin also works with teams, coaches, and athletes to build team culture. He assists athletes in building mental toughness to help them perform their best when it matters most. He holds positions as an adjunct faculty in the Applied Sport and Performance Psychology graduate program at Holy Names University and as a Cognitive Performance Specialist for T3i. Over the past 13 years, Justin has worked with a wide range of high performers, including fighter pilots, special operations units, NCAA Division 1 programs, professional athletes, NFL combine training, and nationally ranked juniors.
Dr. Meg Garvey is an Exercise Scientist with a unique combination of end-user interaction, behind the scenes scientific knowledge and writing, data collection and analysis experience. She has consulted with several health and wellness companies/programs, particularly as they invest in or develop a product to bring it to market. Spending the last 20+ years in the fitness and wellness industry as a coach, trainer, and subject matter expert in both civilian and DoD environments with a PhD in Exercise Science is from the University of Massachusetts Boston and a MS is in Clinical Exercise Science from Northeastern University. Particularly in her role as the Senior Scientist at Nix Biosensors, her expertise and continued interests are in the validation and utilization of devices, sensors, and assessments to measure human performance with both conventional and tactical athletes.
Craig Gile is Founder and President of CoolMitt. Craig has experience in a number of alternative investments, most recently as the Founder and Chief Investment Officer of a Global Macro hedge fund. Craig was a Managing Director at Citigroup, trading bonds and commodities. Prior to heading to Wall Street, Craig was a carrier-based Naval Aviator, decorated for combat in Iraq. Craig received his MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he majored in Finance and Strategic Management. He received a Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Vanderbilt University.
Dr. Zack Gillen is an Assistant Professor of Exercise Physiology in the Department of Kinesiology and the Director of the Resistance Exercise Performance Lab. He graduated with a Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology & Nutrition from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He is also a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist with Distinction, Certified Performance and Sport Scientist, and a USA Weightlifting Certified Sports Performance Coach.
Zack started off in the field as a strength and conditioning coach, before diving into the behind-the-scenes research of how to maximize human performance, specifically with resistance training. Part of his specialty is linking the physiology of what is happening within the body to the outcome mechanical movement of these processes. His research publications have examined neuromuscular and morphological changes in muscle, changes in muscle across growth and development, the aging of muscle, muscle metabolism, and kinetic assessments in youth, adults, and elderly individuals. The overarching goal of his research is to answer this question: what are the best practices to maximize human performance?
Dr. Steven M. Grice is a research professor and executive director of Mississippi State University’s NSPARC, an internationally recognized multidisciplinary research center providing tailored research, analysis, and software architecture services. NSPARC research emphasizes applying the latest methodological and machine learning approaches to administrative records and longitudinal data systems to draw meaningful insights from data to address challenges faced by policymakers, employers, economic developers, and state agencies.
Dr. Grice has been instrumental in bringing in over $110 million in research funding. His research interests and expertise are in the area of data analytics as applied to education, economics, and workforce development, especially as it pertains to policymaking and data governance around information and data sharing, improving governmental and business efficiency, and integrated information system design. Dr. Grice has authored or co-authored more than 70 journal articles, book chapters, policy briefs, and reports. He is published in many areas and his work appears in technical reports, book chapters, policy briefs, and journals such as Demography, Rural Sociology, Society and Natural Resources, Journal of the Community Development Society, Social Science Quarterly, Southern Rural Sociology, Sociological Spectrum, and Journal of Poverty.
Dr. Grice earned his doctoral degree in sociology from Mississippi State University.
Colonel Justin T. Grieve is the Commander at 14th Flying Training Wing, Columbus AFB, Mississippi. He is responsible for conducting Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training for U.S. Air Force and allied officers. The wing is composed of 241 aircraft flying more than 40,000 sorties and 60,000 hours per year while training over 400 pilots and combat system operators annually. Col. Grieve manages an operations and maintenance budget of approximately $115 million with capital assets exceeding $2.3 billion. Prior to this assignment, Col. Grieve served as the Chief, Nuclear Mission Planning Division, Plans and Policy Directorate, United States Strategic Command, Offutt AFB, Nebraska. The colonel is a command pilot with more than 4,000 flying hours in the B-2, T-37 and T-38.
Angie Huskison is the owner and founder of The Competitive Edge, a sports vision training performance facility in Columbus, MS. She has been dedicated to training, vision therapy, wellness and rehabilitation for twenty -seven years. While her undergraduate studies focused on speech pathology and audiology, her Master’s emphasis was on clinical recreational therapy. She completed her internship at Mississippi Methodist Rehabilitation Center and obtained her certification as an aquatic therapist in 2000 through the Aquatic Therapy and Rehab Institute.
Since 1999, Angie has partnered with Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services (MDRS) receiving numerous grants through the MDRS Spinal Cord Injury and Traumatic Brain Injury Trust Fund furthering her work with individuals that have experienced traumatic brain injuries. Angie served as director of a grant funded community re-entry program for adults with traumatic brain injury for nine years and later served as clinic director and vision therapist for Snider Therapy Centers for seventeen years. In the clinical setting, Angie has provided therapy for visual and multi-sensory dysfunctions that interfere with both academic and sports performance.
Angie opened The Competitive Edge in 2020. She specializes in sports vision performance training, and her primary focus is on dynamic visual skills. Areas of emphasis in training include eye teaming, accommodation, ocular motor, peripheral awareness, gaze stability, and central-peripheral integration. Her passion in training dynamic visual skills is to improve reaction time, depth perception, cognitive flexibility, visual processing speed and overall sports performance.
Ted is a graduate of The Ohio State University where he did his undergraduate studies in Business Marketing and his graduate and post-graduate studies in Physical Education and Exercise Physiology, respectively. He currently serves as a NFL-PFATS Sport Science Consultant, providing monthly research updates for all NFL teams. In addition, he provides the Professional Baseball Strength and Conditioning Coaches Society (PBSCCS) and the National Basketball Strength Coaches Association (NBSCA) with sports research updates. He also owns and operates Sports Performance Consulting providing consulting advice on such topics as sports science technology and its implementation, sports nutrition, as well as ergogenic aids/PED use and abuse. Ted’s clients have included numerous NFL, NBA, MLB, and major college programs, as well as, the United States Secret Service. Ted coordinated the Exercise Science program at Thomas More University from 1991 to 2011. He has served as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at The Ohio State University and the University of Kentucky. During this time, Ted trained 23 NBA Draft Picks of which 13 were 1st Round Draft picks and 41 NFL draft picks of which 4 were 1st Round Draft picks.
Kevin Martin is the founder of The Quick Board, a visual training and rehab technology utilized by 50% of the NBA and 25% of the NFL and leading healthcare institutions. The technology consists of a proprietary high-impact sensor board that wirelessly communicates with Quick Board’s proprietary cloud-based analytics software solutions for the sports and healthcare industries. Published studies have concluded the Quick Board significantly improves agility and balance. An ongoing ACL reconstruction study finds that Quick Board patients are meeting return to sport criteria 30-40% faster with better outcomes than matched controls. The Company’s current customer base includes hospitals, physical therapy clinics, performance training facilities, universities, pro teams, and the military..
Ms. Holly McClung is a Nutritional Physiologist in the Military Performance Division at the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (USARIEM). She was trained as a Nutritional Biochemist and Registered Dietitian with degrees from University of New Hampshire and Cornell University and practical experience at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Ms. McClung is duel-trained in nutrition and exercise physiology, holding certifications as a Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics (Commission on Dietetic Registration) and Certified Exercise Physiologist (American College of Sports Medicine).
Currently, Ms. McClung functions as a lead investigator focused on human physiology and nutritional research to support modern Warfighters, with a focus on female Warfighters. She has published more than 50 peer-reviewed publications and holds two patents on a novel metabolic sensor system intended for use in individualizing Soldier’s nutritional needs during military operations. Her current focus has been on characterizing the physiological, metabolic, and cognitive profile of elite female Warfighters, as well as assessing the association between body composition and physical performance for the modern Army population. Ms. McClung’s body composition research (completed in 2022) has attracted Army Senior Leader attention, as it is the largest and most diverse demographic representation of the total Army collected to date. Her body composition research has provided the scientific basis to recent Army policy updates focused on the link between physical performance and Army body fat standards.
Recently, Ms. McClung’s work with elite female Warfighters has generated much national and international interest, to include highly cited publications in well-respected scientific journals; speaking invitations at international conferences; an invitation to sit on the first NATO panel focused on the female Warfighter; an invitation to host a nationally broadcast webinar on women Warfighters; and collaborative working engagements across academia and international military groups.
Adam J. McLean, Ph.D. is an Air Force veteran who studies human performance. He began his career in the Golden Triangle at Columbus AFB, in pilot training class 93-04. His experiences leading men and women in some of the most hazardous environments in the world set him on his journey to better understand individual and team performance. Dr. McLean’s research focus is on the role emotions play in high performance environments.
Ted Rath is the Vice President of Player Performance for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). During his first season with the team, Rath’s role as Director of Sports Performance led him to oversee all aspects of the team’s Performance related decisions including, Strength & Conditioning, Sports Science, Performance Nutrition, Travel Strategies, and numerous additional aspects. Rath spent the previous three seasons with the Los Angeles Rams. He enters his 15th season at the professional level, also having served as an Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions.
Following the 2022 season and a Super Bowl appearance for the Eagles, Rath was awarded NFL Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year for the second time in his career. The Eagles achieved the most wins (14) in franchise history and had all 22 starters available in Super Bowl LVII.
In 2017, his first season leading his own Strength and Conditioning Program, Rath was also named the NFL Strength and Conditioning Coach of the year by the Professional Football Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association, an award voted on by professionals around the NFL.
Rath was an integral part in the Rams Sports Science program, which helped L.A. finish the 2017 season as the healthiest NFL team based on adjusted games lost, according to Football Outsiders, an innovative statistics website. Shortly after Rath’s first season directing the Rams strength and conditioning program, the organization presented Rath with the new title “Director of Strength Training and Performance” which allowed Rath to play a critical role in all aspects of Performance.
In 2018 the Rams took another step forward in earning a trip to Super Bowl XIII. The health and performance of the team over the two-year span helped them earn the best record in the NFL from 2017-2018. Prior to joining the Rams, Rath was named Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach in Miami for the 2016 season, a year in which they clinched their first playoff berth since the 2008 season. Before his stint with the Dolphins, he spent seven seasons (2009-15) with the Detroit Lions as an Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach.
Prior to Detroit, Rath was an Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at his alma mater, University of Toledo, where he directed the strength and conditioning programs for all 15 of the school’s Olympic sports. He also assisted with all phases of football training. He is certified through the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association (C.S.C.C.A.). Rath has contributed to various research articles and is a published author. Rath has written articles for several industry publications and speaks regularly at conferences, clinics, and corporate events both domestically and abroad.
Mark is the inventor of stretchable metal gel circuits used in physiological monitoring of muscle flex and joint movement for athletic training, injury avoidance, and rehabilitation. He founded Liquid Wire in 2016 and continues to lead a multidisciplinary team of scientists and engineers dedicated to transforming how the body’s motions are captured digitally and pushing the boundaries of monitoring comfort and precision.
David Saucier is a research engineer at the Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems (CAVS) in the Human Factors and Athlete Engineering group. He is also lab manager of the Athlete Engineering Research Lab (AERL).
David brings to the table an interdisciplinary skillset based on his experience working with engineers of various disciplines, kinesiologists, fashion design/textile experts, and strength and conditioning coaches of various sports through Athlete Engineering. He leverages his BS and MS in Computer Engineering and software development work from his time at ADTRAN, Inc., to apply industry-standard software and automation solutions to human performance and human factors-oriented problems. As manager of the AERL, he trains and mentors students across multiple disciplines on how to use gold-standard lab equipment, primarily focused on human performance and validation of novel wearable technologies. Most recently, his skills have centered around data science, human performance, grant writing, strong team culture, and student development via technical workshops.
Kase Saylor leads a diverse team of engineers and analysts as the manager of the Situational Awareness Section at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI®). He is an electrical engineer with a focus in digital signal processing, embedded networks, and systems engineering and is an experienced project manager with over two decades of project management experience. He has a strong technical background in the development of integrated sensor systems and large-scale simulation systems. As the co-lead of the SwRI Human Performance Initiative, he directs research in quantifying and optimizing human performance through new and novel techniques and technologies. Mr. Saylor co-leads the development of a novel technology that provides a complete, subject-specific, model-driven biomechanical motion analysis technology that uses commercially available cameras. This technology, referred to as markerless biomechanics, goes beyond the traditional markerless motion capture (MOCAP) system; rather than tracking locations of joint centers in 3D space, the system instead predicts a complete biomechanical state based on inverse kinematics (i.e., joint forces and moments). In addition to markerless biomechanics, Mr. Saylor leads research efforts in technologies used to measure cognitive load.
Munjeet Singh is a Senior Vice President at Booz Allen, and the leader of the firm’s Bright Labs incubator in the office of the CTO. Launched in 2022, Bright Labs is an experimentation organization designed to develop, test, and incubate mission-centric solutions rooted in emerging technology. Munjeet’s expertise is in delivering modern technology environments to meet modern mission needs, from enterprise cloud solutions and data management to emerging technology prototypes. Munjeet oversees teams across the country that develop solutions using a technology stack that includes Edge Computing, Augmented and Virtual Reality, and Digital Twins. Munjeet also leads the firm’s Human Performance practice, applying advanced capabilities to train the tactical athlete of the future. In this role, Munjeet provides guidance and leadership to the firm’s human performance coaches focused on Cognitive Enhancement, Strength, and Conditioning, Tactical and Technical Skills acquisition and a focused integration of the firm’s XR, Data Analytics and AI capabilities into Booz Allen’s Human Performance practice.
As vice president of Toyota Mississippi, Eric Skaggs is responsible for all areas of administration including Human Resources, General Affairs, Safety and Environmental, Facilities, Accounting and Finance, and Production Control.
The manufacturing facility, located in Blue Springs, produces the Corolla, Toyota’s highest volume selling vehicle globally.
Skaggs joined Toyota in 1993 as a quality engineer at its manufacturing plant in Georgetown, Kentucky. During his tenure, he served in multiple roles of Quality Control / Engineering as well as Body Operations Pilot and Production. He was named general manager of Quality Control in 2015. In this role, Skaggs oversaw vehicle manufacturing quality for current and new model production.
Prior to his role in administration, Skaggs served as the vice president of manufacturing at Toyota Mississippi from December 2020 to June 2022. In this role he was responsible for Press, Weld, Paint & Assembly operations.
Skaggs serves on the board of the Mississippi Manufacturing Association in Oxford, MS and is the executive advisor of the African American Coalition Business Partnering Group at TMMMS, and previously at TMMK. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Tennessee Tech University.
He resides in Tupelo, MS with his wife and daughters.
Dr. Gregg Steinberg is a professor of human performance at Austin Peay State University, near Nashville TN. Golf Digest ranked him as one of world’s greatest sports psychologist. Dr. Steinberg is a TEDx speaker and has spoken to many Fortune 100 businesses including Toyota, Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, and Hughes International. He has coached many executives as well as been the mental game coach for many PGA and LPGA players including rookie of the year Brandt Snedeker, Chris Couch and Brian Gay and he was the sports psychologist for the NCAA champion Florida Gator golf team. He is the author of 4 books, the Washington Post bestseller Full Throttle, which illustrates performance psychology principles applied to business: Flying Lessons, which illustrates how to build mental and emotional toughness in children and Mentalrules for golf, which is a golf psychology book and his latest is Fall Up! Turn Adversity into your superpower. His work has appeared in the NY Times, USA Today, and the Wall Street Journal. He has appeared on numerous Television shows including Dancing with the Stars to discuss mental toughness and was the sport psychology expert for Fox News during the 2008 Summer Olympics. You can see more about him at www.DrGreggSteinberg.com
Dr. Megan Stewart is in her third season with the Milwaukee Brewer’s Performance Science. Prior to her role as a senior analyst with the Milwaukee Brewers, she was a sports biomechanist at The American Sports Medicine Institute. Megan was elected as the International Society of Biomechanics student representative from 2019-2021 as well as serves on committees for the International Society of Biomechanics in Sports and Advancing Women in Biomechanics. Prior to working at The American Sports Medicine Institute, Megan spent time in Mississippi where she completed her B.S degree in Exercise Science at The University of Mississippi and Kentucky where she completed her M.S degree in Kinesiology and Health Promotion with an emphasis in Sports Biomechanics at The University of Kentucky. Since then, she has completed her Ph.D. in Health and Human Performance with an emphasis in Sports Biomechanics. Her research primarily focused on the upper extremity and lower extremity muscle activation as well as kinematics for fastballs and curveballs when thrown from the wind-up and stretch. Her doctoral dissertation focused on baseball hitting and vision.
Ethan Stewart is in his first season as the Lead Sport Scientist & Biomechanist with the Oakland Athletics. He was the Applied Biomechanist for the Cincinnati Reds during the 2022 season and spent the 2020 – 2021 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles as the Player Performance Facilitator. Prior to his time with the Orioles, Ethan spent two seasons as a Sports Science intern in the Gulf Coast League for the Tampa Bay Rays, as well as teaching biomechanics at the collegiate level. Originally from Carrollton, KY, Ethan obtained his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and his master’s degree in kinesiology (biomechanics) from the University of Kentucky. He is currently completing his doctoral work in exercise science (biomechanics) at Mississippi State University.
Dr. Yanbing Tang serves as the Associate Director of Research and Applied Science at National Strategic Planning and Analysis Research Center (NSPARC), Mississippi State University. She manages day-to-day data analytics activities in NSPARC, where regular analyses and reporting as well as advanced programming skills and algorithms are applied daily to meet clients’ needs and push forward the team’s capabilities. Researchers, scientists, and analysts collaborate with each other and have successfully accomplished numerous projects for agencies and stakeholders.
Dr. Tang’s training backgrounds are in Statistics and Geography. Her interest is to apply technical skills into the applications of various fields, such as healthcare, education, workforce and economic development, transportation, and social sciences. Besides her supervisor roles and responsibilities, Dr. Tang also conducts research and data science applications by employing statistical knowledge and programming languages so that data-driven information is derived.
Spencer Tatum is the Founder and Performance Director of Tatum Human Performance. He has a BS in Exercise Physiology and certifications in CSCS, TPI, FMS Level II, OPEX, and USA Weightlifting. Spencer’s unique approach to fitness, performance training, and coaching stems from being an elite college athlete and suffering injuries. He firmly believes there is a clear pathway for clients to reach their goals, which he is carrying out through the development of THP. As a leader and innovator in the field, he has been featured on ESPN for his work in the NFL; CBS sports for his training with Jon Rahm; PGA Tour Superstar; and numerous other media.
Dr. Long Tian is a senior research associate in NSPARC of Mississippi State University. His research interests include machine learning and deep learning model for data analysis.
Dr. Tian received the M.S. degree in electrical engineering from the Department of Electrical Engineering, City College of New York, New York, NY, in 2014, and the Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS, in 2019. Between 2019 and 2022, he was a postdoctoral research associate in NSPARC and forced on the data analysis with advanced algorithms. During his postdoctoral research associate time, he created models for the small area fly time estimation and unemployment insurance profiling prediction in the projects of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Mississippi Department of Employment Security (MDES).
Joel Totoro is a registered dietitian and Director of Sports Science at Thorne. He oversees human performance integration with Thorne’s sports partners and serves as a liaison to the medical affairs, research and design teams. He worked on the Performance and Innovation Team at EXOS following a stop as the sports dietitian for University of Michigan. Totoro also served 8 years as team dietitian for the New England Patriots becoming the first full-time sports dietitian in professional sports. Totoro also served as the assistant chief dietitian at St. Luke’s Hospital, specializing in trauma nutrition. He holds a B.S. in Allied Health-Dietetics from the University of Connecticut and is an original member and former BoD chairperson for the Collegiate and Professional Sports Dietitian Association.
Jesse K. Wright is a high performance consultant, Amazon best-selling author, and founder of the Balance The Bar initiative. His career has spanned over two decades in the sports industry, including working with organizations in the NBA, NFL, NCAA, and the private sector. He most recently spent 14 years with the Philadelphia 76ers, first as the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach and then as the Director of Performance Science. During this time, he was named the NBA’s Strength & Conditioning Coach of the Year in 2013, an award voted on by his contemporaries in the league. He also served as President of the National Basketball Strength & Conditioning Association from 2013-2015. In addition, he served as chair of the committee that oversees and coordinates the anthropometric and performance testing for the NBA Pre-Draft Combine for six years. During his career, Wright has held Strength & Conditioning Coach positions with Temple University, the Philadelphia Eagles, the Barcelona Dragons (NFL-Europe), Hofstra University Football, and Saint Joseph’s University. Additionally, he served as the Director of Summit Sports Training Center, a group of sports performance facilities located outside of Philadelphia, PA. He received an Exercise Science degree from Temple University and a Master’s of High Performance Sport degree from Australian Catholic University. He is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and a Registered Strength & Conditioning Coach Emeritus (RSCC*E), both from the National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA).