North Star Intelligence Annual Colloquium

Join us for our inaugural North Star Intelligence Annual Colloquium, co-hosted with the Minnesota National Guard, on Friday, September 12, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. This signature event under the newly launched North Star Intelligence Community Center for Academic Excellence (NICCAE) will feature prominent speakers from the Intelligence Community, military leadership, and national security sectors. Attendees will engage in keynote speeches, panel discussions, lunch, and networking opportunities centered around the national threat landscape, cyber intelligence, and intelligence careers. Free and open to students, faculty, government, private sector, and the public. Welcome and luncheon takes place in the New Main Great Hall, with panel discussions in the Founders Hall Auditorium.

Event Program:

Full, downloadable event program here.

Keynote Speaker

Johanna P. Clyborne — Major General, U.S. Army (retired); Attorney, Brekke, Clyborne & Ribich, LLC

Panel 1: National Threat Landscape and Cyber Intelligence Responses

Moderator: Brian Morgan — Lieutenant Colonel, J3 Director of Cyber Coordination, Minnesota National Guard

• Hannah Connolly — Director of Cyber Threat Intelligence, Target
• Jake Iverson — Supervisory Special Agent, FBI Minneapolis
• Jennifer Lotze — Principal Consultant, IT Audit Labs; former CISA Cybersecurity State Coordinator
• Stef Horvath — CISO, City of St. Paul; U.S. Cyber Command

Panel 2: Intelligence Careers – From Campus to Clearance

Moderator: Vince Peeler — Faculty, Metro State University; Intelligence Officer (retired), U.S. Navy

• Adam Scholze — Lieutenant Colonel, Deputy Director of Intelligence and Security, Minnesota National Guard
• Debra Bennett — Supervisory Intelligence Analyst, FBI Minneapolis
• Eric Lewanski - Lieutenant Colonel, Military Intelligence; Assistant Chief of Staff, G2, 34th Infantry Division, Minnesota National Guard
• Hannah Connolly — Director of Cyber Threat Intelligence, Target
• Steven Witt — CEO, Anno.ai; former CIA Officer

Panel 3: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Intelligence

Moderator: Jon Olson — Intelligence Officer (retired), U.S. Navy

• Chris Tatarka — Leadership & Organizational Development Consultant; Faculty, Metro State University; Intelligence Officer (retired), U.S. Army; former Threat Intelligence Analyst, U.S. Department of Justice
• Deepak Kukade — Lead Intelligence Analyst, Security Liaison, HSIN-Intel PMO, NFCA Central Region Co-Chair; FBI TFA, Minnesota Fusion Center; Bureau of Criminal Apprehension
• Eric Lewanski - Lieutenant Colonel, Military Intelligence; Assistant Chief of Staff, G2, 34th Infantry Division, Minnesota National Guard
• Vince Peeler — Faculty, Metro State University; Intelligence Officer (retired), U.S. Navy

Panel 4: Building the IC Talent Pipeline – Academic and Agency Partnerships

Moderator: Chris Tatarka — Leadership & Organizational Development Consultant; Faculty, Metro State University; Intelligence Officer (retired), U.S. Army; former Threat Intelligence Analyst, U.S. Department of Justice

• Adam Scholze — Lieutenant Colonel, Deputy Director of Intelligence and Security, Minnesota National Guard
• Deepak Kukade — Lead Intelligence Analyst, Security Liaison, HSIN-Intel PMO, NFCA Central Region Co-Chair; FBI TFA, Minnesota Fusion Center; Bureau of Criminal Apprehension
• Eric Lewanski - Lieutenant Colonel, Military Intelligence; Assistant Chief of Staff, G2, 34th Infantry Division, Minnesota National Guard
• Shervon Cassim — Attorney; former CIA Officer
• Stef Horvath — CISO, City of Saint Paul; U.S. Cyber Command

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at niccae@metrostate.edu. Learn more about us at the North Star Intelligence Community Center for Academic Excellence page.