OUR TEAM

Advisory Council

Admiral Edmund Giambastiani, Jr., USN (Ret)

In his final assignment on active duty, Admiral Giambastiani served as the Seventh Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the second ranking officer in the US military. He currently serves on the board of managers of Innovative Defense Technologies (IDT), a company which specializes in automated test, retest, and analysis of highly complex software systems. He has served as the non-executive chairman of the board of Monster Worldwide, Inc.; as a trustee of the following companies: the MITRE Corporation, the Oppenheimer Funds (designated the New York Board) and the various Invesco Exchange Traded Fund Trusts. He retired from the board of directors of The Boeing Company in 2021. In addition to independent consulting, he serves on the advisory boards of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. He has also served as a member of the advisory board of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs of Syracuse University. In addition, he has served on numerous US Government advisory boards, accident/incident investigations and task forces for the Secretaries of Defense, State and Interior and the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Examples of these activities include the Secretary of Defense’s Task Force on DoD Nuclear Weapons Management, the Defense Science Board, the National Academy of Engineering/National Research Council (NAE/NRC) committee commissioned by the Secretary of the Interior that examined the Deepwater Horizon Blowout and recommended Lessons for Improving Offshore Drilling Safety and the Secretary of State’s International Security Advisory Board. He served as the chairman of the Secretary of the Navy Advisory Panel, as a member of the National Security Agency’s Advisory Board Cyber Awareness and Response Panel. He also served as a federal commissioner on the highly successful Congressionally mandated Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission. While on active duty, Admiral Giambastiani held extensive operational and staff assignments including command at the submarine, submarine squadron, fleet, allied and joint service level. He is a nuclear trained submarine officer and has extensive experience in organizations that were responsible for experimentation, technology development and change. He commanded the following submarines and organizations in the Navy: Submarine NR-1, USS Richard B. Russell (SSN687), Submarine Development Squadron 12, Submarine Force U.S. Atlantic Fleet, Anti-Submarine Reconnaissance Forces, Atlantic and NATO Submarine Allied Command Atlantic. Significant shore duty assignments include duty as the first special assistant to the Deputy Director Intelligence, Central Intelligence Agency, Director of Strategy and Concepts Naval Doctrine Command, Deputy Chief of Staff for Resources and Requirements U.S. Pacific Fleet, Director Submarine Warfare Division (OPNAV N87) and Deputy CNO for Resources, Requirements and Assessments (OPNAV N8). While Director of the Submarine Warfare Division, he and his staff guided the New Attack Submarine (NSSN) (later designated Virginia Class) program through the Department of Defense milestone approval process and established the highly successful Acoustic Rapid COTS Insertion Program (ARCI). Following OPNAV N8, he served as the Senior Military Assistant to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Commander, United States Joint Forces Command and it's 1.1 million Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps service members and as NATO’s first Supreme Allied Commander Transformation. Admiral Giambastiani graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy with leadership distinction. In addition, he has been named as a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. He served a one-year fellowship at the Naval War College on the Chief of Naval Operations Strategic Studies Group.

officers & Board members

Chairman of the Board & Director

Richard Carroll

Rich Carroll founded Digital System Resources, Inc. (DSR), a systems integration and software company specializing in technology critical to national security. DSR became one of the top 100 largest prime DOD contractors for Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation, and was recognized as a leading provider of state-of-the-art technology to the DOD. DSR introduced a new software model to defense systems that accelerated delivery of new capabilities into warfare systems. DSR’s products and services were recognized with numerous awards and a continuum of competitive contract awards. In 2003, General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems (GD-AIS) acquired DSR. Carroll’s most recent entrepreneurial pursuits include Innovative Defense Technologies (IDT), founded in 2005, Innovative Defense Enterprises (IDE), founded in 2018, and the Creative Defense Foundation (CDF) founded in 2023. IDT and IDE provide innovations in national security, including the rapid and affordable re-testing after modernization or repair of cyber defects. The Creative Defense Foundation is dedicated to fostering meaningful engagement between national security agencies, congressional leaders, and innovative U.S. entrepreneurs. Its mission focuses on adapting national security needs to a rapidly advancing technology ecosystem by integrating entrepreneurial innovation, leveraging technology leadership, and policy development. The foundation aims to encourage a cultural shift within national security institutions toward more innovative thinking while guiding organizational change to be more receptive to new ideas and methodologies. Additionally, it facilitates conversations with policymakers to align the nation’s best technological talent with evolving security challenges. Carroll has been called upon on several occasions to testify on the essential role of entrepreneurial high-tech businesses in providing innovation to the DOD. He has become a recognized expert on the potential of these businesses to provide cost-effective solutions to complex problems. During his career, Carroll has been very fortunate to have extraordinarily talented, loyal, and honest business partners, associates, and employees.

Director & President

Dave Ramey

As a founding member of the CDF Board and its President, Dave’s responsibilities include directing the establishment of CDF and its procedures and policies as well as directing the structure and operations of CDF’s inaugural conference— Creative Disruptors in the Desert. Ramey is a Principal at Kadesh & Associates – a bipartisan and bicameral advocacy firm focused on large California public sector entities. His career in public service has included over three decades of experience as a senior staffer in the House of Representatives. He served nearly twenty years as Chief of Staff to Representative Ken Calvert (R-CA), Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense (HAC-D) and Chairman of the California Republican Delegation, where he administered the office’s political, legislative, and communications functions. Prior to serving as Chief of Staff to Representative Calvert, Dave served as his Legislative Director where he oversaw the office’s legislative and budget affairs. From 1985 to 1993, Mr. Ramey served as Senior Advisor on Foreign Policy and Defense Issues for the House Republican Conference; Policy Committee; and Research Committee — all under the Chairmanships of the late Congressman Jerry Lewis (R-CA). Ramey has served ten years as the Co-President of the California State Society, a bipartisan 501c7 social organization serving California ex-pats of all stripes in Washington, DC. Dave graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1984 with a B.A. in International Relations and received his Masters of Arts with Highest Distinction from the Naval War College in National Security and Strategic Studies.

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Director

Bill Harper

Bill Harper is a partner in Harper Downing LLC, a Minnesota-based government affairs consulting firm specializing in strategic public policy and congressional appropriations for businesses, non-profits, and academic institutions. Harper Downing has clients in sectors that include defense, healthcare, manufacturing, non-profits, higher education, and Tribal government. From 2001 to 2023, Harper has served as chief of staff to Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D-MN04) and supported her work as chair of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee in the 117th Congress and chair of the Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee in the 116th Congress. For more than two decades, Harper managed 18 congressional staff serving the families in Minnesota’s Fourth Congressional District. Prior to Congress, Harper managed Rep. McCollum’s first congressional campaign in 2000, helping her become only the second Minnesota woman ever elected to Washington. He also operated a consulting business assisting local government, non-profit organizations, and companies in public policy matters. Harper served for five years as a Peace Corps volunteer working in rural Malawi (1995-98) establishing a community-based HIV/AIDS initiative and in rural Guatemala (1990-92) working in agriculture with small holder farmers. Harper also as served chief of staff to the chairman of the Hennepin County (MN) Board of Commissioners and as staff assistant to former-Minnesota Attorney General Hubert H. Humphrey III. Harper earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Minnesota. He resides in St. Paul, MN with his wife and business partner Dr. Roberta Downing and their three children.

Director

John Scofield

John Scofield has twenty-five years of experience working for and with Congress and the Administration at the highest levels. Scofield started the S-3 Group in 2011 and has seen the firm grow in every subsequent year and been the recipient of numerous recognitions and designations as one of the most successful government relations shops in D.C. He spent almost a decade in senior positions with the House Appropriations Committee, coordinating political strategy and messaging for the Committee and Subcommittee leaderships. Prior to forming S-3 Group, he was a Principal at the Podesta Group, managing a number of corporate and non-profit clients, working across multiple committees and issue areas, including national security, financial services, and energy and environmental policy. More recently, Scofield led campaigns aimed at using the annual budget process to combat onerous regulatory proposals in several different agencies, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency. Scofield also has extensive experience in political communications, serving as a speechwriter for former Senator Mark Hatfield (R-OR) and as press secretary for Congressman Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ). Scofield also has deep campaign credentials, including managing Congressman LoBiondo’s re-election campaign and volunteering on several congressional and Senate campaigns.

Director

Admiral John Richardson, USN (Ret)

Admiral John Richardson graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1982 with a Bachelor of Science in Physics. He holds master’s degrees in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and National Security Strategy from the National War College. At sea, Richardson served on USS Parche (SSN 683), USS George C. Marshall (SSBN 654) and USS Salt Lake City (SSN 716). He commanded USS Honolulu (SSN 718) in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Richardson also served as commodore of Submarine Development Squadron (DEVRON) 12; commander, Submarine Group 8; commander, Submarine Allied Naval Forces South; deputy commander, U.S. 6th Fleet; chief of staff, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and U.S. Naval Forces Africa; commander, Naval Submarine Forces, and director of Naval Reactors. His staff assignments include duty in the attack submarine division on the Chief of Naval Operations staff; naval aide to the President; prospective commanding officer instructor for Commander, Submarine Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet; assistant deputy director for Regional Operations on the Joint Staff; and director of Strategy and Policy at U.S. Joint Forces Command. Richardson served on teams that have been awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, the Joint Meritorious Unit Award, the Navy Unit Commendation, and the Navy “E” Ribbon. He was awarded the Vice Admiral Stockdale Award for his time in command of USS Honolulu. Richardson began serving as the 31st Chief of Naval Operations September 18, 2015.

staff

Executive Director

kylie Carroll

Kylie Carroll is the Executive Director of the Creative Defense Foundation (CDF), where she leads the organization’s day-to-day operations and strategic initiatives. She oversees CDF’s two flagship events, Creative Disruptors In The Desert and Creative Disruptors By The Lakes, fostering collaboration between the defense sector and private industry to ensure the U.S. remains at the cutting edge of technological and strategic advancements in national security. Kylie previously served as a Contracting Officer in the U.S. Air Force, gaining extensive experience in federal acquisition processes, strategic project management, and high-stakes operational support. Her expertise in navigating complex defense procurement landscapes positions her as a key driver of CDF’s mission to bridge the gap between national security agencies and private sector innovation. Kylie holds an MBA from Oklahoma City University and a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Information Systems from Virginia Tech.

OUR TEAM

Advisory Council

officers & Board members

staff

Time is short AND the stakes are high.