Washington, D.C., is all set to host the inaugural AI Expo for National Competitiveness this week. The US capital expects to convene 11,000 participants and visitors from the private sector, governments, academia, and the public sector from around the world to spark an exchange of groundbreaking ideas and initiatives in Artificial Intelligence and emerging technologies.
The expo will be a space to educate the public about the latest innovations and forge new avenues for collaboration.
The nonprofit institution Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP) is responsible for mounting the first AI Expo. SCSP is known as the premier institution in Washington, D.C., dedicated to working on technology within the framework of national competitiveness. Founded in 2021 as a bipartisan, not-for-profit project, the SCSP is focused on strengthening the competitiveness of the United States alongside its allies and partners in an era where AI and other technologies are poised to reshape national security, economies, and societies.
The team of SCSP is comprised of:
Ylli Bajraktari, President and CEO. Before launching SCSP, Bajraktari served as the Executive Director of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence. He also previously served as Chief of Staff to the National Security Advisor LTG H.R. McMaster held various leadership roles for former Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work and served as Special Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dempsey. Initially joining the Department of Defense in 2010, he served in the Office of the Undersecretary for Policy as a country director for Afghanistan and later India. Bajraktari is the recipient of the Department of Defense Distinguished Civilian Service Medal – the highest award given to career DoD civilian employees.
Angela Arriola Ponmakha, Vice President and Chief of Staff. Before joining SCSP, Arriola Ponmakha was the Director of Operations and Designated Federal Officer for the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence. She has also served as the Chief of Staff for the Defense Innovation Unit and in various government and private sector positions, leading organizational management and operations staff. Born to immigrant Filipino parents in the United States, it was through the efforts of Arriola-Ponmakha that the Philippines' DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy secured an invitation to speak at the AI Expo, paving the way for Philippine representation at a momentous global event.
Joe Wang, Senior Advisor. Wang has previously served in the National Security Council as Director for Russia and as Deputy Senior Director for Europe and Russia. At the U.S. Department of State, he held the posts of Senior Advisor to the Coordinator for Sanctions Policy and Special Assistant to the Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs, among other assignments in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs. He was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Kyrgyzstan and graduated from the University of Connecticut with a BA in Economics and Psychology, and from Georgetown University with a Master of Science in Foreign Service (MSFS).
Tara Rigler, Senior Director of Communications and Public Affairs. Rigler was the Director of Strategy, Communication and Engagement at the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (NSCAI). She has also been appointed to the Senior Executive Service and served as the Assistant Director for Communications for the Bureau of Land Management in addition to many other senior communications roles over her 22 years of federal service.
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