John Mack, Managing Director & Sector Co-Head Security & Safety, Raymond James

David Puckett, Vice President II, Global Devices Product Management, Comcast

Robert Vance (re)joined Gentex in 2018, serving as a Corporate Officer and as Vice President of New Markets. He is responsible for the strategic development of new markets & Industries, advanced technologies through strategic partnerships and provides leadership for the company's M&A activity that continues to grow to provide a secure and substantial future for Gentex’s products, team, partners and shareholders. Prior to this role, Robert served as Vice President of Innotec Corporation’s Strategic Development and Commercialization team, where he focused on growing Innotec’s technologies, industries, business models, and partnerships globally. From 2005-2011, Robert served as Gentex Corporation’s Vice President of Business Development for Japanese Automakers. Prior to that, he worked at Johnson Controls for over a decade, serving in various positions in Finance, Operations, Business Management and Executive Leadership including multiple exPat assignments in Europe and Asia. Robert holds degrees in Finance and Foreign Languages, and completed his graduate studies at Meiji Gakuin University in Japan. Throughout Robert's career, he has been involved in creating new pathways globally for companies to grow and increase overall value throughout the entire direct, customer and partner ecosystem.

Dr. Tajinder (Taj) Manku, a visionary entrepreneur and wireless technology innovator, has left an indelible mark on the technology sector. With a Bachelor's in Physics and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering (focused on Condensed Matter physics), Dr. Manku’s academic excellence lays the foundation for his entrepreneurial prowess. Founding companies like Pravala, Sirific, and Tag-Comm before 40, Dr. Manku 's strategic leadership steered Sirific Wireless to pioneering a cellular chip with multiple antennas, later acquired by Nvidia for nearly $500 million. In 2014, Dr. Manku co-founded Cognitive Systems Corp., where, as CEO, he revolutionized homes by incorporating motion sensing into WiFi networks. This breakthrough has garnered over 150 patents and 100 technical papers, along with accolades such as the Canadian Award for Research Excellence and recognition as one of CIO Review's 10 Most Promising Wireless Technology Solution Providers. Dr. Manku 's relentless pursuit of excellence and innovation propels Cognitive Systems Corp. to the forefront of the industry, setting standards for WiFi Motion integration and solidifying its position as a technology leader.

Robin Crawford, Chief Business Development Officer, Origin AI

Colin Cureton has over 25 years’ experience in the semiconductor industry and currently serves as Product Line Vice President for the Home Business at Silicon Labs where he is responsible for delivery of wireless solutions for the Home Automation and Home Security markets. Colin holds a BEng (Hons) in Information Systems Engineering from Heriot-Watt University in Scotland.

Tim Eskew is a highly accomplished Residential Electronic Products Director at Allegion where he is responsible for the Schlage portfolio of connected home products, cloud platform, mobile software and industry partnerships. Prior to joining Allegion, Tim has lead product, business development, and partnerships in a range of industries including connected fitness, embedded wireless, and smart meeting. Always curious, Tim is passionate about solving customer problems through innovative products, software, and services.

John is the Chief Executive Officer of Ayla Networks. He was previously responsible for Ayla’s sales organization and ecosystem partner relationships. Before that, he was Head of Sales at Mosaic, the leading provider of clean energy fintech solutions. He also held global sales leadership positions at ChargePoint (CHPT), the leader in electric vehicle charging solutions, as well as Pace PLC, where he was responsible for the Software and Services Sales organization acquired by ARRIS in 2016. John graduated from Boston College with a B.A. in Economics, and later from the Kelly Graduate School of Business at Indiana University, where he earned his MBA with a concentration in Finance. John began his career at the private banking firm Brown Brothers Harriman & Co., and then at Covad Communications, where he led the Customer Operations and Product teams for over six years. He lives in San Jose, California.

Robert is a leader in the institutional real estate and technology industries with a 25-year track record. He is committed to helping institutional real estate owners and managers create value from investments in technology by enhancing the customer experience and forming long-lasting partnerships with best-of-breed technology solutions. Robert began his career at Equity Residential in Chicago, IL, where he led the Strategic Business Development unit. He was responsible for ensuring that technology providers helped create the best possible living experience while generating non-rent sources of income. During his tenure at Equity, he gained a deep understanding of how technology improves the marketability of real estate and developed a reputation for having a long-term vision and thinking outside the box to create win-win partnerships with technology companies. Leveraging this experience and reputation, Robert has held senior executive leadership positions at three different public companies and two successful technology start-ups. With a laser focus on the client, he is currently the President and COO of WorldVue and SPARRO. Robert oversees WorldVue’s overall vision to promote sustainable technology, 5G, global enterprise networks, and entertainment to communities. Prior to WorldVue, he worked at Boingo Wireless and DISH Network. His consistent focus on leveraging technology and information to benefit commercial enterprise and institutional real estate clients has earned him industry-wide accolades. Robert currently sits on the American Hotel and Lodging Association’s Hospitality Show Advisory Board, as well as AHLA’s Global Technology 100 (T100), helping to shape the next generation of hotels through innovation. He is also an active member of Vistage, the world’s largest CEO coaching and peer advisory organization. Recently, he has been accepted into the International Luxury Hotel Association’s (ILHA) Advisory Board to bring an innovative approach to the luxury space.

35 years of experience designing, deploying, & managing aftermarket service & support ecosystems for the brands of consumer electronics, IoT, Smart/Connected Device, as well as service providers such as Utility, Home Security, ISP/Cable, MVNO operators.

Speaker Biography : Scott Hanson is the Chief Technology Officer and founder of Ambiq. He developed SPOT®, Ambiq’s core subthreshold technology platform, during his PhD studies at the University of Michigan—laying the foundation for the world’s most energy-efficient chips. Scott founded Ambiq in 2010 and led the development of Apollo, the company’s first flagship processor and a world-record-setting ultra-low-power SoC. Under Scott’s leadership, Ambiq has shipped nearly 300 million chips to leading global brands and has established itself as a market leader in ultra-low-power semiconductor solutions. Besides his role as CTO, he has taken on various responsibilities including leading product definition and development, overseeing production testing, and, most importantly, dedicating a significant amount of time with customers to understand their needs and vision. As a well-known innovator in low-power circuits, Scott now leads the AI team and the development of Ambiq's technology roadmap. A recognized innovator in low-power and subthreshold circuit design, Scott has authored more than 30 peer-reviewed publications, holds over 20 patents, and is a frequent speaker at industry and academic forums. Today, he is focused on advancing ultra-low-power AI and enabling intelligent edge devices that operate at unprecedented energy efficiency.

Scott Harden, SVP and CTO for Software, Home Solutions, Schneider Electric

Morgan Hertel, with over 40 years of experience in the electronic security industry, is a well-respected leader who has served in many executive leadership roles for independent security integration companies and monitoring centers. Currently, as Vice President of Technology & Innovation for Rapid Response Monitoring, Morgan evaluates and harnesses the synergy between the latest technological advancements and the industry’s leading service providers to further advance the unmatched Dealer services of Rapid Response. Morgan serves as President of The Monitoring Association (TMA) and is actively involved in many local and national industry associations and initiatives, and he dedicates countless hours to the work of several forward-thinking committees throughout the industry, as well. Morgan holds the following certificates and licenses: NICET Level III Fire Alarm Technology, California Alarm Company Qualified Manager, Oregon Certified Trainer, Oregon Executive Manager, TMA Level I and II Central Station Operator, SIA Certified Operator and ESA Certified Alarm Installer.

Brad Hintze is the Executive Vice President of Customer Success & Marketing at Crestron. In this role, he leads a global organization encompassing Marketing, Training & Documentation, Pro Enablement, Technical Support, ATSG, Services & Subscriptions, Client Relations, Customer Support, Order Processing, and Sales Support Services. Brad is focused on driving Crestron’s company vision forward by elevating customer experience innovation and strengthening its True Blue commitments by creating a clear, cohesive operating model that delivers a unified and seamless experience for Pros and customers worldwide A driving force behind Crestron’s global vision, Brad oversees the development of marketing programs, campaigns, and customer facing initiatives that promote the company’s leadership in product innovation, workplace technology solutions, digital transformation strategies, and purpose driven initiatives. His teams are dedicated to amplifying the company’s legacy, while implementing new processes and systems that prepare for future scale and heightened customer expectations.   Prior to joining Crestron, Brad served as the Vice President of Consumer and Brand Marketing at SnapAV, where he designed and led marketing efforts and strategies for the company following its merger with Control4. Before assuming that role for SnapAV, Brad held the position of Senior Director of Product Marketing at Control4 where he was responsible for directing product marketing strategy and development, and spearheaded key product and program developments within the company. An esteemed thought leader on emerging home automation technologies and rapidly proliferating workplace collaboration solutions, Brad has been a featured presenter at countless industry expos and was included in the “Top 40 Under 40” list by Utah’s Business Council and Dealerscope Magazine.

Ramkumar Krishnan is a cleantech executive, entrepreneur and technologist with over two decades of experience transforming how we generate, manage, and consume energy. His work spans deep-tech R&D, commercialization, and venture creation at the intersection of sustainability, digital infrastructure, and advanced energy systems. As Head of Cleantech Incubation at LG NOVA, he leads the launch and scaling of ventures in grid modernization, energy storage, AI-powered energy management, and sector coupling across compute and climate. He also directs public-private innovation programs in states such as West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Nevada, supporting early-stage startups and collaborating with utilities, research labs, and investors. With 50+ patents and publications in top-tier journals, and experience spanning startups, global OEMs, and public-private consortia, Krishnan brings deep expertise in energy storage, smart grids, digital energy platforms, and sustainability analytics. He is passionate about AI x Energy, climate-driven infrastructure, and hardtech commercialization, and actively mentors founders and advises cleantech funds to accelerate impactful innovation. Previously, as CTO of NantEnergy, Krishnan led the development of the world’s first rechargeable zinc-air battery system, integrating breakthroughs across mechanical, chemical, materials, and embedded software domains. His teams delivered multiple product generations with over 40% annual cost reductions, enabled by systems thinking and rigorous first-principles R&D. He has also led multi-million-dollar ARPA-E programs and served on advisory boards shaping state-level clean energy policy.

Dennis has over 20 years of leadership experience in Technology, Network and IoT related industries. Most recently he serves at Realpage as their SVP/GM Smart Building where he is responsible for the transformation and growth for the Smart Building business unit inclusive of the Whitesky, Stratis and Chirp brands. As GM he Holds full P&L responsibility across all facets of the business. Immediately prior to Realpage, Dennis served as President & General Manager as well as SVP Operations for Wyyerd Fiber. In this role, Dennis had purview over the P&L, Operations, development and 60% annualized revenue growth of Wyyerd’s business as an Internet Service Provider for single and multi-family residences in the Southwestern United states. Previously, Dennis served as Senior Vice President, Mountain Region for Zayo where he had responsibility for $320M in annualized revenue and associated operations across 11 states and Western Canada. He has also held leadership positions at two successful startups (Tendril/Uplight & Arrayent) in the IoT and Connected Devices space. Over the years he and has held numerous senior leadership positions at BtoB and BtoC companies such as McCaw Cellular, Nextlink Interactive, XO Communications, Level 3 Communications as well as a earlier stint at Zayo Group where he served as President, Zayo Managed Services. Dennis has a BS in Industrial Engineering from Northwestern University as well as MBA and MA in “Development Economics” from Stanford University.

Peter Levinson is the VP of Product for Arity. Peter is responsible for leading Arity’s Product Management team and ensuring that Arity delivers an unparalleled product experience for its worldwide customers. He also leads efforts to define Arity’s product vision and build a prioritized product roadmap, while playing the role of product evangelist and serving as the face of the Arity product portfolio. Peter brings more than 13 years of experience in new product development, strategic planning and product and engineering team management, most recently at LifeLock. Prior to LifeLock, Peter served as Senior Vice President at White Sky, Inc., a provider of consumer security software products and solutions, where he led all product strategy, design, and development work and played a critical role in developing the company’s strategic product vision and roadmap. Earlier in his career, Peter held product management and strategy roles with Yahoo! and AllBusiness.com. Peter earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and art history from Trinity College in Connecticut and an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley.

Andy McFarlane is leading Morse Micro’s global marketing, fuelling brand growth, opening up new partnerships, and expanding Morse Micro’s open source capabilities, to drive strategic success. Based in Sydney, Morse Micro is shaping the future of IoT connectivity, one innovative step at a time.

Teresa McGaughey is Vice President of Global Field & Partner Marketing at Calix North America, where she helps broadband service providers deliver exceptional subscriber experiences and accelerate profitable growth. With nearly 30 years in telecommunications, Teresa’s career spans software development, product management, international sales, and global marketing. She has led teams that brought the industry’s first Ethernet-based access systems to market and holds a patent in router on a chip technology, reflecting deep technical rigor and innovation. At Calix, Teresa’s field and partner programs unify product, marketing, and sales motions to help providers launch differentiated services faster. Her thought leadership—across videos, white papers, and executive forums—guides BSPs worldwide on transforming subscriber experience and monetizing the smart home and small business. Teresa chairs the Fiber Broadband Association’s In Home Experience Committee, engages regularly with customers and partners, and is a sought after speaker at industry events. Her contributions have been recognized with multiple honors, including Chairman’s Quarterly Awards, President’s Club, and International Sales Win of the Year at Calix.

Hervé Muller manages Telecom Design’s business strategy in North America. He is tasked with the introduction of TD’s Smart Home IoT solutions in the US and Canada and with replicating their European market success. The initial focus of this strategy is as a B2B partner to large brands and bringing unique technology in RF jamming protection, fall detection and AgeTech. Prior to joining Telecom Design, Hervé had a successful career managing sales and operations for international organizations. He worked in airport technology for over 25 years where he is an expert in passenger processing technology including biometrics. He helped the world’s leading airports and airlines modernize their passenger experience. Born in France and established in the US for over 30 years, Hervé studied electrical engineering and business in France and the US. He has 4 children, he loves playing music, running, hiking and traveling.

Aaron Nowakowski is an accomplished product and solutions leader with deep experience in connected safety, health, and emergency monitoring technologies. He currently serves as Director of Partner Solutions at Becklar, where he leads strategic solution development and partner enablement initiatives, working closely with cross-functional teams to deliver integrated, high-reliability offerings that support enterprise clients nationwide. Across his career, Aaron has built a strong track record of transforming user needs into innovative solutions, optimizing product portfolios, and enabling organizations to deliver impactful safety and monitoring services at scale. Aaron Nowakowski is an accomplished product and solutions leader with deep experience in connected safety, health, and emergency monitoring technologies. He currently serves as Director of Partner Solutions at Becklar, where he leads strategic solution development and partner enablement initiatives, working closely with cross-functional teams to deliver integrated, high-reliability offerings that support enterprise clients nationwide. Across his career, Aaron has built a strong track record of transforming user needs into innovative solutions, optimizing product portfolios, and enabling organizations to deliver impactful safety and monitoring services at scale.

Keith Puckett, a former M&A investment banker, has transformed into a serial entrepreneur with a proven track record of creating disruptive start-ups. He is the Founder and CEO of Ubiety Technologies, which offers an AI engine and RF detection platform aimed at enhancing situational awareness across residential, commercial, and government security sectors. Ubiety can detect, categorize, and recognize individuals based on the devices they carry. Its AI engine, Eckleburg, processes high-speed radio frequency data to make real-time identity inferences using only passive RF signals, including WiFi, Bluetooth, and cellular data. Keith is passionate about contributing to safety and security of families throughout America!

Elizabeth is the CMO at TechSee, creating simpler, smarter, customer experiences with visual AI. She is a leading voice for applied AI across the enterprise and specializes in humanizing technology in a digital- and AI-first age. Previously, she held leadership roles spanning marketing, communications, community, and CX departments at video game, social media, and cloud platform technology companies in both the B2C and B2B spaces. Over the course of her career, she has focused on identifying new and effective ways to create meaningful dialogue between a brand and its customers, and on developing products and programs that are built on relationships, outcomes, and impact.

Dave Wechsler is Chief Business Officer at Plume, where he leads global strategy, partnerships, and M&A. He brings decades of experience in connectivity, IoT, and broadband from roles at Comcast, Hippo, and OMERS Ventures, with a track record of scaling smart home and emerging tech businesses.

Co-founder and the innovative “heart and soul” at Ivani, Matt specializes in creating quick turnaround solutions to real problems using systems engineering. Both an engineer and entrepreneur at heart, he has an ever-growing list of granted and pending patents. He holds his ASEP certification, Associate TRIZ certification, B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, and MBA. In rare sightings in the wild, he can be found playing soccer, bouldering at the climbing gym, or out on a hike. Expected topics of conversation include smart home tech, 3D printing, video games, and formula one.

Jing Xue is a senior product leader at Wyze, where she drives AI-powered subscription services and smart-home experiences. She has helped scale the services business to over $100M in ARR and focuses on building AI-native consumer products that deliver real, everyday value. Jing brings deep expertise in product strategy, personalization, and data-driven growth across connected ecosystems.

John Barrett currently analyzes digital media and international trends for Parks Associates and also heads the company’s consumer research team. He regularly advises companies from both the content and hardware industries on their digital media strategies and has authored dozens of industry reports.

He holds an MA in international economics from the Johns Hopkins University: School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a BS in international affairs from Georgetown University.

INDUSTRY EXPERTISE: International Research, Digital Media, Mobile TV, Social Media, User-generated Content, Web 2.0

INDUSTRY EXPERTISE: Consumer electronics, mobility services and devices, connected health and wellness. Kristen Hanich heads Parks Associates' consumer electronics and mobility research, with expertise in other verticals including connected cars, mobile networking, healthcare, wellness, and independent living. She leads a mix of custom and syndicated research projects throughout the year, with a focus on major players and emerging trends. Kristen specializes in bridging the gap between data-driven and narrative approaches to understanding the consumer markets via a mix of qualitative and quantitative research approaches. Kristen has dual master's degrees in applied anthropology and public health from the Universities of North Texas in Denton and Fort Worth. She earned her BSc in health at the University of Texas at San Antonio and has a graduate certificate in Geographic Information Systems.

Daniel is responsible for smart home research involving market trend analysis, competitor and positioning assessments, technology evaluations, and forecasts of relevant industry metrics. Daniel is a market research industry veteran with 13 years of experience across multiple research types such as shopper insights, brand equity and brand health tracking, and customer experience. Daniel has also conducted research across multiple sectors such as consumer packaged goods, consumer electronics, specialty retail, and transportation, travel, and hospitality. Daniel has a BA in Sociology from the University of Texas at Arlington, with specializations in Research and Evaluation, Diversity, and Family and Gender Studies.

INDUSTRY EXPERTISE: Connected Health, Connected Home Technologies and Services, Connected Entertainment Products and Services. Jennifer manages the research department and Parks Associates' process for producing high-quality, relevant, and meaningful research. Jennifer also leads and advises on syndicated and custom research projects across all connected consumer verticals and guides questionnaire development for Parks Associates’ extensive consumer analytics survey program. Jennifer is a certified focus group moderator, with training from the Burke Institute. Jennifer earned her PhD in religion, politics, and society and an MA in church-state studies from Baylor University. She earned her BA in politics from the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.

Jason Paris joined Parks Associates as an analyst studying international telephone, cable, and satellite providers and is now a member of the business development team. Jason graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a BA in psychology and government. After working for the Texas House of Representatives, Jason spent the previous seven years in New York City working with portable and enterprise healthcare technologies.

Parks Associates mission is to help companies navigate the changing consumer technology landscapes through data-driven market insights, extensive consumer and industry intelligence, and executive conferences. With over two decades of dedication to the company, Elizabeth Parks, President and Chief Marketing Officer, has been instrumental in shaping its growth and success, along with the continued focus of delivering timely and quality industry and consumer insights on the broadband, entertainment, connected home and SMB industries. Elizabeth's commitment to Parks Associates' overarching mission is unwavering. Parks Associates provides clients with the most comprehensive consumer and industry research and analysis to empower businesses to make informed decisions in an ever-evolving landscape. Elizabeth's journey with Parks Associates began after graduating with a BA in psychology from the University of Texas at Austin. She lives in Plano Texas with her husband and three children.