DHS SBIR Commercialization Workshop
DHS SBIR 25.1 Commercialization Workshop
*Pre-registration is required to enter the secured facility. If you have any questions regarding registering, please email stsbir.program@hq.dhs.gov
Friday, June 13, 2025
Workshop Moderated by Jenny C. Servo, Ph.D.
8:30 am to 9:00 am:
Registration
9:00 am to 9:10 am:
Welcome
Dusty Lang, DHS SBIR Program Director
9:10 am to 9:40 am:
An OATS Example: Prescient Edge and the Coast Guard
Dusty Lang, DHS SBIR Program Director
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David Wiesenhahn Ph.D., Portfolio Manager, USCG
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Robert Sunderland, Chief Integration Officer, Prescient Edge
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9:40 am to 10:10 am:
How DHS Prepares for Transition
Michel Kareis, Director, Technology Scouting and Transition for the Science and Technology Directorate at the Department of Homeland Security
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10:10 am to 10:20 am:
Introduction to Commercialization Assistance Marketplace (CAM)
Jenny C. Servo, Ph.D., Dawnbreaker, Inc.
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10:20 am to 10:30 am:
BREAK
10:30 am to 10:45 am:
Overview of Successful Commercialization Strategies
Jenny C. Servo, Ph.D., Dawnbreaker, Inc.
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10:45 am to 11:45 am:
SBIR Data Rights and the Importance of Marking
David Metzger, Esq., Retired
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11:45 am to 1:00 pm:
LUNCH
1:00 pm to 1:45 pm:
Successful DHS Phase III Award: Quokka
Chris Gogoel, VP & GM, Quokka
1:45 pm to 2:15 pm:
Successful Licensing – Out: Hydronalix
Tony Mulligan, CEO, Hydronalix
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2:15 pm to 3:00 pm:
Venture Capital and the SBIR Program
Chris Kaufman, Ph.D., Business Acceleration Manager, Dawnbreaker, Inc.
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Jennifer Shieh, Ph.D., Chief Scientist and Program Manager for the Ecosystem Development Division of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Investment and Innovation (OII)
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3:00 pm to 3:15 pm:
Closing and Evaluation
Dusty Lang, DHS SBIR Program Director
Presenters
Dusty Lang assumed the role of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program Director in 2019. She has worked extensively with the DHS SBIR program, administered by the DHS Science and Technology Directorate (S&T), having joined the program team in 2016. In 2018, Ms. Lang served as the Program Manager for the S&T Broad Agency Announcement and Prize Competition programs before coming back to the DHS SBIR program as Director in 2019.
Prior to joining DHS S&T, Ms. Lang began her career working at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station at the Hazardous Materials Warehouse. After subsequent positions in the Information Resource Management Office and PMA-207, in 2006 she moved to the Naval Air Systems Command SBIR office. During her time in the NAVAIR SBIR office, she served as the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Lead, with a brief intermission, from 2015-2016, as the Department of the Navy STTR/STP Program Manager.
David is the portfolio manager for Coast Guard research into data, modeling, and decision support; and for autonomy research. In this role, he works with Coast Guard users to develop research projects conducted within the Coast Guard and DHS. Before he joined the Coast Guard five years ago, he worked in DoD for over 30 years in various roles, including high-energy laser systems for the strategic defense initiative, sensor development at the Army’s Night Vision Laboratory, and strategic science and technology planning at Army headquarters. David received a BS in applied mechanics and a PhD in engineering physics, both from the University of California, San Diego.
Bobby Sunderland is the Chief Integration Officer (CIO) at Prescient Edge Corporation (PEC), where he leads the C5ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) activities. He oversees a team of engineers, software developers, operators, and cybersecurity experts dedicated to advancing mission-critical capabilities. With decades of experience as a systems integrator for the Department of Defense (DOD) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Bobby has developed a deep understanding of complex technological frameworks and operational requirements. Throughout his military and civilian career, Bobby has focused on integrating advanced systems to enhance mission effectiveness and ensure security objectives are met. His expertise in systems engineering, project management, and cross-agency coordination has enabled him to lead diverse teams and deliver innovative solutions to national security challenges.
Michel Kareis currently serves as the Director, Technology Scouting and Transition Division for the Science and Technology Directorate, U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Technology Scouting and Transition (TST) supports S&T’s strategic and tactical R&D investment decision-making by enhancing the understanding of the current state of technology, including new and emerging technologies by providing innovative, cutting-edge technology discovery and end-to-end transition support as well as maintaining a knowledge repository for information sharing.
Ms. Kareis has management experience in both the public and private sector. Prior to joining DHS, she worked for the U.S. General Services Administration and established several new U.S. government-wide programs including the HSPD-12 PIV Credentialling Service, the Federal Strategic Sourcing Initiative (now Commodity Management), launched a new Government-wide Acquisition Contract for IT Services and created a fee for service, assisted acquisition program for the Professional Services Schedule. Her background includes experience in the architectural/engineering industry supporting building design, construction, infrastructure, energy and advanced technology programs.
Dr. Servo is the founder and president of Dawnbreaker. She has written extensively on the topic of innovation with articles appearing in The Futurist, Entrepreneurial Excellence, and Innovation in the Work Place. Dr. Servo is also the senior author on the books that are used with our clients including Business Planning for Scientists and Engineers; Knock Their Socks Off: Making Winning Presentations to Investors; and Indicators of Commercial Potential.
David Metzger is a retired partner of Arnold & Porter. He has dedicated a large part of his practice to the issue of SBIR data rights and made a deep and lasting impression on the SBIR program and the success of many companies. David Metzger is widely known for his work on the SBIR program – over the course of his career, he has presented more than 160 times on this subject. His familiarity with SBIR goes back to his experience on Capitol Hill as an Administrative Assistant to a U.S. Representative and as Staff Director to the House Subcommittee on Energy, Environment, Safety and Research, and as the Small Business Administration (SBA) Director of Innovation and Procurement Policy. Today, he continues to support the SBIR community through tutorials on SBIR Data Rights that are freely made available on SBIR.gov, and continues to be a genuine champion of small business!
Chris Gogoel currently serves as VP & GM APAC & Public Sector at Quokka, where he is responsible for business development, strategy, and growth for the Asia Pacific and US Government business.
Chris has spent 10 years at Quokka gaining experience in Android & iOS security. Originally starting as an engineer, his experience includes the development of automated mobile application testing tools for DARPA and DHS, as well as product and program management roles overseeing the development and roadmap for mobile security products. Over the years with Quokka he has worked in deploying and utilizing mobile security tools with large governments and enterprises and brings those experiences to all new engagements.
Anthony Mulligan is the founder and CEO of Hydronalix, a developer and manufacturer of small unmanned surface vehicles used by first responders, military, earth sciences, security, and monitoring high value underwater assets such as power generation. Mr. Mulligan has founded 4 separate SBIR companies since 1989, all of which achieved commercial successes of 3-4 times SBIR revenues. These businesses benefited greatly with a balance of technology license sales, exports, and commercial production. Mr. Mulligan has been appointed and served on numerous community boards including the Pima County Work Force Development Board, the AZ MEP board, the Small Business Technology Coalition, the Small Manufacturers of Tucson, the University of Arizona College of Engineering Industrial Advisory Board, and the Defense Science Board Task Force for Manufacturing. Mr. Mulligan was also the recipient of many awards including a 1996 and 2015 Tibbets Award, the 2011 Hall Of Fame Tibbet’s Award, the University of Arizona Professional Achievement Award, the University of Arizona Thomas Hart Humanitarian Award, Popular Science Magazine Grand Invention of the Year Award 2010, Time Magazine #7 Best Inventions of 2010, 3 NASA Technical Achievement Awards, the Department of Commerce Export Achievement Award, and many others.
Dr. Jennifer Shieh, PhD is the Chief Scientist and Program Manager for the Ecosystem Development Division of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Investment and Innovation (OII). She leads efforts for human-centered, evidence-driven program development to advance a national network of support for growth-oriented entrepreneurs. She has served multiple roles in support of OII’s efforts to improve access to Federal R&D and private patient capital funds, including as Chief Scientist for the Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) programs, establishing a new Investment and Innovation Ecosystem Development division, and acting as the Deputy Associate Administrator senior executive responsible for OII operations. Dr. Shieh led a whole-of-government Lab-to-Market initiative as Assistant Director for Entrepreneurship at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). Prior to SBA, Dr. Shieh managed the Small Business Research Program for the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and served as a Program Director at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) SBIR Development Center. She has been involved in product and customer development at a precision medicine-focused startup and mobile games startup. Dr. Shieh studied brain and cognitive sciences at MIT, then earned her PhD in neurosciences at Stanford University.
Christopher Kaufman, Ph.D. is an experienced Business Strategist specializing in supporting small businesses through federal innovation funding programs. With expertise in guiding companies through SBIR/STTR grant applications and commercialization pathways, he has a strong commitment to advancing innovative technologies. In addition to being steeped in experience with the SBIR/STTR programs, Chris served as a Venture Analyst at Excell Partners, a venture capital firm that invests in high-tech start-ups throughout Upstate NY. While there he evaluated pre-seed and seed stage businesses for investment potential through secondary and primary research and validated their financial projections and cost estimates. Companies that he worked with included bioenergy, waste treatment, separation technologies, biosensors, smart healthcare, diagnostic assays, and medical imaging.
Event information
The DHS SBIR 25.1 Commercialization Workshop will take place in the – Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Headquarters in Washington, D.C. on June 12 & June 13, 2025. Please click below for directions, parking, accommodations, and other important information for the event.
Contact
If you have any questions regarding this meeting, please email our SBIR mailbox stsbir.program@hq.dhs.gov
If you have any questions on the days of the meetings, please contact SBIR Team Member Jack Anderson at 202-753-9021.
You can also feel free to contact Lyn Barnett of Dawnbreaker at lbarnett@dawnbreaker.com or 585-617-9493