Featured Speakers

Ms. Leigh Method

Government Keynote Speaker

SES, Performing the Duties of the Principal Deputy Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment

Leigh E. Method, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is Performing the Duties of the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment. In this capacity, she is the principal advisor to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment in overseeing the Department’s $190 billion sustainment enterprise through the conduct of logistics and sustainment policies, procedures, and resourcing to ensure effective support to the warfighter. Her responsibilities encompass sustainment support in the DoD for logistics, supply chain, supply chain risk management, materiel management, maintenance, transportation, material readiness, product support, strategic mobility, equipment, international logistics, and commercial support to operations. She assumed this role in January 2025.

Previously, Ms. Method served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Logistics, where she was responsible for the Department’s logistics strategy and policy, supply, storage and distribution, equipment, transportation, commercial support to operations, and supply chain risk management integration.

Ms. Method is a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel with 24 years of military service. A career logistician, Ms. Method deployed in support of operations Joint Endeavor and Enduring Freedom. She served in various air and ground transportation, logistics, and aircraft maintenance positions. Her last assignment before retirement was as Commander of the 76th Commodities Maintenance Group, Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma.

Ms. Method holds a B.A. in Personnel Administration from Michigan State University, an M.S. in Logistics Management from the Air Force Institute of Technology, and an M.A. in National Security and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College. She began her federal civilian service in June 2015 and is also a Certified Professional Logistician.

Mr. Patrick Kelleher

Featured Speaker

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Materiel Readiness

Mr. Kelleher is the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Materiel Readiness. In this capacity he serves as the principal advisor to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment in the oversight of the Department’s $90 billion maintenance program. He is also responsible for the development of policies and procedures to ensure the Department meets statutory requirements to provide core depot level maintenance support of major weapon systems, military equipment, and commodities.

Prior to his current position, he was the Principal Deputy Director for Strategic Logistics, Joint Staff, J-4. In this role he integrated logistics planning and operations to support global operations and advised the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on logistics matters. Before the Joint Staff, Mr. Kelleher was the Executive Director, Operations and Sustainment, for the Defense Logistics Agency where he was responsible for the oversight, management, and control of Agency global combat logistics support to the Regional Combatant Commanders.

Preceding DLA, Mr. Kelleher served in several positions on the Federal COVID-19 Response Team (formerly known as Operation Warp Speed), finishing his tour there as the Deputy Chief Operating Officer. In this position, he provided executive oversight to the supply, production, and distribution of COVID-19 vaccine, therapeutics, test kits, and masks. In addition, he led the logistics coordination for international vaccine donations in close coordination with the White House COVID-19 Task Force.

Previous civilian assignments in the Marine Corps include Deputy Director, Logistics Division, Installations and Logistics (I&L) Department where, among other responsibilities, he oversaw the development of policy covering the spectrum of logistics capabilities. He also led the team responsible for logistics technology innovation in the Marine Corps and served as the Liaison Officer to the National Capital Region for Marine Corps Logistics Command.

During his 24 years as an active-duty United States Marine, he served in a variety of command, staff and joint positions. He completed eight deployments, including three combat deployments to Iraq. In two of his deployments to Iraq, he was a battalion commander in Fallujah. Other highlights include his selection for Regimental Command and selection as a Commandant of the Marine Corps Fellow, where he spent a year at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). While at USAID he deployed to Uzbekistan as the first Marine on a USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART). His other deployments included Operations Desert Shield/Storm, Provide Relief in Somalia, Desert Thunder in Kuwait and a humanitarian/civic assistance deployment to Guatemala.

Mr. Kelleher holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from the University of Notre Dame, a Master of Arts in International Relations from Salve Regina University, and a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies (with Distinction) from the U.S. Naval War College. He has also completed Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Seminar XXI.

His civilian awards include a Presidential Letter of Recognition, the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Civilian Commendation Medal, and the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award. While on active duty, he was awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal and the Bronze Star Medal (with two gold stars) among other campaign and service medals.

Col (ret) Kevin Sampels

Featured Speaker

Vice Chair of the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) Logistics Management Division

Kevin Sampels is the Vice Chair of the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) Logistics Management Division. He is a retired Air Force Colonel and a highly experienced logistician, bringing over 35 years of expertise in logistics operations including systems acquisition; demand planning, supply planning, supply chain design; storage operations; global distribution; organizational, intermediate and depot level maintenance; and material disposition. He is certified by the Department of Defense in both Lifecyle Logistics and Program Management. He has successfully delivered logistics support services to the Logistics community around the world, both as a military member and in key positions throughout private industry.

Kevin has served at all levels in the Air Force, commanded multiple organizations, and deployed in support of numerous operations and exercises around the world. Additionally, he is on the Board of the Institute for Defense and Business (IDB), Chief of the Defense Logistics & Support Advisory Board for the Institute for Defense and Government Advancement (IDGA) and serves on both the Logistics Officer Association (LOA) Advisory Board and Aviation Week Network Advisory Committee.

Kevin holds a Master of Science in Strategic Studies from the Air War College, a Master of Science in Military Operational Arts and Science from the Air Command and Staff College, a Master of Science in Business Administration from Golden Gate University, and Bachelor of Science in Technical Management from Regis University.

Ms. Theresa Campobasso

Featured Speaker

Senior Vice President for Strategic Accounts, Exiger

Theresa Campobasso is the Senior Vice President for Strategic Accounts at Exiger, where she has guided public and private organizations as they navigate the journey to predicting, mitigating, and managing risk in their physical and digital supply chains. During her 5 years at the company, she has created and scaled Exiger’s Defense Programs team, created communities of expertise in supply chain security, chemical security, and contested logistics, and most recently, established the company’s Strategic Alliance Program.

Over the past 16 years, Theresa has worked across the national security ecosystem, from service as an active-duty US Marine Corps Intelligence Officer overseas, providing counterintelligence support to special forces in Afghanistan, and supporting creation of Defense Intelligence Agency’s first Acquisition Risk Task Force, to advising the former National Background Investigation Bureau on security clearance reform.

Combining a counterintelligence background with a focus on supply chain security, Theresa has published articles, op-eds, and presentations on topics covering contested logistics, critical technology protection, and personnel risk management. A champion of comprehensive, threat-based approaches to supply chain risk management, Theresa led a team at KPMG to develop a microelectronics supply chain provenance mapping solution that, in partnership with Battelle, won a 2019 AFWERX Competition.

The value of public service and protecting national security are core beliefs that Theresa advocates. After being selected as a 2016 Rumsfeld Foundation fellow, she remained an alumni member of the foundation and served on the alumni board from 2022-2023. She also co-chairs the INSA Insider Threat Subcommittee since 2023 after 7 years as a subcommittee member and has moderated a series of panels related to critical technology protection and the impact of AI on insider risk and mitigation programs.

She completed her B.A. in English from the University of Notre Dame and her M.A. in Security Studies from Georgetown University’s Security Studies Program with a focus in technology & national security. She is a Certified Insider Threat Program Manager, a member of the Chief executive women’s network, and a graduate of the Harvard Business School CORe Program. She was named a Top Supply Chain Executive to Watch in 2023 by WashingtonExec Magazine, was featured on the June 2024 cover of Technology Magazine, and is a 2024 board member of the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA).

Mr. Peter Guinto

Featured Speaker

Senior Technical Advisor for Contract Pricing, Defense Pricing, Contracting, and Acquisition Policy (DPCAP)

Mr. Pete Guinto is the Senior Technical Advisor for Contract Pricing, within Price, Cost and Finance (PCF) at Defense Pricing, Contracting, and Acquisition Policy (DPCAP) in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (USD (A&S)). He is responsible for contract pricing matters throughout Department of Defense (DoD) enterprise, in support of the Department’s 30,000 contracting professionals who spend over $300 Billion annually to bring world-class capability to the warfighter. Mr. Guinto formulates and oversees complex, DoD-wide pricing, profit, and contract financing policies and strategies supporting major defense acquisitions for the Department. As DoD’s senior advisor for acquisition and procurement negotiation strategies on major defense acquisition programs, he provides business advice and negotiation expertise, partners with the Components to pilot Defense-wide improvements and leverage best practices in pricing and contracting and fosters opportunities for the DoD workforce to continuously grow its pricing skills.

Prior to assuming his current position as a Highly Qualified Expert in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, he served in a senior executive leadership position in private industry providing commercial clients with advice around regulatory and statutory compliance with ever changing supply chain regulations. Earlier, he held various positions within the U.S. Air Force, serving as a Contracting Officer, Price Analyst, and Program Manager with DoD assignments at Wright-Patterson (twice), the Pentagon, and Randolph Air Force Base. He served as a negotiator or clearance official of ~$14B in Government Contracts spanning systems such as the F-15, F-22, F-16, MQ-9, RQ-4, C-17, C-130, KC-46 and several classified systems, smaller systems and subsystems. Mr. Guinto also served as the Chief of Market Intelligence for the COVID Acquisition task forces for the Air Force, DoD (Joint Acquisition Taskforce) and part of the national supply chain task force led by FEMA.

Mr. Guinto is a Government Acquisition Leader with professional experience in Law, Respiratory Therapy and Firefighting. He holds a Bachelor of Science and a Juris Doctor degree from University of Akron in Ohio.

Mr. Ron Weinberger

Featured Speaker

Vice President International Business, Andromeda Systems Inc.

With nearly four decades of experience in international defense logistics, program development, and Foreign Military Sales (FMS), Ron Weinberger is a recognized leader in global sustainment strategy and international security cooperation.

Currently serving as Vice President of International Business at Andromeda Systems Incorporated, he spearheads the company’s global strategy and drives international growth through deep expertise in defense acquisition, sustainment planning, and cross-border collaboration.

Previously, Ron Weinberger served in multiple senior roles within the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), including Director of International Programs and Director of International Logistics. In these roles, he led the community in supporting over 90 partner nations while implementing major reforms that reduced overhead by 21%, increased FMS throughput by 23%, and drove Security Cooperation program growth to a record level $90 billion international portfolio for NAVAIR.

A recipient of the U.S. Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award for innovative leadership.

• He was critical in enabling the first international sale of the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, the H-60R to Australia, and the H-53K to Israel.


• Established a self-sufficient International Sustainment Center by leveraging a network of partners on the Mississippi Gulf Coast for over 40+ Foreign Military Sales programs with over $6.5B in material


• Successfully delivered Eastern European aircraft and established the Afghan National Army Air Corps’ aviation sustainment program for those aircraft.


• Co-led the initiative for the Country-Team-Australia effort, which was the driver for the DoD MRO Regional Playbook in support of the DoD’s Regional Sustainment Framework initiative.

Mr. Colby Millett

Featured Speaker

EPMS Program Manager

Mr. Millett served the DoD for 15 years as a Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM) specialist, supporting several high-level programs for the Department and leading enterprise-wide efforts to collaborate across services in order to improve data reporting, data access and industrial base analysis. Colby is currently leading the Enterprise Parts Management System development which is leveraging existing service-level DMSMS Management and SCRM tools combined with commercial illumination data to create an Enterprise-wide system to improve Parts Selection and Management across the DoD.