Vesa Koivumaa is Head of Growth, Americas for Voyage, division of Wärtsilä a global leader in smart technologies and complete lifecycle solutions for the marine and energy markets. Vesa’s areas of focus and responsibility are the exploration of strategic maritime solutions and technological growth opportunities.

Over 20 years in a variety of senior executive and management positions including at Wärtsilä, Vesa’s primary areas of impact include: Integration and Harmonization of European Companies into the Americas Network Security, OEM, Complex Project Management, and Customer Experience Management (CX).

Prior to Wartsila, Vesa worked as VP, Channel Management in San Francisco for Stonesoft, Americas, an IT security company acquired by Intel’s subsidiary McAfee.

Member of the Board, Maritime Blue, State of Washington and The Finnish American Chamber of Commerce, Greater Houston where he serves as President.

A native of Finland, Vesa holds an MBA in International Business with a focus in Finance & Banking from the George Washington University.

Geir-Eilif Kalhagen brings over three decades of direct experience in the Global Supply Chain, with an emphasis and core proficiencies in the Maritime sector, global logistics and international commerce.

This broad level of experience has been acquired during International deployment in S.E. Asia, Asia, North America, and Europe. Mr. Kalhagen global experience in the private sector along with his tenure as CEO and Executive Director in the Washington State Public Port system has led to recognition and appointments to National and International organizations. He has served as the First Vice President of the Americas for the International Association of Ports and Harbors. In addition serving on the strategic sub planning committee and the northwest caucus for the American Association of Port Authorities.

Kalhagen was equally recognized on the state level serving as Vice Chair for the Washington Public Ports Association. Washington Governor Jay Inslee also appointed Kalhagen to the Freight Mobility strategic investment Board. Mr. Kalhagen presently serves as the Director of the Maritime division for the Texas Department of Transportation

Geir-Eilif Kalhagen is recognized as an authoritative voice on the confluence of private maritime industry and public port management and has been a guest speaker on several topics for the American Association of Public Ports. Kalhagen has also contributed to discussions for Eastern Washington University MBA programs as well as guest speaking at the University of Oregon Executive MBA program. Mr. Kalhagen has partnered with Lamar University in the development of a Port- focused Master’s program

Kalhagen holds an MBA from the University of Oregon, BA in Philosophy and Political Science from the University of South Alabama, and an AS in Business Management from Norwalk Community College.

In addition he also earned a U.S.C.G. Limited Masters and a Six Sigma Black Belt.

Julio R. Gonzalez is currently a Supervisory Protective Security Advisors (SPSA) with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Region 6, assigned to Houston, Texas and responsible for overseen the PSA program in the Gulf of Mexico. Julio is a subject matter expert in critical infrastructure and vulnerability assessments; he has facilitated physical and cyber security assessments and provided security guidance on established best practices to a vast variety of critical infrastructure organizations.

Prior to joining CISA, he served as a Port Security Specialist for the U. S. Coast Guard, Sector Houston-Galveston, responsible for all regional security and recovery plans, exercises, and port risk assessments for critical infrastructure located in Freeport, Galveston, Texas City and Houston, Texas. Previously he served as a Commissioned Officer in the U. S. Coast Guard as a Response Officer specialized in Law Enforcement, Emergency Management, and Search and Rescue.

During his career, Julio has been involved in the planning and execution of a myriad of incident management and security operations. Most recently, in 2017, he served as the Deputy Planning Section Chief during Hurricane Harvey response with the U.S. Coast Guard, Sector Houston-Galveston.

Julio holds a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Education from the University of Puerto Rico and a Master of Science (M.S.) in Strategic Leadership from Mountain State University. His awards include the: Coast Guard Commendation Medal, Coast Guard Achievement Medal, and Coast Guard Civilian Service Commendation Medal. Julio is originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico and is fully bi-lingual (Spanish/English).

Dr. DiRenzo is a retired Coast Guard officer, who spent nine years in the Navy, in both the submarine and surface warfare communities. In 1991 he transitioned to the United States Coast Guard and was assigned to several cutters including command of USCGC JEFFERSON ISLAND. In 1999, Dr. DiRenzo was detailed as the inaugural Coast Guard Liaison Officer assigned to the CONSTELLATION Strike Group deployed to the Arabian Gulf. In 2000 he was assigned to Atlantic Area, held seven different positions including Division Chief before rising to the Senior Advisor to the Commander for Science, Technology, Innovation and Research position. In October 2015 he moved to New London Connecticut and assumed his current position at the USCG Research and Development Center.

Dr. DiRenzo is one of the most published authors in Coast Guard history. His latest article is scheduled to be published by the U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings in March of 2022. A five-time winner of the service’s prestigious JOC Alex Haley award, he has published over 350 articles on various maritime terrorism and port security topics. He is currently on the Board of Directors of the Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence Critical Infrastructure Resilience Institute at the University of Illinois Champaign Urbana. He is Northeast Deputy Regional Coordinator for the Federal Lab Consortium. He is also the RDC Liaison to the Naval Postgraduate School. Finally, he is a fourteen-time national Co-Chair of the Maritime Risk Symposium (the 2022 event will be at ARGONNE National Lab) and was the co-editor of the first ever textbook focused on maritime cyber security – Issues In Maritime Cybersecurity (Westphalia).

Dr. DiRenzo is a 1982 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, holds a Master’s in Business Administration from California Coast University, and is a graduate of both the Naval War College and Marine Corps Command and Staff College. He completed his Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration (Homeland Security Specialization) in 2007 at Northcentral University in Prescott AZ. He teaches for American Military University and Northcentral University. Dr. DiRenzo is married to retired Navy Nurse Corps Captain and Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran Karen DiRenzo. They have two children Joe IV, a Mergers and Acquisitions banker and Lauren an Intermediate School teacher.

David Cummins is President of the Blue Sky Maritime Coalition, a non-profit, strategic alliance formed to accelerate the transition of waterborne transportation in Canada and the United States toward net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Prior to his current role, Cummins worked as an executive with Shell with more than 35 years’ experience covering many locations around the world as well as many diverse businesses and skill areas.  Cummins was Shell’s Commercial and Business Development Manager for Shipping & Maritime, Americas, and before that served as Vice President of Shell Korea Limited, managing relationships with Korean shipyards and heavy industry. Cummins previously contributed to Shell’s success in technical management, global strategy development, commercial deal making, new business development, strategic customer account management, divestment and portfolio deal teams, capital project planning & execution, and change management/corporate redesign.

Cummins is a frequent speaker with various organizations on topics including Shipping Sectoral Decarbonization, Global/International Account Management, Strategy Development, Negotiation/Deal Making and Cultural Differences between Western and Asian Countries. In his personal time Cummins is an avid golfer and photographer and is also sole proprietor of a timber tract operations company in the US.

Kevin Clement is a Homeland Security and Emergency Management professional at the University of Houston where he serves as Executive Director, Strategic Partnerships at the College of Technology and the Borders, Trade, and Immigration (BTI) Institute. Mr. Clement has significant expertise in strategic and operational planning, anti-terrorism and border security operations, critical infrastructure security and resilience, and continuity of operations.

At the University of Houston, Mr. Clement serves as Director of the Security and Strategic Trade Management Academy, a Department of State course in nonproliferation for foreign trade officials. He has directed the annual Port of the Future Conference and the Conference to Combat Human Trafficking: Research and Technology since their inception. He was the co-chair and host of the 2021 Maritime Risk Symposium.

From 2017-2021, Mr. Clement led the effort to develop a Unified Regional Response to a Complex Coordinated Terrorist Attack in the South East Texas Regional Planning Commission (SETPRC). He instituted a  research-based approach to review terrorist and Active Attacks and a doctrinal review of guidance from government and professional law enforcement and medical organizations. As part of this effort, he conducted a series of seven Homeland Security Workshops in the functional areas of: Tactical Response (2), Medical Response, Public Information, Intelligence, Operational Communications, and Victims and Family Services (2). Mr. Clement planned and conducted tabletop exercises for tactical response, medical response, and Executive Leadership to a Complex Coordinated Terrorist Attack for leaders and first responders from Jefferson, Orange, and Hardin Counties. He led the development of a Unified Regional Response Plan for the South East Texas Region. As a result of this effort, he produced bi-lingual Emergency Message templates, template response plans, Compendium of Federal Assets, the Community Action Plan, synchronization matrices, drills for first responders, and draft policies for areas of concern. He trained first responders in their use. He was the primary planner and director of the culminating full-scale exercise OPERATION GOLDEN TRIANGLE in May 2021. Mr. Clement later produced a series of eight (8) Homeland Security symposia in 2021-2022 for the City of Houston.

Mr. Clement came to Texas in 2009, as the senior planner and later the Director, Emergency Management Group for Abrams Learning and Information Systems, (ALIS). He worked in the Texas Border Security Operations Center in support of the State of Texas in homeland security, border security, emergency management, and intelligence analysis. He was responsible for coordinating border security support requirements to include planning, preparation, response and mitigation activities for the State of Texas, Council of Governments, counties, and municipalities. In this capacity, he wrote and coordinated: the State of Texas border security operations plan, Operation BORDER STAR 2010, and the six sector plans for Coastal Bend, Rio Grande Valley, Laredo, Del Rio, Marfa, and El Paso; the Joint Operations and Intelligence Centers Common Operating Procedures; and the State of Texas Support Plan for Super Bowl XLV. After reorganization of Texas Department of Safety’s roles and responsibilities for borders security, he served as a consultant to the Texas Rangers for whom he advised on security during the trial of members of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints and created contingency plans for the Texas Response to Terrorist Attack and Significant Criminal Attacks; Response Plan to Prison Violence; and Response Plan to Prison Escape. He developed training exercises, operations orders, and conducted After Action Reports for the Texas Ranger Reconnaissance Team. He wrote the Operation Border Star Orientation Guide, and Standard Operating Procedures for the Texas Rangers Reconnaissance Team. He was a co-author of the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Contingency Plan for Cross Border Violence.

Mr. Clement served in the Texas Office of Homeland Security from December 2012 – October 2016. In this capacity he authored the Texas Critical Infrastructure Protection and Resiliency Plan (TISR), its accompanying Action Plan, and Texas’ Guide to Critical Infrastructure Working Groups. He led the 2013-2016 Continuity of Operations (COOP) planning and exercise initiative for Texas state agencies. At the request of FEMA, he developed and co-facilitated two national webinars on Continuity of Operations. Mr. Clement was the driving force behind joint DHS-Texas pilot programs to operationalize the Resilience Implementation Process, the development of Critical Supply Chain (Oil and Natural Gas) Workshops; and design of a template for Regional Disaster Resilience Action Plans. He led the Texas initiative to revise and enact the new Bomb-Making Materials Awareness Program (BMAP) and the implementation of the Multi-Jurisdiction IED Security Planning Program in Texas municipalities. He initiated and led in the development of the state’s Preventive Radiological and Nuclear Detection Program and facilitated the Texas Nuclear Sector Working Group.

Lieutenant Colonel (retired) Clement served in the active Army for 23 years, leaving service when he became a single parent of three daughters. During his career, he served with distinction in operational and command assignments in light infantry and armored infantry units.  He spent 10 years of service in overseas assignments in Korea and Europe.

Assigned to the Pentagon in 1992, he was diverted from his original assignment to Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations (War Plans) at the request of the Deputy Chief of Staff (Personnel) in the wake of Congressional hearings on the Navy Tailhook Scandal. LTC Clement was tasked to overhaul the Army Equal Opportunity Program and Army plans, policies, and programs as they related to Equal Opportunity for soldiers and their families. He significantly restructured the Army’s Equal Opportunity Complaint Procedures; revised AR 600-20 Army Command Policy and created the Department of the Army’s Prevention of Sexual Harassment Action Plans (I & II). These policies and program initiatives were signed into law as the Mosely-Brown Amendment to the 1995 National Defense Authorization Act, requiring their adoption by the Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force. LTC Clement briefed the House Armed Services Committee Task Force on Equality of Treatment and Opportunity in the Armed Services (1993) and served as Expert Advisor to the Undersecretary of the Army for the March 1994 House Armed Services Committee Congressional Hearings on Sexual Harassment. He authored the Army’s Report to Congress on Strategies to Eradicate Sexual Harassment (1993), and  the Army’s Report to Congress on Treatment of Women in the Military (1993); and the  Department of the Army Pamphlet on Prevention of Sexual Harassment.  

LTC Clement led the Policy Team for the Secretary of the Army’s Task Force on Extremism (1995-1996) and was primary author of its final report and current policy to combat extremism in the Army. He authored the Army’s Whistleblower Policy. Due to the success of this work,  he was a highly requested consultant on command culture and policy development, serving as an advisor to then Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Boorda, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Royal Canadian Defense Ministry, the Australian Defense Ministry, the Defense Intelligence Agency, U. S. Public Health Commission, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the Maryland State Police. He conducted discrete inquiries/investigations into political and media sensitive issues as directed by the Secretary of the Army and the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Manpower and Reserve Affairs).

Mr. Clement is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy and a Distinguished Honor Graduate (summa cum laude) of the U.S. Naval War College with a master’s degree in National Security and Strategic Studies. He has also received a master’s degree in  International Relations at Salve Regina University. An accomplished trainer and planner, he is a Certified Emergency Manager (CEM); a Texas Emergency Manager (TEM); and a FEMA Master Continuity Practitioner.

Mr. Clement has served on the DHS State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Government Coordinating Council (SLTTGCC) (2013-2016) where he served as Co-Chair of the Regional Initiatives Committee and as a member of the Executive Committee.

He is a Distinguished Member of the Advisory Board for the University of Houston’s Center for Logistics and Transportation Policy, and a member of the Advisory Board for the Institute for Homeland Security at Sam Houston State University.

Mr. Clement is married to Maureen (Hutt) Clement, of Hudson, Massachusetts.

Mike Complita is a Principal at Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG) and serves as the Vice President of Strategic Expansion. With over 30 years of experience at EBDG, Mike brings exceptional leadership and deep engineering expertise to the firm. His focus is on developing major growth opportunities, particularly in advancing alternative fuels in vessel design and exploring non-conventional maritime applications. As a licensed Professional Engineer, Mike has extensive experience in all facets of naval architecture and marine engineering, along with a profound understanding of shipyard production support. Overseeing design, repair, and analysis projects, he has been a key contributor to many of the industry’s most significant projects, including work on petroleum barges, passenger vessels, ATB units, and LNG barges.

Mike’s strategic vision and technical acumen have led to the successful execution of numerous high-profile projects, including the development of the first IMO 2030-compliant long-range towboat converting methanol to hydrogen. His influence extends across multiple sectors, from ferries and tugs to military vessels and specialty projects. In addition to his project work, Mike is an active member of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers and the American Waterways Organization. His thought leadership is also reflected in his published papers and presentations on technical specifications and innovative vessel designs. Mike’s commitment to advancing the maritime industry continues to drive EBDG’s expansion into new markets and sustainable solutions.