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Opening Statements
Dan Arczynski
President & CEO, Index AR Solutions
Dan co-founded Index AR Solutions in 2015 and the company has grown to become a premier workforce development partner for large US clients. For nineteen years prior to Index, Dan held a series of executive positions in the shipbuilding industry. He served as Corporate Vice President of both Business Development and Strategy at Huntington Ingalls Industries as well as Sector Vice President of Strategy at both Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding and growth initiatives. Dan also served on the Board of Directors for Continental Maritime of San Diego, AREVA Newport News and Savannah River Nuclear Solutions. Prior to shipbuilding, Dan was Vice President of Strategy and Vice President of Mergers and Acquisitions for Shawmut, a large New England regional bank. He was also a consultant for Marakon Associates, a firm focused on creating shareholder value for its clients. A U.S. Army veteran, Dan served for twelve years attaining the rank of Major. During this time, he led five platoon-size units and commanded a light infantry company. He also taught economics, finance and investments at West Point. Dan is a 1978 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy where he was on the Dean’s List, Commandant’s List and Superintendent’s List. He is a 1986 graduate of the Harvard Business School where he graduated with Highest Distinction and was elected Baker Scholar.
Presenting
Anthony W. Gagliardo, Ed.D.
Principal Director, Accenture
Bio coming soon.
Presenting
Chuck Goddard
Rear Admiral, USN (Ret.)
Chuck Goddard is a seasoned leader in ship design, construction, and naval program management, with a distinguished career spanning both the U.S. Navy and the defense industry. Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President for the FFG 62 Program at Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM), following his successful role as Capture Executive for the $5.5 billion FFG(X) program. From 2011 to 2014, he was CEO, President, and GM of FMM, where he oversaw the delivery of the USS Fort Worth (LCS 3), R/V Sikuliaq, and R/V Reuben Lasker, while executing over $100 million in shipyard improvements and transitioning to full-rate LCS production. Previously, at Lockheed Martin, he served as Director of Aegis Program Integration and Capture Manager for the Aegis CSEA competition, securing a historic win. His 30-year Navy career culminated as Program Executive Officer for Ships, with prior leadership roles including Vice Commander of NAVSEA, chair of the SUBSAFE review, DDG 1000 Major Program Manager, and New Construction Officer at SUPSHIP San Diego. A U.S. Naval Academy graduate with an M.S. in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from MIT, Chuck is also a qualified Surface Warfare Officer, Navy Salvage and Diving Officer, and Level III Program Manager, and he is a recipient of the American Society of Naval Engineers’ Gold Medal for exceptional technical and program leadership.
Seeing the Spaces: Lessons from the Beautiful Game
James Golden, Ph.D.
Brigadier General, U.S. Army (Ret.), Senior Counselor to the President, William & Mary
Jim Golden is the author of Seeing the Spaces: Lessons from the Beautiful Game, which explores the importance of seeing emerging spaces on the soccer field, in education, the military, the corporation and other sports. He started playing soccer in the fifth grade, where he learned to avoid Chucky Hogenkamp’s boots. At West Point he was a starting midfielder and his team went to the NCAA final four his last two years. He later joined the faculty there, volunteered as an assistant coach with the men’s team for 20 years and coached a youth traveling team. He’s applied the idea of seeing the spaces in many settings: as an army officer in combat; as head of an academic department at West Point; as a senior staff economist on the President’s Council of Economic Advisers; as a Fulbright Professor in Germany; as executive director of technology and innovation in the Tenneco corporate headquarters; as a university vice president of strategic initiatives at William & Mary; and as chair of the board of several non-profit organizations. He retired from the Army as a Brigadier General, authored several books on economics and national security, and has a Ph.D. in economics from Harvard. He continues to volunteer as a senior consultant in the president’s office at William & Mary and, more importantly, as a mentor to Dan Arczynski!
Presenting
James Merlot, Ph.D.
CEO, North American Generator Forum
Dr. James Merlo, Chief Executive Officer of the North American Generator Forum (NAGF), is a seasoned human factors engineer with extensive experience in organizational leadership spanning from military service to executive management. As CEO, he oversees daily operations and strategic initiatives aligned with the NAGF Business Plan. Before joining NAGF, he was Vice President at KnowledgeVine, a leader in Human Performance Implementation, and previously held a key role at the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), where he led efforts to evaluate industry vulnerabilities and human performance impacts on the Bulk Electric System. A U.S. Army veteran with over 22 years of service, James held several leadership roles, including Deputy Brigade Commander in Baghdad during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Assistant Professor at West Point. Academically accomplished, he holds a B.S. in Human Factors Psychology from West Point, an M.S. in Engineering Psychology from the University of Illinois, and a Ph.D. in Applied Experimental and Human Factors Psychology from the University of Central Florida. He has authored over 50 publications and enjoys snowboarding, wake surfing, and spending time outdoors when not working.
Presenting
Doug Schmidt, Ph.D.
Dean, School of Computing, Data Sciences & Physics, William & Mary
Dr. Douglas C. Schmidt is the inaugural Dean of William & Mary’s School of Computing, Data Sciences & Physics. He recently served as the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation, which is a President-appointed Senate-confirmed position that advises the Secretary of Defense on operational and live fire test and evaluation of Department of Defense weapon and information systems. Prior to DOT&E, Dr. Schmidt served as the Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Engineering in Computer Science, the Associate Provost for Research, Co-Director of the Data Science Institute, the Associate Chair of Computer Science, and a Senior Researcher at the Institute for Software Integrated Systems, all at Vanderbilt University. He’s also been affiliated with Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute in various research-oriented positions for 20 years.
Dr. Schmidt’s research over the past four decades covers a range of software-related topics, including patterns, optimization techniques, and quality assurance of frameworks and model-driven engineering tools that facilitate the development of mission-critical middleware for cyber-physical systems and intelligent mobile cloud computing applications. His recent research focuses on prompt engineering techniques and patterns that enhance the accuracy and expressiveness of large language models and generative AI platforms. Dr. Schmidt received Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees in Sociology from William & Mary and Master of Science and Doctorate degrees in Computer Science from the University of California, Irvine.
Closing Remarks
Scott Sommers
Executive Vice President, Index AR Solutions
Scott Sommers is Senior Vice President at Index AR Solutions, responsible for the company’s Marketing initiatives, as well as Client and Corporate Development. Prior to Index AR Solutions, Scott Sommers was SVP, Finance and Corporate Development at SureWest Communications. He was instrumental in setting the Company’s strategic direction, leading the sale of the directories, wireless and tower assets as well as the acquisition of the Kansas City properties. He also lead the restructuring of the corporate compensation plans, freezing the defined benefit plan and outsourcing of non-core functions.
Presenting
Phil Ulrich
Executive Vice President and CHRO, American Electric Power
Phil Ulrich is Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at American Electric Power. Ulrich is responsible for aligning human resources functions, processes, and company culture to support AEP’s overall business strategy including oversight of labor and employee relations, leadership and organizational development, benefits and compensation, culture and well-being for AEP’s employees. He also is responsible for the company’s communications and marketing, safety and health and corporate sustainability organizations.
Prior to his role with AEP, Ulrich was the chief human resources officer at Flex, LTD, a global manufacturing company with more than 170,000 employees in 30 countries.
Prior to joining Flex in 2019, he was senior vice president, Human Resources, Electrical Sector for Eaton, a global power management company, and responsible for leading talent management and development, building functional capability in the sector and driving standardized processes to support growth. In 2012, Ulrich joined Eaton as part of the Cooper Industries acquisition and was later named the human resources leader for the integration team. Prior to Eaton, he held a series of leadership positions at Cooper Industries and Honeywell International. Ulrich holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Presbyterian College and a master’s degree in industrial/organization psychology from Clemson University.
Reserve Your Seat!
Index AR Solutions 2026 Fall Conference
October 26-27, 2026
Invitation Only
The 2026 theme, “Accelerating Workforce Development,” highlights the urgency of recruiting, training, and retaining talent in rapidly evolving industries. Hosted by Index AR Solutions, the conference will feature presentations, networking, and hands-on demos of mobile apps and eBooks, giving attendees the opportunity to explore real-world solutions and connect with peers—all within a schedule that allows arrival on October 26 and departure by the evening of October 27.
Click to Register Book Your Room