Dr. Kathryn MacDonald, is the Director of Emergency Preparedness for Clemson University Livestock Poultry Health (Office of the South Carolina State Veterinarian).  With a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and a Master of Business Administration, her primary focus is to support the security and resilience of South Carolina’s agribusiness industries and food supply chains.  As part of the state’s emergency response operations, she leads South Carolina’s Food/Agriculture and Animal Emergency Support Function.  She also works in regional and national capacities, such as serving as the State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Chair of the national Food and Agriculture Sector Government Coordinating Council (U.S. Department of Homeland Security).  Prior to moving to South Carolina, she held positions with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Michigan Department of Agriculture, and was in clinical veterinary practice for many years before transitioning to public service. 

Lieutenant Christopher Pereira is currently a member of the New Jersey State Police - Hazardous Materials Response Unit (HMRU). He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Rutgers University and a Master of Administrative Science degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

In his role, Lt. Pereira leads HMRU’s operational response and planning for chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive (CBRNE) incidents across New Jersey. His responsibilities encompass CBRNE agent surveillance, detection, identification, clandestine laboratory investigations, evidence collection, sampling, decontamination, environmental monitoring, scene management, and resource acquisition.

Lt. Pereira also provides comprehensive CBRNE/HazMat training, including First Responder and Technician programs, Securing the Cities (STC) radiological response training, disease response protocols, and custom-designed programs for hospitals, medical facilities, local and county OEMs, and law enforcement agencies.

As a certified Hazardous Materials Technician, WMD HazMat Technician, Bomb Technician, and explosive breacher, Lt. Pereira is recognized as an expert in his field. He has testified in multiple cases and investigations conducted by Prosecutor’s Offices and the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office.

Ryan Gregerson is a product marketing manager with BioFire Defense where he works with some of the coolest biotechnology around. He uses his background in biology to teach the CBRN and medical communities about biological pathogen identification using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in the field, the hospital, and anywhere in between. Ryan holds a Master of Science in Biotechnology and Bachelor of Science in Biology.
BioFire Defense is a technology innovation and product development company that has been supplying solutions to field forces and laboratories for BioThreat detection and disease surveillance since 1990.

Paulina Frederike Gogacz completed her internship at the NATO Joint Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Defence Centre of Excellence in 2024, following a previous internship at the German Institute for Defense and Strategic Studies. She holds a Master’s degree in Intelligence and International Security from King’s College London. Currently, she works as a research consultant specializing in OSINT and SOCMINT within the field of corporate security.

Pauline Gareau is the Global CBRN Lead at SERB, a pharmaceutical company specializing in medical countermeasures and the development of antidotes against chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats. She joined SERB in 2020 and brings over 10 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, with a background in biotechnology engineering.

Throughout her career, Pauline has led strategic and operational initiatives across Europe and internationally, working closely with multidisciplinary teams to ensure global access to critical emergency treatments.

Her work focuses on improving preparedness and response capabilities by advancing innovative solutions that protect public health during crises.

Pauline is passionate about science-driven impact, promoting both the development of lifesaving therapies and the importance of public health awareness and science education. She believes that strong collaboration between industry, governments, and healthcare systems is essential to address today’s evolving health security challenges.

Jérôme Le Bris is the Commercial Director for Europe at Proengin, where he leads the company’s business development efforts across European markets. As part of Proengin, Jérôme is deeply committed to understanding the evolving CBRN threats and the operational challenges faced by defense and civil protection forces worldwide.

Regular discussions with European clients and partners allow us to develop and bring solutions that effectively address forces challenges. Our expertise, continuous research, and strong partnerships enable us to be a trusted leader in detecting both conventional and unconventional threats. At Proengin, we are driven by a focus on market understanding, ensuring that our solutions are aligned with real-world operational requirements and the changing threat landscape.

During his time with the company, Henri has been involved in all major development projects contributing to the current portfolio. His extensive experience in the industry, has allowed him to foster strong partnerships with key global CBRN laboratories including India, Finland, and The Netherlands.

His responsibilities include leading breakthrough innovations, overseeing the ongoing development of existing products, ensuring technology transfers from foreign and French expert laboratories, as well as responding to calls for tender from the DGA - Direction générale de l’armement in France. 

Henri has a PHd in Applied Chemistry and completed his thesis at the DG-MN laboratory of the DGA in France.

A former CBRN Defence officer in the Romanian Army, Adriana has 10 years of experience in CBRN Defence standardization and interoperability.

Since 2019, she was appointed by the Director General of OPCW as Inspector – Chemical Weapons Munition Specialist and, later, Senior Inspector/Inspection Team Leader.

Most recently, she was appointed as Acting Head of Contingency and Chemical Demilitarisation Unit of the Inspectorate Division/INS, unit responsible for conducting routine inspections as mandated under Articles IV and V of the Convention. Adriana oversees also the development of scientific and training programs for INS and other internal stakeholders, as well as coordinating external training and capacity building programs for contingency operations.

Adriana has graduated Land Forces Academy “Nicolae Balcescu”, Romania in 2009 and has a master’s in Management of Organisations from the University “Valahia” of Targoviste, Romania.

Ardalan is an experienced international civil servant and expert in CBRN operations, technology integration, and logistics management. Currently serving as Head of the Technology Hub and Logistics at the OPCW, he leads technology integration and logistics efforts for chemical weapons inspections and related missions, ensuring operational readiness for complex field deployments.

Dr. Zargham holds a PhD in Experimental Physics and a master’s in electrical engineering. With a strong technical and scientific background, he brings deep expertise to the application of cutting-edge technologies in CBRN verification and disarmament efforts. Prior to joining OPCW, he held different operational and technical roles at the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO), gaining extensive experience in verification technologies and mission support.

Throughout his career, Dr. Zargham has been instrumental in transforming organisational technological and logistical capabilities to meet evolving challenges in the WMD disarmament.