AFCEA NC powers innovation: 2026 Innovation Summit fuels defense collaboration and stem investment

By Faith Hatton, posted Mar 5, 2026 on BizFayetteville.com

rom Concept to Capability panelists (L to R) Dr. Paul Baker principal deputy (A) of the Army Science Division Army Research Office, Klinton Snead, extramural staff director for the Army Research Office, panel moderator Phil Williams, VP of corporate engagement for AFCEA NC, Tylar Temple deputy director of the DoW Office for Small Business Innovation and Robert Van Geons, president and CEO of the FCEDC. Photo provided by AFCEA NC, taken by Christopher Grissett Photography

It was another year of success for the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA) North Carolina Chapter.

Building on the past successful TechNet Fort Liberty (now renamed Fort Bragg) events, the organization brought together the best and brightest in academia, defense contracting, the federal government and the U.S. military.

Newly rebranded for 2026, this year’s Innovation Summit took place from Feb. 17-19 at the Crown Complex.

In September of 2025, organizers announced the name change, hoping to more accurately represent the scope of the event, which included a Resource and Career Fair, over 50 speakers on informational panels and more than 100 exhibitors from across the nation and the globe.

The event’s breakout sessions and panel discussions provided a spotlight not only to the statewide ecosystem of the U.S. government (USG) national security professionals and private sector leaders, but also to local leaders and experts based in Fayetteville, N.C.

Keynote speaker Retired Brig. Gen. Ferd Irizarry, principal and senior advisor for the JMH Group and previous chairman of the Military Affairs Council of the Greater Fayetteville Chamber, was able to share a simple message in his address: “Decision advantage is about time.”

“It’s the ability to sense, understand, decide and act faster than the adversary — across land, maritime, air, space, cyberspace and the information environment. Today, the challenge isn’t a lack of data. It’s friction — between systems, between organizations and between information and action,” shared Irizarry. “Here in North Carolina, at Fort Bragg, at the LTG Gavin Joint Innovation Outpost, at Fayetteville State University, at UNC Charlotte and across industry — we have the ecosystem to build decision advantage deliberately. The side that wins the next conflict will not be the side with the most data. It will be the side that can turn information into action first — and sustain it.”

The event provided space to highlight local innovation successes, such as the opening of the new Lt. Gen. James Gavin Joint Innovation Outpost (JIOP), which took place in late January, and ongoing events such as Tech ID Day held annually in April by local company Accel Innovation Corporation and Oak Grove Technologies during the “NC Ecosystem” panel discussion.

Those successes are expected to continue with the addition of a new innovation and talent center coming soon to downtown Fayetteville, headed by the Fayetteville Cumberland County Economic Development Corporation (FCEDC).

The panel “From Concept to Capability: Building a Regional Defense Innovation Ecosystem” allowed local economic development expert Robert Van Geons, president and CEO of the FCEDC, to share more on the project and how it will be another resource for Fayetteville and Fort Bragg innovators.

“I think what we were trying to do with that panel was put on display the different components that can help an innovative company take a concept through to commercialization,” shared Van Geons. “Specifically for the FCEDC, we’ll have 35,000 square feet for these companies to start up, to test, to have classified briefings when appropriate and then ultimately to grow into larger businesses here in our greater Fayetteville region.”

“I think that across Cumberland County, and really our state, we want to be a center for applied innovation. And I think that our proximity to Fort Bragg puts us in a unique position to provide a special set of resources to be utilized by these companies looking to take commercial products and use them for the Department of War. So, I think the partnership with AFCEA and with the other networks here in the state, it’s really one of our best economic growth opportunities,” continued Van Geons.

While the Innovation Summit serves as a collaborative innovation space, the proceeds from the event also serve as the fundraiser for one of AFCEA’s key missions: to support educators and students engaged in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines.

“The AFCEA NC Board and members are committed to our mission of creating an ethical forum for discussion of national security challenges among national security practitioners, academics and industry partners. We do this while empowering the next generation of STEM professionals through our grants to local K-12 educators, student scholarships and support for NC College and University Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) programs,” shared AFCEA NC President Linnea Gavrilis.

According to a presentation from AFCEA NC Board Member Marv Gordon, last year AFCEA NC was able to provide 30 grants of $1,000 each to educators in STEM.

The organization also gave $2,000 grants to 15 high school seniors who plan to pursue higher education in a STEM field.

That support also extends to providing scholarships to institutions of higher education such as Fayetteville Technical Community College, Methodist University and more.

For more information about the 2026 Innovation Summit or to connect with the AFCEA North Carolina Chapter, visit www.nc.afceachapters.org.

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