Public safety expert Val Demings and cybersecurity expert Will Hurd are world-class security experts have dedicated their lives to public welfare. They draw on their combined experiences in public service to illuminate the importance of collaboration in change-making.
When former Congresswoman Val Demings served as Orlando’s first female Chief of Police, she took an unorthodox approach to making a difference. A lifelong public servant, Demings broke numerous glass ceilings in her rise through the Orlando Police Department, her election to Congress, and her appointment to prosecute the first impeachment of former president Donald Trump. Demings is heralded as a tireless champion for public safety, civil rights, the rule of law, and the American Dream.
Cybersecurity expert, former Congressman and CIA officer, and author Will Hurd is a leading voice for bipartisanship, inclusivity, and finding unity in the face of divisive issues. While serving in Congress, Politico called Hurd “the Future of the GOP,” and he was renowned for his ability to put policy ahead of politics. Prior to his work in politics, Hurd served as an undercover officer in the CIA, honing an in-depth analysis of current national security concerns and the future of cybersecurity as the next domain of conflict.
Former Congresswoman and Orlando Police Chief Val Demings is a rising political star who has made an impact with her message, “everyone counts, and everyone is accountable.” A lifelong public servant, Demings broke numerous glass ceilings in her rise through the Orlando Police Department, her election to Congress, her appointment to prosecute the first impeachment of former president Donald Trump, her campaign for Senate in Florida, and her consideration as a potential running mate to President Joe Biden. She is heralded as a tireless champion for public safety, civil rights, the rule of law, and the American Dream – Demings shares her perspective and insights as a riveting keynote speaker.
Demings served as the U.S. Representative for Florida’s 10th District from 2017-2023, and held positions on numerous House Committees including Judiciary, Intelligence, Homeland Security, and Oversight and Government Reform. Demings was a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, Women’s Caucus, and New Democratic Caucus, as well as a member of the Law Enforcement Congressional Badge of Bravery Review Board and the Elections Security Taskforce, to name just a few. At sought-after events with groups including the National Association of Real Estate Brokers, the Orlando Economic Partnership, League of Women Voters, 92nd Street Y, and many others, Demings shares her uplifting and inspiring vision for the promise of what America could be, if we have the courage to fight for it.
The Honorable Will Hurd, a former CIA officer and congressman, has had a dynamic career spanning intelligence, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence policy, and public service. Currently serving as Chief Strategy Officer at the defense technology start-up CHAOS Industries and author of American Reboot: An Idealist’s Guide to Getting Big Things Done, Hurd brings a wealth of experience in technology, national security, and governance to his roles on various boards and his ongoing efforts to shape innovative policies for America's future.
Hurd is a leading voice for bipartisanship, inclusivity, and finding unity in the face of divisive issues. He helped build FusionX to combat cyber adversaries. While serving in Congress, Politico named Hurd “the Future of the GOP.” He was renowned for his ability to put policy ahead of politics – getting more substantive legislation signed into law in three terms than most lawmakers achieve in decades. Always forward-thinking, Hurd wrote the first national strategy on AI, held the first Congress hearing on AI, and published the first Presidential Plan for AI. As a presidential candidate for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, he introduced innovative AI and border policies.
As renowned cybersecurity expert, Managing Director at Allen & Company, a board member of OpenAI, and a trustee of the German Marshall Fund, Hurd was at the center of technology, national security, and public policy. Offering insights informed by his time in the CIA and politics, Hurd helps organizations and individuals put threats into context and directs focus toward unifying strategies for policy, economic empowerment, and America’s technological future.
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“Everyone counts, and everyone is accountable,” says Val Demings. Today, she’s a lifelong public servant who broke numerous glass ceilings in her rise through the Orlando Police Department, her election to Congress, her appointment to prosecute the (first) impeachment of former president Donald Trump, her campaign for Senate in Florida, and her consideration as potential running mate to President Joe Biden.
Val Butler Demings learned from her parents about the American Dream. They didn’t have much: two parents and seven children in a small wood-framed house in Jacksonville. Her mother Elouise Butler worked as a maid; her father James as a janitor, landscaper, and orange picker — as many jobs as it took to get by. “Work hard and play by the rules,” they taught her. ”Have faith.” “Treat others as you want to be treated.” “Never tire of doing good.” In America, these were the building blocks of a successful life.
She took her first job at 14 as a dishwasher. Became the first in her family to go to college, showing up with $50 in her pocket and working at a fast food restaurant to pay her way to a B.S. in Criminology from Florida State University and a later Master’s in Public Administration. She became a social worker, working to protect children in broken homes. Then, dismayed at a system that was leaving too many families behind, she signed up to become a police officer — an officer with a social worker’s heart.
It was a tough path, and tougher still in the 80s for a woman and Black American in a profession that had few of either. But she determinedly pushed forward, graduating from the police academy as class president, receiving the Board of Trustees’ Award for Overall Excellence, and earning the reputation of a bold, creative cop willing to take on conventional thinking and the toughest parts of the city.
Chief Demings served 27 years and at every rank level in the department. She commanded the Special Operations division and handled the department’s highest-profile tasks. She coordinated the response of the Airport Division on 9/11. And in 2007, she made history when she was appointed to serve as the city’s first female Chief of Police.
The eyes of the city were on her. The financial crisis was squeezing budgets. But by taking the tough fights head-on, she did more with less, kept officers on the street, and crushed violent crime, reducing it by 40%.
By making the Orlando community a partner of the department, Chief Demings made the concept of “protect and serve” a tangible presence in Orlando’s most dangerous neighborhoods. She launched innovative programs like Operation Positive Direction, a mentoring program that empowers at-risk students through tutoring, community service, and positive incentives. She also launched Operation Free Palms, a project focusing on rejuvenating Orlando's most crime-ridden housing complex, the Palms Apartments. By focusing on unorthodox strategies like access to childcare, building playgrounds, a GED program, and job skills training, she improved the quality of life in Orlando’s most distressed community.
In 2016, Chief Demings was elected by the voters of Florida’s 10th District to serve in Congress. She swiftly gained a reputation as a tireless champion for public safety, civil rights, the rule of law, and the American Dream that had given her a chance to succeed. She gained widespread acclaim for her conduct as a deliberative and justice-focused impeachment manager during the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump.
In Congress, she served on the House Committees on Judiciary, Intelligence, Homeland Security (chairing the Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery) and Oversight and Government Reform. She was a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, Women’s Caucus, and New Democratic Caucus, a member of the Law Enforcement Congressional Badge of Bravery Review Board and the Elections Security Taskforce, and served as Assistant and Regional Whip for the House Democratic Caucus, Co-Chair of Candidate Recruitment for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and Vice Chair of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force.
Demings holds an honorary doctorate of laws from Bethune-Cookman University, as well as honorary doctorates from Florida Technical College and City College Fort Lauderdale. Rep. Demings is an active member of St. Mark A.M.E., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Orlando Chapter of the Links, Inc., NAACP Silver Life Member, Florida Bar Citizens Advisory Committee, Florida Police Chiefs, National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives, National Congress of Black Women, and numerous other affiliations.
Val Demings and her husband Jerry Demings (currently serving as Mayor of Orange County) have been blessed with three children and five grandchildren. When she’s not fighting for our democracy and spending time with her family, she rides her Harley-Davidson Road King Classic.
Through all of it, she has never tired of doing good, the lesson taught to her by her parents in their home in Jacksonville. She has never given up on the promise of what America could be, if we have the courage to fight for it.
The Honorable Will Hurd has had a dynamic career as an intelligence officer, cybersecurity professional, congressman, artificial intelligence policy pioneer, investment banker, presidential candidate, and C-suite executive. He currently serves as Chief Strategy Officer at defense technology firm CHAOS Industries and is the author of American Reboot: An Idealist Guide to Getting Big Things Done. Congressman Hurd is a member of the board at Icon Technologies, Personal.AI, the Center for European Policy Analysis, and the Council on Foreign Relations.
In his 20s, serving overseas in the CIA, Will prevented enemies from stealing our secrets, committing attacks on America, and smuggling dirty bombs into our country. In his 30s, at the strategic consulting firm Crumpton Group and cybersecurity firm FusionX, he helped defend critical infrastructure from sophisticated cyber threats. As a congressman, he worked to improve the quality of life for all Americans and safeguard our democratic institutions. In his 40s, through roles at Allen & Company (a New York investment bank), OpenAI (the makers of ChatGPT), and In-Q-Tel (the intelligence community’s venture capital firm), Will played a
leading role in shaping the intersection of technology, national security, and public policy. As a
presidential candidate, he introduced innovative artificial intelligence policies, border security
solutions, and strategies to compete with China.
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