ISOA welcomed 150 attendees to Miami at the first Stability & Security in the Americas Conference on June 16-17, 2025. Attendees received updates from SOUTHCOM, Department of HomelandSecurity (DHS), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the U.S. Coast Guard, and others about the potential for private sector support in the AOR. The conference reinforced that collaboration between government and the private sector is essential in addressing some of the nation’s top priorities at the Southern Border and in the Caribbean, Central America, and South America.

The Conference started off with our first-ever, highly successful B2B Capabilities Presentation Session. During the session, twenty member companies (large primes along with mid-sized and small businesses) provided rapid-fire overviews of their company’s work, priorities, and needs. This session was spearheaded by ISOA’s Small Business Committee, chaired by Crystal Canet (Principal, Clear Consulting International) and Jennifer Kennedy Ness (Founder and President, Kennedy Solutions Group).

Following the Capabilities Presentations, RADM Mark Schafer (SOC South Commander, U.S. Navy) presented priorities and challenges of the work of the SOC Southern Command. Ralph Rosado (Commissioner, District 4, City of Miami) welcomed attendees to Miami and encouraged everyone to explore and enjoy the city.

Tuesday morning started with Keynote Speaker David Greene (Deputy Director Coalition Affairs Directorate & J7/9 Exercises, SOUTHCOM), who discussed the unique challenges and opportunities in the AOR.

Next, LTG Mick Bednarek (USA) Ret (Vice President, Strategic Outreach, Fluor Mission Solutions) led a fireside chat with David Gragan (Chief Strategy Officer, State & Local Government, Pope International/Pope Universal Corporation) exploring how industry can work with local entities.

Following this discussion, several ISOA Committee Chairmen (Jennifer Kennedy-Ness, Small Business Committee; Chris Brookie, Energy Committee; Maria Martinkov, International Affairs Committee and David Preston, Regional Logistics Committee) introduced their committees and highlighted their goals and programming. This discussion was moderated by Roxanne Kaufman (Senior Vice President, ISOA).

Next, Lynne Schneider (CEO, Entovation International) moderated a panel focused on the work of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that included Karl Jenson (Executive Vice President of the National Governments Practice in the Americas, AECOM), COL Charles Decker (Caribbean District Commander, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers), LTG Scott Spellmon, USA (Ret), (Senior Account Executive, SOSi) and LTC Alberto Baez (Deputy Commander for Latin America, USACE, Mobile District).

After lunch, Maria Martinkov (President and CEO, Venatore) led a discussion about the role of data analytics and information sharing in enhancing U.S. national security. Panelists included Dr. Jose O.K. Angeles (Chief Data Officer, U.S. Southern Command), Brian Fonseca (Director, Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy) and Dr. Marlon S. Atherton (Offensive Cyber Operation Technical Director, United States Cyber Command – COIPE (SOUTHCOM)).

Amy Marden (Practice Area Lead, SOSi) moderated a panel that brought together seasoned leaders from ICE and U.S. Border Patrol to explore how interagency coordination shapes the success of immigration enforcement and removal operations across the country. Attendees heard insights from Raul Ortiz (25th Chief (Retired, 2023)), U.S. Border Patrol, Garrett Ripa (Field Officer Director, DHS/ICE/ERO) and Jeffrey Dinise (Chief Patrol Agent, United States Border Patrol, Miami Sector).

The next panel, Balancing Great Power Influence in Latin America – Partnerships for Security and Development, examined how the U.S. and partners can counter authoritarian powers’ strategic inroads in the region through synchronized diplomacy, development, and defense cooperation. John Gastright (Senior Vice President, Amentum) moderated the discussion with Leland Lazarus (Founder and CEO, Lazarus Consulting), Ellee Bosman (Chief Development/Operating Officer, Peru & South America Regional Programs, U.S. Foreign Service) and Rob Tillery (Business Sector Lead for Diplomacy and Expeditionary Supply Chain, Amentum).

Our final panel, Preventing Re-Migration: Integrated Security and Sustainable Reintegration Strategies, explored comprehensive strategies for sustainably reintegrating migrants expelled from the U.S. back into their home countries, focusing particularly on Guatemala. Moderated by Earl Gast (President, URC), the speakers included Ryan O’Quinn (President and Chief Legal Officer, Loyal Source Government Services), MG Joe Balskus, USA (Ret) (Vice President, Department of Defense Strategic Accounts, Parsons), Paul Teeple (Chief of Party, URC), and Rob Jenkins (Senior Advisor, Q2IMPACT).

Feedback about the conference was overall quite positive:

• “The conference made clear that collaboration between government and the private sector is essential to solving some of the nation’s most urgent challenges. We need partnerships that move beyond transactional engagement and instead strengthen national capacity through shared strategy and deliberate, multilateral execution. ISOA is uniquely positioned to lead that charge.” Michelle Bryan, Rapid Deployment Inc
• “Excellent conference. This was timely and relevant content, specifically for our company who has a geographic focus on the Americas.” Donna Jonas, Amstability
• “Fantastic conference, fantastic staff support, excellent location, and hospitality. I met some wonderful colleagues there, equally committed as I am to service to others even under difficult circumstances. This was a tremendous learning experience and very rewarding for me.”
• “An amazing meeting. The best gathering in my 30 year professional career”
• “I thought the B2B sessions were excellent, and all of the panels were very meaningful. GREAT Conference!”

Thank you to all of our participants and attendees for a successful conference with a noticeably high level of engagement and participation by our attendees.