Senior Fellow, Potomac Institute for Policy Studies

Lois Hollan is a Senior Fellow with the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, and has worked in Washington, DC as a management consultant for US Government Science & Technology programs since 1990. Ms. Hollan has focused on management of complex, high-risk development programs for over 25 years, working largely with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). She supported multiple advanced research programs at DARPA and other government agencies in the areas of image understanding, computer vision, automatic target recognition, and airborne video technology communities. Working with the House Science Committee in 2007, she made critical contributions to the legislative drafting and congressional responses related to the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) bill, leading to passage in 2009.   She currently provides management and strategic consulting under the High-Performance Computing Modernization Program to develop rapid simulation technology services in highly complex, physics-based design environments. She has also provided program development support for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Research Division. 

In 1983, Lois Hollan was one of the first women in the world to drive a bobsled at the Olympic venue in Lake Placid, NY and became an international leader in the advancing of the sport for women. Those efforts led to worldwide competition and the adoption of the Women’s Bobsleigh Olympic event in 2002. 

Student Intern (Sept 2023–Jan 2024), Potomac Institute for Policy Studies

Rindha Sudhini is a rising senior at the University of Pennsylvania where she is majoring in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics with a focus on Public Policy and Governance. In 2023, she completed the Potomac Institute S&T Internship program, where she investigated the relationship between AI/ML applications and civic engagement. Driven by a deep passion for policy, both domestic and foreign, Rindha plans to attend law school after graduation, where she hopes to leverage her understanding of the law to strengthen her advocacy and research efforts.

Senior Fellow, Potomac Institute for Policy Studies

 John Wilson is a tech entrepreneur and investor with broad experience across climate tech and innovation structures. For eight years he helped speed US development of electric-drive systems as founding director of a DARPA-funded consortium on transportation advances now known as the Center for Transportation and the Environment. He was CEO of the eMotion Mobility venture with American Le Mans owner Donald Panoz and Daimler that developed an electric Smart car for car-sharing. And he advises Johnson Energy Storage, which aims to commercialize advanced lithium battery technologies invented by former Air Force/NASA rocket scientist Lonnie Johnson. 

Early in his career he worked for two members of Congress developing incentives for renewable energy. He then helped expand them as Legislative Coordinator with the Solar Lobby and as founder of the Renewable Energy Institute. Wilson also co-chaired a staff group between Congress and the White House to speed the government’s digital transition of legislative and regulatory information. He later founded a Washington office for the Southern Legislative Conference and Southern Governors Association, which he headed for three years.

In 2012 he became a venture partner with Paladin Capital Group, a leading global investor in innovative cyber companies. For four years he was Board Advisor and then Chief Strategy Officer to a publicly traded SaaS delivery management firm. He also cofounded digital display firm NanoLumens and was founding Chairman of social media ratings firm Share Rocket.

In 2011, he helped launch GigTank, a global accelerator for startups on Chattanooga’s Gigabit-fiber network. For over a decade he has co-chaired the Technology Association of Georgia’s Top-40 innovative firm competition and has served as an investor, mentor or judge with Techstars, Georgia Tech’s Flashpoint, NeuroLaunch and CyberLaunch accelerators, Emory University’s Excellerator and Valor Venture’s Startup Runway. He earned his BA in Chemistry from Emory University.

Jennifer Buss, PhD
Chief Executive Officer, Potomac Institute for Policy Studies

Dr. Jennifer Buss serves as the CEO of the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies. The Institute develops meaningful science and technology policy options through discussions and forums and ensure their implementation at the intersection of business and government. She has extensive experience examining policy issues in support of NASA, and has been involved in their strategic planning processes for astronaut medical care and cancer diagnostics and therapeutics. She man­ag­es a vari­ety of OSD pro­grams includ­ing an out­reach effort for the Depart­ment of Defense to the start-up com­mu­nity across the coun­try to find inno­v­a­tive tech­nolo­gies to meet the chal­lenges faced by the Ser­vices and Gov­ern­ment agen­cies. Dr. Buss performs science and technology trends analysis and recommends policy solutions to some of the country’s most pervasive problems. She has also directed and assisted research on numerous government contracts, including systematic reviews and gap analyses. Dr. Buss is an authority in her scientific field with national recognition in her area of expertise. She is responsible for major projects requiring integration/coordination across multiple scientific disciplines.

STEPS, Associate Editor

Research Associate, Potomac Institute for Policy Studies

Dr. Timothy Bumpus received his PhD in chemical biology from Cornell University where, as a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, he designed and implemented new chemical tools to study lipid centric cell signaling processes. Prior to Cornell, Dr. Bumpus attended Luther College where he received his B.A., majoring in chemistry, biology, and mathematics. He now brings his diverse scientific expertise to bear on the many, varied science and technology policy issues facing the country as part of the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies’ research staff.

Board of Regents Member, Potomac Institute for Policy Studies

The Honorable Alan R. Shaffer served as the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (A&S) from January 2019 to January 20, 2021. Senate confirmed in January 2019, he was responsible to the Under Secretary of Defense (A&S) for all matters pertaining to acquisition; contract administration; logistics and materiel readiness; installations and environment; operational energy; chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons; the acquisition workforce; and the defense industrial base.

From 2015 to 2018, Mr. Shaffer served as the Director, NATO Collaboration Support Office in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. In this role, he was responsible for coordinating and synchronizing the Science and Technology (S&T) collaboration between NATO member and partner Nations, comprising a network of about 5,000 scientists.

Previous to his role at NATO, Mr. Shaffer served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (ASD(R&E)) from 2007-2015. In this position, Mr. Shaffer was responsible for formulating, planning and reviewing the DoD Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) programs, plans, strategy, priorities, and execution of the DoD RDT&E budget that totals roughly $25 billion per year. He also served twice as the Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering from 2007-2009 and 2012-2015.

In 2009, he was appointed as the first Director, Operational Energy, Plans and Programs (Acting). Mr. Shaffer has also served as the Executive Director for several senior DoD Task Forces, including review of all research, acquisition, and test activities during the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure. In 2007, he was the Executive Director for the DoD Energy Security Task Force and, and from 2007-2012, he served as the Executive Director of the Mine Resistant Ambush Protection (MRAP) Task Force, where he was responsible for oversight, fielding and employment of 27,000 MRAPs across the Department of Defense.

Before entering the federal government, Mr. Shaffer served 24 years as a commissioned officer in the United States Air Force and retired in the grade of Colonel. While serving, he held positions in command, weather, intelligence, and acquisition oversight with assignments in Utah, California, Ohio, Honduras, Germany, Virginia, and Nebraska.

His military career included deployments to Honduras in the mid-1980s and direct support of the United States Army, 3rd Armored Division in Hanau, Germany. During Operation DESERT STORM, he was responsible for deployment of the 500-person theater weather force and upon retirement from the Air Force in 2000, Mr. Shaffer was appointed to the Senior Executive Service. In 2001, he assumed the position as Director, Plans and Programs, Defense Research and Engineering.

Mr. Shaffer earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the University of Vermont in 1976, a second Bachelor of Science in Meteorology from the University of Utah, a Master of Science in Meteorology from the Naval Postgraduate School, and a Master of Science in National Resource Strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. He was awarded the Meritorious Executive Presidential Rank Award in 2004, the Department of Defense Distinguished Civilian Service Award, and the Distinguished Executive Presidential Rank Award in 2007 and 2015.