IT Leaders Tackle Future Defense at WEST 2026

Capt. Mike Owen is the IW Warfare Chair at the NPS.

Louis Koplin is the Program Executive Officer for Digital and Enterprise Services (PEO Digital), where he oversees and coordinates the efforts of over 1,300 personnel providing the Marine Corps and Navy with a decisive information advantage that is modern, innovative, and secure – any data, anytime, anywhere. He is responsible for evolving the organization to deliver a world-class digital experience at the speed of mission, across a $2B portfolio that spans the digital workplace, cybersecurity and IT lifecycle, IT platforms, and IT infrastructure.

Most recently, Mr. Koplin served as the Deputy CTO in DON CIO, responsible for overseeing Modernization and Technology efforts across Navy and Marine Corps IT. He focused specifically on infrastructure optimization, network and data center portfolio management, cloud and zero trust strategies, enterprise services, digital identity and access, and strategic spectrum management. Mr. Koplin also served as the acting Portfolio Manager of Platform Applications Services within PEO Digital prior to being selected as the Executive Director.

Before serving as the DON Deputy CTO, Mr. Koplin served on the staff of the Chief of Naval Operations (OPNAV N4) as Logistics IT portfolio manager, where he led digital transformation efforts across a portfolio spanning over 2,000 systems and applications. Mr. Koplin also managed the functional community of 36,000 DON civilian logistics personnel. Prior to that, Mr. Koplin worked at Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) Weapon System Support (WSS) in Philadelphia, PA. During that time, he managed supply chains for avionics, electronic countermeasures, and unmanned aerial systems (MQ-8 Fire Scout, MQ-4B Triton), as well as managing global distribution logistics for high-value repairable systems and spare parts.

Mr. Koplin has received two Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Awards and the ADM Stan Arthur Award for Logistics. He received a B.S. in Computer Science and B.A. in History from Pennsylvania State University in 2001; a Certificate in Systems Analysis from the Naval Postgraduate School in 2007; and an M.S. in Supply Chain Management from the Syracuse University Whitman School of Business in 2012.

Kaitie Penry is the inaugural Director of Research Innovation at the Naval Postgraduate School. In this role, she oversees the development of NPS’ enterprise innovation process and prototyping portfolio, supporting the Secretary of the Navy’s initiative to establish the Naval Innovation Center at NPS.

‍Penry joined the NPS team in May 2023 from the National Security Innovation Network (NSIN), a program office within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research & Engineering. At NSIN, Penry was the Bay Area Regional Engagement Principal focused on building relationships with early-stage startups and academia in order to develop novel solutions for national security problem sets. She was also a National Security Fellow at UC Berkeley. Prior to this, she was the NSIN Deputy Education Portfolio Manager focused on design and execution programming.

‍Penry also worked at Headquarters, Marine Corps for eight years on related strategic areas to include logistics, crowdsourcing/ideation, rapid prototyping, security cooperation, and technology concepts. She earned a master’s in foreign policy from American University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Davis in International Relations.

Duncan P. McCaskill serves as Vice President of Data Services at Maximus Inc., a leading provider of technology and health services to governments and citizens. In this role, he spearheads enterprise data strategy, governance, management, and AI enablement, drawing on his extensive expertise in regulated public sector environments. Previously, Mr. McCaskill served as Technical Director for Mission Engineering at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), where he advanced mission-critical data and AI initiatives. A recognized visionary in data and AI, with prior roles including Chief Data & Artificial Intelligence Officer for the Department of the Navy, he emphasizes ethical, compliant data ecosystems to drive operational excellence and mission outcomes.