Who we are
Built for transparency in the
discovery of capabilities
A Northern Virginia non-profit that connects government mission needs with commercial innovation.
Northern Virginia non-profit
Connecting mission owners with innovators since 2013
Our mission
Built to connect
government and industry
The Foundation for Innovation and Discovery (FINND) is a non-profit organization that nurtures a community of interest around innovation, sparks conversation between technologists, and educates decision makers. The FINND culture promotes an environment of non-proprietary collaboration and transparency in the discovery of innovative solutions.
Our history
Born out of demand for new ideas
The Foundation for Innovation and Discovery was born out of the high demand from government agencies for new ideas in mission solutions and technology discovery. The founders believed an organization dedicated to meeting that demand was needed, and that its distinguishing hallmark would be transparency in the discovery of capabilities.
Founded by Louis Tucker, a Navy SEAL veteran and intelligence professional, the FINND introduces industry solutions leaders to government stakeholders. Holding monthly meetings, regular discussion series, social events and periodic Discovery Summits, it has been a trusted national security mainstay in Northern Virginia for more than a decade.
The seven core missions
What the FINND exists to do
- 01Facilitatediscovery of innovation
- 02Educatethe community on mission
- 03Engagedecision makers and innovators
- 04Translatethe languages of government and industry
- 05Accessnetworks of innovators
- 06Fosteran environment of non-proprietary collaboration
- 07Providevalue to our members and affiliates
Leadership
Board of Directors
Louis Tucker
Chair in
Louis Tucker is the founder and President of the Foundation for Innovation and Discovery, and the CEO of Mission Sync LLC, a national security consulting firm serving the intelligence and special operations communities for more than 15 years. A retired Navy SEAL officer, he mobilized in 2015 as the senior Special Operations advisor in East Africa and in 2009 served on General Stanley McChrystal’s Strategic Advisory Group in Kabul. He previously spent seven years with the Central Intelligence Agency, served as Chief of Staff to U.S. Senator Richard Shelby, and was Republican Staff Director of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, where he helped craft the FISA Amendments Act of 2008. He holds a B.A. from Dartmouth College and an M.S. in Strategic Intelligence from the National Intelligence University.
Gene Keselman
Director in
Mark Rockefeller
Director
Board of Advisors
Counsel from across the community
Senior leaders from the intelligence community, the military, Congress and industry who guide the FINND’s direction.
Dominique Cooper
Founder, Style Digital LLC
Dominique Cooper is a national security strategist, engineer, entrepreneur, and strategic communications leader with experience spanning the U.S. Intelligence Community, Department of War, U.S. Space Force, energy sector, and commercial technology industry. She specializes in bridging government mission needs with industry capabilities, translating complex operational challenges and emerging technologies into actionable strategies, partnerships, and opportunities. Dominique began her career as a nuclear engineer before transitioning into national security and intelligence, with roles supporting NAVSEA and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), where she led GEOINT initiatives and supported USSOCOM, JSOC and other national security missions. Today she advises government and industry leaders across space intelligence, counterspace, space domain awareness, command and control, acquisition, technology integration, and mission modernization. She is the founder of Style Digital LLC, serves on the Board of Directors of UCAN Power and hosts its podcast, Advanced Nuclear, and leads Building Education for Energy (BEE). Dominique holds a B.S. in Nuclear and Radiological Engineering from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and an M.S. in Systems and Electrical Engineering from Tuskegee University.
Reinier Cruz
Defense Intelligence Agency (Ret.)
Reinier Cruz retired from the Defense Intelligence Agency after 33 years, having served 27 of those years in the Directorate of Intelligence (J2), United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. He retired as Deputy Director for the Human/Counter-Intelligence Division, and served previously as Director for Foreign Materiel Acquisition; Deputy Director for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Capabilities and Programs; Deputy Director, Joint Intelligence Center; Deputy Director, SOCOM Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF); and Director, SOCOM Joint Inter-Agency Collaboration Center. Mr. Cruz has deployed multiple times in support of the war on terrorism: in 2018–2019 to Afghanistan as the Special Operations Joint Task Chief for Human Intelligence and Counterintelligence; in 2015–2016 as a senior intelligence officer for the National Mission Force in the Middle East; and in 2010 as the senior targeting and debriefing specialist with the National Mission Force in Afghanistan.
John Doyon
Executive Vice President, INSA
John brings more than 35 years of experience in the U.S. Intelligence Community, most of it at the National Security Agency, where he held senior leadership positions across NSA’s signals intelligence mission, including Chief Strategist for the Signals Intelligence Directorate and Global Capabilities Manager for Russia. He served twice at the White House: as Director for Intelligence Programs on the National Security Council staff, and as Assistant Director of the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board. His career also included assignments at CIA in the Directorate of Science and Technology and the Office of Congressional Affairs, service as NSA’s Senior Representative to the Department of Defense, and a tour overseas as a Special Liaison Advisor with a key foreign partner.
His IC career culminated at the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), where he served as Deputy Director of the Directorate of Strategic Operational Planning, overseeing national-level counterterrorism strategy, and then as Chief Data Officer, leading the Center’s data strategy, analytics, and privacy and civil liberties protections.
In March 2020, he joined the Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA) as Executive Vice President, where he works with the President to lead INSA’s strategy, operations, thought leadership, programs, and partnerships.
John’s awards include the ODNI Exceptional Service Award, the Exceptional Civilian Service Medal from the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, and the Meritorious Civilian Service Award from NSA, among other honors. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia, a master’s in National Security Studies from Georgetown University, and completed the CAPSTONE program at the National Defense University.
Stephen Fogarty
Lieutenant General, U.S. Army (Ret.) · Booz Allen Hamilton
Stephen served in the U.S. Army for over 37 years leading Army and Joint cyber, intelligence, and communications operations in a series of positions, including commanding the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command, commanding the U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence, and serving as Chief of Staff for U.S. Cyber Command. He helped establish the Army Cyber Branch and led the build-out of a new $1.1 billion Cyber and Signal Corps campus at Ft. Gordon, Georgia. In his last assignment in uniform, Stephen served as commanding general of the U.S. Army Cyber Command, leading a highly talented workforce of 16,000 Soldiers, Department of the Army Civilians, and Contractors conducting persistent defensive and offensive cyber operations, information warfare operations and IT operations for 1.1 million soldiers and civilians at 188 bases across the globe. He retired as a lieutenant general after 37 years on active duty. Stephen earned an M.A. in Administration from Central Michigan University, an M.A. in National Security Strategy from the U.S. Army War College, and a B.A. in History from North Georgia College. He is currently a senior leader with Booz Allen’s Integrated Cyber account, helping lead the development of threat-informed defensive and offensive cyber strategies and solutions to support U.S. government and international mission partners.
Chris Lockett
Chief of Staff, AI/ML Programs, DARPA
A seasoned executive with extensive experience in national security and defense R&D, Chris Lockett excels at steering large-scale technology initiatives from concept to deployment and commercial venture launch. Leveraging a background in licensing, intellectual property, contracts and business development, Chris has served in leadership roles for eight spin-out companies. Currently serving as Chief of Staff for a portfolio of AI/ML programs at DARPA, he directs high-impact research portfolios that shape the future of military and intelligence capabilities. Leveraging his mission-oriented perspective gained through military service in the Pacific Theater, Chris builds trusted government and industry partnerships to align technical excellence with the strategic requirements of the national security enterprise.
Aric Mutchnick
President, Experior Group in
Aric is a former Israeli paratrooper with over twenty-five years of experience in risk management, safety and security. Mr. Mutchnick specializes in high-level security consulting, risk mitigation, and specialized security training for commercial and government entities. Mr. Mutchnick invented the Red Ball Drills®, a trauma-free crisis management training methodology. The Red Ball Drills are on the GSA schedule and the only program of its kind recognized by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security with SAFETY Act designation. He has worked with critical infrastructure, police departments, schools, Fortune 100 companies, major league sports teams, esports, healthcare, convention centers, and more. Aric has worked in over forty countries designing security programs, crisis management initiatives and threat and vulnerability assessments.
Geoff Orazem
CEO and Founder, Eastern Foundry in
Geoff Orazem is the CEO and Founder of Eastern Foundry, an incubator for government contractors in Crystal City, Virginia. A former Marine infantry platoon commander who served in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, he attended Harvard Law School and returned to Iraq as a Tribal Affairs officer with the Iraqi Transportation Network before joining McKinsey & Company’s Washington office as an Engagement Manager.
Shaunté Russell
Vice President, Membership, AFCEA International
Shaunté Russell is Vice President, Membership for AFCEA International, a leading nonprofit association that connects government, military, industry, and academia to drive innovation and address emerging challenges in defense, cybersecurity, intelligence, and technology. She leads the teams responsible for supporting AFCEA’s global community of more than 30,000 members and 1,600 corporate partners across 140 chapters worldwide. Through her leadership, Ms. Russell helps advance strategic partnerships, member engagement, and organizational growth that strengthen AFCEA’s mission and global impact.
John Thomas
Partner, Frontera Group
John Thomas is a Partner at Frontera Group and an experienced government relations and regulatory counsel with nearly two decades of federal policy experience, named to The Hill’s 2025 “Top Lobbyists” list. Prior to joining Frontera Group, John served as a Senior Policy Advisor in Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman’s Government Law and Strategies practice in Washington, DC, and before that as a Policy Advisor at Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP from 2019 to 2024. John spent more than a decade on Capitol Hill, serving as Chief of Staff to Congressman Scott Taylor, Chief of Staff and Legislative Director to Congressman Scott Rigell, and Military Legislative Assistant to Congressman Walter B. Jones. He also serves as a mentor at the Founders Institute and STATION DC. John began his federal service as a Corporal in the United States Marine Corps, serving from 1997 to 2005, and is based in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.
The network
Networks are the key to any organization’s success
The FINND’s extensive network and event offerings provide a unique value proposition to any technology or service organization working toward the government and national security sectors. By joining the FINND, organizations get insight into the government mission space, access to operators, analysts and technologists, and the chance to hear from leaders and innovators in candid forums.
Some current and former Member companies
AdobeAnaVationAreteAT&TAxoniusAyarLabsBastilleBattelleBazzeBlackstoneBluefootBooz AllenBRTRCbspaceBuck Consulting GroupBYOSCarahsoftCommVaultDecisive DataDeloitteDigital ReasoningDispersive TechnologiesDomino LabDynamic AviationEdgesourceElasticELTAEnveilevolve24FiveCastFLIRFreeport TechnologiesGDITGeneral Atomics AeronauticalGeorgia Tech Research InstituteGoviniGraylingHarrisHughesImmersive WisdomKeyWKitewireKnowledge BridgeKOTOL3HarrisLexisNexisLogos TechLumenNewBridge PartnersNextFedNovettaNT ConceptsNutanixNVIDIAOakleafOptensityParallaxPredaSARPrimerAIProactive Risk ManagementRaytheonRedSealRingtailRunsafeSAICSAP NS2ScienceLogicShift5SintelSatSkyline ScientificSovereign IntelligenceSpiderOakStellarStrategic Mission ElementsTableauTechGuardThompson ReutersTRSSTry1labsVidrovrVriconZeus DirectZL Tech
Company names shown for identification of network membership only. No endorsement implied.
Represent a technology, a network, or a government office? The FINND has a role for you.
Reach us at info@finnd.org or 703-574-0215.