2026 Presenters
Levan Bokeria
Director
CzechTrade, Austin, Texas
Levan Bokeria is the director of the CzechTrade office in Austin, Texas. CzechTrade is the government agency of the Czech Republic dedicated to promoting international trade and supporting Czech companies in their expansion abroad.
Based in Texas, Levan supports Czech companies across a wide range of industries in entering and growing in the U.S. market, while strengthening economic cooperation between the Czech Republic and the United States. He works closely with local partners, institutions, and business leaders to create new trade and investment opportunities. He also contributes to flagship initiatives such as Czech House at SXSW, showcasing Czech innovation and industry to global audiences.
Levan grew up in Prague and studied International Relations and Security Studies at Charles University. He previously worked at CzechInvest, focusing on foreign direct investment and trade, and served as Director of CzechTrade offices in Azerbaijan and Georgia. He brings extensive experience in international business development and government-led trade promotion.
Guillaume Brossard
Vice President, Commercial
Polara Energy Inc.
Vice President of Commercial at Polara Energy Inc., Guillaume has over 20 years of experience in commercialization and the development of major infrastructure projects across the energy, marine, and real estate sectors, as well as in commercial law, where he practiced law for several years.
He specializes in designing and implementing business models that prioritize the profitability and sustainability of strategic partnerships, both nationally and internationally. A collaborative and inclusive leader with a passion for innovation, he fosters trusted professional relationships and optimizes processes to create long-term competitive advantages.
Andrzej Fąfara
Consul
Republic of Poland
Andrzej Fąfara is a Polish economist and career diplomat currently serving as Consul at the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Houston. In this role, he oversees a wide range of responsibilities including consular affairs, government relations, public diplomacy, and economic cooperation, with a particular focus on strengthening Poland–U.S. ties in the southern United States.
A member of the Polish Foreign Service since 2006, he has extensive experience in economic policy, strategic communications, and international public diplomacy. At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Warsaw, he held several leadership positions, including Deputy Director of the Public Diplomacy Department, where he was responsible for promoting Poland globally, and Director of the Ministry’s Press Office. He also served in Canada as Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Ottawa.
Since June 2023, he has been based in Houston, where he actively supports the development of transatlantic partnerships in business, innovation, culture, and academia.
Scott Firsing PhD
Founder/President
Scott Sky Advisors
Dr. Scott Firsing owns Scott Sky Advisors, a consultancy in Austin, Texas that assists European companies entering the American and Canadian aviation/aerospace markets. He also serves on the Board of the National Flight Training Alliance (NFTA) based out of Washington DC, and recently served on the Board of the University Aviation Association (UAA).
With over 20 years of experience in aviation, defense, education, and intelligence, Dr. Firsing has worked globally for companies in France, South Africa, Switzerland, and the United States, and held roles with institutions like the United Nations. He has a successful track record in business development, marketing, research, sales, and team management, prioritizing high-quality experiences for customers and employees. In addition to his “business” career, he has been a K-12 School Principal and an International Studies Professor.
Dr. Firsing’s PhD is in International Politics, and he is an international relations/security expert focusing on foreign power involvement in Africa. He has taught over a dozen university courses at institutions such as The Citadel: The Military College of South Carolina, the University of the North Carolina, and Coastal Carolina University.
As a graduate of institutions like Rutgers University and LSE, Dr. Firsing has received awards for research, teaching, and community engagement. He has appeared on Al Jazeera, BBC, CNBC and others and his insight can be found in numerous outlets like AP, Huffington Post, The Conversation, and the US News and World Report. Dr. Firsing’s extensive written works, surpassing 100 publications, are widely referenced worldwide.
Sándor Földi
Trade Attaché
Vice-Consulate of Hungary
Houston, TX
Sándor Földi graduated from the University of Pécs with a master’s degree in political science and also studied international relations at the University of Leicester in the UK and at Indiana University in the US.
Previously, he worked for the Prime Minister’s Office in Budapest, also for Ernst & Young (EY) and, until his recent position, for the Hungarian Investment Promotion Agency (HIPA), specialized in state aid.
As an attaché, Sándor’s most important tasks include the promotion of Hungary’s foreign economic interests, the promotion of investments to be made by Hungarian companies in Texas and assisting in the search for investment opportunities for Texan companies in Hungary, as well as in the implementation of investments. His intention is to help Hungarian companies, to provide all the information needed to them to expand in Texas, which can increase the share of Hungarian exports outside the European Union. Helping the integration of Hungarian companies into the global value chains of international companies is also one of the declared goals of his.
Dr. Sam Greer
Director of Employer Outreach and
Experiential Learning Programs
Austin Community College
Dr. Sam Greer is the Director of Employer Outreach and Experiential Learning Programs at Austin Community College. His office oversees all external learning programs at the college, including internships, apprenticeships, service learning, and assistance with clinicals. With over 2,000 registered employer partners, over 10,000 students cycle through these programs each year.
Dr. Greer received a BA in Economics and a PhD in Education Administration from UT-Austin and a Masters in History from Texas State. He was a high school social studies teacher before being lured into administration. He served as principal and superintendent before joining ACC in 2013. He is president-elect of Interfaith Action of Central Texas and serves on the board of YMCA of Austin. A seventh generation Texan, he lives with his wife on a cattle ranch near Fayetteville, Texas, but keeps a townhouse in Austin. He has two married daughters and another in college, plus a brand new baby grandson.
Andrea Hrusovska
Chief Executive Officer/Founder
HR4U Solutions
Andrea Hrusovska, MBA is the founder of HR4U Solutions, a strategic advisory firm connecting European and U.S. companies in talent, leadership, and market entry. She is a Forbes Coaches Council member, ICF-certified executive coach, and author of the bestseller Born to Be Successful.
Andrea also leads Slovak PRO initiatives in North America, building transatlantic connections between business, innovation, and talent ecosystems.
Steven Jast
Québec’s Delegate
Houston
Steven Jast was appointed Québec’s Delegate in Houston on November 11, 2024. He represents Québec in Texas, Louisiana,Arkansas, and Oklahoma.
Mr. Jast has over 20 years of experience in economic development and entrepreneurship. Mr. Jast founded ROI (Research OnInvestment) in 2003 and Gazelle.ai in 2017.
He is a recognized thought leader on the fundamentals and best practices related to investment attraction and business retention and expansion, as well as advanced digital marketing, lead nurturing, and engagement techniques for economic development organizations. He has written several guidebooks and provided training on best practices relating to investment attraction for international governments at all levels.
Steven was recognized as a finalist in the international Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year competition in 2008 and in2019.
He is an avid fitness enthusiast and die-hard Montréal Canadiens fan.
Elizabeth Jennings
Managing Partner
Venture Atlas Labs
Elizabeth Jennings, Managing Partner at Venture Atlas Labs, manages commercial risk in the expansion of healthcare companies in 28 countries. She is also the Executive Director of the Life Science Diplomacy Alliance, an industry-led coalition focused on cross-border scientific diplomacy.
She is retained by various investment funds, governments, and international agencies; is an advisor on health economic and security policy to multiple allied countries; and is a frequent speaker at workshops and conferences on new health and biotech innovations. She has authored multiple studies and guidebooks commissioned by foreign trade agencies on the subjects of health economics, investment, and different models of care delivery.
She has worked on each side of the health innovation ecosystem in the US, as well as Australia, Latin America, Canada, and Europe; and across startups, large public companies, academia, government, and investment. She served one of the fastest-growing impact-driven business angel networks in the US, SWAN Impact, from the Board of Directors.
Pär Johansson
Chief Strategy Officer
LTU Business AB
Pär Johansson is Chief Strategy Officer at LTU Business AB, Arctic Europe’s largest business and management consultancy, based in Luleå, Sweden. He is an expert in commercialization strategy, innovation funding, and innovation management, and frequently speaks on innovation and change leadership. Previously, he was the International Senior Project Manager at Volvo Aero, working with major partners including Airbus and Rolls-Royce.
He also has extensive startup experience as a co-founder, CEO, and CSO, with strong B2B sales success across more than 15 European countries. Pär combines industry leadership with a long academic background in product service systems, holding a Licentiate of Technology from Luleå University of Technology.
Tyler Johnson
Limited Partner/Venture Partner
Stony Lonesome Group
Tyler Johnson is an accomplished Global Fortune 50 Executive. He has engaged and partnered with executive business leaders across the globe to accelerate growth and expansion in large businesses and early-stage technology software automation start-ups. Tyler has over 30 years’ experience working with some of the largest companies in the world, in addition to co-founding a US-based software technology company. Tyler serves as a Limited Partner/Venture Partner for Stony Lonesome Group which funds companies focused on national security, dual-use and defense technology.
Tyler worked for Dell Technologies for 21 years in a variety of sales, marketing, and general management roles, including Shanghai, China for 10 of those years (2005-2015) as a local hired foreign national. He led sales and operational organizations for Dell within China and across Asia. Tyler’s organization was responsible for Dell’s Global Asia Business Unit which represented the largest companies in the world (Global Fortune 500). In addition, he was Managing Director of the Shanghai headquarters incorporating R&D, Procurement, Sales, and Government relations. Tyler received the Dell Worldwide Executive Leadership Award for Inspirational Leadership from the Chairman and Executive Committee.
Since 2015, Tyler has founded, operated, and invested in several software automation companies focused on cyber security, HRTech, EdTech and cloud migration technology. He co-founded an HR technology company called Your6, Inc. benefitting United States Veterans, and served as the Chief Sales Officer for iQuate, Inc. (now Cloudsphere), a cloud migration automation technology. Tyler also served as the Chief Executive Officer for VTS Cyber, a cybersecurity company focused on governance, risk, and compliance in highly regulated environments.
Tyler published his first book in March 2019 titled “The Way Of The Laowai”: The importance of international self-awareness for business. Tyler is the founder of Laowai Enterprises which facilitates people, organizations, and governments to expand economically. His thought leadership can be found on laowai.substack.com. Tyler is focused on building, accelerating, and strengthening dual-use and defense technology ecosystems which strengthens national security.
Ambassador Stefan Lindström
Finnish Consul General
Finnish Consulate in Houston Texas
Ambassador Stefan Lindström serves as the Finnish Consul General at the recently opened Finnish Consulate in Houston Texas. Prior to this assignment he was the Finnish Ambassador of Technology 2021-2025 and Consul General at the Finnish Consulate General in Los Angeles 2016- 2021. He has also served in Lisbon, Portugal, Jakarta, Indonesia and New Delhi India and in between with various tasks at the headquarters in Helsinki.
Prior to joining the Foreign Service, Mr. Lindström worked as legal adviser for the European Commission in Brussels. Ambassador Lindström has a Master’s Degree in Economics from the London School of Economics and a Master’s Degree in International Law from the Åbo Akademi University.
Dr. Michael W. Mosser
Director, Center for European Studies
UT Austin
Dr. Michael W. Mosser is the Director of the University of Texas at Austin Center for European Studies (CES). He is also an Associate Professor of Instruction with a joint appointment in the Department of Government and the International Relations and Global Studies (IRG) program. He is a Distinguished Scholar in the Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law, and was the Executive Director of the Global Disinformation Lab (GDIL) from 2022 to 2024.
He teaches courses in European and international security, European environmental policy, comparative and European politics, international organizations, and foreign policy analysis. From 2018 to 2023, he was the inaugural faculty advisor for the University of Texas at Austin’s “Peace Corps Prep” program, and has also served as a faculty liaison to the US Department of State’s “Diplomacy Lab” program. He serves on various academic advisory bodies on campus, including as a member of the Environmental Justice (EJ) Faculty Learning Community, an Ambassador in the Experiential Learning Initiative (ELI) and a member of the non-traditional student (NTS) advisory board. He has won multiple awards for his teaching at UT-Austin, most notably being selected as a member of the 2021 “Texas Ten” by the Texas Exes, and the 2016 Raymond Dickson Centennial Endowed Teaching Fellowship.
A southwestern Pennsylvania native, Dr. Mosser is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh (BA, Political Science and History) and the University of Wisconsin – Madison (MA and PhD, Political Science). He has published articles and book chapters on the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) as well as in the fields of military art and science and military sociology more generally. He is active in student events and activities on campus related to his research and teaching fields, has published op-eds in major Texas newspapers and has been a regular guest on KUT Radio’s “Texas Standard” news program.
Brad Morrison
Founder and CEO of Atlantis Industries, Inc
The Space Weather Company
Brad Morrison of Boerne is the founder and CEO of Atlantis Industries, Inc., The Space Weather Company. He is also a partner at Donald Capital LLC, an Aerospace & Defense focused Investment Bank. Brad was recently appointed to the Board of Commissioners to the inaugural Texas Space Commission.
He is also a member of the Business Executives for National Security, Boerne Kendall County Angels Network and Texas National Security Innovation Council. He is a former chair of the Cybersecurity Committee for the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, member of the Texas Business Leadership Council, and Past Chairman of the Texas Lyceum. Additionally, Brad served as business accelerator chair for the Entrepreneurs Organization and as honorary comman
der for the United States Air Force 67th Cyberspace Wing. Brad earned a Bachelor of Science from the United States Air Force Academy and a Master of Science in Telecommunications from Southern.
Mads Ransby Olsen
Vice President
Global Market Development MDM/S&I
Mads Ransby Olsen is Vice President, Global Market Development at Advanced Sterilization Products (ASP), a Fortive company. Based in Austin, Texas, he is building and scaling ASP’s Medical Device Manufacturing and Science and Industry business globally, from strategy and partnerships through commercialization. He works across borders with industry, regulatory, and policy stakeholders to align priorities, build partnerships, and strengthen healthcare manufacturing resilience.
Mads brings more than two decades of leadership across sales, marketing, and general management in the pharma and medtech sectors on both sides of the Atlantic. He joined ASP in 2019 as Vice President, Commercial EMEA, relocated to the United States in 2022 to lead North America as Vice President, Commercial, and moved into his current role in 2024.
Prior to ASP, he served as Regional Business Director at Medtronic in Switzerland and held global marketing leadership roles at Coloplast. Earlier in his career, he worked with GSK, Servier, and Ferring Pharmaceuticals.
Mads holds a Master’s degree in Pharmacy from the Royal Danish School of Pharmacy. He is a Danish national and has lived in Denmark, Switzerland, and the United States.
Sam Peterson
President
SFA Austin
As the Head of Strategy and Innovation at the Swedish Space Corporation, he was the architect of the company’s strategy offering the world’s first commercial lunar service. Throughout his career, he has served in leadership roles on more than 35 aerospace projects including the Defense Satellite Communications System, Milstar, MQ1 Predator, MQ9 Reaper, RQ4 Global Hawk, Herschel Space Observatory, Planck Space Observatory, International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (Integral), Bepi-Colombo, Cryosat-2, Swarm, and all of the GMES Sentinels spacecraft.
Sam is an honorably discharged veteran of the U.S. Army and a member of the Adjunct Faculty at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He gives back to the industry through volunteer activities with a number of organizations including the Space Force Association (SFA), the International Astronautical Federation (IAF), the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC), the Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium (LSIC) and the Conrad Foundation.
Sharon Schweitzer
Expatriate Relocation Coach, Author & Attorney
Sharon Schweitzer is a globally recognized cross-cultural business consultant, attorney, and founder of Access to Culture. She is an award-winning entrepreneur and author of the Amazon #1 best-selling book in International Business, Access to Asia, named to Kirkus Reviews’ Best Books list. Sharon has worked with brands such as CBS, Hilton Hotels, JPMorgan, and Lexus to provide practical techniques for improving business communication and increasing revenue.
Sharon was named the winner of the British Airways International Trade, Investment & Expansion Award (small business category) at the Greater Austin Business Awards. She was an honoree in the City of Austin program Celebrating the Entrepreneurial Spirit of Austin Women.
Sharon is a media resource for NPR and BBC World News and is quoted in Investor’s Business Daily, BBC Capital, Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and others. Sharon currently serves as Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees for the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library in Iowa. She has also served as a Chinese Ceremonial Dining Etiquette Specialist in the documentary series Confucius was a Foodie on Nat Geo People.
Sharon has traveled to over 100 countries across all 7 continents. She lives with her husband John of 30 years and their golden retrievers, Toffee and Ritzy, in Austin, Texas, USA.
Alexis Stokes
Dean
St. Edward’s University
Alexis Stokes is dean of the AACSB-accredited Bill Munday School of Business at St. Edward’s University in Austin. Dean Stokes is committed to facilitating socio-economically transformative opportunities for students, their families, and their communities, while also creating a vibrant and inclusive hub for business thought leadership in Austin. All ten majors and four online graduate programs at the Munday School of Business are built on the five pillars of the Austin ecosystem: entrepreneurial thinking, social enterprise, innovation management, global collaboration, and analytics.
Dean Stokes earned her Bachelor of Arts in Economics, Political Science, and Managerial Studies, cum laude, from Rice University, and her Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School. Before joining academia in 2005, she practiced international law in Houston.
Frank Trevino
Managing Partner
Illumulus
Frank Trevino is Managing Partner of Illumulus, a strategic advisory firm specializing in data-driven transformation and digital infrastructure. He also serves as a Space Situational Awareness Advisor to the U.S. Department of State and UNCOPUOS. With more than 25 years of global experience spanning the space sector, sustainability, smart cities, and complex infrastructure systems, he advises governments, industry leaders, and frontier technology companies on systems governance, AI and data coordination, and space ecosystem strategy.
A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Oxford, he is currently pursuing a PhD in Sustainable Urban Development at Oxford.
Martin Valko
Founding Partner
Chavez & Valko, LLP
Martin Valko is a founding partner of Chavez & Valko, LLP in Dallas, Texas, with decades of experience in U.S. immigration law — both as an attorney and as an immigrant himself. His practice spans family, humanitarian, and employment-based immigration, serving clients from startups to Fortune companies and transnational corporations.
A former collegiate athlete, he has also represented professional athletes and Olympians across the NFL, NHL, and USA Cricket Association. Martin serves as Honorary Consul of the Slovak Republic to Texas (since 2010) and is a legal advisor to the Mexican Consulate General in Dallas and the Slovak Embassy on U.S. immigration matters.
He is also a co-founder of Lawpilot, an immigration case management platform. Martin holds a JD from Oklahoma City University, an LLM from Southern Methodist University, and a law degree from Comenius University in Bratislava.
Elisabeth Wagner
Business Representative
German Federal State of Rhineland-Palatinate
Elisabeth Wagner is the Business Representative for the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Transportation, Agriculture and Viniculture of the German Federal State of Rhineland-Palatinate in the US. Based in Texas, the business representation promotes the economic activities of companies from Rhineland-Palatinate in and with the USA. As part of the Rheinland-Pfalz.Gold location marketing program, the office also promotes the German state as a business location.
Ms Wagner has over 15 years of work experience across three continents. Previous roles included government relations, business development, consulting, and marketing communications in industry as well as non-profit. She holds a master’s degree in literature and an MBA, and is fluent in English, French and German. An avid traveler, she is passionate about connecting people and building relationships.
Summit Key Contributors
Mortada Mohamed
President, World Affairs Council of Austin
Co-Chair – Texas-Europe Business Summit
Mortada Mohamed is the President of the World Affairs Council of Austin. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the Bill Munday School of Business, Marketing, Operations and Analytics Department at St. Edward’s University. Prior to his present positions he was the Regional Marketing Director for Europe, Africa, Middle East, for the State of Texas, Office of the Governor, Economic Development & Tourism Division. During his service with the State of Texas, Mr. Mohamed designed international marketing campaigns in conjunction with Texas key industry executives to promote the export of Texas in his geographical region of responsibility. He traveled to more than 35 countries promoting Texas products and producers including: information technology, energy and renewable energy, medical and health care and food and agriculture. His work has included countless international trade development activities, as well as, export counseling.
Mr. Mohamed has served as a speaker for the US Department of State International Speaker’s Program across North Africa and the Arabian Gulf region. He lectured on doing business with the US private sector and promoted US business in those countries. Mr. Mohamed also leads projects on behalf of ACDI/VOCA, funded by the USAID, to assist in economic development programs for developing countries. This program, which selects experts in various business areas, has taken him deep into Africa, Siberia and Eastern Europe.
Mr. Mohamed has presented in conferences both domestically and internationally, including the International Academy of Management and Business Symposium, Istanbul, Turkey and the World Investment Conference, La Baule, France. Most recently he presented to the Aspen Institute Germany in a transatlantic exchange with a bipartisan group of German, U.S.-American, and Canadian state legislators speaking on the role of trade, business and global supply chains in relation to a resilient critical infrastructure. Mr. Mohamed is the co-chair of the annual Texas-EU Business Summit.
Mr. Mohamed was appointed to serve on the Texas Camino Real District Export Council by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce. Mr. Mohamed is on the Advisory Board of the University of Texas at Austin Center for European Studies. Also, he is a member of the Texas Advisory Council US Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC). Mr. Mohamed has an MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management, Arizona State University. He also holds a Certified Global Business Professional (CGBP) credential awarded by the North American Small Business International Trade Educators (NASBITE).
Ben Ramirez III
CEO
Cogitare Global, LLC
Cogitare Global assists the transformation of local companies into global competitors. Ben works with organizations to identify specific business goals and implementation strategies which match their objectives. He provides executives and their teams with the tools they need to achieve sustainable growth in a continually changing international marketplace.
Ben manages the Foreign Trade Zone of Central Texas with member companies’ annual exports totaling $250-$500 million. He was first appointed to the Texas Camino Real District Export Council by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker. Ben is an Entrepreneur Advisor with Tech Ranch and serves as Vice President of the World Affairs Council of Austin and Executive Director of Austin’s Global Trade Center. Ben obtained a BA in Philosophy and Political Science from the University of Michigan, and a JD from the University of Toledo.
