Conference to bring together senior Air Force, Army acquisition leaders Published March 19, 2009 DAYTON, Ohio -- Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz and the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, the Honorable Sue Payton, will be keynote speakers at the second annual Defense Department Acquisition Insight Days conference. The event will take place at the David H. Ponitz Sinclair Center in Dayton April 20-22. The Defense Acquisition University Alumni Association is sponsoring the conference, which provides a one-stop opportunity for 700 members of the Defense Acquisition workforce and local defense industry personnel throughout the midwest region and at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, to receive updates from senior leaders on the latest defense acquisition, technology and logistics issues. The conference also features breakout training sessions covering current interest topics in DoD acquisition and technology requirements. Additional distinguished guest speakers include: Gen. Duncan McNabb, commander of U.S. Transportation Command at Scott AFB, Ill.; Gen. Donald Hoffman, commander of Air Force Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson AFB; Blaise Durante, deputy assistant secretary for Acquisition Integration, Department of the Air Force, the Pentagon; Lt. Gen. John Hudson, commander of Aeronautical Systems Center at Wright-Patterson AFB; Lt. Gen. Ted Bowlds, commander of Electronic Systems Command at Hanscom AFB, Mass.; Lt. Gen. N. Ross Thompson III, principal military deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology, the Pentagon; Lt. Gen. Mark Shackelford, principal military deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, the Pentagon; Maj. Gen. Curtis Bedke, commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory headquartered at Wright-Patterson AFB; Maj. Gen. David Eichhorn, commander of the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB, Calif.; and Frank Anderson Jr., president, Defense Acquisition University, Fort Belvoir, Va. Breakout sessions include classes on hot topics such as earned value management policy and contract implementation; risk management; systems engineering and integration; technology acquisition for cyberspace; 5000 series updates; developing leaders; and government property in the possession of defense contractors. A networking reception hosted by DAU and Sinclair Community College will be held at the Ponitz Center Grand Hall April 21 from 5 to 6 p.m. A community leaders reception for the distinguished guest speakers and conference attendees will immediately follow from 6:30 to 8:45 p.m. at the Dayton Racquet Club. The Area Coalition for Education - Excellence and the Defense Acquisition University Alumni Association will host this second reception. For more information and to register, go to http://www.regonline.com/DAUMW2009. April 15 is the last day to register. The Defense Acquisition University is the corporate university for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics for the Department of Defense. DAU provides ongoing professional education and training for the AT&L workforce at five regional campuses throughout the United States and at government sites around the world. The Midwest Region campus, serving a 12-state area that includes Wright-Patterson AFB, is located in Kettering, Ohio. For more information on DAU go to http://www.dau.mil.