Leadership

The Honorable Dr. Will Roper is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of technology startup Istari Digital. Backed by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, Istari is building the world’s first engineering metaverse, where all technology - from medicines to satellites - can be created and certified completely digitally. Making innovation lightyears faster, cheaper, and greener is Istari’s mission.

A Distinguished Professor at Georgia Tech, Will is also a board member and advisor of numerous startups and investment firms, senior advisor at McKinsey & Co., member of the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Board, and U.K. Royal Air Force Honorary Group Captain.

Will previously served as Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Air Force and Space Force, overseeing $60 billion of annual technology development and operations for 5,300+ aircraft and satellites. A career innovator, he spearheaded the U.S. military's first uses of artificial intelligence, digital engineering, venture capital investments, hypersonics, and sustainable aviation. Prior to this, he founded the Pentagon’s secretive Strategic Capabilities Office, creating over $1.6 billion of advanced prototypes annually, including the world's largest drone swarm unveiled on CBS's 60 Minutes. Will began his career at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as the Missile Defense Agency's chief futurist.

During his service, Will received the Pentagon’s and Air Force's highest awards for public service. His features in Wired, Popular Mechanics, and his Matrix-inspired guide to digital engineering, “ There is No Spoon,” continue to drive thought on technology and innovation.

He holds a bachelor’s and master’s in physics from Georgia Tech and doctorate in mathematics from Oxford University, where he studied string theory as a Rhodes Scholar.