Speaker Schedule
Tuesday, February 9, 2027
Speaker Schedule | February 9, 2027
**Please note that dates and times are subject to change.** Updated on November 9, 2026
(2) Indicates this seminar will be presented twice.
Seminar Room 1 | Rigging | 230 B & C
| Time | Seminar Name | Speaker Name |
|---|---|---|
| 9:00am | ||
| 10:00am | Packing the Softie Mini Wedge | Charlie Markin |
| 11:00am | Rigging Tips from the UPT Loft | Meredith Ottery |
| 12:00pm | ||
| 1:00pm | ||
| 2:00pm | ||
| 3:00pm | 50 Years of Innovative Parachute Design and Manufacturing | Sandy Reid |
| 4:00pm | Rigging Olympics | Andi Paulsen & Matt Zwicker |
Seminar Room 2 | Rigging | 230 D & E
| Time | Seminar Name | Speaker Name |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00am | Paragliding Reserves for Skydiving Riggers | Richard Greenwood |
| 10:00am | Rigger Currency and Teachable Moments from Rigging Mistakes (2) | Shauna Finley |
| 12:00pm | Packing the Infinity with MARD RSL - Tips & Tricks | Kamuran Bayrasli |
| 2:00pm | Main Parachute Packing (MPP) Update | Panel Discussion | Moderator Abbie Mashaal. Panel: Kirk Smith, Andi Paulsen, Kevin Gibson |
| 3:00pm | ||
| 4:00pm | Rigging Olympics | Andi Paulsen & Matt Zwicker |
Seminar Room 3 | Skydiving & Fireside Chats | 230 G
| Time | Seminar Name | Speaker Name |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00am | Recite or Respond: Training Students for the Jump They'll Actually Have | Christina Arango |
| 9:00am | Fireside Chat with Rook Nelson: Stories from a Lifetime in Skydiving | Rook Nelson |
| 11:00am | USPA's 2026 Fatality Summary (2) | Ron Bell |
| 12:00pm | USPA General Membership Meeting | Albert Berchtold |
| 1:00pm | Unusual Canopy Emergencies: Dual Deployments, Collisions and Entanglements (2) | Jim Cowan |
| 2:00pm | Training the Trainer | Greg Windmiller |
| 3:00pm | ||
| 4:00pm |
Seminar Room 4 | Skydiving - 230 F
| Time | Seminar Name | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00am | USPA Tandem Examiner: Training, Documentation, and Liability | Brad Cole |
| 9:00am | Canopy Formation (2) | Chris Gay |
| 10:00am | Handcam Program: History, Training and Administrator Appointments | Angie Aragon |
| 11:00am | First Jump Course: Tips from the Trenches and Future Evolution (2) | Ronnie Hughan |
| 12:00pm | ||
| 1:00pm | Flocking and Mountain Flying. Jumping in Alpine Environments | Matt Leonard |
| 2:00pm | Spotting the Scam: Avoiding Fraud in the Used Gear Market (2) | Lean Stein |
| 3:00pm | Are You Sure You Want to Be a PRO Demo Jumper? (2) | Yuliya Pangburn & John Hart |
Seminar Room 5 | Technical | 230 A
| Time | Seminar Name | Speaker Name |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00am | A New Framework for Skydiving Accident Prevention | Ricardo Pettena |
| 10:00am | Establishing a Reliable Method for Glide Measurement (2) | Jimmy Hutfles |
| 11:00am | 50+ Years of Experience In the Parachute Industry | Jeff Johnston |
| 1:00pm | KevlarEXO Development | Ted Fetterman |
| 2:00pm | Save the Stall, Embrace the Glide | Ray Lallo |
| 4:00pm | The Pitot Tube Project: Measuring What Actually Matters | Julien Peelman |
Seminar Room 6 | Government & Management | 230 H & J
| Time | Seminar Name | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00am | Evolution of Tandem BASE Jumping (2) | Abbie Mashaal, Mark Kissner |
| 9:00am | Compliance V Education: What 12 Years of Data Actually Says | David DuPlessis |
| 10:00am | Risk Management in the Parachute Industry for All Involved | Robert Feldman |
| 12:00pm | PR Essentials: Managing the Media During a Crisis | James La Barrie |
| 1:00pm | The Maybe-To-Manifest Method - How Drop Zones Turn Online Curiosity Into First Time Jumpers | Mark Perna |
| 2:00pm | The Difference Makers - How To Win in Competitive Markets | James La Barrie |
