Bran Ferren is a designer and technologist working in entertainment, product development, engineering, architecture and the sciences. He is former President of Research & Development and Creative Technology for Walt Disney Imagineering. Before that, he was the President of and Senior Designer for Associates & Ferren, which Disney acquired in 1993. He recently left Disney to start Applied Minds Inc., with partners Danny Hillis and Doug Carlston. Ferren is a board member of The International Design Conference in Aspen (IDCA), and a senior advisory board member for science, advanced technology, and innovation management to seven US Government agencies, and the US Senate. Currently held positions include National Security Agency Advisory Board, National Reconnaissance Office Technical Advisory Group, Army Science Board member, Defense Science Board member, Chief of Naval Operations Executive Committee, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Technical Advisory Group, Securities and Exchange Commission Advisory Committee on Technology, Federal Communications Commission Technological Advisory Committee, National Imagery and Mapping Agency Advisory Forum.