Speakers

Upcoming Speakers

George Jackson Bio
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George Jackson

Executive Producer

GovExec TV (Moderator)

George Jackson

Executive Producer

GovExec TV (Moderator)

George Jackson is VP of events at GovExec – the largest and most-influential media company in the public sector marketplace. He joined the company in 2020 to enhance the scale of their events and audience experiences. In 2021, George launched GovExec TV (streaming video content) and received the company’s Entrepreneurial Spirit Award, part of their first-annual Icon Awards.

George graduated from The Ohio State University in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in English. In 2006, he earned his master’s in broadcast journalism from the University of Maryland, College Park.

George spent the first five years of his journalism career at WJHL-TV in Johnson City Tenn. – beginning as an overnight producer for the station’s 6 a.m. broadcast. He advanced to lead on-air reporter for WJHL’s 11 p.m. newscast.

As a reporter, George examined the earnings of two non-profit hospital systems, felony charges filed against a local sheriff, predatory paving companies, a health benefits backlog for local veterans, and a series of cold-case murder investigations. He received an honorable mention for Best TV Reporter in the 2011 Tennessee AP Broadcast awards and won a Best Investigative Reporting award from Media General in 2010.

George joined DC’s ABC affiliate WJLA-TV in 2012 to produce Capital Insider, which won him an Emmy award. One year later, he developed and recorded the pilot episode of Government Matters – a program about the business of government. It debuted as a weekly show on Sunday, August 4th of 2013. George led Government Matters through September of 2020, expanded its reach to a daily worldwide audience, and produced its first feature-length documentary The Dawn of Generation AI.

George is from Toledo, Ohio. He lives with his wife, twin daughters, and a pair of rescue dogs in Northern Virginia.

Ashish Gandotra Bio
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Ashish Gandotra

CTO, Federal and Civilian Solution Engineering

Oracle

Ashish Gandotra

CTO, Federal and Civilian Solution Engineering

Oracle

Ashish Gandotra is a Chief Technology Officer for the Federal Civilian Solution Engineering team. Ashish is responsible for providing both internal and external technical leadership for civilian departments and agencies with the U.S. Federal Government. Ashish has over 25 years of information technology experience supporting the public sector industry. He is an established trusted advisor to many government executives and advises his customers on everything from running mission critical business applications on premise to complex enterprise modernization efforts to transition to the cloud.

Mike Karas Bio
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Mike Karas

Chief Enterprise Architect and Chief Data Officer

TSA

Mike Karas

Chief Enterprise Architect and Chief Data Officer

TSA

In March 2011, Mike Karas became the TSA Chief Enterprise Architect and Division Director of the Enterprise Architecture Division (EAD) in the Office of Information Technology. Prior to his current role, he served as Branch Chief for Architecture and Data Management. Since Joining TSA in 2002, he has served in different roles including supporting the hiring of all the TSOs during the standup of TSA.
Mike is responsible for enterprise architecture across all of TSA. Mike’s philosophy extends the traditional definition of enterprise architecture: Instead of the term “enterprise architecture,” he often refers to “architecture across the enterprise.” Mike’s vision for EAD at TSA is to deliver mission-driven architecture. Mike believes strongly in laying the architectural foundation that will support the mission by aligning people, process, technology, and information.

In August 2019, he was assigned the additional responsibility for standing up the functions of the Chief Data Officer (CDO) becoming the first CDO for TSA. Mike views data as being more valuable than gold and the element that drives all mission and business aspects of an organization.

Prior to Joining TSA, Mike held positions in private industry as the Director of Operations for Opion Inc. and Network Solutions Inc. While at Network Solutions he also served on the International Committee for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) root server system advisory committee.

Before going into private industry, he served as the Director, University Information Systems (CIO) at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences where he had the pleasure of supporting an international telemedicine project in collaboration with NASA and the Russian Space Program utilizing satellite technology. Mike has a M.S. from Syracuse University.

Calvert Smith Bio
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Calvert Smith

Director, Cloud Adoption

Centers for Excellence, GSA

Calvert Smith

Director, Cloud Adoption

Centers for Excellence, GSA

Calvert Smith has over 25 years of experience in the areas of tech innovation, cloud computing, cyber security, application development, business intelligence, project management, and vendor/contract management. At the IT Modernization Centers of Excellence, Calvert assists in IT modernization Cloud Adoption efforts with agencies across the federal government. His projects include analyzing current systems and applications to provide recommendations for planning cloud migration; and implementing cloud governance models incorporating best practices from both government and commercial areas that allow strategic oversight of cloud programs. Calvert earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Maryland and is a Federal Acquisition Certification Contracting Officer's Representative III. Calvert also holds a number of technical and professional certifications which includes the Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP) and Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP).

Noell Rebelez Bio
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Noell Rebelez

Cloud Services Program Director

Department of Labor

Noell Rebelez

Cloud Services Program Director

Department of Labor

Noell Rebelez is currently serving as the Cloud Program Manager for the Office of the Chief Information Officer at the U.S. Department of Labor. He is charged with building out the cloud environment for various Department of Labor agencies. Noell has been in the IT industry for 18 years, and has worked with various federal agencies such as the Department of Defense and the State Department. He is passionate about advancing the Department of Labor’s mission through the use of cloud and by migrating, modernizing and scaling the organization’s IT applications.

Ada Harris Bio
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Ada Harris

Enterprise Analytics Team Lead, Data Analytics Division

EEOC

Ada Harris

Enterprise Analytics Team Lead, Data Analytics Division

EEOC

Ada is the Enterprise Analytics Team Lead in EEOC’s Data Analytics Division. Prior to joining the EEOC, Ada served at the Department of Defense in the Office of People Analytics where she led and trained a staff of multidisciplinary researchers in using disparate administrative datasets to support total force readiness. As part of her portfolio, she worked very closely with many diverse clients within the Department of Defense including Military Program and Policy and the Office of the Under Secretary for Personnel and Readiness to use data to drive decisions for business problems. Between 2014 and 2016, Ada was a senior mathematical statistician at the Research, Surveys, and Statistics Center within the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) focusing on sampling and weighting for Workplace and Gender Relations Survey, Status of Forces Survey, and Workplace Equal Opportunity Survey. From 2010 to 2016, Ada held a survey operations position within DMDC. Her work efforts surrounded imputation techniques for missing data, ensuring the confidentiality of survey respondents, and monitoring and verifying standards and procedures for accurate data reporting to stakeholders. Ada received a M.S. in Statistics from George Washington University and a B.S. in Mathematics from the University of Maryland.

Sandra Paul-Blanc Bio
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Sandra Paul-Blanc

Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)

National Archives and Records Administration

Sandra Paul-Blanc

Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)

National Archives and Records Administration

Sandra has been the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for the National Archives and Records Administration since 2015. Before being selected as the NARA CISO, she was the Deputy CISO for 7 years. She has over 25 years of experience working successively in different Information Technology fields to include IT Security, Application Development, Network Administration, and Technical Project Management. She holds a Master's degree in Information Systems from the University of Phoenix, a Certification in Executive Leadership from Cornell University, and is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP).
Sandra has previously worked for several Department of Defense agencies, the Intelligence Community, and the Department of Treasury.

Jim Donlon Bio
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Jim Donlon

Government and Education

Oracle

Jim Donlon

Government and Education

Oracle

As Director of the Solution Engineering team, James helps lead a dedicated group of Oracle engineers as they help guide government and education organizations toward successful implementations.

Team members are experts in key domains including enterprise data management, business analytics, hybrid cloud strategy and cyber security. James has been with Oracle since 1997 working in a variety of individual and leadership roles, primarily in Government and Education. He hold a Masters degree from the Johns Hopkins University in Information and Telecommunications Systems and JD from Concord Law School. Key areas of interest include: Data Governance, Data Privacy, Ethical uses of AI and Machine Learning, and practical approaches to multicloud data sharing.

Darren Pulsipher Bio
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Darren Pulsipher

Chief Solution Architect for Public Sector

Intel

Darren Pulsipher

Chief Solution Architect for Public Sector

Intel

Darren is the Chief Solution Architect for Public Sector at Intel.  He works directly with governments and enterprise organizations such as IBM, GE, and Toyota to help them modernize their IT organizations. Through several executive and management positions (CIO, Director of Engineering), Darren has developed a unique ability to bring technology, people(culture), and processes together to provide real transformational change to organizations. He focuses on Data Transformation through Data Architectures, Workload Migration, Cloud-Native Application Development, Service Orchestration, and Hybrid Cloud Data Center Architectures. His research has resulted in 8 patents in Cloud and Grid computing infrastructures that have been used in companies to decrease product development lifecycle time through build, test, and deployment optimization, virtualization, and containerization.   Darren shares his passion for digital transformation on his weekly podcast "Embracing Digital Transformation." He is a published author with three books on technology and technology management and over 100 articles published in various industry trade publications.

Darren Grogan Bio
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Darren Grogan

Principal Solution Engineer

Oracle

Darren Grogan

Principal Solution Engineer

Oracle

As part of the Solution Engineering team, Darren is part of a dedicated group of Analytics specialists which help guide customers toward successful software implementations and cloud consumption.  As a specialist Darren's “hands-on” responsibilities are to help government and education organizations successfully deploy analytics type workloads. Darren has a deep knowledge in Oracle Analytics, data warehousing, and focuses on delivery of POC's and product demonstrations. Darren has been with Oracle since 2010 working in a variety of individual and mentoring roles, primarily in the Public Sector.

Past Speakers

Nitin Vengurlekar Bio
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Nitin Vengurlekar

Chief Technology Strategist

Oracle Government and Education

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Nitin Vengurlekar

Chief Technology Strategist

Oracle Government and Education

Nitin Vengurlekar is the Chief Technology Strategist for Oracle Government and Education, with Thought Leadership, Sales Enablement, and Full stack implementation architect, as the primary responsibilities. Nitin is recognized as a premiere thought leader within the Data Management community and is a well-known technologist in the areas of Multi-Cloud Strategy, Building Data Resilient Ecosystems, and High Availability Solutions.

Katherine Tom Bio
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Katherine Tom

Chief Data Officer

Board of Governors, Federal Reserve System

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Katherine Tom

Chief Data Officer

Board of Governors, Federal Reserve System

Katherine Tom is the Chief Data Officer of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors (Board). As the CDO, she provides the leadership and management to achieve significant enhancements in Board data and information management services by updating the Board's data strategy and closely collaborating with business lines.  She has brought with her extensive experience in enterprise data governance, data analytics, and operation management. She joined the Board in 2018 as the associate director in the Division of Monetary Affairs. Since then, she has worked extensively on enhancing the Board’s analytical capabilities by advancing its data and technological environments. Prior to joining the Board, Katherine was director of data and analytical solutions at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. She also served in various capacities in Freddie Mac, Deloitte & Touche, and other private organizations before joining the federal workforce. Katherine has a bachelor's degree in business administration from Peking University and a master's degree in economics from Johns Hopkins University. She is a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Mark J. Headd Bio
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Mark J. Headd

Consulting Engineer, cloud.gov, Technology Transformation Services

General Service Administration

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Mark J. Headd

Consulting Engineer, cloud.gov, Technology Transformation Services

General Service Administration

Mark is the former Chief Data Officer for the City of Philadelphia, serving as one of the first municipal Chief Data Officers in the United States. He currently works as a Consulting Engineer on the cloud.gov team as part of the General Service Administration's Technology Transformation Services (TTS). Mark has almost 20 years of combined experience working for federal, state, and local governments in the U.S, including one of the largest states in the nation and one of the largest cities. His work experience spans both the executive and legislative branches of government - he has worked as a policy advisor, a budget and tax analyst and as a government technology executive. Before joining the federal government, Mark served as the chief policy and budget advisor for the State of Delaware’s Department of Technology and Information. He has also served as Director of the Delaware Government Information Center, as a technology adviser to former Delaware Governor Thomas R. Carper, and in the New York State Senate as a budget and finance analyst. Mark has worked as a software developer for technology companies from the Delaware Valley to Silicon Valley building solutions that are used by state and local governments across the country. He also served as Director of Government Relations at Code for America, and continues to work closely with the organization on open government and civic technology projects around the country. Self-taught in technology and software development, he holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. He is a former adjunct instructor at the University of Delaware where he taught a course in electronic government in the School of Public Policy and Administration, and is a former instructor at Wilmington University where he taught a course in government finance.

Alexei Bulazel Bio
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Alexei Bulazel

Consulting Security Engineer

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure

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Alexei Bulazel

Consulting Security Engineer

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure

Alexei Bulazel is a Consulting Security Engineer with Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), and a computer security researcher and cyber policy expert with extensive experience in senior level cybersecurity roles across US government and the private sector. He has presented research at venues including Black Hat, DEFCON, and REcon, among others, and has published peer-reviewed papers at the USENIX WOOT and ROOTS. Alexei earned his MS and BS degrees from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) and is an alumnus of the RPISEC computer security team.

Brigadier General John M. Olson Bio
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Brigadier General John M. Olson

Chief Data and AI Officer

Department of the Air Force

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Brigadier General John M. Olson

Chief Data and AI Officer

Department of the Air Force

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Mark Tatum Bio
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Mark Tatum

VP, Cloud and Mission Technology

Oracle National Security Group

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Mark Tatum

VP, Cloud and Mission Technology

Oracle National Security Group

Mark Tatum has been working in and supporting the National Security community for over 25 years. He started his Career on CIA programs as a system engineer and software developer. Mark later became an early pioneer in UX management systems at the NRO.  Mark  then moved to Oracle Corporation to support mission through innovative technology.  Mark currently is the Vice President of Cloud and Mission Technology at Oracle Corporation for the National Security Group and supports innovative uses of cloud technology to meet some of our national toughest national security challenges.

Darren Pulsipher Bio
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Darren Pulsipher

Chief Solutions Architect, Public Sector

Intel

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Darren Pulsipher

Chief Solutions Architect, Public Sector

Intel

Darren is the Chief Solution Architect for Public Sector at Intel. He works directly with governments and enterprise organizations such as IBM, GE, and Toyota to help them modernize their IT organizations. Through several executive and management positions (CIO, Director of Engineering), Darren has developed a unique ability to bring technology, people(culture), and processes together to provide real transformational change to organizations. He focuses on Data Transformation through Data Architectures, Workload Migration, Cloud-Native Application Development, Service Orchestration, and Hybrid Cloud Data Center Architectures. His research has resulted in 8 patents in Cloud and Grid computing infrastructures that have been used in companies to decrease product development lifecycle time through build, test, and deployment optimization, virtualization, and containerization. Darren shares his passion for digital transformation on his weekly podcast "Embracing Digital Transformation." He is a published author with three books on technology and technology management and over 100 articles published in various industry trade publications.

George Jackson Bio
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George Jackson

Executive Producer

GovExec TV

Photo of George Jackson

George Jackson

Executive Producer

GovExec TV

George Jackson is director of events at GovExec – the largest and most-influential media company in the public sector marketplace. He joined the company in 2020 to enhance the scale of their events and audience experiences. In 2021, George launched GovExec TV (streaming video content) and received the company’s Entrepreneurial Spirit Award, part of their first- annual Icon Awards. George graduated from The Ohio State University in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in English. In 2006, he earned his master’s in broadcast journalism from the University of Maryland, College Park. George spent the first five years of his journalism career at WJHL-TV in Johnson City Tenn. – beginning as an overnight producer for the station’s 6 a.m. broadcast. He advanced to lead on-air reporter for WJHL’s 11 p.m. newscast. As a reporter, George examined the earnings of two non-profit hospital systems, felony charges filed against a local sheriff, predatory paving companies, a health benefits backlog for local veterans, and a series of cold-case murder investigations. He received an honorable mention for Best TV Reporter in the 2011 Tennessee AP Broadcast awards and won a Best Investigative Reporting award from Media General in 2010. George joined DC’s ABC affiliate WJLA-TV in 2012 to produce Capital Insider, which won him an Emmy award. One year later, he developed and recorded the pilot episode of Government Matters – a program about the business of government. It debuted as a weekly show on Sunday, August 4 th of 2013. George led Government Matters through September of 2020, expanded its reach to a daily worldwide audience, and produced its first feature-length documentary The Dawn of Generation AI. George is from Toledo, Ohio. He lives with his wife, twin daughters, and a pair of rescue dogs in Northern Virginia.

Gregory Little Bio
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Gregory Little

Deputy Comptroller for Enterprise Data and Business Performance

Office of the Under Secretary of Defense

Gregory Little Headshot

Gregory Little

Deputy Comptroller for Enterprise Data and Business Performance

Office of the Under Secretary of Defense

Mr. Gregory Little serves as the Deputy Comptroller for Enterprise Data and Business Performance, in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) (OUSD(C)), which he joined in 2015. He is responsible for assisting the Under Secretary of Defense Comptroller to improve enterprise-wide performance and data-driven decision making by accelerating digital transformation, process improvement, and the use of data and analytics. Mr. Little was the Director of the Chief Financial Officer Data Transformation Office (CDTO) for ODCFO. He was responsible for the Department of Defense (DoD) Financial Management Data Strategy and deploying a big-data repository to transform the use of DoD business data into decisions and actions. Mr. Little was the team lead for the Business Integration Office within the ODCFO prior to his promotion to the Senior Executive Service. In that position, he successfully led development of the DoD Financial Management Functional Strategy, defined the first DoD Financial Management data analytics vision and strategy for the DoD, and led a team of subject matter experts and technologists to develop the Notice of Findings and Recommendations database to support the DoD’s audit remediation strategy. Before joining the OUSD(C), Mr. Little served five years as the solution architect for the Defense Agencies Initiative (an Oracle enterprise resource planning system). In this position, he was responsible for implementing a single standard financial management system for the Defense Agencies and DoD Field Activities. Mr. Little successfully led the largest Oracle ERP Release 12 Technical Upgrade in North America. Mr. Little is a graduate of Bates College with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and studied abroad at James Cook University in Queensland, Australia.

Tamara Greenspan Bio
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Tamara Greenspan

Group Vice President and General Manager

Public Sector Applications

Tamara Greenspan Headshot

Tamara Greenspan

Group Vice President and General Manager

Public Sector Applications

Tamara Greenspan, General Manager Federal Public Sector Applications Tamara Greenspan is the Group Vice President and General Manager for Public Sector Applications. She is responsible for a team of account executives, solution engineers and business development leaders that deliver software solutions for complex business problems. The team assists the Federal Government, the International Agency community and Canada Public Sector with their digital transformation to realize greater business value through the adoption of the Oracle Cloud in areas including ERP, SCM, EPM, and HCM. Ms. Greenspan joined Oracle in 1989 and has held various sales and management positions within Public Sector. She has received numerous performance awards for achievement, including Oracle’s prestigious Leadership 2000 award chosen by her peers for sustained superior management and leadership success. She is the Community Leader for the Oracle Women’s Leadership (OWL) organization for the DC area and was awarded the 2014 Oracle Woman’s leadership award. This award recognizes exemplary leaders who significantly contribute to Oracle’s business results, model Oracle’s leadership attributes, and demonstrate support of OWL’s global mission. She currently serves on the AFCEA International Board of Directors Executive Committee, AFCEA NOVA Board of Directors, Homeland Security Defense Business Council Board of Directors, and is a Board Member of the Institute for Excellence in Sales (IES) Women in Sales Advisory Board. Ms. Greenspan received her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Bucknell University. She resides with her husband, Scott, and their three children in Maryland. Tamara enjoys her book club, spending free time with her family at the beach, and helping those in need. Tamara and her husband started a charity in 2000, KINDH (Kids In Need During Holidays – 5013c), which helps low income families by providing them gifts and food at the holidays.

Kamal Narang Bio
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Kamal Narang

Vice President and General Manager, Federal Health Sector

General Dynamics Information Technology

Kamal Narang Headshot

Kamal Narang

Vice President and General Manager, Federal Health Sector

General Dynamics Information Technology

Kamal Narang is vice president and general manager of the Federal Health Sector at General Dynamics Information Technology, where he manages a $1 billion organization with over 3,000 professionals. In this role, he oversees the strategic direction, growth, planning and performance of teams responsible for delivering mission- critical IT services and solutions to federal health agencies including the National Institutes of Health, Department of Veterans Affairs, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food and Drug Administration, Military Health System, Social Security Administration and others within the Department of Health and Human Services. With more than 25 years of experience in the federal health IT industry, Kamal has held various senior leadership roles within GDIT. Prior to his current role, he led the Federal Health Group for over 12 years at CSRA and SRA, now part of GDIT. Kamal has been recognized as a FedHealth IT 100 winner in 2021 and 2020; Minority Business Leader Award from the Washington Business Journal in 2020; and a Top 10 Health Exec to Watch by Washington Executive in 2020. He serves as a board member of the Professional Services Council (PSC), the Children’s Inn at NIH where he volunteers regularly and the WashingtonExec Healthcare as a council chair. Kamal earned a bachelor’s degree in physics and computer science from the University of Mumbai, a master’s degree in computer science from Johns Hopkins University, and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Maryland.

Chris Martin Bio
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Chris Martin

Director, Financial Management Systems Group

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Chris Martin Headshot

Chris Martin

Director, Financial Management Systems Group

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Mr. Martin, Director of the Financial Management Systems Group (FMSG) manages the Healthcare Integrated General Ledger Accounting System (HIGLAS), which is Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) financial system of record, which processes approximately 4.4 million claims daily and accounting for $1.5 trillion+ in outlays annually. He serves as the national expert on HIGLAS for as well as the focal point for operations, implementation, technical configuration and modernization, cyber security monitoring, business process re-engineering, and financial data systems. He’s a highly skilled leader with over 20 years of experience focused on delivering innovative quality solutions.

Donna Bennett Bio
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Donna Bennett

Chief Information Security Officer

U.S. Department of State

Donna Bennett Headshot

Donna Bennett

Chief Information Security Officer

U.S. Department of State

Donna Bennett was recently named Enterprise Chief Information Security Officer for the U.S. Department of State. She is the former Deputy Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at the U.S. Department of Commerce and former CISO at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), responsible for the unprecedented Identity Credential and Access Management (ICAM) integration of Personal Identity Verification smart cards for the Single Sign-On (SSO) access of all assets include derive credential within the FEMA Enterprise Network (FEN). As a security industry veteran, Ms. Bennett brings over 25 years of experience leading large enterprise information security architecture, policy, operations, and modernization. Prior to 2014, Ms. Bennett served in various cyber security leadership positions throughout the Department of Defense, to include the Department of Navy. Following her distinguished U.S. Naval service, she worked in industry as an Enterprise Network Architect, refurbishing networks while ships were awaiting their next deployment cycle. Ms. Bennett managed Cyber Security of the Unified Atlantic Region Network Operations Center at Naval Computer and Telecommunications Area Master Station Atlantic. She was the Senior Information Assurance Officer for U.S. Naval Forces Europe/ U.S. 6th Fleet supporting two combatant commands: United States European Command (EUCOM) (51 countries and territories) and United States African Command (AFRICOM) (53 African Nations) in planning and implementing the security of applications and networks in support of several Maritime Domain Awareness Programs. Ms. Bennett holds a Bachelor's degree in Computer Information Systems from Saint Leo University and Master of Science Degree in Information Assurance from Norwich University (NSA Center of Excellence). She is a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School Senior Executive Fellows, Executive Service Development Seminar, and holds various Technical and Cyber Security certifications. Her awards include the National Security Agency's Frank B. Rowlett Award, Joint Civilian Service Commendation, Civilian of the Year, the Federal 100 (2017), Fed Scoop Top 50 Women in IT (2016 and 2017), and GCN DIG IT Award for Cyber Security (2016 and 2017). In addition to her professional work, she serves as an Adjunct Professor at University of Maryland University College (UMUC) where she teaches Cybersecurity Management, Policy and Information Technology.

Robert Costello Bio
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Robert Costello

Chief Information Officer

Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency

Robert Costello Headshot

Robert Costello

Chief Information Officer

Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency

Robert (Bob) Costello’s most recent postion was as a Public Sector Civilian Strategic Advisor at World Wide Technology (WWT). In this role, he engages with federal government customers to identify and solve their most complex challenges, leveraging his extensive federal agency experience to develop and deliver innovative solutions that meet their needs and serve their mission. He is a proven federal IT leader, overseeing initiatives involving cybersecurity, agile software development, cloud migration, network engineering, mobility, data centers, and other cutting-edge technology in support of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) mission-critical areas.   Bob brings a wealth of experience serving over 13 years at DHS, both at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). He most recently served in the Senior Executive Service as the Executive Director (XD) of the Office of Information and Technology (OIT) Enterprise Networks and Technology Support Directorate (ENTSD) at CBP, as well as serving concurrently in the role of Acting XD of the Border Enforcement and Management Systems Directorate (BEMSD). During his tenure in ENTSD he oversaw the modernization of the largest data network in DHS, improved connectivity to cloud service providers, and dramatically increased the agency’s usage of mobility platforms. He also oversaw the agency’s movement to the TIC 3.0 framework and implemented zero trust solutions at the network level. He led the operations of the agency’s land mobile radio network, the National Law Enforcement Communications Center, and maintenance of the non-intrusive inspection systems utilized at all ports of entry. While in BEMSD he directed all software development for the U.S. Border Patrol, and all of the agency’s mission support systems, moving over 100 applications to a SECDEVOPS development methodology. He was also heavily involved in implementing IT solutions for COVID-19, redesigning remote access solutions and deploying several new applications. Earlier in his career, Costello served as the Deputy Executive Director (DXD) and acting XD for OIT’s Field Support Directorate (FSD) supporting information technology, radio systems, and enforcement technologies worldwide, as well as worked at ICE as the Director of Network Engineering overseeing networks worldwide and implementing solutions for mobility and datacenter migrations, e-discovery, and collaboration solutions. Costello is a nine-year veteran of the U.S Air Force and U.S. Air Force Reserves. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Organizational Leadership from Fordham University and is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and Project Management Professional (PMP)

James Donlon Bio
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James Donlon

Director, Solution Engineering

Oracle North America Public Sector

James Donlon Headshot

James Donlon

Director, Solution Engineering

Oracle North America Public Sector

Jim leads a dedicated group of Oracle Solution Engineers as they help guide our government and education customers toward successful software implementations. Solution Engineers are Oracle's “hands-on” experts responsible to help government organizations successfully deploy workloads in the modern extended enterprise. Team members are experts in key domains including: modern data management, analytics, cyber security and hybrid cloud deployment. Jim has been with Oracle since 1997 working in a variety of individual and leadership roles, primarily in the Public Sector.

George Jackson Bio
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George Jackson

Director of Events

GovExec Media

George Jackson

Director of Events

GovExec Media

George Jackson is the director of events at GovExec Media– the largest and most-influential media company in the public sector marketplace. George joined GovExec in October of 2020 to enhance the scale of their events and audience experiences. He graduated from The Ohio State University in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in English. In 2006, he earned his master’s in broadcast journalism from the University of Maryland, College Park. George spent the first five years of his journalism career at WJHL-TV in Johnson City Tenn. – beginning as an overnight producer for the station’s 6 a.m. broadcast. He advanced to lead on-air reporter for WJHL’s 11 p.m. newscast. As a reporter, George examined the earnings of two non-profit hospital systems, felony charges filed against a local sheriff, predatory paving companies, a health benefits backlog for local veterans, and a series of cold-case murder investigations. He received an honorable mention for Best TV Reporter in the 2011 Tennessee AP Broadcast awards and won a Best Investigative Reporting award from Media General in 2010. George joined DC’s ABC affiliate WJLA-TV in 2012 to produce Capital Insider, which won him an Emmy award. One year later, he developed and recorded the pilot episode of Government Matters – a program about the business of government. It debuted as a weekly show on Sunday, August 4th of 2013. George led Government Matters through September of 2020, expanded its reach to a daily worldwide audience, and produced its first feature-length documentary “The Dawn of Generation AI.” George is from Toledo, Ohio. He lives with his wife, twin daughters, and a pair of rescue dogs in Northern Virginia.

David Spirk Bio
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David Spirk

Chief Data Officer

Department of Defense

David Spirk

Chief Data Officer

Department of Defense

In June 2020, Dave was appointed as the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Chief Data Officer (CDO). In this role he’s been asked to standup the DoD’s Data Office and drive a strong focus on warfighter needs, data governance, and a data ready workforce to create a strong data culture across the department. In July 2018, Dave joined the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) as its first CDO where he was also dual hatted as the Director of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for U.S. Special Operation Forces (SOF). In this role he developed and implemented SOF’s Data and AI Strategies, established and opened USSOCOM’s Data Engineering Lab, and established partnerships with AI leaders in the commercial and academic space. In 2017 he was selected to serve as the Associate Director for Technology Investment at the Secretary of the Air Force’s Concept Development and Management Office. His primary task was to stand up and lead the DoD’s first training quality data production refinery for the DoD’s AI pathfinder, the Algorithmic Warfare Cross Functional Team (aka, Project Maven). Dave was previously the Deputy Director of Intelligence for operations at United States Central Command (USCENTCOM). Dave led the USCENTCOM J2's Divisions for Operations, Plans, Intelligence Surveillance, and Reconnaissance, and Foreign Disclosure/Special Security Office. He arrived at USCENTCOM in 2010 but quickly moved forward to Afghanistan where he served as the Senior Intelligence Advisor to the Commander of the International Security and Assistance Force. In 2008, Dave was selected by the Director of National Intelligence to stand up the Associate Director of National Intelligence for Afghanistan and Pakistan (ADNI Af/Pak) and then served as its Deputy and Chief of Operations. Prior to joining the ODNI, Dave stood up the United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) Intelligence Directorate’s Venezuela Division as a Department of Army Civilian. He was also the Strategic Planning Process' Mission Panel Chair for Ensure Domain Awareness. Dave is a former Marine who served across echelons at various east coast elements setting the stage for many deployments throughout the Balkans, Africa, and South Asia. As a member of Task Force-58, more specifically the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), he participated in the seizure of Kandahar Airfield and the reopening of the American Embassy in Kabul. Following his time in Afghanistan, Dave received orders to USSOUTHCOM where he deployed to Colombia numerous times and held various analytic/targeting positions before receiving an honorable discharge.

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Pat Mungovan Bio
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Pat Mungovan

SVP, North America Government and Education

Oracle

Pat Mungovan

SVP, North America Government and Education

Oracle

Pat Mungovan is the senior vice president for North America Public Sector technology sales, including cloud and license and customer engineering. In his current capacity, Mungovan is charged with leading a transformation across Oracle's Public Sector business. A 15-year Oracle veteran, he holds an MBA from MIT and a BA in Economics from Holy Cross.

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Safra Catz Bio
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Safra Catz

Chief Executive Officer

Oracle

Safra Catz

Chief Executive Officer

Oracle

Safra A. Catz has served as chief executive officer of Oracle Corporation since 2014 and a member of the company’s board of directors since 2001. She previously served as president of Oracle and has also served as the company’s chief financial officer. Prior to being named president, Catz held various other positions since starting at Oracle in 1999. She currently serves as a director of The Walt Disney Company and previously served as a director of HSBC Holdings plc.

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Lauren Knausenberger Bio
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Lauren Knausenberger

Chief Information Officer

Department of the Air Force

Profile Picture of Lauren Knausenberger

Lauren Knausenberger

Chief Information Officer

Department of the Air Force

Lauren Barrett Knausenberger is the Chief Information Officer for the Department of the Air Force, comprised of the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force. Ms. Knausenberger leads two directorates and supports 20,000 cyber operations and support personnel around the globe with a portfolio valued at $17 billion. She provides oversight of the Air Force’s Information Technology portfolio including the Information Technology investment strategy from networks to cloud computing, Enterprise policies, information resources management, IT innovation initiatives, information assurance, and related matters for the Department of the Air Force. As Chief Information Officer (CIO), Ms. Knausenberger delivers cyber security, and enforces Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act laws. She integrates Air Force warfighting and mission support capabilities by networking and securing air, space, and terrestrial assets. Ms. Knausenberger also leads career management initiatives for 10,000 IT/Cyber civilian personnel across all human resources facets from recruiting to professional development. In 2017, Ms. Knausenberger joined the U.S. Air Force to drive innovation across the Department of Defense, speed adoption of emerging technologies, and create stronger partnerships between DoD, start-ups, and the venture community as the Chief Transformation Officer and Director of Cyberspace Innovation under the Deputy Chief Information Officer. Prior to joining the Air Force, she was the founder and President of Accellint Inc., a consulting firm and Venture Partner with NextGen Angels, specializing in solving problems of national security importance, and investing in commercial technologies that could be applied to a government mission. As CIO, she continues to go after hard problems, calculates risk differently, and ensures to keep a constant pulse on the voice of the Airmen. Prior to her time as an entrepreneur and venture capitalist, Ms. Knausenberger held positions of increasing responsibility at American Management Systems and CACI, beginning as a systems analyst and designer, then as a go-to project manager for program turnarounds, a program manager for large IT and finance programs, and finally as a division manager overseeing much of the company’s Intelligence Community portfolio. During this time, Ms. Knausenberger had the pleasure of serving the mission of the CIA directly as well as leading and mentoring cross-functional teams and organizations supporting national security missions. Ms. Knausenberger earned a Bachelor of Science degree in decision and information sciences from University of Maryland and a Master of Business Administration from University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business.

Steve Orrin Bio
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Steve Orrin

Federal CTO

Intel Corporation

Steve Orrin

Federal CTO

Intel Corporation

Steve Orrin is Intel’s Federal CTO and a Senior Principal Engineer. He leads Public Sector Solution Architecture, Strategy, and Technology Engagements and has held technology leadership positions at Intel where he has led cybersecurity programs, products, and strategy. Steve was previously CSO for Sarvega, CTO of Sanctum, CTO and Cofounder of LockStar, and CTO at SynData Technologies. Steve is a recognized expert and frequent lecturer on enterprise security, He was named one of InfoWorld's Top 25 CTO's, received Executive Mosaic’s Top CTO Executives Award, was the Vice-Chair of the NSITC/IDESG Security Committee and was a Guest Researcher at NIST’s National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE). He is a fellow at the Center for Advanced Defense Studies and the vice-chair of the INSA Cyber Committee. Steve is a member of AFCEA, ISACA, OASIS, IACR, and is a Cofounder and Officer of WASC.

Ted Coyle Bio
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Ted Coyle

Government Mission Modernization and Business Value Architect

Oracle

Ted Coyle

Government Mission Modernization and Business Value Architect

Oracle

Ted is a Philly based, out-of-the-box-thinking, industry expert, and trusted adviser with experience across commercial and government sectors.  He brings a multi-cloud perspective to his current creative role within Oracle’s Government Mission Modernization team.  In his spare time Ted works with world renowned artists on creative projects, is an avid poet, musician, amateur astronomer, and Raspberry Pi enthusiast who enjoys modernist cooking for his wife and daughter.

Steven Hernandez Bio
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Steven Hernandez

Chief Information Security Officer

Department of Education

Steven Hernandez

Steven Hernandez

Chief Information Security Officer

Department of Education

Steven Hernandez, MBA, CISSP, CISA, CNSS, CSSLP, CDPSE, SSCP, CAP, ITIL Steven Hernandez is an information assurance executive serving the past twenty years in a variety of contexts and missions. His rich background includes law enforcement, financial, education, healthcare, credentialing, heavy manufacturing, non-profits, and governments at the federal, state, and local levels.  Steven’s experience ranges from the board room to leading tactical, day-to-day security operations as well as guiding and leading broad security initiatives such as the US government's Zero Trust Architecture approach across large and complex organizations. Presently he is the Chief Information Security Officer and Director of Information Assurance Services at the U.S. Department of Education.  Steven also serves as the co-chair of the US Government Federal CISO Council and Government Chair of the ACT-IAC Cybersecurity Community of Interest. Prior to his position at Education, he held a variety of roles at the Office of Inspector General, US Department of Health and Human Services including CTO, CIO, CISO, Senior Official for Privacy and Chief Services Engineering Officer.  He is an inaugural member of the United States Scholarship of Service Hall of Fame and an ardent supporter of the next generation of cybersecurity professionals through his teaching work as an Honorary Professor, Affiliate Faculty and guest lecturer at over a dozen Institutions of higher education.   

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Chris DeRusha Bio
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Chris DeRusha

Federal Chief Information Security Officer

Office of Management and Budget

Chris Derusha

Chris DeRusha

Federal Chief Information Security Officer

Office of Management and Budget

Chris DeRusha is the Federal Chief Information Security Officer in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Office of the Federal Chief Information Officer (OFCIO). He previously was the Chief Information Security Officer for the Biden for President campaign. Prior to joining the campaign in June 2020, he served as the Chief Security Officer for the State of Michigan. Mr. DeRusha has extensive experience managing cybersecurity and critical infrastructure programs and operations both in the public and private sectors. Mr. DeRusha led Ford Motor Company's Enterprise Vulnerability Management program and has over eight years of Federal Government experience working both at the Office of Management and Budget and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He holds a Master’s in Security Studies from Columbia University and a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from James Madison University.  

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Charles Clancy Bio
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Charles Clancy

SVP and GM

MITRE

Charles Clancy

Charles Clancy

SVP and GM

MITRE

Charles Clancy is senior vice president, general manager of MITRE Labs, and chief futurist. He is responsible for sparking innovative disruption, accelerating risk-taking and discovery, and delivering real-time technology capabilities and execution through the company’s laboratories, solution platforms, and MITRE Fellows program. He leads technical innovation to anticipate and meet the future demands of government sponsors and industry and academic partners. Clancy is an internationally recognized expert on topics at the intersection of wireless, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence. Before joining MITRE in 2019 as vice president for intelligence programs, Clancy served as the Bradley Professor of Cybersecurity at Virginia Tech and executive director at the Hume Center for National Security and Technology. There, he led Virginia Tech’s research and experiential learning programs in defense and intelligence. Clancy started his career at the National Security Agency, filling a variety of research, engineering, and operations roles, with a focus on wireless communications. He has co-authored more than 250 patents and academic publications, as well as six books. He co-founded several venture-backed security startup companies that apply commercial innovation to national security challenges. He serves as a member of the AFCEA Board of Directors’ Executive Committee, the AFCEA Intelligence Committee, the Intelligence and National Security Alliance Advisory Committee, the Systems Engineering Research Center Advisory Board, the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions NextG Alliance, the Center for New American Security Task Force on Artificial Intelligence and National Security, and the International Advisory Panel for Singapore Manufacturing, Trade, and Connectivity. He also serves on advisory boards at Howard University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina A&T State University, and Virginia Tech. Clancy holds a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a doctorate in computer science from the University of Maryland, College Park..

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Johnnie Konstantas Bio
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Johnnie Konstantas

Group Vice President, Cloud Engineering

Oracle

Johnnie K

Johnnie Konstantas

Group Vice President, Cloud Engineering

Oracle

Johnnie leads the Security Shared Services pillar of North America Cloud Engineering. Her team of deep security experts help cloud customers architect, deploy and run securely on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure.  Prior to Oracle, she spent more than 20 years bringing security  technologies to market, most recently for Microsoft’s Enterprise Cybersecurity Group. She has, in prior roles, led product, business development and marketing for industry leaders Gigamon, Juniper Networks, Varonis and Check Point software. In earlier years, she designed cellular infrastructure networks for Motorola Inc. Johnnie’s work has been featured in trade, business press as well as security conferences. Konstantas holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Main College Park.

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Perryn Ashmore Bio
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Perryn Ashmore

CIO

Department of Health and Human Services

Perryn Ashmore

CIO

Department of Health and Human Services

Ashmore provides leadership and oversight of the information technology (IT) systems and security activities for a workforce of more than 83,000. As the head of the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO), he leads the Department's efforts in developing and implementing IT policies, managing high priority projects, and planning strategic IT investments. Ashmore also provides leadership and oversight of the Department's $6.3B IT portfolio, which supports its expansive mission to enhance the health and well-being of Americans. In addition to being a US Air Force veteran, Ashmore's experience in hands-on IT management spans more than 30 years of Federal service His wealth of experience in policy, procurement, human resources, and technology solutions will compliment and support our efforts well, and ensure that OCIO will continue to deliver, grow, and empower HHS using technology.

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Glen Dodson Bio
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Glen Dodson

Senior Vice President and General Manager, National Security Group

Oracle

Glen Dodson

Senior Vice President and General Manager, National Security Group

Oracle

Glen Dodson is the Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Oracle National Security Group (NSG). An Oracle veteran since 1993, Dodson was charged with creating and leading a team to represent and advance Oracle’s commitment to the U.S. Intelligence Community in 2005. Today, the NSG team delivers cloud technology and applications, software, hardware, support and consulting services to the U.S. national security community. Prior to joining Oracle, Dodson held engineering and leadership roles at the National Security Agency, Booz Allen Hamilton and Concentric Technologies where he led the development and deployment of SIGINT systems. Dodson received his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from West Virginia University.

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Michael Joy Bio
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Michael Joy

Senior Director of Corporate Strategy

IDEMIA National Security Solutions

Michael Joy

Senior Director of Corporate Strategy

IDEMIA National Security Solutions

Michael Joy is a retired police captain and former commander of the New York City Police Department’s Strategic Technology Division, where he led the development and implementation of all public safety technology platforms, including sensor and video collection systems, law enforcement mobility solutions, and data democratization and alerting engines.  Michael previously served in patrol, crime analysis, intelligence, and counterterrorism roles, leveraging this subject matter expertise to found the IT transformation team that modernized the NYPD’s applications, systems, and infrastructure, bringing the Department into 21st century policing.  Currently, Michael is the Senior Director of Corporate Strategy at IDEMIA National Security Solutions, where he leads the company's technical and growth strategies, ensuring that business development, engineering, and delivery efforts are aligned and supporting the overall mission of the organization and the customers it serves.  Michael holds a Master of Science in Computer Information Systems from Boston University and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University at Albany, and is frequent speaker on public safety technology and a published author of situational awareness and data analytic research.

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Charles Kausch Bio
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Charles Kausch

Enterprise Technical Specialist

Intel Corporation

Charles Kausch

Enterprise Technical Specialist

Intel Corporation

Chuck Kausch is currently the Enterprise Technical Specialist for Intel’s Public Sector business for the east coast.  Chuck has been with Intel over 7 years focusing on Intel’s entire product portfolio – everything from client computing with AtomTM and CoreTM supporting Windows & the ChromeOS to the enterprise data center market supported by XeonTM , Intel’s industry leading SSD’s, OptaneTM storage & networking portfolio. Chuck comes to Intel from Hewlett Packard Company and their Federal business. Chuck was with HPE for 24+ years in various capacities, including Enterprise Architect, and focused on HP’s industry leading Business Critical Server architecture.  He has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physics from Loyola University in Baltimore.

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Swamy Kiran Bio
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Swamy Kiran

Senior IT Officer, Data and Information Management

World Bank Group

Swamy Kiran

Senior IT Officer, Data and Information Management

World Bank Group

Swamy Kiran is a Senior IT Officer, Data and Information Management at World Bank Group. His team is responsible for Data Engineering at World Bank Group (WBG) & International Finance Corporation (IFC) Treasury Portfolio. He has 25+ years of professional experience in Information Technology, Data Engineering, Cloud Architect, Database Management, Architecture, Infrastructure Standards and Governance, Strategic Planning, Middleware and Applications related technologies. His professional background covers mostly on Financial Services & Investment Banking Industry. He has authored Technology Papers, Speaker and Discussion panelist at International organizations, Central Banks, Oracle Open world, Users Group, IOUG Collaborate and other organizations. Recently, he has played critical role in implementing Oracle Exadata platform innovative solution as “Hybrid Cloud” PaaS for the WBG & IFC Treasury Oracle Database Infrastructure landscape.

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David Knox Bio
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David Knox

CTO

Oracle Public Sector

David Knox

CTO

Oracle Public Sector

David Knox is a world-renowned technologist with patents and multiple book publications with a specialty in computer security, data management and data analytics. Mr. Knox is considered a top innovator in leadership, critical thinking and organizational execution. Mr. Knox has worked in R&D Advanced Technology Labs and run world-wide organizations. Mr. Knox has spent over 20 years at Oracle Corporation. In that tenure, Mr. Knox was VP of National Security Solutions, built and ran Oracle’s first Solution Engineering organization, was Senior Technical Director of the Oracle Protected Enterprise & Security Business, and was Chief Engineer for Oracle's pioneering Information Assurance Center. David has published several books on Oracle Security. David has a BS in Computer Science from University of Maryland and a MS in Computer Science from Johns Hopkins University.

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Dr. Jim Kublin Bio
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Dr. Jim Kublin

Executive Director, HIV Vaccine Trials Network and COVID-19 Prevention Network

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

Dr. Jim Kublin

Executive Director, HIV Vaccine Trials Network and COVID-19 Prevention Network

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

Dr. Jim Kublin is an acclaimed global health expert who works on the development of vaccines and treatments for life-threatening infectious diseases including HIV, tuberculosis, malaria and COVID-19. As executive director of the Hutch-headquartered HIV Vaccine Trials Network, or HVTN, he coordinates its massive international efforts to test candidate vaccines. He plays a similar role for the COVID-19 Prevention Network, which since July 2020 has been managing large-scale testing of vaccines against SARS-CoV-2. His interest in global health was sparked when he was a 20-year-old volunteer working on malaria eradication in Nicaragua, where he contracted the disease himself. He became a doctor just as HIV/AIDS was emerging in American cities. Dr. Kublin has carried out extensive research in malaria and HIV in South America, Southeast Asia and Africa. In his role as medical director of the Hutch-affiliated Seattle Malaria Clinical Trials Center, he continues to oversee studies on new malaria drugs and vaccines. At Fred Hutch, his team in the Kublin Lab conducts preclinical studies of the effects of the microbiome on vaccines, focusing on how responses of the immune system are changed by interactions with specific microbes that live naturally in the gut of humans and animals.

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Dr. Rebecca Laborde Bio
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Dr. Rebecca Laborde

Master Principal Scientist, Clinical Innovation

Oracle

Dr. Rebecca Laborde

Master Principal Scientist, Clinical Innovation

Oracle

Rebecca Laborde received her PhD in Genomics with a focus on genome modulation and immune response to infection. She then continued her training at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, working with multiple clinical departments to integrate genomic studies into clinical research and clinical practice. For the past five years, Rebecca has supported strategy and Clinical Innovation within the Oracle Health Science Global Business Unit. Her diverse role allows her to support various collaborative research projects with leaders in the healthcare and life science industries. Most recently, Rebecca is helping to support Oracle’s fight against COVID-19 by participating in creating a health management platform to support the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in their efforts to address the pandemic and develop and deliver safe and effective vaccines.

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Todd Matters Bio
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Todd Matters

CTO

RackWare

Todd Matters

CTO

RackWare

Todd Matters, RackWare’s Cofounder and Chief Technology Officer, has years of technical experience in the computer industry. Prior to RackWare, Todd worked with QLogic and Unisys. He was a Cofounder, CTO, and Vice President of Engineering at InfiniCon, which was acquired by QLogic in 2006. Matters graduated with honors from Millersville State College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science and Mathematics.

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Dr. Edward Michelson Bio
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Dr. Edward Michelson

Professor and Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine

Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, Texas Tech University HSC

Dr. Edward Michelson

Professor and Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine

Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, Texas Tech University HSC

 

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Chris Pasternak Bio
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Chris Pasternak

Managing Director, North America Oracle Technology

Accenture

Chris Pasternak

Managing Director, North America Oracle Technology

Accenture

As the Global Oracle IaaS lead for Accenture, Chris Pasternak is responsible for Accenture's business related to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure and Databases. This includes developing new business and supporting Accenture's existing clients. Since the end of 2015, when Oracle really began its major IaaS push, Pasternak has owned the relationship between Accenture, its clients, and Oracle. He and his team spend a great deal of time developing solutions and assets that help clients move to Oracle Cloud more quickly and efficiently. As part of the Accenture Oracle Business Group (AOBG), Pasternak's team brings the best of Accenture's thought leadership around cloud, Oracle technology, and IT strategy. After executing more than 300 tests and dozens of new deployments on Oracle's Cloud Infrastructure, Pasternak and his team have published multiple points of view and two white papers. Additionally, Pasternak has spoken about Oracle technology, infrastructure, and the advancement of cloud technology at a variety of industry forums and events, including Oracle OpenWorld. He is also a member of Oracle's Cloud Advisory Board for Cloud Infrastructure.

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Dovarius L. Peoples Bio
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Dovarius L. Peoples

CIO

US Army Corps of Engineers

Dovarius L. Peoples

CIO

US Army Corps of Engineers

Mr. Dovarius L. Peoples was selected for the Senior Executive Service in January of 2016. He assumed the position of the Chief Information Officer (CIO)/ G6 in April of 2019 with the US Army Corp of Engineers (USACE). In this role, he serves as the principal advisor to the Commanding General on information technology issues. He is responsible for all aspects of information resource management and information technology for USACE. Prior to his current assignment, Mr. Peoples served as the Deputy to the Commanding General, U.S. Army NETCOM. In this capacity, Mr. Peoples provided senior technical leadership to ensure Army Theater level networks were integrated into the Army's portion of the Department of Defense Information Network (DoDIN) and enterprise constructs. The command employed over 14,000 military, civilian and contractor personnel located in every theater in 20 countries around the world and with an annual budget of in excess of $1.4 billion.

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Amro Shihadah Bio
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Amro Shihadah

Co-Founder and COO

IDenTV

Amro Shihadah

Co-Founder and COO

IDenTV

Co-founder & COO of IDenTV, an Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning startup with expertise in deep tech such as: Computer Vision, Automated Speech Recognition, Machine Translation & NLP. Targeting the Defense, intelligence, security and media industries. Amro is in the process of completing his Executive MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management.  As an entrepreneur, Amro strives to improve and create more innovative solutions to address complex problems. Amro thrives on being a pioneer, where emerging technologies meet real world problems. This method of applied AI is what drives the innovation done by Amro and the IDenTV team.

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Chak Susarla Bio
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Chak Susarla

Senior Director of Enterprise Business Systems, Office of Chief Information Officer

US Department of Treasury

Chak Susarla

Senior Director of Enterprise Business Systems, Office of Chief Information Officer

US Department of Treasury

Chak Susarla, currently working as a Senior Director of Enterprise Business Systems, Office of Chief Information Officer, Departmental Offices at Department of Treasury since August 2010. He is senior technology professional leader with 20 plus years of experience in leading and managing enterprise-wide IT services for large, complex organizations in Federal government and private sector. Experience in building and leading technology organizations with an emphasis on business applications and processes, project management, acquisition integration, operations. Before joining Treasury, he worked as IT consultant in Portland, Oregon for multiple customers including Nike, Intel, UPS, Boeing and multiple start-up companies. A trained engineer and computer science graduate, his career progressed from rank and file programmer engineer to executive roles in IT Industry. He earned his Executive M.B.A in 2005 from University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon and M.Tech in Computer Science from Osmania University, Hyderabad, India.

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Mike Sicilia Bio
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Mike Sicilia

EVP, Global Business Units

Oracle

Mike Sicilia

EVP, Global Business Units

Oracle

Mike Sicilia is Executive Vice President of Oracle's Global Business Units. In his previous role he was the Senior Vice President and General Manager of Oracle Construction and Engineering, the business unit that focuses on enterprise project and portfolio management solutions for asset-intensive industries. Sicilia joined Oracle as part of its 2008 acquisition of Primavera Systems and was named Senior Vice President and General Manager of that business unit in 2011. After Oracle’s 2016 acquisition of Textura, a leading provider of construction contracts and payment management cloud services, the Oracle Primavera global business unit was renamed Oracle Construction and Engineering. Prior to joining Oracle, Sicilia worked at Primavera Systems, joining the development department in 1993, where he worked as a programmer on the company’s flagship products. He was named Primavera’s Chief Technology Officer in 2006. As CTO, he set the technology direction for products and managed the global development team. Sicilia led the technical and product presentations and due diligence team that worked through the Oracle acquisition. He graduated from Saint Joseph’s University (Pennsylvania) with a BS in computer science.

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Julie Sweet Bio
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Julie Sweet

Chief Executive Officer

Accenture

Julie Sweet

Chief Executive Officer

Accenture

Julie Sweet is chief executive officer of Accenture and serves on the company’s board of directors. Prior to becoming CEO in September 2019, Julie served as chief executive officer of Accenture’s business in North America, the company’s largest geographic market. Previously, she was Accenture’s general counsel, secretary and chief compliance officer for five years. Before joining Accenture in 2010, Julie was a partner for 10 years in the law firm Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP. Julie serves on the World Economic Forum Board of Trustees and represents Accenture in a number of external venues, including serving on the board of directors for the Business Roundtable, where she chairs the Technology Committee. Julie is also on the board of directors for Catalyst and the board of trustees for the Center for Strategic & International Studies and the Marriott Foundation for People with Disabilities – Bridges from School to Work. In 2020, she was named No. 1 on FORTUNE’s “Most Powerful Women in Business.” Julie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Claremont McKenna College and a Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School.

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Mark Tatum Bio
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Mark Tatum

Vice President, Cloud and Mission Technology

Oracle

Mark Tatum

Vice President, Cloud and Mission Technology

Oracle

Mark Tatum has been working in and supporting the National Security community for over 25 years. He started his Career on CIA programs as a system engineer and software developer. Mark later became an early pioneer in UX management systems at the NRO.  Mark  then moved to Oracle Corporation to support mission through innovative technology.  Mark currently is the Vice President of Cloud and Mission Technology at Oracle Corporation for the National Security Group and supports innovative uses of cloud technology to meet some of our national toughest national security challenges.

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Scott Tesnow Bio
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Scott Tesnow

VP, Federal Consulting

Mythics

Scott Tesnow

VP, Federal Consulting

Mythics

Mr. Tesnow serves as the Vice President of Federal Consulting for Mythics. He has oversight for all Civilian and DoD programs. Mr. Tesnow has more than 20 years of IT experience including both Federal and DoD customers, with 15 years focused on implementing large scale Oracle programs. Mr. Tesnow has earned graduate degrees from the National Defense University and Villanova University. He is a Certified Federal Contract Manager, Project Management Professional, and holds several Oracle Cloud Certifications.

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Rand Waldron Bio
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Rand Waldron

VP Product Management

Oracle

Rand Waldron

VP Product Management

Oracle

Rand Waldron is Vice President of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Product Development. He is responsible for Oracle Cloud Infrastructure’s Global Government Sector team and leading the strategy, development and deployment of Oracle’s Dedicated Region Cloud @ Customer product line. Mr. Waldron is focused on ensuring that Oracle Cloud Infrastructure fulfills the unique needs of customers who require complete cloud solutions on their terms: in the premises of their choosing, or meeting government security and process requirements-- often disconnected from the internet—without compromising innovation, existing investments and future growth. Mr. Waldron joined Oracle in 2018. Prior to joining Oracle, Mr. Waldron was Deputy Assistant Director at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, responsible for the FBI’s enterprise software and data—including investigative and intelligence analytics, records and evidence management, large scale custom software development and business operations systems. Throughout his career at the FBI, Mr. Waldron was responsible for the delivery of many of the Bureau’s most critical systems, he helped drive the FBI’s migration to cloud, and he has a unique track record in harnessing technology’s power to enable the national security mission. Prior to the FBI, Mr. Waldron served at the United States Department of Justice. Before his government service, Mr. Waldron founded a start-up in the defense sector and was Director of Technology at venture capital funded technology company in California.

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Sam Yousef Bio
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Sam Yousef

Deputy Director, Defense Manpower Data Center

Defense Human Resources Activity

Sam Yousef

Deputy Director, Defense Manpower Data Center

Defense Human Resources Activity

Mr. Sam Yousef, a member of the Senior Executive Service, currently serves as the Deputy Director of the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC), an operational support organization reporting to the Director, Defense Human Resources Activity in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness.  DMDC is the premiere identity management provider for the Department of Defense and maintains a central repository of over 50 million records for military, civilian, retirees, family members, and selected contractors in order to authorize benefits and entitlements.     DMDC has over 300 employees and 800 on-site contractors working in Monterey, CA; Alexandria, VA; San Antonio, TX; or one of three satellite offices in Germany, South Korea, and Ft. Knox, KY. Additionally, DMDC supports the operations of over 2,000 sites issuing ID cards and over 300 bases using its base access control system around the world, a truly world-wide operation.  DMDC’s mission directly supports the security of DoD’s networks, facilities, and personnel across the enterprise for identification of potential fraud and abuse, personnel policies and programs, the delivery of the right benefit to the right person at the right time, and most importantly the DoD’s goal of a life-time relationship with its members and their families. Mr. Yousef began his civil service in 2011.  He previously served as the Director DoD Policy Support, where he had oversight of the DoD Identification (ID) Card Policy Office, the Law Enforcement Policy and Support Office, the Combating Trafficking in Persons Office, and the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services.   Mr. Yousef graduated from James Madison University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History.  He also holds a Master of Public Policy from George Mason University.

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George Jackson Bio
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George Jackson

Director of Events

GovExec Media

George Jackson

Director of Events

GovExec Media

George Jackson is the director of events at GovExec Media– the largest and most-influential media company in the public sector marketplace. George joined GovExec in October of 2020 to enhance the scale of their events and audience experiences. He graduated from The Ohio State University in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in English. In 2006, he earned his master’s in broadcast journalism from the University of Maryland, College Park. George spent the first five years of his journalism career at WJHL-TV in Johnson City Tenn. – beginning as an overnight producer for the station’s 6 a.m. broadcast. He advanced to lead on-air reporter for WJHL’s 11 p.m. newscast. As a reporter, George examined the earnings of two non-profit hospital systems, felony charges filed against a local sheriff, predatory paving companies, a health benefits backlog for local veterans, and a series of cold-case murder investigations. He received an honorable mention for Best TV Reporter in the 2011 Tennessee AP Broadcast awards and won a Best Investigative Reporting award from Media General in 2010. George joined DC’s ABC affiliate WJLA-TV in 2012 to produce Capital Insider, which won him an Emmy award. One year later, he developed and recorded the pilot episode of Government Matters – a program about the business of government. It debuted as a weekly show on Sunday, August 4th of 2013. George led Government Matters through September of 2020, expanded its reach to a daily worldwide audience, and produced its first feature-length documentary “The Dawn of Generation AI.” George is from Toledo, Ohio. He lives with his wife, twin daughters, and a pair of rescue dogs in Northern Virginia.

Connie Sayers Bio
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Connie Sayers

President

Government Executive Media Group

Connie Sayers

President

Government Executive Media Group

Constance Sayers is the President of Government Executive Media Group where she leads revenue and programs for all GEMG brands. As president, Sayers launched the Route Fifty brand and led all product development and design as well as marketing, audience and sales strategy for the award-winning, digital publication aimed at state and local leaders. Twice, she was named to Folio's "Folio 100" annual list of innovators for both 2014 and 2015 and their "Top Women in Media" for 2015. Previously, she served as publisher of Government Executive Media Group where she helped launch the Defense One brand. In 2010, she re-joined Atlantic Media to serve as vice-president of National Journal LIVE and one year later was promoted to direct the ad sales team. At National Journal, she developed the media company’s 2008 and 2012 Presidential Elections and Conventions programs including producing thirty-eight events and an award-winning mobile application. She also brokered all event partnerships with on-air talent from CBS News and ABC News. Her media experience includes leading the advertising, marketing, and events divisions at CQ/Roll Call and Government Executive where she received a Chairman’s Award for revenue growth. For years, she led the Excellence in Government Conference, the expansion to Excellence in Government West and was part of the team that founded the Service to America Medals (SAMMIES). In 2007, while at the Council for Excellence in Government, she teamed with with Gallup and Accenture to develop a "Health Care Town Hall" series in Detroit, Miami and Sacramento that was included as part of MTV's “Rock the Vote” Campaign. Prior to working in media, Connie led marketing and membership programs at such organizations as Big Brothers/Big Sisters, the Food and Drug Law Institute, the American Physical Therapy Association, and the American Society for Training and Development. She was the mid-night to six DJ for WMKX-FM commercial radio outside Pittsburgh for four years. Sayers has an M.A. in English from George Mason University and graduated Magna Cum Laude with B.A. in Writing from the University of Pittsburgh.

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