The Government Huddle with Brian Chidester
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139 episodes
Marina Nitze, the former Chief Technology Officer of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the author of the book “Hack Your Bureaucracy: Get Things Done No Matter What Your Role on Any Team” joins the show to discuss some key takeaways people should know to help them navigate their organization in a more efficient way. We also talk about how she got started at the Department of Veterans Affairs, how to gain momentum in a program to increase adoption, and how you can become the ”queen on the chess board.”
Matt O'Neill, former Secret Service Deputy Special Agent in Charge of Cyber and one of the most decorated Agents in the history of the law enforcement branch joins the show to discuss the latest trends he sees across the government fraud landscape and how he sees AI changing the game. We also hear some stories about how he lured fraud criminals to the United States to be prosecuted and he shares some thoughts on how governments can position themselves into a more offensive posture in the fight against identity fraud.
Trevor Pawl, the nation’s First Chief Mobility Officer from the State of Michigan joins the show to talk about why he suddenly left his dream job to spend a year traveling the globe with his wife and kids. In our conversation we discuss struggles he had with balancing his career and his personal life and what he learned during his year-long sabbatical. We also tap into some of his government experience to talk about the future of mobility, sustainability and smart cities in Michigan and across the country plus some technology trends he sees coming over the next 25 to 50 years.
Rachel Weissman, Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder of Potential AI joins the show to discuss the impact that artificial intelligence will have in the public sector and the role of governments in equipping citizens for an AI-centric world. We also talk about AI trends to look for in 2024, we examine how AI mirrors and reveals societal biases and values, and debunk the myth of AI as a replacement while showcasing its role in enhancing human capabilities.
Mark Greene, former Navy SEAL and the author of the book Unsealed: A Navy SEAL's Guide to Mastering Life's Transitions joins the show to discuss his evolution from college athlete to college dropout, then from SEAL training to enlisted SEAL, and from sniper to civilian, which led him to discover the six predictable phases of transitioning. We also talk about his time at University of Southern California and how that changed the trajectory of his life today.
Jill Olmstead, Managing Director and Federal Health Industry Leader at Accenture Federal Services joins the show to discuss the latest trends impacting healthcare and what has changed since the pandemic. We also discuss the importance for organizations to become “future fluent” within their technology choices, examples of ways she is supporting federal agencies and we dive into her passion for supporting children and their families through an NIH program.
Charles Grindle, Ph.D, Former Chief Information Officer for the Commonwealth of Kentucky and Senior Advisor at ProofPoint joins the show to unpack and discuss the top ten priorities for State CIO’s revealed by the National Association for State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO). In our candid discussion we talk about the difference between digital transformation and modernization, why putting the citizen at the center of program development is changing the game, and the technology he feels should be a number one priority for CIOs.
Chris Hughes, Cybersecurity Thought-Leader & the President & Co-founder of Aquia joins the show to discuss some of the important things that public and private sector leaders and practitioners need to know going into 2024 around cyber. We also talk about programs including FedRAMP & CMMC, why security by compliance isn’t the best path an agency can take, and what should governments be doing right now to prepare for what AI is going to bring to the cyber landscape in the next few years.
Travis Howerton, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer of RegScale joins the show and allows us to jump into the head of a founder CEO to understand some of the challenges he faces and what he does to stay sharp. We also discuss his thoughts on the future of work, how his experience in government inspired creating RegScale, and what trends he is seeing in government that will impact 2024.
Brett Johnson, Former U.S. Most Wanted Cybercriminal, ”The Original Internet Godfather" and one of the leading authorities on cybercrime, identity theft, and cybersecurity on the planet joins the show to tell his story of how he went from being convicted of 39 felonies, being the leader of the first organized cybercrime community, Shadowcrew… to redemption, and how what he is working to stop individuals trying to do what he became the best at doing. We also discuss the ways that government organizations can protect themselves from cyber and fraud attacks and what organizations should have learned during the pandemic that can protect them today.
Melinda Rogers, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Information Resource Management & Chief Information Officer at the US Department of Justice joins the show to shed some light on what is it like being a digital leader in such a high-profile organization. We also talk about her approach to implementing a zero trust framework at her department, how she has seen the cybersecurity landscape over the past ten years, and she shares some advice for women leaders in the government technology space.
Charlotte S. Lee, the Industry Advisory Chair for Customer Experience at ACT-IAC and Strategic Lead for CX & Innovation at Granicus joins the show to discuss what type of mindshare she believes there is in government around CX and the growth that was catalyzed by the executive order around experience. We also talk about where the CX executive order fell short, some predictions for 2024 around experiences in government and tips for government leaders on how they can improve the service delivery today.
Danelle Barrett, Former US Navy Rear Admiral & Director of Current Operations at U.S. Cyber Command joins the show to discuss her book “Rock the Boat” and the lessons she has learned across her life and career. We also talk about traits that she believes good leaders must possess, what she felt like she learned from her mentors, and why her current battle with brain cancer has changed her perspective on life.
William D. Eggers, Executive Director of the Deloitte Center for Government Insights & Donald F. Kettl, Professor Emeritus & former dean of the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland, and the co-authors of the book “Bridgebuilders: How Government Can Transcend Boundaries to Solve Big Problems” joins the show to discuss their new model for a modern government that they introduce in the book and why the current model no longer works. We also talk about how incentive structures need to change to drive change in the public sector and they elaborate on the key tenets needed to become a “bridge-builder” in their opinion.
Jamie Grant, CEO and Co-Founder of RedLeif and Former State of Florida Chief Information Officer joins the show to unpack his time at the Florida Digital Service and what the priorities of state IT leaders look like in 2023. We also talk about his time in the Florida State Legislature and how that helped him during his tenure as CIO, his thoughts on collaboration across state leadership, and the best advice he has received across his career.
Jeremy Grant, Managing Director at Venable LLP and Jordan Burris, Vice President of Public Sector Strategy at Socure contribute to a conversation about digital identity in government including the type of measures and policies they are hoping will be put into any type of guidance around identity that comes down from the White House. They also talk about generative AI and how that technology is impacting identity, how IDv technology can bolster equitable access to services and what their hopes are for the future of government digital services.
Robert Shea and Adam Hughes, the Co-Founders of GovNavigators, join the show to provide insights and advice for those out there trying to navigate the impending government shutdown and current continuing resolution. We also have a talk about things in the Federal market that have surprised them lately, predictions on what might shock us next, and how committees like the CIO Council and others really helped and ways the private sector can (or shouldn’t) engage with them.
Maria Roat, former U.S. Deputy Federal CIO and CIO for the Small Business Administration, joins the show to dive into her military and civilian career in government and some of the lessons she has learned about people and transformation. We also discuss the evolution of the FedRAMP program, her role in creating government wide collaboration across agency C-suite leaders, and why collaboration is so important between CIOs and CTOs.
Matthew Thompson, Senior Vice President & General Manager of Public Sector at Socure and Former U.S. Army Ranger joins the show to discuss why he believes that America needs a new approach to digital identity verification in government. He also shares his unique September 11th story on the 22nd anniversary of the attacks and the leadership lessons he learned from serving under Gen. Stan McChrystal as a US Army Ranger.
Laura Stanton, the Assistant Commissioner for the Office of Information Technology Category (ITC), in GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) joins the show to discuss lessons learned around acquisition and procurement from the pandemic that have been carried into today. We also talk about what parts of the process she wants to change and how the IT Professional Services SIN can help accelerate procurements for the private sector partners working with government.
Megan Gallagher, Head of State and Local Government at WalkMe joins the show to discuss how the emphasis on CX at the Federal level has influenced State and Local governments to become more intentional about experience. We also talk about the importance of change management during the implementation process to support adoption, why data must be a tool that is used in that process, and why governments should be focusing internally on their employees to create better CX for their constituents.
Linda Misegadis and Scott Montgomery, the hosts of the Unconventional Guide to Success Podcast, hosted an interview with host Brian Chidester where they discussed his career in the public sector and lessons he has learned along the way. They also talk about some of the advice he would give to his younger self and who some of the most influential people have been in his life.
Elaine Beeman, Chief Leadership Officer at Accenture Federal joins the show to discuss her thoughts on what she believes are some of the top challenges for her Federal customers and how she is working to address them. We also discuss her responsibilities at Chief Leadership Officer, how she got into a career path that brought her to this position, and what trends are going to move the needle the most in this industry in the next few years.
Jennifer Pahlka, the former Deputy CTO of the United States, founder of Code for America & author of “Recoding America: Why Government Is Failing in the Digital Age and How We Can Do Better” joins the show to discuss why governments at all levels produce poor quality online services in the United States, that become quickly antiquated & cost of fortune. We also talk about how industrial-era culture limits government's ability to handle the challenges of the 2020s, the gap between the promise of the digital age and actual results, and she shares lessons from her time addressing governmental failure at the local, state, and federal levels.
Kathleen Featheringham, Vice President of Federal AI/Machine Learning, and Frank Reyes, Cloud Solutions Leader at Maximus joins the show to discuss the many ways that artificial intelligence can support IT modernization at an accelerated pace for government agencies. We also talk about the many government use cases for generative AI to drive efficiency, AI’s impact on the workforce, and how this technology can improve services, provide a better citizen experience, and increase cybersecurity postures in Federal agencies.
Lily Zeleke, the Deputy Chief Information Officer for the Information Enterprise at the Department of Defense joins the show to discuss her strategy as she has looked to modernize the DoD. We also talk about how he previous roles have prepared her for her current position at the Department and we dig into some of her main initiatives such as network optimization, cloud adoption, software modernization, and IT reform,
Anson Dorrance, the Head Women’s Soccer Coach at the University of North Carolina and former United States National Team Coach, joins the show to discuss how he implemented a data-driven culture of competition and teamwork and why he feels it has made his teams so successful. We also talk about how good leaders can push individuals to find their inner greatness, ways he manages to reinvent himself and motivate his team at the beginning of every season, and what has shaped him throughout his life that has gotten him to where he is today.
Daniel Chenok, Executive Director of the IBM Center for the Business of Government and a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration joins the show to discuss the latest trends in government innovation including a program the center has coined “Future Shocks,” which is looking at other events that could completely upend our way of thinking. We are also going to dig into his career in government and the IBM Center’s Anniversary Challenge Grant Program.
Joseph Lewis, Chief Information Security Officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) joins the show to discuss what the challenges of being in charge of security for one of the most high profile government organizations in the World. We also talk about his passion for leadership, some of his priorities for the organization, and how he sees the CISO evolving in the next few years.
Joe Toste, host of The Public Sector Show by TechTables recently hosted me on his show and I wanted to share that conversation with you. In the episode we discussed the trend of younger generations moving into leadership roles within government, the benefits of open-mindedness and empathy, and the impact of technology on recruitment and retention. We also explored the potential for emerging technologies to improve outcomes in the public sector and drive positive change and delved into the concept of getting 1% better every day, the value of compounding growth, and the importance of habits in achieving success.
