GovCIO Media & Research Podcasts

President Joe Biden's executive order on artificial intelligence tasks agencies with driving the safe, secure and trustworthy development of AI. The order notes that the technology, if harnessed properly, has the potential to transform privacy, cybersecurity and health care. Biden said that the order is "the most significant action any government anywhere in the world has ever taken on AI safety, security and trust." GovCIO Media & Research Managing Editor Ross Gianfortune, Staff Writer/Researcher Jayla Whitfield and Staff Writer/Researcher Anastasia Obis break down the executive order's pillars, how agencies are going to follow the White House guidance and how AI regulatory policy has evolved.

Good ideas can come from anywhere, including the millions of public servants in the federal workforce. The General Services Administration's 10x program invests in ideas from civil servants to improve government technology and better serve the public. Sites and projects like code.gov, login.gov and the U.S. Web Design System started from ideas funded through 10x. Unique to 10x is its venture capitalist-style funding model to steward these ideas, including applying lean development principles and funneling projects as the process moves forward. As funding for 2024 opens up, 10x Program Communications Lead Will Cahoe discusses the ways such a funding model can spur innovative change needed in government right now, the successes of the program and what other agencies can learn from it.

Behind large agencies like NASA is a backbone of technologists and shared services that enable the organization to seamlessly conduct its numerous missions that include those such as the high-profile Artemis and Moon to Mars. Shenandoah Speers, associate CIO of applications at NASA, has been on a mission of his own over the past five years to bring in scaled Agile frameworks that speed up its software development cycles and bridge the data among NASA's systems. We caught up with Speers at the recent Gartner IT Symposium in Orlando, Florida, to discuss the progress and lessons learned behind this effort, which led to efficiencies like speeding up the delivery cycle from 170 to 90 days. He also discusses the opportunities for innovative technology like artificial intelligence and automation and how they can enable NASA to create efficiencies and reduce costs.

The Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) at the Department of Health and Human Services leads the nation's medical and public health preparedness for all disasters and public health emergencies. After spending more than a decade at the Government Accountability Office, Brian Mazanec is taking on a new challenge as the Deputy Assistant Secretary and Director, Office of Security, Intelligence, and Information Management at ASPR. In the newly-appointed position, Brian will use his expertise in cybersecurity and conflict to ensure the healthcare ecosystem has critical infrastructure protection to combat cyber threats.

Last month, the Office of Management and Budget released a guidance on digital customer experience. The policy guidance sets policy recommendations for agencies to make digital government services "easy to use, trustworthy and accessible." The White House's corresponding fact sheet lays out successes, challenges and the future of digital government as it evolves. GovCIO Media & Research Managing Editor Ross Gianfortune, Staff Writer/Researcher Jayla Whitfield and Staff Writer/Researcher Anastasia Obis discuss the ways agencies can adopt digital government principles laid out by the White House.

The Defense Department recently released an unclassified summary of its 2023 cybersecurity strategy. The previously classified document was submitted to Congress in May. The document outlines updates to the department's plan to "operationalize the priorities" in cyberspace. GovCIO Media & Research Managing Editor Ross Gianfortune and Staff Writer/Researcher Anastasia Obis discuss what is inside the plan and what it means for the future of DOD's cyber posture.

The Air Force Research Laboratory, the hub of innovation for the Department of the Air Force, has created a new directorate that will improve business processes to enable faster research and better decision-making. Leading this Digital Capabilities Directorate is the newly-appointed Alexis Bonnell, who concurrently serves as AFRL's first CIO. She is now charged with making the digital dominance the service is working to achieve a reality. A longstanding federal and industry technology leader from Google, Bonnell discusses the impetus for the new directorate and how she is planning to adopt technology and best practices to speed up innovation and get the capabilities into the hands of military servicemembers more quickly.

The U.S Mint is the primary manufacturer of coinage in America. In 2019, the Mint produced more than 12 billion coins. As the sole producer of coinage, the Mint also creates additional markets to improve profitability. Chief Information Officer Francis O'Hearn overseas an IT budget of nearly $60 million and breaks down how his previous leadership roles have prepared him to succeed at the Mint. While O'Hearn understands the importance of emerging technology like artificial intelligence, he says keeping a human in the loop is critical.

The U.S. Navy has a keen interest on the space domain. This is where key technologies like spacecraft and ground-and-control stations play an integral part in passing on intelligence and other information about the world to U.S. military services globally. The Naval Research Laboratory's Naval Center for Space Technology is one of four research directorates, and the focal point and integrator for the lab's technology development used in space systems. Director Steven Meier breaks down some of the history in spacecraft development and how the center is prioritizing emerging areas like artificial intelligence and hypersonics that will advance the defense mission across all domains.

The leader behind Defense Department programs like "Hacking for Defense" returns to GovCast to break down the principles behind how large organizations can innovate at speed. This speed is often cited as being the critical pace needed at the Pentagon to stay ahead of the adversary across key issues in cybersecurity, IT modernization, data sharing and more. Steve Blank co-founded the Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation at Stanford University, which teaches the next generation of national security innovators. He also consults on innovation methods, processes, policies and doctrine across the national security sector. Blank discusses the ways government can learn from key partners in the private and academic sectors, and highlights the ways that a whole-of-government approach can help the Pentagon adapt to an ever-changing world.

GovCast turns 5! The first episode published Aug. 29, 2018, featured a wide-ranging discussion with Jose Arrieta, who at the time served as the Department of Health and Human Services assistant deputy secretary. In the five years since, GovCast has hosted many leaders across the federal government, academia and industry to discuss everything from modernization to health IT to artificial intelligence in government. To mark the podcast's five-year anniversary, GovCIO Media & Research's Alexander Bulova, Anastasia Obis, Jayla Whitfield, Ross Gianfortune and Amy Kluber discussed their favorite episodes of the podcast over the years. Featured interviews include IRS, GSA, NASA, FBI, Navy and more!

Government IT has so many specific words and phrases that it can seem like its own language. In a special GovCast, Production Lead Alexander Bulova acts as a quiz show host to test Staff Writer/Researcher Anastasia Obis and Managing Editor Ross Gianfortune on government IT jargon on the different phrases and words everyone needs to know to keep current on government IT news.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Assistant Commissioner and CIO Sonny Bhagowalia is a longstanding leader in federal government and industry. By trade, his roots are in engineering — which has largely shaped how he views technology's and especially artificial intelligence's impact across various government missions. With technology being pervasive in "everything we do," Bhagowalia breaks down where he sees AI helping the agency counter cyber threats, tag video and image data automatically, detect patterns and even reduce human exposure to dangerous situations. He describes how his office's "cloud first" and "mobile first" mentality is driving initiatives like digitalization, streamlining public-facing services and processing the 172 petabytes of data it handles every day. Plus, he discusses where industry partnerships are going to make a difference. In the future, he's excited about the potential for quantum safe and quantum processing, as well as a number of cybersecurity tools he's exploring to keep ahead of the changing tech landscape.

The latest reorganization of the Defense Innovation Unit is bringing together innovation arms under one umbrella at the Defense Department. Among these efforts includes a shift at the National Security Innovation Network (NSIN) led by Cheryl Ingstad — a longstanding leader who led initiatives in artificial intelligence innovation in the public and private sectors. In her new role as deputy director of digital platforms and developer ecosystem at DIU, Ingstad is focused on bridging the "valley of death" in defense technology programs by opening up more opportunities for startups and academia around the country to engage and do business with DOD. Ingstad discusses her military career and background that has led her to the now-growing efforts at the department to get technology innovation not only in the door, but also into operation for the defense mission.

There's been quite a bit of development around AI in the federal government over the past year. We take a look back at how various federal leaders from different agencies are grappling with its challenges and benefits to agency missions. Tune in for more insights featuring: Taka Ariga, Chief Data Scientist, GAO Frank Indiviglio, CTO, NOAA Keith Sonderling, Commissioner, EEOC Elham Tabassi, Chief of Staff, Information Technology Laboratory, NIST Dan Folliard, CDO, SOCOM

Vice Adm. Jeffrey Trussler is wrapping up his last months as deputy chief of naval operations for information warfare and director of Naval intelligence. He joins us to talk about the challenges that lie ahead of the Navy and the Defense Department at large in the cyber domain, as well as the importance of radio frequency spectrum to maintaining the Navy's information and intelligence dominance. Plus he reflects on the lessons learned from his current position and what's next for him.

Artificial intelligence is making big waves at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration when it comes to providing forecasters with more accurate weather data and climate modeling. NOAA CTO Frank Indiviglio said in addition to AI, the agency has been modernizing its edge-computing capabilities by sending devices equipped with sensors into the ocean to collect critical hurricane data. Indiviglio also highlighted NOAA's Open Data Dissemination Program, which is making it easier for the public to access weather forecasts.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)'s Criminal and Cyber Division in its Washington Field Office is putting itself in a position to better tackle the new cyber attack landscape that is growing evermore sophisticated with the widespread use of things like wearables and social media that threat actors are exploiting. This includes emerging threats like "cybercrime as a service." The office's Special Agent in Charge Wayne Jacobs, whose career as a law enforcement agent includes tackling violent crime and gangs, highlights these new emerging threats, how he's prioritizing the evolving threat landscape, and how he sees technology supporting field agents to identify and track targets as well as communicate instantaneously.

The Department of the Air Force recently released its zero trust and ICAM implementation roadmap, and now it is laser-focused on implementing different pillars of zero trust. While the technology is there, the amount of execution and coordination is enormous as the service works toward fully implementing zero trust by 2027. Air Force CTO Jay Bonci briefs how the service is planning to get to that goal, the relationship between zero trust and initiatives such as JWCC and JADC2, as well as his priorities for the year.

With artificial intelligence growing in popularity, there also is a growing interest in regulating AI to both protect American rights and ensure the technology is used and deployed fairly. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has an inherent interest in shaping policies and enforcing laws to ensure the American workplace remains fair for all. Commissioner Keith Sonderling, a lawyer by trade, discusses the legal and federal interests behind how the agency is focused on AI, including what policies are ahead and what is already out there for employers who might be employing AI in workforce and hiring decisions.

As Don Yeske is wrapping up his last days as the Navy's acting chief technology officer, he joins us to talk about how the Navy is working to transform its legacy global network systems to be able to move information securely anywhere in the world. Plus, he reflects on the lessons learned from his current position as he is preparing to step into a new position at the Department of Homeland Security.

NASA's Acquisition Innovation Launchpad (NAIL) is helping the agency make major progress in its procurement process by amplifying innovation and creating agile acquisition practices to get technology in more quickly. Technology at the agency means potential to support major space exploration programs like Artemis and Juno. Karla Smith Jackson, NASA's senior procurement executive and deputy chief acquisition officer, said NAIL, which was modeled after the Procurement Innovation Lab (PIL) at the Department of Homeland Security, gives the agency an opportunity to look at sole-source procurement as well competitive procurement and procurement strategy. As one of three authorities who can execute procurement policy on behalf of the government, Jackson details the importance of modernized acquisition practices to both manage risk and improve the customer experience.

As the Air Force bids goodbye to CIO Lauren Knausenberger, she joined us for a live podcast recording to discuss her perspectives on how she built an agile team that is primed to tackle the service's most pressing priorities around cybersecurity, software development, data sharing and more. Plus, she provides tips and tricks for succeeding in the defense industry, the highs and lows of her time at the Air Force, and how she's positioned the Air Force tech shop to continue its momentum.

Customer service continues to be a key focus for the Department of Education. As part of its Strategic Plan, the agency has fully executed the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act to provide millions of customers with ease of access to digital services. Tune in to this special update from Education CIO Luis Lopez about the progress made on digital services and other IT and cybersecurity priorities, including the implementation of zero trust architecture.

Cloud Smart is one of several initiatives underway to boost IT modernization at the Department of Homeland Security. This approach is not only helping DHS better manage and access data, it's also empowering the workforce to make decisions in their environments at a faster pace. DHS CTO David Larrimore has created a Chief Technology Officer Council that will restructure the CTO role to be more grounded in federal IT management. DHS has also leveraged the Cyber Talent Management System to hire a more diverse and high-tech workforce ahead of anticipated shortages.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science & Technology Directorate (S&T) welcomed a new head of information security in 2023. With over 25 years of experience in enterprise-level digital transformation across federal government, CISO Michele Thomas highlights some of the lessons learned throughout her career, what led her to the agency and how she plans to better secure critical information and systems, as well as advance her unit's security strategy.

Women tech leaders across government and industry gathered at GovCIO Media & Research's annual Women Tech Leaders Summit to discuss how to recruit more women for government tech jobs, market the government mission and government job perks more effectively, and inspire the next generation of women tech leaders through mentorship. This special episode dives into speaker insights from the Defense Department, VA, HHS, FBI and more.

A State Department-supported effort is bringing together powerful geospatial and satellite data visualization tools to document and assess the impacts of Russia's war on Ukraine. At the heart of the data behind this effort is Susan Wolfinbarger, team lead for State's Location-based Observations for Conflict Analysis, Trends, and Evidence (LOCATE) in the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations. Wolfinbarger details how her interests in geography led to her researching human rights and now supporting the evidence-making process at State as part of the Conflict Observatory. The public-private partnership, which includes entities like Yale Humanitarian Research Lab and Esri, aims to collect the evidence and data necessary for holding Russia accountable on the international stage for war crimes like torture, gender-based violence and starvation, as well as efforts to adopt and indoctrinate Ukrainian children. Wolfinbarger discusses the data layers behind some of the observations, and how these analyses and assessments inform future investigations following international documentation standards. Check out some of the data reports here: https://hub.conflictobservatory.org/

At the beginning of the year, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released its AI Risk Management Framework (AI RMF) along with an AI RMF Playbook and an AI RMF Roadmap to guide the future of artificial intelligence development. Chief of Staff of the agency's Information Technology Laboratory Elham Tabassi explains the framework's collaborative development and how it incorporates trustworthiness considerations into the design, development, use and evaluation of AI products, services and systems.

Data touches every aspect of IT, which makes the chief data officer a jack-of-all-trades. SOCOM CDO Dan Folliard is laser-focused on getting SOCOM data-ready for advanced data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI). He also discusses how data readiness improves an organization's overall cybersecurity posture.

In part two of this interview, National Energy Technology Laboratory's (NETL) Science-based AI/ML Institute (SAMI) Technical Director Kelly Rose discusses the foundational resources and workflows she's creating to enable access and partnerships for tech and AI tools. She details how open-source principles and security protocols will be key enablers to responsible AI for environmental missions in the research community.

The National Energy Technology Laboratory's (NETL) Science-based Ai/ML Institute (SAMI) is accelerating applied technology development for clean, efficient and affordable energy production. SAMI Technical Director Kelly Rose breaks down how the institute is using responsible AI in support of the Department of Energy's (DOE) environmental and social justice strategic objectives. Rose explains how NETL is democratizing access to data through the FAIR data principles and the Energy Data eXchange (EDX) platform.

The Marine Corps is undertaking largescale modernization of its technical capabilities. As Deputy Commandant for Information Lt. Gen. Matthew Glavy puts it, all capabilities cannot be executed without tech especially in an ever-changing environment. Glavy discusses the efforts around computing at the edge, the foundational standpoint of information ahead of the upcoming Marine Corps Warfighting Publication-8 and what all this means for cyberspace operations.

DISA's Hosting and Compute Center (HaCC) is addressing challenges to various cloud capabilities across the Defense Department. Part of this means enhancing the overall customer experience of acquisition and breaking down silos across teams. HaCC Customer Experience Lead Kayne Kreitzer talks everything CX, including the tools that are helping the community navigate the challenging environment of cloud computing and acquisition such as the Account Tracking and Automation Tool (ATAT) and the DISA Acquisition Package Preparation System (DAPPS).

The age of information superiority is more than cybersecurity. For Department of the Navy CIO Aaron Weis, it's the "golden requirement" to securely move any data from anywhere to anywhere, paving the way for programs like Project Overmatch in the Defense Department's JADC2 concept. Weis discusses the potential game-changing impacts to data as we know it with technologies like Starlink and emerging foundational AI, as well as how he's viewing these in the context of the Navy's approach to tech and "Cyber Ready" strategy.

As the Department of the Air Force prepares to release its own zero trust plan just three months after the Pentagon released a department-wide five-year zero trust strategy, Air Force CIO Lauren Knausenberger is focused on reducing technical debt and elevating software factories to bring the Air Force into the future. Software factories can play a role in the implementation of the Defense Department's Joint All-Domain Command-and-Control (JADC2) concept and integration of the recently awarded Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability (JWCC) contract. Knausenberger also discusses her career journey and advice for those interested in working in national security.

NIST and the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource Task Force recently released new AI frameworks, which dovetail with the White House's Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights and the Defense Department's Responsible AI Strategy. These AI guidance documents outline how to approach AI innovation in an ethical, responsible manner, but also how to develop AI algorithms effectively to meet mission needs. Join our editorial team to learn about how these frameworks and initiatives are impacting government services across civilian, defense and health agencies.

2023 will be a major year for the Department of Energy (DOE), which is in the process of implementing new investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. DOE is standing up 60 new programs, and aims to direct 40% of federal investments to underserved communities under President Biden's Justice40 Initiative. From her time as CIO for the EPA to her current role as Energy CIO, Ann Dunkin has been dedicated to sustainability missions. Dunkin breaks down what the future of clean energy will look like and discusses how the IT industry has an important role to play in catalyzing climate resilience.

Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) cloud leader Sharon Woods kicks off the new year with an in-depth conversation about the role Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability (JWCC) will play in various concurrent cloud modernization efforts across DOD. She also dives into her journey from law school to defense IT, and offers advice for young women pursuing tech and national security careers.

The National Science Foundation has a powerful mission to engage and promote innovation within the scientific community. Key to that is enabling a culture that centers around people, not just technology. A longstanding public service leader, CIO Dorothy Aronson says staying up-to-date with the latest technologies is critical to an agency's success. But getting there means having a flexible IT governance process while also prioritizing people's happiness. Aronson also highlights HOPPER, an innovation management group that she established to bring innovators together to share their ideas and offer support for one another.

Connectivity is an essential component to everything in our daily lives. 5G and Wi-Fi are key enablers for all missions including data access and sharing, data analytics, communication, file transfer, logistics and more. Both 5G and Wi-Fi have separate applications, but both are necessary to ensure seamless operations. ID Technologies and Dell Technologies are tackling this convergence opportunity in the federal government. Jim Rousseau and Chris "CT" Thomas join us to break down the differences between the two and what agencies need to know to integrate them both in an enterprise. This episode is sponsored by ID Technologies and Dell Technologies.

As the year comes to an end, we bid adieu to our beloved Flywheel Fridays. Join our co-hosts Deputy Editor Kate Macri and Staff Writer/Researcher Sarah Sybert as they reflect on the most memorable moments and headlines of the year, such as the passage of the PACT Act for veterans, the Defense Department's new zero trust strategy and more. We also discuss leveraging lessons learned from the show for new and improved episodes coming your way across GovCast, CyberCast and HealthCast in 2023.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is placing the veteran at the center of every digital service. With the expansion of benefits following the passage of the PACT Act and new tools like VA's Health and Benefits mobile application, customer experience plays a critical role in how veterans access their services. VA's Chief Experience Officer John Boerstler joins us to explain how his agency is listening to the veteran to develop successful digital services and build trust across the community VA serves.

It's been a busy year for the federal family as agencies accelerate IT modernization efforts. Join Staff Writers Sarah Sybert and Katherine MacPhail at the Thanksgiving dinner table for reflections on the outcomes of those efforts and what they're thankful for this year. They'll unpack major initiatives like automation, DEI&A in the workforce, cybersecurity, CX and climate resilience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs' first permanent Chief Data Officer Kshemendra Paul announced last month that he would be leaving VA to become the Department of Energy's new assistant inspector general for cybersecurity assessments and data analysis. Paul reflects on his time as VA CDO, including developing VA's Data Strategy and Roadmap, and left a few words of advice for his successor.

GovCIO Media & Research has been hard at work covering key events and conferences to keep you informed. Join Deputy Editor Kate Macri and Staff Writer/Researcher Sarah Sybert for our top federal tech takeaways on CyberSatGov, VHA's Innovation Experience (iEX) and FedHealthIT's Women in Leadership Awards. They'll dive into the latest trends around cybersecurity, satellites, encryption, health care innovation and the federal workforce.

The Department of Veterans Affairs recently launched its Vision 2022 strategy, which outlines how the agency will approach its widespread IT modernization and digital transformation. Longstanding leader in software and tech development who was behind salvaging HealthCare.gov, CIO Kurt DelBene discusses the agency's continued focus on transparency, the user experience and breaking down silos across the enterprise.

From 2012 to 2021, data center closures and optimization brought government an estimated 6.6 billion in cost savings and avoidances. Data center and energy management also play a key role in sustainability targets and the Biden administration's goal to hit net-zero emissions by 2050. General Services Administration (GSA) Director for the Data Center Optimization Initiative (DCOI) Thomas Santucci discusses the significant strides made by this program, which sunset from the Federal IT Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA) scorecard this past January after all agencies made an "A" grade.

A lot happened in federal IT over summer 2022. Join senior researcher Kate Macri and staff writer/ researcher Sarah Sybert for a recap of some of the top headlines you may have missed on vacation, including updates on the PACT Act, green IT acquisition, JADC2, federal leadership changes and more.

From streamlining digital services to incorporating plain language, the Education Department's Federal Student Aid (FSA) Office has been working to modernize processes and improve user experience for the 10 million students it serves every year. Margaret Glick, FSA CIO, dives into how her office is working with schools to enhance the aid process and strengthen cybersecurity practices. To sign up and receive FSA's new cybersecurity newsletter, listeners can email [email protected] Public service employees who work for a local, state, or federal government or work for certain non-profits, may qualify for special loan repayment waivers. For a limited time, student loan borrowers may be able to get credit for past payments that don't qualify under the normal PSLF rules. These temporary changes expire on Oct. 31. For more information, visit StudentAid.gov/PSLFwaiver.