GovCIO Media & Research Podcasts

When Air Force veteran Vaughn Noga started as CIO at the Environmental Protection Agency in 2018, he set out six "wildly important" goals. From building a cybersecurity-aware culture to going paperless, Noga breaks down each of those and explains how they are now more important than ever for EPA's environmental protection mission.

Army CIO Raj Iyer discusses his goals for 2022 IT transformation and why he believes data will be a critical asset to multi-domain operations. Iyer's plan is to democratize data for the next generation of soldiers. Part of that effort includes integrating artificial intelligence and associated talent, a challenge facing the Defense Department overall.

With a massive IT transformation effort, the longest tax filing season in history and a series of pandemic relief payments, IRS CIO Nancy Sieger talks how the current tech climate is leading to the agency bringing improvements to the taxpayer experience. Sieger's role at the agency has evolved immensely, but she has an intricate understanding of the customer service experience roadmap that the agency's tech push is aiming to navigate. Nancy discusses how she came into the role, how she's seen technology evolve and how upskilling is going to enable the workforce to push forth its modernization effort.

Federal employees have until Nov. 16 to apply for funding on new tech ideas as part of a new investment round with GSA's 10x. Administrator Robin Carnahan has had a prominent career in public service, one that has honed in on modernized technology and digital services to improve how government delivers. Early in her legal career, Carnahan worked to automate manual processes and overhaul citizen-facing services online. The former secretary of state of Missouri and GSA alumna discusses equitable and efficient technology efforts and how public servants can have skin in the game to get there.

The Department of Veterans Affairs' Deputy Secretary Donald Remy discusses his path in the military and to the agency, one he cherishes because of the role it has had in his own family. With the agency's key role in serving veterans after service through benefits and support, Remy updates GovCast on the achievements VA has made in electronic health records, vaccinations, pandemic support, overall tech modernization, claims processing and more.

Federal Communications Commission CIO Francisco Salguero reflects on his time in office as he departs for industry. Many of the initiatives he oversaw during his career included cloud migration, data center consolidation and even telehealth, as FCC had a hand in standing up telehealth grants during the COVID-19 pandemic. Salguero discusses the impact of technology on various regulatory and modernization programs for things like improving broadband access to underserved communities and improving digital services.

The IRS is amid a huge technological modernization push, and leading its Office of Online Services is Executive Director Karen Howard. She brings a customer-centric approach to her leadership of various initiatives that are impacting the overall taxpayer experience. This includes the business transformation around technologies like digital chat, easy access to data and, of course, security of that data.

The IRS is undergoing large tech transformation efforts, and one office key to that is the now year-old Enterprise Digitalization and Case Management Office co-directed by Justin Abold-LaBreche. He shares his journey to the agency from the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. military, and why he made these career pivots to technology. He also discusses efforts the office is tackling to improve the overall taxpayer experience with case management, automation tools in scanning files, and improved business processes.

With the onset of the pandemic came the urgent need to modernize government toward an increasingly digital future and build off past tech initiatives around cloud computing, artificial intelligence and digital services. Accenture Federal Service's Kyle Michl and Chris Copeland discuss the key areas to enable this vision using concepts like digital twins, virtual environments and data management. This episode is sponsored by Accenture Federal Services.

The Government Accountability Office's first chief data scientist stepped into the role with a mindset of helping agencies tackle their biggest challenges with technology. Taka Ariga discusses the recent AI Accountability Framework and how it can enable agencies to make their artificial intelligence efforts standardized and ready for the next audit.

Chief Procurement Officer Shanna Webbers is taking IRS' "One Team, One IRS" motto to heart — leading a team of contracting professionals to introduce innovative solutions like robotic process automation and AI to streamline workflows. Webbers discusses the importance not just modern tools, but also an inspired workforce has in bringing the agency to the next generation of tech.

International Trade Administration CIO Rona Bunn discusses standing up a new customer portal, virtual services and other support tools for businesses conducting international trade and exports. Bunn sees the power of technology and a modern workforce for ensuring the U.S. maintains fair trade through research and compliance of international law.

Despite the disruptions of the pandemic, processing claims and delivering benefits to veterans increased over the past year. Acting Under Secretary Thomas Murphy discusses the progress still ahead, including improvements to the GI Bill, digitization, automation technologies and more. Thanks to a career in the private sector, Murphy sees the importance of delivering services faster and sees great potential technology has in making that happen.

The National Cemetery Administration has been undergoing large modernization and expansion over the years. Largely influential to that has been current Acting Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Ron Walters. He discusses two key programs ahead of this Memorial Day allowing the public to learn about a veteran's life and leave tributes whether in person at cemeteries or digitally via the Veterans Legacy Memorial. Walters discusses the impact of technology on memorialization programs like these and how VA and NCA are positioned to continue to modernize toward a digital future.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' mission touches many facets of our lives. As Chief Data Officer Beth Puchek puts it, USCIS really is a data agency. With a background in mechanical and architectural engineering, Puchek discusses her fundamental approach to the agency's data strategy and how she is working to grow the concept of citizen development to make data more accessible, interoperable across other Department of Homeland Security agencies, and innovative to keep up with technology and manage risks.

Coming from an established career in the private cybersecurity sector across various startups, Rob Wood felt a calling to public service last year when he joined the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid as CISO. He is working to make security more accessible for all end users, who include more than just the security professional — lawyers and clinicians, too. One way CMS is doing this is by testing the "Batcave" to take a more unified approach to software development and cybersecurity.

Digital services veteran Dave Zvenyach, new Director of GSA's Technology Transformation Services — also a lawyer by trade — wants to make digital modernization easier for government. That means modern acquisition and evangelizing great tech practices. Zvenyach discusses the legal history that led to his public service, and how coding and lawyers coming together can bring meaningful change in IT.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has been undergoing an agency-wide modernization journey, with IT and data being supporting stars. Among the leaders behind these initiatives is Infrastructure Operations Executive Director Reginald Cummings, a veteran himself who came to the agency from the private sector. Cummings has a personal mission to drive change at VA, and he takes lessons learned in DevOps and innovative technology solutions to ensure veterans ultimately have timely and efficient access to benefits, services and communications with the agency.

The new Enterprise Digitalization and Case Management Office at the Internal Revenue Service, once just a procurement pilot, is incorporating innovative acquisition methods for technology and embracing customer experience principles to ramp up IT modernization efforts and reduce administrative burdens. Senior Advisor Mitch Winans, who helped stand up this office, discusses the progress made over the past nine months plus the partnership opportunities on the horizon.

The Food and Drug Administration has played a large role in the COVID-19 response and is also amid widespread digital transformation. Chief Technology Officer Vid Desai joined the agency two years ago and brings private-sector experience from the health technology industry. Desai observes the similarities of FDA's tech focus with those in his private industry experiences, discusses how he's driving change from a business perspective to meet the mission, and shares examples of how innovation in data can unlock efficiencies and opportunities for medical devices and the public.

An attorney by trade who saw opportunity to improve the lives of veterans nationwide, Veterans Experience Office's Barbara Morton applies human touches to all aspects of a veteran's journey with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Morton discusses the digital technologies and user-centered research her office applies toward the development and measurement of tools that support benefits, health care and internal processes at the agency.

In celebration of Black History Month, our HBCU Spotlight Miniseries aims to profile the impacts that historically Black colleges and universities have on health IT and the opportunities to bring that innovation to the federal government. John Rosenthall and Jen Johnson from the Tougaloo College Research and Development Foundation discuss the ways they are helping these institutions with the resources they need to bring technology innovation to the public sector.

A government acquisition leader, Florence Kasule is the U.S. Digital Service's new director of procurement. She returns to the agency after spending time at the Defense Digital Service and contracting at the Defense Department. Kasule candidly describes the state of government procurement and how relationships are key for federal agencies to bring smartly designed products and services to the American people.

Taking successes from the private industry to support government tech efforts is a widespread trend. With data, that's no different. Acxiom wants to take its experience in data practices in the commercial world to support government agencies in being able to make smart and actionable decisions for the public good. Vice President of Government and Public Sector Asya Smith and Chief Data Ethics Officer Jordan Abbott discuss the opportunities and ethical considerations for strategic data use. This episode is sponsored by Acxiom.

Indian Health Service CIO Mitchell Thornbrugh describes the opportunities that technology brings to Native Americans and Alaska Natives, who reside in geographically dispersed locations and are susceptible to ongoing health disparities. With a unique funding challenge at the agency, Thornbrugh advocates for improved digital support and awareness of health challenges.

With a strong attention to agency mission, Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Randy Reeves and Veterans Affairs CIO Jim Gfrerer discuss the initiatives behind the agency's digital endeavors that led to the creation of a digital memorialization platform, the pivot during the pandemic, a new financial system and more. The leaders look ahead at what this means for future technical developments for the National Cemetery Administration and beyond.

The Department of Education is undergoing a modernization journey that ramped up when CIO Jason Gray joined in 2016. Gray discusses the progress since then, which resulted in FITARA score improvements, cloud development, pivots during the pandemic and an increasing focus on data security to protect student and financial aid information.

Joe Stenaka's background in cryptology helps him strategize modern-day cybersecurity issues that Veterans Affairs continues to face. Data privacy, securing electronic health record efforts and integrating emerging technology for safeguarding information continue to be top priorities at the agency. Stenaka discusses how the workforce places a crucial role in security toward serving the nation's veterans.

With a NASA career that began with an interest in robotics and prior role as CIO at Langley Research Center, Acting CIO Jeff Seaton has a deep understanding of what it means to support the agency's numerous research and mission programs. Seaton discusses the importance the cloud has as the agency faces exponential increases in data collection and how the agency impacts daily life aside from space exploration.

Rep. Michael Burgess, chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce's Subcommittee on Health, discusses the pandemic's impact on various health technology initiatives like the 21st Century Cures Act and more. With telehealth likely to be a pivotal technology for American health care, Burgess explores the promise of health technologies on mental health, the economy and more.

As a microbiologist, Dr. Lloyd Hough from the Hazard Awareness & Characterization Technology Center at the Department of Homeland Security is leading research efforts during the pandemic to assist, inform and prepare the agency and public at large to best respond to the virus.

BARDA DRIVe Director Sandeep Patel brings health entrepreneurship to the agency, which is working to bring together leading experts to solve some of the nation's most pressing health and health security challenges. We discuss many of these efforts including having co-founded KidneyX and how ventures are helping tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.

CIO Lytwaive Hutchinson discusses how she took the values from her 21-year military career and applied it to her roles in public service. As FEMA maintains an important position for the nation's disaster response efforts, Hutchinson is ensuring its IT capabilities are supporting the agency's data analytics, supply chain, infrastructure and security services during the pandemic and beyond.

In an ever-connected world, quick access to information is always expected. For the U.S. military, this means ensuring personnel are able to upload and analyze aircraft data, order parts, communicate with each other, among other functions, within maintenance hangars and airports even in the most remote and austere environments. ID Technologies' Jeff Panebiano and Commscope's John McDonald discuss the technology behind connecting the nation's defense services. This episode is sponsored by ID Technologies and Commscope.

A U.S. Navy veteran, USDA Chief Data Officer Ted Kaouk was recently appointed chair of the newly created Chief Data Officer Council. He got his start at the agency working loans and grants for rural housing, broadband, utilities, and community facilities. Today he leads USDA's overall vision for using data as a strategic asset. Kaouk explains data's important role in government and how he sees the council tackling crucial priorities.

Karen Evans was newly appointed CIO at Department of Homeland Security. Her prior leadership stems from a start at the National Park Service and spans across many cybersecurity areas at Department of Energy and beyond. She discusses how she will tackle the initiatives ahead at the agency, including its data center consolidation, workforce upskilling and modernizing its network.

A U.S. Army veteran with a previous interest in the medical field and having a few successful various initiatives throughout his career at DOD at large, Defense Health Agency CIO Pat Flanders has a personal approach to the systems he manages for the agency. Flanders provides a close look at how he's approaching IT oversight of the health care delivery systems that serve the 9.5 million beneficiaries around the world under the Military Health System. This episode is sponsored by Dell Technologies and CDW-Government.

USDA CIO Gary Washington's career began in the Air Force. He then served in IT roles at various agencies including the Department of the Treasury, HHS and FDA. Washington discusses USDA being the "lighthouse agency" for GSA's Centers of Excellence and how it's influencing government at large in data management modernization and in using emerging technologies across its oversight in rural areas. This episode is sponsored by Dell Technologies and Iron Bow Technologies.

Wanda Jones-Heath calls herself a "unicorn" at the Defense Department. That's because she sees her stature as chief information security officer at the Air Force, among her 30-year career in government, as rare for women. She discusses progress the agency is making with bug bounties and how the current pandemic has presented opportunities for further modernization. She discusses why thinking about the branch on an enterprise level will spur efficiency and innovation in cybersecurity across DOD, especially with organizations like Kessel Run.

Serving at the Department of Homeland Security since its inception (and even before), Chief Procurement Officer Soraya Correa is innovating how the department buys solutions to enable its national security mission. Correa's contracting background at the department plus elsewhere led to initiatives like the Procurement Innovation Lab to innovate government's purchasing processes.

With a career that began with intelligence in the U.S. military, Rich Haley discusses the business and financial considerations of IT modernization and technology implications of the national security mission at the FBI. The Bureau has an important mission to collect, manage and analyze vast amounts of data to serve its workforce of investigators and technologists. Haley describes technology as being a "thread through that fabric" that allows the agency to collaborate and connect different threats proactively.

The Department of Veterans Affairs activated its "Fourth Mission" in response to the national emergency brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The department mobilized to support health care systems around the country and continued to support its veterans through increased technological capabilities including telehealth. Gfrerer discusses how the agency quickly pivoted its information and technology operations to respond to the crisis and how he sees recent advancements continuing to make impacts.

The importance of cloud-based solutions in human capital management functions like payroll and leave across government is an area many don't think about during times of crisis. Infor's Bragstad discusses one offering in use in government, GSA in particular, and how the solution enables government to streamline their digital modernization journeys especially during mass telework. This episode is sponsored by Infor.

The Centers of Excellence at General Services Administration aims to accelerate IT modernization by centralizing best practices across a number of focus areas. COE Director of Acquisitions Omid Ghaffari-Tabrizi and Director of Artificial Intelligence Krista Kinnard came to the agency with a mission to accelerate how government adopts AI. With backgrounds in both law and data analytics, the COE leaders are innovating around the technology and hoping other agencies harness its true potential.

Leveraging managed mobility services allows government agencies to implement technologies that help its workforce stay connected. For DMI, this function has landed them the top spot on a recent Gartner Magic Quadrant report. DMI Senior Vice President & Chief Digital Officer Michael Deittrick and President of Commercial Managed Mobility Services D.J. Oreb discuss this technology's importance in government to transform enterprises. This episode is sponsored by DMI.

With mass telework comes the need for better collaboration with teams. There has been an increased prevalence of collaboration and conferencing tools as a result. One tool from the private sector gaining momentum in government is Slack. Its head of customer trust and FedRAMP, Nick Hardy, explains how Slack is helping to bring government teams together and be more productive during this time.

Stuart McGuigan discusses the promises technologies like AI and machine learning bring to the State Department, whose tough job is to manage disparate systems around the world. Interest in such technologies are what shaped McGuigan's career in the private sector at various health companies. Plus, he discusses modernization efforts that started earlier and allowed the agency to easily transition to telework during the coronavirus pandemic. This episode is presented by Dell Technologies and Carahsoft.

Michelle Holko had made it a lifelong passion to explore innovations in health data analytics and bioinformatics. Currently detailed as a Presidential Innovation Fellow at the National Institutes of Health's All Of Us Research Program, Holko is working to better engage research participants and researchers. She discusses her background at DARPA plus emerging technologies, wearable devices, vaccine research and more — all incredibly important during pandemics like COVID-19's that government faces.

Raylene Yung co-leads a recent effort stood up by volunteer technologists to assist government in any work needed due to the coronavirus response. With a background at Stripe and Facebook, Yung believes a collaborative approach between government and the 2,000-plus volunteers that make up the U.S. Digital Response will ensure ongoing success to both continuing operations and fighting the virus.

Julie Dunne brings experience from Congress, the private sector and executive branch of federal government to her current role overseeing technologies and solutions that enable federal agencies to fulfill their missions. She discusses ongoing efforts with consolidating the Multiple Award Schedules, plus how her background in the legal field is contributing to her path in public service.