The Census Bureau ramped up capabilities to enable the first digital decennial census in 2020. In the midst of that, the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the bureau to a telework environment. Now Census Bureau Deputy CIO Gregg Bailey highlights the data science modernization underway in analyzing 2020 data and gearing up for the next census to prepare the bureau for its important role it plays in federal funds allocation and economic projections.
Aug 01, 2022•26 min•Season 5Ep. 9
GovCIO Media & Research's second annual Women Tech Leaders event came back in-person this year. During the event, speakers explored the strides women are making in cybersecurity, data, customer experience, workforce issues and more. Senior researchers Kate Macri and Melissa Harris discuss highlights from the event and key takeaways.
Jul 15, 2022•18 min
With the 2022 Special Operations Forces Industry Conference in the books, Special Operations Command CIO Peter Tragakis discusses his tech priorities. This includes a look at how the command is moving to a hybrid-cloud environment securely and balancing legacy IT with new technologies amid a highly disparate and mobile ecosystem.
Jul 06, 2022•18 min•Season 5Ep. 8
The AI landscape is quickly moving as a collaborative effort across government. Staff Writer Katherine MacPhail joins Senior Researcher Kate Macri to unpack top takeaways from the AI Gov: Data virtual event. Topics include how to make AI research and infrastructure equitable and accessible while balancing privacy rights and civil liberties, as well as testing strategies for ensuring AI model accuracy and effectiveness. Featured perspectives include leadership from the White House, National Scien...
Jun 17, 2022•16 min
From hardware access to public health networks and responsible AI principles, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is working to shape effective programming that empowers its partners and breaks down digital divides. With over 25 years of international development experience primarily in sub-Saharan Africa, Chief Digital Development Officer Christopher Burns spearheaded the agency's first-ever digital strategy in 2020. Burns discusses USAID’s two mutually reinforcing objectives ...
Jun 07, 2022•30 min•Season 5Ep. 7
On the heels of SOFIC, our researchers brief us on some major developments in the federal IT space. Most notably, there is the formation of the Biden-backed ARPA-H at NIH to improve government's ability to speed biomedical and health research, and also the rollout of the Defense Department's new Chief Digital and AI Office. Senior Researcher Melissa Harris and Staff Writer Nikki Henderson break down what these updates mean.
Jun 03, 2022•14 min
USSOCOM S&T Director Lisa Sanders discusses her funding and program priorities and why she thinks she has one of the top five jobs in the entire Defense Department.
May 19, 2022•21 min
Director Ryan McLean discusses his modernization strategy for the Tactical Assault Kit, a map-based software application connecting USSOCOM, other U.S. military services and allied partners. TAK is critical for effective, efficient communication in warfighting scenarios. McLean's plan could launch the product center to software factory status under the Defense Department's new software modernization strategy.
May 19, 2022•22 min
The State Department is at the forefront of many international affairs, supporting American interests and values abroad. Behind the scenes, however, is a team that provides the IT infrastructure, cybersecurity and solutions that support those diplomatic activities. We talk with State CIO Keith Jones to dive deeper into what those IT activities and modernization priorities are, as well as how State is looking to meet its IT goals through bold contracting opportunities.
May 03, 2022•33 min•Season 5Ep. 6
With the fiscal year 2022 budget finalized last month, why not look ahead? Our senior researchers break down key components of the Biden administration's proposed FY 2023 budget, including increases in spending for DOD, VA, IRS, DOJ and more. We'll talk cybersecurity, customer experience and infrastructure.
Apr 15, 2022•16 min
Federal agencies typically pursue contracts and engagement with industry vendors to produce solutions for different mission areas, but what if the barrier to entry to helping agencies overcome challenges was lowered? Today, we dive into the General Services Administration Technology Transformation Service's Challenge.gov and CitizenScience.gov initiatives to learn how the platforms are allowing agencies to engage with the public at large to present their problem areas and receive crowdsourced so...
Apr 12, 2022•44 min•Season 5Ep. 5
Social Security Administration maintains and administers the benefits and records of tens of millions of Americans nationwide for retirement payments, as well as benefits for disability and survivors. With the growing eligibility pool over the next decade, IT modernization is imperative. Agency veteran Sean Brune discusses the agency's immense changes he's seen over his career and how he sees emerging technologies and directives impacting what’s to come around digital services.
Mar 30, 2022•25 min•Season 5Ep. 4
The 2022 HIMSS Conference in Orlando offered many exciting insights into the future of health IT. Senior Researcher Melissa Harris and Staff Writer Sarah Sybert were on the ground and now provide their top five takeaways from the conference. Topics include change management, APIs, interoperability, synthetic data, and expanded telehealth to combat future health crises.
Mar 25, 2022•25 min
Live from HIMSS, Former Department of Veterans Affairs CIO James Gfrerer discusses the importance of bridging business perspectives with tech-minded federal leadership. He reflects on his time in the role, some surprises he uncovered along the way and the importance of partnerships in technology modernization.
Mar 16, 2022•17 min
Measuring how new technologies are succeeding in health care require a more purposeful approach. Ryan Vega, chief officer of the Office of Healthcare Innovation and Learning at Veterans Health Administration, discusses a new framework that is helping health-focused developers create personalized tools incorporating more automation and streamlined workflows.
Mar 15, 2022•19 min
One of the most promising capabilities set to impact health care is the application of artificial intelligence in all areas of the health care ecosystem. Lead coordinator of the Department of Veterans Affairs AI Tech Sprints, Rafael Fricks, joins us from HIMSS to talk how his tech sprints are improving data collection and predictive heath care for vets.
Mar 15, 2022•17 min
Our senior researchers are on the virtual red carpet for the first annual Flycademy Awards! Celebrate the year in federal IT with categories like Zero Trust Advocate of the Year, the FITARA Award, Cloud Thought Leader of the Year, and more.
Mar 11, 2022•15 min
It’s an exciting time for electronic health records, especially for the Department of Veterans Affairs. Its notable EHR program went through a reorganization over the past year. Joining us from the new EHR Modernization Integration Office is Acting Deputy CIO Laura Prietula who will be instrumental in communicating with on-site staff about the system. But before this role, she’s had a longstanding career at VA. She briefs us about the organization's new priorities and how she is approaching her ...
Mar 10, 2022•23 min•Season 5Ep. 3
It's tax season, and senior researchers Melissa Harris and Kate Macri are here to guide you through the latest developments at the IRS. Topics include IRS Free File, cybersecure procurement, and our favorite winter Olympic sports.
Feb 25, 2022•14 min
In this inaugural episode of Flywheel Friday, senior researchers Kate Macri and Melissa Harris react to GovCIO Media & Research's AI Gov: Future Workforce event. Topics include telework and recruiting, misconceptions around automation and AI, and the true meaning of DevSecOps. Featured perspectives include Veterans Affairs’ Todd Simpson and Gil Alterovitz, CISA’s Martin Stanley, Defense Digital Service’s Scarlet Swerdlow and Red Hat.
Feb 11, 2022•13 min
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.
Feb 02, 2022•22 min•Season 5Ep. 2
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.
Jan 26, 2022•32 min•Season 5Ep. 1
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 te...
Nov 18, 2021•24 min•Season 4Ep. 25
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 a...
Nov 13, 2021•20 min•Season 4Ep. 24
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.
Nov 10, 2021•21 min•Season 4Ep. 23
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 ...
Oct 22, 2021•19 min•Season 4Ep. 22
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.
Oct 14, 2021•27 min•Season 4Ep. 21
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 ...
Oct 05, 2021•29 min•Season 4Ep. 20
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.
Sep 08, 2021•23 min•Season 4Ep. 19
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.
Aug 11, 2021•26 min•Season 4Ep. 18
