Speakers

Ms. Jessica S. Palatka is the Director of Human Resource Management and Chief Human Capital Officer (CHCO) and a member of the Senior Executive Service (SES), responsible for providing leadership, developing policies, and directing programs in all aspects of human resources and human capital management and administration for all bureaus of the Department of Commerce (DOC), covering nearly 58,000 employees located in all 50 states, every U.S. territory, and more than 88 countries. Ms. Palatka is a member of the Office of Personnel Management Chief Human Capital Officer Council Executive Steering Committee.

Concurrently, Ms. Palatka is an Adjunct Associate Professor for the University of Maryland, Global Campus, where she teaches undergraduate courses in Human Resources and Business. 

Ms. Palatka earned a Bachelor of Science cum laude in Management Science and Statistics, Decision and Information Technology in 2000 and a Master of Science in Human Resources Management in 2006 from the University of Maryland. Additionally, she earned a post graduate certificate from Cornell University in Human Resources in 2007. 

Previously, Ms. Palatka served as the Chief of the Human Resources Operations Center (HROC) for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Ms. Palatka also served as a Senior Leader (SL) while working as the Chief Human Capital Officer (CHCO) and Director, Human Resources Directorate (HRD) for the National Defense University (NDU). She also served as the Director of Human Capital Strategy for Sustainment for the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR). 

Ms. Palatka holds the Human Resources Certification Institutes’ (HRCI) certification as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) license. Ms. Palatka also holds a Level III certification in Life Cycle Logistics, a Level II certification in Program Management, a Level I certification in International Acquisition, and a Green Belt Lean Six Sigma Certification. 

Terry Gerton was named President and CEO of the National Academy of Public Administration in January 2017. The Academy is an independent, non-profit, and non-partisan organization, chartered by Congress to assist government leaders in building more effective, efficient, accountable, and transparent organizations.

Ms. Gerton brings to the Academy nearly 12 years in the Senior Executive Service as a career member and as a political appointee, and 20 years of service as an active duty Army officer. She has a broad range of experience in all aspects of public service management, and her expertise has been recognized with both the Distinguished and the Meritorious Presidential Rank Awards.

Most recently, Ms. Gerton served from June 2013 to January 2017 as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy for the U.S. Department of Labor Veterans’ Employment and Training Service where her work helped drive the national veteran unemployment rate to its lowest in eight years. While at Labor, she also led the Department’s Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

Prior to joining DoL, Terry spent 2 years as a Vice President at The Cohen Group, a Washington, DC consulting company. From 2003-2011, she served for eight years as a member of the Senior Executive Service in the Department of Defense. In her last position there, she was the Executive Deputy to the Commanding General of Army Materiel Command where she was responsible for the daily operations of over 70,000 civilian and 1,500 military employees around the world. Prior to that, she served as AMC's financial controller for three years. She also served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Program Analysis and Evaluation where she was responsible for executing all aspects of the development of the OSD Future Years Defense Plan and submitting the plan to Congress.

Ms. Gerton's twenty years of military service included a variety of staff and leadership positions, including the Executive Officer for the Army's largest battalion (a 1200-soldier corps support maintenance battalion at Fort Hood), Professor of Economics at the United States Military Academy, and Company Commander of a 300-person direct support maintenance company in Germany.

Ms. Gerton graduated from the United States Military Academy and earned an MBA from Duke University. She earned the Distinguished Presidential Rank award in 2011 and the Meritorious Presidential Rank award in 2008. She also received the Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service in 2011.

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As SBR’s Director of Government and Public Affairs, Mr. Briefel provides legislative and organizational representation to clients of the firm’s government affairs practice, including serving as Director of Policy & Outreach of the Senior Executives Association.

Mr. Briefel is frequently quoted in the media discussing legislative and executive actions impacting the functioning of the federal workforce and efficiency of the federal government. These media engagements include regular interviews with the Washington Post, CNN, Politico, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg BNA, PBS, Federal News Network, Government Executive, Federal Times, E&E News, FCW, and Government Matters TV.

He is a frequent speaker at trainings, conferences, and events. He has designed and managed a variety of professional development events, including the Presidential Rank Awards (PRA) Leadership Summit. The PRA Leadership Summit attracts over 500 federal and industry executives annually for panel discussions on the future of federal work and human capital management. Briefel coordinates the conversations with federal leaders, plans the panel discussions, and arranges sponsorship and development opportunities through the Summit.

Mr. Briefel serves as editor-in-chief of the FEDagent and FEDmanager newsletters. He created the FEDforum–a single platform within the publications that unites voices from across the federal community and elevates organizational priorities. Mr. Briefel is also a co-host of the biweekly podcast FEDtalk on the Federal News Network.

Mr. Briefel is a member of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) Public Policy Committee. He is a member of the Selection Committee for the Government Executive Government Hall of Fame.

Prior to joining SBR, Mr. Briefel worked in Congress for a member of the North Carolina delegation, interned with the DC-based think tank Third Way, and volunteered at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. He also served as a research assistant and project manager for the FireChasers, a collaborative research endeavor between the U.S. Forest Service and North Carolina State University.

Mr. Briefel holds a B.A. from the University of Richmond and an M.N.R. from North Carolina State University.

Mr. Briefel is on the Board of Directors for the Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund (FEEA), and previously served as Treasurer. FEEA is the only independent, nonprofit 501c3 organization devoted solely to providing emergency financial assistance and scholarships to our dedicated civilian federal and postal public servants and their families.

*Mr. Briefel is not an attorney and not engaged in the practice of law.

Calvin Byrd's career spanned 38 years with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the Office of the Vice President, specializing in security, emergency preparedness, and leadership programs.

Mr. Byrd is the former Senior Level Advisor for Physical Security at the NRC. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, he led enhanced protection measures for NRC facilities. He represented NRC on the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Interagency Security Committee (ISC) for over 15 years and served on a select working group of security experts that developed transformational security standards that are now mandated for federal facilities. Due to his extraordinary contributions to DHS, he is the recipient of two ISC Coin Medallions – the highest ISC recognition. In 2015, he earned NRC’s Meritorious Service Award.

Earlier in his career, he served as chief of FEMA’s physical security and led safeguarding measures for the Continuity of Government programs. As a special assistant to the FEMA Director, he assisted in the federal response to the horrific Oklahoma City bombing.

While serving on President Clinton’s National Partnership for Reinventing Government he led a team that evaluated national security and law enforcement issues and developed historic change management recommendations. He briefed Vice President Gore on the findings and received letters and certificates of commendation from the vice president.

Mr. Byrd is widely recognized as the "Go-to" expert advisor to senior-level federal and industry officials on complex and sensitive security, emergency management, and leadership issues. After retiring from NRC in 2016, he continues to be a confidential and trusted advisor to senior-level officials in government and industry.

Mr. Byrd is a renowned speaker on security and executive career development. In 2019, he was the graduation speaker at an ISC risk management training program ceremony at the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum. In 2020, he participated in a DHS video commemorating the 25th anniversary of the ISC. He has also served on panels for a Senior Executives Association Leadership Summit and the Presidential Management Alumni Association titled “Road to the SES: Insights from Federal Leaders.” He has spoken at the University of Maryland, Howard University, and Florida International University.

He has served as a member of the Board of Directors for the Senior Executives Association and the American Society for Public Administration. Since its inception in 2019, he has been a member of the Selection Committee for the Government Hall of Fame which was created by Government Executive to recognize individuals who have made historic achievements in service to the federal government and the American People.

Mr. Byrd is a graduate of the Excellence in Government Fellows program – the premier leadership development program for federal employees. He is a member of the American Society for Industrial Security, the International Organization of Black Security Executives, the African American Federal Executives Association, and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

He holds a B.A. in Criminal Justice from the University of Maryland. In 2014 his alma mater recognized him as a distinguished alumnus with an article titled "The Protector." He is the President and CEO of Counter Positions Consulting and is passionate about advising senior executives and coaching persons aspiring to achieve a Senior Executive Service position.

Brad Kistler is a seasoned HR transformation leader with over 20 years of experience driving business value through strategic workforce management and AI-powered innovation. As IBM's Federal HR Transformation Leader, Brad partners with clients to reimagine their HR operations, develop data-driven intelligent workflows, and reskill their workforce for the future. With a focus on improving operational efficiency and reducing costs, Brad has a proven track record of delivering tailored solutions that meet the unique needs of his clients. His expertise spans strategy development, enterprise-scale transformation project management, and shared service solutions. With a passion for harnessing the power of AI and data to drive human resources, workforce, and talent functions, Brad is dedicated to helping organizations thrive in an ever-changing business landscape.

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Before (re)joining GovExec in early 2022, Ballard Brown was an editor at NPR for nearly 14 years. During her first stint at GovExec, Ballard Brown contributed significantly to the company’s 9/11 coverage with commitment and empathy, reporting from lower Manhattan following the attacks. She is a seasoned editor with experience brainstorming and implementing digital features, managing reporters, producers and interns, crafting promotional text and social media pitches, and writing, editing and reporting for print, digital and radio. Projects she has edited have been awarded Peabody, Murrow and Gracie awards, among others.

Carten Cordell is the managing editor at Government Executive. Cordell has covered federal government, technology and acquisition for Federal Times, FedScoop, Washington Business Journal and Nextgov/FCW. An Alabama native, Cordell holds bachelor’s degrees in history and journalism from Auburn University and a master’s degree from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. His work has also appeared in USA Today, Writer's Digest and many other publications. He came to GovExec after a stint at Sage Communications, a marketing services agency that focuses on the government contracting market.

Before joining Government Executive in 2024, Sean Michael Newhouse covered House and Senate committees for four years at CQ Roll Call. There, he covered a wide range of issues but took a particular interest in technology policy. He is a graduate of the University of Dayton.