Speakers

Tim Ahrens is a civil service employee with the U.S. Department of State and currently serves as the Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Automation Team Lead in the Office of Application Design and Delivery. In one of his prior roles, he served as the Center for Analytics (CfA)'s Technical Lead. While in that position, Mr. Ahrens was charged with architecting and implementing an enabling technology stack to support analytics business needs. Mr. Ahrens has 15 years of experience leading IT systems development at the Department, supporting Consular Affairs and IRM. Prior to joining the Civil Service, Mr. Ahrens worked for Deloitte Consulting, where he led a team of 40+ contractors delivering IT systems development, IT project management, and testing/quality assurance services for IRM.

Mr. Ahrens received his Bachelor’s of Science in Management Information Systems & Decision Science from George Mason University. He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Information Security Support Professional (CISSP), certified scrum master (CSM), and is a certified federal IT security professional-manager (FITSP-M).

Forrest is a Senior Solutions Architect working as the Federal Partner Solutions Architect where he provides pre-sales engineering support for NVIDIA's partners in the federal ecosystem. He has a bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering and a master’s degree in electrical engineering. Prior to NVIDIA, Forrest was the Embedded Hardware & Processing Branch Chief within the US Army's C5ISR Center where he developed and deployed AI algorithms within tactical systems. Following that position, Forrest was a Senior Data Architect within Accenture Federal Services where he supported a variety of DoD & Intelligence clients with AI/ML deployments within enterprise environments. Outside of work, he enjoys board games, unique hot sauces, and spending time with his wife and two kids.

D.R. is the Senior Director of Global Advisory for the Americas at Equinix, focusing on strategy and messaging in support of some of Equinix’s largest customers and partners. ​

D.R. has honed his expertise in communications by frequently speaking at events and organizations across the country.  His topics and approach draw from his 20+ years of experience selling technology services and developing brand, messaging, and content strategies.  He continues to deliver keynotes on Digital Transformations as well as evangelizing the missions of the non-profit organizations in which he is involved.​

As the Vice President of Public Sector Growth at Equinix, Jim Gwiazda plays a pivotal role within the company, supporting agencies that leverage Equinix as the place where they come together, enabling the innovations that improve the quality of life for the citizens they serve and keep our nation safe. With over two decades of experience in the technology industry, Jim is committed to fostering a culture of change, innovation, and excellence in service to the missions that his organization supports.

He is a decorated veteran of the United States Army and served as a Non-Commissioned Officer in the Corps of Engineers. Jim holds a Master of Business Administration from The George Washington University School of Business and a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Northeastern University.

Chris “CT” Thomas, a dynamic Technical Director renowned for his expertise in cutting-edge technologies such as AI/ML, 5G Communications, Cyber Security (Zero-Trust), IoT, Cloud, and Digital Transformation initiatives. With an impressive 23-year tenure in the IT industry, including 15 years dedicated to shaping large enterprise architectures, “CT” consistently garners acclaim for his visionary leadership and innovative approaches in driving transformative IT programs that yield substantial business breakthroughs.

“CT” specializes in empowering organizations to leverage modular-based open systems engineering methodologies, propelling them towards tangible business and mission successes. His passion lies in bridging the gap between technology and business objectives, fueling enterprises to thrive in today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Beyond his professional achievements, Chris is an esteemed Active-Duty Navy Veteran, embodying the values of service and dedication. He is an active member of IEEE, with affiliations in prestigious societies such as the Communications Society, Technology & Engineering Management Society, and Systems Council, further enriching his contributions to the tech community.

Engage with “CT” in person or via LinkedIn, where his insights and expertise promise to inspire and enlighten audiences on the forefront of technological innovation.

Brian Epley serves as the U.S. Department of Commerce Chief Information Officer and Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer. Brian is a seasoned leader with more than 25 years’ experience across public and private sectors. Throughout his career he has distinguished himself as an entrepreneur and innovative change leader with the unique ability to deliver strategic value-add outcomes.

Brian previously served the U.S. Department of Energy as the Principal Deputy Chief Information Officer (2022-24), where he led the Office of the Chief Information Officer (CIO) and assisted the CIO in the formation of the office’s strategic direction for the protection and modernization of IT, cybersecurity, data usage, and digitization to serve the Department’s mission.

Brian previously served in key executive leadership positions with the Environmental Protection Agency (2016-22) including Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator, Deputy CIO, and Chief Technology Officer for the Office of Environmental Information. Prior federal and state government roles include:

Homeland Security Presidential Directive-12 Technical Director for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Information and Technology, and

IT Services Director serving the Commonwealth of Virginia Office of the Governor [for 3 terms], and the Virginia Information Technologies Agency.

Brian also held various leadership roles in the private sector at the Computer Science Company, Northrop Grumman, North Highland Worldwide Consulting, and as the founding President of Inter Solve-IT focused on enterprise transformation, research and development, IT, and enterprise operations. Brian’s experience spans the Healthcare, Hospitality, Retail, and Transportation industries.

Brian previously served on the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Business Society Board of Directors and Virginia State University IT Advisory Council Board of Directors. Brian received the Department of Veterans Affairs honor award for, “Getting to Green” on the President’s Management Agenda of Human Capital and the “Top 40 Under 40 Award” for service in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Brian holds a Master of Business Administration degree in International Business and a Bachelor of Science degree in Management Information Systems, from the Virginia Commonwealth University. Brian was also selected and worked as a Ph.D. candidate, Information Security Assurance at George Mason University’s Volgenau School of Engineering and Computing.

Dr. Sterling Thomas is GAO’s Chief Scientist in Science, Technology Assessment, and Analytics.

Prior to joining GAO, he was the Chief Scientist at Noblis, a Reston, VA-based research institute overseeing their applied research programs for the past 13 years. Sterling has also served as a principal investigator for research programs funded by the National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense, and Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity. His work has included creating new methods regarding synthetic biology, strategies for decoupling qubits for improving error correction in quantum computing, methods for using artificial intelligence to detect decentralized coordinated cyber-attacks, and network-based optimization algorithms to detect abnormalities in public equities markets.

He also worked with the institute’s executive council to develop their five- and ten-year research strategy. Sterling also served as the Deputy Chief Technology Officer and collaborated with the institute’s professional development department to create data science and cyber analytics training programs in partnership with George Mason University (GMU) and George Washington University. Additionally, he is an adjunct professor at GMU, sits on the Dean’s Advisory Board at GMU’s College of Engineering and Computing, along with sitting on Virginia Commonwealth University’s Center for Biological Data Science Advisory Board.

Sterling’s contributions have been recognized across industry including by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers for best paper utilizing machine learning methods in detecting breast cancer, and at his former institute where he received the Science and Technology Achievement award. He has also been awarded four patents and has multiple pending patent applications. Sterling earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Integrated Life Sciences from VCU, a Master of Business Administration from Columbia University, and Bachelor of Science from Old Dominion University.