Speakers

Ms. Katherine “Katie” Arrington is Performing the Duties of the Department of Defense Chief Information Officer.  In this capacity, she serves as the primary advisor to the Secretary of Defense for information management/Information Technology (IT); information assurance, as well as non-intelligence space systems; critical satellite communications, navigation, and timing programs; spectrum; and telecommunications.

Prior to assuming this role, she served as the Deputy CIO for Cybersecurity. In this role she provided expert policy, technical, program, and defense-wide oversight support to the DoD CIO on all cybersecurity matters. She was responsible for leading the DoD-wide cybersecurity program, partnering with industry to improve cybersecurity and information sharing and represented the Secretary of Defense and DoD CIO in international discussions and negotiates on cybersecurity topics in both bilateral and multi-lateral (alliance and coalition) channels.

Before assuming her position as DoD DCIO(CS), Ms. Arrington was the Senior Vice President of External Affairs at Exiger, where she mobilized issues of universal consensus, including supply chain visibility, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and national security. She also ran for election to the U.S. House of Representatives for South Carolina's 1st Congressional District in 2022.

Theresa Kinney is the Deputy Program Manager/Director for Operations and Communications of the NASA SEWP Program Office. In this capacity, she oversees the SEWP Program’s daily operations, works NASA Headquarters on Policies and SEWP Trainings, and assists with SEWP’s outreach efforts.

Ms. Kinney joined SEWP in October 2001 and was the lead for implementation of a full-cost accounting and the establishment of the SEWP Program as NASA’s first Working Capital Fund. She took on the role of Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) for half of the SEWP Contracts in September 2012. In January 2016, Ms. Kinney took on additional COR responsibilities overseeing one of Goddard Space Flight Center’s large Administration contracts (GITISS).

A native of Montana, Ms. Kinney graduated with honors from Strayer University in Maryland. Following graduation, she continued her education at George Washington University and receive her Master’s Certificate in Federal Contracts.

Drew Myklegard is the Deputy Federal CIO of the White House tech policy office. He is responsible for driving technology modernization and improving mission delivery by ensuring over $87B+ in Federal IT spending is well managed.

Prior to joining the White House, Drew served as the Executive Director of Product Engineering at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Drew led the implementation of VA’s Lighthouse Application Programming Interface (API) Platform which enabled over 6 million veterans to securely share their health and benefits data with approved third parties -- revolutionizing how veterans manage their health care.

In addition to his public service, Drew is an active member of the Army Reserves and completed one tour in Iraq

Pete brings decades of experience in the development and adoption of technology services in both the private and public sector. He joined federal service in 2019 with the US Digital Service where he became deeply familiar with the complex web of laws, regulations, policies and standards that make deploying technology in government entirely different from the private sector.

Prior to public service, he led engineering teams that delivered internet based services at various size software companies. Outside of work, Pete likes to explore and has traveled across much of the world by motorcycle or other vehicles - he once turned down a reality tv show because it would limit his ability to just go where the road takes him.

Jessica Van Eerde is StateRAMP’s Chief of Operations, where she passionately represents and supports StateRAMP’s mission and its members. A seasoned leader with over a decade of experience working with State and Local Governments, as well as in the realm of Higher Education, Jessica brings a wealth of knowledge to her role.

Her expertise spans various domains, including law, procurement, and professional development. Notably, Jessica plays a pivotal role in the leadership of the TX-RAMP StateRAMP partnership, driving initiatives that optimize cybersecurity tools and resources for State, Local, and Education (SLED) organizations nationwide. Her dedication to advancing cybersecurity excellence is reflected in her strategic leadership and commitment to forging impactful collaborations.