Speakers

Dr. Lynda C. Davis was sworn in as the Chief Veterans Experience Officer at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on January 20, 2025. In this capacity, she will again provide executive leadership of a high-performing and collaborative team to apply the proven capabilities of Customer Experience (CX) data, tools, technology, and engagement across the Department to accountably improve the lives of Veterans and their families, caregivers, survivors and to earn their trust.

Dr. Davis previously served as the Chief Veteran Experience Officer in President Donald Trump’s Administration. During her prior tenure, the VEO team led the VA’s hardwiring of the Customer Experience (CX) framework, implemented Department-wide VSignals surveys for real-time customer feedback, launched the White House VA Hotline, and published the CX Cookbook, which has become a whole-of-government model for government application of CX.

Before her VA service, she was the Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy (MCFP). At the Department of Defense, she also led the interagency initiative that improved case/care management for wounded, ill, and injured and transitioning service members in response to the Commission on Care for America’s Returning Wounded Warriors. This effort resulted in sustainable initiatives like the Recovery Care Programs and the National Resource Directory. Dr. Davis also addressed recruitment, retention, and retirement for sailors and marines as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Military Personnel Policy (DASN MPP) at the Department of the Navy.

Dr. Davis was the Executive Vice President of the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) and the Executive Director of the Military and Veteran Caregiver Network (MVCN) in the non-profit sector. In the private sector, she was the CEO of a service-disabled veteran-owned small business focused on national security, education, employment, and health care.

Dr. Davis served as an Army Signal Corps officer and is a former clinician at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center. She held faculty positions within the Departments of Psychiatry and Public Administration at the University of Southern California, where she earned a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) and a Master of Public Administration after receiving her Master of Arts in Community Clinical Psychology.  She has served on  the advisory board of the Student Veterans of America, the Veterans Advisory Council on Rehabilitation (VACOR), the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, the Virginia Wounded Warrior Program, the National Council for Adoption and numerous other Military and Veteran Service Organizations in support of the community she is honored to be part of and serve. Dr. Davis also served as the Vice-Chair for the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Military Service (DACOWITS).

Brian Epley has served in key executive leadership positions with the Environmental Protection Agency since 2016 and is currently serving as the Director of the Office of Information Technology Operations and Deputy Chief Information Officer within EPA’s Office of Mission Support. Brian is a seasoned professional with more than 25 years’ experience across public and private sectors and industries. Throughout his career, he has distinguished himself as an innovative change leader with the unique ability to deliver strategically aligned and mission-focused services.

Mr. John Hale is IT professional with over 30 years of experience in the Department of Defense and the Intelligence Community. He currently serves as the Chief of the Product Management and Development Office at the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) out of Ft. Meade, Maryland. He is responsible for developing the strategic and functional approach to cloud and hosting development and managing the agency's cloud-based solutions for the Department of Defense.

Key programs in his portfolio include the Joint Warfighter Cloud Contract (JWCC), the DoD’s private cloud solution “Stratus”, cloud hosting solutions such as “Containers as a Service” (CaaS) and the virtual data center in a cloud solution known as “Olympus”, and more.

A graduate of The University of Maryland, University College. Mr. Hale served in the United States Air Force prior to beginning his civil service career in the office of the Director of National Intelligence. In 2009 Mr. Hale moved to the Defense Information Systems Agency within the Department of Defense and has served roles such as Chief Engineer, Chief of Enterprise Applications, and Chief of Strategic Communications prior to serving in his current role as the agency's unofficial “Cloud Evangelist”.

Natalie Evans Harris is the State Chief Data Officer (CDO) for the State of Maryland, leading the Office of Enterprise Data​ (OED).​ Harris brings over 20 years of experience leading data initiatives and organizations; she is a trusted leader with experience designing, developing, and delivering solutions that have advanced responsible data usage across the public sector. As the State CDO, Harris leads the creation and implementation of a strategic data architecture and oversees data services for Maryland’s Executive Branch agencies.

Harris joins DoIT after serving as the Founding Executive Director (ED) at the Black Wealth Data Center, where she led data and product teams to create and implement a comprehensive data platform that helps the public and policymakers better understand and address racial wealth disparities in America. Additionally, Harris is reinforced by various technical and leadership experiences, including when she served as A senior policy advisor to President Barack Obama’s and President Joe Biden’s administrations, where she provided guidance and technical expertise.

"I am thrilled to have this opportunity to harness the power of data to innovate, streamline, and increase efficiencies across Maryland's government. As a 20-year resident, I love demonstrating the critical role of data in shaping our future and empowering individuals and organizations to make informed decisions in pursuit of data-driven excellence."

Thomas Meiron serves as the Assistant Commissioner of the Office of Centralized Acquisition Services (OCAS) within the Federal Acquisition Service (FAS), General Services Administration (GSA). In this role, he leads a growing team of over 350 acquisition professionals, spearheading the implementation of OCAS in alignment with Executive Order 14240 and OMB Memo M-25-31—initiatives focused on consolidating federal procurement to eliminate waste, drive cost savings, and improve efficiency across government. OCAS’s mission is to centralize the acquisition of common goods and services governmentwide, delivering measurable value for taxpayer dollars and enhanced service for federal agencies.

Thomas also serves as Executive Director and Senior Executive for the FAS 2.0 enterprise-wide reorganization, leading the transformation of FAS into five portfolios. He collaborates closely with internal and external stakeholders to modernize federal procurement through automation, alignment, and innovation. Under his leadership, FAS 2.0 strengthens centralized buying, streamlines acquisition processes, and enhances FAS’s ability to adapt to agencies' evolving needs—supporting national priorities such as security, economic resilience, and public protection.

Previously, Thomas Meiron served as Acting Assistant Commissioner for the Office of Customer and Stakeholder Engagement, leading a team of 250 employees and overseeing more than $50 billion in business volume through customer outreach, research, stakeholder engagement, and national account strategy to drive mission value and cost efficiency. Prior to that, he was the Executive Director of the Office of Account Management, where he led a team of 150 in developing enterprise-wide account management strategy, directing the Sales Engagement Process, and managing customer account planning to help deliver over $90B in products, services, and solutions that enable federal agencies to achieve their missions.

In 2023, Thomas served as Director of the Framing FAS for the Future (“F4”) Program, successfully realigning 1,200 employees into a centralized, customer-centric structure within a year. He built coalitions, worked with senior officials in GSA, and coordinated with external partners to minimize the impact of the realignment. The reorganization was successfully executed with minimal impact to agency operations and customer support.

Thomas served as Regional Commissioner for the Southeast Sunbelt Region of the U.S. General Services Administration December 2018 through 2023, where he led 160 employees providing supplies and services to federal and military customers across 4 offices: Personal Property, Assisted Acquisition Services, Customer and Stakeholder Engagement and Direct Client Support Division, representing more than $1.8 billion in revenue.

Previously, Thomas served as the Deputy Assistant Commissioner of the FAS Office of Enterprise Strategy Management. In this role, he coordinated the strategic and business planning, performance management and strategic communication activities. By working in tandem with the Office of the Commissioner and the FAS Leadership Council, he led the office to identify, evaluate and capitalize on strategic business opportunities.

With 18 years of overseas experience, Thomas supported U.S. military and diplomatic operations in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, as well as in Japan and Korea, fostering partnerships and enhancing GSA support in deployed and garrison environments.
Thomas holds a Bachelor’s degree in Russian Area Studies from Illinois State University and is proficient in, German, Russian, and French.

Barbara C. Morton assumed her current duties in July 2016 as Deputy Chief Veterans Experience Officer, Veterans Experience Office (VEO), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). In this role Barbara co-leads VEO, the Secretary’s customer experience (CX) insight engine supporting and enabling the Department in providing the highest quality experiences in the delivery of care, benefits and memorial services to Service members, Veterans, their families, caregivers and survivors. Barbara is responsible for building a lasting CX capability at VA and sharing best practices across sister Federal Agencies, including The Customer Experience Cookbook, which serves as a CX practitioner’s guide to stand up and mature customer experience capabilities in government. She is a recipient of the 2022 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Award for Management Excellence, 2021 Service to the Citizen Award for Government Executive of the Year, 2019 Service to the Citizen Award and the 2019 Gears of Government President’s Award for her role in transforming VA’s capabilities to provide Veterans with an excellent customer experience.

Barbara joined VA in 2006 as a Staff Attorney at the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board). She served the Board in a variety of other capacities to include Special Counsel to the Appellate Group, Special Assistant to the Vice Chairman, Executive Assistant to the Chairman, and Executive Director for the Office of Management, Planning and Analysis. While at the Board, Barbara stood up and led the Board’s Appeals Modernization OIT efforts, which included securing industry technologists from United States Digital Service to develop and launch new appeals platforms.

A native of Massachusetts, Barbara attended Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY, earning a degree in psychology and philosophy. After receiving her J.D. from Suffolk University Law School, Barbara completed two clerkships in the New England area and thereafter pursued an LL.M. in constitutional law at Georgetown Law. She has published a variety of law review articles, including two pieces relating to posttraumatic stress disorder.

Jeff Scofield is a Director of Solution Engineering at Salesforce leading a team focusing on Government Communications, Outreach, and Engagement solutions. In this role, Jeff and his team work across all public sector at Salesforce including State, Local, Federal, and Higher Education customers to recommend and craft communication solutions to meet public sector needs.