Speakers

ERICA L. DRETZKA, Director of Data Management and Analytics Infrastructure, Department of Defense

Erica joined the Office of the Department of Defense (DoD) Chief Data Office (CDO) in August 2021 after a decade as a data scientist, working with the federal government during the most recent five years. As the principal data scientist to DoD CDO, Erica is developing oversight to DoD’s analytic foundation, bridging tactical, operational, and strategic analyses.

Leveraging her background in personnel, readiness, and other governmental agencies, Erica serves as the DoD CDO’s interagency liaison in addition to outreach internal to DoD. Particularly in her responsibility for analytic infrastructure, she is focused on identifying and linking the various assets demanded by a healthy analytic ecosystem. She is actively collaborates with both internal and external analytic partners to establish data sets and techniques used, analytic contributors, and research questions asked.

Prior to joining DoD, Erica worked for Booz Allen Hamilton leading data science teams. During her eight years with Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, she acted as the liaison between actuaries and insurance sales representatives, gaining experience in translating highly complex modeling to operational practitioners to inform decision making. She has been called an old-school data scientist.

Erica is a graduate of Boston College and Babson College. She lives in Alexandria, VA.

Mr. Preston C. Dunlap is the Chief Architect of the Department of the Air Force. First to hold this position, Mr. Dunlap is charged with working across the Air and Space Force, and in partnership with the Department of the Navy and Army, to transform technology development and acquisition so the Air Force not only designs, develops, and buys the right mix of future capability but does so more rapidly and with the power of interoperability. Key family of systems initiatives include Multi-domain Operations, Advanced Battle Management System, and Next Generation Air Dominance. 

Prior to this position, Mr. Dunlap was the Executive for National Security Analysis of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, the nation’s largest University Affiliated Research Center. There he oversaw national security defense and intelligence programs at all levels of classification and managed an extensive and diverse organization of program managers, technologists, analysts, and operators. He led programs in support of the Vice President of the United States, Cabinet Secretaries, the Secretary of Defense, and the Director of National Intelligence. Mr. Dunlap served on the corporate Executive Leadership Team of the Laboratory. At the request of Congress, he also testified before the full House Armed Services Committee. 

Before joining the Laboratory in 2014, Mr. Dunlap was a career member of the Senior Executive Service and served four Secretaries of Defense. He held the roles of Director of Program Analysis, Chief of Staff to the Senate-confirmed Director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation, Senior Analyst for Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) and Space Programs, and Deputy Director of the Simulation and Analysis Center. He shaped the Department of Defense five-year multi-billion dollar budget plans as well as associated Intelligence Community and National Nuclear Security Administration plans. 

Mr. Dunlap led the Long Range Strike Front End Assessment and started the B-21 bomber program as well as future weapons, hypersonics, intelligence, electronic warfare, and communications capabilities for Secretary Gates and Secretary Panetta. He served in a lead role of the Strategic Choices and Management Review for Secretary Hagel where he identified options and risks required to meet the Budget Control Act that would reduce the budget by over $50 billion per year. He also participated in the 2006, 2010, and 2014 Quadrennial Defense Reviews. 

Prior to government, Mr. Dunlap held various roles in the private sector as an early member of a rapidly growing technology startup company as well as an agile software development firm. 

He earned a Master of Science degree with honors in Operations Research and Management Science from George Mason University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in both Computer Science and Political Science from Duke University. Mr. Dunlap is Lean Six Sigma certified and is a graduate of the Harvard University National Security Senior Executive program and the Federal Executive Institute and served on the Board of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Seminar XXI program. Mr. Dunlap’s awards include the Secretary of Defense Medal for Meritorious Civilian Service and multiple citations of both the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service and Secretary of Defense Award for Excellence. 

Mr. Tim Kosky is the project manager leading the effort to modernize the Department of Defense’s largest distribution center.  DLA Distribution Susquehanna provides over nine million square feet of covered storage space with the Eastern Distribution Center accounting for 1.8 million.  The EDC is the primary receiving, processing, storage, and shipping facility for the enterprise.  It processes over 25 percent of DLA Distributions total receipt, storage, and issue of materiel worldwide, equating to over 15 million transactions annually.

As the project manager for this effort, Tim’s goal is to oversee the implimentation of new equipment and software systems that will keep the EDC relevant and productive for the next 30 years.  His responsibilities in this role include working with industry leading suppliers and integrators to develop the state of the art distribution center that allows DLA Distribution Susquehanna the ability provide the right supplies on time to the customer.  Another expected outcome of the modernization effort will be audit readiness and inventory accountability.  DLA takes stewardship of the taxpayer’s dollars very serious and will ensure proper accountability of supplies and effective use of funding to support the EDC Modernization project.

Tim brings to his position a well-established background in leadership and the ability to oversee and manage large scale projects.  Prior to taking on the project manager position, he was the Logistics Support Services Branch Chief at DLA Distribution Susquehanna and oversaw many Research and Development initiatives as well as developing a robust maintenance plan to keep the existing equipment operational.  He also developed future plans for exectution of Capital and Non-Capital equipment funds to procure systems and equipment to enhance the operations of the EDC.  Tim received the DLA Distribution Systems Innovation/Automation Award for Global Distribution Excellence for his many efforts and successes. 

He focus is on bringing together leading-edge source technologies in automated system solutions, a Warehouse Execution System, and a Warehouse Management System to develop a wholistic innovation.  Tim owns the process improvements, material flow automation, along with optimizing the overall distribution center to reduce space requiarments, operating costs, processing time and potential for errors.

Prior to joining DLA, Tim served 21 honorable years as a United States Marine and retired in 2016.  He is active in his community by providiing leadership development training to the local high school football team and hosting the varsity players for team dinner at his house each week.

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Mr. Paul B. Puckett III was appointed to the Senior Executive Service and assumed his duties as the Director of the Enterprise Cloud Management Office at the Headquarters, Department of the Army, Chief Information Officer (CIO)/G-6 in November 2019.

As the Enterprise Cloud Management Office Director, Mr. Puckett serves as the principal advisor to the CIO/G-6 and other Senior Army Leaders on the Army's Cloud strategy. He is responsible for assisting in the development of strategy, use, and optimization of Cloud resources, including the areas of cybersecurity, data protection, commercial capabilities, and ensuring network support to the current and future Army force. He will also develop Armywide planning and assist with execution of Cloud planning, migration, operation, and incorporation of advanced services and capabilities across the Army’s four information mission areas of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data Analytics, and Data Protection.

Just prior to joining the Senior Executive Service, Mr. Puckett was the Federal Chief Technology Officer at a cloud native services provider where he focused on advising Department of Defense and other Federal Agencies on how to enhance their mission effectiveness through the adoption of leading-edge open source technology and modern software automation capabilities.

Prior to that experience, Mr. Puckett performed in a number of roles as a civil servant with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). As the NGA’s cloud integration lead, he helped design, build and accredit the agency’s Unclassified Cloud environment. He was the advisor to senior leadership for technical enhancements and agency priorities related to infrastructure and application modernization, and led the agency in developing an enhanced ability to accept and deploy new applications and services, while simultaneously incorporating high levels of security. Before his service with NGA, Mr. Puckett again was in a support role with private industry, providing lead engineering expertise for servers and network systems, and systems administrator training for the Joint IED Defeat Office, the Pentagon Force Protection Agency, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and the Department of State.

Mr. Puckett holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Management Information Systems from Liberty University, Lynchburg, Virginia, and a Master of Science in Systems Engineering from the George Washington University, Washington, D.C.

Kyle Michl is the Chief Innovation Officer and the Defense Technology Account Lead (TAL) at Accenture Federal Services.

As Chief Innovation Officer, Michl helps drive growth opportunities and identifies high-impact innovation strategies that focus on emerging technology incubation, rapid prototyping, and co-creation of innovative solutions. He also explores new technology ventures with the AFS partner ecosystem.

As the Defense TAL, he leads the development of technology and innovation capabilities for the Defense portfolio which includes the Department of Defense, Veterans Affairs, and Intelligence Community. He is focused on bringing together innovative solutions from the commercial industry with defense expertise to advance client missions, enhance operations, and empower the workforce.

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Albrecht is a Managing Director in Accenture’s Technology practice and holds several key leadership roles including: Leading Accenture’s Global Enterprise Data Management Practice, Leading Accenture’s Midwest Data & Applied Intelligence Practice, and the Office Managing Director for Accenture’s Pittsburgh office. 

During his 32 year career with Accenture, Albrecht has led large scale global programs to help transform companies through new strategy directions, operating models, process reengineering, and has led global full life-cycle ERP implementations, data and business intelligence programs, and application and business process outsourcing.  His passion is finding new and innovative ways to drive value for clients.

He is responsible for developing and managing Accenture’s strategy for Enterprise Data Management, inclusive of Accenture’s offerings as well as relationships with key solution providers.  Albrecht presents regularly at global industry forums and conferences, is part of Accenture’s Cloud First leadership team helping to drive new and innovative cloud based solutions, and leads Accenture’s Pittsburgh office.

Outside of Accenture, Albrecht frequently guest lectures at Carnegie Mellon, Columbia University and the University of Pittsburgh, is a member of CEO’s for Sustainability, and is past President and Board member of Pittsburgh Young Professionals.

Albrecht is passionate about the community and regularly volunteers his time and raises money for various charities including: Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro (in a Kilt!) to raise money for education for African students, Riding a bicycle 500 miles across Alaska (in 6 days!) for vaccine research, local organizations such as the American Diabetes Association, The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and Habitat for Humanity.  He can be found adventuring in the outdoors with his wife and three children!

Vince Vlasho is a senior managing director and Defense Portfolio lead for Accenture Federal Services. Vince leads a dedicated team of professionals that brings together Defense mission experience and expertise and end-to-end capabilities together with the latest R&D and commercial innovations to the Department of Defense and intelligence agencies to empower the force of the future to be ready, well, and enabled.

Vlasho brings more than 30 years of experience to his role. He previously served as the AFS Defense Agencies sector lead and as the Navy client account lead. Under Vlasho’s leadership, the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) grew to become one of AFS’s largest and longest tenured defense accounts. He also oversaw the expansion of the Navy account, providing mission-critical services for Navy leadership and personnel.

Prior to joining Accenture, Vlasho graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and served on active duty as an intelligence officer for seven years. He later retired from the U.S. Naval Reserve.

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