At U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Mr. Sanjeev “Sonny” Bhagowalia currently holds the Senior Executive Service position of Assistant Commissioner (AC), Office of Information and Technology (OIT) and CBP Chief Information Officer (CIO).

Mr. Bhagowalia has over 40 years of senior technical, managerial, and executive leadership
experience in private industry, the U.S. Government, and state government. Mr. Bhagowalia has
spent over 26 of those years in senior executive capacity, including over 22 years as a member of the Senior Executive Service (SES) and one year as a Senior Level (SL) in the Federal Government, and three years as a Senior Executive in State Government. He has served in key
CIO leadership roles at five government agencies: Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of
the Interior, State of Hawaii, U.S. Department of Treasury and CBP, U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He also served in senior executive leadership roles as a Deputy Associate
Administrator for Citizen Services and Innovative Technologies at General Services Administration, and as a Program Management Executive/Assistant Director at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of Justice. Mr. Bhagowalia also served for 14 years in Industry at Boeing, a Fortune 30 company, ultimately serving for five years in senior technical leadership roles as a Chief Engineer/Manager and as an honorary Senior Principal Engineer in the Boeing Company.

He has used his knowledge of IT/Information Resource Management (IRM), cybersecurity, and
business process re-engineering to transform and secure organizations, and has helped the
Federal CIO/CTO to roll out foundational White House Government-wide initiatives such as
Open Data, Federal Cloud, FedRAMP, and the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative.

Mr. Bhagowalia has received 50 awards from the U.S. Government and Industry, including a
rare distinction of two Presidential Rank Awards for Meritorious Executive Service; three
Federal 100 Awards; four Golden Gov Executive of the Year awards (including three in a row);
Wash100; State Gov Executive of the Year; Government CIO of the Year; Government
Innovator of the Year; NASA Silver Snoopy; NASA Award of Merit; Asian American Chamber
of Commerce Elite Titan; Service to the Citizen; and the White House Champion of Change. He
led the team that won the Chief Information Officer 100 award for data.gov; and “Best of the
Web” State Portal award from Center for Digital Government (CDG) for Hawaii.gov. He was
inducted into the Boeing Technical Excellence Fellowship Program in 2014, recognizing the top
one percent of engineers and scientists in the Boeing Company; the 2014 Federal Enterprise
Architecture Certification Institute Hall of Fame; and the 2015 National Defense University IRM
College Hall of Fame.

Mr. Bhagowalia has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering (EE) and a Master of Science (MS) Degree in EE from Louisiana State University, and an MS in IRM from Syracuse University. He is also a twice-distinguished graduate from the National Defense University, U.S. Department of Defense, with an IRM Diploma and Federal CIO Certificate.

Kim Brandt is CMS’ Deputy Administrator and Chief Operating Officer. Previously, she was a Partner at the Washington, D.C.-based policy firm Tarplin, Downs & Young, LLC, where she provided strategic advice on a broad array of healthcare regulatory, enforcement, and policy matters. She also served as an Advisor to the private equity firm Enhanced Healthcare Partners, a private equity firm focused on healthcare, and held board positions at two of its portfolio companies. 

Kim has held multiple senior executive positions in government, including serving as Principal Deputy Administrator for Policy and Operations during the first Trump Administration. In that role she oversaw all activities necessary for the operation and management of CMS’ $1.4T budget in addition to leading efforts to reform the Physician Self-referral regulations and develop the first CMS interoperability rule. Kim previously served as Chief Oversight Counsel and General Counsel on the staff of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee where she led multiple healthcare investigations, the investigation into IRS political targeting and oversaw the political nominations process. Before joining the Finance Committee staff, Kim was a Senior Counsel at Alston & Bird in Washington, D.C. Her previous government service includes serving as the CMS Director of the Medicare Program Integrity Group and working at the HHS Office of Inspector General as a Senior Counsel and Director of External Affairs. Kim has a JD with a concentration in health law and an MA in legislative affairs. 

Mark Canter is the Chief Information Security Officer at GAO. In his capacity, he oversees the compliance, governance, and security operations. Previously he severed as Assistant Director in the Information Technology and Cybersecurity (ITC) team at the Government Accountability Office (GAO). His portfolio at GAO includes a diverse list of engagements on such topics of financial and information systems internal control auditing, cybersecurity, emerging technologies such as blockchains, AI, and safeguarding/privacy of information. In addition, he has authored several compliance tools and published several common vulnerabilities and exploits.

Soledad Antelada Toledano is a Security Advisor within the Google Cloud Office of the CISO,
Public Sector, where she provides expert advisory and advocacy to public sector customers on
critical security matters through leadership engagement, executive sponsorship, thought
leadership, and customer advocacy. Her extensive cybersecurity background includes serving
as Deputy CISO for the Harris for President campaign, where she provided national-level
security leadership.

Prior to joining Google, Soledad spent several years at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence
Berkeley National Lab, a prestigious scientific institution, where she made history as the first
woman in the Cybersecurity department in a Security Engineering role.

Notably, she served as Head of Security for the ACM/IEEE Supercomputing Conference,
overseeing the security and network architecture (SCinet) of the world's fastest network for
research purposes.

Soledad is the founder of GirlsCanHack, an organization dedicated to empowering women in
cybersecurity, and was recognized as one of the 20 Most Influential Latinos in Technology in
America in 2016. She enjoys discussing the evolution of cybersecurity and the future of AI within
security, and brings unique experience from working with the world's fastest networks and
large-scale event security, as well as a deep understanding of research and SecOps needs from
her time at Berkeley Lab.

Soledad is also a published author, with her book, Critical Infrastructure Security: Cybersecurity
lessons learned from real-world breaches, released in 2024.

Jordan Burris is a trailblazer in government innovation and digital trust, leveraging over 15 years of experience to transform public sector technology and pioneer cutting-edge solutions. As Head of Public Sector at Socure, he leads the company’s mission to modernize digital identity and fraud detection in government. He guides cross-functional teams across strategy, customer success, sales, legal, and compliance to transform how identity verification powers secure and seamless digital service delivery.

Previously, Jordan served as Chief of Staff in the White House Office of the Federal Chief Information Officer, where he was a key architect of initiatives that modernized federal IT infrastructure, strengthened cybersecurity, and advanced digital identity solutions. He helped manage the Federal Government’s multi-billion-dollar technology budget and led work on critical issues pertaining to cloud computing, zero-trust architecture, and artificial intelligence.

A certified CISSP and CRISC practitioner, Jordan serves on the boards of the Identity Theft Resource Center and the Kantara Initiative, contributing to the development of digital identity standards and efforts to reduce identity-related fraud. He is a proud graduate of Pennsylvania State University and a respected voice in the field of digital identity and public sector technology.

As the Vice President of Cybersecurity at Maximus, Mr. Kynan Carver supervises the design and implementation of cutting-edge solutions to address the rapidly evolving cybersecurity threat landscape. He and his team are engaged in the development of advanced tools that utilize artificial intelligence, machine learning, and automation to proactively identify, analyze, and mitigate emerging cyber risks.

By integrating both defensive and offensive strategies, his practice anticipates new attack vectors—including AI-driven malware and threats to cloud and hybrid environments—and responds with customized solutions that enhance organizational resilience. This methodology emphasizes continuous monitoring, real-time threat intelligence, and adaptive security frameworks to ensure that clients maintain robust defenses against sophisticated adversaries. Furthermore, this proactive stance encompasses the creation of next-generation compliance tools, enabling clients to navigate evolving legal and industry standards with confidence. Mr. Carver’s practice not only addresses current cybersecurity challenges but also seeks to future-proof organizations against imminent threats through strategic investments in research and collaboration with federal agencies.

In his capacity, Mr. Carver blends extensive expertise in advanced cybersecurity engineering, security operations, and cyber intelligence to expand the practice for the Chief Technology Office while delivering exceptional consulting support to clients.

Prior to his tenure at Maximus, Mr. Carver held a significant leadership position at the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA). In that role, he was responsible for the development of critical cybersecurity requirements for the Defense Enterprise Office Solution (DEOS) program, establishing its cyber posture, and guiding its high-level IL6 (SIPR) cloud accreditation. He also provided government oversight for the Security Operations Center (SOC) and information assurance across both cloud and on-premises infrastructures. Mr. Carver earned a Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity from the University of Maryland and possesses numerous industry certifications, including Project Management Professional (PMP), CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP+), Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), and Certified Network Defense Architect (CNDA).

Leslie Casson Stevens has been engaged in government financial management for over 30 years. As an auditor, she led the audits of large local government organizations and publicly traded corporations. She spent nearly a decade implementing financial management systems at several US Federal government agencies and consulting on organizational and financial management challenges. Leslie was responsible for enterprise-wide accounting and financial reporting operations and financial management systems while serving as the Comptroller of the Smithsonian Institution.

Leslie joined SAP in 1998, on the team that extended the SAP core financial management functionality to accommodate the requirements of US Federal government accounting and reporting. Today, she is SAP’s Industry Executive Advisor for the US Federal market.

Tim is a veteran of the government professional services industry where he helped to build and grow premier companies in the industry. As owner, President and CEO of ASI Government, LLC, he puts his learning and experience to work to create value for government clients who use the commercial marketplace to create mission essential capabilities for public-sector organizations. 

Tim actively engages with industry associations and public-private partnerships including the National Contract Management Association (NCMA) where he is serving on the NCMA Board of Advisors. He serves on the Professional Services Council Board of Directors, and the American Council for Technology-Industry Advisory Council (ACT-IAC) where he recently served on the Executive Committee as Vice Chair for Finance. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for ACT-IAC’s Institute for Innovation and has organized and co-chaired several Acquisition Excellence conferences for ACT-IAC. He is an active member of the Acquisition Policy Council of the Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA). He presents his work frequently at conferences. DOD recognized his work with a Hammer Award for Defense Acquisition Reform, and he is now developing an adaptive systems paradigm in support of the need for a fundamentally new paradigm in support of delivering outcomes across the spectrum of agency missions. 

Tim received his B.S. in Economics, summa cum laude, from George Mason University, and his M.A. and Ph. D. in Political Economy from The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. He served on the faculty at Rice University as Assistant Professor of Economics and as a consultant to the Houston Area Research Council, a consortium of local universities. He has been an Adjunct Professor at American University’s Key Executive Program for federal executives.

Trey Hodgkins is the CEO and President of Hodgkins Consulting, LLC where he is focused on information technology hardware, software, services, and solutions providers in the public sector.  Hodgkins Consulting, LLC offers strategic planning, business development, policy guidance and advocacy on issues and topics relevant to the acquisition and procurement of innovative IT products and services.  Trey has over 38 years in the Federal, State and Local government arenas, with more than half of that time focused on the broad policy arena facing information technology contractors in the public sector.

Trey holds two bachelor’s degrees - in Political Science and History – from Louisiana State University and a master’s degree in Legislative Affairs from The George Washington University.

Trey currently serves as the Chair of the Cybersecurity Division at the National Defense Industrial Association and is a Director of the Procurement Round Table.  He has been a subject matter expert on procurement for the DHS Information and Communication Technology Supply Chain Risk Management Task Force (ICT SCRM TF).

Trey has been awarded the prestigious Fed 100 Award for his work on IT procurement reform.

Jim Hutcherson is a senior technology executive and IBM Partner with over 40 years of experience delivering transformative digital solutions across commercial and federal sectors. As the Low-Code/No-Code CTO for IBM’s oLabs, Jim leads enterprise-scale innovation initiatives that blend agile design with advanced architecture to accelerate business outcomes.

Jim is a certified Salesforce Application and System Architect and a recognised thought leader in low-code platforms, enterprise architecture, and digital transformation. He has successfully led multi-million dollar programs for the U.S. General Services Administration and the Department of Veterans Affairs, overseeing teams of over 140 professionals and managing portfolios exceeding $600 million.

A published author of two industry-acclaimed books, Jim is passionate about enabling organisations to harness the power of low-code technologies with strong governance and measurable results.

Stephanie Kostro became President of the Professional Services Council (PSC) on June 11, 2025, where she will guide PSC’s strategic direction, advocacy, and member engagement efforts across growing federal industry priorities.

Previously, she served as Executive Vice President for Policy, leading PSC's policy team in its commitment to advocating for and supporting productive collaboration between the federal government and services industry. As a recognized executive, on-air commentator, and policy expert with more than 20 years of experience in the U.S. Government and industry, she brings a wealth of knowledge in federal procurement policy and acquisition regulations, government processes and programs, and public-private partnerships.

Prior to joining PSC in 2021, Kostro was a principal at a government relations and consulting firm where she developed and implemented policy, funding, and business development strategies for a global client base. She worked extensively with civilian, defense, diplomatic, and intelligence officials, as well as with federal departments’ oversight committees in Congress.

From 2010-2015, she was a senior fellow and director of the Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a prominent national security think tank. Kostro served as a State Department contractor at U.S. Embassy Baghdad for one year. From 2005-2008, she was a senior professional staff member and policy director on the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee. Between 1998-2005, she held various positions at the Pentagon within the Office of the Secretary of Defense, on the Joint Staff, and at embassies and missions overseas.

Kostro holds a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and a bachelor’s degree in communication from Cornell University. She lives in Alexandria, Virginia with her husband, Rich, and their two daughters. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, gardening, and—when conditions allow—traveling.

Sean leads all Solution Architecture teams for OutSystems across the Americas. In his role, Sean equips his Solution Architects to provide technical expertise to prospects throughout the sales and technical evaluation process. He comes to OutSystems with over a decade of consulting and software engineering experience from a variety of organizations. Sean’s deep industry expertise, paired with his customer-first mindset, allows him to quickly understand prospective client business needs and recommend potential solutions. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Management Information Systems from the University of Galway, as well as Master of Science in Information Technology from Technological University, Dublin.

Deniece Peterson is Vice President of Market Analysis at Deltek, leading a high-performing analyst team responsible for GovWin’s strategic research and analysis of federal, state, local, education and Canadian government budgets and spending, market trends, technology and acquisition policy, and business development best practices. Under her direction, GovWin has become the definitive resource for market insight and thought leadership serving government contractors.

A sought-after speaker and recognized thought leader, Peterson has over 25 years of experience in government contracting, market research, and management consulting. Prior to Deltek, Peterson worked for small businesses as a go-to-market strategy consultant, market research manager, and federal marketing course curriculum developer and instructor.

Peterson holds a BA in Economics and an MBA from the University of Denver.

Robert Shea is a recognized government management and policy expert who served in both Congress and the Executive Branch. He has more than 25 years experience working to improve the government’s performance.

Most recently, he was National Managing Principal at Grant Thornton, where he led the firm’s public policy activities and advised federal, state, and local government agencies on strategy, performance, and evidence-based policymaking.  

Robert is a Fellow & former Chairman of the National Academy of Public Administration. He was appointed to the Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking, which made important recommendations for better integration of evidence into policymaking.   

Tom is the President and Founder of the Advanced Technology Academic Research Center (ATARC), an organization that provides a collaborative forum for government, academia and industry to resolve emerging technology challenges. ATARC also introduces innovative technology from academic research labs to the Federal government and private industry. In June of 2023 the industry association assets of ATARC were sold to the GovExec Media Group.

He also is the CEO and founder of Alethia Labs, a 501(c)(3) non- profit dedicated to accelerate the adoption of technology by helping the government collaborate within itself, and other constituencies such as Academia and Industry. 

Tom is a two-time recipient of the Federal 100 Awards, a prestigious honor that recognizes government and industry leaders who played pivotal roles in Federal IT.

Nick Wakeman is the editor-in-chief of Washington Technology and joined the publication in 1996 as a staff writer. He's a graduate of Bridgewater College and earned a masters degree from American University. When he isn't writing about government contractors, he's thinking of cooking large pieces of meat over fire and dreaming of ways to embarrass his two sons.