Speakers


Kim Brandt
Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Administrator
CMS
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.

Andrea Bright
Assistant Commissioner, Office of Human Resources Management, Enterprise Services
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
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Andrea Bright
Assistant Commissioner, Office of Human Resources Management, Enterprise Services
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Ms. Andrea J. Bright serves as the Assistant Commissioner, Office of Human Resources Management, Enterprise Services, U.S. Customs and Border Protection. In this role, her priority is to provide a premiere employee experience from recruiting through retirement. She is responsible for all aspects of human resources services, including recruitment and hiring, benefits, survivor advocacy, workplace safety, personnel research, executive services, human resources business systems, labor and employee relations, and employee engagement. Ms. Bright is accountable for directing the quality and delivery of these services to more than 60,000 nationally and internationally dispersed, uniformed, and non-uniformed employees who comprise the largest law enforcement agency in the United States.
Prior to serving as Assistant Commissioner, Ms. Bright served as the Chief Human Capital Officer and Chief Learning Officer at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), where she was responsible for overseeing all human resources functions and services for the agency. Ms. Bright also served in a variety of key leadership positions at OPM, including Deputy Associate Director for Human Resources Management/Deputy Chief Human Capital Officer, Deputy Human Resources Director, and Manager of Classification and Assessment Policy.
Ms. Bright completed graduate coursework in Industrial/Organizational Psychology at George Washington University, where she was a Presidential Merit Fellow. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, with a minor in English, from the University of Houston.


Randy Clarke
General Manager and CEO
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
Randy Clarke, General Manager & CEO of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit
Authority (Metro), is a visionary leader dedicated to transforming America’s Metro
System. A daily customer, Clarke has been relentless in continuous improvements and
delivering safe, frequent, and reliable service, which has led to consecutive years in
ridership growth and recovery and APTA’s 2025 designation of Transit Agency of the
Year. He is focused on being fiscally responsible while working with the WMATA Board to
deliver a balanced budget and reduce management costs. The Strategic Transformation
Plan, Metro’s guiding priorities, focuses on making Metro a world-class system today
and for future generations.
Prior to Metro, Clarke led Capital Metro in Austin, securing one of the largest transit
referendums in U.S. history. He also held key roles at APTA and MBTA, shaping public
transit nationwide. Originally from Nova Scotia, he earned degrees from Acadia
University and the University of Southern Maine. Clarke and his wife, both transit
enthusiasts, love exploring the region alongside their two dogs, Pepper and Jelly.

Stephen Ehikian
Acting Administrator and Deputy Administrator
U.S. General Services Administration
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Stephen Ehikian
Acting Administrator and Deputy Administrator
U.S. General Services Administration
Stephen Ehikian currently serves as Acting Administrator and Deputy Administrator of the General Services Administration. Stephen is a serial entrepreneur in the software industry who has successfully built and sold two companies focused on sales and customer service to Salesforce (Airkit.ai in 2023 and RelateIQ in 2014). He most recently served as Vice President of AI Products and has a strong record of identifying next-generation technology. He is committed to accelerating the adoption of technology throughout government, driving maximum efficiency in government procurement for the benefit of all taxpayers. Stephen graduated from Yale University with a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and Economics and earned an MBA from Stanford University.

Peter Guinto
Senior Technical Advisor, Contract Pricing, Price, Cost and Finance, Office of the Principal Director, Defense Pricing, Contracting, and Acquisition Policy, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (USD(A&S))
Department of Defense
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Peter Guinto
Senior Technical Advisor, Contract Pricing, Price, Cost and Finance, Office of the Principal Director, Defense Pricing, Contracting, and Acquisition Policy, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (USD(A&S))
Department of Defense
Mr. Pete Guinto is the Senior Technical Advisor for Contract Pricing, within Price, Cost and Finance (PCF) at Defense Pricing, Contracting, and Acquisition Policy (DPCAP) in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (USD (A&S)). He is responsible forcontract pricing matters throughout Department of Defense (DoD) enterprise, in support of the Department’s 30,000 contracting professionals who spend over $300 Billion annually to bring world-class capability to the warfighter. Mr. Guinto formulates and oversees complex, DoD-wide pricing, profit, and contract financing policies and strategies supporting major defense acquisitions for the Department. As DoD’s senior advisor for acquisition and procurement negotiation strategies on major defense acquisition programs, he provides business advice and negotiation expertise, partners with the Components to pilot Defense-wide improvements and leverage best practices in pricing and contracting, and fosters opportunities for the DoD workforce to continuously grow its pricing skills.
Prior to assuming his current position as a Highly Qualified Expert in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, he served in a senior executive leadership position in private industry providing commercial clients with advice around regulatory and statutory compliance with ever changing supply chain regulations. Earlier, he held various positions within the U.S. Air Force, serving as a Contracting Officer, Price Analyst, and Program Manager with DoD assignments at Wright-Patterson (twice), the Pentagon, and Randolph Air Force Base. He served as a negotiator or clearance official of ~$14B in Government Contracts spanning systems such as the F-15, F-22, F-16, MQ-9, RQ-4, C-17, C-130, KC-46 and several classified systems, smaller systems and subsystems. Mr. Guinto also served as the Chief of Market Intelligence for the COVID Acquisition task forces for the Air Force, DoD (Joint Acquisition Taskforce) and part of the national supply chain task force led by FEMA.
Mr. Guinto is a Government Acquisition Leader with professional experience in Law, Respiratory Therapy and Firefighting. He holds a Bachelor of Science and a Juris Doctor degree from University of Akron in Ohio.

Javier Inclán
Assistant Inspector General for Management, Office of Inspector General
National Science Foundation
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Javier Inclán
Assistant Inspector General for Management, Office of Inspector General
National Science Foundation
Javier E. Inclán joined the National Science Foundation Office of Inspector General as the
Assistant Inspector General for Management in May 2022. In this role, Dr. Inclán is responsible
for the OIG’s budget planning and execution, procurement, human capital, IT operations,
training, and other administrative support services.
Previously, Dr. Inclán served in several capacities at NSF, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S.
Department of Transportation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Army
Communications-Electronics Research, Development, and Engineering Center. Dr. Inclán earned
a B.A. in History from William Paterson College, a master’s degree in Administrative Science
from Fairleigh Dickinson University, and an Ed.D. in Interdisciplinary Leadership from
Creighton University.


Rep. Rich McCormick
GA-07
US Congress
Dr. Rich McCormick is a decorated veteran and Emergency Room physician who proudly serves Georgia’s 7th Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives.


Pavan Pidugu
Chief Information Officer
Department of Transportation
Pavan Pidugu was sworn in as Chief Information Officer of the U.S. Department of Transportation on February 18, 2025. Pavan is a visionary and results-driven leader with over a decade of experience in carrying out technological innovations in the retail industry for global players such as Target, NCR, and Walmart, prior to joining the federal Government in 2020. Pavan is a transformational leader who believes technology alone will not solve anything, but instituting People and Processes with Technology does its wonders, and he is an expert in integrating all three facets of transformation. Pavan has led the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), an agency within the Department of Transportation, as the Chief Technology Officer, where he radically transformed how technology is developed and delivered in a federal institution. Pavan has built a strong reputation in innovation and leadership in technology and received many awards, including the World 100 Technology Leaders 2024 award for his contributions to the technology landscape.
With more than 20 years of experience technology and leadership, Pavan pioneered innovative tech solutions for large retailers and achieved millions of dollars in revenue and cost savings for businesses. A few of his accomplishments include:
- Defining an outcome-oriented digital strategy and roadmap for FMCSA to serve carriers, commercial vehicle drivers, and law enforcement agencies to enforce safety in CMV transportation.
- Led transformation of Walmart's digital customer and omnichannel experience in the stores internationally and championed transforming "Ways of Working" by instituting design thinking and product management principles in technology development.
- Driving change with a comprehensive thought process and fact-based decision-making while managing the delivery of new capabilities for a global point-of-Sale system at Walmart.
- Launching an offshore IT development center in India that grew from 5 to 500 employees in two years at Target.
- Developing omnichannel product roadmaps and implementing strategic solutions for NCR's retail customers.
Pavan constantly seeks to add technology-driven business value and guide companies to be future-proof with people and processes. Pavan strongly believes in aligning technology strategy with business priorities and growing the next generation of leaders.

Shafiq Rahman
Chief Information and Digital Transformation Officer
Maryland Department of Transportation
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Shafiq Rahman
Chief Information and Digital Transformation Officer
Maryland Department of Transportation
Shafiq Rahman, MSc, MS, MBA is the Chief Information Officer at the Maryland Department of Transportation, with over 25 years of leadership in IT strategy, innovation, and project delivery. His work spans cloud modernization, AI integration, and large-scale infrastructure improvements. Shafiq’s cross-sector experience—spanning government and academia—reflects his commitment to technology-driven public service. He holds advanced degrees in business, management, and computer science and is a recognized leader in digital transformation.

Eric Ueland
Deputy Director for Management
OMB

Eric Ueland
Deputy Director for Management
OMB

Brian Chidester
Head of Industry Strategy, Public Sector
Adobe

Brian Chidester
Head of Industry Strategy, Public Sector
Adobe


Omid Ghaffari-Tabrizi
Head of U.S. Federal Civilian Policy
Google Cloud
Omid Ghaffari-Tabrizi is Head of U.S. Federal Civilian Policy at Google, focused on bringing innovative technologies into the government. Prior to Google, he worked for the U.S. government and was a litigator.
Omid received his B.B.A. and J.D. from the University of Miami and will receive his LL.M. in Government Procurement from the George Washington University Law School. He currently lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife.


Rohit Girdhar
Principal Value Consultant
Wiz
Rohit has been in Value Consulting for nearly 7 years across multiple Enterprise SaaS companies including Wiz, Zscaler, and Workday. Prior to that, he spent 14 years in corporate finance evaluating technology investments of all sizes for the office of the CFO.


Derek Gleich
Manager, Solutions Engineering
Cribl
Derek is an accomplished technology leader with over a decade of expertise in the Public Sector technology domain. His career began with Federal service at the U.S. House of Representatives, setting a solid foundation for his subsequent venture into the private sector. Derek's notable roles at leading companies such as Cisco, AppDynamics (a Cisco company), and Cribl, underscore his extensive experience and success both within both public sector and commercial markets. Presently at Cribl, Derek leads the Public Sector Solutions Engineering team, dedicated to serving state, local, and educational institutions, as well as the U.S. Federal government, across the United States. His leadership and experience in both government and private industry has been critical to navigating and understanding the unique technological needs and challenges of IT and Security professionals in the public sector space.

Christian Hoff
Director, U.S. Federal Civilian and Health
Amazon Web Services, Worldwide Public Sector
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Christian Hoff
Director, U.S. Federal Civilian and Health
Amazon Web Services, Worldwide Public Sector
Christian Hoff is an Arlington-based executive with 25+ years of leadership experience across sales, operations, and strategy, holding active TS/SCI clearance.
At AWS, Christian leads the WWPS U.S. Federal Civilian and Health business. Previously, he established and led the Federal System Integrator and Solutions Team, developing strategic partnerships across system integrators and independent software vendors spanning Department of Defense, Intelligence Community, and Civil Agencies.
Before joining AWS in 2018, Christian served as Principal at Booz Allen Hamilton for over a decade, focused on clients across DoD. Earlier, as Vice President at General Dynamics Information Technology/Anteon Corporation, he led a business unit focused on Joint and Army programs.
A retired Lieutenant Colonel, Christian's military career includes service as a White House Military Social Aide to the President, and assignments in Office Secretary of Defense (OSD), Office Joint Chiefs of Staff (OJCS), and Army Staff (HQDA).
Christian holds an M.P.A. from George Mason University and a B.A. in International Studies and History from Virginia Military Institute (VMI). He is a graduate of the Army’s Command and General Staff College, Georgetown University's CMAP certification, and AWS Cloud Practitioner certification.
A frequent speaker at industry events, he is currently serving on the Washington Executive Civilian Council. Christian was recognized as a "Top Cloud Executive to Watch" (2020 & 2023), “Top Healthcare Executive to Watch” (2023), and received the FedScoop50 award in 2024. He previously held board positions with National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) and the 9/11 Pentagon Memorial Visitor Education Center. He is currently on the board of the George C. Marshall International Center.
He lives in Maryland with his wife and two daughters.


Mia Jordan
Global GTM Executive
Salesforce
Mia Jordan is an Industry Advisor and Digital Transformation Executive at Salesforce, where she helps government leaders reimagine what’s possible with data, AI, and human-centered platforms.
A USAF veteran and former two-time Federal CIO—at USDA Rural Development and Federal Student Aid—Mia spent over a decade in public service leading large-scale modernization efforts, breaking down silos, and building digital front doors that work for the people.
Before entering government, she spent 13 years supporting the Civilian, Intelligence, and Defense communities, giving her a rare 360-degree view of how technology, mission, and culture intersect across sectors.
Mia serves as Vice Chair at Large on the ACT-IAC Executive Committee and sits on the Board of Directors for The Arc of Prince George’s County, reflecting her commitment to inclusive innovation and community impact.
She’s known for translating complexity into clarity, championing digital equity, and helping agencies go from duct tape fixes to lasting transformation. Her mission? To make public sector service delivery as seamless, smart, and human as the mission demands.


Shelby Kivett
Principal Solution Engineer
Salesforce
Shelby Kivett is a Principal Solution Engineer at Salesforce, where she supports the Global Public Sector team in delivering scalable, mission-driven technology solutions. With over eight years of hands-on experience across the Salesforce ecosystem, she has led operational efficiency and platform enhancements at the American Association for the Advancement of Science, implemented tailored solutions for government contractors at a Salesforce ISV partner, and now advises Federal and Civilian agencies on digital transformation at Salesforce. Shelby combines a passion for public service with her technical expertise to empower government teams to modernize with confidence and drive lasting impact in the communities they serve.


Barry Mainz
Chief Executive Officer
Forescout
Barry Mainz brings more than 25+ years of experience in executive leadership, global sales, marketing, product led growth, and product development to Forescout. In addition to being an Operating Partner at Crosspoint Capital Partners, Barry most recently served as COO of Malwarebytes responsible for development and execution of the go to market strategy. Prior to joining Malwarebytes, Mainz was CEO and member of the Board of Directors for MobileIron. Before MobileIron, Mainz served as President of Wind River Systems (an Intel subsidiary). Additionally, Mainz has held leadership roles, as well as advisory and board positions at private and public companies such as Mercury Interactive, Makara (acquired by Red Hat, Inc.), and Sun Microsystems. Barry holds a BA in Communications from San Francisco State University.


Julie McPherson
Executive Vice President
Booz Allen Chief Technology Office
Executive Vice President Julie McPherson leads Booz Allen’s Digital Solutions business, one of Booz Allen’s fastest growing segments focused on transforming the nation’s top agencies with innovative digital applications and services. Julie and her team deliver digital strategies and user experiences, modern software development, as well as cloud and data platform implementations. She also drives the company’s functional strategy to scale, deepen, and retain digital talent through affiliation and development programs. For more than 25 years, Julie has led IT transformation efforts across the defense and federal markets and has been recognized as a top leader transforming how the government uses technology.


Mike Raker
Chief Technology Officer
Maximus
Mike Raker is the Chief Technology Officer at Maximus, where he leads the company’s Technology and Innovation organization. In this role, he is responsible for setting the strategic technology direction, aligning innovative technical solutions with enterprise goals, driving research and development investments, and advancing next-generation capabilities across all business segments. Under his leadership, Maximus has launched two key capability accelerators in artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML) and customer experience (CX) and helped establish the company’s Global Capability Center (GCC) to enhance global growth and operational excellence.
With a deep background in delivering differentiated technology solutions at scale, Raker brings decades of experience supporting government clients worldwide. Before joining Maximus, he served in multiple leadership roles, including Vice President and Director of Mission Software, where he developed and led global software factory operations and drove innovation for mission-critical systems. His experience also includes CTO roles at venture-backed product and services scaleups, spanning product development, strategy, and operational scaling across domestic and international markets.
As a leading strategic partner to governments around the world, Maximus supports the transformation and delivery of public services in response to today’s most complex challenges across health, civilian, and defense markets.


Sybilla Robertson
Public Sector Solutions Engineer
Cribl
Sybilla is a cybersecurity expert with over a decade of experience supporting the U.S. Intelligence Community and Federal agencies. She began her career in national security, building a strong foundation in threat detection, data analysis, and mission operations. Now in the private sector, Sybilla serves as a Public Sector Solutions Engineer at Cribl, where she helps government teams unlock the power of their telemetry data to drive efficiency, visibility, and informed decision-making. Her background across both government and industry makes her a trusted partner for agencies navigating today’s complex threat landscape.


Natalie Alms
Staff Reporter
Nextgov/FCW
Natalie Alms is a staff reporter at Nextgov/FCW covering federal technology policy, service delivery, customer experience and the government's tech workforce. She is a graduate of Wake Forest University and has written for the Salisbury (N.C.) Post.


Jessie Bur
Executive Editor
Nextgov/FCW
Jessie Bur is Nextgov/FCW's executive editor. She has been covering technology and government for the past eight years and graduated from James Madison University.


Edward Graham
Technology Reporter
Nextgov/FCW
Edward Graham is a technology reporter for Nextgov/FCW, where he reports on national security technologies and policies, the Department of Veterans Affairs and election security issues. He received his master’s degree in Journalism and Public Affairs from American University in 2016.

Frank Konkel
Editor-in-Chief
GovExec

Frank Konkel
Editor-in-Chief
GovExec


Anna Pettyjohn
EVP, Product & Strategy
GovExec
Anna Pettyjohn is the Executive Vice President of Product & Strategy at GovExec, where she leads product innovation and business development across events, custom content, and digital experiences. With a focus on enhancing audience engagement and driving growth, she oversees strategic initiatives that align with GovExec’s mission to deliver impactful content, creative and marketing programs for the public sector. Anna also plays a key role in shaping the company's vision, ensuring that GovExec's offerings remain cutting-edge in a rapidly evolving market.


Robert Shea
Chief Executive Officer
GovNavigators
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 Suder
President
ATARC
A respected thought leader in the Federal IT community, Tom Suder is Founder and President of the Advanced Technology Academic Research Center (ATARC).
Tom is a two-time winner of a Federal 100 Award, a prestigious honor that recognizes government and industry leaders who played pivotal roles in Federal IT and made a made a difference in the way technology transformed the government.
He is the co-author of over 25 White Papers that were jointly published by MITRE and ATARC following collaboration sessions during the ATARC Federal IT Summit Series. Topics of these educational symposiums include Mobile Technology, Cloud & Data Center, Data & Analytics, DevOps, Cybersecurity, Health IT, Network Transformation and the Internet of Things.
Tom is also the Founder & President of Apcerto, a mobile DevSecOps company, and he serves on a variety of technology advisory boards, including the Professional Science Master’s Advisory Board, which is a part of the Telecommunications Management graduate program at the University of Maryland University College (UMUC).


Chris Teale
Managing Editor
Route Fifty
Chris Teale is the managing editor for Route Fifty, where he covers state and local government technology.


Nick Wakeman
Editor-in-Chief
Washington Technology
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.