Speakers

Taka is the first Chief Data Scientist appointed by the Comptroller General of the United States for the Government Accountability Office. He also leads GAO’s newly established Innovation Lab in driving problem-centric experiments across audit and operational teams through novel use of advanced analytics and emerging technologies. As a member of the Senior Executive Service, Taka is also responsible for working with GAO stakeholders to adopt prospective views on oversight impacts of emerging capabilities such as AI, cloud services, blockchains, RPA, 5G, and IoT.

Taka is a seasoned analytics executive with over 20 years of experience helping private and public sector organizations make sense of hidden correlations, behaviors, relationships, patterns, and anomalies. He is passionate about fostering a data-informed culture, using data science as a transformational catalyst to address complex regulatory, risk, operational, and business intelligence challenges.

Taka is natively fluent in both Japanese and Mandarin Chinese. In his spare time, he is also a serious classical chamber musician and a competitive tennis player.

Henry (Jamie) Holcombe is the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). In this role, he is the principal advisor to the agency on the design, development, and management of its information systems and technology.

Most recently, Mr. Holcombe served as the Chief Executive Officer of Visium Technologies, a cybersecurity startup, and Chief Operations Officer for TJ Westlake LLC, a service-disabled veteran-owned small business. Prior to these executive roles, he served as the Vice President and General Manager for Harris CapRock Critical Networks segment, providing managed security services supporting air traffic management, energy and maritime communications, ground network operations and sustainment, and high-value IT and engineering cyber services.

At Harris CapRock, Mr. Holcombe led the company’s Government Solutions line of business to deliver operational excellence and growth. Previously, he had served as Harris’ Vice President of Information Technology for Global Systems and Process, and as IT Services’ Director of Civil Programs and Commercial Accounts, as well as Client Executive to the U.S. Department of State.

Mr. Holcombe has also served in a variety of executive level positions at various firms, including as Vice President of Information Systems for the Universal Service Administrative Company; as Chief Technology Officer, Senior Vice President of Operations, and Corporate Secretary for Globix; and as Chief Information Officer of Cambrian Communications. He has also been an Architect and Senior Principal Consultant to companies in telecommunications, entertainment, and insurance.

Mr. Holcombe began his career as an officer in the U.S. Army where he served as company commander in the 1116th Signal Battalion and was awarded both the Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award and Most Outstanding Officer of the Year. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point with a Bachelor of Science degree, finishing first in his class in computer science. He earned a Master of Business Administration degree in information systems from Chaminade University in Honolulu, and a Master of Science degree in computer science from George Washington University.

Michael Thieme is responsible for Novetta’s technology portfolio, driving development of innovative solutions and products to support diverse customer missions. He has over 20 years of experience in technical leadership positions supporting IC and DoD programs, delivering novel capabilities to solve challenges in data analytics, identity intelligence, and image processing. Under his leadership, Novetta has launched Centers of Excellence in Machine Learning, Cloud, and DevSecOps, building state-of-the-art capabilities that anticipate customer needs and strengthen our technology-enabled services.

Ron Ash is the Safety & Citizen Services Portfolio Lead responsible for Accenture Federal Services’ work in helping homeland security, law enforcement and first-response agencies achieve strategic and operational goals for critical public safety objectives as well as supporting mission-critical education and commerce missions. This diverse portfolio includes the US Departments of Homeland Security, State, Energy, Justice, Commerce, and Education.

Most recently, Ash led the Justice, Diplomacy, Energy, and Exploration family in S&CS. Prior to that, he served as Accenture Federal Services' Management Consulting lead. His teams consulted on strategy, talent and organization performance, customer relationship management, supply chain and logistics, finance and enterprise performance and analytics, and shared services.

Ash began his career at Accenture in 1996 and later led the supply chain and operations practice for Accenture's Global Health and Public Service, where he advanced supply chain programs worldwide across government, communications and high tech, media and retail sectors.

Dr. Portia Crowe is the Chief Data Strategy Director for Defense at Accenture Federal Services, where she helps clients realize the tremendous power of data in gleaning game-changing insights and making prudent, data-driven decisions through data strategy, cloud strategy, advanced analytics, and artificial intelligence.

Prior to joining Accenture in August 2021, Dr. Crowe served as the Chief Data Officer for the Army Futures Command-Network Cross Functional Team (N-CFT), where she was responsible for bolstering data management and accelerating data-centric modernization solutions. Her 20 years of experience also includes roles as the Chief of Cyber Engineering and Operations, as well as Chief Information Officer for the U.S. Army’s Program Executive Office Communications, Command, and Control Tactical Headquarters.

Dr. Crowe holds a Ph.D. in Systems Engineering from the Stevens Institute of Technology, as well as degrees in engineering management and computer science. She is a 2021 FED 100 recipient, an Army Top 25 Acquisition Professional, and has received five Civilian Service Medals. Dr. Crowe also volunteers as a mentor to K-12 STEM students.

Ian McCulloh, the Chief Data Scientist of Accenture Federal Services, brings an extensive record of military, academic and research achievement to Accenture Federal Services’ Analytics and Applied Intelligence practice.

Prior to joining Accenture, McCulloh served as associate professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Public health, senior lecturer in Hopkins’ Whiting School of Engineering and senior scientist at the university’ Applied Physics Laboratory. His latest research focused on strategic influence in online networks.

McCulloh retired after serving 20 years in the U.S. Army, where he achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and developed an expertise in special operations and the forensics of improvised explosive devices. During his military tenure, he founded the West Point Network Science Center and created the Army’s Advanced Network Analysis and Targeting (ANAT) program.

In addition, he directed interdisciplinary teams of scientists at the Special Operations Command Central (SOCCENT) and Central Command (CENTCOM) that were drafted to conduct global social science research in counter-terrorism and modern warfare.

Kathleen O’Reilly leads Accenture Strategy, a global multi-billion dollar business supported by over 5,000 employees who serve clients in more than 120 countries and 40 industries. She is also a member of Accenture’s Global Management Committee.

Accenture Strategy partners with boards and C-suite executives to address their most critical business issues, whether clients are seeking new market opportunities and growth, improving profitability, executing large-scale restructuring and transformation, or ensuring that sustainability and responsible business are embedded in every aspect of the business. In her role leading Accenture Strategy, Kathleen is at the forefront of helping clients seize the opportunity that comes with change and unlock value—in pursuit of Accenture’s purpose to deliver on the promise of technology and human ingenuity.

Kathleen has been recognized as one of Consulting Magazine’s "Top 25 Consultants," named as "Working Mother of the Year" by Working Mother Magazine and has been honored by The Stevie Awards as "Female Executive of the Year." She holds a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and was a Carnegie Fellow at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

Bryan Rich is a managing director and lead for the Applied Intelligence practice at Accenture Federal Services. He has twenty years of leadership experience bringing data science and operational intelligence solutions to the federal market.

In his current role, Rich is responsible for both growth and delivery of advanced analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions to the U.S. federal government. He also manages the Accenture Federal AIP Discovery Lab, an integrated studio environment unifying innovative design, data science, cognitive automation, and machine learning capabilities to rapidly design and develop agency-specific solutions.

Previously, he served as a senior vice president for open source intelligence technology at Novetta Solutions. He joined the firm following the 2014 acquisition of Global News Intelligence, a pioneer in the analysis and visualization of open source intelligence that he had founded in 2004.