Speakers

Jeff Frazier currently serves as Vice President & Head of Global Public Sector, Snowflake, Inc., a world leader in Data Cloud technology. In addition, Frazier serves on the Board of Directors/Advisory Boards for technology companies operating in the Internet of Things (IOT), advanced encryption, and Artificial Intelligence markets. Frazier is an Operating Partner at Digital Alpha Advisors, a leading private equity firm for the digital infrastructure market. Previous to his early-stage company and Board leadership, Frazier was the Managing Director, Office of the Executive Chairman for CISCO, Inc. where he led Cisco’s Country Digitization initiatives. Previous as Partner & General Manager, he led Microsoft’s worldwide public sector $8.5B dollar business. This included worldwide government, national security, and international organizations such as World Bank, United Nations, and European Union. Prior to Microsoft, Frazier was the Managing Director of the Global Public Sector for Cisco’s Internet Business Solutions Group’s (IBSG), Cisco’s strategic consulting arm. Specifically, Frazier is a technology executive with 20+ years in the international business community with a background in international business, distinguished public service, and an innovation focus on the public markets. He is a six-time speaker at the Public Services Summit at Nobel, facilitator, guest speaker, and author. Frazier brings broad experience and industry knowledge to any organization. Prior to joining the commercial markets, he held various public sector leadership positions within municipal and federal governments. As an FBI leader, Frazier administered a congressionally funded, international portfolio. Frazier has served on many boards and commissions. In addition to his current board leadership at Quantela, he is a former board member for the International Affairs Council (IAC), Councilmember to the NC Governor’s Innovation Council, NC Governor’s China Advisory Council, and was an appointed member of the United Nations International Police Advisory Council (UN-IPAC). Frazier is an inaugural member and active participant of the Global Initiative for Transnational Organized Crime. Frazier is a non-resident, Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council and Councilor of the Alfred Lee Loomis Innovation Council, Stimson Center. Frazier was a delegate to Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government: Senior Executive Fellow (SEF) and Senior Executives in State and Local Government, a 2012 Eisenhower Fellow (2013 Douglas Dillon Fellow distinction), and a Native American enrolled tribal member of the Kaw Nation. A native Californian, he holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master of Science degree. Currently, he resides in Cary, NC.

G. Nagesh Rao, a member of the career Senior Executive Service, currently serves as Deputy Director of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Before joining NIST, he was Chief Information Officer for the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), also within the U.S. Department of Commerce. Over the last 25+ years, Mr. Rao has worked for numerous organizations in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors.

During his time in the public sector, he has co-developed federal governmentwide policy initiatives spurring small business and technological innovation. He has co-led programmatic endeavors such as i6 Green, Patents for Humanity, U.S. Agency for International Development Small Business Applied Research Program, and the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Growth Accelerator Fund Competition. Mr. Rao oversaw the revamp and modernization of SBA’s digital platforms, including SBIR.gov and SBA.gov. He also led technology direction as part of SBA’s COVID-19 leadership response team – specifically, the agency’s virtual command center, Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan efforts funded through the CARES Act. Most recently under Mr. Rao’s leadership, BIS digitally transformed its mission operations using cloud-based solutions and adopting a modern day technology stack standard. Additionally, he has a wealth of prior experience working on intellectual property portfolios, global strategies, consumer products and R&D for a variety of small and medium-sized manufacturers and multinational corporations (including Ecovative, Planet and MAS Holdings).

Mr. Rao is a Mirzayan Fellow of the National Academies, an Eisenhower Fellow and a Marshall Memorial Fellow. His credentials include a Bachelor of Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a Master of Science from Albany Law School-Union University, a Master of Business Administration from the University of Maryland-College Park, a patent bar license from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and a secret/top secret security clearance. His recent accolades include the Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Samman and Hind Rattan awards from the NRI Welfare Society, Fed 100, FedScoop 50, American Council for Technology and Industry Advisory Council Collaboration Award, DC Inno 50 on Fire, 2019 White House Gears of Government award, and a 2022 U.S. Department of Commerce Bronze Award.