Speakers

Rebecca serves as the Group Manager for HR Strategy in the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, HR Solutions. HR Strategy offers agencies products and services across a broad range of strategic human capital areas and OPM’s software-as-a-service performance management system, USA Performance. Prior to this position she served 10+ years as the Performance Management program manager. Rebecca has facilitated and worked with both public and nonprofit organizations to identify organizational goals, develop strategic plans, and implement performance management systems. She began her Federal career as a Presidential Management Fellow at OPM where she managed workforce and succession planning projects for other Federal agencies.

Garfield S. Jones is the Associate Chief of Strategic Technology for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

Dr. Jones is responsible for developing the strategy and providing guidance on the use of innovative and leading-edge technology across CISA, including articulating and documenting the future technology vision to achieve the organization’s mission objectives and goals.

​​​​​​​Dr. Jones was Deputy Program Manager for the Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) Program responsible for Systems Engineering, Architecture, and Testing. Prior to joining DHS, Dr. Jones worked as a Systems Engineer developing complex weapons, geographic, and information systems for agencies such as Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI), National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA), and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS). In 2018, he retired from the Army Reserves after serving 25 years (16 years active duty and nine years reservist) as an Information Systems Warrant Officer.

Dr. Jones holds a Doctor of Engineering in Industrial and Systems Engineering with a concentration in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence. He serves as a professor at two universities teaching Computer Science and Systems Engineering. Dr. Jones has also filed for a patent regarding the use of the Probabilistic Neural Network (PNN) for Vulnerabilities Risk Calculation of a Text Document.

Simchah Suveyke-Bogin joined USDA in May of 2020 as Chief Customer Experience Officer for the Office of Customer Experience. Armed with experience leading the Customer Experience Center of Excellence of the U.S. General Services Administration’s (GSA) Technology Transformation Services, Ms. Suveyke-Bogin previously helped implement user-centered practices and innovative solutions across the Government. More importantly, she helped spearhead changes that are still in place across USDA today.

Prior to leading the Customer Experience Center of Excellence, Ms. Suveyke-Bogin served as the customer experience specialist and program manager for USAgov's contact center services.

Before joining GSA, she worked in contact center optimization and supported the National Cancer Institute’s Office of Communications.

Dr. Michael Di Rosa joined IARPA in August of 2020. In his current role as a Program Manager, Dr. Di Rosa focuses on research in quantum-information science and related topics of quantum-enabled technology. He is presently leading the quantum-computing-themed programs LogiQ and ELQ, which individually and in sequence are founding and advancing the path for universal fault-tolerant quantum computing.

An experimentalist across topics of spectroscopy and atomic-molecular-optical physics, Dr. Di Rosa joined IARPA from Los Alamos National Laboratory on a 2018-2020 assignment managing the trapped-ion quantum-computing portfolio for the Laboratory for Physical Sciences.

Dr. Di Rosa earned a Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering (ME) from Drexel University, a Master’s in ME from Penn State University, and a Ph.D. in ME from Stanford University.

Most Sundays, he leaves the DC-area denizens to their brunches and heads to the region’s mountains with boots or bike.

Ayushi Roy is the Deputy Director of New America's New Practice Lab.

Previously, she served at 18F as the Director of State and Local Technology, and more recently, on the leadership team managing investments for the US Technology Modernization Fund, a $1B fund to modernize technology and improve customer experience across the federal government. Ayushi's work focuses on more equitably delivering government services to our most vulnerable constituents – including modernizing Wisconsin’s legacy system for Unemployment Insurance, co-authoring the Unemployment Insurance playbook used by states in response to COVID-19, helping to hire the first cohort of dedicated product managers for the Centers of Medicaid and Medicare Services, securing the historic approval for Login.gov to serve state and local governments for the first time, and improving the grants infrastructure for Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which provides healthcare for more than 70 million Americans including 9 million children.

Bryan Rosensteel, Ping Identity, US Federal CTO, has over a decade's worth of experience in Federal Identity, Credential, and Access Management (ICAM) environments. He has deployed and worked extremely closely with the various authenticator systems used across the government sector, including PIV and Derived PIV, as well as other systems such as MRTD.

Acting FedRAMP Director and Program Manager for Cybersecurity

Brian Conrad joined the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) team within the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) in December 2018, bringing with him a wealth of technical knowledge and leadership experience.

Brian acquired his foundational leadership, technical, and project management skills while serving in the United States Marine Corps. Upon his transition from active duty, Brian joined Booz Allen Hamilton where he spent over seven years leveraging and growing his IT, cybersecurity, and project management skills supporting various clients across the Department of Defense (DOD), including the U.S. Marine Corps, United States Navy, and the Chief Information Officer for the DOD. During this time, Brian became recognized as a cloud computing/cybersecurity Subject Matter Expert within the federal government.

At GSA, Brian continues his service as the Acting FedRAMP Director since January 2021. In addition to his role as Acting Director, he leads multiple efforts associated with Joint Authorization Board (JAB) assessment and authorization activities that facilitate the authorization and adoption of commercial cloud services across the federal government.

Brian’s education includes a Senior Executive Fellowship at the Harvard John F. Kennedy School of Government, an M.S. in Information Technology Management from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, and a B.A. in History with a minor in Economics from the University of Memphis.

Dr. Lisa A. Costa, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is the first permanent Chief Technology and Innovation Officer (CTIO) of United States Space Force. In this role, she is charged with unlocking and harnessing innovation to leverage increased speed and advantage. She is responsible for developing strategy and policy to advance Science and Technology and Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation; employing cutting edge technologies to digitally transform the USSF; assuring USSF information technology needs are met; effectively managing USSF data; and conducting analysis supporting all USSF staff elements.

Prior to her current CTIO role, she served as Director, Communications Systems and Chief Information Officer for U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. Dr. Costa also served as the Senior Director of Innovation and Technology at Engility Corporation where she brought big data and artificial intelligence (AI) to client verticals. She served as the Vice President of Intelligence and Chief Scientist at PlanetRisk, a global leader in 365/24/7 real-time predictive risk analytics. She brought progressive leadership to complex and sensitive problems facing nations and global Fortune 500 companies. She is an expert in ubiquitous technical surveillance and tradecraft. She was formerly the Director of Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) and Violent Extremism at MITRE where she chaired the MITRE Corporate CWMD/Counterterrorism Council and led projects for the nation. Before that, Dr. Costa was the Executive Director of Integration and the Enterprise Systems Engineer for MITRE’s National Security Center responsible for integrating sponsor outcomes across various missions, agencies, and programs. She provided executive strategic planning for business operations and advancing the Center's $1.2B business base. She advised HASC and SASC staffers on emerging science and technology. She advised new presidential administrations on emerging global risk and opportunities.

As a member of the Defense Science Board on numerous Task Forces and Summer Studies, Dr. Costa helped shape the US model for homeland.

Ms. Gustetic is an experienced innovation leader in the Federal government and a policy entrepreneur, having served as the Program Executive for Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR/STTR) at NASA Headquarters (2016-2020), the Assistant Director for Open Innovation at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (2014-2016), the Program Executive for prizes and challenges at NASA (2012-2014), co-chair of the Partnership for Public Service's Innovation Council (2018-today), co-chair of the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Interagency Maker working group (2016-2018), future of work research fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School (2017-2019), co-founder of Design Thinking DC (2011-2014), board of trustees member of the Van Alen Institute (2016-today), and board of advisors member of the National Science Policy Network (2018-today). She has also previously worked at the Transportation Security Administration on their transportation grants programs as well as in the private sector as a management consultant for Phase One Consulting Group.

In her most recent SBIR/STTR role, Ms. Gustetic has funded small businesses approximately $200M annually for research, development, and demonstration of innovative technologies that fulfill NASA needs and have significant potential for successful commercialization. She has focused on small business engagement and technology transition in her SBIR role. Compared to the 2011-2015 period, from 2016 to today, total investment dollars through Post-Phase II awards into SBIR companies has doubled to over $40 million. Also, the value of NASA Phase III SBIR awards has more than doubled since FY18 from roughly $17M in FY18 to over $35M in FY20, with 78 Phase III awards made in FY20.

Ms. Gustetic holds a bachelors degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Florida and a master’s degree in technology policy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She has also received an executive education certificate from Stanford University in Venture Capital investing. She has published numerous writings on innovation including in the MIT Press, Space Policy Journal, New Space Journal, and Issues in Science and Technology. She lives on Capitol Hill in Washington DC.

Waldo Jaquith is a technologist with extensive experience in the government, non-profit, and for-profit sectors. He was most recently a presidential appointee at the U.S. General Services Administration, serving as Senior Advisor to the Administrator. He was on the Biden-Harris Transition Team.

Until 2021, he worked for the State Software Collaborative, housed at Georgetown University’s Beeck Center; and, before that, at 18F, developing and promoting best practices for government procurement of custom software, particularly for state governments. Previously, Jaquith ran U.S. Open Data, and worked for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy under President Obama. He’s had fellowships from both the Knight News Challenge and the Shuttleworth Foundation.

He lives near Charlottesville, Virginia with his wife and children.

At the U.S. Department of Education, Emily Huntress Lamont serves as a Policy Advisor for the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education. Emily focuses on career-connected education, workforce development, and ED’s interagency activities. In addition, Emily serves on the SeriousFun Children’s Network YEX board, the CT’s Governor Innovation Fellowship board, and the 4-CT Executive Board.

Emily has over a decade of experience in political campaigns, domestic policy, and innovative nonprofit and for-profit operations. Previously, Emily worked on policy for the Biden for President campaign. She served as COO/CFO for the successful 2018 campaign for Governor of Connecticut. Emily was also on the founding team of a successful healthcare venture studio and venture fund. And she spent years in healthcare policy consulting. Born in Connecticut, Emily holds a Master of Business Administration from Stanford University, and a Master of Public Administration and a bachelor's degree from Harvard University.

John Nelson is Deputy Program Executive for the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Program. Since 1997, John has dedicated his career to ensuring the success of federal science and technology programs, spanning a broad range of disciplines including life sciences, space technology, and biological and chemical defense. In private industry, he led award-winning teams in the application of strategic planning, technical assessment, data management, and performance measurement for NASA and DoD clients. Directly prior to joining NASA, he led BryceTech’s contract support of NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate for 10 years, including serving five years as NIAC Senior Technical Consultant. He has received numerous honors for his work with NASA, including the Spaceflight Awareness Honoree award in 2016. He earned his M.S. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Virginia.

Jessie Bur is Nextgov's managing editor. She has been covering technology and government for the past seven years and graduated from James Madison University.

Kirsten Errick is a technology reporter for Nextgov, where she covers GSA, tech workforce, automation and space tech. She is also working towards her master’s in journalism at Georgetown University. Kirsten received her B.A. in communication from Villanova University.

Jennifer Shieh works to build an inclusive innovation ecosystem in the SBA Office of Investment and Innovation, where she previously served as Chief Scientist of America’s Seed Fund for technology commercialization, the Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) programs.
Throughout her federal career, Jennifer has built cross-sector partnerships and coordinated interagency policy, including as Assistant Director for Entrepreneurship at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). Prior to SBA, Jennifer managed the Small Business Program for the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and served as a Program Director at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) SBIR Development Center. She was also involved in product and customer development in precision-medicine and mobile games startups.

Jennifer studied brain and cognitive sciences at MIT, then earned her Ph.D in neurosciences at Stanford University.

Kristopher Stenson is State Records Manager for the Oregon State Archives, where he helps state and local government manage their information for greater government transparency and efficiency. He is a frequent presenter at government agencies and their association meetings, focusing primarily on topics surrounding technology and electronic records. Kristopher is a strong advocate for a proactive approach to records management and archives, and is passionate about helping others get past their own technological and administrative hurdles. His current major initiative is rolling out records retention policies in M365 throughout Oregon State Government.

Kristopher currently serves on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Government Archives and Records Administrators (NAGARA), and has been an active member of the Council of State Archivists’ State Electronic Records Initiative since its inception. He previously worked as the Electronic Records Archivist for the Illinois State Archives. Kristopher is a Certified Records Manager and holds a Master’s degree in Library Science from Indiana University and an MA in History from Washington State University.

Leah McGrath serves as Executive Director for StateRAMP, a national non-profit advancing cyber security for State & Local Government. McGrath dedicated more than 1,000 hours in 2020 working alongside Steering Committee members to develop StateRAMP’s governance and policy framework.

Prior to her work with StateRAMP, McGrath held leadership positions in both the public and private sector, including serving as the first deputy mayor of the City of Fishers, Indiana from 2015 - 2019. During her tenure, Fishers transformed from a town into a smart, vibrant, entrepreneurial city and was named in 2017 the #1 Best Place to Live in America by Money Magazine. In her role, she helped lead modernization efforts and spearheaded city-wide efforts to develop its first long-range comprehensive plan. McGrath’s 20-year career has been focused on working to improve government outcomes at the state and local level, helping shepherd government into the digital age, securely and effectively, for the citizens it serves.

McGrath is a graduate of Purdue University and resides in Fishers, Indiana with her husband and three sons.

Debra Lam is the Founding Director of the Partnership for Inclusive Innovation, a statewide public-private partnership committed to investing in innovative solutions for shared economic prosperity. She continues to lead smart communities and urban innovation work at Georgia Tech. Prior to this, she served as Pittsburgh’s inaugural Chief of Innovation & Performance where she oversaw all technology, sustainability, performance, and innovation functions of city government. Before that, she was a management consultant at a global engineering and design firm, Arup. She has received various awards, including being named one of the top 100 most influential people in digital government by Apolitcal.

She has worked and lived in the United Kingdom, China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. A graduate of Georgetown University and the University of California, Berkeley, Debra serves on the board of the Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta and was most recently appointed by the U.S Department of Commerce to the Internet of Things Advisory Board.

Renato Renner is Professor for Theoretical Physics and head of the research group for Quantum Information Theory.

Renner was born on December 11, 1974, in Lucerne. He studied physics, first at EPF Lausanne and later at ETH Zurich, where he graduated in theoretical physics. He then moved to the Computer Science Department to work on a thesis in the area of quantum cryptography. After getting his PhD degree, he spent two years in the UK, where he was a HP research fellow in the Department for Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at the University of Cambridge. In 2007 he started as an Assistant Professor at ETH Zurich. He was promoted in 2012 to an Associate Professor and in 2015 to a Full Professor. His research interests are in the area of Quantum Information Science, Quantum Thermodynamics, and the Foundations of Quantum Physics.

Christina Silcox is the Research Director for Digital Health at the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy, working on policy solutions to advance innovation in health and health care and improve regulation, reimbursement, and long-term evaluation of medical products, with a focus on digital health.
Dr. Silcox’s portfolio includes multiple areas in digital health policy and real-world evidence, with an emphasis on medical devices. Currently, she is concentrating on challenges to regulating and adopting of artificial intelligence-enabled software as a medical device, using mHealth to collect real-world data, and characterizing real-world data quality and relevancy. Her projects have included the use of patient-generated health data in medical device evaluations, the exploration of value-based payments for medical devices, and the convening the National Evaluation System for health Technology (NEST) Planning Board.
Before she joined Duke-Margolis, Dr. Silcox was a senior fellow at the National Center for Health Research, focused on federal regulation of and policies for medical products. She earned a M.S. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Electrical Engineering and a Ph.D. in Medical Engineering and Medical Physics from the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology (HST).

Aaron Snow (he/him) is Interim Executive Director and a Fellow at the Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown University, where he divides his time between the Digital Service Network and the Intergovernmental Software Collaborative.

Aaron has led digital service teams for two national governments. In 2014 he co-founded and then led 18F, the US government’s in-house technology and design consultancy, and was the first Deputy Commissioner of the Technology Transformation Service. In 2018, he became the first CEO of the Government of Canada’s Canadian Digital Service. He has twice been named one of the “World’s 100 Most Influential People in Digital Government.”

Before 18F, Aaron was a 2013 Presidential Innovation Fellow. Before entering government service, he developed software and managed product development for small and large enterprises, including Microsoft, and co-founded Daring Software, building the back-end for its flagship Arro shopping app. He serves on the Advisory Boards of gov.uk and FWD50.

Aaron is an honors graduate of Harvard College and Columbia Law School. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, he is based in Kensington, MD.

AFUA BRUCE is a leading public interest technologist who has spent her career working at the intersection of technology, policy, and society. Her career has spanned the government, non-profit, private, and academic sectors, as she has held senior science and technology positions at DataKind, the White House, the FBI, and IBM. Afua has a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering, as well as an MBA.

AMY SAMPLE WARD believes that technology should be accessible and accountable to everyone, especially communities historically and systemically excluded from the digital world. They are the CEO of NTEN, a nonprofit creating a world where missions and movements are more successful through the skillful and equitable use of technology. Amy’s second book, Social Change Anytime Everywhere, was a Terry McAdam Book Award finalist.

As Deputy Director at Next Century Cities, Brian Donoghue builds alliances among local government officials and broadband policymakers across the U.S. and works to ensure communities have access to resources needed to reach their broadband goals. He oversees NCC's efforts to conduct research and analysis, develops community outreach strategies, and identifies best practices for accelerating broadband deployment and increasing broadband adoption rates.

Prior to his role at NCC, Donoghue worked as the Director of Civic Innovation for the City of South Bend, Indiana, where he was a founding member of the Department of Innovation & Technology under Mayor Pete Buttigieg. While leading South Bend's Civic Innovation Division, he worked closely with community partners and national funders to improve resident access to technology, digital literacy, and quality educational opportunities. As a senior advisor to Mayor James Mueller, Donoghue designed multiple COVID-relief programs and developed American Rescue Plan spending strategies for the City of South Bend.

Francella Ochillo is an attorney and tech policy expert whose work underscores how widespread connectivity can improve educational outcomes, economic resilience, the ability to age in place, and pathways for participating in democracy. Her work at Next Century Cities equips local government officials working to deliver on ubiquitous broadband goals. Through her Technology and Public Purpose Fellowship at Harvard University, Francella published research on how digital inequities reinforce disadvantage, impose a shared cost on connected and disconnected populations, and contribute to the separation of wealth. She has served on federal agency working groups, provided Congressional testimony, and participated in local, state, and federal level proceedings on closing the digital divide.

Frank Reyes is the Cloud Solutions Leader at Maximus, Technology and Consulting Services helping federal customers realize the value of cloud technologies to deliver mission outcomes. Previously, Frank was a Senior Customer Solutions Manager at Amazon Web Services (AWS) responsible for public sector technology transformation programs focusing on secure computing while accelerating cloud adoption for its customers. Concurrently, he is a senior technologist for election security at The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU’s School of Law where he advises staff and election officials on technologies to conduct safe and secure elections. Formerly, Frank was a Congressional Innovation Fellow who served in the U.S. House of Representatives as a technology policy advisor for the Committee on Homeland Security. In this role, he assisted members of Congress and their staff to better understand the technical aspects of cybersecurity, critical infrastructure protection, and innovation ecosystems. Lastly, Frank previously served in the Department of the Navy, both as a civilian and on active duty.

Jen is a systems thinker and connection-maker who brings a consultative, collaborative approach to all she does. With 20 years of experience in consulting, strategy, operations, and human resources, she’s guided countless organizations through startup and high growth cycles, problem resolution, and significant change. She knows that work is full of challenging power structures, and aims to keep everyone's humanity in mind by bringing joy and respect to every interaction.

She’s held leadership positions in the federal government and the private sector, and has overseen complex engagements with several federal government cabinet agencies, the State of California, FedEx, Delta Airlines, Nationwide Insurance, the Nature Conservancy, and multiple nonprofits. During her time at GSA’s Technology Transformation Services (TTS), Jen led 18F’s Talent Team as the org grew from 60 to 215, then stepped up as the TTS Chief of Staff to help guide the organization through significant change. Outside of work hours, comedy and hiking are her favorite ways to recharge.

Aaron Boyd is an award-winning journalist currently serving as senior editor for technology and events at Nextgov. He primarily covers federal government IT contracting and cybersecurity issues affecting both civilian and defense agencies. As a lifelong nerd and policy wonk, he feels right at home covering the intersection of technology and policy in the nation's capital.

Alexandra Kelley reports on emerging technology for Nextgov. Her most recent post was covering breaking news for The Hill where she focused on a variety of quantitative subjects, including Big Tech and the economy, in addition to covering the coronavirus pandemic since late 2019. She graduated from Kenyon College in 2017.

Frank Konkel is Nextgov’s executive editor. He writes about the intersection of government and technology. Frank began covering tech in 2013 upon moving to the Washington, D.C. area after getting his start in journalism working at local and state issues at daily newspapers in his home state of Michigan. Frank was born and raised on a dairy farm and graduated from Michigan State University.

Chris Teale is a staff reporter for GCN. He was most recently a technology reporter for Morning Consult, and prior to that covered smart cities for Industry Dive. He also has had spells in local news reporting in Northern Virginia. He graduated from the University of East Anglia in 2013.