The Government Huddle with Brian Chidester

The One with the U.S. Veteran’s Affairs EX Leader

Airis McCottry Gill, Executive Director, Employee Experience and Organizational Management at the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs joins the show to discuss her thoughts on the recent Executive Order for Customer Experience and how she sees it impacting the EX landscape in government. We also talk about why the development of journey maps has changed the approach to EX at the department, how she has enabled a culture centered around data, and her advice to women in the government technology space.

The One with the Adobe Government CX Evangelist

Jonathan Benett, Technical Director for Digital Government Solutions at Adobe and the Former Chief Enterprise Architect at USDA joins the show to discuss why legislation like the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act (IDEA) and the recent CX executive order have made this a “renaissance time” when it comes to improving government experience. We also talk about lessons he learned from his time as a government executive, how technology is enabling the workforce of the future, and why digital equity has become such an important driver around digital transformation.

The One with the WHOOP Data Expert

Kristen Holmes, Vice President of Performance Science at WHOOP and NCAA D1 All-American, National Champion and Hall of Fame inductee joins the show to discuss the importance of being data-driven and how to build a couture around data to drive positive impact. We also discuss the work WHOOP is doing to support performance of military service members, ways that organizations can help mitigate employee burnout, and the biggest challenges she sees when trying to change an organization’s mindset.

The One with the ICF Public Sector EVP

Mark Lee, Executive Vice President for Global Public Sector at ICF International joins the show to discuss ways he has seen the pandemic accelerate and alter the future of government work. We also talk about some of the ways he has worked with customers as they have learned to navigate the new normal, what agencies should be prioritizing and they look to redefine their customer experiences, and some of his predictions for the next government fiscal year.

The One with the Red Hat Public Sector Chief

Clara Conti, Vice President and General Manager of Red Hat Public Sector joins the show to discuss how she has navigated the COVID-19 pandemic and what best practices she learned over the past couple years that can be leveraged for organizations operating in the new normal. She also shares her thoughts on the Federal government’s progress around cloud adoption, attributes agencies should be focused on when evaluating a new company or technology, and advice for young women entering the government technology space.

The One with the Leadership and EQ Coach

Nicole F. Smith, M.Ed, Ranked #3 Nationally Recognized Leadership and EQ Coach, Speaker, Best Selling Author, and the CEO of JMS Creative Leadership Solutions joins the show to discuss how to improve as a leader with an eye towards the next-generation workforce. We also focus on improving your emotional intelligence, how to enhance your business and personal relationships, and the increasing importance of empathy in every touchpoint we have with our stakeholders.

The One with the Twilio Public Sector Chief

Justin Herman, Global Head of Public Sector at Twilio and former Emerging Citizen Technology Leader at the General Services Administration (GSA) joins the show to discuss the impact that the recently enacted Executive Order for Customer Experience will have moving forward. We also discuss how trends like augmented reality and the Metaverse will change the CX landscape, how smart cities will align to digital experience, and how cloud adoption can support innovation in 2022 and beyond.

The One with the ReM Score CEO

Alex Castro, Founder and CEO of ReM Score and bestselling author of “Measure, Execute, Win!” joins the show to discuss ways that government organizations should be using data to optimize their decision-making and operations. We also discuss how organizations can adapt to the new normal and how the “fail fast” mentality lauded in Silicon Valley for driving change can actually be an inhibitor on the next-generation workforce.

The One with the techUK Government Chairman

Simon Godfrey, Chairman for Public Sector at techUK and Director of Government Relations at BT Group joins the show to discuss technology trends impacting the public sector and predictions for 2022. We also take a look back and some of the biggest ways public sector was impacted in 2021 and discuss policies that could drive larger adoption of emerging technologies in government moving forward. 

The One with the NC HHS Technology Leader

Dr. Joe Perez, Senior IT Lead at North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and Chief Technology Officer at Solontek joins the show to discuss how data is changing the landscape in government and ways for leaders to support a culture change around information. We also have a conversation about why is it so challenging for government to roll out technology as quick as the private sector, predictions on how data will continue to change government, and what challenges keep a CTO up at night in this new normal.