The Government Huddle with Brian Chidester

133: The One with the Accenture Federal Healthcare Leader

Jill Olmstead, Managing Director and Federal Health Industry Leader at Accenture Federal Services joins the show to discuss the latest trends impacting healthcare and what has changed since the pandemic. We also discuss the importance for organizations to become “future fluent” within their technology choices, examples of ways she is supporting federal agencies and we dive into her passion for supporting children and their families through an NIH program.

132: The One with the Former Commonwealth of Kentucky CIO

Charles Grindle, Ph.D, Former Chief Information Officer for the Commonwealth of Kentucky and Senior Advisor at ProofPoint joins the show to unpack and discuss the top ten priorities for State CIO’s revealed by the National Association for State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO). In our candid discussion we talk about the difference between digital transformation and modernization, why putting the citizen at the center of program development is changing the game, and the technology he feels should be a number one priority for CIOs. 

131: The One with the Aquia Co-Founder & President

Chris Hughes, Cybersecurity Thought-Leader & the President & Co-founder of Aquia joins the show to discuss some of the important things that public and private sector leaders and practitioners need to know going into 2024 around cyber. We also talk about programs including FedRAMP & CMMC, why security by compliance isn’t the best path an agency can take, and what should governments be doing right now to prepare for what AI is going to bring to the cyber landscape in the next few years.

130: The One with the RegScale CEO

Travis Howerton, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer of RegScale joins the show and allows us to jump into the head of a founder CEO to understand some of the challenges he faces and what he does to stay sharp. We also discuss his thoughts on the future of work, how his experience in government inspired creating RegScale, and what trends he is seeing in government that will impact 2024.

129: The One with the Former US Most Wanted Cybercriminal

Brett Johnson, Former U.S. Most Wanted Cybercriminal, ”The Original Internet Godfather" and one of the leading authorities on cybercrime, identity theft, and cybersecurity on the planet joins the show to tell his story of how he went from being convicted of 39 felonies, being the leader of the first organized cybercrime community, Shadowcrew… to redemption, and how what he is working to stop individuals trying to do what he became the best at doing. We also discuss the ways that government organizations can protect themselves from cyber and fraud attacks and what organizations should have learned during the pandemic that can protect them today.

128: The One with the Department of Justice CIO

Melinda Rogers, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Information Resource Management & Chief Information Officer at the US Department of Justice joins the show to shed some light on what is it like being a digital leader in such a high-profile organization. We also talk about her approach to implementing a zero trust framework at her department, how she has seen the cybersecurity landscape over the past ten years, and she shares some advice for women leaders in the government technology space. 

127: The One with the CX Innovation Strategist

Charlotte S. Lee, the Industry Advisory Chair for Customer Experience at ACT-IAC and Strategic Lead for CX & Innovation at Granicus joins the show to discuss what type of mindshare she believes there is in government around CX and the growth that was catalyzed by the executive order around experience. We also talk about where the CX executive order fell short, some predictions for 2024 around experiences in government and tips for government leaders on how they can improve the service delivery today.

126: The One with the Former US Navy Rear Admiral

Danelle Barrett, Former US Navy Rear Admiral & Director of Current Operations at U.S. Cyber Command joins the show to discuss her book “Rock the Boat” and the lessons she has learned across her life and career. We also talk about traits that she believes good leaders must possess, what she felt like she learned from her mentors, and why her current battle with brain cancer has changed her perspective on life.

125: The One with the ”Bridgebuilders” Co-Authors

William D. Eggers, Executive Director of the Deloitte Center for Government Insights & Donald F. Kettl, Professor Emeritus & former dean of the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland, and the co-authors of the book “Bridgebuilders: How Government Can Transcend Boundaries to Solve Big Problems” joins the show to discuss their new model for a modern government that they introduce in the book and why the current model no longer works. We also talk about how incentive structures need to change to drive change in the public sector and they elaborate on the key tenets needed to become a “bridge-builder” in their opinion.

124: The One with the Former State of Florida CIO

Jamie Grant, CEO and Co-Founder of RedLeif and Former State of Florida Chief Information Officer joins the show to unpack his time at the Florida Digital Service and what the priorities of state IT leaders look like in 2023. We also talk about his time in the Florida State Legislature and how that helped him during his tenure as CIO, his thoughts on collaboration across state leadership, and the best advice he has received across his career.