The Government Huddle with Brian Chidester

149: The One about the Future of National Security & Defense

Dr. David Bray, Distinguished Fellow at both the Stimson Center and Principal at LeadDoAdapt joins the show along with Bob Gourley, former CTO of the Defense Intelligence Agency and now the CTO of OODA LLC, to talk about some of the aspects of GenAI that are particularly difficult for government to tackle in today’s society. We also discuss why issues that used to be solely the domain of U.S. intelligence & defense departments are now also in the domain of commercial companies and they share some advice to leaders in these sectors that are negotiating the pressing national and international security issues of our time.

148: The One with the U.S. Navy SEAL Executive Coach

Mathew Lehnig, a former combat-proven Veteran & Navy SEAL Officer, accomplished author, keynote speaker, executive coach, and the Vice President of Programs at EXCELR8 joins the show to share leadership insights from his military background that align to both government and industry professionals alike. We also discuss what a day with Independence Day means to him and dive into the most common leadership challenges he witnesses in the corporate world and his advice on how to address them.

147: The One with the Center for Digital Government Chief

Teri Takai, Former Chief Information Officer for the US Department of Defense, State of California, & State of Michigan & the SVP at e.Republic’s Center for Digital Government joins the show to discuss the current drivers of change in government modernization. We also talk about what “putting the citizen in the center” really means to a CX leader, how she has seen this focus change since she joined government, and what she sees being the biggest opportunity for artificial intelligence in the public sector.

146: The One with the State of Indiana CX Chief

Justin Davis, Associate Chief of Customer Experience at State of Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD) joins the show to discuss how artificial intelligence is changing how the agency is supporting the state’s resident experience and service delivery. We also talk about his approach to effectively drive programmatic change within an organization and what it will take to deliver predictive digital experiences to all citizens.

145: The One with the Former State of Maryland CIO

Michael Leahy, former Secretary of the Department of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer for the State of Maryland joins the show to discuss the key principles of his verifiable government framework. We also talk about his IT governance approach while he served as the State of Maryland CIO and his advice to organizations looking to avoid vendor lock-in and manage costs effectively.

144: The One with the Former 18F National Security Leader

Brian Fox, Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships at Omni Federal and the Former Director of the National Security and Intelligence Portfolio at 18F joins the show and we dive into some of the pockets of innovation happening in government and why it has exploded the way that it has in recent years. We also talk about the work he is doing at Omni Federal, how his experience in government has shaped his approach in the private sector, and how the book “[RE]coding America” has helped shape his views on government innovation.

143: The One with the Royal Commission for AlUla Digital Leader

Lawrence Eta, Vice President, Digital and Analytics for the Royal Commission for AlUla & Author of “Bridging Worlds: A Journey of Technology, Leadership, and Public Service” joins the show to discuss how his personal and professional journey influenced his new book. We also talk about his strategy to align to Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, his thoughts on how technology will be most impactful in government and in society at large, and how he would approach building a digitally-focused city from the ground up.

142: The One with the UKG Public Sector Senior Fellow

Bob Lavigna, Senior Fellow, UKG Public Sector and the Founding Director, for the Institute for Public Sector Employee Engagement joins the show as we celebrate Public Service Recognition Week and we reflect on the importance of employee engagement. We also talk about the 2024 human capital management “megatrends” that government should be focused on which are redefining the employee/employer relationship. Finally we delve into the impending environmental, social and governance “gut check” which is intensifying political culture wars and are putting organizations’ initiatives, especially DEI&B, under a microscope.

141: The One with the Estonia Chief Data Officer

Ott Velsberg, Global AI Thought Leader and Chief Data Officer of the Government of Estonian joins the show to discuss Estonia’s new AI and data strategy which is built on three main pillars: a data-driven economy and society, an AI-driven government and society and trustworthy, human-centric AI and data governance. We also talk about the country’s approach to digital citizen experience and why Estonia has gained a reputation as a trendsetter in AI around the world.

140: The One with the GSA TTS Data & Analytics Chief

Mark Wheeler, Director with the General Services Administration’s Technology Transformation Services (TTS), Centers for Excellence in Data & Analytics & former CIO for the City of Philadelphia joins the show to discuss the role data is playing across government, especially in the proliferation of AI technology.  We also discuss the learnings he brought as an urban planner to his role for the City of Philadelphia, then ultimately to his position at GSA and his thoughts on the future of what smart cities will be able to deliver for their residents.