30

Patrick Evans

IT Project Manager
Office of Management and Budget

Data collector. Evans gives both technical direction and leadership on projects at OMB. Last year, he used his skills in data collection and analysis and his gift for cross-agency collaboration to support COVID-19 vaccination efforts in the federal government. He and his team deployed tools that played a fundamental role in collecting data on the vaccination status of federal employees. The time needed to generate reports based on new data was eventually reduced to less than one hour. The information has been critical for decision-making on the reopening of government offices and has been leveraged in White House publications.

31

Steve Faehl

Security CTO
Microsoft Federal

Security guru. Faehl combined 13 sales, services and customer success teams at Microsoft Federal to help agencies comply with mandates in the Biden administration’s executive order on cybersecurity. Through those efforts and based on his conversations with federal CISOs about where funding might have the most impact, Faehl designed a $150 million program at Microsoft that has helped over 40 federal agencies raise their security baselines. In addition, his research and development work on using artificial intelligence to detect vulnerabilities in the software supply chain has been credited with identifying a significant supply chain attack in the government.

32

Rich Forsht

Chief, Global Service Desk Management Office
Defense Information Systems Agency

Help-desk hero. Forsht orchestrated a plan that revolutionized DISA’s IT support through a one-click process that enhances the user experience. He helped devise a solution that eliminates the need for human-to-human communication when reporting IT incidents, and it is expected to save the Defense Department $45 per issue ticket. Because of his success in improving the user experience, Forsht now leads 20 consolidation efforts for geographically dispersed sites that manage more than 108 environments. The result will be a unified framework with single systems for ticketing, service requests and call management; a quality assurance plan; and a more robust knowledge-centered support structure.

33

Robert Fortner

Deputy CIO, Transportation Security Administration
Department of Homeland Security

Workforce champion. In three years, Fortner created the TSA Digital Services Team and expanded it to over 200 advisers, which has helped decision-makers achieve quick wins and incremental success in the face of projects with long timelines and large budgets. He has revolutionized some of TSA’s most critical systems by modernizing its human resources processes, improving travel screening at transportation hubs and introducing a new scheduling platform that supports COVID-19 protocols. Although his recent contributions have focused on internal processes, Fortner’s next goal is geared toward improving the integration and optimization of data to enhance intelligence across the agency.

34

Angela Gant-Curtis

IT Program Manager, Innovation and Emerging Technologies, Office of the CTO
Department of Veterans Affairs

Continuity of care. A 35-year veteran of federal service, Gant-Curtis plays a key role in driving collaboration across VA and with the Defense Department by establishing and empowering VA’s centers for technology innovation in the department’s Innovation Unit. In 2021, she helped lead a joint effort with DOD to digitize the process of validating military experience and help speed the process through which veterans enter the VA’s health care system. She was also instrumental in giving veterans the ability to complete clinical screenings from any connected device, which has reduced pre-appointment wait times and enabled patients to report symptoms to clinicians remotely.

35

Bob S. Genter

President, Defense and Civilian Sector
SAIC

Cloud for all. Genter’s agenda was busy enough as he led SAIC’s acquisition and integration of two large IT businesses with a newly remote workforce. But he also helped SAIC’s government customers support their own physically dispersed employees. Under his guidance, one large Defense Department component used a Unisys-built cloud tool to increase the migration speed of 178 applications into public cloud environments, obtain 64 authority-to-operate designations and store 3,700 terabytes of data. Genter is also active on the philanthropy front and led SAIC in raising $385,000 for Feeding America.

36

Amy Gilliland

President
GDIT

The people president. Gilliland oversees an $8.5 billion global technology firm that operates in 30 countries and employs nearly 30,000 professionals to serve defense, civilian and intelligence agencies. Recognizing that the ongoing pandemic put unique strains on those professionals, she redoubled her focus on employees in 2021. GDIT, which has a reputation for broad-based recruiting and employee upskilling, launched a mental health campaign called “How Are You, Really?” Gilliland urged company leaders to erase the stigma often associated with seeking mental health support, especially for employees with security clearances.

37

Wendy Ginsberg

Staff Director, Government Operations Subcommittee, Oversight and Reform Committee
U.S. House of Representatives

Quiet oversight. Behind the scenes at the influential Government Operations Subcommittee, Ginsberg orchestrates the drafting of legislative proposals and plans key oversight hearings to advance policies that affect the federal workforce, IT and cybersecurity. She helped drive discussions about the Federal IT Acquisition Reform Act scorecard, election integrity, the technology challenges facing state and local governments, and the future of the federal workforce. In 2021, she also shared recommendations with the House Select Committee on Modernization for improving oversight and institutional knowledge at congressional research agencies.

38

Lattrice R. Goldsby

Robotic Process Automation Center of Excellence and Branch Manager, Office of the CIO
Agriculture Department

Bot builder. Goldsby oversees the development and governance of labor-saving RPA bots across USDA. In 2021, the 64 bots in production supported functions ranging from contracting to human resources and saved an estimated $5.4 million and 156,000 work hours. Under Goldsby’s expert leadership, USDA is developing even more bots. In just one example, one bot promptly and efficiently processes invoices sent from aviation vendors that are involved in fighting wildfires, which are becoming more frequent and intense. The automated solution replaced a manual process that took 5,000 to 10,000 personnel hours each year.

39

Darlene K. Gore

Director, Identity, Credential and Access Management, Federal Acquisition Service
General Services Administration

Credentialing champion. When agencies began closing credentialing offices in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Gore acted fast. She partnered with the U.S. Postal Service to create a shared-services pilot project for federal employees and contractors to obtain new or updated credentials in person at a select number of USPS locations. The USAccess Point’s seven pilot sites provided 120 customer agencies with over 20,000 credentials and demonstrated that federal services can take advantage of USPS’ service delivery infrastructure. GSA and USPS are poised to expand the program nationwide in an additional 15 cities this year.

40

Matthew Graviss

Chief Data Officer and Managing Director, Center for Analytics
State Department

State’s data strategist. In the past year, Graviss distinguished himself as the State Department’s first permanent chief data officer and managing director of State’s Center for Analytics. He delivered and implemented the department’s first enterprise data strategy during a year that came with significant additional hurdles. 2021 began in the thick of a global pandemic and a presidential transition and ended with round-the-clock analytics to support the largest evacuation in U.S. history. Graviss proved himself as the State Department’s authoritative voice for data, an effective change agent and a go-to leader for tackling major department wide challenges.

41

DeEtte Gray

President, Business and Information Technology Solutions
CACI International

Paying it forward. Gray leads an organization of 9,000 people at CACI who focus on helping agencies transform their IT environments and the business processes that drive those efforts. Building the workforce of tomorrow is also a key goal for her. During her three-year tenure as chairwoman of AFCEA International’s board of directors, the organization expanded its focus on promoting cybersecurity education, providing grants for teachers and funding scholarships for students pursuing degrees in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Her passion for STEM dates back to her first job — as a middle-school teacher of math and science.

42

Donna M. Gregg

Asymmetric Operations Sector Head, Applied Physics Laboratory
Johns Hopkins University

Academic and defender. Gregg leads four key mission areas at Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory, the Defense Department’s largest university-affiliated research center: cyber operations, homeland protection, national health and special operations. She has enabled the introduction of advanced cyber technologies into warfighting and critical infrastructure systems, and last year, her efforts helped block adversaries that attempted to disrupt U.S. military operations, including Navy ship systems and nuclear command. She also helped deploy the lab’s cutting-edge technology to produce a cybersecurity platform that secures electrical industrial control systems at U.S. Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Southwest.

43

Tonye Gross

Chief of Staff to the Assistant CIO
Agriculture Department

Vaccination validation. Gross led an effort to improve USDA’s vaccination tool to comply with the executive order requiring federal employees to obtain vaccinations against COVID-19. The agency had developed a tool to collect vaccination records but needed to pivot to a system of validation and verification, which necessitated urgent updates. Gross volunteered to help tackle the updates even though the effort was being managed in another part of USDA. Colleagues said her timely leadership was the key factor in preventing the failure of the largest human resources data-collection effort in the history of USDA.

44

Deidre Harrison

Acting Controller, Office of Federal Financial Management
Office of Management and Budget

Fraud fighter. Harrison led efforts to use technology and data analytics to promote payment integrity in pandemic relief programs. Her strategy included partnering with the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency’s Pandemic Response Accountability Committee and communicating extensively with agencies to ensure that they were positioned to mitigate payment integrity risks. She also encouraged agencies to automate processes such as verification and apply machine learning and algorithms to detect abnormal entries. In addition, she pushed agencies to standardize and digitize data elements for better traceability and analytics and led cross-agency information-sharing efforts to assist victims of identity theft.

45

Dr. Leonie K. Heyworth

National Director of Synchronous Telehealth and Staff Physician, Veterans Health Administration
Department of Veterans Affairs

Fine-tuning telehealth. The COVID-19 pandemic placed unprecedented stresses on VA’s telehealth system. In 2021, several custom applications needed improvements to reach veterans in remote parts of the U.S. via multiple platforms. Heyworth, who previously won a Rising Star award for her work on telehealth, led enhancements to three key systems that support 10 million appointments annually. She balanced participation in software delivery meetings with delivering patient care and leading a team focused on adding new telehealth capabilities. In December 2021, Heyworth was appointed to the position of clinical deputy director of VA’s telehealth services.

46

William Hilsman

Senior Vice President
Booz Allen Hamilton

Market force. As co-chairman of the General Services Administration’s Federal Industry Acquisition Council, Hilsman played a key role in advocating for the use of the agency’s Assisted Acquisition Services for buying technology. The efficiency of that approach hinges on industry/government partnerships, and Hilsman was at the nexus of those relationships and communication channels. As a result, Assisted Acquisition Services enjoyed a record year in 2021 with over $7 billion in IT acquisitions and the launch of ASTRO, a series of contract vehicles for manned, unmanned or optionally manned platforms and robotics to help achieve national security missions.

47

Kenneth W. Howard

Director, Division of Engineering and Architecture, Center for Clinical Standards and Quality, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Department of Health and Human Services

Engineering the mission. Howard directs the division charged with providing engineering services that enable CMS to manage value-based care programs. In 2021, he delivered process and technological capabilities to enable quick response to the pandemic. Under his leadership, the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality launched a dashboard that gives real-time insights into the performance and stability of enterprise systems. He also led the rapid integration necessary to support COVID-19 reporting requirements at nursing home and other care facilities, and he oversaw an initiative to increase access to data and hire 1,500 data scientists, researchers and analysts.

48

Eric Hysen

CIO
Department of Homeland Security

Driving transformation. As soon as he was appointed CIO, Hysen began adapting agile and digital services to scale at DHS. His years of experience in delivering digital services for the federal government helped drive IT modernization forward, with a focus on transforming IT infrastructure and building the next generation of cybersecurity workers. Hysen, who was a key player on the Biden-Harris transition team, worked closely with DHS’ chief human capital officer to put the finishing touches on a new personnel system that enables the department to better recruit, develop and retain top cybersecurity professionals across the country.

49

Hilary Ingraham

Director, Refugee Processing Center, Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration
State Department

Refugee-supporting tech. When the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in 2021, the U.S. military airlifted at-risk Afghans out of the country, particularly those who had worked as interpreters for the U.S. or at its embassy. Resettling those refugees would not have been possible without Ingraham’s work. During a rapidly changing crisis, she oversaw the creation of new digital resources and kept modernization efforts on track. Her work culminated in replacing a 20-year-old case management system with a flexible, scalable cloud-based solution for the State Department’s U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. It is playing a key role in the resettlement of over 70,000 Afghans worldwide.

50

Nasheb Ismaily

Principal Solutions Engineer
Cloudera

Innovation master. Nasheb led a massive effort to create a new way for the IRS to analyze every tax report ever collected and use artificial intelligence and machine learning to identify and predict fraudulent activity. The project marked the first time an organization had run parallel GPU processing along with AI and machine learning, which multiplied the speed of data analysis by a factor of 10 and cut the IRS’ infrastructure costs in half. Thanks to Ismaily’s efforts, IRS datasets that used to take months to analyze can now be processed in a matter of days, hours or even minutes.

51

Camille T. Jones

Assistant Division Chief, Enterprise Resource Services, Administrative Customer Service Division, Chief Administrative Office
U.S. Census Bureau

Counting on blockchain. On the heels of the 2020 census, Jones looked for a way to improve the way the bureau connects with its half-million enumerators for safety purposes. She tapped sole-source authorities under the Small Business Innovation and Research program to create the bureau’s first Phase III commercialization contract so it could acquire a system that leverages blockchain and artificial intelligence to reduce the time it takes for a worker to report an on-the-job injury from 72 hours to two minutes. The system will be tested in a variety of activities before being fielded for the 2030 census.

52

Col. Joy Kaczor

Commander
White House Communications Agency

Communications commander. During the pandemic, Kaczor oversaw the rapid deployment of robust virtual capabilities — including modernized videoconferencing, mobile chat and mobile applications — across the White House. She led the relocation of an $8 million data center to a new facility while synchronizing with presidential IT community stakeholders and vendors to ensure zero operational disruptions. Under her leadership, the agency also onboarded 177 senior staffers, facilitated over 500 calls with global heads of state and supported a virtual G7 summit. Her efforts have positioned the agency to provide assured information services for the president and other White House officials anywhere and anytime.

53

Kavita Kalatur

Founder and Chairperson
NetImpact Strategies

Voice for the mid-tiers. Kalatur’s vision in founding NetImpact more than a decade ago was to be a trusted adviser to federal agencies on digital transformation via the company’s consulting and technical services. That notion of partnership extends to mentoring small to midsize companies and their entrepreneurial founders. Kalatur took a leadership role in creating the Professional Services Council’s Mid-Tier Working Group to address common issues and communicate with government customers on approaches and solutions. She also participated in a working group focused on career development and opportunity in support of the ACT-IAC Executive Committee’s diversity and inclusion goal.

54

Susan Kalweit

Senior Associate for Culture and Leader Excellence
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency

Enabling excellence. It is often said that federal IT consists of people, process and technology — in that order. At NGA, Kalweit prioritizes her efforts accordingly. After years of focusing on the ways artificial intelligence and “ubiquitous data” could strengthen national security, she stepped into her current role in January 2021 and set about ensuring that NGA’s workplace culture reinforces the agency’s core values and creates “the best environment possible where all teammates can thrive.” The goal, she told FCW, is to optimize “the human side of the human-machine team.”

55

Mark Kim

CEO
Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board

Bond hero. The congressionally chartered Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board exercises regulatory authority over the $4 trillion market in U.S. municipal bonds. In 2021, pandemic relief legislation helped spark a resurgence in the bond market, and Kim led the push to move MSRB activities into the cloud so that it became a data-centric organization for the first time. Thanks to his efforts, the updated MSRB leveraged more robust computing power to develop new products and services, offer richer insight for stakeholders, and incorporate environmental, social and governance data into its market transparency platform.

56

Theresa Kinney

Deputy Director for Operations and Communications, SEWP Program Office
NASA

Sage solutionist. Kinney manages the strategic direction and day-to-day operations of Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement, a key governmentwide acquisition contract that gives federal agencies access to the latest IT solutions. Her vast knowledge of supply chain risk management and her stewardship of an Advanced Technology Academic Research Center working group on the topic led to the first known cross-walk between commercial standards and the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s guidance. Her work resulted in a new methodology to assess the government’s use of commercial standards to the maximum extent possible.

57

Kevan Kivlan

Director, Office of Customer and Stakeholder Engagement
General Services Administration

Innovation expert. When he discovered that agencies seldom use solicitation information beyond their immediate contracting needs, Kivlan launched GSA’s Market Research as a Service initiative to tap into the potential strategic resources in contracting data. He led a team of Federal Acquisition Service associates to define, design and implement a tool that leverages data analytics and helps agencies visualize the responses they can expect to receive through GSA contract vehicles. Last year, 29 agencies and over 100 bureaus and departments used the robust market research tool to generate over 2,400 analyses.

58

Lauren Knausenberger

CIO
Department of the Air Force

Digital superhero. Knausenberger’s laser focus on delivering useful capabilities to warfighters has elevated crucial initiatives such as the adoption of zero trust and DevSecOps methodology. She has also accelerated migrations to the Air Force’s state-of-the-art Cloud One platform and championed two new initiatives for Air Force personnel: the 21st Century IT Store, which consolidates IT gear and services into a single catalog, and the Digital University, which provides centralized access to top-notch digital education. Simultaneously, she has helped improve the way the Air Force acquires technology, including the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent intercontinental ballistic missile system.

59

Jason Knudson

CEO
Vyzva Lab

Researcher extraordinaire. Other transaction authorities have been used to fund IT projects, cloud migrations, the development of emerging technologies such as blockchain and the Army’s COVID-19 vaccine efforts. Last year, Knudson co-authored an in-depth analytical report on the popular but often criticized rapid contracting method. “Other Transactions Authorities: 60 Years On, Hitting Their Stride or Hitting the Wall?” caught the attention of Congress, which led to several recommendations regarding data and transparency being incorporated into the annual defense policy bill. The report has also become part of the curricula at 50 colleges and universities.

60

Ryan L. Korn

Senior Cloud Architect and Product Manager, Bureau of Industry and Security
Commerce Department

Game changer. Prior to leading technical architecture work and export control data curation at the Bureau of Industry and Security, Korn helped drive the Small Business Administration’s advanced data and cloud-based solutions. His efforts last year at the height of the pandemic breathed new life into the nearly $16 billion Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program, which provided emergency assistance to live entertainment venues. Thanks to his leadership, the agency stabilized the program’s IT system and began issuing grants 100 times faster than it had in the previous month. Nearly 12,000 grantees receive over $9.5 billion by September 2021.

61

Ann Lewis

Senior Advisor for Delivery
Small Business Administration

Small-business savior. SBA was at the forefront of the federal government’s efforts to save companies from economic ruin during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Lewis was front and center on those initiatives. In 2021, she worked on technical strategy and program delivery for several American Rescue Plan Act programs, which involved creating processes to manage and negotiate with vendors, triage problems, and streamline delivery of much-needed grant dollars. As the crisis eased, Lewis gathered lessons learned to ensure that SBA can respond even more quickly and effectively in the future.

62

Lee J. Lofthus

Assistant Attorney General
Justice Department

Unshakable authority. From managing IT resources to overseeing Justice’s annual financial statement and budget formulation, Lofthus has taken on a world of new initiatives since joining the department nearly four decades ago. As the designated agency ethics official, chief financial officer and assistant attorney general, his work throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and other emergency situations has kept the department’s 42 components up-to-date on developments in real time. He also helped the department become one of the first federal agencies to migrate to a single financial management system while overseeing 16 years of clean financial audit opinions.

63

Matt Mandrgoc

Head of U.S. Public Sector
Zoom

Zooming ahead. Mandrgoc serves as the lead for Zoom’s federal, state, local and education business, and in 2021, he built on the shift to videoconferencing technology during the pandemic to show agencies how they can navigate the change and use Zoom as a solution post-pandemic. For example, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s daily briefings on the pandemic were broadcast to over 20,000 people using Zoom. Mandrgoc also fostered internal growth in Zoom’s public-sector business and worked with Amazon Web Services to offer government customers a single cloud solution. So far, over 30 agencies have authorizations to operate for Zoom technology.

64

Stephanie Mango

President
CGI Federal

Principled leader. Mango took on the leadership of CGI Federal in early 2021, and from the start, she elevated diversity, equity and inclusion as guiding principles for management as she reorganized the company to reflect shifting federal priorities and position it for growth. Last year’s execution front for CGI Federal saw the company work with the Department of Veterans Affairs on the launch of a new financial system that will expand to other components. She contributes additional time and energy to the broader technology community as a member of the IAC Executive Committee, Shared Services Leadership Coalition and several other organizations.

65

Jason Martin

Director, Digital Capabilities and Security Center
Defense Information Systems Agency

Security champion. DISA made news this year with multiple program awards, including an identity, credential and access management contract for securing Defense Department applications and DISA’s approach to zero trust architecture, called Thunderdome. Although those announcements came this year, Martin’s leadership and expertise in 2021 made them possible. He has championed DISA’s use of other transaction authorities to ensure that the agency can quickly deliver new capabilities and other challenging component acquisitions, while ensuring that program needs are met regardless of which acquisition strategy is used.