In #DevDC Podcast Episode 11 we have a career journey discussion with Rusty Pickens. This includes talking about leading the implementation of Salesforce for the Obama White House and how cloud first began in the US Government. Today Rusty helps run 580 Strategies to help establish digital practices in all types of organizations. We talk about his journey, his technology passions (which include #DevSecOps, #Agile and Human Center Design ,#HCD) as well as the motivations that brought him to where he is today.

Rusty has managed annual budgets north of $60M and served as a U.S. Department of State Senior Advisor for Digital Platforms. Interestingly he also has a lot of experiences working with startups. He believes supporting such diverse organizations was key to his growth and he encourages others to "pull the parachute rip cord out of Government and do something radically different"!

Rusty is passionate about his community and roots. A proud Chickasaw, he cut his teeth in IT working as a Network Admin for Smokesignals Computer Company (a subsidiary of Chickasaw Nation Industries). Today he helps lead “Agile Academy” which is available through his firm and at East Central University in Oklahoma - where he graduated and serves as a Guest Lecturer. The 580 in 580 Strategies comes from his area code in Southern and Western Oklahoma. Rusty also served as a VP for Out in STEM and Co-Founded Out in National Security.

It is important to Rusty that he help set up the next generation and believes mentorship is key. Contact Rusty if you would like to connect in general or if 580 Strategies' mission to help establish digital practices in your organization is something that interests you!