Government Matters

New GAO recommendations for vaccine distribution and supply chain management

Nicole Clowers, Managing Director of Health Care Issues at GAO, goes over Government Accountability Office findings on vaccine distribution plans and data exchange across government

“Burrowing in” at government agencies

Jeffrey Neal, Author of www.ChiefHRO.com, discusses potential issues surrounding former political appointees in the federal workforce

Implementing IT modernization across government

Richard Spires, Principal at Richard A. Spires Consulting, discusses recommendations for effective implementation of agency IT modernization under the Biden administration

Digital strategy at the General Services Administration

David Shive, Chief Information Officer at the General Services Administration, discusses accelerating digital transformation at GSA in the next year and optimizing technology to support the agency’s mission

Understanding the defense budget

Tara Murphy Dougherty, Chief Executive Officer at Govini, goes over key data and trends from defense spending research

Taking a “whole of government” approach to vaccine distribution

Jonathan Alboum, Federal Chief Technology Officer at ServiceNow, discusses the Biden administration’s approach to vaccine distribution and opportunities for digital transformation in the COVID-19 response

Scaling up the Technology Modernization Fund

David Shive, Chief Information Officer at the General Services Administration, discusses TMF evaluation process and operations and provides updates on the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program

Defense Innovation Unit hits five-year mark

Mike Madsen, Deputy Director and Director of Strategic Engagement at the Defense Innovation Unit, discusses success and lessons learned in the first five years of the DIU

Updates on political appointments in the Biden administration

Janice Lachance, Former Director of OPM, and Jeri Buchholz, Former NASA Chief Human Capital Officer, discuss the process of filling political roles in the Biden administration and what they will watch moving forward

President Biden revokes Schedule F

Tony Reardon, President of the National Treasury Employees Union, discusses federal employee executive orders and morale at the Department of Homeland Security

Updates from the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board

Kim Weaver, Director of External Affairs at the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board, talks about Recordkeeping Services Acquisition, Thrift Savings Plan data and other statistics

Cyber leadership in the Biden administration

Ari Schwartz, Managing Director of Cybersecurity Services at Venable, discusses takeaways from the names selected so far for the Biden administration’s cyber team

National security priorities for the Biden administration

Becca Wasser, Fellow at the Defense Program at the Center for a New American Security, discusses what we can expect from the next National Defense Strategy and how it will be different from the last one

Speeding up vaccine distribution under the Biden administration

Jeffrey P. Bialos, Partner at Eversheds Sutherland, discusses challenges related to vaccine distribution, the supply chain and the Defense Production Act

Tracking the Space Force under the Biden administration

Makena Young, Research Associate for the Aerospace Security Project at CSIS, discusses the future of the Space Force, the significance of the Space Command headquarters location and the National Space Council

Artificial intelligence in the Biden administration

Sharon Hays, Chief Technology Officer at LMI, discusses AI priorities, chief artificial intelligence officers at agencies, AI regulation and tools that can help the administration in this area

Raising the minimum wage for federal contractors

Stan Soloway, President and CEO of Celero Strategies, LLC, discusses the executive order raising the minimum wage for federal contractors, the Buy American EO and other EOs

Making strategic choices about the defense budget

Thomas Mahnken, President and CEO of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, and Roger Zakheim, Director of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Foundation and Institute, discuss defense spending after the pandemic and their findings regarding a possible 10% cut in the defense budget

Repealing Schedule F in the Biden administration

Jessica Klement, Staff Vice President of Policy and Programs at NARFE, discusses federal employee executive orders and prioritization of human capital

Using the Defense Production Act for vaccine distribution

Bill Greenwalt, Visiting Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, analyzes the implications of invoking the DPA on agencies and companies

Changing the culture of risk aversion at the State Department

Gregory Starr, Former Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security, explains how reducing risk aversion would improve implementation of foreign affairs policies

Waiver for Lloyd Austin nomination passes the Senate

Deborah Lee James, Former Secretary of the U.S. Air Force, and Sean O’Keefe, Former Secretary of the U.S. Navy, discuss Lloyd Austin as defense secretary and Defense Department leadership under the Biden Administration

Updates on the presidential transition process

Loren Dejonge Schulman, Vice President of Research at the Partnership for Public Service, and Terry Gerton, President and CEO of NAPA, discuss the timeline of the transition currently underway

Using the Defense Production Act for vaccine distribution

Eric Crusius, Partner at Holland & Knight, discusses the invocation of the DPA for vaccine distribution and impacts on contractors

How career federal employees can assist in the transition

Robert Shea, National Managing Principal for Public Policy at Grant Thornton, discusses what career civil servants can do now to set political appointees up for success

Security issues in the Arctic

Rebecca Hersman, Director of the Project on Nuclear Issues at CSIS, discusses geopolitical changes and U.S. strategy in the Arctic

Biden Administration has opportunity to set new precedents in contracting

Eric Lofgren, Research Fellow at George Mason University, discusses issues with the outdated, industrial era pricing model and the potential for improvement

Proposed stimulus plan would expand Technology Modernization Fund

Suzette Kent, Board Member at the LSU Foundation, discusses the possibility of improving and expanding the Technology Modernization Fund

Issues to address in the next administration

Chris Mihm, Managing Director of Strategic Issues at GAO, discusses some of the major issues the new administration should immediately focus on

Updates on the Defense Industrial Base

Jerry McGinn, Executive Director of the Center for Government Contracting at George Mason University, discusses the Defense Industrial Base and takeaways from the industrial capabilities report