This week, the GovNavigators sit down with Sairah Ijaz, Managing Director at Celonis and former federal CIO to talk about her path from a GS-5 intern with a clipboard to one of the most influential technology executives in government.

Sairah shares how early roles at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Social Security Administration, and GAO shaped her obsession with process improvement, and why that made her move to Celonis such a natural next step. She reflects on major transitions at HUD, including financial system migrations, data-driven decision-making, and the sometimes chaotic reality of inheriting undocumented processes and shrinking institutional knowledge.

The conversation dives deep on where AI is actually delivering value in government (and where it isn’t), how agencies can operationalize AI in back-office functions, and why understanding real workflows is essential to transforming federal operations, especially in a moment of leadership churn and rapid change.

Show Notes:

Genesis Mission: EO

AGA: CFO Survey

What's on the GovNavigators Radar:

Dec 1-3: PSC Vision Conference

Dec 4-5: ACT-IAC's in DC