Season 5 Episode 8: GovRamp Five Years Later – Its Mission Has Never Been More Critical

A conversation with Leah McGrath, Executive Director of GovRamp.

Leah McGrath, recipient of the 2025 Federal 100 Award from GovExec, has served as the executive director of GovRamp (formerly StateRamp) for just over five years, and she last appeared on Sharkbytes.Net in early 2021. Much has changed since then, as the demand for cybersecurity and now AI cloud-based systems demands greater scrutiny and understanding, especially when it comes to making purchasing decisions. The discussion will highlight the significance of the name change and how AI is introducing a new layer of complexity. Lastly, it will cover the impact of the federal government’s extensive changes to its FedRamp program and what these mean for all levels of government.

Season 5: Episode 7: Special Edition: Ensuring the Future of Federal Data

A Special rebroadcast from the National Academy of Public Administration, webcast featuring Joel Gurin, Denice Ross, Dr. Steven Pierson, and Meeta Anand.

The federal government's massive data collections, a critical national resource, are under attack from the Trump administration. Federal agencies have already removed thousands of web pages and datasets following the president’s directives on DEI, climate change, and “gender ideology,” and other data collections may be altered to align with political agendas.

While dozens of organizations have successfully downloaded, archived, and made available deleted data, the nation's future data is at risk. The Trump administration, as well as future administrations, may discontinue, modify, or alter many critical data collections in ways that could significantly hinder research, knowledge, and social progress. This panel discussed the risks to federal data and explored various ways to address these risks, including advocacy, litigation, legislation, monitoring, and the development of new data sources.

Moderator: Joel Gurin, President & Founder, Center for Open Data Enterprise (CODE)

Panelist: Denice Ross, former US Chief Data Scientist

Panelist: Dr. Steven Pierson, Director of Science Policy, American Statistical Association

Panelist: Meeta Anand, Senior Director, Census and Data Equity, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights 

For more information: https://www.opendataenterprise.org/

Season 5: Episode 6: The Marriage of AI and Cybersecurity – Opportunities and Challenges Abound

A conversation with Micki Boland, Lead Technologist, Check Point Software Technologies, Office of the CTO.

Starting with a military career that solidified her interest in information technology, Micki Boland is a self-proclaimed global cybersecurity warrior. She is a security architect with Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. She has over 20 years of experience in ICT and security system engineering, design, and architecture with the United States Army, Sprint, Nortel Networks, and Avaya. Micki focuses on helping enterprise customers, SIs, MSPs, and Telcos reduce risk by architecting security, visibility, and resiliency into the software-defined data center and cloud environments. Micki is a CISSP and holds a Master of Science in Technology Commercialization from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA with a global security focus from Eastern Carolina University. 

Season 5: Episode 5: Training AI Models with Neurodivergent Human Talent

A conversation with Peter Kant, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Enabled Intelligence.

Having served as an executive at one of the leading tech innovation institutes, SRI International, Pete identified a gap in how AI models were being trained – and thus an opportunity. Without high-quality data inputs, AI models, including LLMs, will underperform or worse. That’s why Enabled Intelligence’s focus has been on ensuring the data used to train and fine-tune AI models is expertly and precisely annotated. What makes their approach unique is the active recruitment of neurodiverse talents that are often overlooked. After all, data analysis and labeling require detail orientation, hyperfocus, puzzle-solving, and diverse ways of thinking. They have built a highly talented and motivated team that focuses on individuals who are neurodivergent, unlocking unique superpower skills and abilities to reduce AI bias, enhance model performance, and create highly reliable solutions.  

Season 5: Episode 4: AI’s Impact on Organizational Boundaries and People Through a Qualitative Lens

A conversation with Dr. Sarah Wittman, Assistant Professor of Management at George Mason University’s Costello College of Business.

Artificial intelligence impacts all facets of modern life, particularly knowledge acquisition and assimilation, organizational behavior, and the growing relationship between humans and machines. This mind-opening discussion touches all the bases and more.

Dr. Whitman holds a PhD in Organizational Behavior, a Master’s degree in Communication and Politics from George Washington University, and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Simon Fraser University. Her research explores people’s transitions within, across, and beyond organizational boundaries, their organizational impacts, and the social, technological, and learning support systems that can help make these transitions more personally and organizationally successful. Her work has been published in the Oxford Handbook of Leadership and Organizations, Academy of Management Review, and Academy of Management Annals. Her practitioner-oriented work has been featured in Business Insider and business.com. 

Season 5: Episode 3: The Story of the Red Hen, Building a Culture of Innovation

A conversation with Scott Conn CGCIO, CIO of the City of Mesa

There is a reason why the City of Mesa has won 7 technology-related awards in just one year and is rated number 5 in the nation as a Digital City. Indeed, Scott Conn has something to crow about! He is an exceptional leader, motivator, and innovator. He has been a highly successful tech leader in both the private as well as public sectors and may have found his ideal position at Mesa. This episode will dive into how he has managed his organization with remarkable results. You may be surprised to learn some of his techniques.

2025 Tech Forecast for State and Local IT: All Aboard the AI Train and More Tech Adventures

A special webinar-turned-podcast features the executive directors of NASCIO and PTI. Now in its fourth year, Doug Robinson and Alan Shark once again share their views based on their organization’s research. To view this as a webinar see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fURO8VSP-c

Season 5: Episode 1: GovTech Vision 2025: Innovating the Future of Public Sector Technology

A special webinar-turned podcast, hosted by CitiBot. This episode explores the pivotal trends shaping urban environments through AI and other digital advancements.

·      Bratton Riley, CITIBOT CEO and co-founder

·      Mark Wheeler, Former Philadelphia CIO and GIO

·      Ron Holifield, Co-Founder, Civic Marketplace

·      Alan Shark, Executive Director, PTI

Season 4: Episode 33: The City & County 2025 Tech Outlook

As with previous years, Dr. Alan Shark shares his views about what to look for in 2025. This podcast’s content is based on a commentary he wrote for State Tech Magazine, see: https://statetechmagazine.com/article/2024/12/12-trends-watch-2025-city-and-county-outlook

This episode borrows from an informative webinar where PTI held a Part 2 as part of Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Jamil Niazi, Director Of Information Technology, City of Stockton CA; Elizabeth Di Bene, CISO, Loudoun County VA; William Mann, CGCIO™, CISO, Borough of West Chester PA. Moderated by Dr. Alan Shark.