On this episode of Former Fed Friday, hosts Hunter Gros and Shelley McGuire welcome Solitaire Carroll, former Director of the Veteran Experience Services Portfolio at the VA and now a founder working at the intersection of government and industry. Drawing on her journey from contractor to federal leader and back to industry, Solitaire reflects on what motivated her to enter public service and how her perspective shifted as she moved across sectors.

The conversation explores the differences in mindset, scale, and responsibility between government and industry, asking how leadership changes when you move from building individual products to overseeing entire portfolios and billions in IT spend. Shelley and Hunter dig into how Solitaire approached high-stakes IT strategy at the VA, including how leaders can ensure they’re solving the right problems for veterans, not just improving systems for improvement’s sake.

The episode also examines what makes a strong government–industry partnership when tackling complex technology challenges, why shared outcomes matter more than competing priorities, and how transparency and prioritization shape trust across teams. 

To connect with Solitaire visit her on LinkedIn here. 

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