ATARC Federal IT Newscast – Details, episodes & analysis

Join host Brian Fox as he interviews Frank McNally, an acquisition strategist with the United States Digital Service (USDS), about the pivotal role of procurement in government tech modernization. Frank shares insights from his career, spanning from the TSA to private consulting and now USDS, where he helps agencies tackle modernization challenges alongside top designers and engineers. He highlights the Digital IT Acquisition Professional training program and the importance of “failure as an option” to foster agile, adaptable solutions. Tune in for valuable insights into the evolving landscape of federal acquisition.

In this episode, podcast host, Brian Fox sits down with Jed Sundwall, the Executive Director of Radiant Earth and Lecturer at Yale School of Global Affairs, to explore the challenges and opportunities in managing and sharing planetary-scale data. We dive into the evolution of cloud computing, discussing how thoughtful, intentional use of this technology can lead to incredible performance, while avoiding the pitfalls of centralized storage solutions. Whether it’s data management, geospatial tools, or global collaboration, this episode sheds light on the future of shared knowledge in a digital world.

Join us in this episode as we sit down with Danielle Moyer, Executive Director at US Army Contracting Command - Aberdeen Proving Ground. With a remarkable journey beginning the Army Corps of Engineers at just 15 years old, Danielle shares her insights as a Senior Contracting Official and her mission to drive digital capabilities forward. She discusses her goal of eventually working herself out of a job by ensuring inclusivity and leveraging feedback to open opportunities for all. In a rapidly evolving digital landscape, Danielle emphasizes the importance of staying ahead in business practices and adapting to change. Don't miss this insightful conversation on embracing digital transformation and leadership in the modern era.

Few agencies have been in the news more than the Internal Revenue Service. In this episode, Nina sits down with Ken Corbin – the first Chief Taxpayer Experience Officer at the IRS. In this role, Ken focuses on overseeing the agency's efforts to radically improve taxpayer services. Together, they take a deep dive into customer experiences, building mission-ready teams, and the unexpected benefits of sharing bad news early.

Timestamps:

1:53 Ken tackles Nina's famous "Crystal Ball" question by highlighting two critical words for the Future of Work in Government: Choice and Access

3:50 The enormous task of pivoting 15,000 mostly on-site customer service representatives to full telework at the start of the pandemic

5:27 Getting ahead of the curve: How can you get a huge agency to try new things?

7:58 The secret to winning the retention battle: understanding what truly motivates and engages your workforce (hint: it isn't just salary)

9:34 Starting out as a GS-01, how the government became a calling and a career

12:40 More than W2s: how IRS employees serve the country

18:30 "Hear Me Sessions" the IRS revolutionizes the customer experience and even protects citizens from tax scams by listening to front-line employees

23:10 The surprising benefit of owning experiences and sharing bad news early

25:00 Why it's impossible to over-communicate  

30:52 Ken waves the magic wand, what does he wish for?

Links:

https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-creates-new-chief-taxpayer-experience-officer-position-ken-corbin-to-lead-new-focus-to-improve-service-to-taxpayers

Connect with Nina and Chris:

Nina Bianchi:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bianchininafuture/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NinaFuture

Christopher Crist: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-crist-a1544a135/

Join this episode of In the Nic of Time with Kyle Fox ,Chief Software Officer, Western Development Division, U.S. Air Force as they talk about the rise of Software Defined Weapons: what are they, can DevSecOps really be leveraged for jets, nuclear systems, and how it was to be the CSE for GBSD, the largest nuclear DAF program.

Whether we plan for it or not, organizations have internal cultures that determine the employee experience, and, by extension, the customer experience as well. In this episode, Nina and Chris sit down with Erik Anderson, the Chief of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Office of Administration which oversees the day to day operations of the agency. As a newer Senior Executive, Erik brings fresh perspective and insight on leadership theories and ideas…theories that were put to the test as he took the lead of his organization in the midst of the pandemic. Join us as we discuss what has proven to work in the crucible of managing a new organization in challenging circumstances, and the importance of planning for the culture you want to build.

1:50 - Chris' favorite question: what does the future hold when it comes to digital and workforce transformation in the federal government?

2:38 - Out of a season of challenge, change, and transition, an emerging opportunity to embrace new technologies

4:05 - Culture starts at the top: Erik shares his experience of being called into a new leadership position in a completely new organization in the middle of the pandemic, and realizing that before anyone would trust him he'd have to set the tone by opening himself up first

7:40 - As leaders, we can sometimes worry about those we lead abusing our trust. But the truth is if there is mutual trust between you and your employees, more often than not they will make you look like a genius

9:23 - How does a culture of trust in the workforce affect the customer experience?

10:57 - Culture happens no matter what, so why not plan for the culture that we want in our organizations? Developing metrics and plans around what kind of culture we want to build as an organization

14:32 - What does it cost to change a culture? What is the cost of ignoring it?

16:30 - How to measure a culture: concrete steps, metrics, and methods. Oh, and once a year isn't enough (looking at you, FEVS!)

19:45 - The critical role of doing exit interviews for EVERY employee who leaves your organization…and doing "stay" interviews for those who don't

24:57 - Setting aside your title: how humility in leadership can open the door for organizations to find both unexpected opportunities and advance warning of incoming threats

27:30 - Where career advice and workforce transformation meet: don't look for jobs, look for quality (humble) leaders

30:07 - What this looks like in IT: when those in leadership feel the need to be the smartest person in the room, other team members run out of room to contribute and grow

34:30 - Wave the magic wand! Erik's one wish for moving the ball forward when it comes to workforce transformation

Connect with Nina and Chris:

Nina Bianchi:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bianchininafuture/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NinaFuture

Christopher Crist:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-crist-a1544a135/ 

As one of the world's top cybersecurity experts, join Joe Saunders and Nicolas Chaillan as they cover a vast variety of topics including memory based exploits, Google's Project Zero, supply chain risk, open source adoption, 5G economic and security risks, and more!

Join this episode of In the Nic of Time with Rob Slaughter, CEO, Culture Executive Officer, Defense Unicorns and they discuss the challenges with bringing DevSecOps to the largest organization on the planet, the DoD.

Does "Solving for X" actually make sense in the real world? In this episode, Nina and Chris welcome two senior federal leaders, Dorothy Aronson, Chief Information Officer and Chief Data Officer for the National Science Foundation and Robyn Rees, an ATARC Board Member and advocate for unlocking human capital data to power workforce transformation. Together their combined experiences span across both the private and public sector and in this episode they discuss the similarities between customers and employees - since employees and customers too. They share how customer-centered design can also be used to improve the employee experience. Can we create a marketplace where employees can manage their own portfolio of skills and be matched to jobs like Uber drivers are matched to riders? Dorothy believes the workforce of the future will enjoy what they're doing and enjoy doing it from wherever they want using the tools they select rather than structured tools that are forced onto them. Robyn shares her thoughts about where the distinction between CX and EX might come from and how to overcome it. Dorothy advocates for the importance of leading with humanity versus just managing to build trust with teams. Robyn discusses the need for cultural change that's enabled through digital change by putting the tools in the hands of the people getting the work done and by Solving for X.

Connect with Nina and Chris:

Nina Bianchi:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bianchininafuture/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NinaFuture

Christopher Crist:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-crist-a1544a135/

Join this episode of In the Nic of Time, with Special Guest Carl "C.J." Unis, United States Space Force as they discuss the supply chain risks we are facing, particularly with what is going on with the Ukraine/Russia conflict, with Taiwan and China and what we've seen after COVID.