Federal IT Efficiency Summit

Pete Sessions believes the United States of America is the greatest country on Earth and is a strong advocate for civility among our elected officials. As a Member of the 119th Congress, Pete is a voice of balance, reason, and common sense.

A native of Waco, Texas, Pete attended local public schools until the ninth grade. His father, Judge William Sessions, led a successful career as a Federal District Judge and was appointed to serve as the fourth Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation under President Ronald Reagan. His father’s leadership instilled Pete with a sense of duty and integrity for elected and non-elected roles in public.

Pete attended Winston Churchill High School in San Antonio. Afterward, he graduated from Southwestern University in 1978. After college, he began working for the Southwestern Bell Telephone Company. Over his 16-year career, Pete never missed a day of work before retiring as District Manager.

He was first elected to Congress in 1996. Throughout his 24 years in Congress, Pete has been an integral player within the Republican Party. He spent a decade in Republican Party leadership and was instrumental in the House Majority balancing the federal budget from 1998 to 2001. Pete was Chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee from 2009 through 2012, leading to a net 63-seat victory in 2010. From 2013 to 2019, Congressman Sessions served as Chairman of the House Committee on Rules, where he revived bipartisan efforts and accelerated the Republican agenda in the House of Representatives. He is currently a senior Member on the House Financial Services Committee and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Government Operations on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

No member of the Texas delegation has passed more legislation off the floor than Congressman Sessions. Notably, he sponsored and passed the Border Tunnel Task Force Act in 2018 to create a directorate to intercept illegal tunneling operations on the southern border. One of Pete’s key accomplishments was sponsoring and passing the Family Opportunity Act of 2005, which enables families of medically stressed children to receive comprehensive healthcare. The bill became law in 2006 after Congressman Sessions and his son Alex worked with President Bush.

Pete has always valued his community involvement throughout his life. He, his father, and two sons are Eagle Scouts. Over the years, he has served in various leadership roles with the Boy Scouts of America, disability assistance, and local conservation groups. He also devoted twelve years to serving on the Board of Trustees at his alma mater, Southwestern University.

Congressman Sessions lives in Waco, Texas, and is married to Karen Sessions. They are the proud parents of five sons. Bill and his wife Kayle are both doctors living in Austin, Texas. Alex is a special-needs young man who works for Home Depot in Austin. Conor is a U.S. Navy veteran. Liam, a 2020 graduate of Baylor University, lives in Florida. Nicholas is a senior at Rollins College and a member of his college golf team.

David Salvagnini serves as the Chief Data Officer (CDO) and Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer (CAIO) at NASA. Since joining the agency in June 2023 and taking on the CAIO role in May 2024, he has worked to align NASA’s AI strategy with its broader data governance initiatives to ensure responsible and transparent development and risk management in these critical fields. In his expanded capacity, he leads NASA’s continued collaboration with other government agencies, academic institutions, industry partners, and experts to ensure the agency remains at the forefront of AI technology.

David formerly served as the Director of the Intelligence Community Chief Information Officer (IC CIO) Architecture and Integration Group (AIG) and Chief Architect. In these roles, he worked with Intelligence Community elements and 5-Eye Enterprise (5EEE) international partners on the development and implementation of reference architectures for interoperability, data sharing and technical advancement of Information Technology (IT) infrastructure, data services, foundational AI services, and other mission capabilities.

Before joining the IC CIO, Mr. Salvagnini held a variety of positions at the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), to include Chief Information Office (CIO) Technical Director, Chief Data Officer, and Deputy Chief of the Enterprise Cyber and Infrastructure Services Division. In these roles, David supported the deployment of AI capabilities and the development of analytic tradecraft related to AI use as part of intelligence production. He was appointed to the Senior Executive Service as the Senior Technical Officer for Enterprise IT and Cyber Operations at DIA in June 2016.

Mr. Salvagnini joined DIA as a civil servant in May 2005. Prior to his selection as a senior executive, he served on a joint duty assignment as the Chief Architect for the IC Desktop Environment (IC DTE). In that position, he was responsible for DIA and National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) adoption of DTE services, and the transitioning of over 57,000 personnel to the IC Information Technology Enterprise (IC ITE). Previously, Mr. Salvagnini held numerous key leadership positions, to include Deputy Chief, Infrastructure Integration; Deputy Chief, Applications Operations; and Acting Chief, Infrastructure Innovation Division. Mr. Salvagnini’s experience includes all aspects of enterprise IT service delivery, including research, engineering, testing, security, and operations.

Mr. Salvagnini retired from the Air Force as a Communications and Computer Systems Officer in May 2005 after having served in a variety of leadership assignments during his 21-year career.

He is a native of Setauket, New York and resides with his family in Falls Church, Virginia.

A catalyst for industry-defining innovation, Pritha Mehra oversees one of the world’s largest technology infrastructures. With breadth and depth of expertise across a range of verticals from marketing to technology, she has been tapped to steward critical change in every role of her career. Today she serves as the Chief Information Officer of USPS, re-envisioning and transforming the enterprise for greater performance and innovation at scale.

Pritha is a thought leader on digital transformations and is focused on modernizing mission-critical ecosystems, platforms and networks to meet the demands of an increasingly competitive market environment. She led the launch of the USPS API Platform, which connects customers to the latest shipping solutions as USPS optimizes its unmatched delivery network; ushered the deployment of a high-end logistics ecosystem; and directed the creation of the digital infrastructure to receive and fulfill orders for 885 million COVID tests to 90 million households. In just 3 weeks, her team set up the 2-click website and backend systems that accepted 44 million orders on the first day.

Pritha has received numerous recognitions including the Women in Logistics and Delivery Services Award for Excellence, and FedScoop’s Top Boss in IT. Under her leadership, the USPS CIO received the 2023 Current Data Streaming Award for Innovation and 2022 Service to the Citizen Award for its COVID-19 distribution system. A thought leader on digital transformation Pritha serves on the Geoge Mason College of Engineering and Computing Advisory Board and is a featured speaker at many notable venues on modernization, AI and innovation.

As NCI CIO, Mr. Jeff Shilling is responsible for the availability, confidentiality, and integrity of all NCI IT systems and their data. This includes maximizing the value, and assessing and managing the risks of information technology at NCI. In addition, Mr. Shilling leads the Infrastructure and Information Technology Operations Branch in NCI’s Center for Biomedical Informatics and Information Technology. In this role, Mr. Shilling manages the centrally provided IT for the NCI enterprise, which includes server and endpoint hardware, COTS software, network, desktop support, and policies required to support NCI’s scientific and administrative activities. These services play a critical role in advancing the NCI mission. Mr. Shilling believes that highly trained and knowledgeable IT support staff are the key to developing a productive work environment for the NCI.  Mr. Shilling came to CBIIT from NCI’s Center for Cancer Research (CCR) where he served as an IT architect with a focus on translational research. Prior to joining NCI, he worked as a biologist in a laboratory at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he graduated with a bachelor of science degree in biochemistry and molecular biology. He made the transition to Information Technology, enjoying the diverse and fast-paced work, and moved to the Research Triangle area in North Carolina, working for NIEHS and the National Toxicology Program. After NIEHS, Mr. Shilling worked at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California. During his time at LLNL, he provided a full range of IT services with the Physics Directorate.

Ryan Lewis is the CEO of RGS, a leading provider of secure, open source Kubernetes and container software to US public sector organizations. Prior to joining RGS, he was a Partner at SRI Ventures, where he invested in and spun out in early-stage companies deep tech companies, especially those focused on developing dual use applications. Ryan was also served as the founding Chair of the Defense Technology Council for Global Corporate Venturing. Before SRI Ventures, Ryan was the Senior Practice Manager of AI/ML for AWS National Security, where he led teams delivering an array of AI capabilities to U.S. national security organizations. Prior to AWS, Ryan was a Senior Vice President at In-Q-Tel, where he founded and led an applied research lab focused developing and open sourcing AI algorithms and associated software. He began his career as a technical consultant and business manager for Computer Sciences Corporation.

Ryan holds a bachelor’s degree from Truman State University, where graduated valedictorian, a master’s degree in international economics from the University of Maryland School of Public Policy, where he was named a Memorial Fellow, and a graduate certificate in Strategy and Innovation from the MIT Sloan School of Management. He continues to serve as an advisory board member or an independent board member to several startups and technology companies in the AI sector. He is also a Digital Tech Mentor for New York University’s Endless Frontier Labs.

Ms. Leslie A. Beavers is a career member of the Senior Executive Service and the DoD Principal Deputy CIO. In this capacity, she will assist the CIO in advising the Secretary of Defense on Information Management / Information Technology (IT) and Information Assurance, as well as non-intelligence space systems; critical satellite communications, navigation, and timing programs; spectrum; and telecommunications matters. Ms. Beavers will also lead engagement with the Defense Agencies and Field Activities CIOs and drive strategic resource planning across the IT and cybersecurity domains.

Prior to joining the CIO, Ms. Beavers served as the Director of Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance Enterprise Capabilities (ISREC). In this capacity she led OUSD(I&S)’s Defense Intelligence Digital Transformation Campaign Plan, known as Project Herald.

Project Herald’s overall goal is to evolve how the DoD delivers intelligence to warfighters while providing the unifying focus to realize next-generation capabilities. To this end, Ms. Beavers oversaw the planning, programming, budgeting and execution of the Defense Intelligence mission area within the Battlespace Awareness portfolio.

Ms. Beavers began her DoD career as an Intelligence Officer in the United States Air Force, where she continues to serve as a Reserve Brigadier General with the Joint Staff J2. Her assignments included: 16th Air Force, San Antonio, TX; Pacific Air Forces, Hickam, HI; Distributed Common Ground System 2, Beale AFB, CA; and 4th Air Force, March ARB, CA.

Additionally, Ms. Beavers has over 15 years’ experience in the private sector working in the Film/TV, Healthcare, and Oil and Gas industries. She served as Vice President at NBC/Universal Pictures responsible for recovering 80 years of film and television content destroyed in a fire. She worked with GE’s Healthcare Diagnostic Imaging division improving to manufacturing capacity, profit margin, and revenue. At Husky Oil, she consulted with C-suite executives on operational integrity establishing processes to manage risk introduction in drilling operations.

She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the U.S. Air Force Academy and a MBA in Finance with Honors from South University. Ms. Beavers is a certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, a Distinguished Graduate of the Air Force’s Signals Intelligence program, and the recipient of numerous DoD and professional awards including the Defense Superior Service and Legion of Merit.

At U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Dr. Edward J. Mays currently holds the Senior Executive Service position of Deputy Assistant Commissioner (DAC), Infrastructure and Support Services (ISS), Chief Enterprise Infrastructure Officer (CEIO), and Portfolio Acquisition Executive (PAE) for the Office of Information and Technology.

Dr. Mays has over 30 years of experience in delivering IT business systems, applications, and infrastructure in the Marine Corps, industry, and the federal government. Dr. Mays (Colonel USMC, Ret.) served many years working with Information Technology (IT) and Software Development for logistics and intelligence programs supporting the U.S. Marine Corps operational forces. He created a major Marine Corps logistics system used in the Marine Corps for over 25 years and is a veteran of numerous combat actions across the globe. In 2008, Dr. Mays became the Director, Effects Based Operational Assessment for Multinational Forces, Al Anbar, Iraq, where he played a substantive role in the return of Anbar Province to the government of Iraq. He also served in the U.S. Operations in Afghanistan, delivering IT capability, and supporting the Afghan National Acquisition Agency.

Dr. Mays earned a Bachelor of Science from University of Florida and a Master’s Degree in Information Technology from the University of Southern California. Additionally, he attended the Naval Postgraduate School and earned a Master’s Degree in Computer Science with a focus on artificial intelligence and robotics. He also obtained a Doctor of Information Technology from Capella University in 2020.

In 2016, Dr. Mays was selected as the Executive Director for the Enterprise Data Management and Engineering Division in OIT. In this role, he engineered cost effective, secure, and reliable IT solutions, and built the framework for Cloud computing at CBP.

In March 2022, Dr. Mays was appointed as the Deputy Assistant Commissioner for OIT’s Infrastructure and Support Services organization which combined three infrastructure organizations under his purview. The organizations have an enterprise focus: Field Support
Directorate (FSD), Enterprise Infrastructure Operations Directorate (EIOD), and Enterprise Cloud Services Division (ECSD). The new organizational structure created internal efficiencies executed the new ECSD to complete CBP’s migration to the Cloud more affordably, effectively, and securely. Ultimately providing a modern, reliable IT infrastructure (Cloud, Networks, Mobility, etc.) and 24/7 year-round support services serve as the backbone for technology solutions that deliver critical capabilities at the speed of mission.

Dr. Mays also serves as the OIT Portfolio Acquisition Executive (PAE), aligning IT investments (digital services) across the overall IT Portfolio. He has served at levels allowing him to excel as

The Chief Enterprise Infrastructure Officer (CEIO), bringing IT Service Management, IT Operations Management, IT Service Delivery (automation focused – digital services delivery), Technology Business Management, and the Agile Methodology together in a synergistic manner to meet the complex CBP mission.

In January 2024, Dr. Mays was presented with the 2023 Federal 100 award, a prestigious honor awarded to leaders in the federal IT community to those who have made the greatest impact. He was selected from a panel of government and industry senior executives resulting from the difference he’s made in the way IT is used to advance vital government missions.

Ms. Andrea Brandon is currently the Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS) for Budget, Finance, Grants and Acquisition within the Department of Interior (DOI). As the DAS she has executive responsibility for the leadership and strategic direction of all budget, finance, financial assistance, acquisitions, property, and related business IT systems for the DOI. This portfolio comprises of more than $5.3 Billion in financial assistance and contract awards across the United States. She was formerly the DAS for the Office of Grants and Acquisition Policy and Accountability (OGAPA), the Senior Procurement Executive, and the Suspension and Debarment Official for the Department of Health and Human Services. In addition, she was the Director for Financial Assistance Policy and Oversight at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS); and an Executive Assistant Director for the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Andrea has broad experience in risk management, audits, internal controls, information technology innovation, acquisition management, grants, and financial operations in her federal career of 35 years.

Andrea has led several government‐wide initiatives: Co-Chair for the Council on Financial Assistance Reform (COFAR), Co-chair for the Financial Assistance Committee on E-gov (FACE); Government Financial Assistance Representative on the DATA Act Interagency Advisory Committee (IAC), Program Manager for the Federal Financial Assistance Management Improvement Act (FFAMIA) Grants Streamlining Initiative; Chair of the OMB CFO Council’s Grants Training and Certification Workgroup and the Transparency Act Grant Sub- award Pilot Subcommittee. She is currently the Co-chair for the Grants Management Symposium working group for the National Academy of Public Administration and the OMB Chief Acquisition Officers (CAO) Council; and is on the Federal Acquisition Institute Board of Directors.

She is the recipient of the Govtech Connects IGNITE 2024 Powerful Women Igniting Digital Transformation, the National Grants Management Association (NGMA) 2016 Newton Award, and the NGMA 2017 Director’s Award. Each award recognizes Ms. Brandon’s expertise, vision, innovation, and leadership.

She is a member of the National Grants Management Association, the American Bar Association, the Association of Government Accountants, the American University 2024 Key Executive Leadership Program Speaker’s Bureau, and is a 2024 National Academy of Public Administration Fellow.

Ms. Brandon holds a Bachelor’s degree in Behavioral and Social Sciences from the University of Maryland, a Master’s in Public Administration from American University and a member of the Pi Alpha Alpha Honor Society; and a Master’s in Legal Studies from Pepperdine University Caruso School of Law.

Kayla Gunter serves as the Acting Associate Chief Information Officer of Information Technology and Director of Federal IT Program Management within the Office of the Chief Information Officer at the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). Ms. Gunter manages 225 IT professionals, drives collaboration across the federal government, and oversees over six networks and seven major IT and cybersecurity portfolios—including emergency communications, classified cloud, and international collaboration—while advancing digital transformation.

Before joining NNSA, Ms. Gunter held senior roles at the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), where she led cloud migration efforts and played a key role in establishing DHS’ first Cloud Hosting Blanket Purchase Agreement. She has more than a decade of federal IT experience and holds a Master’s in Leadership and a Bachelor’s in Political Science from Truman State University. Her certifications include senior-level Federal Acquisition credentials and the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.

Alan S. Hope leads the Mission Development Branch in the Space Systems Development Division (SSDD) within the Naval Center for Space Technology (NCST) at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL). He also serves as a Principal Investigator for several of SSDD’s Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) programs. Mr. Hope provides the technical and programmatic leadership to ensure the success of ongoing rapid development and deployment of critical automated information fusion technologies such as the Mongoose streaming data fusion engine and Proteus, a next generation Maritime Domain Awareness system. In September 2018, he received the US Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award for his leadership and management of the Proteus predecessor, Sea-Link Advanced Analysis program (S2A). Previously, Mr. Hope was the mission operations manager for several successful spacecraft missions including DARPA’s Micro-Satellite Technology Experiment mission. He continues to be involved in the development and implementation of various technologies for space applications and has extensive knowledge of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities and the practical application of this information for the warfighter and other government decision-makers. Mr. Hope received his B.S. and M.S. Degrees in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Illinois in 1989 and 1991.

Irina Denisenko is the CEO of Knox, a cybersecurity pioneer delivering FedRAMP as a Service” to help SaaS companies enter and scale in the government market. A seasoned operator, Irina previously co-founded and served as COO of Class Technologies, where she grew ARR to $50M, scaled the team to 200 employees, and raised over $350M in funding. Prior to that she built a leading US-based Drone Technology company, PrecisionHawk, into an industry leader ultimately acquired by Norway’s The Field Group. With deep expertise in technology, government, and enterprise Irina brings a track record of building trusted, scalable systems at the intersection of innovation and compliance.

Ms. Joanne Woytek is the Program Director for NASA SEWP. Ms. Woytek manages the strategic direction, planning and day-to-day operations of SEWP – the premier Government-Wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC) Vehicle providing Federal Agencies access to the latest in Information Technology, Communication and Audio-Visual solutions. Ms. Woytek is a 45+ year veteran at NASA. From SEWP’s inception, over thirty years ago, through to the present, Ms. Woytek is the visionary leader in the continuing evolution of the program. Ms. Woytek is an ACT/IAC Fellow and Board member, an active member of the National Contract Management Association (NCMA), AFCEA and Elected Customer Member Representative for The Open Group Governing Board. She has received numerous NASA awards including the NASA Acquisition Improvement Award, NASA Customer Service Excellence Award, NASA Group Achievement Award, and the NASA Government Industry Cooperation Award. Ms. Woytek also received the 2016 and 2020 Federal 100 Award, the Coalition for Government Procurement’s Lifetime Acquisition Excellence Award (2014), the MAGIC Acquisition Excellence Award (2013), and the AFFIRM Procurement Pioneer-Leadership Award (2024). Prior to SEWP, Ms. Woytek supported NASA’s scientific missions focused on systems administration, database management, and user application programming.

Tony James is a Chief Architect at Red Hat, focusing on scientific computing and space. As a member of the customer-led open innovation team within the CTO organization, Tony works closely with space agencies and research organizations to gather insights and drive innovation through open-source solutions. Additionally, Tony represents Red Hat as a member of the Edge Computing in Space Alliance, aiming to democratize access to space and cooperate on joint technology development projects. His experience spans over two decades and includes roles in both the private and public sectors.

Michael serves as sales lead for the Public Sector Civilian Team. The team is focused on strategic growth for the Federal Civilian Agencies nationwide utilizing Verizon Business Group’s Wireline and Wireless product portfolio. The winning aspiration of the team is to deliver the most transformative solutions; built on the nation’s most reliable and secure networks; that modernize and safeguard critical infrastructure and enable those in public service to achieve their missions.

Prior to this role, Michael served as lead for the Wireless Solutions Sales Team in Verizon Partner Solutions (VPS). He led a team of highly motivated sales professionals that worked collaboratively with established wireless carriers to build their next generation 5G. He also created and served as sales lead for the VPS Business Development (BD) team. The BD team was commissioned to better enable partners to sell more, grow new partnerships, and develop new paths to market with VPS.

Michael was also a Master Black Belt (MBB) in the Verizon’s Business Transformation Team. He had overall responsibility for Lean Six Sigma process improvements and Business Transformation for the VBG Wholesale organization. His team delivered both hard and soft revenue benefits to the bottom line. Michael managed a diverse project portfolio across sales, marketing and operations. He led a team of Black Belts that utilized a time-tested method for improving speed and quality by removing waste, streamlining processes, reducing variances, and eliminating defects.

Michael has 26 years of service with Verizon and has held a variety of roles in sales, business development, marketing, lean six sigma, and product management. His diverse experiences havepresented him the opportunity to work with cross functional partners in operations, network, regulatory, legal, sales, product management, corporate strategy, and finance. Michael leverages those diverse cross functional partnerships internally to effectively interface externally with many customer contacts from Technicians to C-Levels. Michael truly believes that we are “All Better by Working Together”.

Michael interned with Verizon through the INROADS program and received his degree in Economics from Princeton University. He resides with his wife and four children in Davidsonville, Maryland.

Doyle Choi is a proven executive leader whose success has been built upon strong customer and partner relationships coupled with a deep technical background. Doyle has successfully planned, built and executed sustainable growth and profitability strategies as evidenced by his direct responsibility for assembling and leading successful teams to grow business throughout his 30 year career spanning Pure Storage, Crowdstrike, Trellix/Mcafee, GDIT/CSRA, and Northrop Grumman covering Defense/Intel, Civilian, International, and Commercial markets.

In his Strategic Programs leadership role at Pure Storage, Crowdstrike and Trellix/McAfee, he has direct responsibility for Federal Systems Integrator partnerships, Capture and Business Development teams, and CTO and Government Affairs support activities. Throughout his tenure at GDIT/CSRA and Northrop Grumman, Doyle has held numerous senior leadership positions with increasing levels of responsibility to include, Senior Vice President of Defense Growth, VP of Business Development, Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Director of Technology Solutions, Program Management, and Systems Engineering.

Doyle has successfully led account management, business development, sales, strategy development, campaign management, capture management, CTO activities, technical subject matter experts, marketing communications, and proposal operations teams to successfully market capabilities, shape and influence customer acquisitions, and capture and execute new program and recompete business in excess of $8B.

In addition to sales leadership, Doyle has overseen the development and implementation of diverse technical solutions to include NextGen cloud solutions, cyber security solutions, enterprise network solutions, as-a-service solutions, data analytics and knowledge management solutions, and enterprise applications.

Prior to joining the private sector, Doyle held software development positions at the National Institutes of Standards and Technology and the Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA where he developed artificial intelligence applications to improve the effectiveness of machine vision solutions and geospatial information systems.

Doyle attended the University of Maryland, University College earning a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems Management. He’s completed executive marketing programs at the University of Chicago, Graduate School of Business, and the American Management Association. Doyle is also a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer and an active member in AFCEA International.

Doyle also has a passion for supporting various Veteran charities, most recently sponsoring high performance driver education events that benefited Warrior Salute and Paws for Vets.

Jennifer Franks directs the Center for Enhanced Cybersecurity within GAO’s Information Technology and Cybersecurity team. She oversees reviews that primarily focus on emerging cybersecurity issues and assessing an agency’s ability to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of its sensitive data and computing infrastructure. Her multi-disciplinary teams actively review agencies’ computer security vulnerabilities across their enterprise-wide computing environment by assessing program management compliance and technical controls recommended for the agencies to follow in accordance with federal guidance and leading practices. In addition, she leads reviews in the areas of IT management and operations, financial management, healthcare and public health IT, data protection, and privacy.

Further, Jennifer serves as the Acting Director of the Analytics Foundry; a dedicated cloud computing environment that manages GAO’s complex analytical functions.

Jennifer earned a master’s degree in information security policy and management from Carnegie Mellon University and earned a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems from Hampton University.

Remy DeCausemaker is the Open Source Lead for the Digital Service at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Remy helps developers, designers, and other contributors work with civil servants to create open accessible healthcare technology projects, programs, and policy. Through his work with the US Digital Corps and the Digital Service at CMS, Remy improves access to Information, and grows communities of practice around Open Data, Open Standards, and Open Source code.

Remy comes to CMS with 15+ years at the frontier of Open Source Software. His career has included many firsts, including helping to launch the first academic minor in Humanitarian Free/Open Source Software in the United States at Rochester Institute of Technology. He was the first Open Source Community Manager of an American presidential campaign, the first Open Source Program Office Lead at Spotify, the second Open Source Program Office Lead at Twitter, the first Fedora Community Lead at Red Hat, and now serves as the nation’s first Open Source Program Office Lead at a Federal Agency.

Sameer Kamani is a Staff Solutions Architect at GitLab serving U.S. Public Sector agencies and is a contributor to Open Source software. Sameer’s vast experience through multiple roles across agencies has provided him with a unique opportunity to learn and understand how digital transformation is disrupting the Public Sector.

With a background in Artificial Intelligence, Application Security and Software Engineering, Sameer looks at business opportunities with a deeply analytical lens to advise appropriate solutions for US government agencies. Prior to being a Solutions Architect, Sameer was a Technical Program Manager on multiple Federal programs at Maximus. This was a culmination of the work he had previously done as a Professional Services Engineer at Oracle serving in various roles including software developer, business analyst, chief solution architect, technical manager, and practice manager.

Christine Pacheco is a highly accomplished professional, and currently serves as the Director of Federal Civilian Sales at Equinix. In this role, she leads a team of sales professionals focused on driving digital transformation at federal civilian agencies, including Homeland Security, Veterans Affairs, Health and Human Services, and Treasury.

Prior to her current position, Christine held the role of Director Client Executive at AT&T, where she led the financial vertical sales team within the public sector division. She successfully managed a $150M book of business, which included the Department of Treasury, Department of Commerce, and various financial independent agencies. Throughout her tenure at AT&T, Christine served in leadership roles, including leading the Contract Modifications team and serving as Chief of Staff supporting the President of AT&T Government Solutions and National Business.

Christine currently resides in Alexandria, VA, with her husband, two active children, and their rescue pup, Sonny. She values the importance of work-life balance and finds joy in spending time with her family.