CyberScape: The Federal Cybersecurity Summit

Carter Farmer is an accomplished technology executive with over 15 years of experience leading enterprise IT transformation in both public and private sectors. He most recently served as Director of IT Systems and Solutions at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), where he led major cybersecurity initiatives, modernized the organization’s identity and access management architecture, and oversaw strategic cloud infrastructure projects. Prior to USIP, he held a key IT leadership role at Amtrak, where he contributed to critical improvements in operational technology and service reliability for one of the nation’s largest transportation networks.

Carter began his career in the private sector, holding strategic roles at Telarix, a global telecommunications software company, and DISYS, a professional services and technology solutions firm. In these roles, he advised enterprise clients on system modernization, data security, and IT service delivery. Carter holds a B.S. in Information Systems Management, and a B.S. in Computer Science from Radford University and is currently pursuing an M.S. in Information Technology.

As CIO for the Environmental Protection Agency, Carter brings a pragmatic and mission-focused approach to technology leadership, prioritizing modernization, data integrity, and operational excellence to support the EPA’s statutory and strategic goals.

Pavan Pidugu was sworn in as Chief Digital & Information Officer of the U.S. Department of Transportation on February 18, 2025. Pavan is a visionary and results-driven leader with over a decade of experience in carrying out technological innovations in the retail industry for global players such as Target, NCR, and Walmart, prior to joining the federal Government in 2020. Pavan is a transformational leader who believes technology alone will not solve anything, but instituting People and Processes with Technology does its wonders, and he is an expert in integrating all three facets of transformation. Pavan has led the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), an agency within the Department of Transportation, as the Chief Technology Officer, where he radically transformed how technology is developed and delivered in a federal institution. Pavan has built a strong reputation in innovation and leadership in technology and received many awards, including the World 100 Technology Leaders 2024 award for his contributions to the technology landscape.

With more than 20 years of experience technology and leadership, Pavan pioneered innovative tech solutions for large retailers and achieved millions of dollars in revenue and cost savings for businesses. A few of his accomplishments include:

• Defining an outcome-oriented digital strategy and roadmap for FMCSA to serve carriers, commercial vehicle drivers, and law enforcement agencies to enforce safety in CMV transportation.
• Led transformation of Walmart’s digital customer and omnichannel experience in the stores internationally and championed transforming “Ways of Working” by instituting design thinking and product management principles in technology development.
• Driving change with a comprehensive thought process and fact-based decision-making while managing the delivery of new capabilities for a global point-of-Sale system at Walmart.
• Launching an offshore IT development center in India that grew from 5 to 500 employees in two years at Target.
• Developing omnichannel product roadmaps and implementing strategic solutions for NCR’s retail customers.

Pavan constantly seeks to add technology-driven business value and guide companies to be future-proof with people and processes. Pavan strongly believes in aligning technology strategy with business priorities and growing the next generation of leaders.

Benjamin Koshy serves as the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for the Indian Health Service (IHS), an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In this critical role, he is responsible for safeguarding the comprehensive health service delivery system that serves approximately 2.6 million American Indians and Alaska Natives across 574 federally recognized tribes in 37 states.

Mr. Koshy’s career at the IHS spans several years, demonstrating a deep commitment to public service and cybersecurity. He began his journey in 2009 as a help desk analyst, gaining foundational insights into IT operations. His dedication and expertise led him to join the security team as an information systems security officer, and he later spearheaded the agency’s incident response efforts before ascending to the CISO position.

Prior to his current role, Mr. Koshy also contributed his expertise as a consultant with Deloitte, where he provided cybersecurity support to a diverse portfolio of federal and commercial clients. This experience has equipped him with a broad understanding of cybersecurity challenges and solutions across various sectors.

Academically, Mr. Koshy holds a Master of Science in Cybersecurity and a Master of Business Administration, reflecting his comprehensive understanding of both the technical and strategic dimensions of information security. He is also a highly certified professional, holding several IT security certifications including the (ISC)² Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and EC-Council’s Certified Network Defense Architect (CNDA).

In recognition of his significant contributions to the field of cybersecurity, Mr. Koshy was honored with the (ISC)² Global Achievement Award in 2022.

Manuel “Manny” Medrano has over 20 years of experience, 13 years with Department of State. He has contributed to many technology modernization efforts in the Secretary of State’s office. He now leads State’s Office of Cyber Monitoring and Operations. Manny has served in this role since 2022, defending State’s networks and systems against advanced and persistent cyber threats. His duties include overseeing cyber monitoring, incident response, penetration testing, vulnerability assessment, and designing, engineering, and operating State’s cybersecurity defense systems. Previously, as Deputy Division Chief for Cyber Threat Intelligence, Manny was integral to the pursuit of actionable, outcome-based intelligence and partnering with private industry.

Sai Sravan Cherukuri is a DevSecOps and infrastructure engineering leader specializing in Windows Server build standardization, security hardening, and compliance automation. He focuses on embedding federal control requirements directly into platform architecture, transforming accreditation from a documentation exercise into an engineered, continuously measurable capability.