Federal Tech Leaders Summit

Rapid advancements in AI and autonomous systems are reshaping how the nation moves people and goods, with major implications for safety, infrastructure and economic competitiveness. Transportation Department’s Assistant Secretary of Research and Technology Nominee and Senior Advisor Seval Oz will outline how emerging technologies are transforming transportation systems and how government and industry can accelerate innovation while aligning with national priorities.

Cyber threats continue to grow, and federal agencies are rethinking traditional security approaches. This panel explores how leaders are addressing calls for zero trust adoption, automation, workforce readiness and cross-agency collaboration.

AI is rapidly moving from experimentation to operational deployment across government. This session examines how agencies are operationalizing AI, addressing data readiness and governance challenges and ensuring AI delivers measurable mission outcomes while maintaining transparency and trust.

The Flywheel Awards recognize leaders and their work in the federal government.

The flywheel — a critical component in a machine to increase its momentum — is also a critical symbol representing our publication’s goal to keep federal IT decision-makers informed on technology’s impact on government. This momentum is what fuels the constant need for transformers to innovate and drive efficiency in government.

Cloud adoption remains central to federal IT modernization, but managing complex hybrid and multi-cloud environments presents new challenges. Panelists will discuss lessons learned from cloud migrations, strategies for optimizing performance and security, and how agencies are managing cost, interoperability and vendor risk.

Federal CIOs face increasing pressure to modernize systems, secure infrastructure and deliver results with constrained resources. This panel will unpack federal CIO priorities, including budget alignment, workforce challenges, technology debt and how leaders are setting near- and long-term strategies to support mission success.

Federal digital service efforts make big impacts in critical services to the public. It takes recruiting a technical team to work alongside agencies to accomplish their biggest technology priorities. Leadership discusses the future of these efforts and where they are seeing the biggest impacts.