Influencers: Women Tech Leaders

Robin Carnahan currently serves as the Administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA).

As Administrator, she is working to empower GSA career professionals and build on the agency’s efforts to deliver the best value in real estate, acquisition, and technology services to the government and American people.

Prior to joining GSA, Carnahan served in executive and leadership roles in business, academia and government, including as the Secretary of State of Missouri (2005-2013), and founded and led the State and Local Government Practice at 18F, a tech consultancy, inside GSA (2016–2020). She’s a nationally recognized government technology leader and in 2017 was named one of the federal government’s “Top Women in Tech.” Most recently, Carnahan was a Fellow at Georgetown University’s Beeck Center where she co-founded the State Software Collaborative.

As Secretary of State, Carnahan also served as the state’s Chief Election Official and State Securities Regulator and was responsible for providing in-person and online services to hundreds of thousands of customers. An essential part of her job was leading the office’s technology modernization efforts across 7 operating divisions. She frequently speaks, writes and testifies about government innovation through smarter use of technology.

While previously at GSA, Carnahan helped federal, state and local government agencies improve customer facing digital services and cut costs. She focused on training and empowering non-technical executives on ways to reduce risk and deliver better results for the public by more effectively budgeting, procuring, implementing, and overseeing digital modernization projects.

Carnahan holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from William Jewell College and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law.

Valerie M. Cofield serves as the Chief Strategy Officer of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).

Ms. Cofield serves as the principal policy and strategic adviser to CISA leadership and senior management, integrating strategy across all the organization’s mission areas and ensuring policy, strategy, and operational consistency throughout the agency.

Prior to CISA, Ms. Cofield served at the FBI for 22 years in a variety of roles. She was a Deputy Assistant Director (DAD) for the Cyber Capabilities Branch within the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Cyber Division where she led coordination and deployment of the division’s technical tools and capabilities, and oversaw cyber-related training, recruiting, hiring, and budgeting for the division. She also served in a senior executive role as chief of staff of the Science and Technology Branch and as a DAD of the Digital Transformation Office (DTO), where she engaged with interagency partners and other key stakeholders on policy issues related to current and emerging technologies and their impact on law enforcement.

In 2019, Ms. Cofield was selected as the FBI’s senior detail to the Cyberspace Solarium Commission. This Congressional Commission was authorized through the FY2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Its mission was to develop a national strategy for preventing cyberattacks of significant consequences. While on the Commission, Ms. Cofield was a Senior Director and Task Force Lead. The Commission completed its report in March of 2020 with over 75 recommendations, 25 of which were included in the FY21 NDAA and enacted into law.

Ms. Cofield holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics with a minor in Accounting from UCLA.

Dr. Kelly Fletcher is a career member of the Senior Executive Service and the Principal Deputy CIO.  In this capacity, she supports the DoD CIO in serving as the primary advisor to the Secretary of Defense for information technology, cybersecurity, communications, spectrum, and position, navigation and timing.  She has served in DoD CIO since February 2020 in a variety of roles including Performing the Duties of the DoD CIO and as the Principal Director for Resources & Analysis.

Dr. Fletcher’s federal government career has included leadership roles in both the technology and strategic resourcing domains and she has led a number of significant reorganizations.  Prior to joining DoD CIO, Dr. Fletcher served as the Deputy Director for Program Analysis & Evaluation at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) where she supervised and coordinated the development of the DHS-wide budget (~$50B appropriated).  She also led the realignment of the Federal Protective Services (more than 10,000 employees, ~$1B annual spend) from the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to the Management directorate.

Dr. Fletcher served in the Department of the Navy from December 2016 to September 2018 in roles including Acting Department of the Navy CIO and Business Modernization Lead.  As the CIO, she provided strategic leadership for all Department of the Navy information technology policy and budget decisions and led a Department-wide reorganization of information technology governance and oversight.

Dr. Fletcher spent six years with the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation (CAPE) where she served as the Special Assistant to the Deputy Director and as an operations research analyst.  Prior to her government service, she worked in the private sector as an engineer.

Dr. Fletcher earned her Ph.D. in engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology and her B.S. from Washington University in St. Louis.

Eunice Ikene is an Attorney Advisor in the Office of the Chair where she co-leads the work on the agency’s artificial intelligence and algorithmic fairness initiative. Prior to joining the Chair’s office, she served as staff on the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor for eight years. During her time working in Congress, she spearheaded efforts to strengthen wage and hour and employment discrimination laws, including passing the Raise the Wage Act, Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, and the Paycheck Fairness Act in the House of Representatives. She holds a J.D. from American University Washington College of Law and B.B.A. in Management Consulting and Political Science from the University of Notre Dame. She is admitted to the Maryland Bar.

Cynthia Kaiser is a Deputy Assistant Director with FBI Cyber Division, where she oversees national-level cyber policy, analysis of cyber threats, and partner engagement.

Cynthia has covered cyber, technology, and counterintelligence issues for over 17 years for the FBI; served as a PDB Briefer in two presidential administrations; and has led FBI cyber threat analysis and served as an FBI election lead since 2017. In these roles, she has reshaped FBI information sharing and collaboration with the private sector and federal, state, and local government officials to be robust, proactive, and aimed at imposing risks and consequences on malicious cyber actors.

Cynthia holds a Master’s degree in security policy focused on science and technology and an Executive Master’s degree in leadership.

Dr. Jennifer Moser has served as the Associate Director of Scientific Programs for VA’s Million Veteran Program since March 2021. In this role, she leads the strategic planning for the generation and provisioning of molecular data and implements policy to increase access to MVP data in support of research into the genetics of diseases and conditions that impact Veterans. Prior to joining MVP, she served as a Health Science Specialist for VA’s Genomic Medicine Program for nine years.

Lt. Gen. Mary F. O’Brien is the Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Cyber Effects Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Arlington, Virginia. She is responsible to the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Air Force for policy formulation, planning, evaluation, oversight and leadership of Air Force intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and cyber effects operations capabilities. As the Air Force’s Senior Intelligence Officer, she is directly responsible to the Director of National Intelligence and the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence. She leads six directorates and supports a 73,000-person intelligence and cyber operations enterprise with a portfolio valued at $72 billion across the Air Force.

Lt. Gen. O’Brien received her commission upon graduation from the U.S. Air Force Academy with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry. She has served in a variety of intelligence command and staff assignments. Her commands include the 22nd Intelligence Squadron, Fort George G. Meade, Maryland; 691st ISR Group, RAF Menwith Hill, United Kingdom; and 70th ISR Wing, Fort George G. Meade. Lt. Gen. O’Brien has also served in numerous staff leadership positions including the Joint Staff, the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force Legislative Liaison, Headquarters U.S. Air Force and Air Force Space Command and served as the U.S. Cyber Command Director of Intelligence.

Prior to her current assignment, she served as Commander, Twenty-fifth Air Force, and was responsible for more than 29,000 personnel conducting worldwide operations and the delivery of multisource intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance products, applications, capabilities and resources. In addition, she served as the Commander of the Service Cryptologic Component responsible to the Director, National Security Agency and Chief, Central Security Service, as the Air Force’s sole authority for matters involving the conduct of cryptologic activities.

Charneta Samms has served as Army DEVCOM’s first permanent CTO since August 2021. Previously, she served at the Army Research Laboratory for over 20 years, joining as an industrial engineer in 1997 and most recently serving as Chief of Plans and Programs, where she oversaw the planning, programming, reprogramming, budgeting, execution and documentation of the laboratory’s research program. She also led DEVCOM ARL’s science technology, engineering and math outreach program.

Kate Macri is a deputy editor for GovCIO Media & Research, where she primarily covers the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security.

Prior to joining the team in June 2020, she covered the video game industry and small businesses for Zenger News. She also covered banking and finance news for Banking Dive, a B2B media publication based in Washington D.C., and reported logistics, supply chain and shipping news for Supply Chain Dive.

If she isn’t boxing or walking her boxer, you can find Kate with her nose in a Stephen King novel, slaying monsters in the world of Final Fantasy or waiting for a blue public call box to land in her front yard.

Sarah Sybert joined GovCIO Media & Research as a staff writer/researcher in March 2021, where she primarily covers the Department of Health and Human Services. Before Sarah joined the team, she covered defense, industry and information technology reports and events with Executive Mosaic. Her work has helped connect private and public sector leaders and promote awareness of emerging market trends.

When she’s not on the job, you can find her hiking in Shenandoah, checking out the newest “hole-in-the-wall” coffee shop or jamming on the guitar.  Sarah earned her bachelor’s degree in English, with minors in Creative Writing and Film Studies, at Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida.

Melissa Harris is a staff writer and researcher for GovernmentCIO Media & Research, where she covers federal health and defense IT and co-hosts HealthCast.

Prior to joining the team in October 2019, Melissa worked as a technology reporter for MeriTalk, where she covered IT acquisition, Congressional hearings, and federal technology reports and events. She was also a local news reporter for the New Jersey Hills Media Group, the Editor-in-Chief at The Oberlin Review, and an intern reporter at Homeland Security Today.

Melissa earned her Bachelor of Arts in history and English at Oberlin College.