Why Pilots, Procurement Modernization Matter for Federal AI

Why Pilots and Procurement Modernization Matter for Government AI

Federal agencies are learning to establish an AI-ready foundation, leveraging machine learning for predictive operations and implementing cloud-scale data protection to boost resilience and ensure compliance.

Bryana Tucci from AWS and Richard Breakiron from Commvault explained how agencies are navigating the era of AI and cloud transformation.

They also discussed the role of top-down leadership and modernized procurement in accelerating the adoption of commercial technology, including how the current administration is focusing on pilots with commercial technology.

Check out our full coverage of the conference.

Speakers

Richard Breakiron Senior Strategist, Executive & Security Programs, Americas Federal Sector, Commvault
Richard Breakiron
- Senior Strategist, Executive & Security Programs, Americas Federal Sector
- Commvault
Richard Breakiron is Commvault’s Senior Director, Strategic Initiatives, Americas Public Sector focused on the Federal community. He gained his extensive experience in developing, deploying and operating critical network IT and large data management systems while serving as an officer the Army, senior government civilian with the Army and DISA and U.S. security agencies.

A leader on many major IT program initiatives throughout his career, Richard oversaw the largest Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) effort comprising over $3 billion in IT systems to support a $16 billion transformation of Army infrastructure. He further led the effort to realign the DoD’s Top-Level Architecture, by building a partnership with the DoD CIO and AFSPACECOM. While at the Pentagon with HQDA CIO/G-6, he served in leadership roles for strategic initiatives managing an Army-wide IT reform and network modernization effort.

Richard works alongside his Strategic Initiatives counterpart, Dave DeVries, where they both bring their close to 80 years of collective experience and insights from the DoD and Federal agencies to the states and local government as well as higher education. Since leaving government service, Mr. Breakiron has held positions as Executive VP, Public sector, root9B, an advanced Cyber security company; Senior Director, Cyber solutions for ViON Corporation; and initiated the standup of Ascolta, LLC, a data analytics subsidiary of ViON, as their General Manager and served on the board of Ascolta.

Richard and his wife are fortunate to enjoy a great rural life in Aiken, SC. They relax by gardening, do-it-yourself projects, playing tennis, an occasional Top Golf, and are learning sailing and scuba to enjoy their regular travel to SC beaches with their three ‘launched’ children.
Bryana Tucci ICMP Lead, Principal Tech BDM, AWS Marketplace for the U.S. Intelligence Community (ICMP)
Bryana Tucci
- ICMP Lead, Principal Tech BDM
- AWS Marketplace for the U.S. Intelligence Community (ICMP)
Bryana Tucci is the Lead of the Intelligence Community Marketplace (ICMP) and a Principal Technical Business Development Manager at Amazon Web Services (AWS) where she helps government agencies procure and deploy solutions (like Zero Trust and Gen AI) in their cloud environments. Prior to AWS, Bryana worked at In-Q-Tel and overseas as a Foreign Service Officer. She graduated summa cum laude from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and earned a Master in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School where she was a Pickering Fellow. Bryana received her MBA and Master of Science in Information Systems Technology from The George Washington University where she was a Forte Fellow.