Meet the 2027 Engage Citizen Services 150: Leaders Driving What’s Next for the Mission
Across the Federal civilian community, agencies are navigating a broad and evolving set of responsibilities. Heading into 2027, emerging technologies, AI, changing acquisition approaches, workforce demands, and growing expectations for efficiency and service delivery are creating new opportunities and challenges for government and industry alike. From delivering essential services and managing public resources to advancing scientific discovery, supporting economic growth, and modernizing government operations, the missions are diverse, but the need for strong leadership and meaningful collaboration is shared. Progress depends on people who connect communities, share knowledge, open doors, bring new voices into the conversation, and help turn ideas into better outcomes for the American public.
The 2027 Engage Federal Citizen Services 150 recognizes the leaders who are helping make those connections happen.
Selected with input from their peers and the broader Federal civilian community, these are executives who stand out, not simply because of the positions they hold or the organizations they represent, but because of how they engage: They share knowledge and perspective; they make meaningful introductions; they connect government, industry, and emerging technology communities; they create opportunities for others; they give their time; and they help build the relationships and partnerships that allow ideas to take shape and missions to move forward.
Across agencies such as NASA, the Departments of Commerce, Interior, and Treasury, and the broader Federal civilian landscape, this year’s Engage Federal Citizen Services 150 includes established executives alongside leaders whose influence continues to grow. Different missions. Different organizations. Different perspectives. What connects them is a demonstrated commitment to showing up, contributing, connecting others, and strengthening the community working to improve how government serves the American people.
To every leader recognized as part of the 2027 Engage Citizen Services 150, congratulations.
This recognition reflects more than professional accomplishment; it reflects the reputation you have built with the people around you and the role you play in making the defense innovation community stronger, more connected, and more effective. Thank you for continuing to invest your time, experience, relationships, and energy in this community. We are excited to recognize you and to see what you help make possible in the year ahead.
Meet the 2027 Engage Citizen Services 150
- Jenny Acot, Founder, SYNC Logic
- Anthony Adeleke, Enterprise Data Platform Migration Lead / Management and Program Analyst, IRS
- Poupak Afshar, Chief Executive Officer, Easy Dynamics
- Sadhna Agrawal, Founder, President and CEO, Astor & Sanders
- John Ahad, Chief Executive Officer, ThinkTek
- Gundeep Ahluwalia, Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer, NuAxis Innovations
- Jonathan Alboum, Federal Chief Technology Officer & Principal Digital Strategist, ServiceNow
- Jeff Allnutt, Director, Acquisition IT Systems Division, GSA
- Prasanna Amitabh, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Zenius
- Mark Amtower, Founder, Amtower & Company
- Susan An, Chief Executive Officer, SoKat
- Beth Angerman, Chief Operating Officer, MetaPhase
- Tony Arcadi, Principal, Arcadi Advisory
- Darren Ash, Executive Director, Management Science & Innovation
- Vera Ashworth, Former Deputy Chief Information Officer, GAO
- Venu Ayala, President, Zen Strategics
- Jermon Bafaty, Founder and CEO, Platinum Technologies
- Tiffany Bailey, Executive Vice President, ARETUM
- Joanie Barr, Sr. Vice President, Business Operations, Koniag Government Services
- Fiona Barshow, Vice President, Koniag Government Services
- Lee Becker, Senior Vice President, Executive Advisor, Public Sector and Healthcare, Medallia
- Bethlehem Belaineh, Founder & CEO/Managing Director, Theory AI
- Jennifer Bonner, Chief Operating Officer, RIVA Solutions
- Brian Bordelon, Senior Director, Strategic Capture Management, Federal Civilian, Nutanix
- Omar Bouaichi, Director, Emerging Technologies and Innovation, HUD
- Carla Briceno, President, CEO & Co-Founder, Bixal
- Miriam Briskin, Manager, GovCon Small Business, Unanet
- Lisa Brown, Chief Customer Officer, Customer Value Partners
- Heather Carr, Senior Director; Sector Growth Campaign Lead, Leidos
- May Cheng, Deputy Chief Information Officer, Department of Labor
- Chris Chilbert, Chief Information Officer and Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer, CFPB
- Shawn Chittle, Advanced Projects and Artificial Intelligence Leader, OPM
- Mitchell Cho, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, FedWriters
- Kathlen Cowles, Executive Vice President, Engagement, Deep Water Point & Associates
- Kelly Michaud Cox, Acting Director, Enterprise Infrastructure Delivery Office, USPTO
- Liz DeBiase, Small Business Partner Advocate, ICF
- Dwight Deneal, Assistant Administrator, Office of Small Business Programs, NASA
- Mike Deutsch, Chief Growth Officer, Alpha Omega
- Fredy Diaz, Assistant Inspector General for Technology Solutions, SBA OIG
- Martha Dorris, Founder, Dorris Consulting International
- Nanette Downing, Executive Vice President, Client Relations and Delivery, eTelligent
- Brian Epley, Chief Information Officer and Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer, DOC
- Erin Fitzgibbons, Acting Division Director, Technology Solutions, DOC, Bureau of Industry and Security
- Thomas Flagg, Deputy Federal Chief Information Officer, OMB
- Brian Flood, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, DecisionPoint
- Jennifer Franks, Director, Center for Enhanced Cybersecurity, GAO
- Rob Frey, Program Manager, Office of Hearings and Appeals, DOI
- Lisa Fritsch, President and Chief Executive Officer, Agile5 Technologies
- Brian Funk, Chief Technology Officer, MetaPhase
- Tim Gilday, Vice President, Enterprise Digital Experience Practice, Leidos
- Marc Goldschmitt, Principal, Goldschmitt and Associates
- Alison Gonzalez, Small Business Liaison Officer (SBLO), AMERICAN SYSTEMS
- Cindy Good, Deputy Chief Data Officer, Federal Transit Administration
- Kiran Gullapalli, Co-Founder, Chief Operating Officer, Anika Systems
- Kayla Gunter, Acting Associate CIO, NNSA, DOE
- Jerry Hagedorn, Assistant Chief Information Officer, USDA Farm Production and Conservation Business Center
- Meaghan Hakala, Principal Consultant, Vericol
- Larry Hale, Assistant Commissioner, Office of Acquisition Solutions Development, GSA
- Malcolm Harden, Chief Strategy Officer (CSO), DRT Strategies
- Sonny Hashmi, Head of Public Sector, MaintainX, AutoDesk
- Katie Helwig, President & Chief Executive Officer, Mild Red
- Raymond Holder, Global Growth Executive, Capgemini
- Karen Howard, Director, Online Services, Taxpayer Services, IRS
- Betsey Hutton, Chief Growth Officer, Simple Technology Solutions
- Darryl Peek II, Vice President, Partner Sales, US Public Sector, Elastic
- Ann-Marie Johnson, VP, Federal Market Engagement, CGI
- Tony Johnson, President and Chief Executive Officer, Oasys International
- A’ndrea Jones, Former Synergy Innovation Lab Founder, Performance Management, HUD
- Courtney Kay-Decker, Chief Taxpayer Experience Officer, IRS
- Hooman Kazerani, Senior Vice President, Digital Modernization, US Public Sector, ICF
- Katie Keegan, Senior Vice President, Sales and Strategic Partnerships, American AI Logistics
- Luke Keller, Vice President, AI Products, Unanet
- Kaamil Khan, President, Makpar
- Robin Locy Kidwell, Vice President, Client Services, FedTec Reply
- Beth Killoran, Chief Information Officer, GAO
- Krista Kinnard, Deputy Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer, NASA
- Richard Klemmer, Executive Strategist and Technologist, Black Box Strategies
- Frank Konkel, Editor-in-Chief, GovExec
- Mangala Kuppa, Chief Information Officer, Department of Labor
- Brian Lacey, Chief Executive Officer, Mobomo
- Raza Latif, Chief Executive Officer, NuAxis Innovations
- Albert Lee, Founding Partner, Summit Consulting
- Michael LeJeune, Partner, RSM Federal
- Mariano Lopez, Chief Executive Officer, Analytica
- Herman Lyons, Acting Small Business GWAC Branch Chief, GSA
- Varsha Maheshwari, Growth and Strategic Partnerships Executive, Federal Civilian, LMI
- Trisha Eknes Marcey, Vice President, Enterprise Civil Division Manager, Leidos
- Justin Marsico, Executive Director for Financial Integrity, Bureau of the Fiscal Service
- Tarrazzia Martin, Chief Technology Officer and EICAM PM, HUD
- Ray McCollum, Policy Director, NSF
- Brett McLaren, Founder, CEO, Breakaway
- Adam McNair, GovCon Advisor, FedTrend
- Jason McNutt, Managing Director, Civilian, Applied Information Sciences (AIS)
- Martial Michel, Chief Technologist, Vice President AI & Data Sciences, Infotrend
- Jason Miller, Executive Editor, Federal News Network
- Monalisha Mishra, President/CEO, DullesSystems
- Calvin Mitchell Jr., Senior Director, Acquisition Strategy and Engagement, GDIT
- Cody Mruk, Vice President of Business Development, Federal Civilian, Kentro
- Lisa Shea Mundt, Chief Executive Officer, GovBrew
- Kevin Murphy, Acting Chief Science Data Officer and Acting Chief Data Officer, NASA
- Brian Nguyen, Chief Executive Officer, BLN24
- George Nicol, NASA SEWP Deputy Program Director
- Chi Okonkwo, Director, Agency Financial Systems, NASA
- Rish Patel, Chief Executive Officer, RP Professional Services
- Anna Patsel-Powell, Chief Operating Officer, Nginering
- Brian Peltier, Head of Technology, Customer Data, and AI, SSA
- Mike Pereira, Chief Strategy Officer (CSO), vTech Solution
- Brian Peretti, Chief Executive Officer, Everstream Advisors
- Crystal Philcox, Founder, Philcox Consulting
- Stacey Piper, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Piper Strategies
- Ali Pourghassemi, Industry Liaison, IRS
- Jessica Price, Vice President of Customer Success, NuAxis Innovations
- Farrell Proffitt, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Agency Known
- Aaron Pujanandez, President and Founder, Delta Lima
- Dr. Jeffrey Pullen, Associate Director for Financial Systems, DOJ
- Faisal Quader, President, Technuf
- Mahe Rangareddy, Chief Operating Officer, Alesig Consulting
- Gabrielle Rivera, Vice President, Maximus
- Tony Rivera, CEO, Aretec
- Douglas Robertson, Deputy Chief Information Officer and Chief Data Officer, SBA
- Cara Rose, Director, Application and Data Services, NASA
- Kristin Ruiz, Associate Commissioner of Technology and Survey Processing, Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Phil Sahady, President, Chevo
- Ankur Saini, Chief Product and Technology Officer, DOT
- Dr. Mandeep Sarkaria, President, Intellect Solutions
- Gissa Sateri, Director, Finance and Commerce Market, SAIC
- Nick Schutt, President and Managing Member, Artemis Human Capital Management
- Jenifer Sessums, Chief Design Officer, Steampunk
- Gulam Shakir, Chief Information Officer and Chief AI Officer, NARA
- Alisa Sheard, Director, Administrative Services Division, Office of the Chief Operating Officer, SBA
- David Shive, Chief Information Officer, GSA
- Ben Shotzberger, Founder, In Foul Territory Consulting
- Rachel Sile, Senior Technical Program Manager, Department of the Interior
- Praveen Singalla, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Diaconia
- Gurpreet Singh, Chief Executive Officer, Infotrend
- Charles Smith, Director, Office of Small Business Programs, DOE
- Harrison Smith, Vice President of Business Development, Easy Dynamics
- Param Soni, Chief Information Officer, Bureau of Economic Analysis
- Badri Sriraman, Senior Vice President, Karsun Solutions
- Debbie (Deborah) Stephens, Chief Information Officer, USPTO
- Kyra Johnson Stewart, Director, Governmentwide IT Vendor Management Office, GSA
- Keith Taylor, Chief Executive Officer, 2ndWave
- Ramon Thomas, Strategic Advisor, Artificial Intelligence, Federal, World Wide Technology
- Darnita Trower, Deputy Chief Information Officer for Development and Operations Services, Administrative Office of the US Courts
- Lena Trudeau, Owner & Chief Executive Officer, Inclined
- Pete Tseronis, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Dots and Bridges
- Justin Ubert, Division Chief (Component CISO), DOT
- Venkat Veeramneni, Chief Executive Officer, Nuvitek
- Sudha Vijay Venkateswaran, Growth Executive, Skyward
- Justin Wade, CTO & Chief, Information Management & Technology Office, DOI
- Cheryl Waldrup, Founder and Principal Consultant, Walker-Waldrup Consulting
- Liz Walker, Director, Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, Department of the Treasury
- Traci Walker, Founder and CEO, Awkward Walker Consulting
- Gary Washington, Chief Strategy Officer, ACT-IAC
- Marcia Watson, President, BTW & Co.
- Shawn Watson, Director, IT Modernization and Innovation Division, Office of Technology Policy, GSA
- Lisa Wetzel, President & Chief Executive Officer, VIKINT
- Zachary Whitman, Chief Data Scientist and Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer, GSA
- Andrea Wilson, Director, Business Operations Division, NOAA
- Kristen Wilson, Senior Analyst and Federal Acquisition Technology Modernization Lead, Office of Federal Procurement Policy
- Mitchell Winans, Head of Industry Partnerships, FDIC
- Brittany Winkler, Head of Industry Relations, GovDash
- Jeremy Wood, Deputy Director, Applications and Architecture, SEC
- Joanne Woytek, NASA SEWP Program Manager and COR, NASA
- Robert Wuhrman, Director, Shared Services Program Implementation Office, GSA
- Daniel York, Deputy Director, Office of Technology Policy, GSA
- Tahera Zamanzada, Executive Advisor, SAP
We’ll have an opportunity to celebrate many of this year’s Engage leaders together on November 18 in Washington, D.C., as part of our annual Elev8GovCon and Engage FedGov gathering. We’ll recognize the Engage leaders who are able to join us, and awards will be available there for this year’s recipients. Of course, being there isn’t part of the recognition. We’d simply love the opportunity to see you, congratulate you in person, and celebrate alongside many of the people who make this community what it is.
To the 2027 Engage Citizen Services 150, congratulations again. And, more importantly, thank you for what you bring to the national security mission and for helping make this a stronger, more connected community.
What Is Engage?
Engage recognizes the leaders who make the Federal community stronger.
These are executives who understand that leadership extends beyond their own organizations. They share what they know, build meaningful connections, create opportunities for others, bring people together, and invest their time and experience in the communities they serve. They don’t simply participate. They contribute.
Engage leaders come from different organizations, roles, and stages of their careers. What connects them is how they show up and the reputation they have earned with the people around them. They are trusted colleagues, connectors, mentors, collaborators, and community builders who understand that helping others succeed ultimately strengthens the entire Federal ecosystem.
Nominated by Peers. Selected by Peers.
That distinction is central to Engage. Leaders are nominated by the people who see their impact firsthand and selected through a peer review process focused on meaningful engagement and contribution. There is no formula based on title, company size, revenue, or visibility. Reviewers consider how leaders contribute to their community, share knowledge, connect and support others, participate in important conversations and initiatives, and use their experience and relationships to create impact beyond their own organizations.
Engage isn’t about being the loudest person in the room or knowing the most people. It’s about what you do with the relationships, experience, and opportunities you have. Being recognized as an Engage leader means your peers have noticed how you show up, what you contribute, and the difference you make for the people and community around you.
That’s what it means to Engage.


