Announcing the 2024 Engage Federal Citizen Services Honorees

Across the Federal sector there are promises to break down silos; claims of greater transparency; words like collaboration, communication and trust becoming part of what is required for forward movement.    

And across the Government contracting sector, within industry and within government, there are leaders who truly understand what it takes, who are setting an example that not only encourages engagement, but also motivates and pushes others on their teams and within their organizations to do the same. These leaders are empowering and changing how government and industry can work together. and doing so selflessly, without expectation for personal gain but instead, for the betterment of the industry.   

Continuing our commitment to shine a light on the good stuff, to spotlight those that are #doingitright, we are pleased to announce the 2024 Engage Federal Citizen Services Honorees. This list of individuals, who were nominated, evaluated, and selected by a panel of their peers, represents exceptional leaders from across government and industry who stand out from the crowd for their willingness to drive BOLD approaches and innovative engagement strategies while supporting a culture shift which values collaboration, open communication, transparency, and partnership between and across the Federal government and industry partner ecosystems across the Federal Citizen Services sector to include GAO, DOL, HUD, Education, USPTO, GSA, OPM and more.

This year’s outstanding leaders are:  

• Poupak Afshar, Co-founder and CEO, Easy Dynamics
• Gundeep Ahluwalia, Chief Information Officer, U.S. Department of Labor
• Jonathan Alboum, Federal CTO at ServiceNow
• Prasanna Amitabh, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Zenius Corporation
• Darren Ash, Chief Information Officer, U.S. Department of the Interior
• Ashleigh Axios, Chief Operating Officer & Co-Owner, Coforma
• Venu Ayala, President, Zen Strategics
• Wendy Bhagat, U.S. Department of Education, Office of Federal Student Aid, Director, Product Marketing & Delivery Group
• Anil Boinapalli, Chief Executive Officer, Sky Solutions LLC
• Amira Choueiki Boland, Lead, Federal Customer Experience, Office of Management and Budget
• Jennifer Bonner, Senior Vice President, Client Delivery, RIVA
• Carla Briceno, President, CEO & Co-Founder, Bixal
• Lisa Brown, Chief Customer Officer, Customer Value Partners
• Melvin Brown, Deputy Chief Information Officer at U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
• Sheena Burrell, Chief Information Officer, U.S. National Archives and Records Administration
• Muhammad Butt, Director, Cybersecurity Governance, U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)
• Cheryl Thornton-Cameron, SES, Executive Director. Acquisition/SCRM Operations/Information Technology Category, General Services Administration
• Scott Cannon, Vice President Delivery Excellence, MetaPhase Consulting
• Christa Carter, Director of GWACs and Partner Programs, REI Systems
• Amanda Chavez, Human-centered design leader, NuAxis
• May Cheng, Deputy Chief Information Officer, International Trade Administration
• Mitchell Cho, President and CEO, FedWriters
• Kevin Cooke, Chief Government Information Management Officer, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
• Kelly Michaud Cox, Deputy Director of Enterprise Infrastructure Delivery Office, USPTO
• Monique Crewes, Deputy Director Office of Digital Services and Technical Infrastructure, EPA
• Mike Deutsch, Chief Growth Officer, Alpha Omega
• Ivo Djoubrailov, Chief Digital Services Officer, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
• Martha Dorris, Founder, Dorris Consulting International
• Jonathan Finch, Acting Director, Digital Experience, Office of the Federal Chief Information Officer, Office of Management and Budget
• Brian Flood, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, DecisionPoint Corporation
• Jennifer Franks, Director, Center for Enhanced Cybersecurity, U.S. Government Accountability Office
• Lisa Fritsch, President/CEO, Agile5 Technologies
• Timothy Goodwin, Chief Information Security Officer, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
• Jason Gray, Chief Information Officer, USAID
• Malcolm Harden, Chief Growth Officer, Safal Partners
• Karl Hellmann, Deputy CISO, U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)
• Steven Hernandez, Chief Information Security Officer, U.S. Department of Education
• Jamie Holcombe, Chief Information Officer, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
• Raymond Holder, VP – Digital Growth, Maximus
• A’ndrea Jones Synergy Innovation Lab Founder, Performance Management, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
• Tony Johnson, President & CEO, Oasys International
• Luke Keller, Chief Innovation Officer at the U.S. Census Bureau
• Beth Killoran, Chief Information Officer, U.S. Government Accountability Office
• Sanjay Koyani, Chief Technology Officer, U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)
• Brian Lacey, CEO, Mobomo
• Raza Latif, CEO at NuAxis
• Andy Lewandowski, Chief Digital Experience Officer, U.S. Department of the Interior
• Paul Lynch, COO, The Cadmus Group
• Stephanie Mango, President, CGI Federal
• Tarrazzia Martin, Senior Advisor, Enterprise Technology Planning and Change Management, Department of Housing and Urban Development
• Tammy McChain, Chief Delivery Officer, Brillient
• Brett McLaren, Co-founder, Chief Strategy Officer, MetaPhase Consulting
• Adam McNair, GovCon Advisor, FedTrends
• Laurie MacNamara, Chief Customer Officer and Director, Market Development and Partnerships Division, General Services Administration/Technology Transformation Services (TTS)
• Trisha Eknes Marcey, VP, Civil IT Division Manager, Leidos
• Calvin J Mitchell Jr, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Acquisitions, Grants, and Risk Management, U.S. Department of Education
• Toney Mitchell, Deputy ACIO, IT Strategy & Policy, U.S. Office of Personnel Management
• Megan Moser, Acting Managing Director, CX Center of Excellence, Technology Transformation Services (TTS), GSA
• Chandan Mukhopadhyay, President, Synergy Business Innovation and Solutions
• Lisa Shea Mundt, Co-Founder of The Pulse of GovCon
• Beth Niblock, Chief Information Officer, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
• Ashley Nichols, Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Development at Highlight Technologies
• Pinakin Patel, Chief Executive Officer, IT Concepts
• Rish Patel, CEO – RP Professional Services
• Jamala Peyton, Executive Director, Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, US Department of Commerce
• Mahe Rangareddy, COO, Alesig
• Matt Raydo, President & CEO, Valiant Solutions
• Douglas Robertson, CTO, Small Business Administration
• Exodie C. Roe III, Associate Administrator – Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) – SES, GSA
• Jennifer Rostami, Assistant Commissioner, TTS Consulting, GSA
• Dominic Sale, Vice President, REI Systems
• Sanjay Sardar, President of Civilian and Health Operating Group, ASRC Federal
• James Saunders, Chief Information Security Officer, Office of Personnel Management
• Jenifer Sessums, Chief Design Officer, Steampunk
• Akanksha Sharma, Director, Digital Transformation at Department of Labor (DOL)
• Anil Sharma, Chief Executive Officer, 22nd Century Technologies Inc.
• Alisa Sheard, Deputy Director/Government Contracting/WOSB Federal Contract Program Director
• Rachel Sile, Deputy CISO, U.S. Department of the Interior
• Dave Singer, Chief Strategy Officer, ITC Federal
• Vinay Vijay Singh, CFO and Chief AI Officer, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
• Karlene Stecchi, Executive Vice President, Tantus Technologies, Inc.
• Pete Tseronis, Founder and CEO, Dots and Bridges
• Venkat Veeramneni, CEO, Nuvitek
• Sudha Vijay Venkateswaran, Vice President, Alpha Omega Integration
• Sylvie Williams, Transformation Officer, U.S. Department of Labor
• Nicole Willis, Deputy Chief Information Officer, NARA
• Andrea Wilson, Chief, Business Operations Division, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
• Rob Wuhrman, Director, Shared Services Policy Implementation Office | Office of Govt-wide Policy, General Services Administration
• Mark Youman, Senior Vice President at ICF
• Drew Zachary, Deputy Chief Innovation Officer at U.S. Census Bureau

Congratulations to all of the honorees and thank you to all who participated in the process. 

Identified below are Six Key Characteristics that Make up an Engage FedGov Leader   

Exemplify Open Communication   

Whether through speaking at events, sharing on open platforms such as LinkedIn, or writing executive insight pieces that offer advice and insight, the engaged leader shares their thought leadership and is open to making public what they know to serve the greater good.   

Evidence of Mission Focus     

An engaged leader understands their mission focus is not turned inward to their specific organization but instead looks outward, to their stakeholders. This means taking and receiving lessons learned from others serving the same or similar communities. It means finding ways to engage stakeholders, vendors, and potential partners, to drive collaborative solutions with the users’ needs in focus.   

Execution as a Good Partner     

Engaged leaders prefer not to do a power dance, across tables or in the public eye. Being open, transparent, and authentic in who they are and what they want to achieve, these leaders demonstrate they are good and reliable partners. Being a good partner, these leaders are clear in what they say, understand their role and the roles of those around them, and they execute according to that.   

Engage with the Community     

Whether through industry days, networking opportunities, written content or collaboration in working groups, the engaged leader is part of the discussion, attending events, and being accessible and available. The expression “a rising tide lifts many boats” reminds everyone of something engaged leaders know – that there are opportunities for everyone and we do better when we work together. Whether it is as a mentor, an advisor, a board member, or a panellist, these leaders are familiar names and faces.   

Encourage Inclusivity     

Leaders who see the bigger picture are often surrounded by people who represent that bigger picture. Engaged leaders surround themselves with people who support and challenge them, with people who come from diverse backgrounds and with varied experiences. Engaged leaders encourage discussion, not for its own sake, but because they want the ideas brought forth from their diverse and inclusive team.   

Exemplify Innovation     

Whether it is through technology, culture, mission or approach, leaders that succeed do not stand still. Innovation signifies life, implies thought and forward movement, and is critical as the world becomes increasingly complex and challenging. Engaged leaders understand this, ask for big ideas and seek solutions that are focused on driving their organizations forward.    

#engagefedgov   

Meet the 2023 Engage FedGov Honorees here.

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