The new fiscal year brings big expectations. With an administration prioritizing efficiency, AI-driven innovation, and product-focused delivery, the way government and industry work together will matter more than ever. Meeting the moment will require leaders who know how to engage – with intention, humility, and a shared sense of mission.

The 2026 Engage Federal Citizen Services 150 honorees are those leaders. Nominated and selected by their peers, they are recognized not for their titles, but for how they show up. They make time to listen. They create space for others. They lead by example – building trust, sharing insight, and connecting across boundaries to drive forward real, workable solutions.

These individuals are already shaping how Federal Citizen Services agencies deliver on behalf of the people they serve. As we prepare to begin this new fiscal year, they are the leaders others look to for guidance, collaboration, and momentum.

The list of 2026 honorees and the criteria used for their selection are included below. Thank you to everyone who submitted nominations and those volunteers who took part in the review, continuing to elevate those who are #doingitright.

  • Anthony Adeleke, Manager, Business Intelligence and Data Analytics, Internal Revenue Service 
  • Poupak Afshar, Chief Executive Officer, Easy Dynamics
  •  Sadhna Agrawal, Founder, President, and CEO at Astor & Sanders 
  • John Ahad, Chief Executive Officer, ThinkTek 
  • Gundeep Ahluwalia, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer, NuAxis Innovations
  • Nadeem Ahmad, Chief Technology Officer, Department of Housing and Urban Development
  • Jonathan Alboum, Federal Chief Technology Officer and Principal Digital Strategist, ServiceNow
  • Prasanna Amitabh, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Zenius
  • Susan An, Chief Executive Office, SoKat
  • Venu Ayala, President, Zen Strategics
  • Vera Ashworth, Deputy Chief Information Officer, Government Accountability Office
  • Jermon Bafaty, Founder and CEO, Platinum Technologies 
  • Tiffany Bailey, Executive Vice President, ARETUM
  • Shawn Baker, Director of the Tax Provision Implementation Office, Internal Revenue Service
  • Joanie Barr, Sr. Vice President, Business Operations, Koniag Government Services
  • Fiona Barshow, Vice President, Koniag Government Services 
  • Kevin Bierschenk, Treasury/IRS Account Management, Leidos
  • Jennifer Bonner, Chief Operating Officer, RIVA Solutions
  • Brian Bordelon, Chief Technology Officer and Deputy CIO, Department of Commerce / President of AFFIRM
  • Carla Briceno, President, CEO & Co-Founder, Bixal
  • Margarita Brose, Deputy Chief Data Officer, Securities and Exchange Commission
  • Lisa Brown, Chief Customer Officer, Customer Value Partners
  • Heather Carr, Growth & Strategy Division Lead, Leidos 
  • May Cheng, Acting Chief Information Officer, International Trade Administration
  • Chris Chilbert, Chief Information Officer, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
  • Shawn Chittle, Enterprise Automation Service Product & Service Design Lead, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
  • Mitchell Cho, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, FedWriters
  • Jeffrey Cooper, Executive Vice President – FinTech, Chevo Consulting
  • Kelly Michaud Cox, Deputy Director of Enterprise Infrastructure Delivery Office, Patent and Trademark Office
  • Kathlen Cowles, Executive Vice President, Engagement, Deep Water Point & Associates 
  • Benjamin Davis, Chief Information Officer, Office of Intelligence & Analysis, Treasury Department
  • Liz (Elizabeth) DeBiase, Small Business Partner Advocate, ICF
  • Becci DeFrank, Federal Sector AI Leader, NVIDIA
  • Mike Deutsch, Chief Growth Officer, Alpha Omega
  • Freddy Diaz, Deputy Chief Data Officer, Department of Agriculture
  • Martha Dorris, Founder, Dorris Consulting International
  • Nanette Downing, Executive Vice President Client Relations & Delivery, eTelligent
  • Josh Duvall, GovCon/Cyber Attorney
  • Brian Epley, Chief Information Officer, Department of Commerce
  • Brian Flood, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, DecisionPoint Corporation
  • Jennifer Franks, Director, Center for Enhanced Cybersecurity, Government Accountability Office
  • Lisa Fritsch, President and Chief Executive Officer, Agile5 Technologies
  • Brian Funk, Chief Technology Officer, MetaPhase
  • Ariel Gold, Director of IRS Modernization, Department of the Treasury
  • Alison Gonzalez, Small Business Liaison Officer (SBLO), AMERICAN SYSTEMS
  • Kiran Gullapalli, Co-Founder, Chief Operating Officer, Anika Systems
  • Kayla Gunter, Acting Associate CIO and Director of Federal IT Program Management, NNSA, Department of Energy
  • Malcolm Harden, Chief Strategy Officer (CSO), DRT Strategies
  • Sonny Hashmi, Head of Global Public Sector, Unqork
  • Katie Helwig, President & Chief Executive Officer, Mild Red
  • Jerry Hingtgen, Federal Program Manager, Salesforce Platform, Department of Agriculture
  • Raymond Holder, Chief Growth Officer, Capgemini
  • Karen Howard, Director of Office of Online Services, Internal Revenue Service
  • Betsey Hutton, Chief Growth Officer, Simple Technology Solutions 
  • Ann-Marie Johnson, VP, Federal Market Engagement, CGI 
  • Tony Johnson, President and Chief Executive Officer, Oasys International
  • A’ndrea Jones, Synergy Innovation Lab Founder, Performance Management, Department of Housing and Urban Development
  • Hooman Kazerani, Senior Vice President, Digital Modernization, US Public Sector, ICF
  • Katie Keegan, Senior Vice President, Sales & Strategic Partnerships, American AI Logistics, AFCEA Bethesda President
  • Luke Keller, Chief Innovation Officer, Census Bureau
  • Kaamil Khan, President, Makpar Corporation 
  • Robin Locy Kidwell, Vice President, Client Services, FedTec
  • Beth Killoran, Chief Information Officer, Government Accountability Office
  • Krista Kinnard, Deputy Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
  • Melanie Krause, Deputy Commissioner, Internal Revenue Service
  • Mangala Kuppa, Chief Technology Officer and Chief AI Officer, Department of Labor
  • Brian Lacey, Chief Executive Officer, Mobomo
  • Raza Latif, Chief Executive Officer, NuAxis Innovations
  • Albert Lee, Founding Partner, Summit Consulting
  • Naina Leo, President and CEO, Mosaic Technologies
  • Mariano Lopez, Chief Executive Office, Analytica
  • Belinda Estelle Lowe, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at A3T (Agil3 Technology Solutions)
  • Herman Lyons, Acting Branch Chief, Office of IT Services, Business and Operations Division, General Services Administration
  • Krystn Macomber, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Summit Strategy
  • Trisha Eknes Marcey, Vice President, Civil IT Division Manager, Leidos
  • Justin Marsico, Assistant Commissioner for Fraud Prevention and Financial Integrity, Bureau of Fiscal Service
  • Tarrazzia Martin, Chief Technology Officer and EICAM PM, Department of Housing and Urban Development
  • Tim McCrosson, Geospatial Information Officer (SES), Depaertment of Agriculture
  • Brett McLaren, Co-founder, Chief Strategy Officer, MetaPhase Consulting
  • Adam McNair, GovCon Advisor, FedTrend 
  • Jason McNutt, Managing Director, Civilian, Applied Information Sciences (AIS) 
  • Vicki Michetti, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Operations for Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM), Department of Energy
  • Joshua Millsapps, CEO, Millsapps, Ballinger & Associates
  • Monalisha Mishra, President/CEO, DullesSystems
  • Calvin J Mitchell Jr, Executive Director (HCA), Federal Student Aid, Department of Education
  • Kameke Mitchell, Director, Procurement Strategic Operations Division, Office of Procurement, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
  • Helleni Moon, Chief Executive Officer, EIDOS Technologie
  • Chandan Mukhopadhyay, Founder and Board Chair, Synergy Business Innovation and Solutions
  • Lisa Shea Mundt, Co-Founder, The Pulse of GovCon
  • Stacey Myers, Founder/ CEO at SPAARK 
  • George Nicol, NASA SEWP Deputy Program Director, National Aeronautics and Space Administration 
  • Brian Nguyen, Chief Executive Officer, BLN24 
  • Chi Okonkwo, Director, Agency Financial Systems, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
  • Pinakin Patel, Chief Executive Officer, IT Concepts 
  • Rish Patel, Chief Executive Officer, RP Professional Services 
  • Mike Pereira, Chief Strategy Officer (CSO), vTech Solution 
  • Brian Peretti, Chief Technology Officer and Deputy Chief Artificial Intelligence (AI) Officer, Department of the Treasury 
  • Stacey Piper, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Piper Strategies
  • Ali Pourghassemi, Senior Transformation Consultant (Detail), Internal Revenue Service 
  • Doug Powell, Acting Director Office of Information Technology Services, General Services Administration
  • Farrell Proffitt, Executive Vice President, Growth, PBG Consulting 
  • Faisal Quader, President, Technuf 
  • Mahe Rangareddy, Chief Operating Officer, Alesig Consulting 
  • Gabrielle Rivera, Vice President, Maximus 
  • Tony Rivera, CEO, Aretec 
  • Douglas Robertson, Deputy CIO, Office of the CIO, Small Business Administration 
  • Dr. Tiina K.O. Rodrigue, EdD, Chief Information Security Officer, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau 
  • Kristin Ruiz, Deputy Assistant Administrator (DAA), Deputy Chief Information Officer Transportation Security Administration / VP of AFFIRM 
  • Phil Sahady, President, Chevo Consulting 
  • Ankur Saini, Chief Technology Officer, DOT Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration 
  • Dave Salvagnini, Chief Data Officer and Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer, National Aeronautics and Space Administration 
  • Dr. Mandeep Sarkaria, PhD, President at Intellect Solutions 
  • Jenifer Sessums, Chief Design Officer, Steampunk 
  • Gulam Shakir, Chief Technology Officer & Chief AI Officer, National Archives and Records Administration 
  • Anil Sharma, Chief Executive Officer, 22nd Century Technologies 
  • Alisa Sheard, Deputy Director/Government Contracting/WOSB Federal Contract Program Director, Small Business Administration 
  • Rachel Sile, Chief, Cybersecurity Operations Center, Department of the Interior 
  • Praveen Singalla, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Diaconia 
  • Gurpreet Singh, Chief Executive Officer, Infotrend 
  • Harrison Smith, Vice President of Business Development, Easy Dynamics Corp 
  • Susan Smoter, Vice President, Government Solutions, North America, Quantexa 
  • Badri Sriraman, Senior Vice President, Karsun Solutions 
  • Laura Stanton, Assistant Commissioner for IT Category, General Services Administration 
  • Kyra Johnson Stewart, Program Manager, IT Vendor Management Service, Federal Acquisition Service, General Services Administration 
  • Keith Taylor, Chief Executive Officer, 2ndWave 
  • Darnita Trower, Chief Customer Experience Officer, 22nd Century Technologies 
  • Lena Trudeau, Owner & Chief Executive Officer, Inclined
  • Pete Tseronis, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Dots and Bridges 
  • Venkat Veeramneni, Chief Executive Officer, Nuvitek 
  • Sudha Vijay Venkateswaran, Vice President, Alpha Omega 
  • Justin Wade, CTO & Chief, Information Management & Technology Office, Department of the Interior 
  • Liz Walker, Director, Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, Department of Education 
  • Traci Walker, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Awkward Walker Consulting, Executive Director, Digital Services Coalition 
  • Gary Washington, Chief Information Officer, Department of Agriculture 
  • David Wennergren, Chief Executive Officer, ACT-IAC 
  • Lisa Wetzel, President & Chief Executive Officer, VIKINT 
  • Joel Willett, former CTEC CEO
  • Zachary Whitman, Chief Data Scientist and Chief AI Officer, General Services Administration 
  • Nicole Willis, Deputy Chief Information Officer, National Archives and Records Administration 
  • Andrea Wilson, Chief, Business Operations Division, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
  • Kristen Wilson, Strategic Acquisition Data Management Lead, OMB, Executive Office of the President 
  • Mitchell Winans, Mitchell Winans, Head of Industry Partnerships, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation 
  • Jeremy Wood, Chief, Enterprise Architecture Branch, Securities and Exchange Commission 
  • Joanne Woytek, NASA SEWP Program Manager and COR, National Aeronautics and Space Administration 
  • Robert Wuhrman, Director, Shared Services Program Implementation Office, General Services Administration
  • Drew Zachary, Deputy Chief Information Officer, Census Bureau 
  • Tahera Zamanzada, SVP, GTM & Strategic Growth, Rhino.ai
  • Sam Ziman, Chief Growth Officer, Global CI and President-Elect AFCEA Bethesda Emerging Leaders 

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

What Sets Engage Leaders Apart? 

Nominees were evaluated using a prescribed rubric, with the following six characteristics serving as core evaluation criteria. These qualities reflect what it truly means to lead with purpose, collaboration, and impact in today’s Federal environment:

Open Communication – They share insights-through events, published thought pieces, or open platforms like LinkedIn – because they believe transparency and shared knowledge drive progress.

Mission-Focused Thinking – Their perspective extends beyond organizational walls. They prioritize the needs of the communities they serve, actively seeking feedback and collaboration to drive better outcomes.

Reliable Partnership – They lead with clarity, humility, and accountability. These individuals are trusted partners who understand their role – and the roles of others – and consistently deliver on shared goals.

Community Presence – These leaders are actively involved. Whether at events, in working groups, or through mentorship, they show up, contribute, and help lift the entire ecosystem.

Perspective-Seeking – Engaged leaders welcome input from a wide range of stakeholders – including users, partners, and community voices – to inform more complete, inclusive, and effective solutions.

Innovation-Minded – They challenge the status quo. By championing new technologies, processes, and ideas, they help drive progress and adaptability in an increasingly complex environment.

#engagefedgov   



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