“The AGM saw the election of three dynamic new board members, each bringing unique expertise and a passion for digital transformation. This injection of fresh perspectives promises to further invigorate the DSC’s efforts to drive innovation in government services. Additionally, the board elected a new president, who will lead the coalition into its next phase of growth and impact.
Meet our New President of the Board:
Steph von Rueden, Head of Talent Acquisition and Strategy at Skyward IT Solutions, brings 15 years of government contracting experience with her to the DSC. Once a Program Manager, she turned to recruiting and hasn’t looked back. Being in talent acquisition enables her to utilize her natural strengths — she’s a connector who quickly develops rapport, allowing her to understand a candidate’s motivations and potential.
“As president, I am committed to strengthening the bonds within our coalition, ensuring we fully understand and value each other’s mission, vision, and capabilities. By prioritizing what truly matters — our people — we will create a coalition rooted in transparency, trust, and effective communication. As we grow stronger from within and demonstrate our collective strengths, federal agencies and candidates will actively seek us out, eager to collaborate and align with our vision.”
Meet Our new Board of Director Members:
Ashling Knight
Ashling is the vice president of communications at Aquia where she brings more than 15 years of experience leading marketing, communications, and branding. In her career, she has pitched “as seen on TV” products to the media, led communications on private equity rounds and acquisitions, instituted brand and messaging strategies across various industries, and managed national campaigns for both small and large ($4B) nonprofits. She is currently the Communications Committee Co-chair for the Digital Services Coalition. Ashling graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Public Relations from York College of Pennsylvania. In her free time, she enjoys traveling with her family, taking walks with her dogs, and gathering inspiration for home improvement projects.
Holly Sydnor
Holly Sydnor is the co-founder and COO of AWL strategies. She is a branding and marketing expert with extensive experience developing strategic campaigns that connect brands with the people they want to reach. Her career spans both public and private sectors and includes consulting and client-side roles. She led marketing, branding, and communications efforts with FDA, Grant Thornton, and served as Program Deputy and External Communications Lead for the IT Strategic Communications program across VA OIT. She is a certified Master of Global Marketing Communications and Advertising by the International Advertising Agency and won a Gold Effie for advertising effectiveness in the disease prevention and health education category for her work on “The Real Cost” campaign. Holly is a 2021 Ragan PR Daily Top Women in Communications Award Recipient and a member of the Fast Company Executive Board.
Mike Gifford
Mike Gifford is CivicActions’ Open Standards & Practices Lead and a thought leader on open government, as well as digital accessibility and sustainability. He has worked with governments in North America and Europe, and spoken internationally. He is also a W3C Invited Expert and recognized authoring tool accessibility expert.
Mike has already served for two years on the board of the Digital Services Coalition. Last year he served as president of the board where he helped better define what it was to be a digital agency. In this role, he met with leaders in government and the private sector who are working for modern digital government.”
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