Speakers

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Brigadier General Joseph A. (Jay) Matos is the Assistant Deputy Commandant for Information, Director, Command, Control, Communications and Computers (C4). Prior to his current assignment, he served as Deputy Director, Command, Control, Communication and Computer Systems and Information Technology, J-6, at United States Space Command.

Brigadier General Matos is a native of Springfield, Virginia. After graduating from Virginia Tech he attended the Marine Corps Officer Candidate Course where he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in December 1989.

His operating force assignments include Marine Wing Communications Squadron-28, Communications Officer for the 22d Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) where he completed two Landing Force Sixth Fleet deployments, S-6 Regimental Combat Team-8 (RCT-8) during OIF 04-06, G6 Operations officer for 2d Marine Division, and Deputy G6 for II MEF Forward during OIF 06-08. In 2008, he assumed command of 7th Communication Battalion in Okinawa, Japan. From July 2013 to July 2016, Brigadier General Matos commanded Defense Information Systems Agency Pacific (DISA-PAC), located on Ford Island, Hawai’i, which is responsible for operating and defending DOD networks in the Pacific.

Staff assignments for Bridagier General Matos include Ground Standards Branch at Training and Education Command, project officer for satellite systems at Marine Corps Systems Command,Director of Communication School where he oversaw training of all Marine Corps communication officers, and the Joint Staff, J-6 where he was the Division Chief for Cyber Requirements and Capabilities, Integration and Strategic Initatives. He was also assigned as Assistant Chief of Staff, Information Environment Division at Marine Forces Pacific.

Brigadier General Matos attended the Basic Communication Officer Course and the Command and Control Systems Course and has earned numerous industry certifications regarding information technology and project management. He is a 2001 graduate of the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California and Distinguished Graduate of the Industrial College of the Armed Forces (ICAF) in 2011.

Brigadier General Matos’ personal decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal with Oak Leaf cluster, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star with Gold Star, the Meritorious Service Medal with Gold Star, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Gold Star, the Joint Service Achievement Medal and the Combat Action Ribbon.

Mohammed (Sohail) Chaudhry is a strategic leader with progressive and vibrant ideology of transformative change in the delivery of technology and information management processes with a proven record of saving millions in information technology (IT) expenses by leveraging secure innovation and business transformation. Currently serving as the Chief Technology Architect (CTA) at the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) where he is responsible for standardization and modernization of IT by leading development of enterprise solutions while enabling the Office of Information Management and Technology (OIMT) to align and integrate with the strategic business objectives of the agency.

Prior to that, Mr. Chaudhry served as the Acting Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and as the Director of Infrastructure Operations (DIO) leading the implementation, operations and maintenance of enterprise IT. Additionally, he has led the Risk and Compliance Division of OIMT at the FDA as the Deputy Chief Information Security Officer (D-CISO) and as a Senior Technical Advisor, where he established the foundation for FDA’s cloud, mobile technology and multiple security initiatives for the development and execution of processes that enable the FDA to efficiently leverage emerging solutions. He systematically developed and implemented enterprise technology programs, which reduced disruptions to business systems by nearly 80% and modernized the operational functionality and stability across FDA’s IT enterprise.

Mr. Chaudhry has also served as an expert and a leader in transforming, automating and securing highly regulated agencies like the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), United States Department of the Treasury, and United States Agency for International Development (USAID), where he established pragmatic goals and played an instrumental role in developing and maintaining outstanding relationship with internal and external customers through his professionalism, attention to detail, focus on responsiveness, and commitment to the mission. Through boundless creativity and enthusiasm, he contributed and continues to deliver exceptional ability, and dedication to duty in keeping highest standards of professional excellence. He started his career as a network engineer in private sector and enjoys reading,hiking and connecting with nature during his spare time with his wife and kids.

André Mendes was appointed Chief Information Officer for the Department of Commerce in August of 2019. There, he has overall responsibility and oversight of all technology systems at the United States Department of Commerce (DOC) and its associated Bureaus (FY2020 Budget $3.8B).

Before, Mr. Mendes was responsible for all global technology platforms and systems for the International Trade Administration (ITA), the DOC bureau that manages global trade issues for the United States of America. There Mr. Mendes oversaw a rapid bureau-wide transformation effort making ITA the first Federal Agency/Bureau to be 100% cloud based, radically changing several workflows, enabling a massive scale-up of service provisioning quality, an unprecedented rise in employee morale and job satisfaction while also lowering overall operating costs to less than 11% of ITA’s appropriation.

Prior to ITA, Mr. Mendes spent eight years at the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) in various executive roles; including CEO, COO, CIO, CTO and CFO. During his time at USAGM, Mr. Mendes managed overall Agency transformation generating over $360 million in savings from 2010 through 2018 through aggressive global technology and facilities optimization with projected 10-year savings in excess of half a billion dollars ($503M). In that timeframe, global weekly audiences grew 78% (165-278M), all while reducing technology and front office staff by over 22%.

Mr. Mendes has also held CXO positions at Special Olympics International, PBS, Pluvita, MRL Pharmaceuticals, USAssist and General Health Inc.

Mr. Mendes received his MBA and BS in Management of Information Systems from University of Maryland Global Campus and an Associate Degree in Biology from Montgomery College. Mr. Mendes also holds certificates in finance and international management from MIT and Antwerpen University.

Mr. Mendes is a member of the CIO Hall of Fame (Class of 2021), a recipient of the 2011 Milton F. Clogg Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award from Montgomery College, a Trustee with Capitol Technology University and has receive multiple industry awards including an MIT award for IT Innovation, a 2020 Top 150 Global Transformation Executives from Constellation Research, a 2020 FedScoop 50 Federal Leadership Award the 2005 Technology Leadership Award from Broadcasting and Cable Magazine and the Top 100 Hispanic Executives in IT Award every year between 2009 and 2019.

Sanjay Gupta
Chief Technology Officer
U.S. Small Business Administration

Sanjay Gupta joined the U.S. Small Business Administration in January 2017 as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) from the private sector. Sanjay is a business driven, results oriented leader, adept at leveragingtechnology to innovate and deliver results quickly. He brings to SBA an
exclusive combination of experiences as a CIO/CTO, Managing Partner Consulting, and as a Research Analyst.

As SBA’s CTO, Sanjay has led major 90-day transformations in each of the last four years. These modernization initiatives with inter-agency collaboration have not only benefited the SBA but have also informed change across the federal government landscape.

Throughout his career, Sanjay has led business/IT transformations across industries. He brings extensive global experience across industries in areas such as IT Strategy, Innovation, Digital Transformation, Architecture, Cloud, Cybersecurity, Agile Development and Open Source.

Sanjay has authored over 20 research white papers focused on advice and guidance for CIOs/Boards. He is a recognized industry thought leader, keynote presenter, speaker and author.

Dave Hinchman
Acting Director, Information Technology & Cybersecurity
US Government Accountability Office

Dave Hinchman oversees the U.S. Government Accountability Office’s government-wide
reviews of the IT workforce and critical infrastructure protection, and also leads GAO’s
evaluations of the IRS’s IT modernization efforts. He previously led GAO’s body of work on
federal data center consolidation and cloud computing. Prior to joining GAO in 2002, Dave
worked for several private sector firms, including PricewaterhouseCoopers, and served as a
Surface Warfare Officer in the United States Navy. Dave has a master’s degree in business
administration from the Eller School of Management at the University of Arizona, and a
bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Vassar College in New York.

Emery Csulak is the Principal Deputy Chief Information Officer at the Department of Energy
(DOE). In this position, he works with the CIO to oversee the Department’s information
technology (IT) portfolio, serves as an advisor to the CIO, and will lead the digital transformation
of the Department of Energy for the CIO’s office.

Prior to this role, Mr. Csulak was the Deputy CIO for Cybersecurity and Chief Information
Security Officer (CISO) for DOE. He led the integrated Joint Cybersecurity Coordination Center
(iJC3) and the DOE Big Data Platform (BDP) for ensuring enterprise operational visibility,
analytics, and threat hunting. He managed the cybersecurity strategy, policy, and oversight of
$1.5B annual IT investment.

Previously, Mr. Csulak served as the CISO and Senior Official for Privacy for the Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). In this position, he established and led the CMS
Cybersecurity Integration Center for a $2.6B IT program.

Established under the Cybersecurity Act of 2015, he co-chaired the Health Care Industry
Cybersecurity Task Force to analyze the challenges the health care sector faces when securing
and protecting itself against cybersecurity incidents. The Task Force issued the “Report on
Improving Cybersecurity in the Health Care Industry” in June 2017.

Prior to CMS, Mr. Csulak was the Deputy CISO for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
where he developed the DHS Information Security Performance Plan and Scorecard in support
of the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA). While at DHS, he was a founding
member of the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) for cloud
computing adoption and security authorization within the federal government.

Mr. Csulak received an M.S. in Software Development Management and a B.S. in Electrical
Engineering. He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and Certified Information
Systems Security Professional (CISSP). Mr. Csulak is a two time Federal 100 Award Winner by
Federal Computer Week.

Katie Olson is the Acting Director of Defense Digital Service, leading the 80-person
"team of nerds" based at three locations around the U.S. As a Highly Qualified Expert
(HQE), Olson brings both her government and private sector experiences to DDS.
Olson has grown the DDS team nearly 150%, recruiting top-tier military and civilian
talent from around the U.S. while increasing the team's diversity of skills and
backgrounds. Olson also led the acquisition of the Rogue Squadron counter-UAS unit
from the Defense Innovation Unit into the DDS portfolio at the direction of Secretary
Esper to improve our detect, display, and defeat modalities for small drones. She
continues to focus on expanding the DDS product portfolio, ranging from a symptom
checking tool for COVID-19 currently deployed around the world to the expansion of our
Hack the Pentagon bug bounty program.

Prior to DDS, Olson led the launch of the City Tech Collaborative in Chicago, a tech
organization reinventing essential city services and infrastructure using advanced
technology, in partnership with corporations, philanthropies, and universities. She also
led the City of Chicago’s Plan for Economic Growth & Jobs, developing initiatives
ranging from small businesses support to major transit corridor revitalization. From
2008-2010, she served as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in Malawi. Olson holds a
Master of City Planning from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. in Political
Science and Interdisciplinary Studies from American University in Washington, D.C.

Olson has spoken about government and civic tech at forums around the world,
including UN Habitat in Brussels, the Business of Design Week in Hong Kong, Chicago
Ideas Week in Chicago, and the Institute for Competitive Inner Cities in Cleveland. She
has received a number of awards for her work, including Chicago Inno’s “50 on Fire”
and FedScoop’s “Tech Champion of the Year” award in 2020.

Michael Spirtas
Associate Director, International Security and Defense Policy Center; Senior Political
Scientist
Washington Office

Education
Ph.D. in international relations, Columbia University

Michael Spirtas is associate director of the International Security and Defense Policy Center, a
RAND National Security Research Division center, and a senior political scientist at the RAND
Corporation. He has worked in a number of policy areas, including U.S. defense strategy, force
development, and command and control. He has also served as a force developer in the Office of
the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, U.S. Department of Defense, and as special assistant to the director, Operational Plans and Joint Matters, U.S. Air Force. He received a Ph.D. in political science (international relations) from Columbia University.

Michèle Flournoy is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of WestExec Advisors, and a Co-Founder, former Chief Executive Oficer, and now Chair of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS).

Michèle served as the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy from February 2009 to February 2012. She was the principal advisor to the Secretary of Defense in the formulation of national security and defense policy, oversight of military plans and operations, and in National Security Council deliberations. She led the development of the Department of Defense’s 2012
Strategic Guidance and represented the Department in dozens of foreign engagements, in the media and before Congress.

Prior to confirmation, Michèle co-led President Obama’s transition team at the Defense Department. In January 2007, Michèle co-founded CNAS, a bipartisan think tank dedicated to developing strong, pragmatic and principled national security policies. She served as CNAS’ President until 2009, and returned as CEO in 2014. In 2017, she co-founded WestExec
Advisors, a strategic advisory firm.

Previously, she was senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies for several years and, prior to that, a distinguished research professor at the Institute for National Strategic Studies at the National Defense University (NDU).

In the mid-1990s, she served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy and Threat Reduction and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy.

Michèle is the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including: the American Red Cross Exceptional Service Award in 2016; the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service in 1998, 2011, and 2012; the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staf’s Joint Distinguished Civilian Service Award in 2000 and 2012; the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service in 1996; and CARE’s Global Peace, Development and Security Award in 2019. She
has edited several books and authored dozens of reports and articles on a broad range of defense and national security issues. Michèle appears frequently in national and international media, including CNN’s State of the Union, ABC’s This Week, NBC’s Meet the Press, BBC News, NPR’s Morning Edition and All Things Considered and PBS’ News Hour, and is frequently
quoted in top tier newspapers.

Michèle serves on the boards of CNAS, Booz Allen Hamilton, Amida Technology Solutions, The Mission Continues, and CARE. She serves on the advisory boards of The Leadership Council for Women in National Security, Sesame Workshop, Intel, and PIMCO. She is a Senior Fellow at Harvard’s Belfer Center for Science and International Afair, a current member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Aspen Strategy Group, and a former member of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board, the CIA Director’s External Advisory Board, and the Defense
Policy Board.

Michèle earned a bachelor’s degree in social studies from Harvard University and a master’s degree in international relations from Balliol College, OxfordUniversity, where she was a Newton-Tatum scholar.

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Frank Konkel is the editorial events editor for Government Executive Media Group and a
technology journalist for its publications. He writes about emerging technologies,
privacy, cybersecurity, policy and other issues at the intersection of government and
technology. Frank also runs Nextgov's Emerging Tech blog. He began writing about
technology at Federal Computer Week and previously reported on local and state issues
at daily newspapers in his home state of Michigan. Frank was born and raised on a dairy
farm and graduated from Michigan State University.