This interview is an excerpt from GovLoop’s recent guide, The DoD of Tomorrow, which explores how the department is transforming its operations, technology, workforce, and acquisitions process to confront 21st century challenges. When you think of DoD’s information infrastructure, you might think mostly of complex, secret networks. Yet the reality is that the department maintainsRead… Read more »
People are busy and our most important task is to tell a story in a way that people remember. A few, easy numbers make that task a lot easier. … In days of old, we used to have to rely on reporters to find those people, although it’s certainly within our power to help them…. Read more »
Simplifying what your agency can do with its data can actually be somewhat complicated. In last week’s online training, “Simple Ways to do more with Your Data,” topic experts explored what their agencies are doing with their data. The speakers included: Dawn Wright, Chief Scientist, Esri Brian Tisdale, Booz Allen Hamilton, NASA Atmospheric Science DataRead… Read more »
Meet Sy Williams, a NextGen Exemplary Leader Award finalist. Sy works closely with the Veteran’s Service Officers, and the area veteran organizations to insure that all homeless veterans in the Eastern Idaho area receive the services they need. He’s currently working with the Bonneville County service Officers in Idaho Falls to establish a veteran court… Read more »
Outdated technology, lack of oversight, poor planning; lawmakers have cited all of these factors and more as reasons for the recent onslaught of cyber breaches. In the wake of the OPM cyber attacks, government agencies are scrambling to shore up their cyber defenses. Federal CIO Tony Scott recently ordered a “30-day sprint” for government agenciesRead… Read more »
It’s a seemingly innocuous question: “So, what do you do?” It’s generally meant well, and asked by people who are genuinely interested in learning more about you – but if you’re unemployed this can be the question you dread most in casual conversation. As a culture, we put a lot of emphasis on what peopleRead… Read more »
“Data can be beautiful, and it should be.” That’s what Julie Steenson, Deputy Performance Officer for the City of Kansas City, described as the inspiration behind the city’s engagement with data and citizens in Wednesday’s online training, “How Kansas City Engaged Citizens with Open Data.” In order to make data accessible to a wide variety ofRead… Read more »
There’s been a lot of attention paid lately to the 13 percent statistic: the portion of chief administrative officers in local governments that are women stands at 13 percent, roughly the same figure it was in the 1980s. It’s an important issue, and a complicated one, and I asked my colleague Jan Perkins for someRead… Read more »
The Social Security Administration’s (SSA) Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program had a problem: it was paying out way too much in unearned benefits to program participants. This was happening because participants weren’t reporting their income often enough. As participants’ incomes went up, their SSI eligibility went down – but they continued receiving SSI benefits basedRead… Read more »
Trying to understand and explain the intricate details of cloud computing is hard — even for the government’s biggest techies. But even harder than that is navigating the cultural and technical challenges of buying cloud services. “Procurement was probably the hardest part of getting into the cloud,” said Roopangi Kadakia, NASA’s Web Services Executive. SpeakingRead… Read more »