GovCIO Media & Research Podcasts

Hosted by GovCIO Media & Research

TechnologyInterviews guests

Website RSS feed LinkedIn Facebook Instagram YouTube

Episodes

452

Latest episode

Oct 2026

Language

About the show

The GovCIO Media & Research podcast network comprises GovCast, AI GovCast, CyberCast and HealthCast featuring conversations with key leaders on timely issues impacting the federal IT landscape. Topics include cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, IT modernization, data analytics, workforce development and more. New episodes release weekly.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

October 27, 20263 min

Treating Data as a Utility to Streamline Veteran Services | AI GovCast

Department of Veterans Affairs Chief Data Officer Lisa Rosenmerkel discussed the vision of treating data as a core utility similar to water or electricity to make government services more reliable. She emphasized maximizing the value of existing data, particularly by streamlining claims processing and improving the transition experience for service members entering the VA system. She also highlighted the importance of leveraging already-collected data to reduce administrative burden on veterans and described how she connects teams and data initiatives across the organization.

October 14, 202616 min

The Cybersecurity Nightmares Threatening Modern Organizations | Technically Zen

This episode explored the real-world "horror stories" haunting today's organizations this Halloween season. Cybersecurity leaders JoJo D and Ty Hughes discussed how technical, human and cultural challenges collide in modern security environments. This includes a discussion on cybersecurity risks hiding in plain sight, such as shadow AI, alert fatigue, zombie legacy systems, identity sprawl and autonomous AI agents. The episode also dove into human burnout in security teams, the dangers of overloading analysts with constant alerts and leadership blind spots that allow risk to persist unnoticed. It's a reminder that the scariest threats aren't abstract, they're already inside most systems, waiting to be acknowledged and addressed.

October 13, 202618 min

What It Takes to Keep Aging Federal Systems Running Amid OT Vulnerabilities | CyberCast

Securing critical infrastructure and managing network vulnerabilities are a growing priority. That's what Former Department of Veterans Affairs IT leader Bill James kept top of mind when writing a new techno-thriller book, The Chariot Protocol. Set inside the VA, the novel imagines a rogue AI exploiting the connections between traditionally siloed systems, like IT networks and biomedical devices. Though the book is fiction, James emphasized that it presents a very real cybersecurity challenge and explained why federal agencies need to look beyond traditional IT security and how organizational silos can create vulnerabilities across critical infrastructure. He also discussed the role of civil servants in protecting federal missions and why, when systems fail, people are ultimately the most important line of defense.

October 6, 20268 min

HHS Looks to Centralize IT Buying, Speed Access to Emerging Tech | HealthCast

The Department of Health and Human Services is working to centralize common IT procurement across the department by October 2027, with the Office of Mission Acquisition Solutions aiming to consolidate requirements currently spread across roughly 30 CIOs. Office of Mission Acquisition Solutions (OMAS) Executive Director Quentin McCoy said the effort is intended to deliver better value for taxpayers, shorten acquisition timelines and provide a unified view of HHS' IT environment. HHS is also using existing acquisition authorities and engaging directly with vendors to access AI and other emerging technologies more quickly. McCoy said the department is seeking additional tools, including Commercial Solutions Opening authority, and expanding market research to keep pace with emerging technology. He added that industry partnerships will be central to the effort, with HHS looking to vendors to bring forward ideas and engage directly with acquisition officials.

September 29, 20263 min

VA Employees Save 6 Hours a Week With AI Tools | HealthCast

The Department of Veterans Affairs has spent the past several years building the governance, infrastructure and workforce needed to scale artificial intelligence across the nation's largest integrated health care system. Now, VA is increasingly focused on turning that foundation into practical applications that improve care and services for veterans. Acting Chief AI Officer Kimberly McManus discussed how VA's AI strategy has evolved and how the agency is measuring its impact. This includes a 22% decrease in opioid overdose mortality and general-purpose tools that employees say save them six hours per week. McManus also outlined how VA is measuring AI's impact on quality of care, access to care, turnaround times and employee productivity.

September 22, 20266 min

Inside the Federal EHR Modernization Effort | HealthCast

The federal government is modernizing electronic health records to give clinicians more seamless access to patient data across agencies and improve the delivery of care. Lance Scott, CTO for the Federal Electronic Health Record Modernization Office (FEHRM), discussed how the office is coordinating technology efforts across agencies to improve interoperability and standardize health information sharing. Scott explored the state of EHR modernization across the government, including ongoing efforts with the Departments of Veterans Affairs and War. He also discusses how FEHRM is working with additional federal organizations to expand the shared EHR ecosystem and improve the exchange of health information across the government.

September 9, 202623 min

Building Resilient Teams: Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast | Technically Zen

Jamie Holcombe, COO of Electrosoft and former CIO of the Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), shared his leadership insights on how culture is built and discussed how speed without culture leads to burnout and broken trust. He explained the importance of connecting every team member's work to the mission and that without understanding the "why," people become disengaged and innovation suffers. Addressing the human cost of cyber work, Holcombe highlighted the need for leaders to recognize signs of fatigue and loss of purpose. He urged leaders to prioritize wellness, trust and mission clarity. His message is that culture is the steel inside the system. Build trust before crisis, explain the mission before tasks and care for people before they break. "People are our most critical infrastructure," he said.

September 8, 20266 min

Streamlining the ATO Process Makes Software Deployments More Efficient, Secure | CyberCast

Federal agencies can make the authorization to operate (ATO) process more efficient by treating security as an ongoing part of software development rather than a checklist to complete before deployment, according to Victoria Yan Pillitteri, cybersecurity lead at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Speaking with GovCIO Media & Research at the Carahsoft DevSecOps Conference, Pillitteri outlined common misconceptions that can slow the ATO process, including treating authorization as a one-time compliance exercise or simply a hurdle to clear for approval. Pillitteri explained how NIST guidance gives agencies flexibility to tailor the ATO process to their specific missions, systems and risk tolerances rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach. She also discusses how clearly defining roles and responsibilities, strengthening risk management practices and building security into software development from the beginning can help agencies streamline authorization while deploying software more efficiently and securely.

September 8, 202620 min

This National Lab is Using Multi-Agent AI to Accelerate Scientific Discovery | AI GovCast

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory Director John Sarrao discussed how artificial intelligence and large-scale computing are changing the way scientific research is conducted across the national laboratory system. Sarrao explained how SLAC's massive scientific data streams are contributing to the Genesis Mission's push to accelerate scientific discovery with AI. He also highlighted SLAC's use of a multi-agent AI framework to explore more efficient ways to recover critical minerals from battery waste and identify more sustainable materials. Sarrao also discussed how collaboration across national labs, federal agencies, universities and industry can bring together specialized data, tools and AI models. He explained why that broader ecosystem is a strategic advantage for the Genesis Mission and how research teams beyond the mission's initially funded projects can contribute to its goals.

September 1, 202610 min

DOT Advisor: Federal Contracting Must Adapt to Keep Pace With AI | AI GovCast

Federal agencies risk falling behind the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence unless they rethink how they buy technology, according to Anil Chaudhry, senior advisor of AI, Autonomy and National Security at the Transportation Department. Chaudhry discussed how agentic AI is accelerating application development, testing and deployment while rapid advances in AI models are challenging traditional multiyear IT contracts. He points to modular contracting, with requirements broken into shorter increments, as one way agencies can better align procurement with the pace of technological change. Chaudhry also examined how AI is reshaping the acquisition process itself, from enabling contractors to respond to more solicitations to helping agencies conduct administrative reviews. Rather than imposing a governmentwide ceiling on AI use in procurement, he argued agencies should tailor their approaches to their missions while following a straightforward principle: disclose when AI is used. He also discussed the emerging challenge of pricing AI-enabled work as agencies compare traditional labor-intensive teams with approaches that rely more heavily on AI agents.