The Geek Within

Hosted by Jeremy Wood

Technology

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Episodes

269

Latest episode

Aug 2026

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About the show

Hi, I'm Jeremy Wood, and as someone who participates in several IT communities, I realized there are so many people with remarkable stories on how they happened to land in an IT job. So often these great individuals are the business owners, influencers, and event speakers where we hear about the latest products and services that can help us move our customers forward, but we don't hear about them, what they do, why they do it, and how they came to be where they are today. This podcast series will focus on the people behind the products and services and we will get to hear their unique stories.

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60 recent

August 12, 2026Episode 26544 min

Ep265: Virginia Huth

🎙️ In Episode #265 of The Geek Within, my guest is Virginia Huth. She is the President and Founder of The Vantage Point Partners, which is a boutique consulting firm delivering actionable intelligence and strategic guidance tailored to the federal marketplace. Virginia is the Fed Whisperer as she has spent over 20 years of her career as a federal leader at numerous agencies and starting this year she is an Adjunct Professor of Public Policy at the University of Texas DC campus where she teaches the fundamentals of the Federal rulemaking process. 🔗 You can engage Virginia here: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/virginiahuth/ Website - https://www.thevantagepointpartners.com/

July 22, 2026Episode 26442 min

Ep264: Kim Pack

🎙️ In Episode #264 of The Geek Within, my guest is Kim Pack. She is the Founder and CEO of Gray Lens Consulting, where they focus on developing growth strategies, subject matter expert facilitation, training, and workshops. Kim and I met through our interactions in the ACT-IAC community, including our work happening right now with Associates 2026. 🔗 You can engage Kim here: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberly-pack-b629801/ Website - https://graylensconsulting.com/

July 15, 2026Episode 26339 min

Ep263: Amanda Chavez

🎙️ In Episode #263 of The Geek Within, my guest is Amanda Chavez. She is the Vice President of Federal Strategy at Qualtrics. Amanda was recently honored as a 2026 Service to the Citizen Award Winner in Category One, for Building a Customer-Focused Culture. 🔗 You can engage Amanda here: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandachavez08/

July 8, 2026Episode 26133 min

Ep262: Joshua Seckel

🎙️ In Episode #262 of The Geek Within, my guest is Joshua Seckel. He is the Chief Solutions Architect at Coforma. Joshua was previously the CIO for the Center for Devices and Radiological Heath at the FDA, but has always been focused on how to make government IT better. 🔗 You can engage Joshua here: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-seckel/

June 3, 2026Episode 25948 min

Ep261: Helene Johnson

🎙️ In Episode #261 of The Geek Within, my guest is Dr. Helene Johnson. She is the President and CEO of Next Wave Workforce Consulting where she helps organizations navigate AI transformation without losing the institutional knowledge that makes them competitive. With 46 years in technology leadership, including serving as the Deputy CIO at the U.S. Department of Education and founding Bid2Win Consulting, Dr. Johnson brings a rare combination of technical depth and workforce strategy to the AI conversation. 🔗 You can engage Helene here: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenejohnson/

April 29, 2026Episode 26024 min

Ep260: Chetin Durak

🎙️ In Episode #260 of The Geek Within, my guest is Chetin Durak. He is the Director of Federal Business Development at Cav, formerly Caveonix, where he supports federal agencies by automating and accelerating the ATO process while enabling Continuous ATO. 🔗 You can engage Chetin here: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chetin-durak-92049245/

April 15, 2026Episode 25937 min

Ep259: Carriann Sillman

🎙️ In Episode #259 of The Geek Within, my guest is Carriann Sillman. She is the Vice President for Legal at Compass International Holdings, which is the world's largest real estate brokerage franchisor. Carriann is the brand counsel over four real estate brokerage franchise systems and several others globally. Carriann and I have known each for 53 years. 🔗 You can engage Carriann here: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/carriann-sillman-esq-4310423/

April 8, 2026Episode 25739 min

Ep258: Leilani Martinez

🎙️ In Episode #258 of The Geek Within, my guest is Leilani Martinez. She is the Founder and Principal of KulturaTech, where she helps organizations design communication and digital strategies that better serve multilingual and multicultural communities. Leilani has over two decades of experience in the federal government where her work sits at the intersection of language access, communication strategy, and inclusive digital experiences. 🔗 You can engage Leilani here: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/leilanimartinez/

April 1, 2026Episode 25731 min

Ep257: Grafton deButts

🎙️ In Episode #257 of The Geek Within, my guest is Grafton deButts. He is the Director of Strategic Growth at Strongbridge LLC. Grafton was recently the Chair for the Loudoun GovCon Initiative. 🔗 You can engage Grafton here: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/gdebutts/

March 25, 2026Episode 25637 min

Ep256: Sally Pfabe

🎙️ In Episode #256 of The Geek Within, my guest is Sally Pfabe. She is the Vice President of Business Development at Corporate Mailing Service/Management Resource Services. Sally has been in the outsourced service sector, which includes facility management services and IT, for nearly thirty years. She has a background in business development, public speaking, and continuing education and enrichment. 🔗 You can engage Sally here: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sally-pfabe-cmdss-emcm-ospc-54620a66/