Dr. Dan Arvizu, Director and Chief Executive, National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Dr. Dan Arvizu has been the Director and Chief Executive of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) since January 15, 2005. NREL, in Golden, Colorado, is the DOE's primary laboratory for energy efficiency and renewable energy research and development. NREL is operated for DOE by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC (Alliance). Dr. Arvizu is President of Alliance.

After more than three decades of professional engagement in the clean energy field, Dr. Arvizu has become one of the world's leading experts on renewable energy and sustainable energy. He has briefed Congress numerous times and given state-of-technology presentations and keynote addresses at dozens of national and international conferences. As NREL's Director, he has established and implemented a new institutional strategy to position the lab for higher impact and contributions to national and global energy challenges. During his tenure as lab director, he has overseen an R&D budget with a contract value of over $2.5B including over $500M for new infrastructure improvements. NREL’s campus is one of the most sustainable energy efficient campuses in the U.S. which includes NREL’s Research Support Facility, the largest net zero energy building in the world powered by 2.5 MW of solar photovoltaics.

Jeff Butler, Director, Research Databases, IRS Research, Analysis, and Statistics

Jeff Butler is Director of Research Databases in the IRS Research, Analysis, and Statistics organization and manages the IRS’ largest analytic data environment. Prior to returning to the IRS in 2004, he was Associate Director, Office of Statistical Computing in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. He has 25 years of experience in data mining, statistical computing, and data warehousing. Jeff holds a B.A and M.A. in Economics and has completed work toward a M.S. in Statistics.

Avi Bender, Chief Technology Officer, U.S. Census Bureau

Avi Bender is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at the U.S. Census Bureau. Avi is responsible for establishing a business driven program to foster innovation, and to create an enterprise architecture and governance process that informs and guides technology investment decisions. Avi led the creation of the Census Bureau Center for Applied Technology (CAT) that fosters collaboration and innovation for the Bureau in the areas of data management, mobile computing, and social media. He brings to the Census Bureau a proven record of transforming both commercial and Federal organizations to innovate through applied technology. Before joining the Census Bureau in 2010, Avi served a four-year term as the Director for Enterprise Architecture at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and his efforts at the IRS led to improved accountability and transparency in technology acquisition and systems development. Prior to joining the IRS, Avi held executive level positions at IBM, Price Waterhouse LLP, GTE (Verizon), and he was the cofounder of a software company. Avi began his career with several Washington DC based consulting companies and was a director of IT at the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

Micheline Casey, Principal, CDO, LLC; Former Chief Data Officer, State of Colorado

Ms. Casey is Principal at CDO, LLC, a boutique consultancy supporting the development of large-scale enterprise information management, data governance, and data security strategic plans and implementation efforts. CDO, LLC helps both private and public sector organizations create customer-centric approaches to information and service delivery; improve information accessibility; streamline and link cross-departmental business processes; reduce information fragmentation; maximize the return on funding investments in information architecture and application development; produce accurate and actionable business intelligence and performance metrics; and, improve risk management and cyber security postures. Ms. Casey also authors the dataTrending blog.

Prior to CDO, LLC, Ms. Casey was the first state Chief Data Officer in the country, and part of the Governor’s Office in the State of Colorado. Ms. Casey was responsible for developing and executing the State of Colorado’s enterprise data strategy and data governance and data management frameworks across the State’s Executive Branch agencies. She coordinated legislative and policy actions as necessary for this strategic effort, and helped architect a groundbreaking series of laws between 2008 and 2010 to further the State’s information sharing agenda. Ms. Casey was appointed to the Governor’s Early Childhood Leadership Commission and Behavioral Health Transformation Council to forward the state’s agenda for creating unified, interagency data systems. The State also worked closely with U.S. DOJ’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) to develop the Youth and Family domain of the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM).

Ms. Casey’s emphasis is on large scale, enterprise-wide, policy rich projects, and she brings strengths in business strategy, data management, data governance, and data security. Her work has been profiled in publications such as Public CIO magazine, and she was recently named on the 2011 Top 25 Information Managers list by Information Management magazine. She has almost 20 years experience in the technology industry, working in strategy, marketing, and business development roles. Ms. Casey earned her M.B.A from the University of Georgia’s Terry School of Business and a B.S. in Marketing from the Pennsylvania State University.

Congressman Gerry Connolly, Representative, 11th District of Virginia; Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement Reform

Congressman Gerald E. “Gerry” Connolly is serving his second term in the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia’s 11th District, which encompasses Fairfax County, Prince William County, and the City of Fairfax in Northern Virginia. He was first elected in 2008 and reelected in 2010. Congressman Connolly serves on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

He is the Ranking Member of the Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement Reform, which covers many key issues relating to Northern Virginia’s workforce and economy. He is also a member of that panel’s Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service and Labor Policy, and the Subcommittee on Government Organization, Efficiency, and Financial Management. As a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Connolly serves on two Subcommittees: Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Trade; and the Middle East and South Asia.

Connolly is also a member of the New Democrat Coalition, chair of the Innovation Task Force, co-chair of the Smart Contracting Caucus, co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on U.S.-Turkey Relations and Turkish Americans, co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Korea, and co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Taiwan. During his first term in Congress, he was elected President of his freshmen class. Connolly has earned a reputation in Congress as a results-oriented legislator who does his homework and gets results for his Northern Virginia district.

Congressman Connolly also worked in the non-profit and private sectors for organizations and companies involved in international trade, regulatory matters, technology, and research. He received a M.A. in Public Administration from Harvard University in 1979 as well as a B.A. in Literature from Maryknoll College in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. He resides in Fairfax with his wife Cathy and his daughter Caitlin.

Dave Denson, ISR Solution Architect, NetApp

Dave Denson is an Electrical Engineer by education and a System Engineer by trade. He is a graduate of the University of Florida’s College of Engineering and has over 30 years of industry experience in the system engineering, management consulting, and software development areas. His sensor fusion work spans over 20 years, and his storage systems work spans over 12 years. He has worked for Texas Instruments, Amdahl, Fujitsu, LSI, and several startups. He now works for NetApp’s US Public Sector business as an ISR Solution Architect. David is life-long equestrian, and lives in Clifton, Virginia with his wife, 2 children, and a menagerie of dogs, cats, and horses.

Rodney Dilts, Director, Security Technology-Network Based Security Engineering and Development, AT&T Chief Security Office

Mr. Rodney Dilts began his career with AT&T as a Tier IV ISP Network Engineer, supporting what is now the AT&T Worldwide Common Backbone. In 2001, he moved to AT&T Labs as a Network Security Engineer, designing what is now the virtualized Network Based Firewall Solution as part of AT&T Managed Security Services. In 2004, Rodney was elevated to the role of lead engineer for the Network Based Firewall Engineering team. He was promoted to the position of Director Technology Security within AT&T’s Chief Security Office, to lead the Engineering and Development workforce for the Network Based Security team. In 2011, this team lead by Rodney developed and deployed what is now the AT&T Mobile Security solution, which is a holistic mobile security platform extending mobile solutions to the mobile handset and remote laptops. In 2012, this new Mobile Security Wireless team was officially formed, and is directed by Rodney across all areas of engineering, development and R&D surrounding mobile security.

Dana Grinshpan, Research Manager, Government Business Council

Dana Grinshpan is the Research Manager for the Government Business Council (GBC), the research division of Government Executive, where she specializes in primary research development and survey instrument creation. Prior to joining GBC, she worked for the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), assisting in the research and writing of work on South Asian regional cooperation. She has a Master of Arts in international security and political economics from the University of Chicago and graduated magna cum laude from Ohio State University where she holds a B.A. in international studies with a minor in Arabic.

Shawn Henry, President, CrowdStrike Services; former Executive Assistant Director, FBI

Shawn Henry is the president of CrowdStrike Services and a retired executive assistant director of the FBI. Henry, who served in three FBI field offices and at the bureau's headquarters, is credited with boosting the FBI's computer crime and cybersecurity investigative capabilities. He oversaw computer crime investigations spanning the globe, including denial-of-service attacks, bank and corporate breaches, and state-sponsored intrusions. He posted FBI cyberexperts in police agencies around the world, including the Netherlands, Romania, Ukraine and Estonia.

He has appeared on "60 Minutes," "CBS Evening News," "Good Morning America," "The Today Show," "Dateline," "Rock Center with Brian Williams" and C-SPAN. He has been interviewed by Forbes, BusinessWeek, The Wall Street Journal, the Associated Press and USA Today. Henry earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Hofstra University and a master's degree in criminal justice administration from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Xavier Hughes, Chief Innovation Officer, Department of Labor

Xavier Hughes is the Chief Innovation Officer and Senior Advisor to the Deputy Secretary of Labor at the U.S. Department of Labor, where he oversees the research and development agenda for open government, the introduction of new technologies to enhance agency customer service, and the use of open data ecosystems to protect the public and encourage problem solving.

As Chief Innovation Officer, Xavier leads the identification, evaluation and development of innovative business process and technology applications to improve DOL outcomes and simplify government operations. He is considered a leader in the area of open government and data liberation, having led the development and launch of several crowdsourcing data challenges covering

Previous to joining the U.S. Department of Labor, Xavier worked for PRTM Management Consultants where acted as a senior advisor to U.S. Department of Homeland Security senior officials, and provided subject matter expertise to several private sector clients. He has over 14 years of professional experience within the public and private sector, encompassing business process improvement, strategic business planning and development, supply chain, IT platform development, and customer service.

Xavier attended the University of Miami where he received an undergraduate degree in Business Management. He is originally from San Sebastian, Spain, is fluent in Spanish, and lives in Capitol Hill with his wife Alex and dog Lola.

Congressman Darrell Issa, Representative, 49th District of California; Chairman, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Congressman Darrell Issa represents the people of California’s 49th Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives, a seat he has held since 2001. The 49th District includes Camp Pendleton, the largest Marine Corps training facility in the United States, and the northern portions of San Diego County and southwest Riverside County.

As a senior in high school, Issa enlisted in the United States Army. Through his Army service, he received an ROTC scholarship and graduated with a degree in business from Sienna Heights University in Adrian, Michigan. Upon graduation, Issa was commissioned as an Army officer, and ultimately obtained the rank of captain.

Issa served as CEO of California-based Directed Electronics, a company that Issa founded and built in the mid-1990s to become the nation’s largest manufacturer of vehicle anti-theft devices, including the highly-successful Viper system. In 1994, Issa was named Entrepreneur of the Year by Inc. Magazine, Ernst & Young and The San Diego Union Tribune.

Issa currently is a member of the House Judiciary Committee and the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, where he serves as the Chairman. Previously, Issa served on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the Foreign Affairs Committee, the Energy & Commerce Committee, and the Small Business Committee.

Sam Kalbag, VP Global Accounts, Autonomy, an HP Company

Sam Kalbag currently serves as Vice President for Global Accounts at Autonomy, an HP Company. In this role, Mr. Kalbag works with HP's largest strategic customers to drive successful adoption of Autonomy technology within their enterprises. Previously, Mr. Kalbag served as CTO for Autonomy Federal and was responsible for setting the technical vision and go to market strategy for all of Autonomy products and services in the US Federal Government. Mr. Kalbag brings over 16+ years of experience in the IT industry and has been working with US federal agencies for over 11+ years in the areas of information governance, information retrieval, cloud and grid based computing, and computer security.

Joseph Marks, Correspondent, Nextgov

Joseph Marks covers government technology issues, social media, Gov 2.0 and global Internet freedom for Nextgov. He previously reported on federal litigation and legal policy for Law360 and on local, state and regional issues for two Midwestern newspapers. He also interned for Congressional Quarterly’s Homeland Security section and the Associated Press’s Jerusalem Bureau. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Wisconsin and a master’s in international affairs from Georgetown.

Katherine Peters, Executive Editor, Nextgov

As the executive editor of Nextgov, Katherine McIntire Peters leads editorial strategy and operations for Government Executive Media Group’s federal technology website. Prior to taking the reins of the top-ranked digital publication focused on the implementation and policies surrounding federal agencies’ technology use, Peters was the senior correspondent for Government Executive magazine, where she covered defense,homeland security and energy issues across government.

Prior to joining Government Executive in December 1995, Peters served as an associate editor and staff writer at Army Times. She also worked as a writer and technical editor at both IDC Washington and EDS.

Peters holds a BA in English Literature from Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania and an MA in Journalism and Public Affairs from American University in Washington. She also attended the Catholic University of the West in Angers, France.

Lee Rainie, Director of the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project

Lee Rainie is the Director of the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project, a non-profit, non–partisan "fact tank" that studies the social impact of the internet.

The Project has issued more than 300 reports based on its surveys that examine people's online activities and the internet's role in their lives. Lee is a co-author of Up for Grabs, Hopes and Fears, Ubiquity, Mobility, Security, and Challenges and Opportunities - a series of books about the future of the internet. He also co-authored a book for MIT Press about the social impact of technology with sociologist Barry Wellman that waspublished in May 2012, entitled Networked: The New Social Operating System.

Prior to launching the Pew Internet Project, Lee was managing editor of U.S. News & World Report. He is a graduate of Harvard University and has a master's degree in political science from Long Island University.

Dr. Michael Rappa, Director of the Institute for Advanced Analytics and Distinguished University Professor, North Carolina State University; Academic Co-Chair, TechAmerica Foundation’s Big Data Commission

Dr. Michael Rappa has 25 years of experience as a professor working across academic disciplines at the intersection of management and computing. An accomplished researcher and instructor, his passion is to bring an entrepreneurial and forward-thinking mindset to innovation in higher learning. His current role, as founding director of the Institute for Advanced Analytics (analytics.ncsu.edu) at North Carolina State University, is to prepare a new generation of data savvy professionals for leadership in a digital world. As head of the Institute, he leads the nation’s first and preeminent graduate degree program in Analytics. The Master of Science in Analytics (MSA) is an intensive 10-month professional degree that blends computer science, statistics, applied mathematics and business disciplines into an innovative education focused on the analysis of very large amounts of data. The program enrolls 80 students annually.

Alan R. Shark, PTI Executive Director

Alan R. Shark is the Executive Director and CEO of Public Technology Institute (PTI). Created by and for city and county governments, PTI is a national, non-profit organization that focuses on technology issues that impact local government and thought-leaders in the public sector.

Dr. Shark is a sought-after speaker, offering presentations for larger audiences that address mobile and e-government, technology trends in government, as well as thought-leadership professional development issues for IT executives and public managers.

Dr. Shark's career has spanned over 29 years as a highly recognized leader in both the nonprofit management and technology fields, with an emphasis on technology applications for business and government. He also serves as associate Professor of Practice at Rutgers University School of Public Affairs & Administration where he teaches a masters level course on technology and public administration.

He is the recipient of the prestigious 2012 National Technology Champion Award from the National Association of State Chief Information Officers. The award is in recognition for his outstanding contributions promoting government performance excellence through sound information technology solutions, policies and practice.

He is the author of 7 Trends That Will Transform Local Government Through Technology and is co-author of the book Web 2.0 Civic Media in Action (2011), and an author and Executive Editor of the books CIO Leadership for Public Safety Communications: Emerging Trends & Practices; CIO Leadership for State Governments: Emerging Trends and Practices (Spring 2011). Dr. Shark also was Executive Editor of the book CIO Leadership for Cities and Counties: Emerging Trends and Practices (2009) as well as Beyond e-Government: Measuring Performance (2010) and Beyond e-Government & e-Democracy: A Global Perspective published in 2007.

His work has been supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy, the United Nations UDESA, OECD and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

Dr. Shark was elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. He received a doctorate in public administration from the University of Southern California.

Una Song, Program Manager, ENERGY STAR Program, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Una Song is a program manager for the ENERGY STAR program at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. She manages the institutional market segment, assisting governments and institutions develop and implement ENERGY STAR purchasing policies.

Prior to this position, Ms. Song worked as the director of membership and communications for the National Association of Energy Service Companies. She started her career in high tech, working at Fortune 500 companies including Dell, AT&T and IBM in sales, marketing, and management positions.

A cum laude graduate of Duke University with a degree in computer science, Ms. Song also earned a Masters of Business Administration in finance from the Stern School of Business at New York University. She is a LEED Accredited Professional.

Aliya Sternstein, Senior Correspondent, Nextgov

Aliya Sternstein reports on cybersecurity and homeland security systems for Nextgov. She has covered technology for nine years at such publications as National Journal's TechnologyDaily, Federal Computer Week and Forbes. Before joining Government Executive, she covered agriculture and derivatives trading for Congressional Quarterly. She has been a guest commentator on C-SPAN, WTOP and Federal News Radio. She is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania.

Simon Szykman, Chief Information Officer, Department of Commerce

Simon Szykman was named Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the Department of Commerce in May 2010. As the Department’s CIO, Szykman is responsible for providing leadership, establishing policy, and maintaining oversight for the information technology investments that support the diverse portfolio of programs across the Commerce Department’s dozen bureaus. Szykman most recently served over three years as the CIO of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), where he began his professional career as part of the agency’s technical staff.

Prior to his work at Commerce, Szykman served as the Director of the National Coordination Office for Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD), where he was responsible for the coordination of planning, budget, and assessment activities for the Federal NITRD Program. In this role, Szykman reported directly to the National Science and Technology Council and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) – where he also worked temporarily as a Senior Policy Analyst, focusing on technology-related issues including cyber security and high-end computing.

Szykman has also worked at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as the Department’s first Director of Cyber Security R&D. There he led the development of cyber security R&D plans, programs, and budgets in support of the Department's mission, as well as the development of the Government's first interagency Federal Plan for Cyber Security R&D.

Szykman received Ph.D. and Master of Science degrees from Carnegie Mellon University, a Master of Engineering Management degree from George Washington University, and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Rochester.