U.S. Chamber Digital Transformation Summit

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce will host its inaugural Digital Transformation Summit, convening private and public sector leaders who seek to modernize government technology systems that have been obsolete for decades. The Summit brings together private sector, government, and policy leaders to address the challenges and opportunities of digitally transforming how governments provide services to their citizens. Americans deserve government agencies that use cutting-edge technology that is used for work, training, and doing business. The Digital Transformation Summit will highlight trends in the information technology sector and focus on getting policies right that encourage good government and innovation.

Note to government employees: this event is considered a widely attended event and falls within ethics guidelines.

Agenda

9:30 AM

Doors Open

Exhibits in Briefing Center

10:20 to 10:30

Opening Remarks

Thomas Quaadman is executive vice president of the U.S. Chamber Center for Capital Markets Competitiveness (CCMC), the Chamber Technology Engagement Center (C_TEC), and the Global Innovation Policy Center (GIPC).

CCMC was established in March 2007 to advocate legal and regulatory policies for the U.S. capital markets to advance the protection of investors, promote capital formation, and ensure U.S. leadership in the financial markets in the 21st century. Quaadman oversees the Center’s policy and lobbying operations. He also works with CCMC staff to create and execute legislative, regulatory, and judicial strategies to reform the financial regulatory system and support policies for efficient capital markets.

C_TEC was established to tell the story of technology’s role in our economy and advocate for rational policy solutions that drive economic growth, spur innovation, and create jobs through the backing of a leading national and global business organization.

And GIPC works around the world to champion innovation and creativity through intellectual property standards that create jobs, save lives, advance global economic and cultural prosperity, and generate breakthrough solutions to global challenges.

Quaadman headed the Chamber’s efforts on the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the Jumpstart Our Business Start-Ups Act (JOBS Act). In addition, he formed and managed several coalitions, including the Corporate Governance Coalition for Investor Value and the FIRCA coalition on the convergence of domestic and international accounting rules. In directing the Chamber’s work on corporate governance, Quaadman led successful efforts to overturn the SEC’s proxy access rules and have a portion of the Conflict Minerals Rule declared unconstitutional.

He has testified on a number of occasions before congressional committees on issues covering capital formation, financial reporting, and corporate governance. He also led the business outreach efforts for the Working Group on U.S. RMB Clearing and Trading. In 2012, Treasury & Risk magazine named Quaadman as one of the top 100 influential people in finance.

Quaadman graduated cum laude from New York Law School and is a graduate of the College of Staten Island. He is a member of the New York and Connecticut state bars. Quaadman and his wife, Tara, and their children, Creighton and Alexandra, reside in Alexandria, Virginia.

10:35 to 11:00

U.S. Chamber Digitization Report

11:10 to 11:20

Keynote

Chandler C. Morse serves as Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Public Policy for Workday, a leading provider of enterprise cloud services delivering financial management, human capital management, and analytics applications. Mr. Morse stood up the Washington, DC office for Workday in late 2018 and has had the opportunity to help elevate the company to a leading voice in public policy with a focus on workforce development, digital privacy, and artificial intelligence as well as actively engage on IT modernization, cybersecurity, and diversity and inclusion.

Prior to joining Workday, Mr. Morse spent over a decade on Capitol Hill, working for Senator Jeff Flake (R-AZ) for more than thirteen years. He served as the Chief of Staff and was the Senator’s legislative director prior to that. He oversaw the legislative staff in Washington, DC and directly handled issues related to Senator Flake’s work on select international trade, U.S.-Cuba policy, immigration reform and high-skilled immigration, and homeland security. Mr. Morse handled immigration during the introduction of the STRIVE Act in the House and was the primary negotiator for the Senator during the Senate passage of S. 744, comprehensive immigration reform legislation.

Before assuming his role as Legislative Director in the Flake Senate office, Mr. Morse served as a Deputy Chief of Staff and Legislative Director in then-Congressman Flake’s office, starting as a legislative assistant in May of 2005. In addition, Mr. Morse served as Policy Director for the Congressional Western Caucus from May 2005 through October 2007. He joined Congressman Flake’s staff after serving as a regulatory policy analyst for the National Association of Home Builders for two years. He also worked for Post, Buckley, Schuh & Jernigan, a then-Washington, DC consulting firm.

Mr. Morse graduated from The Ohio State University with a B.S. in environmental policy and from the University of Maine with an M.S. in environmental science. Mr. Morse is the fifteenth member of his family, spanning three generations, to graduate from the University of Maine. He lives in Baltimore with his wife Annie and their two children Parker and Talie and serves on the board of the National Immigration Forum.

11:20 to 11:50

Federal Remarks

Robin Carnahan currently serves as the Administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA).

As Administrator, she is working to empower GSA career professionals and build on the agency’s efforts to deliver the best value in real estate, acquisition, and technology services to the government and American people.

Prior to joining GSA, Carnahan served in executive and leadership roles in business, academia and government, including as the Secretary of State of Missouri (2005-2013), and founded and led the State and Local Government Practice at 18F, a tech consultancy, inside GSA (2016–2020). She’s a nationally recognized government technology leader and in 2017 was named one of the federal government’s “Top Women in Tech.” Most recently, Carnahan was a Fellow at Georgetown University’s Beeck Center where she co-founded the State Software Collaborative.

As Secretary of State, Carnahan also served as the state’s Chief Election Official and State Securities Regulator and was responsible for providing in-person and online services to hundreds of thousands of customers. An essential part of her job was leading the office’s technology modernization efforts across 7 operating divisions. She frequently speaks, writes and testifies about government innovation through smarter use of technology.

While previously at GSA, Carnahan helped federal, state and local government agencies improve customer facing digital services and cut costs. She focused on training and empowering non-technical executives on ways to reduce risk and deliver better results for the public by more effectively budgeting, procuring, implementing, and overseeing digital modernization projects.

Carnahan holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from William Jewell College and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law.

12:00 to 1:00

Lunch in the Exhibit Hall

1:00 to 1:30

Outdated processes – whether for identity, permits, or other needed governmental functions – lack the efficiency, accuracy, and security that constituents need in the 21st century economy. This panel will address how the power of purpose-built enterprise digital tools employed by government can create a digital voice for people, assets, and transactions so that constituents have access to faster, more secure interactions with local government.

Roslyn Layton, PhD, Senior Vice President of Strand Consult and Visiting Researcher at Aalborg University Copenhagen, is an internet economist and digital policy expert. She studies the impact of digitization across countries. She serves on the Program Committees of the International Telecommunications Society and the Telecom Policy Research Conference. She is a Senior Contributor to Forbes and a Fellow of the National Security Institute at George Mason University.

Darren Ash serves as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the U.S. Department of the Interior. For over 20 years, Mr. Ash has served as an IT expert in the public sector, implementing a wide range of IT and information management (IM) capabilities and enhancements and improved IT/IM budgeting, governance, and portfolio management processes.

Previously, Mr. Ash served as the Assistant CIO for USDA’s Farm Production and Conservation Mission Area, CIO for USDA’s Farm Service Agency, CIO of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and Associate CIO (ACIO) at the U.S. Department of Transportation. Mr. Ash started his Federal career with the Internal Revenue Service and then moved to the Department of Treasury, prior to serving at the Department of Transportation.

A native of California, he received a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from The American University, a Master of Public Administration from Syracuse University, and a Master of Science in Information Systems Technology.

As Vice President & Global Head of Industries at DocuSign, Michael “MJ” Jackson leads entrepreneurial teams that drive strategies to address complex customer challenges in Public Sector, Healthcare, Life Sciences, Financial Services, Supply Chain, and other regulated segments – advancing DocuSign’s mission that everyone may securely access, contribute, and thrive in the Anywhere Economy.

Prior to DocuSign, MJ was a General Manager at Amazon Web Services (AWS), where he built a portfolio of mission-critical practices from inception, including Public Health, Social Impact, and US Elections, to drive greater unified value across public and private sectors.

MJ previously served as General Manager of Consumer Health at Intel Corporation, where he developed global lines of business for patient-generated health data (PGHD) platforms; and as Director of Healthcare and Public Sector at Adobe, where he led commercialization of digital solutions entrusted to help power federal, state, and private Health Benefits Exchanges in over 30 US states.

Advancing through progressive roles at global life sciences companies, including Johnson & Johnson and GlaxoSmithKline, MJ launched products across clinical research and therapeutic specialties including oncology, neurology, and endocrinology.

A writer and presenter on topics of digital transformation and its equitable applications, MJ has collaborated with organizations such as the National Health IT Collaborative for the Underserved (NHIT), Civic Alliance, and many others. He was presented with NHIT’s Health Equity Vanguard Award in 2022 and recognized as one of the Top 25 Public Sector Leaders to Watch in 2021 by WashingtonExec.

MJ holds a Secret Security clearance with US Department of Homeland Security, is a proud veteran of the US Coast Guard and serves on multiple Boards committed to community service, including as Vice Chair on the Board of Directors at Health Care for the Homeless – a non-profit provider of coordinated care and housing services in Baltimore, MD.

MJ earned an MBA and a Bachelor of Science degree in Management Information Systems from University of Baltimore Merrick School of Business, and he has completed executive education at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Mr. John Wirthlin currently serves as Zebra Technologies’ Industry Principal for the Manufacturing, Transportation and Logistics markets. Mr. Wirthlin started his career as an Air Force hospital medic, working in medical and surgical units, ICUs, and the emergency room. During this time, Mr. Wirthlin pursued a bachelor’s degree in Business Information Systems and transitioned to medical logistics during the last three years of his Air Force career.

Mr. Wirthlin is recognized as a forward-thinking thought leader in the technology industry. He has more than 30 years of experience in healthcare, logistics, manufacturing, and information technology where he has led multiple strategic initiatives to modernize healthcare logistics systems, and across vertical markets in supply chain and logistics operations.

An expert in IT Modernization solutions, Mr. Wirthlin’s career has given him exposure to operations, infrastructure, and application development, which positions him well to connect and consult both public and private sector customers with relevant solutions to identify and meet their organization’s objectives.

1:30 to 2:05

Local Government Perspectives

Alex Whitaker has served in public policy and government relations since graduating from American University in Washington, D.C. He currently serves as the Director of Government Affairs for the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) and advocates on behalf of states to Congress and federal agencies on cyber security and technology issues. Before joining NASCIO, Alex was Legislative Director at the National Governors Association, where he was responsible for directing the development and implementation of governors’ strategic priorities in the areas of agriculture, energy, the environment, and natural resources. He also served as a Senior Advisor to Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper for energy and environment issues. Alex worked as a Legislative Assistant in the U.S. House of Representatives and as an analyst at the U.S. Department of Commerce in the Bureau of Industry and Security. He holds a master’s degree from the George Washington University in Security Policy Studies, with a focus on trans-Atlantic defense alliances and U.S.-Turkish relations.

Alison Barlow is the Executive Director of the St. Petersburg Innovation District.

The Innovation District is a public-private partnership focused on increasing economic vibrancy and innovative problem solving in the Tampa Bay region. Located south of downtown St. Petersburg, the Innovation District was established in 2016 and has over fifty member organizations. While many of these entities are within a one-mile radius and have the benefit of proximity, others are engaged from throughout the region and nation. The Innovation District focuses on the target industries of marine science, data and technology, life science, and creative art and design, as well as the foundational areas of entrepreneurship and education.

Alison manages a portfolio of projects for the Innovation District including the Maritime and Defense Technology Hub, a coworking facility for the maritime technology and national security sectors; the Digital Inclusion Project, a collective impact community guided effort to address the digital divide; Smart City demonstrations, a series of pilot projects in conjunction with the City and University of South Florida, and the St. Petersburg Science Festival, an annual exploration of science and technology for youth.

Alison is originally from St. Petersburg. She received a Bachelor’s in Hospitality Administration from Florida State University, and a Master of Business Administration from American University in Washington D.C. She spent fifteen years a technology consultant based in Washington D.C. working with the Department of Defense. Upon her return to Florida and prior to joining the Innovation District, Alison was the operations manager of Collaborative Labs at St. Petersburg College, a strategic planning and facilitation team that serves nonprofit, for profit and government organizations.

Alison is on the Boards of the St Pete Chamber of Commerce, Grow Smarter Alliance, University of South Florida Research Foundation, and Friends of Strays Animal Shelter.

David Smith became the County of San Diego’s Chief Information Officer in May 2022. His focus areas include improving the digital experience of both residents and employees, enhancing County IT project management, and ensuring IT security. Prior to becoming CIO, David worked in the County’s Office of County Counsel, where he advised and represented the County in all IT and telecommunications matters. He was lead on drafting and negotiating the County’s current IT outsourcing agreement. David also held leadership positions in the office, serving as a Chief Deputy County Counsel and as the Acting County Counsel. Before coming to the County, he worked at a national private law firm. David received his undergraduate degree from the University of California at Los Angeles and is a graduate of King Hall, University of California at Davis Law School.

2:05 to 2:15

A Conversation with Representative Derek Kilmer

2:15 to 2:45

This panel will address how emerging technologies like Edge Computing, 5G, and AR/VR will be able to promote safer cities and improved infrastructure and transportation.

Maria Curi is a tech policy reporter, working largely from Capitol Hill where she tracks legislation, covers hearings, and interviews lawmakers. Her beat encompasses privacy, antitrust, cybersecurity, broadband, and artificial intelligence. Her work also requires keeping tabs on activity in the Commerce Department, Federal Trade Commission, and Federal Communications Commission.

Dr. Robert C. Hampshire serves as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology and Chief Science Officer. Hampshire was previously an associate professor at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. He was also a research associate professor in both the U-M Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) and Michigan Institute for Data Science (MIDAS), and an affiliated faculty member in the Department of Industrial and Operations Engineering (IOE).

His unique blend of engineering systems research with public policy has made him a leader in not only transportation research, but also on the disparate impact of policy decisions in transportation systems. This has led to important strides in our understanding of transportation equity. His research applies operations research, data science, and systems approaches to analyze novel transportation systems such as smart parking, connected vehicles, autonomous vehicles, ride-hailing, bike sharing, car sharing, as well as, pedestrian and bicyclist safety. His research focuses on environmental impacts, equity, and access to opportunities. His work has been cited widely, and covered by major press outlets. He has worked extensively with both public and private sector partners worldwide. He has also been a faculty member at Carnegie Mellon University and a visiting professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Hampshire received a PhD in operations research and financial engineering from Princeton University.

Ram is a proven leader with deep experience in defining emerging 5G Edge, V2X and Connected technologies and distilling them into value-add solutions for the Automotive, Smart Cities and Telecom industries. At HARMAN, Ram and his team are propelling innovation and advancement of the V2X, MEC and Smart Infrastructure landscape to facilitate a whole new dimension of vehicle connectivity and drive safety from the Edge.

Prior to joining HARMAN, he held Engineering and Management roles with Motorola and Microsoft. Ram earned an MS in Communications Technology and Policy from the University of Strathclyde – Glasgow and a BE in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Mumbai.

John W. Kuzin is Vice President of Spectrum Policy and Regulatory Counsel with Qualcomm Incorporated. John oversees Qualcomm’s worldwide spectrum policy working closely with the company’s regional spectrum leads, business leads, and global R&D teams. He also represents Qualcomm on regulatory matters before the FCC, ISED Canada, and other agencies. His areas of expertise include new spectrum allocations, licensed and unlicensed spectrum regulations, 5G and 6G technology, RF equipment authorization, positioning technologies, Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything, unmanned aircraft systems, and mobile device accessibility.

Prior to joining Qualcomm, John worked at Wiley Rein LLPin Washington, DC, representing clients before the FCC and state commissions on a broad range of wireless and wireline matters. While at Wiley Rein, he also litigated complex technology and intellectual property cases in federal and state courts. Following law school, John worked for the Weil Gotshal & Manges firm in New York City on patent litigation and licensing matters.

In addition to his legal experience, John is an electrical engineer, having worked for six years as a project manager and a senior systems engineer with Bell Communications Research (“Bellcore”)in Morristown, NewJersey. He holds a B.E. in electrical engineering from The Cooper Union, an M.S.E. from Princeton University, and a J.D. from New York University Law School. John is a registered patent attorney, a patent holder, and a Senior Member of the IEEE.

Chris Smith is responsible for all Civilian Federal Government agencies. He also leads technology, strategy and operations for AT&T Public Sector and FirstNet in support of its mission to help government customers transform their operations with AT&T’s technology innovations. He is responsible for adapting AT&T commercial market innovations in cybersecurity, IoT, cloud, mobility, and unified communications for these customer segments.

Before joining AT&T, Mr. Smith was the Chief Technology and Innovation Officer with Accenture Federal Services. There he developed the technology agenda for Accenture’s federal business portfolio and oversaw the services Accenture provided to federal clients in strategic areas such as cloud computing, big data, logistics and supply chain and cost reduction.

As Chief Information Officer of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Mr. Smith led one of the largest federal government transitions to cloud computing. His federal government experience also includes senior positions with the General Services Administration and the Internal Revenue Service.

Mr. Smith is an accomplished U.S. military veteran. He led multiple missions for the Air Force and Air National Guard as a Joint Tactical Communications Officer. Mr. Smith has achieved numerous industry accolades including Federal CIO of the Year (Government Executive), the FCW Fed 100 and Computerworld’s Premier 100.

Mr. Smith received his B.A. and M.P.A. from the University of South Florida. He also holds a Master’s degree in Management Information Systems from George Washington University.

2:45 to 3:10

Fireside Chat with Senator Gary Peters (D-MI)

As Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) has been a leader in Congress on efforts to modernize and secure public and private information technology systems. In 2021, he secured a historic $1 billion investment for the Technology Modernization Fund – which helps federal agencies secure their networks, deliver digital services more efficiently, and save taxpayer dollars. Chairman Peters also helped lead successful efforts to update and authorize the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program so that federal agencies can quickly and securely adopt cloud-based technologies that improve government operations and efficiency.

The Chairman has also led historic efforts to strengthen cybersecurity. He wrote a law requiring critical infrastructure owners and operators to report to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) if they experience a substantial cyber-attack or if they make a ransomware payment. He has also written several laws and secured significant funding to help state, local, tribal, and territorial governments deter cyber-attacks from malicious actors and modernize systems to protect sensitive data, information, and public critical infrastructure.

Chairman Peters also serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee, Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, and the Armed Services Committee, and is a former Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve. He and his wife, Colleen, live in Oakland County and have three children: Gary Jr., Madeleine and Alana.

3:10 to 3:40

Federal Roundtable

Michele Evermore is a senior fellow at The Century Foundation, where she focuses on policy for improving the nation’ social insurance programs. One of the nation’s leading authorities on unemployment insurance (UI), Michele most recently served as Ddeputy Ddirector for Ppolicy in the newly formed Office of Unemployment Insurance Modernization in the U.S. Department of Labor. In that role, she spearheaded efforts to improve the delivery of UI benefits in a timely and accurate manner and ensure equitable access for underserved communities. She represented those efforts to Congress and the press through technical assistance, on-the-record interviews, and Congressional testimony.

Mitch Herckis has spent two decades working with and for the public sector on technology and security policy. As Director of the Federal Cybersecurity Branch within the Office of Management and Budget, Mitch leads cybersecurity initiatives within the Office of the Federal Chief Information Officer, including governmentwide implementation of the President’s Executive Order on Cybersecurity. Prior to joining federal service, he was a Senior Advisor for Operations at New York City Cyber Command, facilitating security implementations across 100+ city agencies on behalf of the City’s central cybersecurity authority, as well as leading public initiatives to increase the digital security of City residents.

He has advocated for sound technology policies at all levels of government, serving as the Director of Government Affairs for the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO), and Senior Legislative Counsel for Federal Relations at the National League of Cities. Mitch has also worked for leading cybersecurity and technology companies on cybersecurity concerns, working with governments on public policy and organizational development.

Separately, Mitch has helped grow a state and local government focused publication, and served as a consultant, strategist, and advocate for individual states and localities on a variety of public policy concerns.

Raylene Yung serves as the Executive Director of the Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) at the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). The TMF is an innovative technology investment program that enables federal agencies to deliver services to the American public more securely, equitably, and effectively. Yung has more than thirteen years of technology experience in the private sector, government, and for non-profit organizations. Previously, Yung served as the co-founder and CEO of the U.S. Digital Response, a nonprofit initiative which has provided support to hundreds of state and local government partners in areas such as vaccination equity, unemployment insurance, housing security, and food access. In the private sector, she served in a variety of executive leadership roles in Engineering and Product Development. She holds a B.S. and a M.S. in Computer Science from Stanford University and served as a Tech Policy Fellow at the Aspen Institute.

3:40 to 4:00

Leading Innovation at the Federal Agency Level

A Conversation with Clare Martorana