In this episode of Keeping IT Brief, host Mary Ann Brown is joined by Felipe Fernandez, Chief Technology Officer at Fortinet Federal, Inc. With over 20 years of experience in networking and cybersecurity, Felipe leads the charge in delivering mission-critical cybersecurity solutions for federal agencies. He shares valuable insights on the current state of zero trust implementation across federal agencies, as well as the challenges many still face in aligning these principles with their unique operational needs.

Felipe discusses the role of artificial intelligence in optimizing cybersecurity frameworks, and how agencies can enforce zero trust principles in multi-cloud environments. Tune in for a deep dive into the evolving landscape of federal cybersecurity and how agencies can strengthen their defenses moving forward.

If you're involved in federal cybersecurity or interested in the future of zero trust, this episode is a must-listen!

In this episode of Keeping IT Brief, host Mary Ann Brown is joined by Saeed Elnaj, Chief Innovation Officer at RELI Group, to discuss the role of AI in transforming the federal health industry, particularly in the Medicare system. With 30 years of experience in technology leadership and expertise in Generative AI, cloud technologies, and digital transformation, Saeed shares his insights on how AI can significantly improve customer experience (CX) and health outcomes for older, non-digital-native Medicare beneficiaries.

Saeed explores the recent investments CMS has made in AI to help improve plan selection and proactively identify patients at risk for chronic conditions. He also discusses the challenges federal health agencies face as they integrate AI, using the vast CMS data to deliver better services, and how these innovations are paving the way for the future of Medicare.

Don’t miss this discussion on the future of healthcare and the transformative power of AI in the federal health sector!

In this special episode of Keeping IT Brief, host Mary Ann Brown is joined by Ann Dunkin, former Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and recipient of the 2025 FORUM IT100 Award. With a wealth of experience in both government and private sectors, Ann reflects on her career journey and what this prestigious award means to her personally and professionally. She also shares a pivotal project or moment in her career that significantly contributed to her success.

Ann discusses her vision for the future of technology in the public sector and her hopes for how digital transformation can drive positive change in areas like energy, science, and national security. She concludes by offering valuable advice to emerging leaders looking to make a meaningful impact in the IT industry.

Tune in for an inspiring conversation on leadership, innovation, and the evolving role of technology in government!

In this insightful episode of Keeping IT Brief, host Mary Ann Brown is joined by Kyle Tuberson, Chief Technology Officer at ICF and a recent winner of the prestigious FORUM IT100 Award. Together, they discuss what this remarkable achievement means to Kyle both personally and professionally. Kyle shares a pivotal career moment that helped shape his journey to success and how it influenced his leadership in the tech world. The conversation also dives into his vision for the future of technology and his role in shaping its evolution.

Kyle offers valuable advice to aspiring leaders in the IT industry looking to make a lasting impact. Tune in for a thought-provoking discussion on leadership, innovation, and the future of tech.

Don't miss this episode for a unique perspective from one of the industry’s top influencers!

In this special episode of Keeping IT Brief, host Mary Ann Brown sits down with Joseph Sabin, the Vice President of Cyber Programs at Adapt Forward and a recent winner of the prestigious 2025 FORUM IT100 Hall of Fame Award. Joseph shares his journey to this major achievement, discussing the dedication, challenges, and pivotal moments that have shaped his career.

With over two decades of experience in the IT field, Joseph reflects on the personal and professional significance of receiving the award, as well as how it aligns with his vision for the future of technology. He also offers invaluable insights on what it takes to lead in an ever-evolving industry and the key strategies that helped him excel.

Tune in for an inspiring conversation about leadership, innovation, and the bright future of IT from a true industry trailblazer.

In this episode of the Keeping IT Brief podcast, host Mary Ann Brown sits down with Susan Burke, Vice President of Military and Veterans Health at Cognosante, a part of Accenture Federal Services. This week, we're celebrating Susan's remarkable achievement as a 2025 FORUM IT100 Hall of Fame Winner.

Susan shares her insights on what winning the prestigious FORUM IT100 Award means to her, both personally and professionally, as well as the pivotal moments and projects that have shaped her career. She dives deep into the future of technology in the military and veterans health sectors, offering a glimpse into the innovative solutions driving transformation in these critical areas.

In addition to discussing her own journey, Susan provides valuable advice to aspiring IT leaders, emphasizing the importance of dedication, innovation, and impact in driving meaningful change within the tech industry.

Tune in for a conversation packed with inspiration, expertise, and forward-thinking leadership!

This week, we’re joined by Joel Krooswyk, Federal CTO at GitLab, to explore the critical issue of legacy IT systems in the public sector and how AI can be a game-changer in modernizing government IT infrastructures.

Key Topics We Cover:

1. The Legacy IT Challenge
   Many federal agencies still rely on outdated systems that are vulnerable to security risks, costly to maintain, and hinder the development of mission-critical applications. Joel discusses why these legacy systems are so challenging, particularly the issues with memory-unsafe languages and the high percentage of vulnerabilities they cause (70%).
2. AI as a Tool for IT Modernization
   With the lengthy process of modernizing legacy code, AI presents an opportunity to accelerate this journey. We explore how AI can help decode and refactor outdated systems, transforming them into more secure, modern, and memory-safe applications.
3. AI in the Software Development Lifecycle
   AI isn’t just for modernization—it's already making an impact. Joel highlights findings from GitLab’s report, showing that 35% of U.S. public sector organizations are already using AI in their software development lifecycle. We discuss how leveraging AI across the entire lifecycle can reduce silos, eliminate backlogs, and streamline development workflows.

This episode is packed with insights for anyone in the public sector or involved in IT modernization, from AI's potential to improve security to how it can transform development processes and accelerate mission-critical application delivery.

Connect with Joel.

Joel Krooswyk

As federal CTO at GitLab Inc., Joel Krooswyk has over 25 years of experience in the software industry. His end-to-end software development life cycle expertise benefits customers and employees alike. Joel’s leadership experience spans not only the U.S. Public Sector, but also small, mid-market, and enterprise businesses globally. He’s an experienced leader, team builder, communicator, thought leader and researcher.

Joel’s expertise spans development, QA, product management, portfolio planning, and technical sales, and he has written a half million lines of unique code throughout his career. On an average day, you'll find him discussing software modernization, cybersecurity, governance and compliance, AI, ongoing digital transformation, and automation.

GitLab

GitLab is the most comprehensive AI-powered DevSecOps platform for software innovation that accelerates speed to mission. GitLab enables organizations to increase developer productivity, improve operational efficiency, reduce security and compliance risk, and accelerate digital transformation. More than 40 million registered users and more than 50% of the Fortune 100 trust GitLab to ship better, more secure software faster.

In this episode of Keeping IT Brief, we sit down with Brian Chidester, Head of Industry Strategy for the Public Sector at Adobe and a recipient of the prestigious FORUM IT100 Award. Brian shares what winning this award means to him both personally and professionally, reflecting on the pivotal moments in his career that have contributed to his success.

We delve into his vision for the future of technology in the public sector and how he sees the role of innovation and strategy evolving in this space. Brian also offers invaluable advice for aspiring IT leaders, drawing from his own journey and the lessons he's learned along the way.

Tune in for insights into leadership, innovation, and the transformative power of technology in the public sector—straight from one of the industry’s most respected voices.

Connect with Brian HERE.