The General Services Administration has launched the 2026 class of Presidential Innovation Fellows, bringing technology professionals into federal service to support priority government initiatives.
Who Are the 2026 Presidential Innovation Fellows?
The new cohort includes 17 experts from technology companies, startups and other organizations who will serve one-year assignments across 10 federal agencies. Participating agencies include the Departments of State, Energy and Veterans Affairs; the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency; the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; the National Institute of Standards and Technology; the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; the Coast Guard; and the Executive Office of the President.
“To achieve high-impact work that advances Administration priorities, we are embedding strong technical leaders who can perform with discipline and speed, filling critical skills gaps across our partner agencies and preparing them to meet the demands of the future,” said GSA Administrator Edward Forst.
What Projects Will the Fellows Support?
The PIF experts will apply their industry experience to projects aimed at enhancing public services. The program focuses on using best practices from the private sector to address key government challenges. Fellows will work on initiatives such as developing artificial intelligence-powered tools to accelerate infrastructure permitting, supporting the implementation of the Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act and helping build an AI-ready workforce at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
“This class of PIFs represents the highest standard of technical talent in the federal government,” said Greg Barbaccia, acting director of Technology Transformation Services. “Their advanced expertise will advise our partner agencies on how they can best scale, secure, and transform the technologies that power our government,” the two-time Wash100 Award winner added.
What Is the PIF Program?
The PIF program, launched in 2012 and codified by former President Barack Obama in 2015, embeds top industry technologists and innovators within federal agencies to enhance how the government designs, builds and delivers services. Agencies seeking to participate must submit project proposals outlining the priority issues they want fellows to address.
