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Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson to Step Down
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Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson to Step Down


Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson to Step Down

Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson announced Friday that she will leave her post in May to join the University of Texas at El Paso as president, the military service reported Friday.

“It has been a privilege to serve our airmen over the past two years,” Wilson wrote in her resignation letter to President Trump. “I am proud of the progress we have made to restore our nation’s defense.”

Wilson, a 2019 Wash100 winner, received Senate confirmation in May 2017 and since then has led the service’s policy and strategy development, weapons acquisition, human resources management, technology investments and risk management efforts.

She spearheaded efforts to build up the Air Force’s readiness and lethality, such as increasing its total force by 15 percent.

Prior to the Air Force, Wilson previously served as president of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, member of the National Security Council and as a congresswoman.
 

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Jim Garrettson, CEO of Executive Mosaic, Presents Jill Singer, National Security VP for AT&T, Her Fourth Wash100 Award
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Jim Garrettson, CEO of Executive Mosaic, Presents Jill Singer, National Security VP for AT&T, Her Fourth Wash100 Award


Jim Garrettson, CEO of Executive Mosaic, Presents Jill Singer, National Security VP for AT&T, Her Fourth Wash100 Award

Jim Garrettson, founder and CEO of Executive Mosaic, presented Jill Singer, vice president of national security at AT&T’s global public sector solutions unit, with her fourth Wash100 Award on Thursday.

 

Executive Mosaic recognizes Singer for improving AT&T’s position in artificial intelligence, big data and machine learning. We are honored to present the most coveted award in government contracting to Jill Singer of AT&T.

 

Before joining AT&T in 2015, Singer was a partner with Deep Water Point from 2013 to 2015. She also served as the chief information officer for the National Reconnaissance Office from 2010 to 2013. Singer became the deputy CIO for the U.S. Intelligence Community in 2006 and served for three years. She began her career as director of the Diplomatic Telecommunications Service at the State Department from 2004 to 2006.

 

Since 2013, Singer has served as the federal CIO Emeritus for Tummler Singer Associates, a female-owned consulting firm focusing on strategy, innovation transformation and leadership. In addition, she also serves as a member on the Governing Board of the International Spy Museum and the Board of Trustees for the University of West Florida. Singer earned her BS in Systems Science in 1984 and MS in Systems Analysis from the university in 1985.

 

The Wash100 award, now in its sixth year, recognizes the most influential executives in the GovCon industry as selected by the Executive Mosaic team in tandem with online nominations from the GovCon community. Representing the best of the private and public sector, the winners demonstrate superior leadership, innovation, reliability, achievement and vision.

 

Visit the Wash100 site to learn about the other 99 winners of the 2019 Wash100 Award. On the site, you can submit your 10 votes for the GovCon executives of consequence that you believe will have the most significant impact in 2019.

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Jim Garrettson, CEO of Executive Mosaic, Presents Richard White, President of SSL Government Systems, His First Wash100 Award
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Jim Garrettson, CEO of Executive Mosaic, Presents Richard White, President of SSL Government Systems, His First Wash100 Award


Jim Garrettson, CEO of Executive Mosaic, Presents Richard White, President of SSL Government Systems, His First Wash100 Award

Jim Garrettson, founder and CEO of Executive Mosaic, presented Richard White, president of SSL Government, with his first Wash100 Award on Friday.

Executive Mosaic recognizes White for his efforts to be innovate in the fields of spacecraft technology and space exploration. We are honored to present the most coveted award in government contracting to Richard White of SSL Government Systems.

White joined SSL as senior vice president of business development government systems in October 2016. He held the position for six months before becoming president of government systems. His areas of expertise include surveillance and reconnaissance, satellite antennas and payloads, intelligence and cyber security.

Prior to joining SSL, White served as the COO and CEO of the Capstone Corporation between 2013 and 2016. He began his career with the Harris Corporation in 1999 as the director of space programs, serving in several ascending leadership positions with the corporation.

White’s other affiliations include the Intelligence and National Security Alliance, the U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Foundation, the Space Foundation, the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association and the National Defense Industrial Association.

He received his BSME in mechanical engineering from the University of Toledo, a MSME in mechanical engineering from Purdue University and an MBA in business administration from the Florida Institute of Technology.

The Wash100 award, now in its sixth year, recognizes the most influential executives in the GovCon industry as selected by the Executive Mosaic team in tandem with online nominations from the GovCon community. Representing the best of the private and public sector, the winners demonstrate superior leadership, innovation, reliability, achievement and vision.

Visit the Wash100 site to learn about the other 99 winners of the 2019 Wash100 Award. On the site, you can submit your 10 votes for the GovCon executives of consequence that you believe will have the most significant impact in 2019.

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Air Force Deploys Commercial IT Support to Eight Initial Bases
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Air Force Deploys Commercial IT Support to Eight Initial Bases


Air Force Deploys Commercial IT Support to Eight Initial Bases

The U.S. Air Force launched a risk-reduction experiment to provide commercial information technology services to the branch’s installations, officials said Thursday.

Unisys was awarded a three-year, $76.3M contract in February to provide IT support to eight initial Air Force bases which may increase to 20 over time. The other agreement covers a wide range of as-a-service support such as end-user device management, enterprise service desk and IT service management.

The Hanscom Air Force Base integrated program office coordinated with other Air Force commands to select the participating installations that represent “a diverse range of mission capabilities and geographic locations.”

Maj. Jonathan Demers, a program manager at Hanscom, said the contract with Unisys will support the Air Force’s efforts to deliver standardized, innovative and agile IT support to airmen as the service modernizes its infrastructure to incorporate resilient IT capabilities and cloud technology.

The contract serves as the Air Force’s second enterprise IT-as-a-service award, with the first network-as-a-service agreement issued in 2018. Unisys will perform work through February 2022.

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Christopher Krebs: Critical Infrastructures, Election, Supply Chain Among CISA’s Priorities for 2019
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Christopher Krebs: Critical Infrastructures, Election, Supply Chain Among CISA’s Priorities for 2019


Christopher Krebs: Critical Infrastructures, Election, Supply Chain Among CISA’s Priorities for 2019

Christopher Krebs, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and 2019 Wash100 Award winner, said the initial years of the newly-established agency will focus on protecting U.S. critical infrastructures and network, increasing stakeholder engagement and maturing the organization, CSO reported Wednesday. The Department of Homeland Security established CISA in November from the agency’s National Protection and Programs Directorate to secure the country’s critical infrastructures.

To mature the agency, Krebs said efforts over the next two years would include flattening CISA’s organizational structure, implementing cyber and physical security functions and improving how the agency coordinates with its stakeholders. Protecting the U.S. supply chain is a top priority of the agency. Krebs also said he wants to boost efforts to deter China and Russia from hacking U.S. systems.

The Wash100 award, now in its sixth year, recognizes the most influential executives in the GovCon industry as selected by the Executive Mosaic team in tandem with online nominations from the GovCon community. Representing the best of the private and public sector, the winners demonstrate superior leadership, innovation, reliability, achievement and vision.

Visit the Wash100 site to learn about the other 99 winners of the 2019 Wash100 Award. On the site, you can submit your 10 votes for the GovCon executives of consequence that you believe will have the most significant impact in 2019.

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GAO: FTC Needs New Authority to Better Secure Consumer Data Online
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GAO: FTC Needs New Authority to Better Secure Consumer Data Online


GAO: FTC Needs New Authority to Better Secure Consumer Data Online

The Government Accountability Office said the Federal Trade Commission needs a new internet privacy law that would expand the agency’s authority to protect consumer data from unfair and deceptive trade practices. A GAO report published on Thursday highlighted the outdated regulations that the commission uses to govern the collection, use and sale of consumers’ personal information.

Existing regulations for internet privacy only focus on the financial sector and children. Any new legislation should establish new and specific standards to include wider consumer privacy, the report stated.

The FTC needs to implement traditional notice-and-comment rulemaking and carry broader civil penalty authority to further protect consumer data, according to the report. Some stakeholders and consumer advocates called on the government to create a new data protection agency under the FTC.

However, industry representatives interviewed by the GAO said enforcing new regulations could delay innovation and that the commission’s authority already provides flexibility.

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Jim Garrettson, CEO of Executive Mosaic, Presents Xavier Williams, President of AT&T’s Public Sector and Wholesale Solutions, His Second Consecutive Wash100 Award
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Jim Garrettson, CEO of Executive Mosaic, Presents Xavier Williams, President of AT&T’s Public Sector and Wholesale Solutions, His Second Consecutive Wash100 Award


Jim Garrettson, CEO of Executive Mosaic, Presents Xavier Williams, President of AT&T’s Public Sector and Wholesale Solutions, His Second Consecutive Wash100 Award

Jim Garrettson, founder and CEO of Executive Mosaic, presented Xavier Williams, president of the public sector and wholesale solutions for AT&T, with his second consecutive Wash100 Award on Thursday.

Executive Mosaic recognizes Williams for his efforts in leading AT&T’s culture, advancing technology modernization and company growth. We are honored to present the most coveted award in government contracting to Xavier Williams of AT&T.

Williams has served AT&T in a variety of senior leadership positions since 1990. He has been president of business operations, head of the public sector, vice president of federal sales among other roles in finance, product management, business planning, human resources and sales during the last 28 years.

In addition, Williams is on the advisory board of AT&T University, the Asian Pacific Islanders for Professional and Community Advancement, a national board member of Make-A-Wish Foundation and a former member of the National Sales Network.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and an MBA in finance/MIS from the University of Pittsburgh Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business.

The Wash100 award, now in its sixth year, recognizes the most influential executives in the GovCon industry as selected by the Executive Mosaic team in tandem with online nominations from the GovCon community. Representing the best of the private and public sector, the winners demonstrate superior leadership, innovation, reliability, achievement and vision.

Visit the Wash100 site to learn about the other 99 winners of the 2019 Wash100 Award. On the site, you can submit your 10 votes for the GovCon executives of consequence that you believe will have the most significant impact in 2019.

Gen. Mike Holmes: Air Force Eyes T-X Trainer as Adversary, Light-Attack Aircraft
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Gen. Mike Holmes: Air Force Eyes T-X Trainer as Adversary, Light-Attack Aircraft


Gen. Mike Holmes: Air Force Eyes T-X Trainer as Adversary, Light-Attack Aircraft

Gen. Mike Holmes, head of Air Combat Command, said the U.S. Air Force is considering if the T-X trainer aircraft can be acquired to meet the service’s other requirements like performing light-attack missions or serving as an “aggressor” plane, Defense News reported Thursday.

“You could imagine a version of the airframe that could be equipped as a light fighter. You can imagine a version that is equipped as an adversary air-training platform,” Holmes told reporters at the Air Force Association’s Air Warfare Symposium Thursday. He said whether those considerations will transition to a formal procurement program depends on several factors, including the budget.

In September, the service awarded Boeing a potential $9.2 billion contract to develop up to 475 T-X trainer jets and 120 ground-based training platforms.
 

Naomi Lefkovitz on Five Functions of NIST’s Privacy Framework
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Naomi Lefkovitz on Five Functions of NIST’s Privacy Framework


Naomi Lefkovitz on Five Functions of NIST’s Privacy Framework

Naomi Lefkovitz, senior privacy policy adviser at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, offered updates on a proposed framework to help organizations address issues related to data privacy at RSA Conference 2019, Threatpost reported Thursday.

Lefkovitz told the audience that privacy should be considered as part of organizations’ “broader enterprise risk management activity.” She explained the Privacy Framework’s identify, protect, control, inform and respond functions. When it comes to protection, she discussed an overlap with data security and that NIST considers including privacy engineering, information lifecycle and cryptographic techniques in the protection concept.

“We are trying to provide concepts to act as a foundation for more clearly defined relationships between privacy and security,” Lefkovitz said. “Privacy risk is more than data risk – companies also process data, over the entire lifecycle, from collection through disposal. And they need to process that data to achieve business or data objectives – but there can be unintended consequences and privacy issues can arise for individuals.”

Kevin Stine, chief of NIST’s applied cybersecurity division, joined Lefkovitz to discuss the Privacy Framework, which is expected to be completed by October. The report said NIST is looking for comments on the framework and will host a live webinar on March 14 and a workshop in May.

TRANSCOM, MARAD Heads Opt for Used Ships to Replace Aging Reserve Fleet
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TRANSCOM, MARAD Heads Opt for Used Ships to Replace Aging Reserve Fleet


TRANSCOM, MARAD Heads Opt for Used Ships to Replace Aging Reserve Fleet

Top officials from the U.S. Maritime Administration and the Transportation Command want to proceed with the proposed acquisition of used vessels to replace the country’s aging fleet of reserve merchant ships, USNI News reported Thursday. The proposal intends to address the increasing cost of the maintenance and repair of existing ships in the Ready Reserve Fleet. The average age of reserve fleet is 44 years old. 

“There will be a knee in the curve where it no longer makes sense to spend more money trying to repair these older vessels,” Retired Rear Adm. Mark Buzby, administrator of MARAD, said during a meeting with House Armed Services subcommittees.

He added that as the ships age, the military would see more expensive maintenance and repair efforts. Other maritime officials said they hope to buy used vessels that are at least ten years younger than the current Ready Reserve Fleet.

Army Gen. Steve Lyons, commander of TRANSCOM, told lawmakers that the proposed replacement program seeks affordability and focus on speed of delivery.

“I want to accelerate the used [ship] buy,” he said. “We’ve got to put some actual dollars to that.”

Lyons said the Navy has started a business case analysis to determine how to modernize the reserve fleet.

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