Lt. Col. Walter serves as program manager of the U.S. Army Transportation Command. In this capacity, Nichols has held an instrumental role in an effort to unite the Defense Logistics Agency’s integrated data environment and the Transportation Command’s global transportation network programs.

Erik S. Hopkins serves as professional staff member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee with responsibilities that include IT, cybersecurity and records management for the Federal Financial Management Subcommittee, which Sen. Tom Carper, (D-Del.) leads. Hopkins has been the lead staff member for several subcommittee hearings that exposed wasteful IT investments and inadequate information-security policies and practices within agencies.

Hopkins received both his bachelor’s degree in international relations and his master’s degree in public administration from the University of Delaware. During his academic career, Hopkins conducted his research on developing strategic economic development policies for the state of Delaware that enhanced workforce development and invested in emerging biotechnology industries.

Colleen Coggins is chief architect for the Department of the Interior and as such, responsible for the Interior’s Enterprise Architecture (EA) Program. The program was designed to develop and implement take-action modernization blueprints using the Methodology for Business Transformation.

Coggins has lead the development of modernization blueprints for key Interior lines of businesses that define a roadmap for decreasing redundant systems, enhancing data sharing, and incorporating proven state-of-the-art technologies while reducing costs and improving services to the end citizen and Interior’s business partners.

Prior to her current role as chief architect, Coggins served as chief architect for the Bureau of Land Management.

Coggins has a bachelor’s degree in engineering and a master’s degree in computer systems management. She is also a certified enterprise architect from the FEAC Institute.

In 2009, National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Matthew P. Barrett was awarded the Gold Medal Award by the U.S. Department of Commerce for significantly improving U.S. computer security by creating the Security Content Automation Protocol and the National Vulnerability Database (SCAP).

As the agency’s IT specialist, Barrett heads the team that operates SCAP, the National Vulnerability Database, the National Checklist Program and the SCAP Laboratory Accreditation program. His other SCAP efforts include coordinating the interagency security automation agenda, which integrates and implements SCAP governmentwide

Barrett has also been working with OMB, Microsoft and other agencies to develop a secure configuration for government PCs.

Karen Scarfone is a computer scientist and project manager for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Her role is to oversee the development of system and network-security publications for federal civilian agencies and the public. Scarfone also conducts  security research and has written numerous publications on the topic.

Scarfone has worked in IT for almost 20 years of which a decade was dedicated to information security. Her security domains include general security engineering and administration, wired and wireless network security, host security, incident response, intrusion detection, log management, and vulnerability measurement.

Scarfore has a bachelor’s degree in computer science from University of Wisconsin-Parkside and a master’s degree in computer science from University of Idaho.

Janice Nall is director of the division of e-health marketing at the National Center for Health Marketing, where she leads the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s communication technology efforts. She is responsible for managing Web portals and other e-health and new-media initiatives.

Nall is the former manager of the Usability Solutions Group at the General Services Administration. Her work there helped increase the usability of U.S. government Web sites and other communication technologies by providing federal Web developers and communicators with policy, guidance, tools, resources and training. Nall was also involved in the development of a cross–agency usability program that included the Usability University program and the U–Group e-newsletter.

Prior to joining GSA, Nall served as chief of the communication technologies branch for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Cancer Institute (NCI) in the National Institutes of Health. Her responsibilities included usability, accessibility, emerging technologies, graphic design, and other user-interface issues for NCI’s communication-technology products and services.

Tom Clark is the Coast Guard’s network architect and senior network engineer who constructed the agency’s IT architecture so it could transition to OneNet–the Homeland Security Department’s common IP network. Clark also identified a problem with the agency’s antivirus update servers and implemented a strategy to permanently remedy the issue.

David Ausefski is the associate director of shared services at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Information Technology Services Office. He was involved in enforcing the Federal Desktop Core Configuration, which entailed setting security controls on more than 23,000 computers, including those essential to CDC scientific labs. He also implemented agency laptop encryption and accountable asset inventory, which has strengthened the IT security defenses at CDC. 

Barbara Hoffman has served as the Department of the Navy’s principal deputy chief information officer since Dec. 6, 2009. Her duties include overseeing, managing and providing strategic guidance for everyday information management and IT activities of the DON CIO staff. She also manages all DON CIO functional teams, including enterprise architecture, emerging technology, and cybersecurity.

Hoffman is also director of investment management for the DON CIO with duties such as portfolio management, development of functional area managers’ architectures, Clinger-Cohen Act confirmation, and IT inquiries from Congress.

Before her role as principal deputy CIO, Hoffman served as director of operations and was responsible for personnel management, comptroller management, facilities management, security requirements, internal and external communication, and contract oversight.

Prior to being director of operations, Hoffman held various leadership roles in the e-business and e-government areas.

Hoffman is the recipient of the DON Meritorious Civilian Service Award in 2006, the Government Computer News IT Leader Award in 2006, and a 2009 winner of the Federal 100 Award. She earned her bachelor’s degree in technology management from the University of Maryland and her master’s degree in management and technology from George Mason University. She is also a graduate of the Federal Women’s Executive Leadership Program.

Kenneth Allen joined the American Council for Technology & Industry Advisory Council in 2005 as its executive director. Before coming to ACT – IAC, he served as executive director of the Partnership for Public Warning (PPW) and CEO of the National Newspaper Association (NNA).

Prior to NNA, he spent 10 years with the Information Industry Association (IIA) as senior vice president for government relations. He played a major role in the enactment of landmark IT legislation, including the Computer Security Act and Electronic Communications Privacy Act.  As IIA president, he provided leadership for the Global Alliance of Information Industry Associations.

Prior to his work in nonprofit, Allen was a senior staff member in the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs at the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. His responsibilities included overseeing the acquisition and management of government IT resources and administration of the Privacy Act of 1974.

Allen holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Illinois and a master’s degree in management and administration from George Washington University.