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Biden Administration Expands Responsible AI Development & Implementation Efforts With 3 New Actions
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Biden Administration Expands Responsible AI Development & Implementation Efforts With 3 New Actions

The Biden-Harris Administration has taken three new steps to promote proper risk management when researching, developing and deploying responsible AI.

In doing so, the administration has updated its AI research and development roadmap, emphasized public opinion on the technology and created a report on the subject, the White House announced on Tuesday.

As part of these efforts, the Office of Science and Technology Policy modified its National AI R&D Strategic Plan, a document which lays out objectives for federal investments in AI R&D, for the first time since 2019. The roadmap, which focuses on responsible AI and its implications, was created by federal officials with the consideration of public feedback.

Supplementing these revisions is an additional request for public input regarding concerns and expectations for AI implementation. Specific areas of attention include standards and regulations, national security, equity and civil rights, democracy and economic development, among others.

Alongside these steps, the Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology issued its Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Teaching and Learning: Insights and Recommendations report, which highlights potential risks and benefits of incorporating AI into educational scenarios.

The White House will also host a listening session with workers from a diverse array of sectors, honoring its commitment to encouraging public participation in AI standards development. The event will allow participants to share their experiences with employers’ use of automated tools for surveillance, monitoring, evaluation and management.

These actions are a continuation of the administration’s previous work to drive responsible AI innovation, which includes the Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights, the AI Risk Management Framework and a plan to establish a National AI Research Resource.

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Vice Adm. Frank Whitworth: GEOINT to Ramp Up & be Persistent for Next 20 Years
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Vice Adm. Frank Whitworth: GEOINT to Ramp Up & be Persistent for Next 20 Years

The collection of geospatial intelligence could become a persistent and global practice in the next two decades, says Vice Adm. Frank Whitworth, director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

In a speech at the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation’s GEOINT 2023 Symposium, Whitworth provided updates on NGA’s accomplishments in the past year, as well as changes in the geospatial community and GEOINT tradecraft moving forward.

He emphasized the agency’s new mission and end state, which is to achieve “GEOINT Supremacy.” Part of their initiatives to accomplish such a goal is the realignment of the GEOINT Functional Management Directorate to streamline and integrate operations. The vice admiral is a two-time Wash100 Award winner.

NGA is also helping the country gain strategic advantage over China and Russia, Whitworth said. He highlighted the agency’s analyses of the Taiwan Strait, a key territory in the tension between China and Taiwan. In the Ukraine war, NGA is providing information on the movements, capabilities and infrastructure of Russian forces.

The agency’s technologies are not only used for national security, but has been benefitting countries needing humanitarian aid, Whitworth explained. It provided satellite imagery of medical facilities and rescue helicopter landing zones following the 6.8 magnitude earthquake in Ecuador, as well as the wildfires in Chile.

Whitworth mentioned the significant technological progress made in Project Maven, which was transferred by the Department of Defense to NGA’s jurisdiction. Maven models have begun operating in multiple machine learning platforms, and enhancements have been made in target fidelity and geolocation accuracy, he elaborated.

“The way ahead for the next 20 years has everything to do with our ability to manage the coming onslaught of data,” said Whitworth. “We need to be able to quickly and accurately create order from chaos. So, we greatly welcome collaboration with those who can contribute in that arena. Our past and present have been remarkable; our future requires us to be bold and ambitious — and always, always — out front.”

ManTech Co-Founder George Pedersen Passes at 87
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ManTech Co-Founder George Pedersen Passes at 87

Executive Mosaic honors the remarkable legacy of ManTech Co-Founder George Pedersen, a lifelong leader, entrepreneur and patriot with a noteworthy commitment to supporting the federal government.

Founded in 1968, ManTech’s presence in the government contracting field was shaped by Pedersen’s values, which include leading by example and uplifting his team, as well as his enduring dedication to the company’s mission, the McLean, Virginia-based company said Tuesday.

“All of us at ManTech are deeply saddened by George’s passing. He was an early founder in our industry as well as a leader in the growth of the Greater Washington, D.C. region,” said Kevin Phillips, chairman of ManTech’s board and a six-time Wash100 Award winner.

“He was gifted in business, an adaptive and decisive leader and most of all committed to the missions that helped secure the lives and liberties of our nation’s citizens,” Phillips added.

Pedersen’s guidance led ManTech through tremendous growth throughout its more than 50 years in business. At its establishment, ManTech held just one contract from the U.S. Navy, and since then, it has conducted over 25 significant acquisitions, increased its revenue to $2.2 billion annually and cultivated a workforce of 9,400 employees.

Phillips highlighted the strength of Pedersen’s compassion and care for the ManTech team. Pedersen, said Phillips, never gave up on someone or something he believed in.

Matt Tait, CEO and president of ManTech and a 2023 Wash100 Award winner, noted that along with being a skilled entrepreneur, Pedersen was also a kind individual who played a key role in molding the company’s present character.

Tait emphasized that Pedersen’s history of service, sacrifice and mission success will be remembered and “remain a bedrock” at ManTech and the wider GovCon community.

“We will miss him, but his legacy will continue within ManTech and in our continued support of our nation,” said Phillips.

Top 7 Marketing Executives of Healthcare Solutions Companies
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Marketing plays a huge role in the growth of the healthcare industry. As healthcare marketing executives continue to devise unique marketing strategies, the healthcare solutions sector will continue to stay competitive and produce high-quality health services that will benefit everyone. From consulting or software services, here are the top marketing executives of healthcare solutions companies.

1. Bill Beck, Chief Marketing Officer at Elevance Health

Bill Beck

Photo from Elevance Health Official Website

Industry veteran Bill Beck is the Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President at Elevance Health. He joined in June 2019 and has since assumed a broad scope of marketing responsibilities for brand building, business growth, and strategy development for its products and services.

Beck’s marketing leadership also covers Elevance Health’s affiliates, divisions, and specialty companies, including Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Wellpoint, Carelon, and more. His marketing command focuses on improving customer experience and health outcomes for employers, individuals, families, and communities.

Before joining Elevance Health, Beck was with Whirlpool Corporation, where he served in multiple senior leadership roles for different divisions and sectors of the company. Previously, he was with Pepperidge Farm, where he built his career in marketing and held increasing responsibilities in middle management to one of its top marketing executives.

2. Matt Maurer, Chief Marketing Officer at ICF

Matt Maurer

Photo from ICF Official Website

Chief Marketing Officer Matt Maurer manages the marketing activities of ICF‘s various industries. He has led all internal and external communications, brand management, digital, PR, executive communications, sales operations, and other marketing-related enterprises of the company since November 2016.

Before joining ICF, Maurer served as the Vice President of Corporate Communications at Opower for over two years. Other previous roles he held include Communications executive at Blackboard, Managing Director, Media Relations and Public Affairs at CommunicationWorks, LLC, and Senior Fellow at Widmeyer Communications. 

Maurer’s range of trusted experiences in marketing and demand generation has been proven essential to ICF’s consulting business for industries, including federal health, the public sector, and more. His more than two decades of experience in communications have placed him as one of the top marketing executives in the healthcare consulting business.

3. Michael Park, Chief Marketing Officer at ServiceNow

Michael Park

Photo from ServiceNow Official Website

Michael Park manages all marketing activities of ServiceNow, a software company aimed to streamline digital workflow across enterprises such as healthcare, retail, financial services, and more. His core responsibilities include conceptualizing brand strategy, purpose, targeting, message solution, and customer value.

As a veteran with over two decades of experience, Park provides marketing expertise to ServiceNow, including P&L management, product, and go-to-market. Before assuming his current position as the Chief Marketing Officer in January 2022, he was the company’s Senior Vice President of Product, Solutions & Digital Marketing.

Previously, Park served as the Chief Product & Marketing Officer at EagleView. He had increasing responsibilities for big software companies, such as IBM, HP, Microsoft, SAP, Siebel Systems, and P&G. Throughout his career, he has served in product management and marketing positions, making him a sought-after marketing executive in the field.

4. Tracy Francis, Chief Marketing Officer at McKinsey & Company

Tracy Francis

Photo from McKinsey & Company Official Website

Tracy Francis is the Chief Marketing Officer and a Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company. Under her purview are aspects of the business concerning global strategies, communications, brand reputation, engagements, digital marketing, and other company marketing initiatives. Her expertise covers healthcare, operations, retail, life sciences, consumer products, and more.

One of Francis’s primary responsibilities includes leading McKinsey & Company’s environmental, social, and governance (ESG) efforts. As the company’s ESG leader, Francis creates actionable client services to implement sustainable and inclusive growth. She leads holistic market dynamics, scales digital transformations, and advances development.

Francis joined McKinsey & Company in 1997 and moved to serve in the company’s São Paulo office. During her tenure, she founded Healthcare Practice and headed Consumer Goods Practice in Latin America. Her portfolio and previous experiences focus on different healthcare industry sectors, proving her expertise in the field.

5. Karen Britton, Vice President of Marketing & Communications and Chief Digital Officer at LMI

Kate Britton

Photo from LMI Official Website

 

As the Chief Digital Officer and Vice President of Marketing & Communications at LMI, Kate Britton manages a team responsible for online platforms, branding, external communications, and corporate management. Her leadership focuses on the company’s digital presence and corporate communications.

 

Britton’s defense and healthcare background was established during her work at the Naval Sea Systems Command. Additionally, she worked at the Executive Office of the President, The White House, where she served as the Deputy CIO and Chief Information Officer and the special assistant to President Barack Obama. 

 

Coming to LMI in 2018, Britton served as the Vice President of the Digital Services Division, mainly responsible for advising federal clients about IT roadmaps, enterprise architecture, and digital solutions. Her wide range of experience has been integral to the company’s consulting business, especially in the defense, technology, and healthcare industries.

 

6. Mary Lange, Vice President of Public Relations and Marketing at Carahsoft Technology Corp.

Mary Lange

Photo of Mary Lange at LinkedIn

 

Mary Lange is the Vice President of Public Relations and Marketing at Carahsoft Technology Corporation. She leads the marketing activities of one of the most successful solution providers for federal, state, and local industries, including defense, cybersecurity, education, healthcare, and more.

 

Since joining in 2005, Lange has worked with the executive team to secure government contracts for Carahsoft Technology Corp. Her marketing efforts have made the company one of the fastest-growing providers in its sector. Some agencies she has worked with include the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. General Services Administration.

 

Even before coming to Carahsoft Technology, Lange served in the marketing departments of several companies. Previously, she was the Vice President of Marketing at DLT Solutions and Xacta Corp. Her earlier career included serving as the Manager of Customer Communications at SDRC for over nine years.

 

7. Matt McQueen, Chief Communications & Engagement Officer at Peraton

Matt McQueen

Photo from Peraton Official Website

 

As the Chief Communications & Engagement Officer at Peraton, Matt McQueen handles corporate communications, focusing on customer mission success in the company’s areas of expertise. He manages all engagement activities across company-wide platforms in intelligence, communications, healthcare, and homeland-related industries.

 

For the longest time, McQueen was with Northrop Grumman and had taken on communications and government relations responsibilities for 18 years. He joined Peraton as the Vice President and Chief Communications Officer in December 2017 and was promoted to his current position around May 2021.

 

Aside from serving as a marketing executive at Peraton, McQueen is the company’s senior communications advisor and Chairman of the board of George Mason University’s Honors College. Previously, he was the former Director of Communications at Northrop Grumman’s Cyber and Intelligence Solutions and Space ISR divisions.

 

DOE Spends $187M in Fiscal 2022, 2023 Funding Opportunities on Clean Transportation Projects
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DOE Spends $187M in Fiscal 2022, 2023 Funding Opportunities on Clean Transportation Projects

The Department of Energy is investing a total of $187 million in projects that will advance the Biden administration’s vision of a clean transportation infrastructure.

The agency announced Friday that it has granted $87 million to 45 projects centered on next-generation electric vehicles and supporting technologies, and has earmarked $99.5 million more for funding opportunities.

The 45 projects were chosen for DOE’s fiscal 2022 pipeline, and funded through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. The contracts will be performed in 18 states, with the aim of installing charging stations at multi-family residential properties. Other initiatives include the creation of clean energy jobs and the development of clean energy plans for underserved rural, urban and tribal communities.

The $99.5 million funding opportunity is part of the agency’s Fiscal Year 2023 Advanced Vehicle Technologies program. It will prioritize applicants from underrepresented groups with diversity, equity and inclusion plans incorporated in their proposals. Their projects are expected to reduce costs of EVs and EV charging, as well as provide consumer education in marginalized communities.

DOE is accepting concept papers for the fiscal 2023 grant program until June 26. Final applications will be accepted until Aug. 11.

“The selected projects reflect the Department’s commitment to advancing the clean transportation sector — from expanding convenient charging options, to growing the future workforce and developing the key technologies that will lead to our fully electrified transportation future,” Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said.

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Air Force-Backed Accelerator Opens Applications for AI/ML Program
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Air Force-Backed Accelerator Opens Applications for AI/ML Program

The Air Force Research Laboratory’s Catalyst Accelerator is inviting U.S.-based startup companies and small businesses to participate in its new accelerator program in the fall.

The program announced Friday that it is seeking proposals on the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning in technologies for the U.S. Navy and Space Force.

The Catalyst Space Accelerator is planning to launch its 12th cohort, a three-month accelerator that employs AI/ML in areas such as neuromorphic computing, self-healing algorithms, and automated planning and visualization. Applicants can also focus on mainstream topics such as target recognition, battle damage assessment, threat tracking and planning, and cross domain detection and adaptation.

The organization will host a session on June 21 to answer questions about the project. The deadline for applications is July 5.

US, Partners Announce $275M Investment in Romania’s Small Modular Nuclear Reactor
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US, Partners Announce $275M Investment in Romania’s Small Modular Nuclear Reactor

The U.S., Japan, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates are investing up to $275 million in the development of a small modular nuclear reactor in Romania.

Based on NuScale Power‘s technology, the SMR project will replace a former coal plant in the town of Doicesti with clean nuclear energy, the State Department said Saturday.

The project builds on an ongoing deployment of the NuScale SMR technology at the Carbon Free Power Project in Idaho, which is expected to conclude in 2029.

The public-private support for the Romania SMR project includes a letter of interest from the U.S Export-Import Bank’s Engineering Multiplier Program for up to $99 million.

EXIM and U.S. International Development Finance Corporation also issued letters of interest for up to $3 billion and $1 billion, respectively, in support of project deployment.

The investment is part of the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment, which aims to mobilize $600 billion in public and private resources by 2027.

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Senators Revive Push for Robust Digital Tech Oversight
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Senators Revive Push for Robust Digital Tech Oversight

A bill reintroduced by Sens. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., and Peter Welch, D-Vt., calls for the formation of a regulatory body that would oversee the digital technology market and supplement current federal approaches for promoting market competition and protecting consumers.

The Digital Platform Commission Act, first proposed in May 2022, would give the proposed federal organization authority to implement sector-specific, long-term policies governing social networks and artificial intelligence applications, Bennet’s office said Thursday.

“Technology is moving quicker than Congress could ever hope to keep up with. We need an expert federal agency that can stand up for the American people and ensure AI tools and digital platforms operate in the public interest,” the Democratic lawmaker from Colorado remarked.

According to a CNN report, the original bill was updated to cover AI technology offerings and online services for “content primarily generated by algorithmic processes.”

Navy Forms New Acquisition Cell to Coordinate Crisis Response
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Navy Forms New Acquisition Cell to Coordinate Crisis Response

The U.S. Navy is establishing the Maritime Accelerated Response Capability Cell, which will coordinate and prepare the service’s contingency plan focusing on the war in Ukraine and the potential conflict over Taiwan, Breaking Defense reported Friday.

“The MARCC will initially focus on Ukraine, Taiwan, and contingency support, and will have inherent flexibility to adapt to new conflicts or urgent DOD requirements and tasks,” according to the memo cited by the report.

The cell is slated to primarily facilitate the rapid selection and transfer of the Navy’s capabilities to help allied nations the Pentagon must support during a crisis.

It will also aim to maximize the use of rapid acquisition and contracting authorities and remove barriers to the delivery of capabilities.

The Navy plans to appoint an executive director to head the new acquisition cell, which a board of directors will oversee.

The board will comprise the deputy undersecretary of the Navy for policy, the principal military deputy assistant to the acquisition executive and representatives from the U.S. Marine Corps and the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations.

Pentagon Seeks Authority to Contribute to NATO’s Emerging Technology Accelerator
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Pentagon Seeks Authority to Contribute to NATO’s Emerging Technology Accelerator

The Department of Defense is requesting authority to contribute to NATO’s Defense Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic initiative aimed at accelerating emerging technology development for defense and security applications.

In its proposal sent to Congress, the Pentagon said it is interested in investing $12.5 million in DIANA in fiscal 2024 and $8.8 million annually from FY 2025 to 2028.

The Pentagon said its participation in the initiative would help implement “some important elements of the NATO agenda.”

“Absent new statutory authority enacted as a result of this critical legislative proposal, the United States will not be able to participate in DIANA or other vital successor jointly funded NATO research and development programs or activities.”

Established in 2022, DIANA is a joint-funded program in which member nations decide whether to participate in advancing dual-use technologies, such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, quantum technology and novel materials.

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