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DOE Solicits Ideas to Ensure Grid Tech Supply With Defense Production Act Authority
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DOE Solicits Ideas to Ensure Grid Tech Supply With Defense Production Act Authority

The Department of Energy has issued a request for information to seek public input on using the Defense Production Act to boost technology supply chains, foster clean energy and ensure grid reliability.

The RFI notice comes four months after President Biden allowed DOE to invoke the DPA to expedite domestic manufacturing of clean energy systems such as solar panels, the department said Monday.

The Biden administration is working to strengthen the country’s energy resilience in the wake of global events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s war on Ukraine, which have disrupted the U.S. energy supply chains and even affected national defense.

DOE is soliciting ideas from industry and public sector stakeholders on how to apply legal authority to address challenges and opportunities in technology supply chains, domestic manufacturing processes in businesses of all sizes, U.S. workforce investment and socioeconomic accessibility of clean energy.

The deadline for submission is on Nov. 30.

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FAA Opens Application Anew for Recreational Drone Test Administrators
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FAA Opens Application Anew for Recreational Drone Test Administrators

The Federal Aviation Administration is on the hunt for more entities to facilitate The Recreational UAS Safety Test as it aims to make the assessment accessible to all recreational drone flyers and ensure proper knowledge and handling of drone operations. 

FAA opened the second round of applications for administrators of recreational drone testing and encouraged those connected with recreational pilots such as educational institutions, manufacturers and aeromodelling firms to apply, the agency said Monday. 

Interested individuals may submit their applications by Nov. 11. The FAA will announce new test administrators in March 2023. 

Under the law, all recreational unmanned aerial system flyers must pass an aeronautical knowledge and safety test. 

Through TRUST, the recreational flyer’s understanding of aeronautical safety knowledge and rules for operating drones will be assessed. Since June 2021, TRUST has been administered as an online test. 

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Stephanie Nguyen Becomes Full-Time Federal Trade Commission CTO
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Stephanie Nguyen Becomes Full-Time Federal Trade Commission CTO

Stephanie Nguyen has been appointed chief technology officer at the Federal Trade Commission after holding the role on an acting basis for one year.

FTC Chair Lina Khan made the announcement on Monday, saying Nguyen’s permanent designation will help the agency keep up with the latest technological developments.

Nguyen previously worked at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a research scientist and at the U.S. Digital Service.

She has more than 10 years of experience in technical product and service development projects in areas such as human-computer interaction and user experience.

In the same announcement, FTC said communications professional Douglas Farrar joined the agency as director of public affairs. He is a former vice president of communications and strategy at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a U.S. House of Representatives legislative aide.

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Space Development Agency Joins Space Force Team; Director Derek Tournear Quoted
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Space Development Agency Joins Space Force Team; Director Derek Tournear Quoted

The U.S. Space Force officially took the Space Development Agency under its wings, in line with a Congress-mandated realignment initiative in the National Defense Authorization Act.

USSF said Saturday the agency responsible for rapid space capability delivery will now report to the Chief of Space Operations for all other matters and the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration for acquisition efforts.

“SDA’s proliferated low Earth orbit constellation, as an integral part of the Space Force’s force design, brings resiliency, accelerated capability delivery through spiral development, and rapid technology refresh,” said Frank Calvelli, ASAF/SQ.

He added that the agency would retain its structure and culture.

“As we transfer to the U.S. Space Force, SDA looks forward to continuing our important work on the National Defense Space Architecture, which will deliver critical space-based capabilities to the joint warfighter,” said Derek Tournear, SDA director and previous Wash100 Award recipient.

Originally, SDA was under the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, functioning as an independent defense agency that was expected to join the Space Force team. It was established in March 2019.

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Guidehouse Strengthens Financial Services, IT Offerings With Grant Thornton Acquisition; CEO Scott McIntyre Quoted
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Guidehouse Strengthens Financial Services, IT Offerings With Grant Thornton Acquisition; CEO Scott McIntyre Quoted

Consulting firm Guidehouse has concluded its transaction to acquire the public sector advisory business of Grant Thornton LLP.

With the acquisition, Guidehouse adds new expertise and capabilities in financial services, human-capital management and information technology, among other focus areas, the McLean, Virginia-based company said Monday.

Six-time Wash100 Award winner Scott McIntyre, CEO of Guidehouse, asserted that the business combination of Guidehouse and Grant Thornton Public Sector Advisory will yield growth, a more robust line of defense for customers against their most pressing challenges and embolden the company’s aim to seek the realization of new strategic possibilities.

Guidehouse’s intent to acquire the Grant Thornton business was made public in late August. Guidehouse, in turn, operates under the umbrella of Veritas Capital. Veritas CEO and managing partner Ramzi Musallam commented that the new acquisition deal means securing the firm’s status as a harbor of “best-in-class talent, unmatched experience” along with a deep bench of capabilities.

Musallam, who is a seven-time Wash100 Award recipient, additionally noted that Guidehouse is a rapidly expanding enterprise — a fact confirmed by a Consulting Magazine recognition in September — that has logged significant organic and inorganic growth over the last few years.

The firm “is now even better positioned to serve clients and drive lasting value for all stakeholders,” Musallam continued.

Service areas strengthened by the Grant Thornton buy also include data analytics, performance management, as well as energy, health, national security and defense.

Baird was the financial advisor for Guidehouse and Veritas, while Deutsche Bank Securities advised Grant Thornton on financial matters. Milbank LLP and Covington & Burling LLP were the legal team helping Guidehouse and Veritas and Morrison & Foerster LLP and Akerman LLP assisted Grant Thornton on the legal side.

Guidehouse’s latest acquisition comes on the heels of the August announcement of the completion of its purchase and integration of Dovel Technologies. This addition prompted the creation of a new practice called Guidehouse Digital, which concentrates on digital transformation and digital experience enhancement.

The firm also announced restructuring moves — namely, combining its defense and national security divisions — and leadership shifts, such as the appointment of Ed Meehan as chief growth officer, in August.

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DOE Solicits Comments on Draft Guidance for Civil Nuclear Credit Program Application
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DOE Solicits Comments on Draft Guidance for Civil Nuclear Credit Program Application

The Department of Energy is the public to comment on draft guidance for the application for the second award cycle of a Bipartisan Infrastructure Law-funded program to prevent the premature retirement of U.S. nuclear reactors.

The $6 billion Civil Nuclear Credit aims to ensure the continued operations of nuclear reactors across the country in support of the Biden administration’s goal to achieve 100 percent clean electricity by 2035, DOE said Friday.

The draft guidance outlines the timelines, deliverables and supporting information needed from nuclear power reactor owners and operators eligible to apply to the program.

The second award cycle prioritizes nuclear power reactors estimated to shut down within the four years due to economic circumstances. Comments on the draft guidance are due Nov. 4.

“The President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law recognizes the contributions of our nation’s existing nuclear reactor fleet in providing reliable, clean power to millions of households and supporting nearly half a million U.S. jobs,” said Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.

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Andrea Norris to Retire as NIH CIO, Center for Information Technology Director
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Andrea Norris to Retire as NIH CIO, Center for Information Technology Director

Andrea Norris, a more than 10-year veteran at the National Institutes of Health, is retiring from her dual role as chief information officer and director of the Center for Information Technology at NIH on Dec. 31.

Lawrence Tabak, acting director of NIH, said in a statement posted Thursday Norris is responsible for overseeing the agency’s $1.6 billion technology portfolio supporting the research of 27 institutes and centers, as well as university and medical researchers receiving funding support.

“NIH has benefited greatly from Andrea’s rich knowledge in strategic planning, business management and technology,” Tabak said.

According to Tabak, Norris established the NIH Science and Technology Research Infrastructure for Discovery, Experimentation and Sustainability program that played a key role in facilitating the adoption of cloud computing among biomedical researchers.

“She also led the expansion of Biowulf, which is ranked as one of the top supercomputers in the world devoted exclusively to biomedical research and is NIH’s high-performance computing environment used by researchers at NIH,” Tabak added.

Norris previously served as CIO and director of the Division of Information Systems at the National Science Foundation and deputy CIO for management at NASA.

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FinCEN Issues Final Rule for Beneficial Ownership Information Reporting Requirement; Janet Yellen Quoted
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FinCEN Issues Final Rule for Beneficial Ownership Information Reporting Requirement; Janet Yellen Quoted

The Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network has issued a final rule requiring certain entities to report information about their beneficial owners to the agency to increase transparency in the U.S. financial system.

The final rule will take effect on Jan. 1, 2024, and implement the Corporate Transparency Act, which requires the disclosure of corporate ownership to help prevent money laundering and other illicit financial activities, FinCEN said Thursday.

In a separate statement, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the final rule builds on years of bipartisan work by Congress, the government and other stakeholders to enhance corporate transparency.

“It will help strengthen our national security by making it more difficult for oligarchs, terrorists, and other global threats to use complex legal structures to launder money, traffic humans and drugs, and commit other crimes that threaten harm to the American people,” Yellen said.

Existing companies will have until Jan. 1, 2025, to file their initial reports while companies created or registered after the rule’s implementation will have 30 days after creation or registration to identify and report beneficial owner information.

FinCEN also plans to establish rules to protect beneficial ownership information and revise its customer due diligence rule to implement the CTA.

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ManTech Selects Matt Tait as New CEO; Kevin Phillips Appointed Chairman
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ManTech Selects Matt Tait as New CEO; Kevin Phillips Appointed Chairman

Established government contracting executive Matt Tait has been appointed CEO and president of defense technology firm ManTech, effective immediately.

Tait has also been voted to ManTech’s board of directors and, in his new role, succeeds the retiring Kevin Phillips, a six-time recipient of the Wash100 Award who has been with the company for 17 years, the Herndon, Virginia-based company said Monday.

“I am honored to assume the CEO role and am energized by the opportunities to advance our leadership position and deliver even stronger outcomes for our customers,” commented Tait.

The executive is a U.S. Navy veteran who, after serving for nearly a decade, transitioned to the private sector to work for Accenture, where he held a number of positions of increasing responsibility — including director of marketing and business operations portfolios as well as senior managing director — for 20 years. At Accenture, Tait oversaw and directed impactful information technology transformations for federal civilian, intelligence and defense community clientele.

At ManTech, where Tait has spent the last four years, the newly promoted leader first served as president of the mission solutions and services group, which saw him reconfiguring and strengthening the company’s national defense, security and federal civilian-aimed services. For the last two years, he has been chief operating officer, in charge of facilitating international business processes and approaches so that the organization can stay current and attuned to the market’s changing needs.

“Matt has been an integral member of our leadership team and my partner over the last four years in developing and executing our strategic plans,” remarked Phillips.

Phillips will stay on with the company as chairman of the board. He emphasized his gratitude for the prosperous years he led the company and predicted that the company will endure continued success under Tait’s leadership.

The leadership changes at ManTech arrive shortly after the company’s acquisition by Carlyle was finalized in September. Now that the sale is complete, ManTech is a private company once again, following a 20-year stint as a public company.

The new organizational shifts additionally include a newly instated board of directors. The complete member list is as follows: Chairman Kevin Phillips; Carlyle Managing Directors Dayne Baird, Brian Bernasek and Ian Fujiyama; Bush International President Mary Bush; former National Security Agency Director of Operations Jonathan Darpy; former Central Intelligence Agency Deputy Director of Operations Beth Kimber; AUSA Deputy Chairman Tom Rabaut; former President of ManTech Mission, Cyber and Intelligence Solutions Group William Varner; and Tait.

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NASA-USGS Earth Mapping Experiment to Use Hyperspectral Imaging Tech
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NASA-USGS Earth Mapping Experiment to Use Hyperspectral Imaging Tech

NASA has teamed up with the U.S. Geological Survey for a five-year, $16 million research project that will use airborne hyperspectral imaging technology to map critical minerals and study their impact on climate change.

The partnership will equip the Earth Resources-2 and Gulfstream V aircraft platforms with the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer and Hyperspectral Thermal Emission Spectrometer for the Geological Earth Mapping Experiment, the space agency said Friday.

Both planes will work to collect data on surface minerals in California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and other arid and semi-arid regions in the country.

Scientists will rely on wavelengths of reflected light to map primary rock-forming minerals and observe mineral weathering or alteration.

GEMx expands on the space agency’s Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation, whose mission is to study the effect of mineral dust on the heating and cooling of the planet.

“This project builds on our 60-year legacy, and can show us where to look for the resources that support our transition to a clean energy economy,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson explained. 

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