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Executive Mosaic Unveils Air Force CIO Lauren Knausenberger as 2022 Wash100 Popular Vote Winner
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Executive Mosaic Unveils Air Force CIO Lauren Knausenberger as 2022 Wash100 Popular Vote Winner

Executive Mosaic is thrilled to name Lauren Knausenberger, chief information officer of the Department of the Air Force, as the winner of the 2022 Wash100 voting contest. EM, the industry-leader in forming connections between and reporting on the most prominent names in government contracting, government and related fields, has been compiling and celebrating the top 100 DMV executives annually for the last nine years.

Knausenberger now joins the esteemed company of prior-year popular vote winners Stacey Dixon, Deputy Director of National Intelligence and Scott McIntyre, CEO of Guidehouse. In a year of tough competition that netted north of 3,000 votes, Knausenberger received 1,100 nods to clinch her win.

It is Knausenberger’s second year of recognition among the Wash100. In 2021’s vote tally, she came in second behind Dixon.

The Air Force executive’s triumph and the widespread respect it signals are due to her career accomplishments supporting the Department of Defense’s Joint All-Domain Command and Control endeavors through IT innovation and a continual openness to new technological strategies.

“It was an honor to be recognized with the Wash100 Award among such incredible colleagues,” Knausenberger commented via LinkedIn. “It warms my heart that so many people took the time to join in the fun for the popular vote and to see such a strong cyber showing in the top 10 with myself, Robert Skinner and Gen Nakasone, and our fearless leader Sec Austin, all finishing strong. Also, congrats to Tonya Wilkerson from NGA and industry members Clara Conti, Amy Gilliland, Mary Petryszyn, Phebe Novakovic, and Craig Abod for rounding out the top 10!”

Immediately flanking Knausenberger in the 2022 Wash100 vote rankings were Amy Gilliland, president of General Dynamics Information Technology and Clara Conti, vice president and general manager of public sector affairs at Red Hat, who tied for second place. Gilliland and Conti took in just 46 fewer votes each than Knausenberger.

Executive Mosaic and its partners would like to thank every voter, reader and member of the GovCon community who followed along and participated in this year’s Wash100 rollout. This is a tradition that will continue proudly for years to come.

Be sure to visit Wash100.com to familiarize yourself with all of the worthy and ambitious candidates in the full list of 100 GovCon, government and industry leaders nominated in 2022. While browsing, you may also investigate every individual who has been recognized over the last near-decade.

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DOD Kicks Off 5G Smart Warehousing Project at Naval Base Coronado
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DOD Kicks Off 5G Smart Warehousing Project at Naval Base Coronado

The Department of Defense has launched the 5G Smart Warehousing project at Naval Base Coronado in an effort to capitalize on 5G-enabled capabilities to streamline naval logistic operations.

DOD said Monday its 5G-NextG Initiative within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering collaborated with Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific, Naval Supply Systems Command, Navy Region Southwest, Naval Base Coronado and industry partners to develop the project demonstrating the use of 5G to support trans-shipments between shore facilities and naval units.

The transportation and storage of materiel and supplies, as well as their identification, recording, organization and retrieval, are some of the warehouse operations that the initiative looks to enhance.

“As one of the first sites funded to test this technology for the U.S. military, we will help map 5G development and DoD strategies moving into the future,” said Captain Timothy Brown, commanding officer, Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center San Diego.

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KBR-Elbit Systems Partnership to Help UK Military Test Electric Aircraft
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KBR-Elbit Systems Partnership to Help UK Military Test Electric Aircraft

A joint venture between KBR and Elbit Systems has pitched an eco-friendly flight concept to the U.K. defense ministry and initiated a program to demonstrate the proposed sustainable option for military aviation.

The Affinity Capital Works JV is using a two-seater Velis Electro trainer aircraft for the trials aimed at helping the British air force assess electronic-powered airplane technology, KBR said Monday.

Up to 20 airmen at the Royal Air Force Cranwell station in England will fly the vehicle in the coming months as part of Affinity’s test series.

RAF plans to examine the potential impacts of electric technology on flight and ground operations, infrastructure and logistics activity.

Affinity worked with the U.K. civil aviation authority last year to develop flight and safety assurance procedures to be used in the demonstration.

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Microsoft, Naval Postgraduate School Partner on Commercial Technology Research Projects; Aaron Weis Quoted
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Microsoft, Naval Postgraduate School Partner on Commercial Technology Research Projects; Aaron Weis Quoted

The Naval Postgraduate School has signed a cooperative research and development agreement with Microsoft to assess the potential military applications of commercial technologies.

The U.S. Navy said Monday the partnership will collaborate on technology research projects to determine the possibility of using new technologies to support warfighting and national security initiatives.

The joint research projects between NPS and Microsoft will examine operational uses of intelligent edge computing and cloud-enhanced networks; identify ways to incorporate gaming, exercising, modeling and simulation into command decision-making; and develop smart campus in Monterey.

Aaron Weis, chief information officer of the Department of the Navy and a three-time Wash100 Award, said DON works to find new ways to advance the operational capabilities of its components through research and development.

“This agreement between NPS and Microsoft takes that initiative to the next level, creating a defined cooperative research collaboration between a global tech giant and the capabilities it brings to bear, with the Navy’s leading science and technological university, where operationalizing innovation is core to their mission,” Weis added.

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DOE Lab Develops Satellite-Supercomputer Link System
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DOE Lab Develops Satellite-Supercomputer Link System

The Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory has built a satellite terminal designed to collect and connect satellite data to a high-performance computing facility.

ORNL said Monday it aims to finish the installation of the supercomputer-powered ground station this summer to support the transmission of imagery for automated detection of changes on the Earth’s surface.

The lab expects the new system to help government and industry partners downlink data from S-band and ultra-high-frequency satellites directly to ORNL’s supercomputing hub.

Researchers could use the HPC machine to analyze satellite data for use in emergency response and disaster relief missions. A Battelle-University of Tennessee partnership manages and operates ORNL.

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Melissa DeLuca Joins USAF Kessel Run as Chief of Contracts
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Melissa DeLuca Joins USAF Kessel Run as Chief of Contracts

Melissa DeLuca, who has been with the U.S. Air Force for more than a decade, has been named chief of contracts at the service’s Kessel Run software development unit.

Prior to joining Kessel Run, DeLuca served as contracting technical director for the program executive office digital.

She also held the roles of contracting branch chief for Kessel Run, contracting officer, senior contract cost and price analyst and contract specialist.

Before her move to the Air Force, DeLuca was survivor services case manager at Fidelity Investments.

Kessel Run, also known as Detachment 12 within the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, develops, tests, maintains and operates cloud-based infrastructure and software applications designed to deliver warfighting capabilities to U.S. airmen across the globe. The detachment is headquartered at Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts.

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OMB Releases Guidance on Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Implementation
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OMB Releases Guidance on Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Implementation

The Office of Management and Budget has issued guidance directing agencies to designate a senior accountable official and an implementation coordinator to oversee a cross-functional team and processes needed to implement the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

OMB said Friday agency experts that should take part in cross-functional agency infrastructure implementation teams include chief information officers, chief information security officers, chief data officers, chief acquisition officers and chief financial officers.

The document also directs agencies to designate rural desk officers to support rural communities in accessing federal funding and assign a team to work with territorial governments to provide coordination between territorial governments and the agency.

The OMB guidance document also outlines steps to achieve effective stewardship and implementation of the law, including the development of program implementation plans and reducing administrative burden and providing technical assistance.

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David Ferriero on NARA’s Shift to Electronic Recordkeeping
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David Ferriero on NARA’s Shift to Electronic Recordkeeping

David Ferriero, most recently archivist of the U.S. and head of the National Archives and Records Administration, said NARA has made accomplishments in the past decade and one of those is getting the attention of the White House when it comes to implementing electronic record-keeping.

“We were fortunate that President Obama, in his Open Government Initiative, recognized the importance of good record-keeping for open government and transparency,” Ferriero told National Archives News in an interview published Friday.

“But that has set the tone for the shift from paper to electronic recordkeeping, which is underway now,” he added.

Another accomplishment he cited is the involvement of the public in transcribing records as part of the Citizen Archivist program.

“We’ve got people all over the world who are helping us transcribe records, tagging records. … So those kinds of activities—involving the public in our work—is another thing I would point to in terms of accomplishments. . . . [And] it’s become a model for other institutions; the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian, lots of libraries around the country are providing those kinds of tagging opportunities to involve the public in their work,” Ferriero said.

He also discussed the agency’s focus on culture and efforts to improve the quality of the work environment as part of its transformation work.

Ferriero retired from NARA last week after 12 years of leadership and the agency appointed Deputy Archivist Debra Steidel Wall to perform his duties on an acting capacity.

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SkyePoint Transitions Eric Shaw to Chief Growth Officer; Frank Sturek Quoted
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SkyePoint Transitions Eric Shaw to Chief Growth Officer; Frank Sturek Quoted

Information technology services provider SkyePoint Decisions has elevated Eric Shaw from his prior position as capture director to the company’s chief growth officer.

In his new position, Shaw will identify growth opportunities and build on the company’s name recognition in the cybersecurity and risk management markets, the Dulles, Virginia-based company said Monday.

“[Shaw] is an accomplished Business Development and Capture professional, and a trusted leader in our organization…no one is more ready for this challenge than Eric,” commented SkyePoint Decisions President Frank Sturek.

The promoted executive has gathered experience as capture manager at Constellis, where he helped the company secure contracts valued from $10 million to over $1 billion from various Department of Defense agencies.

He was also a senior consultant at CGI Federal, where he honed his skills in developing win strategies, competitive analysis and teaming strategies and agreements, as well as contract award pursuits across the full lifecycle.

Before coming to SkyePoint, Shaw was director of capture and proposals at Axiologic Solutions LLC, where he oversaw corporate accounts with the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command and federal civilian agencies such as the Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security and the General Services Administration.

Shaw will utilize this career work in order to help SkyePoint deepen its relationship with federal government clientele. He will additionally work to establish a methodical strategy to achieve the revenue and outreach goals the company has set in place.

The new chief growth officer cited the company’s shared “common vision and goals” as key aspects of SkyePoint’s culture.

“It’s an incredible honor to be part of the leadership team that sets the tempo. I look forward to my new role,” Shaw resolved.

The promotion of Shaw follows SkyePoint’s April elevation of former chief solutions officer Jason Weaver to the position of chief technology officer. Weaver and Shaw will surely collaborate closely in their new jobs.

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George Mason University Center for Government Contracting Publishes ‘Implementing Responsible AI’ White Paper; GovCon Expert Jerry McGinn Quoted
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George Mason University Center for Government Contracting Publishes ‘Implementing Responsible AI’ White Paper; GovCon Expert Jerry McGinn Quoted

George Mason University’s Center for Government Contracting released its latest white paper, “Implementing Responsible AI: Proposed Framework for Data Licensing” on Friday to improve the licensing strategies required to better address the unique challenges of acquiring AI solutions.

“Data licensing agreements are critical and Andrew and Ben have developed an excellent framework for crafting custom use licenses that will help drive successful AI projects for government and industry,” said GovCon Expert Jerry McGinn, the Center’s Executive Director and a 2022 Wash100 Award winner.

The white paper was written by the following authors:

Benjamin McMartin, Esq., senior fellow with GMU’s Center for Government Contracting

Major Andrew Bowne, Chief Legal Counsel for the Department of the Air Force / AI Accelerator with MIT

In the latest white paper, McMartin and Bowne provide a practical framework that integrates cutting-edge AI solutions and adheres to Responsible AI principles, which includes use cases to demonstrate how custom data licenses can balance the need for access and use of data and software for RAI purposes against industry partners’ desire to protect their IP and maintain standardized commercial licensing practices.

Recently, the Center for Government Contracting also released a playbook that explores the necessary changes in acquisition approach and mindset to ensure that the defense acquisition system can maintain its advantage for the U.S. in the global space.

According to the report, the first three plays enable iteration and modularity needed to advance the next three plays that apply to contracts with software-intensive content. These software-intensive plays are agile work statements, modular contracts and intellectual property.

“We worked to identify the practices that acquisition professionals and their industry counterparts can use now to innovate, iterate, scale, and field effective military capabilities for United States forces,” GovCon Expert Jerry McGinn explained. “Many of these practices are being used in programs, but widespread adoption will help drive culture change across the acquisition community.”

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