Page 34 - FCW, April 15, 2016

MAUREEN CEDRO
BRIG. GEN. WELTON CHASE JR.
DANIEL CHENOK
BETH COBERT
KEVIN CUMMINS
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April 15, 2016 FCW.COM
MAUREEN CEDRO
Manager
Communications, Information and Network Programs Federal Aviation Administration
The flight planner. The clock is ticking on the FAA’s time-division multiplexing trans- mission system, and the communications services that keep the National Airspace System running can’t power down for test- ing and upgrades. Cedro spearheaded stra- tegic planning for the TDM-to-IP migra- tion, which will affect the 22,000 telecom services that help ensure the safety of
750 million air passengers annually. She worked closely with the Office of Sci-
ence and Technology Policy, the Office of Management and Budget and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to minimize the impacts. The results were so encouraging that NTIA asked her to conduct a governmentwide webinar on FAA’s approach.
BRIG. GEN. WELTON CHASE JR.
Director of C4/Cyber
U.S. European Command
U.S. Army
Our IT man in Europe. Chase’s peers credit him with demonstrably improving the net- work security of U.S. European Command — a notable accomplishment given that command’s interoperability challenges.
It coordinates with militaries from more than 50 countries, each with its own IT systems and policies. Chase’s work has allowed U.S. troops in Europe to com- municate more securely with their allies and helped establish “an enhanced, com- mon approach to software, hardware, IT systems and C4/cyber policies throughout the European theater,” one colleague said. Chase honed his IT skills by serving as a division chief on the Joint Staff and as an assistant to the chairman.
DANIEL CHENOK
Executive Director
IBM Center for the Business of Government
The human router. If a federal IT discus- sion was worth having in 2015, odds are
that Chenok was involved — and work- ing hard to make sure the right people were connecting. As he wrapped up a term as chairman of the Industry Advisory Council, he helped drive industry/govern- ment collaboration on cybersecurity, the Federal IT Acquisition Reform Act and
a wide range of other acquisition issues. He laid critical early groundwork for the upcoming presidential transition to ensure that efforts from good-government groups would be complementary and in general provided the glue wherever needed. As one judge put it, “Dan’s just everywhere.”
BETH COBERT
Acting Director
Office of Personnel Management
The crisis manager. Cobert was brought from the Office of Management and Budget to lead OPM after last year’s massive data breach. Cross-agency collaboration was already happening when she arrived at OPM — the departments of Defense and Home- land Security were pitching in — but Cobert capitalized on OMB’s connections to power and sustain the subsequent governmentwide cybersecurity sprint and forge stronger secu- rity from the crisis. She said her proudest achievement in 2015 was helping all federal agencies internalize the message that when it comes to cybersecurity, the buck stops with leadership, not the IT shop.
KEVIN CUMMINS
Senior Legislative Assistant
Office of Sen. Tom Udall U.S. Senate
The tech policy catalyst. An army of people work behind the scenes to help lawmak- ers craft their policies, and for federal IT, Cummins plays a crucial role. He advises Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) on technol-
ogy and telecommunications — no small portfolio when it comes to the senator’s work on the Appropriations Committee.
In 2015, Cummins built on the passage of the Federal IT Acquisition Reform Act by helping Udall create a bipartisan working group that is devoted to better oversight of the $80 billion a year that federal agencies invest in IT.