Page 52 - FCW, October 2017

he learned while working with the CIOs of 23 agencies to take advantage of DHS’ Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program.
— Mark Rockwell
Stefano M. Rivolta
Project Manager, Innovation Sandbox
Department of State
The culture of inertia can be
strong in government, and fear of failure is a formidable obstacle to experimentation. But at the State Department, Stefano Rivolta is taking the lead on creating a space where technology experimentation and innovation are encouraged, even in the face of steep budget cuts.
He said the point of the Innovation Sandbox is “to explore new technology, not just what’s new and shiny,” and to do so within budget constraints.
“Our focus is to provide a space
for this kind of tinkering \[or\] experimentation with new hardware and software,” Rivolta said. “We’re the ‘let’s get weird’ group.”
The beauty and power of the Innovation Sandbox, which Rivolta expects to formally launch by year’s end, lie in the fact that “we don’t really have a scope,” he added. “We don’t say, ‘That’s not our thing.’”
Laura Williams, director of business applications at State’s Foreign Service Institute, jokes that she “stole” Rivolta from another office after spotting his technical aptitude.
“He has literally been a tank
of oxygen to our team,” she said. “We’re going through some really big changes...and he’s really given us all an easy and enjoyable way of trying things out.”
Whether he’s leading brainstorming sessions, promoting human-centered design, creating data visualizations
or just generally being approachable, “that sort of pioneering or experimental spirit really humanizes
him and really brings everybody to a whole new level,” Williams said.
Rivolta said he is most proud of the “ripple effect” of innovation that has spread throughout the office and seeped into other areas.
In addition to his work on the Innovation Sandbox, he is helping to streamline procurement processes and update State’s IT curriculum by expanding the traditional classroom- based instruction to incorporate podcasts, blogs, micro-learning videos and remote sessions.
— Chase Gunter
execution. Indeed, his supporters credit him with being able to balance quality, risk and innovation to meet current and future needs.
His approach to innovation does not depend on individuals, and he has instead emphasized the importance of innovation across the organization’s structure, business processes, incentives and training.
Whitaker seeks to spread that ethos across the federal IT landscape by contributing articles to industry publications and presenting ideas at ACT-IAC’s Institute for Innovation, which advances federal IT missions. He also helped organize ACT-
IAC’s innovation workshops and recruit keynote speakers for the organization’s 2017 Management of Change conference.
— Mark Rockwell
Michael Whitaker
Vice President of Emerging Solutions
ICF
Fostering a commitment to innovation in traditional environments can be rewarding, but it can also mean constantly pushing acceptable norms — and some hot buttons.
As ICF’s vice president of emerging solutions, Michael Whitaker pushes those buttons deftly to move innovation culture forward at the global consulting firm and in the
U.S. federal IT world. He turned his eye to the federal IT market in 2014 after a career in civil engineering and sustainable urban infrastructure.
“Innovation is a key competency for ICF, and we created the emerging solutions role to institutionalize
this capability,” said Ellen Glover, executive vice president at ICF.
Accordingly, Whitaker developed an innovation framework at ICF that balances the dual institutional demands for innovation and
Michael R. Woodruff
Lead Computer Systems Engineer
CACI
Late last year, two branches at NASA’s Johnson Space Center failed an IT security audit and were disconnected from the network. The branches, which handle the computational infrastructure of a robotics program and systems testing, were told they had 30 days to shape up if they wanted their connections restored.
That’s when Michael Woodruff stepped in.
“We came over there, and we knocked out a few of the biggest concerns the auditors had,” he said. “At the end of the 30 days, we got put back on the network.”
32 October 2017 FCW.COM