Page 63 - Federal Computer Week, March/April 2019

Heather Morgan
Senior Project Manager
REI Systems
Grant matchmaker. During her ten- ure as program manager for NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research program, Morgan led the moderniza- tion of an electronic handbook to cre- ate a more user-friendly service that reduces the required reviews of grant proposals by almost one-third. That effort inspired similar initiatives at the Department of Homeland Security, the Small Business Administration, the Energy Department and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Her REI teams have also helped NASA issue more than $3.3 billion in research grants to small businesses, further cultivating an ecosystem of partners in the private sector through the use of technology, communica- tions, organizational design and stake- holder outreach.
Sam Mulopulos
Legislative Assistant, Office of Sen. Rob Portman
U.S. Senate
Bright IDEA. Mulopulos was inter- ested in the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act, a bill to improve the user experience in gov- ernment, from its conception. The
bill had a champion in the House in Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) but needed a Senate co-sponsor. Mulopulos not only took the bill to his boss, Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), but also convened meetings to hash out the content of
the legislation on the front end. “We pre-conferenced the bill,” Mulopulos said. “We got staff in a room and did it.” That advance effort made it much easier for the final legislation to pass both chambers.
Emily W. Murphy
Administrator
General Services Administration
Service first. Every one of the doz- ens of modernization, automation, organizational and efficiency projects underway at GSA these days can be linked to the mantra Murphy intoned at her Senate confirmation hearing in 2017. She said her keywords are “ethi- cal leadership, reduce duplication, increase transparency and increase competition,” and they apply to her work on GSA’s innovative shared ser- vices, the Centers of Excellence and procurement schedules. Murphy has spent 24 years in the federal govern- ment — at GSA and on Capitol Hill
— and she has applied her thoughtful approach to every step of her career.
Gen. John “Mike” Murray
Commander, Army Futures Command
U.S. Army
Innovator in chief. The Army’s new- est addition, the Army Futures Com- mand, has been up and running for less than a year but has already begun transforming the way the service tack- les innovation and systems moderniza- tion. Much of that rapid ramp-up can be traced to Murray’s leadership, and more is on the horizon. The command
is expected to hit full operating capac- ity in 2019 and will establish its own innovation unit — the Army Applica- tions Lab — to facilitate innovation throughout the command and provide a home base for entrepreneurs and venture capitalists.
Ram Murthy
CIO
Railroad Retirement Board
Making retirement tech younger.
The Railroad Retirement Board has long relied on outdated technology to administer retirement benefits for the country’s railroad workers. Confront- ed with an obsolete IT infrastructure, Murthy recognized that the long-term maintenance costs were untenable and an investment in modern systems would yield long-term savings. He took the lead in developing a digital transformation strategy and migrated applications to the new environment while navigating federal regulations and helping employees stay produc- tive throughout the process. Col- leagues credit his energy and leader- ship for ensuring that the organization delivered on its modernization goals.
Heather Morgan Sam Mulopulos Emily W. Gen. John Ram Murthy Murphy Murray
March/April 2019 FCW.COM 63