The finalists for WashingtonExec’s Chief Officer Awards were announced March 17, and we’ll be highlighting some of them until the event takes place live, in-person May 10.
Next is Chief Technology Officer finalist in the Public Company category Marcus Moffett, vice president of U.S. Public Sector Engineering at Cisco. Here, he talks key achievements, proud career moments and more.
What key achievements did you have in 2022/2023?
Earlier this year, I was proud to lead Cisco’s partnership with the General Services Administration to open the Workplace Innovation Lab, an innovative co-working space for federal employees.
This space will allow federal IT leaders to test and evaluate everything from networking, collaboration and security technologies to different types of furniture and office layouts.
Cisco has over two decades of experience with hybrid work, so being able to combine our own learnings for what makes happier, healthier and more impactful workers with new technologies that improve the sustainability and power of offices for the government has been one of the highlights of my year.
As an engineer, I find that putting data at the core of my work has allowed me to successfully support my federal customers. In 2022, I spearheaded Cisco’s Hybrid Work in Government report, which I have continued to use to inform the approach my team takes in supporting our customers and designing new hybrid work solutions.
What has made you successful in your current role?
I would not be able to successfully impact how our customers protect, serve and educate without the lessons I learned in my previous roles. Right out of high school, I worked on an offshore oil rig where I realized early on that hard work, teamwork and discipline are all critical to being a successful technology leader.
I then continued to grow these skills during my time serving our country in the U.S. Air Force. During those eight plus years, I was fortunate to get to work in systems engineering, deepening my understanding of the importance of going the extra mile and putting others first.
These experiences have given me a bird’s eye view into the challenges that my customers face today, especially when it comes to IT modernization and the workplace. As I approach my 24th year with Cisco, I have found that combining these skills with my passion for engineering has allowed me and my team to support our customers as they navigate the continuously changing IT landscape.
Looking back at your career, what are you most proud of?
Over the past three decades, I have been honored to have been a part of countless government agencies’ IT modernization journeys. This has been even more true over the past three years as the public sector has navigated the challenges of our new hybrid world, especially when it comes to keeping both in-person and remote employees secure while also creating a space that fosters collaboration between both.
With the opening of GSA’s Workplace Innovation Lab, my team and I have been proud to watch agencies create hybrid work experiences tailored to their unique workforces using Cisco’s network, security and collaboration technologies.
It’s rewarding in moments like this to see how, with our support, agencies have leveraged innovative new technologies and strategies to improve how their employees work, play, live and learn.