There are a lot of challenges for a CTO, most involving the need to focus on day to day issues such as ensuring that customers, BD and program organizations see value in the investments that CTOs are making. What is a CTO to do? One outcome of this Council is to bring in outside speakers and facilitate peer discussion on how to approach/solve some of the challenges below:
- Post-COVID potential “new normal”
- Changes in the pace of innovation and government acquisition
- Future of work and workforce development
- Fast changing regulations especially in cybersecurity
- Capital investments and R&D challenges in the face of global issues like the rise of China’s innovation ecosystem and the long-term threats that poses to the US.
- Discussion of different roles of a GovCon CTO and how to add more value to your company
Sharon Hays, CTO at LMI Sharon Hays, CTO, LMI
Sharon L. Hays, PhD, leads LMI’s innovation initiatives and corporate strategy, including technology and academic partnerships. Under the LMI Research Institute, she spearheads LMI’s independent research and development, devising strategies to leverage investments and LMI capabilities into new program opportunities and service offerings.
She joined LMI from General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT), where she managed several agency account portfolios and led the High Performance Computing Center of Excellence. She previously served as vice president for science and engineering at CSC (now GDIT), leading development of corporate strategy related to science, engineering, and sustainability.
Sharon performed more than a decade of public service in the executive and legislative branches, notably as associate director and deputy director for science at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and as a professional staff member on the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science.
Sharon is a former chair of the Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy at the American Association for the Advancement of Science; she also participated on the National Climate Assessment and Development Advisory Committee and the NASA Industry Forum. She holds a bachelor’s in molecular biology from the University of California- Berkeley and a doctorate in biochemistry from Stanford University.
David Egts, Chief Technologist, North America Public Sector, Red Hat David Egts, Chief Technologist, North America Public Sector, Red Hat
David Egts is the Chief Technologist of Red Hat’s North America Public Sector organization where he directs a global team of technical experts and field product management to help government clients improve service delivery the open source way. The Office of Chief Technologist, which he leads, adds value to flagship Red Hat technologies such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux, OpenShift, and Linux containers. His team helps Red Hat achieve ideal product-market fit by ensuring current and future government requirements are factored into existing products and R&D efforts with a focus on security, compliance, standards, efficiency, and technological improvements. The government readiness activities performed by his team positively impacts public and private sector organizations in the US and internationally with a particular focus on Australia, Canada, Japan, and the UK.
David’s dynamic outward-facing role as a coalition builder reinforces and expands Red Hat’s relations with key government and open source community stakeholders nationally and internationally. He is a trusted Red Hat media spokesperson whose deep technical dives, C-suite policy discussions, and keynote speaker abilities enhance Red Hat’s technical reputation and positioning.
David received industry-wide recognition as a FedScoop 50 Industry Leadership awardee and a finalist for WashingtonExec’s Chief Officer Awards. He is a Red Hat Chairman’s Award recipient and has won multiple highest employee honors from previous employers Silicon Graphics and Concurrent Technologies Corporation. He is a past Co-Chair on the Board of Directors for the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) Software & Services Division (SSD) and is an active member of the Agile Government Leadership Association and the AFCEA DC Emerging Technologies Working Group. David is a Red Hat Certified Architect (RHCA) and a three-time graduate from the University of Pittsburgh with a BS and MS in Computer Science and an Executive MBA (Katz Graduate School of Business).
