Former Fed Friday

On this episode of Former Fed Friday, Hunter Gros sits down with Hemant Baidwan , former DHS Chief Information Security Officer and Acting Deputy CIO, and current Chief Information Security Officer with Knox Systems, Inc. to discuss leadership, career growth, cybersecurity, and the transition from public service to industry. Hemant reflects on the experiences that shaped his 26-year career, the im...

On this episode of Former Fed Friday, Shelley McGuire and Hunter Gros welcome back Jeff Grant , founder of Schedule F Healthcare Strategies and former CMS executive, for a candid discussion about what he has learned during his first year helping displaced federal employees find new opportunities and supporting GovCon companies navigating the healthcare market. Drawing on his experience inside CMS...

On this episode of Former Fed Friday, Hunter Gros and Shelley McGuire sit down with former CMS cybersecurity leader Malachi Robinson for a candid conversation about influence, innovation, and what really drives federal technology adoption. After spending more than a decade shaping cloud authorization strategy, SaaS governance, and risk-based frameworks at CMS, Malachi shares why he walked away fro...

On this episode of Former Fed Friday, Hunter Gros and Shelley McGuire talk with Krista Drobac and Kristen McGovern , partners at Sirona Strategies and co-founders of the Health Policy Futures Lab, for a candid conversation about healthcare policy, government operations, and the realities of working across the public and private sectors. Drawing from decades of experience inside CMS, OMB, Capitol H...

On this episode of Former Fed Friday, Hunter Gros and Shelley McGuire catch up with Calvin Mitchell , Senior Director, Acquisition Strategy and Engagement, GDIT, shares how an unexpected push from his mom launched a 20-year federal career that spanned weapons systems, disaster response, Capitol Hill, and the Department of Education, ultimately rising to Deputy Assistant Secretary. Along the way, h...

On this episode of Former Fed Friday, the conversation highlights Ashley Badami ’s transition from CMS leadership into industry and her continued focus on program integrity with J29. Through a series of targeted questions, the hosts explore her perspective on AI’s role in detecting fraud, waste, and abuse, where current policies fall short, and what blind spots still exist in the system. They also...

On this episode of Former Fed Friday, Hunter Gros and Shelley McGuire sit down with Larry Bafundo , founder of Commonwealth Digital and a longtime leader in civic technology, government innovation, and digital service design. With more than a decade of experience across government, nonprofits, and the private sector, including roles as an SES-level leader, product leader at 18F and Code for Americ...

On this episode of Former Fed Friday, Hunter Gros and Shelley McGuire welcomes Merri-Ellen James , former CMS leader and now Client Relations Executive at RELI Group who shares insights shaped by more than two decades leading complex healthcare programs, technology initiatives, and fraud prevention efforts. Drawing on her experience across government and industry, she unpacks how effective problem...

Mahesh Choksi joins the Former Fed Friday podcast with Shelley McGuire to share insights from more than two decades of experience driving procurement transformation and technology modernization across federal health agencies, including FDA, CDC, NIH, and CMS. Drawing on his time leading high-stakes initiatives and enterprise acquisition frameworks at HHS agencies, Mahesh discusses what contractors...

On this episode of Former Fed Friday, Hunter Gros and Shelley McGuire have a conversation with  ⁠Jaime Gracia⁠ , former Federal Procurement Executive at the Department of State and now director at The Wolverine Group. He offers a look at what’s really changing in federal acquisition. With all the buzz around AI, FAR 2.0, and procurement reform, Jaime separates hype from reality. He explains why ou...

On this episode of Former Fed Friday, Shelley McGuire welcomes Melissa Moreno , co-founder and principal of Medicare Knowledge Partners (MKP) and a longtime former CMS leader. After more than 15 years at CMS, spanning regulatory work, plan engagement, and agency-wide communications and training, Melissa shares how her deep institutional knowledge shaped her decision to launch MKP and continue serv...

On this episode of Former Fed Friday, hosts Hunter Gros sits down with Kelly Murray , former Associate Director for Chemical Security at the Department of Homeland Security and current President of Resilience and Risk Solutions, as well as a Principal at Deepwater Point & Associates. Kelly reflects on a career that spanned decades in homeland security, critical infrastructure protection, and p...

On this episode of Former Fed Friday, hosts Hunter Gros and Shelley McGuire welcome Solitaire Carroll , former Director of the Veteran Experience Services Portfolio at the VA and now a founder working at the intersection of government and industry. Drawing on her journey from contractor to federal leader and back to industry, Solitaire reflects on what motivated her to enter public service and how...

On this episode of Former Fed Friday, host Shelley McGuire welcomes Greg Godbout , Chief AI Officer at Code360 and a longtime leader in federal technology innovation. With a career that includes serving as former CTO and U.S. Digital Services Lead at the EPA, co-founding and leading 18F, and working as a Presidential Innovation Fellow, Greg brings a rare, inside-outside perspective on how governme...

In this episode of Former Fed Friday, Shelley McGuire and Hunter Gros chat with Meaghan Hakala , Principal Consultant at Vericol LLC and a former GSA leader with nearly two decades of federal experience. Megan shares insights from her career spanning Public Buildings Service and GSA Assisted Acquisition Services, where she ultimately served as a division director overseeing a $2 billion portfolio...

In this episode of Former Fed Friday, Shelley McGuire sits down with longtime federal HR leader Traci DiMartini for a candid look at what the past year has meant for the federal workforce. Their conversation digs into what Tracy sees as an unprecedented breakdown in protections for federal employees, what it would look like if similar upheaval happened in the private sector, and how agencies shoul...

This week, Former Fed Friday welcomes back Monica Padron Harris , former Senior IT Acquisition Advisor at DHS, who reflects on her first year stepping out of government and into entrepreneurship. Monica shares what it was really like to build a business from the ground up, including what she expected, what she didn’t, and how her federal experience shaped every decision she made. She talks candidl...

In this episode of Former Fed Friday, host Shelley McGuire welcomes Teresa Hunter , former CFO of the IRS and now Executive Director at Management Science and Innovation (MSI), for an engaging conversation about leadership, modernization, and transformation inside one of the government’s most complex financial environments. Teresa shares her 15-year federal journey, from auditing at KPMG to drivin...

In this episode of Former Fed Friday, host Hunter Gros, Director of Marketing at Vtech Solution, sits down with Ben Shotzberger , a former DHS leader turned consultant, for a conversation that blends humor, heart, and hard-earned insight. From serving in DHS’s Science and Technology Directorate to supporting FEMA and Secret Service missions, Ben shares what nearly a decade in homeland security tau...

In this episode of Former Fed Friday, host Shelley McGuire and co-host Hunter Gros sit down with Ariel Winter , founder of ABW Health Strategies and former longtime federal leader with nearly three decades in government, including roles at OMB, HHS, MedPAC, and CMS. Ariel shares his remarkable journey from intern to senior Medicare policy expert—offering a rare insider’s view of how federal health...

In this episode of Former Fed Friday, host Shelley McGuire welcomes Darren Ash , Executive Advisor at Management Science and Innovation (MSI) and former CIO of the Department of the Interior, to share his journey from decades of public service to his new role in industry. Darren reflects on his 20+ years as a senior federal executive across agencies like the IRS, USDA, and Department of Transporta...

In this episode of Former Fed Friday, host Shelley McGuire sits down with Vinay Singh , former CFO and Chief AI Officer at HUD and now Chief Experience Officer of Velocity Group Solutions, to talk all things AI, innovation, and impact. From spinning records as a college DJ to spinning up national AI strategy, Vinay brings a refreshingly human perspective to the fast-moving world of artificial inte...

In this episode of Former Fed Friday, hosts Shelley McGuire and Hunter Gros sit with  Meikle Paschal , Senior Solutions Director at Amivero and former RPA Program Manager at USCIS’ Center of Excellence. Meikle brings a career rooted in national security and IT modernization, from testing border security systems at CBP to leading automation initiatives at DHS. Now, less than a year into his role on...

In this episode of Former Fed Friday, host Shelley McGuire sits down with Richard Klemmer , President of Black Box Strategies and Partner at Catapult Growth Partners. Richard’s career path is anything but ordinary. He started as a wage grade 4 in a warehouse and rose all the way to Acting CIO at the Department of Commerce’s NTIA. With over 25 years of leadership spanning technology, cybersecurity,...

Fresh out of federal service, Mark Canfield joins the Former Fed Friday podcast with Shelley McGuire to share his journey from Deputy Director at CMS to Founder & CEO of 5pointe. In this candid conversation, Mark talks about why he left after nine years at CMS, what it was like leading high-profile programs like hospital quality reporting and the CQP platform, and how he’s now helping organiza...