Leaders and Legends in Government

On this episode of   Leaders and Legends in Government , host Aileen Black speaks with   Jen Sovada, a national security leader known for helping innovative technology companies successfully support government missions. Drawing on her military background and extensive experience guiding emerging startups, Sovada shares how leaders can introduce AI and autonomous capabiliti...

On this episode of Leaders and Legends in Government , host Aileen Black speaks with Tariq Shaukat, CEO of Sonar and board member at Public Storage and Gap Inc., about leading through change at scale. Drawing on his experience at Google Cloud, Bumble, and Caesars Entertainment, Shaukat discusses trust, resilience, and what it takes to lead teams in today’s fast-moving, high-stakes technology envir...

On this episode of Leaders and Legends in Government  on Federal News Network, host Aileen Black sits down with Dr. Rebecca D. Kaltman, a board-certified breast medical oncologist and the executive eirector of Inova Saville Cancer Screening and Prevention Center at Inova Schar Cancer Center  With over 20 years of experience, Dr. Kaltman has led teams in cancer genetics, prevention, and i...

On this episode of Leaders and Legends in Government , host Aileen Black sits down with George Hoyem—venture capital leader, former managing partner at In-Q-Tel, and a driving force behind technologies that strengthen America’s national security. With decades of experience at the intersection of innovation and defense, Hoyem shares his journey, lessons from investing in cutting-edge startups, and...

On this episode of Leaders and Legends in Government , host Aileen Black welcomes the Honorable Nazak Nikakhtar, former assistant secretary at Commerce’s International Trade Administration, and former acting under secretary at the Bureau of Industry and Security. She is now a partner at Wiley Rein . Known for her ability to bridge national security, economic policy, and global trade, Nikakhtar sha...

Young Bang, former principal deputy assistant secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology, joins Aileen Black on this week's Leaders and Legends . He will discuss the leadership principles needed to take on the challenges and opportunities for Army innovation that will shape the future of defense IT. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice...

Technology executive and former federal CIO Clare Martorana joins host Aileen Black on this week's Leaders and Legends program. Martorana served as federal chief information officer in the Biden Administration from March 2021 until January 2025. She was the fifth person to hold the job which was created by the E-Government Act of 2002. During the program, Martorana gives some valuable advice to ex...

Alexis Bonnell, chief information officer and director of the Digital Capabilities Directorate at the Air Force Research Laboratory, joins host Aileen Black on this week's Leaders and Legends program. Bonnell will discuss leadership, innovation, and the challenges faced by federal government leaders today.   See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://a...

Tyler Sweatt , CEO of Second Front Systems , joins host Aileen Black on Leaders and Legends to discuss leadership, innovation, and the challenges faced by national security leaders in today's rapidly changing environment. As the chief executive officer of Second Front Systems, Sweatt works to bridge the gap between innovative technologies and national security organizations. In addition, he serves...

The honorable Dan Goldin joins host Aileen Black on Leaders and Legends .  Goldin is an entrepreneurial and scientific visionary, with the distinction of serving as NASA’s longest-tenured Administrator from April 1992 to November 2001. He reported to three U.S. Presidents: George H.W. Bush, William Jefferson Clinton, and George W. Bush. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Californi...

Former California Congressman Jerry McNerney joins host Aileen Black on this week's Leaders and Legends . McNerney served for 16 years in Congress has an extensive technical knowledge of energy, technology, and environmental policy to position clients for growth opportunities. He is widely regarded as an accomplished leader in Washington and in his home state of California, and has achieved bipart...

Bogomil Balkansky, partner at Sequoia , joins Leaders and Legends to talk about leadership and the keys to building a successful technology startup. Balkansky joined Sequoia as a partner in 2020 and was previously vice president of Cloud Recruiting Solutions at Google and a senior vice president at VMware. Balkansky describes his leadership style as "very approachable but fearless". He believes th...

Paula Schneider, president & CEO of Susan G. Komen joins Aileen Black on Leaders and Legends to talk about leadership and leading an amazing cause. Schneider is responsible for day-to-day operations, strategic direction, and is accountable for the world's largest breast cancer organization. She has led Susan G Komen to be one of the highest regarded charities. According to Charity Navigator, S...

This week on Leaders and Legends host Aileen Black interviews Dr. David A. Bray, distinguished fellow and co-chair of the Alfred Lee Loomis Innovation Council at the non-partisan Henry L. Stimson Center. Bray is also a distinguished fellow with the Business Executives for National Security and a CEO and transformation leader for different “under the radar” tech and data ventures. He is principal a...

This week on Leaders and Legends , Tom Lash, CEO of Vibrint and an Amazon Web Services veteran, joins host Aileen Black to talk about leading technology teams through rapid growth and change. Lash is a recognized leader in the intelligence technology sector with a 30-year career deeply rooted in serving the national security mission. An engineer by training who holds a patent in intelligent databa...

Sarah Hess, west coast director of the Silicon Valley Defense Group, and an investor/operator at Lux Capital joins host Aileen Black on this week's Leaders and Legends .  Throughout Hess' career she has focused on national security and leveraging innovative technologies. In her work, she has helped the US and its allies secure democracy through innovation. Previously, Hess served as deputy lead to...

This week on Leaders and Legends , host Aileen Black intervews Lisa Sanders, director of Science and Technology for Special Operations Forces, Acquisition, Technology & Logistics (SOF AT&L), U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida.  Sanders has over 35 years of civilian federal service. As SOFAT&L director, she is responsible for all pre-programs...

Former Google executive Milo Medin joins host Aileen Black on this week's Leaders and Legends . Medin has been part of the Internet development community for almost 40 years. He recently left Google where he was the vice president of access services. During his time there, he worked on a number of projects to improve access to the Internet, building both fiber and wireless networks, and in shaping...

Retired US Air Force Lt. Gen. S. Clinton Hinote joins host Aileen Black on this week's Leaders and Legends to discuss the principles of leadership. Throughout his career, General Hinote served at the leading edge of change as he developed novel tactics, revised dated battle plans, reinvented staid organizations, led complex alliances, and disrupted dated doctrine. In his role as the Deputy Chief o...

This week on Leaders and Legends , host Aileen Black interviews Eric Traupe, a former public sector executive with 30+ years of combined experience in the CIA and the US Marine Corps. Traupe is the former assistant director of the CIA for the Near East and served on the front lines of U.S. counterterrorism efforts for more than 20 years. He remains a trusted advisor to our nation’s highest-ranking...

Deborah Sills, consultant and advisor at Debbie Sills LLC, joins host Aileen Black on this week's Leaders and Legends . Sills is a versatile leader with over thiry years of experience helping organizations transform their business through strategy and technology based innovation. Prior to forming her own consulting company, Sills served as the global leader for Deloitte's Government and Public Sec...

US Navy Rear Admiral Julius S. Caesar (Ret.) joins host Aileen Black on this week’s  Leaders and Legends . Admiral Caesar is a career Surface Warfare Officer who has had a distinguished career in the military and industry. He is a Massachusetts Institute of Technology Seminar XXI Fellow in Foreign Politics, International Relations, and the National Interest. He has also served as a chief operating...

Major General Johnny Davis, commanding general of US Army Recruiting Command and Fort Knox, joins host Aileen Black on this week's Leaders and Legends . During his career, General Davis has served as deputy commanding general for Operations for the 25th Infantry Division, commanding general of the U.S. Army Joint Modernization Command at Fort Bliss, Texas, and chief of staff at U.S. Army Futures C...

Austin Yerks, president and founder of AJY III Government Strategies, joins host Aileen Black on this week's Leaders and Legends to discuss leadership and how to solve difficult client challenges. AJY III is a business focused on supporting strategic alliances between commercial firms and agencies of the federal government. Prior to forming his own company, Yerks was president of CSC's North Ameri...

US Army Major General Deborah Kotulich joins host Aileen Black on this week's Leaders and Legends to discuss how to create a collaborative and productive working environment. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .