Stay ConnectedWelcome, everyone, to the The GovNavigators Show – a government focused show that won’t make you seasick.
We hope to enlighten and enliven your week with news and insightful, entertaining guests all on the topic of government management.
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This week on the GovNavigators Show, ACT-IAC CEO Dave Wennergren sits down with Robert and Adam to talk about how ACT-IAC and similar organizations are staying the course through the recent big shifts in the federal management and technology.
Throughout sweeping cost-cuts, shifting priorities, and the AI wave, Dave and everyone on his team have been helping government and industry chart a path forward. Join us while we muse about where we've been, and where we might be heading. It's day 33 of the government shutdown- is there light at the end of the tunnel?
Show Notes:
Keep up with upcoming ACT-IAC events
District Court Judge Blocks RIFs
New DOT and Google Major Contract
NVIDIA GTC Conference Recap
New Citizenship Test
Robert Revieves the George Graham Award from NAPA
Events on the GovNavigators' Radar:
Nov 2-4: National Academy of Public Administration’s National Conference
Nov 4: Data Foundation’s Datum Awards
Dec 4-5: ACT-IAC's ELC in DC!
Welcome to The Lending Brief, a brand new show brought to you by the GovNavigators and sponsored by Allocore. The Lending Brief shares stories of innovation, challenge, and impact in federal lending.
Our first guest is Doug Criscitello, former CFO at HUD and SBA, and now a fellow at Arnold Ventures. Doug unpacks how the federal government quietly became one of the world’s largest lenders, and why the volume of loans has exploded since the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-era Paycheck Protection Program.
He explains how shrinking workforces and rising demand are forcing agencies to modernize through automation, analytics, and AI, not just to process loans faster, but to strengthen risk controls and inform policy decisions in real time. Doug also makes the case for a “Federal Credit Intelligence Hub,” a centralized data platform that could track performance, detect fraud, and guide smarter policy across agencies.
Want more from The Lending Brief? Check out The Lending Brief Newsletter
This week on the GovNavigators podcast, Robert and Adam sit down with the newest member of the GovNavigators team, Chief Strategy Officer Hilery Sirpis! Hilery shares her insight gained from her 27 years helping government contractors connect with public-sector audiences.
She shares with the navigators about her love for the state and local market, lessons from launching Route Fifty, and how successful organizations pivot during political transitions. It’s a smart, funny, and candid conversation about storytelling, strategy, and what it takes to thrive in the government market.
Show Notes:
Events on the GovNavigators' Radar:
Check out GovExec’s new events calendar
Oct 27-29: Nvidia’s GTC Annual AI Conference
Nov 2-4: National Academy of Public Administration’s National Conference
Nov 4: Data Foundation’s Datum Awards
Dec 4-5: ACT-IAC's ELC in DC!
This week, the GovNavigators welcome Gordon Gillerman, former Director of the Standards Coordination Office at NIST, to talk about how standards and testing programs quietly keep the federal government and the products it relies on running safely and efficiently. Gordon shares how collaboration between government and industry helps ensure innovation, interoperability, and public trust.
Show Notes
OMB: Circular A-119
Data Foundation: 2025 Shutdown RIF Impacts Tracker
NSPM-8: Military pay during the shutdown
Events on the GovNavigators' Radar
Check out GovExec’s new events calendar
Oct 27-29: Nvidia’s GTC Annual AI Conference
Nov 2-4: National Academy of Public Administration’s National Conference
This week on the GovNavigators, we bring you a special episode from Celonis’s Process Intelligence Day. we’re taking you inside Celonis Process Intelligence Day—where government and industry leaders shared how data-driven insights are reshaping public sector operations.
Robert and Adam talk with Colin Wardlaw, Gary Wang, Aubrey Vaughn, and Sairah Ijaz about what it takes to modernize legacy systems, foster cultural change, and measure success through clear KPIs and real results.
It’s a look at how process intelligence is helping agencies do more with less—and deliver better outcomes for the public.
Events on the GovNavigators' Radar
Oct. 13-15, 2025: AUSA’s Annual Meeting
Oct. 14, 2025: BENS’ Arsenal of Democracy 2.0
Oct. 26-28, 2025: ACT-IAC Imagine Nation ELC
This week, the GovNavigators welcome Oliver Wise, former Chief Data Officer at the Department of Commerce and now Executive Director of the Bloomberg Center for Government Excellence at Johns Hopkins University. Oliver discusses his experience leading data initiatives across Commerce, including efforts to make federal data usable in an AI-driven world, and explains how local governments can harness data to improve lives through programs like the City Data Alliance.
From federal policy to city hall, Oliver shares how better data governance—and a new model of collaboration between levels of government—can help public servants everywhere deliver smarter, more trustworthy results.
Show Notes:
For our furloughed friends: Shutdown deals around town
Events on the GovNavigator’s Radar:
Check out GovExec’s new events calendar
October 9, 2025: Federal News Network’s 25th Anniversary Gala
October 9, 2025: FedInsider / Carahsoft Innovation Summit
This week, the GovNavigators sit down with John Marshall and Steve Goodrich of the Shared Services Leadership Coalition to chart the past, present, and what’s next in federal shared services, from payroll consolidation and NASA’s model to today’s QSMOs and a legislative plan to turn modernization from pilots into standard practice.
Show Notes
SSLC: Shared Services Leadership Coalition
NSSC: NASA Shared Services Center
Events on the GovNavigators' Radar
Oct. 9, 2025: FedInsider / Carahsoft Innovation Summit
Oct. 26-28, 2025: ACT-IAC Imagine Nation ELC
Robert and Adam are sailing solo on this special episode of the GovNavigators Show, featuring an in-depth discussion of recent developments from OPM, OMB, GAO, and more. With the end of the fiscal year fast approaching, the GovNavigators are here to make sense of the storm. Hold on tight!
Show Notes:
OPM: New Guidelines for Performance Reviews
OMB: Updates to A-11
GAO: New Video
Events on the GovNavigator’s Radar
September 24-25, 2025: AGA’s Internal Controls & Fraud Conference
October 9, 2025: FedInsider / Carahsoft Innovation Summit
This week, the GovNavigators welcome back Charles Cooper of Brumidi Group for a frank look at Congress’s crowded to-do list. From looming shutdown risks, rescissions, and the fight over appropriations to the fate of healthcare extenders, the farm bill, and other expiring programs, Charles explains why the path forward is rockier than ever—and where bipartisan opportunities may still emerge.
Show Notes:
Combined Federal Campaign: Website
Treasury and GSA: SAVE Program
Events on GovNavigators' Radar:
September 16-18, 2025
September 18, 2025
September 17, 2025
September 24-25, 2025
This week, the GovNavigators welcome Anne Meeker, Deputy Director of the PopVox Foundation, for a conversation on making Congress work better. From the overlooked power of casework to AI’s role in shaping legislative oversight, Anne shares how small reforms can strengthen trust and improve service delivery across government.
Show Notes
OMB: Circular A-11
GSA: New ServiceNow Deal
Events on GovNavigators' Radar
September 9-12, 2025
September 11, 2025
September 16-18, 2025
September 18, 2025
September 17, 2025
September 24-25, 2025
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