Laszlo Bock is a leading thinker on the future of work and AI. He is a Senior Advisor to several significant AI firms, Founder and Co-Director of the Berkeley Transformative CHRO Leadership Academy, and a Board Member of the Stanford Center for the Advanced Study of the Behavioral Sciences. Earlier, as Google’s SVP of People Operations (2006–2016), he helped grow the company from 6,000 to 75,000 employees and created the field of People Analytics while shaping Google into a globally recognized best workplace. He also led the development of the Google Job Search API, an early example of AI’s impact on labor markets. He is the NYT bestselling author of Work Rules!

Raymond A. Limon was sworn into his Vice-Chairman position at the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board in March 2022. Prior to joining the Board, Ray served in various career executive positions, including at the Department of the Interior as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Human Capital and Diversity and Chief Human Capital Officer (CHCO); the Department of State as the Director, Civil Service HR Management and Deputy CHCO; the Corporation for National and Community Service as CHCO; and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management as Director, Office of Administrative Law Judges. Ray received his J.D. from Indiana University, Bloomington and is a former Peace Corps Volunteer (Honduras).  

Lauren Kilmer serves on the Partnership for Public Service's Management Team, leads the Public Service Leadership Institute, and leads a team of 30 colleagues dedicated to the Partnership’s nonpartisan mission to build a better government and a stronger democracy. The Public Service Leadership Institute offers leadership development programming for federal, state, and local government leaders across levels of seniority, training more than 50,000 public servants over the past 20 years. Previously, Lauren served as Policy Director of Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Small Businesses Voices program. 

Patty Cogswell is a homeland and national security executive with nearly 30 years of government and private sector experience. Ms. Cogswell joined Guidehouse in September 2020, leading efforts in the areas of innovation, organization and mission transformation and redesign with a focus on travel, transportation, and national security. Prior to joining Guidehouse, Ms. Cogswell led programs at the National Security Council, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Justice, in transportation, intelligence, policy, border security, screening, information sharing, and the Arctic. She possesses substantive expertise in: transportation security; US government and foreign partner screening and vetting programs; counter terrorism; transnational organized crime; intelligence collection; and immigration and border processes.

Heather Velasquez has served as Deputy Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Personnel & Administration since 2022. Prior to this role, Heather served in leadership roles in the office of Governor Polis from 2019-2022 and in various roles at the Colorado Department of Human Services from 2017-2019. Before beginning work within the state government, she worked in elementary education and as a financial accountant in the private sector. Heather holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in legal services. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family and being outside mountain biking, hiking, rock climbing, and camping. She is an animal lover and a proud auntie to many nieces and nephews, and one grand niece.

John Zachary is a Senior Facilitator and Manager at the Partnership for Public Service. John designs and facilitates leadership programming and leads policy reform efforts around career leadership for the Partnership's Government for a New Era Initiative. Prior to the Partnership, John led organizational development and continuous improvement efforts in schools in California and Pennsylvania. John holds a BA in History from William & Mary and a MA in Policy, Organization, and Leadership from Stanford.

As a public‑sector technology leader, she leads digital transformation efforts centered on building technology that serves people first. She leverages technology as an enabler—modernizing enterprise systems, advancing AI readiness, and strengthening governance across large, complex government organizations. She’s passionate about people-centered innovation and believes that real technological success comes from empowering teams in mission‑critical environments with clear structure, thoughtful processes, and strong standards. Her combined experience in operational transformation and design shapes how she leads in the tech space, bringing creativity, empathy, and cross‑disciplinary collaboration to every project.

Dr. J. Bruce Stewart is a speaker, author, professor, and social change researcher who helps leaders understand the hidden forces shaping culture, connection, and performance. He served as a deputy director at OPM for more than six years with decades of research into social networks, organizational culture, and the science of trust. Bruce has worked with Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, nonprofits, and academic institutions, helping them understand how relationships shape outcomes. With a unique blend of academic rigor and storytelling clarity, Bruce makes complex ideas accessible—revealing how networks, trust, and social capital determine who succeeds and who gets left behind.

Martin Skorczynski leads Innovation Lab efforts in designing and building AI tools that strengthen GAO’s oversight mission. He treats AI as an assistive technology, co-developing solutions with the people who use them and grounding each one in extensive testing, so that new tools enable the workforce rather than replace it. He contributed to GAO's accountability framework for AI in government and has presented on AI and emerging technologies at international forums on audit, oversight, and public-sector innovation. Trained in leadership, negotiation, and organizational change at Harvard and Cornell and through the Partnership's AI Leadership program, Martin pairs engineering rigor with a humanistic view on how people and machines do their best work together.

Michael Baskin leads innovation for Montgomery County MD with the goal of creating a just, liberating, and human government. He works with staff at all levels to build systems that meet the needs of their communities Previously, Michael helped launch innovation programs in cities from Miami to Las Vegas, designed and launched a learning network of mayors and municipalities, and convened a coalition of local governments ensuring everyone counted in the 2020 Census. Michael served as the Chief Policy and Innovation Officer for Chattanooga, TN working on issues from policing to permitting while re-designing the Outcomes Based Budgeting process to connect strategy, people, and resources.

Traci DiMartini served in the Federal Government for 22 years and was appointed to the career Senior Executive Service in September 2016. She has a successful track record improving service delivery and employee engagement while also improving operations and morale across multiple agencies. At the IRS, she led the historical hiring efforts to rebuild the IRS workforce which resulted in the hiring of over 28,000 new employees in 15 months. Traci is passionate about the need for a non-partisan civil service and federal unions. She has a master’s degree from the Bloustein School of Public Policy at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Traci resides in Philadelphia and is an avid fan of all Philadelphia sports teams.

Virginia (Ginny) Hill is a Senior Executive Coach and Facilitator at the Partnership for Public Service. She is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) from the ICF with over 800 hours of paid coaching. Ginny has served in leadership development at the Partnership since 2015, and her current portfolio includes facilitating the Excellence in Government (EIG) Fellows program and designing and delivering leadership retreats for federal and state agencies. Her areas of expertise are conflict management, resilience, and navigating change. Before joining the Partnership, Ginny worked for over 7 years at the NIH, including 3 years in the Office of Human Resources. When not working, Ginny enjoys keeping up with her toddler daughter, traveling, and playing in several DC-area bands.

Felicita Sola-Carter previously served as Assistant Deputy Commissioner for Human Resources and Deputy Chief Human Capital Officer of the Social Security Administration (SSA). After retiring, Solá-Carter established Felícita Solá-Carter Consulting in 2009. Through her business, she is a senior advisor to government leaders, and offers executive coaching, as well as consulting and training on leadership strategies. A graduate of Leadership Howard County, Feli has been named to the Maryland Top 100 Women on two separate occasions and inducted in 2014 to the Howard County Women’s Hall of Fame, and received the 2023 National Trustee of the Year Award from the Association from Women in Community Colleges.

Craig Stanton is a retired senior federal executive and executive coach with more than two decades of experience working at the intersection of leadership, governance, and human development. Before becoming a full-time coach, Craig served in multiple Senior Executive Service roles across the federal government, including leadership positions at the U.S. Department of Education, the National Institutes of Health, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Craig holds a Juris Doctor and an M.A. in English from the University of Virginia, with additional postgraduate study in leadership and well-being.

MeghanMarie Fowler-Finn is the Director of Operations of the Public Service Leadership Institute (PSLI) at the Partnership for Public Service. She manages staffing and hiring, data, budgeting, software applications, and process improvement for the 25 person PSLI team. Prior to joining PSLI, she worked for DC city government for 12 years, most recently at the Office of Gun Violence Prevention as the founding Chief Administrative Officer. She started her public service career as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Jamaica, which led to a Masters in Public Policy (Social and Urban Policy) at the Harvard Kennedy School. She is a long-time resident of Washington, DC and enjoys her cats, the outdoors, and dabbling in drawing and piano.

Brandon Lardy is Data Director at the Partnership for Public Service, where he leads data product development and internal data transformation. Brandon holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from William and Mary and a master’s degree in public policy from George Washington University.

Brian Whittaker is the founder and executive director of Humans of Public Service and a Bloomberg Public Innovation Fellow at Johns Hopkins' Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation. An Afro-Latino tech leader, he moved from the private sector into federal service, where he held multiple leadership roles in the General Services Administration, working with USDA to streamline farm loan applications and with DOJ to revamp how civil rights claims are submitted and processed. He later served as Chief Innovation Officer at the FDIC, where he built its Innovation Office. Now he focuses on trust in government, using Humans of Public Service to share the story of public servants across 34 states and build a community of nearly 10,000 people who see government as full of people worth knowing.

Dartanion Swift-Williams is a passionate public sector executive and civic technologist. Dartanion oversees CitiStat, civic design, analytics, and AI strategy to drive results across city government. In his role, Dartanion is responsible for building a modern, high-performing, and scalable data and performance management program for Baltimore. He brings a cross-sector background spanning local government, big tech, startups, and academia, having led data science and engineering at a scientific nonprofit, managed fundraising products at Meta, taught in the data analytics program at George Washington University, and spent over a decade in local government, including service in Washington, DC.

Gregory White is an Enterprise Workforce & AI Strategist at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, where he leads workforce planning and AI-enabled transformation. Prior to the OCC he held analyst and statistician roles across HUD, Commerce, and the U.S. Census Bureau. He is a Certified PMP and Lean Six Sigma Green Belt. He holds a Master of Education from Harvard and a Bachelor of Education from the University of Michigan.

Jeffrey Vargas is a workforce strategist and nationally recognized leadership development expert with more than 22 years of public service experience. As a former Chief Learning Officer, Jeff was responsible for ensuring workforce capability through training, leadership development, coaching, mentoring, and organizational learning initiatives. Today, Jeff is the Founder and CEO of Generationology, where he focuses on the intersection of workforce readiness, leadership development, and artificial intelligence. Through Generationology, he has partnered with more than 80 organizations—including multimillion- and multibillion-dollar enterprises—to strengthen organizational effectiveness, helping leaders prepare employees for the changing nature of work while ensuring that technology enhances—not replaces—human capability.

Tasha (TC) Cooper, Esq. is a trusted advisor to public and private sector leaders navigating the full lifecycle of AI adoption and governance. Over more than 25 years, she has built a distinguished career at the intersection of law, technology, leadership, and governance, shaped by experience in federal government, large law firms, senior in-house roles, and entrepreneurship. Her federal service spans more than 16 years, including her tenure at the Federal Housing Finance Agency as Managing Associate General Counsel, Chief Privacy Officer, and SAOP. A Hampton University (VA) and Columbia Law School (NY) graduate, TC holds the AIGP and CIPM certifications from the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) and has advised and trained leaders around the world.

Sarah C. Moffat is an award-winning executive and change strategist with over 20 years of experience driving transformation across the public and private sectors. She has led high-impact initiatives at NASA, NIST, and NIH — modernizing operations, building workforce readiness, and advancing digital and AI innovation at scale. A Prosci®-certified change expert, senior advisor for innovation and change at NASA, internationally sought-after speaker, and author of Motivated Mornings, Sarah brings energy, clarity, and heart to every room she enters. She is the 2026 Change Driver of the Year, the 2024 HUD Secretary's Award winner for mission support excellence, and the Executive Women's Forum's 2022 Woman of Influence – Public Sector.

Dominic Schuman is a Senior Human Resources Specialist with the City of Kansas City, Missouri, where he supports strategic initiatives focused on leadership development, organizational effectiveness, and workforce innovation. Dominic plays a key role in the City’s Pathways development program, a citywide initiative designed to strengthen leadership capability, employee growth, and organizational citizenship across departments. His work includes supporting leadership development efforts, helping modernize workforce learning practices, and contributing to scalable solutions that improve employee experience and organizational performance.

Bryon Casebolt is the Partnership for Public Service’s lead analyst of employee survey data, used for the Best Places to Work in the Federal Government® rankings and supporting the Partnership’s employee engagement programming. They also use their data expertise to advocate for improvements in the quality of data produced and used by government agencies. Previously, Bryon worked with public servants as a site manager for a Head Start provider and as a part of the international development community.

Cameron Kober oversees the Partnership for Public Service’s employee engagement portfolio. This work includes holding leadership accountable to improve organizational culture through the Best Places to Work in the Federal Government® rankings, the most comprehensive rating of employee engagement in the federal government. Additionally, his team provides direct services to government agencies to identify and improve engagement through quantitative and qualitative data analysis, action planning and consulting support. Previously, Cameron developed a passion for public service as a middle school teacher in Central Florida.

Kevin Johnson, II, is an experienced practitioner in organizational development, strategic talent management, and workplace culture with over 15 years of experience transforming teams and organizations across diverse sectors. In his current role, Kevin has spearheaded several groundbreaking initiatives like the first-of-its-kind Federal Chief Diversity Officer Bootcamp. Kevin also played an integral role in developing the Partnership’s Public Service Leadership Model, which established a new standard for effective federal leadership. He has designed and facilitated hundreds of leadership development sessions, including Cabinet-level retreats, equipping participants with actionable and innovative strategies that enable them to lead more effectively. He has led collaborative efforts to solve cultural and operational challenges by identifying, designing, and implementing people-centric solutions.

Kshemendra Paul is recognized for his pioneering solutions that improve public administration and deliver results. He started his career in the private sector as a technology leader and entrepreneur. He then served in five federal agencies and the White House in roles such as chief architect, governmentwide lead for information sharing, and chief data officer. He is a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, a senior fellow at the Data Foundation, an advisor at the Program Integrity Alliance, a SAGE with the Partnership for Public Service, and a board member of the Society of Information Management’s Capital Area Chapter. In addition to policy research and advocacy, he advises leaders and organizations on data and artificial intelligence strategy and governance.

Sally Ly is a forward‑thinking leader in workforce development and human resources with more than 15 years of experience in public administration. She leads statewide efforts to modernize HR systems and strengthen the public‑sector workforce. She also serves as a Commissioner on the Sacramento County Civil Service Commission, supporting fair and merit‑based employment practices. Sally has also held key leadership roles with the City of Sacramento, overseeing major HR policies, programs, and operations. Sally earned her Bachelor of Arts in sociology from the University of the Pacific, her MPA from the McGeorge School of Law, and holds the SHRM‑SCP certification. As a first‑generation Hmong American, she brings a strong commitment to equity, opportunity, and public service to her work.

Staci Meyer leads the human resource management for North Carolina, helping state agencies and universities recruit and retain a highly qualified and skilled workforce. Through strategy and collaboration, OSHR works to modernize and simplify HR across the state. Director Meyer has been a public servant to North Carolina since 1991. She began her public service career as a law clerk to the Honorable R.A. Hedrick, then Chief Judge of the North Carolina Court of Appeals. The same year, she began a 15-year tenure at the N.C. Attorney General’s Office, where she represented the state in a wide range of civil and criminal matters related to employment, child abuse and neglect, development of new institutional health services, and juvenile justice.

Neal leads the Office of Personnel Services and Benefits, which is the central human capital office for ~40,000 state positions. Prior to this role, he served in the federal government, including as Senior Advisor to the Director of OPM, in multiple roles at the IRS, where he helped drive the IRS’s Inflation Reduction Act hiring surge, and as Special Advisor to the Deputy Secretary of Defense. Neal also previously worked as a Partner at the Boston Consulting Group, where he supported procurement reform, human capital optimization, and cost transparency efforts, and as a Principal at the social impact consulting company Open Capital Advisors in Nairobi, Kenya. He earned a bachelor's degree from The University of Chicago and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

Dr. Elizabeth (Liz) Williams, Ph.D. is a staff scientist in the Office of Science Quality and Integrity (OSQI) Youth and Education in Science (YES) program. Liz manages several undergraduate and graduate fellowships and work-force development programs. She also manages, coordinates, and supports geoscience education and outreach programs and efforts targeted to educators and students. Prior to joining YES, Liz managed the USGS Earth Systems Biogeochemistry Lab where her research focused on the effects of climate and land-use on carbon and nutrient cycling in soils and on the characterization of soil carbon dynamics. A soil biogeochemist by training, Liz especially enjoys sharing the beauty of soil with young learners through STEM outreach.

Kristen Carroll leads initiatives that strengthen the public sector talent pipeline and support early-career talent through programs including the Future Leaders in Public Service Internship Program, Rosenthal Fellowship and Public Service Roadshow. She brings more than a decade of experience in career development and employer engagement, including 12 years in higher education supporting students and alumni through career fairs, networking events and employer partnerships. At the Partnership, Kristen works with government agencies to attract, support, and retain talent through recruitment and leadership development programs, and has partnered with agencies including NIST, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Army, and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

Stephanie Sonkin manages the summer cohorts of the Future Leaders in Public Service Internship Program, helping to bring highly skilled talent to government and offers students the opportunity to apply their educational training to work at a federal and state government agencies. Stephanie also supports the Partnership’s Call to Serve Network, connecting higher education professionals and government agencies to promote public service and recruit the next generation of public servants. Stephanie earned her Bachelor's degree in International Studies from American University and her Master's degree in European History, Politics, and Society from Columbia University.

Blair leads national and regional strategies to advance STAR mobility through public sector partnerships and policy innovation. Previously, she launched and led the organization’s innovation studio, developing practical solutions to inclusive hiring challenges. With over 15 years of experience at the intersection of strategy and economic mobility, Blair has held leadership roles across mission-driven organizations including: advancing employee experience and affordable housing innovation at Fannie Mae; driving hiring and employee experience reforms at OPM; and managing a multimillion-dollar federal grant portfolio at the U.S. Dept of Health working with states, community colleges, workforce centers, and community-based organizations to expand career pathways in healthcare for low-income individuals, including those on TANF.

Carol de Fries is an expert at building successful strategic partnerships for economic and civic growth, with more than 15 years of experience in business development, finance, government relations, philanthropy, higher education and economic and workforce development. In her current role, Ms. de Fries leads a new initiative to open doors of access to Philadelphians to quality jobs with the City and with regional employers. She has held previous senior leadership roles with the University of Pennsylvania, the City of Philadelphia and its economic development agency PIDC, the Community College of Philadelphia, and JEVS Human Services dedicating her professional career to supporting Philadelphia’s efforts to grow and expand its economy.

As the inaugural Executive Director of Workforce Development since 2024, Medha has been leading workforce transformation efforts to make N.J.’s public health workforce future-ready, resilient, and highly engaged in delivering equitable health outcomes for all residents. Over the last 25 years, Medha has held several leadership roles including Chief Learning Officer, Director, Clinical Education and Professional Development, and Administrative Director, Talent Management and Organizational Development. Post pandemic, she pivoted to public service to support healthcare upstream efforts in the public health space. She holds a MBBS degree from J.J.M. Medical College, India and a MPA degree in Health Policy and Management, from New York University along with professional certifications in healthcare management, talent development, and human resources.

With more than 30 years of distinguished public service, Denise Carter is a seasoned leader with extensive experience driving mission-critical operations, organizational transformation, and strategic initiatives across federal and state government. Following a successful federal career, she transitioned to public service at the state level and now serves as the Deputy Secretary for Strategic Initiatives at the Delaware Department of Education providing executive leadership support for the agency’s education funding reform initiative, operations portfolio, and human capital management strategy.

At CBP, Andrea J. Bright’s priority is to provide a premiere employee experience from recruiting through retirement. She is responsible for all aspects of HR services, including recruitment and hiring, benefits, survivor advocacy, workplace safety, personnel research, executive services, HR business systems, labor and employee relations, and employee engagement. Ms. Bright is accountable for directing the quality and delivery of these services to more than 70,000 nationally and internationally dispersed, uniformed, and non-uniformed employees who comprise the largest law enforcement agency in the United States. Prior to serving as Assistant Commissioner, Ms. Bright served as the CHCO, CLO, and various leadership positions at OPM.

Matisha Montgomery is the Acting Chief Human Capital Officer at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and a joyful disruptor of the status quo in government. With more than two decades of federal service and a background in I/O Psychology, she leads human capital programs that focus on employee experience and build trust. She’s known for making workforce strategy actually strategic, translating data into action, and turning buzzwords into better workplaces. Matisha believes bureaucracy should never be boring—and she’s on a mission to prove it.

Anthony served as the 17th U.S. Secretary of Transportation (2013-2017), receiving a rare unanimous confirmation (100-0) by the U.S. Senate. After more than a decade of short-term transportation funding bills, Anthony successfully pushed for passage of new long-term legislation, the FAST Act. As Secretary, Anthony also promulgated new rules and guidelines for emerging transportation technologies such as drones and driverless cars and launched the Department’s first, and the Obama Administration’s most successful, Smart City Challenge. From 2009 to 2013, Anthony served as the 54th Mayor of Charlotte—the youngest person ever to serve in the role—where he led the city’s resurgence following the Great Recession with record investments in transportation, establishing a demand-driven workforce development system that became a national model and expanding opportunities for small businesses. He is the Emma Bloomberg Professor of the Practice of Public Leadership and Director, Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School.

James-Christian Blockwood was appointed President and CEO of NAPA in January 2025. The Academy is a congressionally charted nonpartisan, nonprofit that helps leaders build more effective, efficient, accountable and transparent organizations. Most recently he was Executive Vice President at the Partnership, where he helped with overall strategy and management of the organization, and oversaw its programs dedicated to improving the federal government. He is deeply committed to nonpartisanship and organizational excellence and is passionate about serving others and his country. He is a former career member of the SES in the U.S. Government and has broad experience in leadership and management, strategic planning, intelligence, national security and foreign affairs. He has helped transform and build new capabilities at the departments of Defense, Homeland Security, and Veterans Affairs as well as the Government Accountability Office.

 Daniel Pink is the author of seven bestselling nonfiction books on a range of topics, from human motivation to the science of timing to a graphic novel career guide. His books include the New York Times bestsellers The Power of Regret, A Whole New Mind, and When—as well as the #1 New York Times bestsellers Drive and To Sell is Human. His deeply researched works have been translated into 46 languages and have sold more than five million copies around the world. Over the years, he has also hosted a National Geographic television series, given one of the 20 most popular TED talks of all time, worked as a columnist at the Sunday Telegraph and the Washington Post, served as chief speechwriter to Vice President Al Gore, and been a clue on Jeopardy. He lives in Washington, DC, with his family.

Julie Broussard Berko, MPA is a member of the Senior Executive Service and oversees operational strategy and organizational effectiveness at the FMCS. The FMCS is an independent Executive Branch agency that provides mediation and related conflict prevention and resolution services in the private and public sectors. Prior to this role, Julie was Director of Human Resources at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). A leading voice in federal human capital management, she is the proud recipient of the 2022 Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Service. Her superpower is designing and implementing HR programs that align with complex, high-stakes organizational missions.