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PODCAST

Former Fed Friday

Listen in as hosts Mike Pereira, Hunter Gros, Shelley McGuire, or David Blackburn, this podcast explores the journeys, challenges, and successes of transitioning from the federal workforce to the private sector.

government

All Episodes

35:06

Stop Chasing Shiny Objects: Winning in the New GovCon...

Former Fed Friday ·

2026/02/27

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 outcome-based contracting is gaining traction, but why most agencies won’t transform overnight. He dives

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16:37

Still Serving the CMS Mission with Melissa Moreno...

Former Fed Friday ·

2026/02/13

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 serving the CMS mission from outside government.The conversation explores what it really means to transition

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20:07

Continuing the Mission: Kelly Murray on Critical...

Former Fed Friday ·

2026/01/30

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 public–private partnership, including her leadership of the globally recognized Chemical Facility

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20:49

Solitaire Carroll on Veteran Experience, IT Strategy,...

Former Fed Friday ·

2026/01/23

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 her perspective shifted as she moved across sectors.The conversation explores the differences in

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16:13

Greg Godbout on AI, the Federal Workforce, and the...

Former Fed Friday ·

2026/01/16

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 government adopts, and struggles with, new technology.The conversation covers the pressing questions surrounding

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22:41

How GovCon Can Win Smarter in a Changing Market with...

Former Fed Friday ·

2026/01/09

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 of complex federal contracts.The conversation explores how Meaghan’s experience managing contracts

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13:56

Why HR Matters More Than Ever in Government with...

Former Fed Friday ·

2025/12/05

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 should be thinking about the real cost of treating workers as expendable.They explore where automation and

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26:07

From Fed to Founder: Monica Padron-Harris on Year One...

Former Fed Friday ·

2025/11/21

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 candidly about the realities of transitioning out of government, the shift in mindset required to succeed in

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21:12

From CFO to Change Agent: MSI's Teresa Hunter on...

Former Fed Friday ·

2025/11/14

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 driving financial modernization at GSA, DHS, Interior, and the IRS. She offers an inside look at how strong

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15:49

Carrying the Mission Forward: Benjamin Shotzberger's...

Former Fed Friday ·

2025/11/07

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 taught him about innovation, mission focus, and the unarticulated needs that often get lost between policy

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27:14

From Policy to Practice: Ariel Winter on 30 Years...

Former Fed Friday ·

2025/10/31

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 programs are shaped, funded, and implemented. He explains what it’s really like to translate

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11:24

Bridging Government and Industry with Darren Ash of...

Former Fed Friday ·

2025/10/24

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 Transportation, offering an inside look at how mission-driven leadership, innovation, and collaboration can

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19:27

From HUD to High-Tech: Vinay Singh on Leading with AI...

Former Fed Friday ·

2025/10/17

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 intelligence. He and Shelley dig into how the federal government is adopting AI, the balance between

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16:27

From DHS to Amivero: Meikle Paschal on Building...

Former Fed Friday ·

2025/10/10

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 the industry side, he’s leveraging that federal experience to drive innovation, human-centered solutions,

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19:05

Navigating Federal IT and Beyond with Richard Klemmer...

Former Fed Friday ·

2025/10/03

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, finance, and mission support, Richard shares how he built his career step by step, from self-taught

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11:08

Inside CMS, Outside the Box: Mark Canfield’s New...

Former Fed Friday ·

2025/09/26

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 organizations navigate federal challenges with clarity and precision.From building custom golf carts to

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15:07

From TAC to Tista: Mark Junda on the Evolution of...

Former Fed Friday ·

2025/09/19

In this Former Fed Friday episode, Shelley McGuire chats with Mark Junda, Executive Director of Digital Experience at TISTA Science and Technology Corporation and former senior acquisition leader at the VA. With over 20 years in federal service, including roles at the VA TAC, OMB, and USDS, Mark reflects on his journey driving procurement reform, building contracting vehicles like T4 and T4NG, and shaping IT acquisition strategies that still influence the market today.The conversation dives into

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18:42

From Federal Service to Nonprofit Leadership with...

Former Fed Friday ·

2025/09/12

In this Former Fed Friday episode, Hunter Gros sits down with David Gonzalez Rice, Senior VP for Policy at the National Low Income Housing Coalition and former Biden-Harris administration appointee. David shares his journey from nonprofit leadership into federal service—and back again—highlighting how his experiences in housing and homelessness shaped national policy.He opens up about the personal and professional reasons that led him to Washington, the skills that transfer between the government

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22:04

Modernizing Government IT: Insights from Alpha...

Former Fed Friday ·

2025/09/05

In this episode of Former Fed Friday, hosts Shelley McGuire and Hunter Gross sit down with Rob Brown, Senior Vice President of National Security Solutions at Alpha Omega and former CTO of USCIS at DHS. Rob shares his journey from the federal government to industry, reflecting on a decade of leading large-scale IT modernization efforts, cloud adoption, cybersecurity evolution, and building mission-driven teams.He offers insights on vendor relationships, managing major federal contracts, and

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16:21

From Policy to Practice: Tom Kessler on Medicare...

Former Fed Friday ·

2025/08/29

On this episode of Former Fed Friday, host Shelley McGuire sits down with Thomas Kessler, owner of Kessler Healthcare Consulting and former Senior Advisor at CMS’s Center for Program Integrity. With nearly 37 years of federal service, including 28 at CMS, Tom brings unmatched insight into program integrity, fraud prevention, and the evolving role of technology in Medicare oversight.Tom shares highlights from his career, from leading fraud prevention system reports to Congress, to shaping Medicare

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50 results

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