Ms. Arlene Joyner is the Director of the Industrial Base Management and Supply Chain for the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In this role, she is responsible for leading HHS efforts on Advanced Manufacturing Technologies, Personal Protective Equipment, Testing and Diagnostics, and Supply Chain Optimization. 

Ms. Joyner’s previous roles within ASPR include Deputy Director for the Pharmaceutical Countermeasures Infrastructure Division and Branch Chief for the Pharmaceutical Countermeasure Infrastructure (PCI) Department within the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) where she started her federal service 11 years ago in 2011. Prior to joining ASPR, Ms. Joyner worked for six years at Merck and Company in Quality Auditing and Vaccine Manufacturing Operations, and 16 years at Baxter Vaccines Division as a Manufacturing Manager, Materials Management and Supply Chain Manager, and Manufacturing Operations Director. Ms. Joyner holds a Bachelors degree in Chemical Engineering from Penn State University and a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering from Villanova University.

Makoto P. Braxton currently serves as the Head of Contracting Activity for the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR). The ASPR is an Operating Division within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and its mission is to save lives and protect Americans from 21^st century health security threats. Mr. Braxton is responsible for all acquisition and assistance activities at the ASPR. In Fiscal Year 2023, the ASPR Contracting and Grants Enterprise executed 1,700 actions and obligated $11 billion. The overarching portfolio of acquisition and assistance instruments at ASPR is over $100 billion. The ASPR acquisition and assistance workforce totals over 800 personnel. Mr. Braxton has been with ASPR since 2017. Prior to that, he served in various positions with the Department of the Air Force, Department of the Army, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. Mr. Braxton holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, with a major in Business Economics, from the University of Arizona. He has also graduated from the Federal Executive Institute’s Leadership for a Democratic Society. Mr. Braxton joined Federal service in 2008 and was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in 2022.

Christine Godfrey is the Associate Director for Operational Support in CDC’s Office of Acquisition Services. She began her federal career with CDC over 23 years ago and has worked in acquisitions for over 21 years. Mrs. Godfrey has supported every CDC program as in her various acquisition roles as a contracting officer, team lead, branch chief and currently as an Associate Director. In current role, she oversees acquisition policy, workforce development, government purchase card program, cross-cutting office risk mitigation and operational support. She supported every emergency operations response since Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and has led the acquisition cadre for each response since 2014 Ebola. Mrs. Godfrey received HHS Secretary’s Commendation for Exceptional Leadership and Dedicated Service to the Department and Nation during the PHE phase of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Mrs. Godfrey holds a bachelor’s degree from Oglethorpe University and a master of acquisition management from American Graduate University

Jennifer Johnson is the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Executive Director for the Office of Acquisition Policy, Legislation, Oversight & Workforce within the HHS Office of Acquisitions. In this role, she advises the HHS Deputy Assistant Secretary for Acquisitions/Senior Procurement Executive (SPE) and the Chief Acquisition Officer (CAO)/Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources on the formulation and promulgation of Department-wide policy, proposed legislation, and regulations governing the Department's acquisition programs. Ms. Johnson is also responsible for HHS acquisition workforce certification, training and development and procurement oversight and compliance programs. 

Previously, Ms. Johnson served as the Associate Director for Acquisition Policy, Oversight and Business Strategies for the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) within the Office of the Senior Procurement Executive (OSPE). In this role, she served as the chief acquisition policy advisor to DOT’s CAO, SPE, DOT Heads of the Contracting Activities (HCA), and all senior career and political leadership across the Department. Ms. Johnson served as the key official responsible for DOT acquisition policy promulgation, oversight of procurement activities, and development and implementation of Federal contracting business strategies/programs, to include category management and other President’s Management Agenda-directed priorities. 

Prior to joining OSPE, Ms. Johnson served as a Policy Team Lead, Small Business Specialist and Contracting Officer at the Federal Highway Administration. She also worked as a contracting professional in the private sector prior to joining the Federal Government. Ms. Johnson has over 16 years of experience as an acquisition professional and holds a Master of Public Administration, Bachelor of Science of Administration of Justice – both from George Mason University and a Master’s Certificate in Government Contracting from The George Washington University.

Elizabeth Kittrie is currently serving as a Senior Advisor in the Office of the Associate Administrator of the Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW) at the Health Resources and Services Administration. In this capacity, she is a member of the Senior Leadership Team and advises the Associate Administrator and Deputy Administrator on a wide range of programmatic and policy issues related to the Bureau’s $3.36 billion portfolio, with a particular emphasis on the Bureau’s uses of and dissemination of data. Ms. Kittrie also serves as Chief of Staff for the Bureau’s COVID Incident Command, working closely with all parts of HRSA on pandemic response efforts. At HRSA, Ms. Kittrie participates on a number of cross-departmental committees including the HHS White House Executive Order Working Group on the Development of a Sustainable Workforce and the HRSA Center for Innovation. Prior to joining HRSA, Ms. Kittrie served as a Senior Advisor in several other HHS Operating Divisions including the Immediate Office of the HHS Secretary, the National Institutes of Health, and the HHS Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. Ms. Kittrie was awarded a Milken Institute School of Public Health Fellowship in 2021 to pursue a doctorate in public health at George Washington University. She is doing so part-time as she continues to serve in her current role at HRSA.

Chandra Mohan is the acting Chief Technology Officer at SAMHSA. In this role, he is responsible for delivering technology programs and driving enterprise strategies and solutions, including organizational changes. Chandra is an accomplished business & technology executive with decades of experience providing strategic consulting advice and delivering complex technology programs. Besides supporting several Federal agencies (DOJ, DHS, Treasury), Chandra has worked in multiple countries advising global leaders in banking, retail, telecom and insurance sectors, on digital transformation and process improvement initiatives.

Jeffrey C. Neill is the Deputy Associate Executive Director and Head of the Contracting Activity for the Technology Acquisition Center, Department of Veterans Affairs. In this role, he supports the TAC Associate Executive Director and is responsible for providing business and contracting solutions for a variety of major information technology programs for the Department and leading a diverse staff to include the Procurement Service Directors, Operations Director, and Engineering Service Director.

Prior to joining VA in October 2023, Mr. Neill held multiple positions with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. During 2023, he was temporarily assigned as the Alternate (Deputy) Senior Contracting Official for SCO-DAL where he oversaw 18 contracting offices and 800 contracting professionals supporting the western U.S., Hawaii, Alaska, Japan, and Korea. He was dual hatted as the Regional Contracting Chief for International and Interagency Support for the Southwestern Division and Chief of Contracting for the Fort Worth District where he served as the principal procurement official responsible for managing the contracting program for civil works, military programs, and environmental restoration. In addition, Mr. Neill previously served as Chief of Contracting for the Galveston District where he re-established the contracting division in 2018.

Prior to joining the Corps, Mr. Neill served in the State of Texas and multiple Federal positions, including the Director of Contract Administration for Texas A&M University’s Center for Innovation in Advanced Development and Manufacturing, Chief of Contracting for the Eastern Business Service Center in the Agricultural Research Service, and Division Chief for Construction and Garrison Support Services for Expeditionary Contracting Command in Vicenza, Italy.

Mr. Neill holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Texas A&M University where he graduated from the Eisenhower Leadership Development Program and was an intern for former President George H. W. Bush. In addition, Mr. Neill has a Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of Texas School of Law and a Master’s Certificate in Contracting from the George Washington University. He holds an unlimited contracting officer warrant, is a member of the Army Engineer Association and National Contract Management Association, and is DAWIA and FAC-C (Professional) certified in contracting. In addition, Mr. Neill is a Certified Professional Contracts Manager (CPCM) and Project Management Professional (PMP).

Mr. Neill is a Veteran of the U.S. Air Force where he was assigned to Minuteman III and Peacekeeper squadrons at F.E. Warren AFB in Cheyenne, Wyoming. He is married with three children and enjoys volunteering for the Brazos Valley Center for Independent Living which is a charitable organization whose mission is to promote the full community inclusion and participation of individuals with disabilities, where he has served on the Board of Directors since 2015.

Sylana A. Tramble serves as director of the Office of Human Resources (OHR) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, GA.  In this role, she provides advisory and program execution guidance for the full range of civilian, and commissioned, including recruitment, hiring, classification, employee and labor relations, benefits, payroll, education, and transition services.

Prior to her service with CDC, she served the U.S. Army Installation Management Command (IMCOM) in San Antonio, TX, as director of human resources. Before IMCOM, Sylana led the Operational Directorate of the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) Human Capital Office and the Talent Acquisition Division. 

In June 2016, Sylana was appointed to the Senior Executive Service and assigned as deputy director of the Human Resources Directorate in the Department of Defense’s Washington Headquarters Services. She served as the principal adviser to the deputy chief management officer’s director of administration in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. She worked closely with the director of Washington Headquarters Services, as well as other senior Department of Defense officials on the full range of human resources management and personnel security. Sylana previously served at the Air Force Personnel Center as the director of the Personnel Programs Directorate, where she was responsible for interpreting and implementing personnel policies and procedures that established standards for military and civilian personnel programs and delivering human resource model platforms across the Air Force. During her 22 years as a civil servant in the Department of Defense, she held a variety of positions in the Air Force and Marine Corps, including branch chief for recruitment and placement and key positions at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan. 

Charles Worthington is a software developer and product designer who has been helping the government adopt modern digital service delivery best practices since 2013. He currently serves as the Chief Technology Officer for the Office of Information and Technology at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Charles leads efforts to improve the experience Veterans have when interacting with VA online and helps guide VA’s adoption of modern DevSecOps best practices. Since joining the Department, he has led VA’s Digital Modernization effort, including the relaunch of VA.gov as a Veteran-focused digital platform and the creation of VA’s flagship native mobile application. Charles also supports several automation efforts designed to speed VA’s delivery of services to Veterans. Prior to joining VA, Charles was a co-founder of the U.S. Digital Service at the White House. Before that, he built products for private sector clients and was a strategy consultant in the tech & telecom sectors. Charles holds a B.A. from Harvard University.

An award-winning CEO, health and workplace strategy consultant, Fran has established a 20+ year track record as a business leader, publisher, speaker and tech innovator. In 1997, Fran founded Aerobodies Inc., as a provider of workplace wellness, health tech and facilities management services for government and commercial agencies.  Under her leadership Aerobodies has developed several proprietary health technologies and program innovations.  Fran currently leads a nationwide team serving an impressive list of corporations, federal and state agencies and nonprofits. Fran earned her bachelor’s degree in communications from George Mason University and is also a certified Executive Leadership Coach through Georgetown University.  She is a nationally recognized speaker and the host of The Optimized Workplace Podcast focusing on trends and best practices affecting the employee experience and workplace culture. Fran has served as a Board Member for the National Contract Managers Association (NCMA), the Northern VA Technology Council (NVTC), the International Well Building Institute (IWBI) and is a member of the Professional Services Council.

Michelle Clark serves as the Business Development Executive for Health Programs at SAIC, leveraging over 23 years of experience in executive leadership and strategic partnerships. Formerly the Executive Director of the African American Federal Executive Association (AAFEA) and Business Lead of Strategic Partnerships at AT&T Public Sector, she is recognized as a #changeagent for her forward-thinking approach. Michelle is renowned for her influential management style, prioritizing the success and development of her team members.

In addition to her professional endeavors, Michelle navigates the challenges of work/life balance as a mid-career professional in the sandwich generation. Her unique perspective is highlighted in her chapter in the book "Leading through the Pandemic: Unconventional Wisdom from Heartfelt Leaders."

Outside of work, Michelle serves on the board of Tigerlily Foundation, a national women’s health and oncology organization dedicated to education, awareness, advocacy and hands-on support to young women – before, during and after cancer, and on the Advisory Board of 131 and Counting, dedicated to supporting women lawmakers and public policy professionals. She is also a life member of Blacks in Government and the Federally Employed Women.

Michelle earned her BA in Communications, Legal Institutions, Economics, and Government, as well as her MS in Justice, Law, and Society from American University. She holds a certification as a Project Management Professional (PMP).

Katie leads the business of IBM consulting services, across multiple operating divisions within the Department of Health and Human Services. This work includes data and AI, hybrid cloud, cybersecurity, and talent transformation. Prior to this role, Katie served as the Principal Technology Sales Leader for Veterans Affairs and Defense Healthcare, managing strategic client engagements across all of IBM’s product offerings. Katie is focused on leveraging IBM’s strengths in the areas of Data, Artificial Intelligence, Hybrid Cloud, Zero Trust, Automation, and Talent Transformation to help customers solve complex problems.

Prior to joining IBM, Katie worked for Northrop Grumman supporting an array of clients, to include: the Japanese Ministry of Defense, Navy, DISA, and US Medical Commands and Department of Veterans Affairs. Her experience also includes the work she did for various other federal system integrators over the past 18 years.    She received her Bachelor of Science from Winthrop University in South Carolina, and an MBA from Virginia Tech where she completed international studies in both Dublin, Ireland and Istanbul, Turkey. Katie has been highlighted in Signal Magazine for her hard work and has received multiple industry awards.