Episode 15: Get your digital and social media groove on

Edward Griffin serves as the Chief of Marketing and Commercial Sponsorship for the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). As the nation’s combat logistics support agency, DLA manages the global supply chain – from raw materials to end user to disposition – for the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, 10 combatant commands, other federal agencies, and partner and allied nations. With 18+ years as a senior marketing professional with extensive strategic communications and graphic design experience, Edward delivers creative solutions for the public and private sector ‐ encompassing market research, integrated marketing, outreach, public affairs, campaign development and sponsorship activation across all digital platforms.

Leading the creation of Model B's growth engineering and influence marketing services, Ashtan helps companies and entrepreneurs increase sales, communicate with key audiences, and drive influence in the marketplace. With a background in engineering, Ashtan built Model B's digital marketing platforms to employ smart algorithms and helps companies use the power of big data online to achieve nearly any sales or communications objective.

In 2013, Ashtan helped spearhead the launch of McBee Digital, a division of D.C. public relations and public affairs firm McBee Strategic (now known as Signal Group), serving as Vice President of Digital. Leveraging over a decade of experience in developing online solutions to drive offline goals, Ashtan led the division by crafting strategic thought leadership and brand elevation campaigns while interfacing with designers and developers to create bespoke solutions. Focusing on goal-oriented, measurable results he helped clients from Fortune 100 companies, to sovereign entities, to start-up ventures.

Prior to McBee, Ashtan launched and managed Moore Simply, a lightweight digital strategy firm with a focus on on line presence development, brand identity, and the development of engaging digital content. As the company's reputation grew, the scope of projects broadened to include highly specialized skills such as international crisis remediation support. Ashtan is know for creating digital campaigns that accomplish things you could never imagine – for example, making world leaders cry.

As the Digital Strategy Manager for 2060 Digital, John Simpson partners with organizations & businesses to develop their digital communication strategies and guide complex initiatives with measurable success. His work includes developing digital marketing campaigns for both private and public advertisers of WTOP & Federal News Network to deliver the right message to the right audience. John has over 10 years of digital marketing experience, including as a government contractor creating public outreach projects designed to improve government-to-citizen engagement for federal, state & local public organizations.

John lives in the Washington, D.C. area with his wife and basset hound. In his spare time, John has been a food tour guide through the storied Capitol Hill neighborhood, an aspiring coder, and is a diehard St. Louis Cardinals fan.

Lou Anne Brossman is the CEO and Co-founder of Government Marketing University. She has over 30 years of public sector government marketing leadership experience gained while working for some of the leading companies in the market (Juniper Networks, immixGroup, EMC). Her roots are in the manufacture world which enables her to better understand and relate to the corporate issues all government marketers are facing. She is a sought-out speaker on Government Marketing Best Practices and is well recognized and respected for her ability to drive Thought Leadership campaigns on relevant federal, state and local government policies and mandates. Lou Anne has served on numerous boards including immixGroup and Trezza Media and was a founding member of the Women’s Center Executive Council. Lou Anne was honored with the Heroines in Technology award presented by Women In Technology and she was the recipient of the ACT IAC Dedication to Making a Difference award.

Lou Anne founded Government Marketing University, an innovative learning platform that applies a collaborative, community-based approach toward knowledge sharing and skills development in the field of public sector marketing. Government Marketing University offers training, research, certifications, mentoring, and community resources all in one place. For more information about Government Marketing University, visit www.governmentmarketinguniversity.com.

Steve Watkins is Chief Content Officer at Government Marketing University, an innovative learning platform that applies a collaborative, community-based approach toward knowledge sharing and skills development in the field of public sector marketing.

He launched Watkins Communications in 2015, providing a variety of tailored communications and consulting services to clients in the federal marketplace and offering expertise in all varieties of content platforms, including live events, webcasts, white papers, video, social media, bylined articles, blogs, and issue briefs.

Prior to launching Watkins Communications, Steve served 15 years as the editor of Federal Times, a leading media brand serving the federal management community, Congress and contractors. Under Steve’s leadership, Federal Times won more than three dozen national and regional peer-reviewed awards for journalism excellence in the categories of investigative reporting, news analysis and government coverage. He is a frequent speaker and moderator at events focused on federal management and technology. As editor, Steve transformed the Federal Times editorial brand from a legacy subscription-based publication into a modern business-to-business model focused on the federal management community. Steve repositioned Federal Times to become a robust digital brand with an emphasis on federal modernization and a platform for thought leadership on federal management issues. During Steve’s tenure, Federal Times consistently ranked No. 1 or No. 2 nationally as the “Top Federal Publication Read” by Market Connections Inc., which began conducting federal market research studies in 2011.