Episode 18: Marketing artificial intelligence (AI) solutions to federal agencies

Steve Babitch is the Director of the Artificial Intelligence Portfolio in the Technology Transformation Services (TTS) within GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service. The Artificial Intelligence Portfolio aims to accelerate the adoption of AI across the federal government.

Steve’s background is in human-centered design and product development. He has devoted his career to understanding the needs of people to build better products using design, data, and technology.

Prior to joining TTS and beginning in 2015, he was a Presidential Innovation Fellow where he helped the Federal Bureau of Investigation take a more user-centered and multi- stakeholder approach to solving challenges in national security, private sector engagement, and the modernization of FBI technology, process, and policy. Steve was awarded for Exceptional Service in the Public Interest by FBI Director Christopher Wray.

In 2015, Steve founded Babitch Design Group, LLC, with clients including The World Bank where he focused on emerging market ventures, entrepreneurship, and climate change. Previously, he worked for design strategy consultancies Monitor-Doblin and IA Collaborative, with a focus on health care, in addition to technology, consumer goods, and city innovation. Clients included Humana, AbbVie, Vizient, United Airlines, the City of Detroit, and the U.S. Federal Government. He also helped the Mayo Clinic develop their wellness and telemedicine strategies and establish their Center for Innovation.

Steve has taught public private partnerships at American University and human-centered design at Northwestern University and CEDIM Design School in Mexico. He was a mentor at MATTER, the Chicago-based health care incubator, and was in the Emerging Leaders Program with The Chicago Council on Global Affairs. He has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan and a Master of Design from the IIT Institute of Design.

Andrew Bowman serves as a Business Communications Lead for SAIC, handling communications and marketing for the company’s Civilian Markets Group (CMG). The CMG portfolio includes a diverse set of federal, state and local, and commercial customers, and currently accounts for nearly $2 billion in annual revenues.

Earlier this year, Andrew’s work in leading an enterprise-wide marketing campaign around SAIC’s IT modernization capabilities was recognized with a Social Media Award for Best LinkedIn PR campaign of 2019.

Prior to assuming his Communications and Marketing role in 2018, Andrew spent more than a decade in politics and advocacy. He began his career as the “body man” to former U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd, and supported the Senator’s 2008 presidential campaign. He also worked on K Street before joining SAIC’s Government Affairs team in 2013.

John Conley leads thought leadership and content marketing programs for Accenture’s federal subsidiary. He previously led the company’s federal marketing campaigns for artificial intelligence and IT modernization. He is a strategic business leader with over 25 years of proven marketing, corporate communications, and business development experience, secured through successful engagements spanning innovative start-ups through Fortune 500 companies.

As Marketing Director, Lorna is responsible for Booz Allen's integrated marketing strategy to showcase how the firm helps solve client problems and supports their missions. Deployed globally, her team is also responsible for the firms Industry Analyst Relations program. Lorna has been with the firm since 2015 and serves as a Diversity and Inclusion Champion. Prior to Booz Allen, Lorna held marketing and communications roles internationally for Deloitte, American Express, Citigroup, and Ogilvy & Mather in the U.S. and Tokyo. She has a B.A. from Vassar and an M.B.A. from New York University.

Lou Anne Brossman is the CEO and 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.