Episode 21: U.S. Federal Government in a Post COVID-19 World

Jeff Neal is the founding Principal for ChiefHRO, LLC. He served as a Senior Vice President for ICF from 2011 to 2019. Previously, Mr. Neal served in the Obama/Biden administration as Chief Human Capital Officer for the Department of Homeland Security and previously served as Chief Human Resources Officer (J-1) for the Defense Logistics Agency, and Deputy Chief Human Capital Officer for the Department of Commerce. Mr. Neal is a Fellow and Director of the National Academy of Public Administration and previous Chair of the NAPA Board of Directors. He is also a Strategic Advisor to Government Executives (SAGE) for the Partnership for Public Service where he serves on the faculty for the Ready to Govern initiative, training more than 2,000 new SES members over the past several years, and a member of the Board of Directors for Acendre. Mr. Neal is a widely recognized thought leader, and the author of ChiefHRO, a blog which regularly addresses federal human capital issues.

Aaron Heffron has over 20 years of experience in research and analysis in various industries and sectors, including federal government, trade associations, technology, television and radio, and telecommunications. Prior to joining Market Connections, Aaron worked with The NPD Group, Inc. connecting NPD’s syndicated consumer data with federal, state and local government agencies. He founded some of the first public/private partnerships with the U.S. Department of Commerce to improve economic indicators and data gathering practices. Prior to NPD, he was Senior Vice President of Public Affairs Research for Harris Interactive where he facilitated a multi-continent strategic planning process for the US Department of State, ran product trials for the Open Mobile Video Coalition and facilitating focus groups with first Americans in Alaska and South Dakota.

Aaron’s professional history is rooted in both the public sector and the technology and telecommunications industries, including past positions with Market Connections, Inc.; the Association of Public Television Stations (APTS), a trade association that represented the interests of America’s 357 public television stations; and Independent Sector (IS), a coalition of 700 national nonprofit organizations, foundations and corporate giving programs.

He has his master degree in public policy from Georgetown University and a BA in leadership studies and economics from the University of Richmond in Virginia.

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.