Category: Board

Ron Thompson, a veteran of the US Army, has more than 30 years of experience in leadership roles spanning the public and private sectors.  Throughout his career, he has been responsible for organizational transformation, data design, innovation, engineering, operational management, and governance of complex IT solutions. Ron’s breadth of hands-on experience in organizational design and transformation will bring valuable perspectives in partnerships and creative problem solving. 

Currently Ron is serving as the Chief Data Officer of Quantum Space where he is responsible for the company’s data strategy, ensuring that all product offerings are created and optimized so that data is a strategic asset to customers.   

Ron previously served as NASA’s Chief Data Officer and Deputy Digital Transformation Officer.  Ron also served as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service where he provided executive leadership and oversight to protect the agency’s data.  Prior to USDA, Ron was the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Information and Technology at the Department of Veterans Affairs and was responsible for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of program operations while assisting the Administration across the department.   At the Department of Health and Human Services, Ron served as the Executive Director for engineering, design and operations in the Office of the CIO, responsible for transforming the organization’s services to an IT service management model, for improved service levels, and reduced operational costs.  Previous positions include the Internal Revenue Service where he managed finance, employee and labor relations, and talent management. Ron also served as the Chief Enterprise Architect for the U.S. Census Bureau and Program Manager for the Data Access and Dissemination System Office. At the Department of Treasury, Financial Management Service, he was the Director of Treasury’s web application infrastructure.   

In the private sector, Ron served as both a Senior Account Manager and a Consulting Manager at the Hewlett Packard and Compaq Computer Corporations where he led business development, software development and system design.  

Ron is a fellow in the American Council for Technology-Industry Advisory Council (ACT-IAC).  He has an Executive Master of Business Administration M.B.A. and a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems Management, both from the University of Maryland.  He resides in Maryland with his wife and two sons and is active in Boy Scouts of America where he serves as a Scoutmaster. 

Honors & Awards: 

Government Business Executive Forum (2023) – Technology Lifetime Achievement Award  

Top 100 Worldwide Data Activators (2022)- WANdisco 

Leading Data Executives (2021) – CDO Magazine  

Chief Data Officer Award (2021) – Washington Executive 

I CARE Award (2017) – Secretary of Veterans Affairs 

Achievement Medal & Meritorious Achievement – U.S. Army

Arnold Jackson is CEO of AJ Management Consulting LLC, in Silver Spring, MD. Prior to founding AJ Management Consulting, Mr. Jackson was Associate Director for Decennial Census at the U.S. Census Bureau and served as the Chief Operating Officer for the 2010 Decennial Census at the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census. In that role, he exercised full oversight of the $14 billion budget as he directed the management and administration of all decennial census and geographic support plans and operations of the 2010 Census.

Mr. Jackson served on the Director’s executive staff and on the newly established executive steering committee for the 2020 Decennial Census. After completing the operations of the 2010 Census, he contributed to emerging Bureau executive bodies for Diversity, Data Quality, and Internal Operating Efficiencies. Previously, he served as President and member of the Board of Directors of James Martin Government Intelligence (1998-2002), an information management consultancy that worked primarily with defense and civilian intelligence agencies. His work there included strategic planning, enterprise architecture, technology strategies and process reengineering. He implemented programs and practices in support of the Clinger-Cohen Act, a 1996 law that was designed to improve the way the federal government acquires and manages information technology. During an earlier tenure at the Census, he was the first Associate Director and Chief Information Officer to serve on the Director’s executive staff at the U.S. Census Bureau (1991-1997) and also served as the Chief of the former U.S. Census Bureau Decennial Operations Division (1984-1991). From there, Mr. Jackson pioneered the use of highly distributed information technology solutions and strategic outsourcing for the decennial census by executing nationwide support for the 1990 Census. He returned to private management consulting following that experience.

He was a partner and director at Ferguson-Bryan and Associates, a minority-owned business consulting firm in Washington, DC, from 1980 to 1984.

Mr. Jackson recently served as a Special Advisor to the Secretary of Commerce and his immediate staff.  As a seasoned executive with vast experience in all phases of Decennial Censuses and the Census enterprise, he advised the Secretary and the Under Secretary on a range of risk reduction, operational and organizational matters potentially driving the success of the 2020 Census.

Mr. Jackson received a Hammer Award for leading the team that launched the Census Bureau website in the mid-1990s. The Hammer Award is presented to teams of federal employees who have made significant contributions in support of reinventing government principles. His senior management team was awarded the Department of Commerce Gold Medal in 2011 for their widely acclaimed contributions to a most successful 2010 Decennial Census.

Mr. Jackson is a graduate of Hampton University, the Harvard Business School, and the Federal Executive’s Institute. He is a frequent speaker on topics including program management, management of information technology projects, performance management, and large-scale data collection and analysis.

Alan Balutis recently stepped down from his position as a Distinguished Fellow and Managing Partner with Cisco Systems US Public Sector’s strategy and consulting arm. Before joining the networking firm, he served more than 30 years in public service and industry leadership roles.

Mr. Balutis was a founding member of the Federal CIO Council after working on the legislation and the ensuing Executive Order that created the CIO position in government and set up the Council itself. At the Department of Commerce (DoC), Alan headed their Office of Management and Budget and served as the first CIO of a Cabinet-level agency. He finished his stint at the DoC, as the Director of the Advanced Technology Program (ATP) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. ATP was created by Congress to be a “civilian DARPA” and fund cutting-edge emerging tech firms.

Mr. Balutis has been selected as a Federal Computer Week (FCW) FED 100 recipient seven times and voted to be a member of the Government Computer News and FCW halls of fame. He is also a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, where he chaired their Standing Committee on Public Service, as well as a SAGE at The Partnership for Public Service. He currently chairs an expert panel chartered by the Social Security Advisory Board. His panel just completed a report on the multi-year, $700+ million IT modernization program underway at the Social Security Administration.

Mr. Balutis is a strong advocate for good government and has authored or edited numerous articles, books and studies on this matter and served as a mentor and connector for those who are interested in public service. He has also spoken at many panels, conferences, and media fora.

Finally, his experience as both a government and industry executive, as well as an academician and the head of a major non-profit industry association, has given Mr. Balutis a unique perspective on how government and industry can team for the best outcomes for citizens. He has served on several corporate Government Advisory Boards, including Endeca (acquired by Oracle), INPUT (acquired by Deltek), IT security firms Sigaba and Entrust, Akamai, and most recently Government CIO (purchased by a venture capital firm).

Gloria Parker is CEO and Senior Partner of Parker Group Consulting advising major companies from large integrators, to consulting firms and small businesses on government and business strategies. She also works with Federal Government Agencies on executive management issues such as IT Governance including Enterprise Architecture and Capital Planning, electronic government, IT Operations, applications of IT solutions to address mission needs and requirements, as well as organizational excellence, strategic planning, capital planning, management development, executive mentoring and coaching and other disciplines.

Ms. Parker held executive management positions at CSC and Apptis, Inc from 2005 through 2009. Prior to that time, she served as the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD’s) first Chief Technology Officer (CTO) beginning in 2002. She also served as HUD’s first Chief Information Officer (CIO) from 1998 through 2002. As CIO and CTO, Ms. Parker’s focus was on Information Technology (IT) Reform, IT Capital Planning and Investment Management, Business Process Improvement, eGovernment, IT Security, Enterprise Architecture, IT Operations, and data quality and management. Prior to HUD, Ms. Parker was the first CIO at the U.S. Department of Education.

Ms. Parker served on the Obama/Biden Transition Team in 2008 serving 4 agencies, including HUD, Education NARA, and GPO. She also recently served on the Biden/Harris Policy committee.

Ms. Parker was employed by the IBM Corporation for 17 years where she was recognized for her exceptional ability to apply technology to meet the business needs of her customers. She held high-level management and executive positions and received many awards, including the prestigious “IBM Golden Circle” recognition for exemplary leadership which is presented to the top 1% of personnel.

Ms. Parker’s government-wide leadership is recognized by both government and industry. She was a charter member of the Federal CIO Council and a former Co-chair, IT Workforce Committee of the Federal CIO Council. Ms. Parker is past president of the Association for Federal Information Resources Management (AFFIRM) and currently serves as one of its two directors. Ms. Parker has received several prestigious awards and acknowledgments including the 2000 Presidential Rank Award given for exemplary Government leadership, the 2000 Federal 100 Award for CIO Council leadership in recruiting and retaining Federal IT workers, the Presidential Medal for successful Y2K conversion of HUD’s systems, and Vice President National Performance Review Hammer Award. In addition, Ms. Parker has been commended by OMB for her leadership in establishing HUD as a model in IT investment management. She is a Fellow in the Council for Excellence in Government, a member of the CIO SAGE (Senior Advisor to Government Executives) Partnership for Public Service program. She has served as keynote speaker at the International CIO Conference and the Korean Forum on electronic government both held in Seoul, South Korea in 2005 and 2010. Most recently, Ms. Parker was named to serve on the Advisory Committee for the Korean International Forum on Electronic Government.

Ms. Parker holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Hampton University and has completed 2 years in Mathematical Statistics Ph.D. program at Ohio State University.

David Kriegman is the President and CEO of Z2B, LLC, a consulting company that provides strategic and operational advice to help companies achieve their growth goals.

Mr. Kriegman spent 30 years growing and managing companies that provide professional services. After working for the government as a section chief for the Bureau of the Census, he held several leadership positions in private industry. Kriegman was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of SRA International, a $1.3B government systems integration company with 5,500 employees; President of Command Federal, a venture-backed company focused on the Internet of Things; President of Tech Team Government Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of a commercial, IT outsourcing company; and Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Jacobs Technology Strategic Solutions Group.

Mr. Kriegman began his career with the U.S. Bureau of the Census where he served as a section chief in the Statistical Methods Division. Kriegman is a frequent speaker at industry and corporate events and serves as a lecturer and adjunct professor at programs offered by the Defense Acquisition University and the George Mason University (GMU) School of Business Executive Education Department where he co-authored the course: Tech to Exec: Making the Transition while Forging Stronger Client Relationships. He also helped developed the Executive Education course Building GovCon Acumen. Mr. Kriegman is the author of the Amazon best-selling book, Zero to a Billion: 61 Rules Entrepreneurs Need to Know to Grow a Government Contracting Business.

Mr. Kriegman holds a Master of Science in Mathematics from Florida Institute of Technology.