FedScoop

Brian Epley, CIO & Chief AI Officer for the U.S. Department of Commerce, joined Ashutosh Kulkarni, CEO of Elastic, on stage to discuss driving customer experience excellence with artificial intelligence. Their conversation explored how the Department of Commerce is leveraging AI to enhance citizen services, ensuring accuracy, security, and efficiency. Epley also shared insights on the evolution of the Chief AI Officer role, its distinction from the CIO role, and how it will shape future AI-driven government strategies. #ElasticGovSummit

H. Michael Nichols, VP of Product Management for Security at Elastic, Shelly Hartsook, Acting Associate Director of the Cybersecurity Division at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and Matt House, Deputy Associate Director & Program Manager of CDM at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, discussed CDM’s shift from a reactive approach to proactive defense, emphasizing the importance of real-time threat detection, automation, and identity-based access controls. They also explored how AI and Zero Trust are shaping the program’s future, enabling faster incident response and stronger cybersecurity across government agencies. #ElasticGovSummit

H. Michael Nichols, VP of Product Management for Security at Elastic, Shelly Hartsook, Acting Associate Director of the Cybersecurity Division at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and Matt House, Deputy Associate Director & Program Manager of CDM at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, discussed CDM’s shift from a reactive approach to proactive defense, emphasizing the importance of real-time threat detection, automation, and identity-based access controls. They also explored how AI and Zero Trust are shaping the program’s future, enabling faster incident response and stronger cybersecurity across government agencies. #ElasticGovSummit

H. Michael Nichols, VP of Product Management for Security at Elastic, Shelly Hartsook, Acting Associate Director of the Cybersecurity Division at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and Matt House, Deputy Associate Director & Program Manager of CDM at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, discussed CDM’s shift from a reactive approach to proactive defense, emphasizing the importance of real-time threat detection, automation, and identity-based access controls. They also explored how AI and Zero Trust are shaping the program’s future, enabling faster incident response and stronger cybersecurity across government agencies. #ElasticGovSummit

Jennifer Nowell, AVP of Federal Civilian Sales at Elastic, moderated a panel on next-generation security information at the #ElasticGovSummit, featuring: ? Marlan Macklin, Deputy Principal Director of the FutureG Office at the United States Department of Defense ? Manuel “Manny” Medrano, Director of Cyber Monitoring & Operations for the Bureau of Diplomatic Security at U.S. Department of State ? Justin Senseney, Collaboration Services Team Lead for the Office of Information Systems Management at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Panelists discussed modernization efforts shaping security strategies, emphasizing how evolving threats and mandates like BOD 25-01 are driving changes in cloud security, automation, and real-time monitoring. They also explored NextGen security initiatives, including Zero Trust, AI-driven analytics, and cross-agency collaboration to enhance cyber resilience. With security modernization accelerating across federal agencies, panelists underscored the need for innovation, interoperability, and proactive risk management to safeguard mission-critical systems. #ElasticGovSummit