Love Rutledge on Life After DOD and the Future of Federal Talent
This week, the GovNavigators welcome Love Rutledge, host of the Fed Upward Podcast and recently retired Senior Executive from the Department of Defense. From her start as a GS-7 working two jobs to leading readiness and talent initiatives at the Pentagon, Love shares lessons from 25 years in federal service—and why she’s optimistic about what comes next.The conversation covers the latest DOD acquisition reforms, the perennial push for a clean audit, and the need for smarter, more flexible civilian personnel systems that make it easier to bring great people in (and back) to government. Plus, Love talks about how the challenges of paid parental leave inspired her to start Fed Upward and why so many feds are now seeking community through peer-to-peer networks.Also this week: the government reopens after 43 days, a new Center for U.S. Lending launches under Doug Criscitello, and the White House issues an executive order to improve benefits delivery for American families.Show Notes:SOW (née Secretary of Defense): Acquisition demoCenter for U.S. Lending: LaunchWhat's on the GovNavigators Radar:Nov 18: DefenseOne’s State of Defense Business Acquisition Summit Dec 4-5: ACT-IAC's ELC in DC!
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The Lending Brief Podcast: Ben Wallace on Modernizing Federal Loan Systems
Welcome back to The Lending Brief, brought to you by the GovNavigators and sponsored by Allocore. The Lending Brief shares stories of innovation, challenge, and impact in federal lending.In this episode, Allocore Managing Director Ben Wallace joins to discuss how government lending programs can finally catch up to the scale and speed of modern finance. Throughout our conversation, Ben breaks down what it really takes to modernize loan origination and servicing across agencies like SBA, USDA, DOE, and VA. He shares insights from decades of federal financial-system reform, lessons from recent platform integrations, and the steps needed to make lending both efficient and equitable.Want more from The Lending Brief? Check out The Lending Brief Newsletter
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Ted Kaouk on AI and the Future of Federal Innovation
This week on the GovNavigators Show, Robert and Adam welcome Ted Kaouk, former Federal Chief Data Officer and (as Adam puts it) the godfather of the federal CDO community. Now founder of Generative Work AI, Ted joins the hosts to discuss how generative AI is transforming the way organizations think, learn, and lead.From his “30 AI apps in 30 days” challenge to lessons from building the CDO Council after the Evidence Act, Ted shares insights on how agencies can move from compliance to true data-driven value, the emerging art of “vibe coding,” and why behavioral feedback may be the new superpower in managing AI systems.Show Notes:OPM: Hiring Guidance MemoVeterans Day: VA Resources for Honoring the DayEvents on the GovNavigators' Radar:Nov 10: ACT-IAC GovTechNext Emerging Tech Demo DayNov 12: ACT-IAC CX SummitNov 18: DefenseOne’s State of Defense Business Acquisition Summit Dec 4-5: ACT-IAC's ELC in DC!
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Dave Wennergren Reflects on the First Nine Months of Trump 2.0
This week on the GovNavigators Show, ACT-IAC CEO Dave Wennergren sits down with Robert and Adam to talk about how ACT-IAC and similar organizations are staying the course through the recent big shifts in the federal management and technology. Throughout sweeping cost-cuts, shifting priorities, and the AI wave, Dave and everyone on his team have been helping government and industry chart a path forward. Join us while we muse about where we've been, and where we might be heading. It's day 33 of the government shutdown- is there light at the end of the tunnel?Show Notes:Keep up with upcoming ACT-IAC eventsDistrict Court Judge Blocks RIFsNew DOT and Google Major ContractNVIDIA GTC Conference RecapNew Citizenship TestRobert Revieves the George Graham Award from NAPAEvents on the GovNavigators' Radar:Nov 2-4: National Academy of Public Administration’s National Conference Nov 4: Data Foundation’s Datum Awards Dec 4-5: ACT-IAC's ELC in DC!
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The Lending Brief Podcast: Doug Criscitello on the Future of Federal Lending
Welcome to The Lending Brief, a brand new show brought to you by the GovNavigators and sponsored by Allocore. The Lending Brief shares stories of innovation, challenge, and impact in federal lending.Our first guest is Doug Criscitello, former CFO at HUD and SBA, and now a fellow at Arnold Ventures. Doug unpacks how the federal government quietly became one of the world’s largest lenders, and why the volume of loans has exploded since the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-era Paycheck Protection Program.He explains how shrinking workforces and rising demand are forcing agencies to modernize through automation, analytics, and AI, not just to process loans faster, but to strengthen risk controls and inform policy decisions in real time. Doug also makes the case for a “Federal Credit Intelligence Hub,” a centralized data platform that could track performance, detect fraud, and guide smarter policy across agencies.Want more from The Lending Brief? Check out The Lending Brief Newsletter
Welcome, everyone, to the The GovNavigators Show - a government focused show that won’t make you seasick. We hope to enlighten and enliven your week with news and insightful, entertaining guests all on the topic of government management.Check out more at www.govnavigators.com
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