The GovNavigators Show

This special episode of The GovNavigators Show features a live conversation with Socure’s Jordan Burris, former chief of staff to the Federal CIO, recorded at the Government Executive Federal Technology Priorities Conference.
Jordan lays out a stark warning: modern fraud is not a series of isolated schemes, it’s an industrialized, AI-enabled ecosystem operating at global scale. He explains how adversaries are using the same large language models, automation, and data-sharing techniques as legitimate organizations to defeat traditional identity controls in days instead of months, creating what he calls a “zero-day” environment for fraud.
The discussion explores why long-standing federal fraud defenses are being outpaced, how commercial sectors have pulled ahead, and what agencies can do now to measure risk, modernize verification, and collaborate across silos. With hundreds of billions of dollars at stake each year, Jordan argues the government must move faster, test new approaches, and learn from industries already fighting these threats in real time.
If you care about improper payments, digital service delivery, customer experience, or cybersecurity, this is a roadmap for how identity has become the front line.
Show Notes:
USA Today's story on Socure's age verification work
Supreme Court rules against the administration's tariffs
ICYMI: upcoming changes to 8(a)
What's on the GovNavigators' Radar:
Feb 24, 2026:
Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Hearing on Security Clearances
State of the Union Address
Mar 4, 2026:
Alliance for Digital Innovation’s Understanding OneGov: Discussions with GSA Leadership
Mar 5, 2026:
Driving Government Efficiency Summit

In this special President’s Day pop-up episode, the GovNavigators break down a fast-moving week in federal management and policy. They unpack the latest partial shutdown and what it really means for DHS employees, travelers, and the long-term outlook for TSA, along with the state of negotiations between the White House and Congress.
The conversation turns to the Congressional Budget Office’s new long-term deficit projection, the Small Business Administration’s termination of more than 150 8(a) contracts and what it signals for the federal contracting community, and a notable Washington Post release of a searchable database of federal AI use cases, and what it says about the government’s progress (and remaining challenges) in making data usable.
Enjoy the long weekend, folks!
Show Notes:
Robert, there are a total of four presidents with alliterative names, they are: 
Woodrow Wilson (28th President)
Calvin Coolidge (30th President)
Herbert Hoover (31st President)
Ronald Reagan (40th President)

This week, the GovNavigators are joined by Mike Wetklow, former Chief Risk Officer at the IRS and longtime federal financial leader, to kick off a new series on the pod, introducing you all to the illustrious members of the GovNavigators Network. Mike reflects on his career across DHS, NSF, OMB, and IRS, his decision to return to school mid-career to study data analytics, and his current work preparing the next generation of public servants at George Mason University. The conversation explores how AI, data science, and emerging technologies are reshaping risk management and financial oversight, and why government’s real challenge may be learning to oversee technology that increasingly does the work itself.
In the news, Robert and Adam break down a brief partial shutdown, ongoing DHS funding uncertainty, and GAO’s latest report on federal shared services. They unpack why progress remains slow, what leadership commitment is missing, and why agencies continue to struggle to stop paying for duplicative systems. The episode also covers the administration’s move to reclassify parts of the federal workforce, revisiting the spirit of Schedule F, and a rare bipartisan moment out of the House Oversight Committee that raises cautious questions about the future of good-government reforms.
Show Notes:
Learn more about the GovNavigators Network
GAO report on Federal Shared Services
OPM Federal Workforce Reclassification Rule
What's on the GovNavigators' Radar:
Feb 10-12: AFCEA West
Feb 11: PSC Law Enforcement Conference
Feb 18-19: AGA National Leadership Training
Mar 5: Government Efficiency Summit

In this episode of The Lending Brief  (sponsored by Allocore), Bill Webner, CEO of Allocore, joins the podcast to break down why federal lending remains one of government’s most mission-critical—but technologically neglected—functions, and what it will take to modernize it at scale.
Drawing on his career spanning Freddie Mac, Booz Allen, Capgemini, and now Allocore, Webner explains how legacy, fragmented loan systems slow disbursements, increase fraud risk, and drive unnecessary operating costs across more than 175 federal credit programs. He contrasts the federal approach with modern commercial banking platforms, where speed and accountability are the norm, not the exception.
The conversation explores lessons from SBA’s pandemic-era lending programs, why emergency conditions often catalyze modernization, and how a sanctioned, shared lending platform could dramatically improve speed to disbursement, borrower experience, and fraud prevention across government. Webner also discusses why federal lending modernization is uniquely solvable, how it mirrors past shared-services efforts like payroll and travel, and why getting this right has an outsized impact on the broader economy.
Want more from The Lending Brief? Check out The Lending Brief Newsletter.

This week on The GovNavigators Show, Robert and Adam are joined by Venice Goodwine, former CIO of the Department of the Air Force and current CIO and Product Owner at Arlo Solutions, for a candid conversation about leadership, culture, and change across government. 
Venice reflects on a remarkable career spanning more than three decades of active-duty and reserve service, senior executive roles at the Department of Agriculture and the Air Force, and hands-on leadership across nearly every military service. She shares how navigating wildly different organizational cultures shaped her leadership style, why mission understanding matters more than titles, and what it really takes to modernize enterprise IT at scale.
The discussion also dives into major accomplishments, including IT-as-a-service transformations, cybersecurity improvements, early GenAI experimentation inside DoD, and lessons learned from retiring (twice!) and choosing to keep contributing. Venice closes with advice for today’s public servants navigating uncertainty, efficiency mandates, and cultural resistance, emphasizing curiosity, coalition-building, and keeping the end mission in mind.
Show Notes:
H.R.7148: Consolidated Appropriations Act
Reform For Results
What's on the GovNavigators' Radar:
Feb 3: ITI's The Intersect 2026
Feb 5: Shared Services Leadership Coalition Government Efficiency Roundtable