This week, the Buzz is partnering with ACT-IAC's Federal Insights Exchange (FIE). The FIE program hosts short-form conversations between industry and agency leaders to share success stories, challenges, and priorities.Our guest host Sid Getz, Vice President at CGI and member of the Department of Veterans Affairs FIE, sat down with Jon Rychalski, Assistant Secretary for Management and Chief Financial Officer at the VA. Together, they discuss approaches the VA and government financial management community are taking to stay competitive in the labor market, retain talent, and attract younger civil servants.If you liked this episode, the Federal Insights Exchange is always hosting more sessions. With 15 agencies represented, there's a whole range of topics and learning opportunities available - but only for ACT-IAC members! Learn more here.Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform to never miss an episode! For more from ACT-IAC, follow us on LinkedIn or visit http://www.actiac.org.

This week, the Buzz presents a recorded session from our first ever Climate Change Summit, held on April 17th. This fireside chat features Edward Saltzberg, Executive Director of the Security and Sustainability Forum and Andy Bochman, Senior Grid Strategist at the Idaho National Laboratory. These two experts discuss vulnerability of infrastructure in a world that must adjust to climate change, geopolitics, and domestic terrorism. They acknowledge that traditional infrastructure is no longer sufficient to withstand the changing climate, as well as the political and security threats of the modern world.Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform to never miss an episode! For more from ACT-IAC, follow us on LinkedIn or visit http://www.actiac.org.

We're back with a new season of How Government Built This! This year, our theme is "Strengthening and Empowering our People and Culture", and we'll be looking at how applying the principles of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) can promote innovation within an organization.This week, we explore the many ways that ACT-IAC's Emerging Technology Community of Interest is creating partnerships between people and organizations to advance our understanding of emerging technology. By expanding the range of perspectives at the table, we better prepare ourselves for a rapidly-changing future. Guests: Todd Hager, Vice President, Macro SolutionsCindy Good,  Director of the Office of Financial Innovation and Transformation, Bureau of the Fiscal Service Amora Upton, RN Informatics Integrator for the Department of Veterans Affairs Jessica Tavasti Davis, Chief of Staff of Federal Civilian Sales for Microsoft  Frederic de Vaulx, CEO, Prometheus Computing Featuring clips from:Jasmine Faubert, Senior Principal Systems Engineer, MITRE Renee Wynn, former CIO, NASA Sabina Sokol, U.S. Ambassador, Girls in Quantum Dan Hopkins, Vice President of Applied AI, EightfoldStay tuned for more HGBT by subscribing on your favorite podcast platform! For more from ACT-IAC, follow us on LinkedIn or visit http://www.actiac.org.

Global average temperatures have risen roughly 2 degrees Fahrenheit since 1880, but more than half of that change has come only in the last 4 decades. And in the next 3 decades, we are on track to see an additional 5-degree Fahrenheit (or more) increase. The Earth of today, and of the near future, is one in which we must constantly adapt to the environmental upheaval we have created. As our planet's flora and fauna act and react to this shifting world, we will, as individuals, more and more often directly face the consequences of climate change. Infectious disease is one such consequence. As the geographic ranges of animals, plants and fungi expand and contract, we are exposed to disease vectors in new and often unpredictable ways.In an effort to better prepare our country for an uncertain future, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are studying how climate change is shaping the patterns of infection across our country, and what we can do about it.This week, the Buzz is joined by CDC experts Dr. Ben Beard, Deputy Director of Vector-Borne Diseases and Dr. Nancy Chow, Data and Quality Team Lead in the Mycotic Diseases Branch.Get more information at cdc.govSubscribe on your favorite podcast platform to never miss an episode! For more from ACT-IAC, follow us on LinkedIn or visit http://www.actiac.org.

We're back with a new season of How Government Built This! This year, our theme is "Strengthening and Empowering our People and Culture", and we'll be looking at how applying the principles of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) can promote innovation within an organization.This week, we're hearing from the members of the workforce at the Bureau of the Fiscal Service on the idea of "empowerment". Our guests this week came together from different departments of the Fiscal Service to participate in an innovation competition, the Fiscal Challenge. You'll hear from both team members and leadership about how the Challenge and broader concepts of employee empowerment have affected their work and culture. Guests:Tom Vannoy - Deputy Assistant Commissioner, Wholesale Security Services, Bureau of the Fiscal Service Team 1:Kuhu Parasrampuria - Attorney Advisor, Office of the Chief Counsel Grace Lim - Management and Program Analyst, Office of the Chief Data Officer Team 2: Dave Martie - Fiscal Analyst, Office of Fiscal ProjectionsMelissa Campisi - Executive Assistant, Wholesale Securities ServicesDonald Ricks - IT Project Manager, Program Management BranchStay tuned for more HGBT by subscribing on your favorite podcast platform! For more from ACT-IAC, follow us on LinkedIn or visit http://www.actiac.org.