AFCEA BETHESDA’S 2023 INNOVATEIT AWARD WINNERS EXEMPLIFY FEDERAL LEADERSHIP

Honorees’ Innovations Advance Agencies’ Missions


Bethesda, MD., June 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AFCEA Bethesda today announced the winners of its 2023 InnovateIT Awards program. Recipients of the annual awards comprise individuals and teams within the federal civilian and IT markets who have demonstrated exemplary leadership and innovation. Awardees have distinguished themselves through the attainment of tangible results in the critical IT areas of security, automation, and modernization, either within their organizations or across the federal IT community. On June 22, a luncheon at the National Press Club will honor this year’s InnovateIT Award recipients. 

“AFCEA Bethesda recognizes these outstanding leaders who have embraced innovation to advance their organizations’ missions or the state of federal IT,” said AFCEA Bethesda President Kathleen Cowles. “This year’s InnovateIT awardees are thought leaders who have demonstrated the courage to overcome challenges, implement innovation, and transform citizen services in the federal IT community. We’re honored to present this year’s winners.” 

2023 InnovateIT Award Winners 

Government Innovation Leader of the Year 
Karl Mathias, Chief Information Officer, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 

Industry Innovation Leader of the Year 
Michael Pansky, Chief Product Officer, IntelliBridge 

Emerging Government Leader Award 
Ashley Hammond, Portfolio Manager, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs 

Digital Experience Innovation Leader of the Year 
Margaret "Peggy" Willoughby, Director of Communications, National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs 

Workforce Leader of the Year 
Jessica Berrellez, Executive Officer, U.S. Food and Drug Administration 

IT Modernization Innovation Leader of the Year (Individual or Team) 
FDA Office of Regulatory Affairs (Team) 

Team Members: 
Linda Sigg, Director, Office of Information and Systems Management 
Eugene Reilly, Supervisory Program Analyst 
Gregory Parcover, Supervisory Program Analyst 
Aaron Adler, Management Analyst 
Denise Garnett, Division Director 
Malinda Shelman, Consumer Safety Officer 
Sonja Byrd, Operations Research 
Steven Gagnon, Contracting Officer 

Click here to learn more about AFCEA Bethesda’s InnovateIT Awards program. 

ABOUT AFCEA BETHESDA  

AFCEA Bethesda, a non-profit organization, encourages dialogue and partnership between the Federal Government and industry to solve today’s most critical IT challenges. Our events bring together government and industry leaders to foster better inter-agency communication, share best practices, identify mission-critical issues and management approaches, and increase engagement with industry IT solution and service providers. AFCEA Bethesda is the premier civilian chapter of AFCEA International. On average, we annually engage more than 250 primarily civilian, senior government executives who participate as speakers and moderators at our well-attended annual events (e.g., Engage & Connect Series; Energy, Infrastructure & Environment (EIE) Summit; Health IT Summit; Law Enforcement and Public Safety (LEAPS) Technology Forum; Emerging Leaders ProDev Series; and Senior Government Executive Dinner). Our Chapter proceeds support academic scholarships and non-profit community organizations. For additional information, please visit bethesda.afceachapters.org. 

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