Keynote Speaker: Danny Werfel
Danny Werfel serves as the 50th Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service. As Commissioner, he presides over the nation's tax system, which collects approximately $4.1 trillion in tax revenue each year representing about 96% of the total gross receipts of the United States. Commissioner Werfel oversees an agency of about 85,000 employees and an annual budget of more than $12 billion.... (more...)
Vlad Antikarov
Vlad Antikarov is the Principal at Verea Group LLC. With over 30 years of experience, Mr. Antikarov has served as a senior member of the corporate finance practice with the Monitor Group, now Monitor Deloitte, and as Senior Advisor to the CFO of Overseas Shipholding Group, the largest US oil tanker company. His client engagements have included work with AT&T, Merck, Lockheed Martin, Avaya, Thomson... (more...)
Melanie Barber
Melanie Barber is the Chief Risk Officer at the United States Mint. She is responsible for creating the Mint’s ERM program and leading the bureau-wide approach to risk management. In addition to creating and managing the Mint’s risk framework, Ms. Barber has implemented efforts to integrate risk based scenario planning exercises and program evaluations to add value to the organization’s future planning efforts. Prior to... (more...)
Teri Barnett
Teri Barnett has served as the Departmental Privacy Officer for the Department of the Interior since 2012. In her role as Departmental Privacy Officer, Teri supports the Senior Agency Official for Privacy, manages an enterprise-wide Privacy Program, and oversees agency privacy compliance functions for the Department and its bureaus and offices. Teri has led the advancement of Interior’s Privacy Program and implementation of a privacy... (more...)
John Basso
John is a Managing Director within Deloitte’s a Government & Public Services (GPS) Risk & Financial Advisory Practice, where he assists in leading the firm’s Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) efforts. He helps clients drive value in risk management by connecting ERM and other risk and controls functions with strategic planning, performance management, and governance. Prior to joining Deloitte, John served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary... (more...)
Tom Brandt
Tom Brandt is a risk management practitioner in the federal government. With nearly three decades of federal service, he is currently the Chief Risk Officer (CRO) and Director of Planning and Risk for the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board. He previously served as CRO for the IRS. He is a fellow with the National Academy of Public Administration, a past president of the Association for... (more...)
Jason Bruno
The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Trust Funds Administration (BTFA) oversees the fiduciary trust funds held on behalf of Indian tribes and Individual Indian Money accounts, with a total investment corpus of over $8 Billion. Mr. Bruno, a member of the Senior Executive Service (SES), is the Director of BTFA’s Office of Trust Risk, Evaluation, and Compliance (OTREC). In this role, he is responsible... (more...)
Roger Campbell
Roger Campbell is the Director of the Division of Risk and Compliance, Office of Strategic Oversight and Planning, Bureau of Trust Funds Administration (BTFA), US Dept of Interior. He has 12 years of federal service, the last eight with BTFA. Roger joined BTFA in 2015 as a Fiduciary Trust Officer with the Field Operations Division. In 2021, Roger became the Internal Coordinator/Audit Liaison for BTFA... (more...)
Sean Catanese
Sean Catanese has managed King County, Washington’s enterprise risk management program since 2014. King County is the nation’s 13th most populous county. King County government includes more than 16,000 employees serving 2.3 million residents with mass transit, public health, and criminal justice, among many other vital services. Sean was recognized as the 2023 Public Risk Manager of the Year by the Public Risk Management Association... (more...)
Soumya Chakraverty
A highly qualified and experienced risk management executive, Soumya Chakraverty is the president and managing consultant of Risk Pro Solutions, an advisory firm that performs business consulting in the areas of enterprise, operational and technology risk management within public and commercial sectors. Soumya has held senior level risk positions within the banking and financial services industry. He has led integrated risk management and GRC implementations... (more...)
Cathie Chancellor
Seasoned risk management and legal professional with over 15 years of public entity experience with proven ability to effectively manage within large, complex organizational structures. Experienced in developing key program performance metrics and managing pre-defense claims within a $2MM SIR; currently serving as Risk Manager for the City of Norfolk, VA with oversight roles and supervision of occupational, environmental health and safety; property/casualty claims; strategic... (more...)
Lindsey Courage
Lindsey Courage is a management analyst in the Office of the Chief Financial Officer at the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA). She is responsible for developing and implementing the NCUA’s ERM framework. Ms. Courage is also responsible for developing, monitoring, and evaluating the NCUA’s strategic and annual performance planning programs. She is an experienced risk management professional in the financial regulatory sector. Ms. Courage is... (more...)
Grace Crickette
Grace Crickette, ARM, CGEIT, CCEP-I, CCSA, SHRM-SCP, SPHR is passionate about creating innovative programs that elevate the reputation of the organization, provide a positive employee experience, and result in lasting change and sustainable savings. She is an accomplished Administrator and Financial Executive, Chief Risk Officer, and Chief Compliance Officer, with an exceptional record of success in leading institutional strategic business planning... (more...)
Ryan Curran
Mr. Ryan Curran is a seasoned Director at Guidehouse, where he brings over a decade of expertise in steering technology, process enhancement, change leadership, and financial and risk consulting services. With a strategic focus on creating innovative solutions, Ryan excels in transforming transactional mechanisms and decision-support systems through advanced technologies and streamlined organizational designs, significantly boosting efficacy and efficiency. Through his role supporting CDC’s Enterprise... (more...)
Jack Downes
Jack Downes is the COO of Elevate Government Solutions. He is a veteran, leader and program manager with over 27 years of experience building and leading teams from small businesses to large organizations with thousands of personnel in the execution of highly complex operations. He has personally advised senior government officials and served on a Presidential Directive Sub-committee. He has implemented numerous operational risk management... (more...)
Denise Dunning
Mrs. Denise Dunning has been a Veterans Benefits Administration employee since 2008. She is currently assigned as a Program Analyst for VBA’s Office of Enterprise Risk Management. Prior to joining the Office of Enterprise Risk Management in January 2019 she spent a year on Capitol Hill working as a Legislative Fellow representing the Department of Veterans Affairs in the office of Congressman Sanford D. Bishop... (more...)
Anthony Fratta
Anthony Fratta is a specialist leader in Deloitte & Touche LLP’s Government and Public Services (GPS) practice with over 15 years of professional experience. His main areas of focus are in the domains of risk management and resilience with an emphasis on Enterprise Risk Management (ERM). He has assisted many federal clients in developing, implementing and sustaining ERM programs, including those in the Department of... (more...)
Bradley Grams
Bradley (Brad) Grams is focused on federal inter-agency sustainability and risk management policy development within the infrastructure space, with a career that has crossed the U.S. Departments of Energy and Transportation, and the Environmental Protection Agency. Brad currently is a Regional Environmental Protection Specialist at the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration, where they are the responsible official for climate, energy, environment, and sustainability... (more...)
Emily Haimowitz
Emily joined the Peace Corps as the Chief Compliance and Risk Officer in August 2021. Prior to the Peace Corps, Emily led the Compliance and Security Division at the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), a small agency within USDA. Before moving to DC to join FAS, she lived in New York City and served as a bilingual Investigator for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Emily served... (more...)
Karen Hardy
Dr Karen Hardy is the former Director of Enterprise Risk Management at the US Dept. of Commerce, a $11 billion cabinet level agency, where she led the successful implementation of an ERM framework across 12 bureaus. She is a founding member and past Board VP of AFERM and is a 2023 inducted Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. Dr. Hardy is a faculty... (more...)
Thomas Holland
Thomas Holland is a Director in Guidehouse’s Financial Services segment with over 13 years of professional consulting experience. Mr. Holland regularly assists clients in high profile environments and often under intense scrutiny with program and operational design, governance, process improvement, and risk management. He is recognized as a leader in the federal risk management space and is regularly engaged to advise organizations on their enterprise... (more...)
Dr. Natalie K. Houghtby-Haddon
Dr. Natalie K. Houghtby-Haddon is the Associate Director of The George Washington University’s Center for Excellence in Public Leadership (GW CEPL), and an Assistant Professor in the GW College of Professional Studies. She teaches leadership theory, ethics, culture change and change leadership, and personal development for a number of the Center’s leadership development programs. Her other work for the Center includes new business and proposal... (more...)
Shelia Humphrey
Ms. Shelia Humphrey is the Director of Business Integrity and Strategic Management within the Office of Strategic Business Initiatives at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention in Atlanta. In this role, Shelia serves as the agency’s lead for Risk Governance, Risk Compliance and Risk Monitoring where she provides oversight for the Enterprise Risk Management framework, Special Emphasis Reviews, Conference Management, and the direct... (more...)
Rahaf Kaylani
Rahaf Kaylani serves as the senior advisor to the Chief Financial Officer and the Deputy Chief Financial Officer at the Department of Housing and Urban Development on internal controls and financial management. Ms. Kaylani has served HUD in roles spanning from overseeing the financial operations and management of HUD funds, implementing enterprise risk and fraud management in grant operations, to helping lead the financial transformation... (more...)
Captain Michael Lachowicz
Captain Lachowicz is the Chief, Office of Program Analysis and Evaluation at Coast Guard Headquarters. He is designated as the Coast Guard’s Chief Risk Officer, Performance Improvement Officer, and Statistical Officer. Through these roles he leads the Coast Guard’s Enterprise Risk Management program, Performance Management efforts, and program evaluation functions to integrate strategic planning and evaluation efforts beyond the near-term budget process. Captain Lachowicz commenced... (more...)
Jacob Lee
Jacob (Jake) Lee is the chief risk officer for the Department of the Interior. After 27 plus years in the USAF as a weather forecaster that literally took him around the world Jake began his second career at the US Fish and Wildlife Service in October of 2005 as the internal controls coordinator. He moved to the Bureau of Land Management in 2009 where he... (more...)
Jill Lennox
Jill Lennox is the manager of the FDIC’s Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) section in the FDIC’s Office of Risk Management and Internal Controls (ORMIC). In this capacity, Jill oversees the FDIC’s ERM, Model Risk Management, Supply Chain Risk Management, and Corporate Insurance programs. Through these programs, Jill and her team assess and manage risks and identify ways to enhance program operations. Jill previously worked in... (more...)
Sarah (SJ) Lynch
Sarah (SJ) Lynch currently serves as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Enterprise Risk Management Director. Since 2011, she has held cross-cutting senior manager and executive roles at the U.S. Departments of Energy, Agriculture, and Health and Human Services. Prior to these roles, she led and conducted studies at GAO and worked briefly on the Hill. She earned her MPP at the U of Minnesota... (more...)
Benjamin McBride
Benjamin McBride is a Managing Consultant in Guidehouse’s Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) practice. He is an expert in internal control and risk management and has extensive experience helping public sector entities design, implement, and mature their risk management and internal control programs. Mr. McBride has advised clients at all levels of government on topics such as risk governance and oversight, risk appetite and tolerance, methodologies... (more...)
Paul McDowell
Paul McDowell is a Program Analyst in the Enterprise Risk Management and Internal Controls Division in USAID’s Office of the Chief Financial Officer. He works on Agency-wide ERM processes, the automated ERM Tool, and Government-to-Government (G2G) Risk assessments. Before USAID, Paul had international development experience serving in the US Army, with a US State Department Provincial Reconstruction Team, and in the private sector. He has... (more...)
Alex McElroy
Alex McElroy is a Director in Guidehouse’s Governance and Risk Consulting Practice. He has more than 20 years of experience building and leading comprehensive risk programs and providing strategic advisory to Federal government agencies and commercial organizations of various sizes, stages of maturity, levels of complexity, and financial performance. In his current role, Alex is designing, implementing, and maturing ERM and internal control programs at... (more...)
Curtis McNeil
W. Curtis McNeil is the Risk Management Officer for the Architect of the Capitol (AOC). In this capacity, Mr. McNeil oversees the functions of the Integrated Risk Management Division (IRMD) under the Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO), which includes enterprise risk management (ERM), internal controls, audit liaison support activities, data analytics to support decision-making and the development of the Performance and Accountability Report... (more...)
Joseph (Jody) Myers
Joseph (Jody) Myers is DFC’s Chief Risk Officer. In that role, he leads the agency’s risk management as outlined in the BUILD Act and OMB Circular A-123. He focuses on enhancing DFC’s positive risk culture by identifying and addressing risks and maximizing opportunities from all perspectives. Mr. Myers has over three decades of experience in law, government, financial services, international affairs, and risk management. Prior... (more...)
Lydia Nylander
Ms. Nylander is the Division Director in the Enterprise Risk Management and Internal Controls Division in USAID’s Office of the Chief Financial Officer, leading multiple teams providing technical advice and policy guidance on risk management to national, sub-national and cross sectoral programs, and supporting the monitoring of critical risks at the Agency level. Prior to her tenure at USAID, Ms. Nylander assumed senior program development... (more...)
Bobbi-Jo Pankaj
Bobbi-Jo Pankaj is a leader in the Risk and Governance arena for Guidehouse assisting government agencies with Enterprise Risk Management (ERM), Office of Management and Budget (OMB) A-123 assessments, Internal Audit, Grants Management, and Fraud Risk Management activities, supporting them in improving their risk management and internal control practices and programs. In her role she delivers exceptional client service, creates and delivers training courses, and... (more...)
Jennifer W. Pedersen
Jennifer W. Pedersen serves as the Acting Deputy Assistant Director of the National Risk Management Center (NRMC) in the Cybersecurity Infrastructure and Security Agency (CISA) of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Ms. Pedersen’s responsibilities primarily include strategic risk analysis and the prioritization of critical infrastructure and entities that support National Critical Functions. ... (more...)
Thomas Peng
Thomas Peng has served as the Peace Corps’ Chief of Operations and Administration (COA) since April 3, 2023. COA Peng brings more than 20 years of public and private sector experience and has led, managed, and supported teams in the technology and nonprofit sectors. In his role, COA Peng oversees internal operations, human resources, and strategic information, research, and planning. Prior to this role, he... (more...)
Susan Perkins
Susan Perkins is the Agency Audit Liaison for the Environmental Protection Agency, responsible for the agency’s Audit Management Program. In this role she works closely with the EPA’s risk, internal control, and program integrity teams to identify and address risks to implementation of the agency’s mission. Prior to joining the EPA, she was a program manager at the General Services Administration, working with strategic planning,... (more...)
Melissa Reynard
After nearly 40 years of federal service, Melissa recently retired from the IRS where she served as ERM Director leading day-to-day ERM activities. She joined the Office of the Chief Risk Officer when it was established to implement and mature an ERM Program at IRS. During her tenure at the IRS, she served in a range of positions on both the compliance and service delivery... (more...)
Marianne Roth
Marianne Roth is the Chief Risk Officer at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Since January 2017, she has been responsible for creating an ERM program and managing an agency-wide approach to risk management. She is the President of the Association for Federal Enterprise Risk Management (AFERM). In 2020, Marianne was named “Leader of the Year” by AFERM. In 2019, she received the Theodore Roosevelt... (more...)
Jovandra Sanderlin
Jovandra Sanderlin has about 20 years of progressive experience overseeing various work streams including risk management, internal controls, financial analysis, strategic planning, operational and compliance auditing, and business operations improvement. Currently, Jovandra serves as the Program Integrity Lead at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency where she lead’s a team of individuals to support the agency’s risk management, fraud risk management, payment integrity and internal control... (more...)
Kalwant Smagh
Mr. Kalwant (Kevin) Smagh, is the Director of CDC’s Office of Strategic Business Initiatives (OSBI). In this role, Kevin is the agency deputy chief risk officer and lead for implementing enterprise risk management and governance and directing compliance reviews and monitoring. Additionally, he is responsible for managing CDC’s federal advisory committee act program, is the agency liaison to the HHS office of the inspector general... (more...)
Robert Smith
Mr. Smith is a highly experienced and accomplished financial management professional with over 20 years of experience in the public and private sectors and a proven track record of success in a variety of roles, including a Staff Accountant and a Risk Advisory Manager. He is currently responsible for managing and reporting on the DoD’s overall full financial statement audit remediation efforts, and reporting on... (more...)
Neil Starzynski
Neil Starzynski is the Enterprise Risk Management Lead in the Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO) at the US Department of Labor. In this role, Neil designed, developed, and manages the Enterprise Risk Management program for the Department and its agencies. In this capacity he works with Senior Career Leadership and political Agency Heads to develop the risk identification, assessment, and mitigation strategies which... (more...)
Meer Susey
Born in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, Meer immigrated to the United States at the age of four, first living in Maryland before his family would permanently relocate to Northern Virginia. Meer remained close to home, pursuing both his undergraduate and graduate degrees at George Mason University, wherein he received his bachelor degree in Global Affairs and Business from the Honors College as well as his Master’s in... (more...)
Katiuska V. Tapia
Katiuska V. Tapia serves as the Chief of the USCIS Enterprise Risk Management Program of the Office of Security and Integrity (OSI) at U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). In this position she provides leadership, strategic, and guidance in enterpriser risks management. Ms. Tapia began her career with OSI in 2014, where she leverages a background in USCIS operations to support numerous OSI projects... (more...)
Jason Thompson
Jason Thompson currently serves as Director, Operational Risk Management, Office of Risk Management and Regulatory Affairs, Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), where he manages Program Risk Assessments, Internal Controls Review, Third-party Vendor/Supply Chain Risk Management, and Counterparty Risk Management business areas. Prior to his current position he was the Single Family Claims Branch Chief, Finance and Budget (FAB), HUD, where he managed the... (more...)
Mel Thomson
Mel Thomson leads Enterprise Risk Management at the City of Phoenix. She focuses mostly on uninsurable risks that can impact the city’s strategic plans and goals. Through consulting and facilitation, Mel works with city departments to engage with others in a formalized process to identify, assess, mitigate, and prioritize cross-cutting risks. This allows teams to manage and optimize their risks to either acceptable or unacceptable... (more...)
Caren Toomer
Caren Toomer serves as the current IRS ERM Director leading the day-to-day operation of the agency’s ERM program. Prior to accepting the ERM Director position, she served as a Senior Risk Advisor. She joined the Office of the Chief Risk Officer to lead the standup of the Cross-functional IRS Insider Threat Capability as the Insider Threat Technical Advisor and holds the Insider Threat Program Management... (more...)
Cynthia Vitters
Cynthia Vitters is a Managing Director within Deloitte’s Risk & Financial Advisory business, where she leads the Government & Public Services (GPS) Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) Practice. Cynthia advises a diverse pool of clients, including Federal Agencies, State and Local Governments, and Higher Education institutions. She supports these clients in their pursuit to design, implement, and mature their respective ERM programs, subsequently embedding risk awareness... (more...)
Brian Webb
Brian Webb is currently the Division Director for Policy, Training, and Accountability within the Office of the Controller at the Environmental Protection Agency. His current portfolio is to oversee the EPA’s program integrity operations which includes risk management, internal controls, payment integrity, fraud risk management, and audit management functions. Across his career the EPA, Brian has been an integral subject matter expert and project lead... (more...)
Doug Webster
The Honorable Doug Webster is a retired Air Force officer with a subsequent quarter century working both in and consulting to the federal government. He has served as Director of Government-to-Government Risk Management at USAID and Deputy Director of the DoD Business Transformation Agency. As a Senate-confirmed Presidential appointee, he has served as CFO of both the US Department of Labor and the US Department... (more...)
Kim Weinberg
Kim Weinberg is a Senior Manager within Hilton’s Enterprise Risk Management team. Ms. Weinberg has a background in Risk Management and internal control reviews and assessments with a broad knowledge of enterprise risk management, financial audit preparation, and project management. Ms. Weinberg is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) licensed in the state of Virginia. Before Hilton, she spent over seven years in federal consulting... (more...)
Crystal Wolf
Crystal Wolf, CPA and CGMS and a partner at Guidehouse, is a leader in finance optimization, governance, risk and control, and compliance. She specializes in Federal agencies responsible for credit, financial assistance, and disaster recovery programs. Ms. Wolf has provided support to the government’s largest loan and grant programs to support families, students, and small businesses across the country. Ms. Wolf holds a BBA and... (more...)
Nikki Wood
Nikki Wood is currently the Chief of the Management Integrity and Accountability Branch, in the CFO’s office. Nikki leads a team responsible for overseeing the agency’s Program Integrity efforts, which includes risk management, fraud risk management, internal controls, audit management, and payment integrity. Nikki’s efforts include performing programmatic and administrative risk assessments on the EPA’s programs, along with ensuring transparency and collaboration between the EPA... (more...)
Elena Yearly
Elena is the CEO and Founder of EMY Consulting, LLC (EMY) a third-party certified woman-owned small business based in Northern Virginia that offers services in enterprise risk management, internal controls, auditing, compliance, and strategic planning for federal agencies and the private sector. Over the past nine years, EMY has been instrumental in working with agencies to improve their business processes and infrastructure and develop effective... (more...)