Speakers

Christopher Alvares serves as the Chief Data Officer (CDO) and Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

In this role, he is responsible for developing strategies that enable USDA to fully leverage its data as a strategic asset, improving organizational decision-making and outcomes for citizens. He is also a member of the Federal Chief Data Officer Council working with other CDOs to improve the use of data across government.

Chris started his career in the private sector, working for several small biotechnology companies analyzing the relationships between genetics and human diseases. He worked in the labs generating data and quickly moved into genomic analytics. Chris became the Director of a data analytics staff providing genomic analytics services to other biotechnology and pharmaceutical clients.

Chris began Federal service in 2008 as a data analyst for the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). He helped grow and build out the analytics office from a staff of five to over 20 which supported a wide range of analytics and reporting for FSIS. Chris moved into leadership roles as Branch Chief and then Director of the Data Analytics and Integration Group in FSIS. Chris also served on the Interagency Food Safety Analytics Collaboration with representatives from FSIS, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to advance analytics in foodborne illness. In 2018, Chris became a Special Advisor to the General Services Administration (GSA) Center of Excellence (CoE), leading a team to modernize data analytics at USDA. Chris joined the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) as Deputy Chief Data Officer in 2019 where he has been continuing the analytics modernization across USDA.

Chris graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a Bachelor of Science degree and earned a master’s from Johns Hopkins University while working. He is a graduate of the Federal Executive Institute’s Leadership for a Democratic Society program.

Niki Maslin comes from a long career in the Navy, leaving as a Lieutenant Commander, where she was able to hone her technical and leadership skills as both an operator and technologist. She also spent time in the private sector as a senior developer, AI, and cyber security expert, before coming back to the public sector. She was at FEMA leading teams in developing policy, data, systems, AI, and research and development before coming to the EPA. In addition to her office director duties, she serves as the Chief AI Officer and Chief Technology Officer for the Agency.

Zach Whitman is the Chief Data Scientist and Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer (CAIO) at the General Services Administration (GSA), where he supports the Data Analytics Center of Excellence (CoE) team, and leads cloud migration, data architecture modernization, change management, data and analytics, data management, technology procurement, and strategy formation modernization efforts at external federal agencies.

As GSA’s inaugural Chief AI Officer, Zach is responsible for maintaining awareness of GSA’s artificial intelligence activities, establishing processes to measure and evaluate AI performance, establish and chair AI oversight governing bodies, lead the development of GSA’s AI inventory and other reporting, among many other responsibilities. He played a pivotal role in standing up GSA’s AI Directive.

Zach has over a decade of experience in research and data analysis and has released several research publications. Before joining GSA, Zach served as the Chief Data Officer at the U.S. Census Bureau for over seven years. During his tenure, he worked to make data as accessible as possible and to build trust in data analytics across the US.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geology from Colgate University and a Doctorate in Hazard and Disaster Management from the University of Canterbury.

Ty Enmark is a highly accomplished Business and Technology Modernization Leader with over 23 years of progressive leadership experience architecting and executing transformative strategies for the federal government. As an Area Vice President at Oracle, Ty spearheads growth initiatives within the Government, Defense, and Intelligence (GDI) organization. He is a recognized expert in translating complex strategic visions into mission-critical outcomes, particularly in the realms of cloud data, integration solutions, and enterprise capabilities.

Ty serves as a trusted client advocate, collaborating with cabinet-level agencies to transition from legacy infrastructure to agile, cloud-native environments. His leadership is currently focused on:

• AI-Driven Mission Results: Positioning the Oracle AI Data Platform to help federal agencies leverage generative AI and data innovations to meet evolving mandate requirements.
• Civilian Data Innovation: Developing next-generation capabilities for Oracle’s Civilian Business Focused Data Platform, ensuring agencies can leverage data as a strategic asset.
• Cloud Acceleration: Strategically shifting critical federal workloads to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) to enhance security, scalability, and performance.

Prior to Oracle, Ty spent 23 years at KPMG, where he was a Principal and Advisory Industry Leader in KPMG’s Federal practice. He orchestrated exponential growth, focused on cloud modernization, artificial intelligence, and business modernization. His career is defined by leading large-scale programs for major departments, including:

• Leading the delivery of DoD cloud-based capabilities for Data Engineering, Analytics, and AI in the Advana/Jupiter environment to drive financial management transformation.
• Across the Civilian Sector, leading the delivery of diverse cloud-based solutions and complex modernization programs focused on mission capabilities.

A former Virginia Tech Men’s Varsity Soccer Team member, Ty brings a competitive drive and a team-oriented approach to executive leadership. He serves on the Virginia Tech Business Information Technology Advisory Board and is a frequent speaker and thought leader on the intersection of government mission and emerging technology.