Book TALKx; Speakers and Good Reads

Note: Federal government or DoD employees with a .mil, .gov or a DoD-affiliated .edu email can register.

Date: Friday, 19 July 2024

Time: 1:00 P.M. - 2:00 P.M. (Eastern) / 10:00 A.M - 11:00 P.M. (Pacific)

Who should attend: All Federal Government or DoD employees who are interested in learning more from speakers of DAU's Flagship event of the summer. 

Topic: Justin Fanelli discusses Recoding America: Why Government Is Failing in the Digital Age and How We Can Do Better by Jennifer Pahlka.

Event Description: You heard Justin Fanelli talk at DAU’s Flagship event of the summer in 2024. Now’s your chance to continue the conversation about one of his professional development books. Come join us to learn how this book has impacted Justin's work and what he hopes you take from it.  Make some time on Fridays this summer to lean into Leadership and get inspired! 

About the book: It's not more money or more tech we need. Government is hamstrung by a rigid, industrial-era culture, in which elites dictate policy from on high, disconnected from and too often disdainful of the details of implementation. Lofty goals morph unrecognizably as they cascade through a complex hierarchy. But there is an approach taking hold that keeps pace with today's world and reclaims government for the people it is supposed to serve. Jennifer Pahlka shows why we must stop trying to move the government we have today onto new technology and instead consider what it would mean to truly recode American government.

Disclaimer:  DAU does not endorse any of the books included in our Book TALKx series. Instead, past and current Flagship Event speakers choose books based on their own personal preferences.  There is no requirement to buy or read these books to have a great conversation about them! 

SPEAKER:

JUSTIN FANELLI

Chief Technology Officer, Department of the Navy & Technical Director, PEO Digital 

Mr. Justin Fanelli is the Acting CTO for the Dept of the Navy and the Technical Director of PEO Digital. As CTO, he is chartered to measurably improve technology-driven mission outcomes within the Dept of Navy.  As TD, the PEO is chartered to expedite the performant, secure transformation of enterprise IT infrastructure within the Dept of Navy’s acquisition apparatus. He currently serves as an Advisor for Advanced Research Project Agency – Health (ARPA-H). Recent roles for Mr. Fanelli have included, Chief Data Architect for Defense Health, Technical Director for Navy Manpower, Personnel, Training and Education (MPTE), Executive Lead for Navy's Digital Transformation in 5G and DevSecOps.  With Dept of Navy roles, Mr. Fanelli’s team has recently been recognized for transforming modern service delivery including multi-billion dollars in cost avoidance and leapahead impacts with the Etter Award. Within Defense Healthcare, Mr. Fanelli’s teams delivered the first one-stop data enterprise for revolutionized healthcare and research outcomes. Previously within DOD, Mr. Fanelli has served as a Service Chiefs Fellow at the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA), Principal Engineer for Navy Enterprise Business Systems and Chief Systems Engineer for Command and Control (C2). Outside of the office, Mr. Fanelli teaches grad-level technology courses at Georgetown University and advises on innovation.  He holds a Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering from the Pennsylvania State University, a Masters degree in Electrical and Systems Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and is a Senior Executive Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School.