The Power of Thinking Differently in Government with Maria Roat

To The Point - Cybersecurity

Joining the podcast this week is Maria Roat, who has had an impressive career in both government and the private sector for more than 35 years. She shares insights from her time in government, among the many roles she held included Deputy Federal CIO and Small Business Administration CIO, and the opportunities she helped identify to change the system from the inside out. She shares perspective on operating the government as a very large enterprise and the challenges that come with managing single year budgets for multi-year programs. Creativity is key to success and Maria talks about the many new and innovative initiatives and programs activated during her tenure to advance the government’s technology infrastructure including the CIO Council and revitalization of the Capital Planning and Investment Control (CPIC). We also delve into the impact in embracing diversity of thought and the criticality of challenging others to think differently and results it can deliver. Side note, we have book recommendation from this episode as well! It is “Start with Why” by Simon Sinek.

Maria Roat, former Deputy Federal CIO

Maria Roat served as the Deputy Federal Chief Information Officer for two years bringing 35+ years of professional experience in information technology.

Ms. Roat served as the Small Business Administration Chief Information Officer October 2016 – May 2020 where she led SBA’s digital transformation to a more proactive and innovative enterprise services organization responsive to the business technology needs of SBA program offices and small businesses & entrepreneurs across the United States.

Ms. Roat served more than 2 years as the U.S. Department of Transportation Chief Technology Officer and was responsible for establishing and leading DOTs technical vision and strategic direction, driving innovation and planning for technology growth supporting internal and external facing mission activities.

Ms. Roat served 10 years at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) joining in June 2004 and serving in a number of capacities including Federal Risk Management and Authorization Program (FedRAMP) Director, FEMA Deputy CIO, Chief of Staff for the DHS CIO, USCIS Chief Information Security Officer and CIO Chief of Staff, and Deputy Director, Technology Development, for TSA’s Secure Flight Program.

Prior to joining DHS in 2004, Ms. Roat was in the private sector for 5 years deploying and managing global enterprise network management systems, as well as running Network and Security Operations Centers.

Ms. Roat is a graduate of the University of Maryland (UMUC), Harvard Business School Executive Education Program for Leadership Development, and the Navy Senior Enlisted Academy.

For links and resources discussed in this episode, please visit our show notes at https://www.forcepoint.com/govpodcast/e209