> > Register Today < <

govDATAx is the Data Foundation's flagship conference bringing together government leaders, data practitioners, policymakers, technologists, and researchers to advance the use of data for more effective, transparent, and accountable government.

Public data is foundational to how we innovate, govern, and make decisions. With the growth of data-hungry tools and technologies to further improve performance across sectors, how do we support the infrastructure and partnerships to build what the public needs next, not just what it's needed so far?

At a moment when the availability, integrity, and accessibility of government data are under renewed scrutiny, the public is beginning to recognize the importance of reliable, timely data in day-to-day decision-making and planning. This full-day convening will examine how public data drives economic growth, supports evidence-based policymaking, enables government accountability, and empowers communities. Speakers and panelists will explore both the concrete value that open, high-quality public data delivers — and the real costs when that data is unavailable or underutilized.

govDATAx 2026 convenes the data community to make the affirmative case for public data — grounding the conversation in evidence, practical use cases, and actionable policy recommendations.

Agenda

9:30 AM: Opening Remarks

The Data Foundation welcomes attendees and frames the day ahead, setting up govDATAx 2026's central theme: the tangible value public data creates for the economy, for government decision-making, and for public accountability.

Speakers

• Nick Hart, Ph.D., President & CEO, Data Foundation

9:40 AM: Keynote

10:00 AM: Panel 1 — Engaging Public Data: Action and Analysis

A conversation on public trust and engagement in the data ecosystem — how the government builds public confidence in the data it collects and publishes, and how citizens engage with and shape that data in return. Panelists bring perspectives spanning public opinion research, participatory governance and open-government technology, applied research using linked administrative data, and stakeholder communications for one of the government's largest and most visible data collection efforts, the decennial census.

Speakers

• John Bernard, Founder, President & CEO, America's Pulse
• Andrew Clarkwest, Ph.D., Managing Director, Employment and Economic Opportunities Program, American Institutes for Research (AIR)
• Moderator: Ashley Nelle-Davis, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Management, Data Foundation 

10:30 AM: Coffee Break/ Networking break.

10:45 AM: Panel 2: From Data to Decisions

Federal chief data and AI officers compare notes on turning data assets into faster, better-informed operational and policy decisions. The discussion spans how agencies are modernizing data infrastructure, where AI is (and isn't) ready to support decision-making, and what it takes to move from having data to actually using it — across transportation, veterans' services, defense, justice, and the Air Force.

Speakers

• Matt Graviss, Ph.D., Chief Technology Officer, Public Sector, Atlassian
• Moderator: TBD

11:15 AM: Presentation 1: AERO Antifraud Work

A briefing on the federal government's AERO antifraud analytics initiative — how data and analytics are being applied to detect and prevent improper payments and fraud across federal programs, drawing on HHS's own work in this space.

Speakers

• Gus Chiarello, Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

11:30 AM: Fireside Chat — View from the Hill: Data, Trust, and Building the Future of Federal Data

A candid conversation with congressional staff on how the Hill uses, oversees, and legislates around federal data — from oversight investigations to the reforms Congress is considering to strengthen data quality and use across government.

Speakers

• Clark Hedrick, Staff Director/Senior Counsel, Subcommittee on Border Management, Federal Workforce, and Regulatory Affairs (HSGAC)
• Moderator: Robert Shea, CEO, GovNavigators 

12:00 PM: Lunch/ Networking lunch.

1:00 PM: Welcome Back Remarks

A short reset to kick off the afternoon program.

1:15 PM: Presentation 2: Deloitte

A sponsor presentation from Deloitte.

1:30 PM: Fireside Chat 2 — From Policy to Practice: Data and AI Across Government

A wide-ranging discussion on artificial intelligence strategy and adoption in government, bringing together voices from a legislative-branch library, an independent financial regulator, and an international economic policy forum to compare how different parts of the public and quasi-public sector are approaching AI governance and implementation.

Speakers

• Mike Horton, DrBA, Chair, Africa Tech Forum, The Africa Economic Forum
• Austin Gerig, Ph.D., Chief Data Officer, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
• Moderator: TBD

2:00 PM: Panel 3: Follow the Data: Fiscal Accountability and Fraud Prevention 

Oversight and accountability leaders discuss how data and analytics are strengthening the government's ability to police itself — detecting fraud in pandemic-era and other federal spending, applying private-sector analytical rigor to public fiscal transparency, and using data to hold federal programs accountable to the public they serve.

Speakers

• Ken Dieffenbach, Executive Director, Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC)
• Deidre Harrison, Senior Expert, McKinsey & Company
• Renata Miskell, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Accounting Policy and Financial Transparency, U.S. Department of the Treasury
• Moderator: Taka Ariga, Vice President for Data Policy and Impact, Data Foundation

2:30 PM: Coffee Break/ Networking break.

2:45 PM: Presentation 3: When the Atmosphere Changes Faster than the Models: Extreme Weather and Cascading System Failure

Meteorology is often seen as just forecasting the weather, often missing the creative side of what can be done with comprehension of atmospheric physics and operational needs. This topic touches on using meteorological data in unconventional, cross-domain ways to understand how barometric and atmospheric conditions influence the human body, wildlife, insects, plume behavior for weapons and disease movement, and critical infrastructure performance, combining forecasting with data science and physics to connect atmospherics, engineering, and human behavior. Data scientists of all backgrounds can learn how to turn that analysis into clear, usable insights that help stakeholders grasp larger project scopes, test model changes and adaptation strategies, and apply the work across healthcare, emergency management, and power outage forecasting, while staying collaborative enough to ask for help on larger datasets and operational use cases with partners like Kamiwaza and GridCo.

Speakers

• Sunny Wescott, Executive Director, Geospatial Intelligence Information Sharing and Analysis Center (GEOINT ISAC)

3:00 PM: Panel 4: The Future of the Federal Data Ecosystem — Where We Go From Here

Sponsored by Deloitte. A forward-looking discussion of priorities, partnerships, and policy recommendations for the data community.

Optional question to consider: How do we ensure the value of public data reaches the communities and citizens it's meant to serve — not just institutions and industry?

Speakers

• Abed  Ali, Principal, Deloitte
• Maggie Cawley, Appointed Chair, U.S. Department of the Interior, National Geospatial Advisory Committee (NGAC) and Executive Director, OpenStreetMap US
• Cindy Orellana Good, Deputy Chief Data Officer, Federal Transit Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation (Invited)
• Moderator: TBD 

3:45 PM: Keynote

3:45 PM: Closing Remarks: The Data Foundation closes out the day's program. 

govDATAx is produced by the Data Foundation, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the use of data and evidence to improve government and public policy.