Federal Drive interviews – Aug. 20

Rep. Jeff Miller discusses the investigation into two VA conferences that cost $5 million. Tim Scannell of TechTarget discusses the shift of the federal mobile ...

Rep. Jeff Miller (R-Fla.)Chairman, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs

Veterans Affairs is the latest agency in the spotlight for lavish conference spending. Two training events in Orlando last year cost the department $5 million combined. The department’s inspector general is investigating. It says it appears VA held the conferences for legitimate reasons, but that staff may not have complied with government ethics and rules of behavior. Miller has seen the IG’s preliminary findings.


Tim ScannellEditor-in-Chief, Technology Guide Group at TechTarget

The federal market for mobility, and mobile devices and services, is starting to look like the consumer market. The BlackBerry is losing its grip. Now, IBM might acquire parts of troubled Research in Motion, the maker of Blackberries. Scannell discusses what might be behind IBM’s efforts. He said reliability with RIM’s secure network and its stodgy devices have accelerated the company’s troubles.


John PalgutaVice President for Policy, Partnership for Public Service

Federal chief human capital officers have a lot to contend with these days, from strained budgets to clearance backlogs. But it isn’t all bad news. The Partnership for Public Service recently released a comprehensive survey of federal CHCOs and identified some successes.

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