In Depth interviews – June 6

On the In Depth show blog, you can listen to the interviews, find more information about the guests on the show each day and links to additional resources.

This is the In Depth show blog. Here you can listen to the interviews, find more information about the guests on the show each day and links to additional resources.

Today’s guests:

Dan MeyerDirector for Whistleblowing and Transparency, DoD IG

The Defense Department Inspector General wants more people to blow the whistle on improper activities in DoD. But to get the legal protections the law provides, people coming forward with information need to make sure they do it correctly. Dan Meyer, the DoD IG’s director for whistleblowing and transparency, discusses common mistakes made by would-be whistleblowers.

Listen to part 1 of the interview below:


Robert TobiasDirector of Public Sector Executive Education, American University

The American Federation of Government Employees President John Gage has decided to step down and not run for another term. Gage has served as president since 2003.

Robert Tobias is the director of Public Sector Executive Education at American University, where his courses include public management and management-labor relations. He joins In Depth to analyze Gage’s impact on the federal workforce and the broader landscape of unions in the federal government.


Mike HettingerDirector, Public Sector Innovation Group, Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA)

We’re just a few days away from the 18-month milepost for agencies to deliver on the Obama administration’s 25-point plan for federal IT reform.

But even though there’s a lot to like in the government’s IT reform strategies, there are also some inherent conflicts, according to the Software and Information Industry Association. They organization has posted some guidance on how the government can turn its vision to buy and use IT more effectively into a reality. Michael Hettinger, the director of the association’s Public Sector Innovation Group, discusses SIIA’s guidance.


Josh SawislakFormer senior adviser, General Services Administration

The General Services Administration is back under the microscope. The agency is looking over its reimbursement policy after 95 high ranking employees who teleworked racked up $750,000 dollars in travel expenses. And it seems higher-ups had known about the problem, according to a Washington Post report.

In emails given to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, former Public Buildings Commissioner for the Pacific Rim Jeff Neely wrote while forwarding the figures on to colleagues the numbers “will take your breath away.” Josh Sawislak, a senior fellow at the Telework Exchange and a former senior adviser to the GSA administrator from 2006 to 2010, discusses GSA’s travel issues.


Larry ClintonPresident and CEO, Internet Security Alliance (ISA)

The Homeland Security Department says it wants to do more to build up the nation’s cyber workforce. DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano announced today that the agency is creating a new task force to help the department consider strategies for building an agile cadre of cyber professionals across the federal government. That announcement came at a White House event today.

Larry Clinton, president of the Internet Security Alliance, helped organize the conference, and he joins In Depth to discuss the event.

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