Leaders and Legends in Government

This week on Leaders and Legends, Tom Lash, CEO of Vibrint and an Amazon Web Services veteran, joins host Aileen Black to talk about leading technology teams through rapid growth and change. Lash is a recognized leader in the intelligence technology sector with a 30-year career deeply rooted in serving the national security mission. An engineer by training who holds a patent in intelligent database technology, Lash has extensive experience building technology-focused teams that design and deploy innovative intelligence systems. That experience combined with his inclusive, entrepreneurial management style, makes Lash him a dynamic and collaborative leader.

Sarah Hess, west coast director of the Silicon Valley Defense Group, and an investor/operator at Lux Capital joins host Aileen Black on this week's Leaders and Legends. Throughout Hess' career she has focused on national security and leveraging innovative technologies.In her work, she has helped the US and its allies secure democracy through innovation. Previously, Hess served as deputy lead to launch the NATO Innovation Fund, a venture capital fund modeled off of In-Q-Tel During the interview, Hess said the best leaders for new innovative startups are persistent and ” willrun through walls towards a pursuit”. When talking about cultures and leadership styles, Hess said those who lead with empathy make their teams more effective. Early in her career at the CIA, she said empathetic leadership made it easier for her team to accomplish its mission and goals. Hess also offered some advice for the next generation of leaders saying “don’t be afraid to try something new", because new challenges will help you grow.

This week on Leaders and Legends, host Aileen Black intervews Lisa Sanders, director of Science and Technology for Special Operations Forces, Acquisition, Technology & Logistics (SOF AT&L), U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida. Sanders has over 35 years of civilian federal service. As SOFAT&L director, she is responsible for all pre-programs of record research and development funded activities. During the show, Sanders decribes herself as a a "circular or 360 style" leader. She says, "I’m all about reading the stakeholders and trying to find out how to achieve our overall objectives.But when it comes to the decision point, I often say I run a democratic dictatorship.I’ll take input from everyone, but I own 51% of the vote."

Former Google executive Milo Medin joins host Aileen Black on this week's Leaders and Legends. Medin has been part of the Internet development community for almost 40 years. He recently leftGoogle where he was the vice president of access services. During his time there, he worked on a number of projects to improve access to the Internet, building both fiber and wireless networks, and in shaping spectrum policy and products. Medin holds several patents in the field of network access technology, and sat on the FCC’s Technical Advisory Committee, and Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee. From 2016 to 2022, he served on the Defense Innovation Board, which is chartered to provide recommendations to the Secretary of Defense to drive more innovation and agility in how the department achieves its mission. During the program, Medin encourages leaders to cross train their teams, because he says it "encourages your organization to learn and grow."

Retired US Air Force Lt. Gen. S. Clinton Hinote joins host Aileen Black on this week's Leaders and Legends to discuss the principles of leadership. Throughout his career, General Hinote served at the leading edge of change as he developed novel tactics, revised dated battle plans, reinvented staid organizations, led complex alliances, and disrupted dated doctrine. In his role as the Deputy Chief of Staff for the Air Force, he led a 400-person organization that became "Air Force Futures,” which is responsible for planning and integration for the future Air Force. Hinote was commissioned in 1992 upon graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy. After earning a master's degree in public policy from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, he completed training to become a fighter pilot.. Hinote was a command pilot with more than 2,000 flight hours and 240 combat hours. During the interview, the retired three star general discusses how the principles of leadership apply both ”situationally and relationally.” He says, “leaders need to remember it is about the mission and about the people and find the right balance.Leaders must lead with energy and enthusiasm.” Hinote also added that “disrupters are my people. I try to help them turn bold visions into reality”.

This week on Leaders and Legends, host Aileen Black interviews Eric Traupe, a former public sector executive with 30+ years of combined experience in the CIA and the US Marine Corps. Traupe is the former assistant director of the CIA for the Near East and served on the front lines of U.S. counterterrorism efforts for more than 20 years. He remains a trusted advisor to our nation’s highest-ranking leaders, having advised CIA directors, presidents, cabinet and military officials, and members of Congress. Traupe also participated in momentous White House strategic, policy, and resource decisions, and has tackled the full range of U.S. national security issues. His leadership, acumen, and unmatched ability to cultivate enduring relationships between the U.S. and its foreign partners continues to be heralded in intelligence circles. During the interview, Traupe says he tries to build trust with members of his team by empowering them to make tough decisions.

Deborah Sills, consultant and advisor at Debbie Sills LLC, joins host Aileen Black onthis week's Leaders and Legends. Sills is a versatile leader with over thiry years of experience helping organizations transform their business through strategy and technology based innovation. Prior to forming her own consulting company, Sills served as the global leader for Deloitte's Government and Public Sector practice and as the leader of its Government and Public Sector (GPS) Sustainability, Climate and Equity Market. Under Sill's leadership, Deloitte's GPS consulting practice grew from three billion dollars in 2019 to six billion dollars in 2022. During the show, Sills talks about the keys to effective leadership including how to build trust and respect within your organization. "In a large firm like Deloitte, you need to learn it is not the office you hold or the position, to truly lead and drive innovation and change you have to earn the trust and respect of your team. You need to show you sincerely care about the people and lead by example." Her advice to the next generation of leaders is to look at your career as a journey and not a destination. She says, "You need to keep challenging yourself and do what you love and have passion for."

US Navy Rear Admiral Julius S. Caesar (Ret.) joins host Aileen Black on this week’s Leaders and Legends. Admiral Caesar is a career Surface Warfare Officer who has had a distinguished career in the military and industry. He is a Massachusetts Institute of Technology Seminar XXI Fellow in Foreign Politics, International Relations, and the National Interest. He has also served as a chief operating officer, sector vice president, senior vice president and general manager in public and privately held technology firms. Caesar a trustee at the Naval War College Foundation and Strategic Advisor, Academy Securities, and was recently awarded the Distinguished Graduate Award from the US Naval Academy Alumni Association and Foundation. There are only 110 USNA Distinguished Graduates out of 69,000 living graduates. During the interview Caesar talked about his leadership style, saying he strives everyday to give back and take care of the individuals around him. “At the end of the day it is about faith, family and friends. This will give you the resiliency you need to be successful in life”.

Major General Johnny Davis, commanding general of US Army Recruiting Command and Fort Knox, joins host Aileen Black on this week's Leaders and Legends. During his career, General Davis has served as deputy commanding general for Operations for the 25th Infantry Division, commanding general of the U.S. Army Joint Modernization Command at Fort Bliss, Texas, and chief of staff at U.S. Army Futures Command in Austin, Texas. During the show Davis discusses his leadership style which he says is about investing in those he leads.  “It is all about the people, you need to invest in them , take time to train them, help them reach their potential”.  Davis also talks about mistakes he has made during his career and what he learned from them.

Austin Yerks, president and founder of AJY III Government Strategies, joins host Aileen Black on this week's Leaders and Legends to discuss leadership and how to solve difficult client challenges. AJY III is a business focused on supporting strategic alliances between commercial firms and agencies of the federal government. Prior to forming his own company, Yerks was president of CSC's North American Public Sector (NPS) Defense and Intelligence Group. He has been a senior executive in the federal marketplace for over 40 years, and is known for his technology vision. On this week's show, Yerks discusses the importance of trying and failing as leaders make their way up the corporate ladder. He says "Failure is ok. Just figure out what is not working and fix it. " Yerks also encourages the next generation of leaders to look at everyday as a learning experience.