LTC Vito Errico -

Director, U.S. Army Software Factory, U.S. Department of the Army

Colonel Vito Errico serves as Director of the Army Software Factory under Army Futures Command in Austin, TX. He is a highly decorated Army officer who has served in front-line combat leadership roles in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He is an experienced Army Aviator and Air Mission Commander with 2,000 flight hours as a scout helicopter pilot. As the Director of the Army Software Factory, COL Errico is responsible for the training and employment of over 200 Soldiers, Civilians, and Contractors in the emerging application of agile software approaches and cloud engineering throughout the Army. The Army Software Factory trains and employs teams of Soldiers around the world to solve problems and inform Army Senior Leaders with the running estimates needed to accelerate digital transformation. His academic achievement includes degrees with distinction from West Point, Georgetown, and Yale Universities. In 2013, Vito was selected for the Army’s Joint Chiefs of Staff/Office of the Secretary of Defense Fellowship Program. Upon selection, he served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and in the Department of the Army Headquarters Staff. In 2015, Vito was recognized as a Center for a New American Security (CNAS) Next Generation National Security Leader. During his time at Yale, Vito worked at the Yale CEO Institute and interacted closely with Fortune 500 CEOs. He was subsequently identified in Forbes Magazine and Poets and Quants “National Top Business School Graduates” annual feature in 2019. COL Errico was recently honored in the inaugural 2023 Defense Scoop “Defense 50” feature highlighting leaders and accomplishment in defense innovation. He was also selected as one of GovExec’s Federal 100 honorees for 2024. COL Errico’s ongoing work focuses on operationalizing software and data competencies in the Army and DOD. He resides in Austin with his wife Vanessa and their two young boys. COL Errico’s current off-duty hobbies include changing diapers and watching Sesame Street.

Matthew Huston -

Chief Information Security Officer, DoD Platform One

Dr. Stephen Magill -

VP of Product Innovation, Sonatype

Dr. Stephen Magill was the CEO and co-founder of MuseDev, and is now VP of Product Innovation at Sonatype. He has spent his career developing tools to help developers identify errors, gauge code quality, and detect security issues. Stephen is a world-recognized expert on program analysis and has led multiple large-scale research initiatives including DARPA projects on privacy, security, and code quality. He also served as research lead for the 2020 and 2021 State of the Software Supply Chain reports. Dr. Magill earned his Ph.D. in CS from Carnegie Mellon University and his BS from the University of Tulsa. He is a member of the University of Tulsa Industry Advisory Board and has served on numerous program committees and funding panels.

Lt. Cody Paul -

Agile Space Operations Software Manager, U.S. Space Force

Lt. Christopher “Cody” Paul is a U.S. Space Force officer and currently serves as agile space operations software manager for Space CAMP, a software factory located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He is a military officer with a TS/SCI clearance and experience working in the defense and space industry. Cody previously worked in full-stack acquisition for USSF and the Department of Defense’s Platform One. Prior to that, he spent nearly 10 years with the Air Force, where he served in a range of roles including contracting officer, deployment manager, antiterrorism officer, and contingency skills instructor. During his time with the Air Force, he also served as lead program manager of the service’s cyber factory and Unified Platform, as well as acquisitions and contracting strategy team lead for LevelUP Code Works. Lt. Paul is skilled in government procurement, acquisition theory/practicum, strategic planning, business process improvement and training. He earned his Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Strategic Management from Temple University - Fox School of Business and Management.

CAPT Brian Phillips -

Integrated Combat Systems Major Program Manager, U.S. Department of the Navy

A native of Annapolis, Maryland, Captain Brian Phillips is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science in 2001. He was later awarded a Master of Science degree in Information Systems from the University of Maryland at College Park in 2003. In June 2011 he received a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School where he was awarded the Navy League Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement and a patent for his thesis work in network communications. He received his surface warfare qualification on board USS DUBUQUE (LPD 8) where he served as the Auxiliaries Officer and Communications Officer. As an Engineering Duty Officer he served at the Space and Naval Warfare (SPAWAR) Systems Center Charleston where he was assigned as the production manager for the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) Vehicle Program, a Director’s Fellow to the CNO Strategic Studies Group XXIX, the Aegis Testing and Evaluation Deputy Principal Assistant Program Manager at the Program Executive Office for Integrated Warfare Systems (PEO IWS), the Executive Assistant to the Program Executive Officer for Integrated Warfare Systems, the Air Dominance Department Officer at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Port Hueneme Division, the Principal Assistant Program Manager for Aegis Development at PEO IWS and as the Advanced Missile and Defense Radar (AN/SPY-6) Military Deputy. Currently Phillips serves as the Integrated Combat Systems Major Program Manager, reporting in February 2021. He has completed Acquisition Level III certification for Program Management, Acquisition Level III certification for Engineering, Acquisition Level II Certification for Production and Quality Management, is Project Management Professional (PMP) Certified and is both Department of the Navy and American Society of Quality (ASQ) Certified as a Lean Six Sigma Blackbelt. CAPT Phillips’ personal awards include the Meritorious Service Medal (4 awards), Navy Commendation Medal (3 awards), and the Navy Achievement Medal. Special recognition includes Federal Employee of the Year for the Charleston Area in 2007, the SPAWAR Military Logistician of the Year for 2007 and the Vice Admiral Stan Arthur Award for team leadership logistics and support excellence for the Department of the Navy 2007. In June 2011 he was awarded the ASNE award for naval engineering excellence. His family includes Stephanie of Crownsville, Maryland and three children, Brent, Makenzie, and Sienna.

Rob Vietmeyer -

Chief Software Officer for DCIO Information Enterprise, U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)

Mr. Rob Vietmeyer is the Department of Defense Chief Software Officer for the Deputy Chief Information Officer for Information Enterprise (DCIO(IE)). In this position, he is the principal advisor to the DoD CIO for the implementation and evolution of the Department’s Software Modernization Strategy. Mr. Vietmeyer will drive strategy implementation, establishing the foundation to deliver resilient software at speed and scale advocating for the latest software development approaches, cloud services, and process transformation. Through collaboration with other DoD Components, government, industry, and academia partners, he is responsible for advancing the Department’s adoption of DevSecOps practices, agile software development, and cloud native modernization. Prior to his current position, Mr. Vietmeyer served as the Director of Cloud and Software Modernization for the DCIO(IE), leading a diverse team to modernize the way DoD develops software. In that role and in partnership with DoD Components, he led the development of the Department’s DevSecOps guidance, OCONUS Cloud Strategy, cloud Infrastructure as Code (IaC) implementation, and the DoD Software Modernization Strategy and Implementation Plan. He established the DoD Software Modernization Senior Steering Group (SSG) to guide software modernization initiatives and the Department-wide DevSecOps Community of Practice, which brings together stakeholders and subject matter experts across DoD and industry to further modernization progress. He functioned as the Subject Matter Expert (SME) Tri-Chair for the DoD Software Modernization Action Officers Working Group (AOWG), the group responsible for leading implementation of guidance from DoD leadership and the SSG. Prior to joining the Office of the DoD CIO, Mr. Vietmeyer was a SME and lead for agile software development efforts at the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA). He led delivery of the enterprise collaborative software development environment - Forge.mil and implementation of DISA’s initial cloud computing solutions. Under his leadership, Forge.mil grew to enable 27,000 DoD software developers working on over 1,000 development projects supporting DoD mission critical programs. Additionally, Mr. Vietmeyer led the definition and technical design of the Department’s Net-Centric Enterprise Services (NCES) program, served as Chief Engineer for the Global Combat Support System (GCSS), and Lead Engineer for the Global Command and Control System (GCCS). In his early career, he developed software for DoD command and control data integration, DISA’s acquisition career management systems, and data processing systems for mainframe and minicomputer infrastructure. Mr. Vietmeyer holds an M.S. in Information and Telecommunications Systems from Johns Hopkins University and a B.S. in Physics from Randolph Macon College. He has received numerous recognitions for his work including the Federal CIO Council Leadership Award, the American Council for Technology/Industry Advisory Council Excellence.gov Award, and the Federal 100. Born in the San Francisco Bay Area, Mr. Vietmeyer currently lives in Northern Virginia where he and his wife continue to support their three kids with two in college and one soon to be.

Edward Zick -

Senior Program Analyst, DCIO IE, U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)

Mr. Edward Zick is a Senior Program Analyst with broad experience in Information Technology, Information Management, and Command and Control Systems. His portfolio includes The DOD Enterprise Software Initiative, IT Category Management, IT asset management and 21st century idea. He retired from the U.S. Air Force after serving more than 21 years with a variety of leadership and staff officer experience involving command and control communications, as well as information management and technology. He assumed his current position as the Senior Program Analyst, in July 2007. He is responsible for DoD IT acquisition policy, guidance, and direction to create information advantage for DoD personnel and mission partners. Mr. Zick holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Maryland, and a Masters in Software Engineering from Central Michigan University. He is also a graduate of the Chief Information Officer Course at National Defense University.