Simon Szykman, CIO Commerce – Wingman?

A picture’s worth a thousand words. What’s it they say about books and covers?

Let’s level here – if you ask America for adjectives to describe Feds – risk-taker and innovator wouldn’t make the top 1,000. But we know differently. And, on the heels of the shutdown, what better time to recognize Feds’ grit and gumption? We’re people, not statistics – right?

High Flier?

By day, mild-mannered IT exec, Simon Szykman, CIO at Commerce, likes to walk on the wild side – literally. Check out this snap of Simon wing walking at 2,000 feet. Yep, take a leaf out of Mr. Szykman’s book – turn convention upside down. Sorry, I can’t resist – Simon’s got a whole new perspective on cloud, he’s not afraid to make the leap. Evel Knievel, eat your heart out.

Zoom in on Innovators

Keep an eye peeled for the new MeriTalk Zoom feature. Each month, we’ll get up close and personal with a new Fed IT exec – new insight on the innovators.

Simon Szykman shows that we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover – not exactly sure how that works on an iPad…

Steve O'Keeffe
About Steve O'Keeffe
The most connected executive in the government technology community – O'Keeffe is an accomplished entrepreneur and tech-policy expert, with 30 years’ experience as an innovator at the crossroads of government and industry. He founded MeriTalk, O'Keeffe & Company, 300Brand, among other entities. O'Keeffe is a fixture on the Hill, in both the House and Senate, testifying on IT, budget, government workforce, and the requirement to modernize government IT to enhance outcomes for the American people and government employees. He is a champion for change, simplification, transparency, and clear communication of IT value without jargon. A committed philanthropist, O'Keeffe has served for 15 years on the USO-Metro Board of Directors – Vice Chairman of the Board and Chair of the Annual Awards Dinner. He started his career as a journalist – O'Keeffe has contributed to The Economist, Government Executive, Signal Magazine, The Washington Post, and, of course, MeriTalk.