Amanda Eamich
Director of New Media
USDA
Amanda is the Director of New Media for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The policies and programs of the USDA impact the lives of Americans every day – from food, agriculture, and science to natural resources – and there is an ever-present opportunity to communicate our mission effectively using new media.
As Director of New Media, she provides strategic guidance to the Office of the Secretary and coordinates efforts of the Department’s seven mission areas and 17 agencies. In support of the Department’s mission, she has helped enhance the relationship between public affairs, web and IT professionals to collaboratively design and implement new media programs and products.
Jack Holt
Sr. Strategist for Emerging Media
Department of Defense
Jack Holt is the Sr. Strategist for Emerging Media for the Department of Defense developing communication strategies and tactics incorporating New Media tools with traditional Public Affairs channels to maximize the effect of DoD communication efforts. Holt has briefed senior leaders on New and Social Media and conducted strategy sessions to address corporate level strategic objectives.
Mr. Holt is a member of the Social Media for Government Transparency and Openness Program Advisory Board, the DoDTechipedia Governance Board, the University of Oklahoma Risk and Crisis Management Community Advisory Board, and the 2009 Chair for the PRSA National Capital Region Public Affairs and Government Committee. He has taught sessions on New Media strategies and tactics at the Defense Information School, the Naval Postgraduate School Strategic Communication Workshop and the NATO School Strategic Communication Workshop.
David Rapp
Editor in Chief, Federal Computer Week
1105 Government Information Group
David Rapp is editor-in-chief of Federal Computer Week and VP of content for 1105 Government Information Group.
Steve Ressler
Founder
GovLoop
Steve Ressler is an accomplished innovator, presenter, and author on matters related to social media and recruiting/retaining young government employees.
He is the Founder and President of GovLoop, the premiere social network for people in and around government which connects and fosters collaboration among over 25,000 members. On GovLoop, members from Sitka, Alaska to Sydney, Australia, communicate with one another via blogs, groups and forums to discuss best practices and share ideas on improving government.
Mr. Ressler is also the co-founder of Young Government Leaders (YGL), a professional organization of over 2,000 government employees across the U.S. YGL's mission is to educate, inspire, and transform the next generation of government leaders, offering professional development, networking, and leadership opportunities for its members.
Mr. Ressler has published articles on generational issues and Web 2.0 in various publications including Federal Times, The Public Manager, and as part of the Government 2.0: Wikinomics, Government, and Democracy series. He has also presented on these topics at a range of venues including Harvard Kennedy School, Brookings Institute, and the Government CIO Summit.
Mr. Ressler received the 2006 Rising Star Award and the 2007 Federal 100 Award for his service in the government IT community. He is a 2004 master's graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and a past recipient of the DHS Graduate Fellowship.
Jonathan Rubin
Communications Specialist, Center for New Media & Citizen Engagement
GSA
Jonathan Rubin has worked in media in the non-profit, private and public sectors. He joined the U.S. General Services Administration in 2008, where he worked first in sales and publication distribution of the Consumer Information Catalog, then in citizen outreach and consumer education. Finally, he joined the newly emerging Center for New Media and Citizen Engagement, where he currently works in communications, Web 2.0 tools, web content and whatever else he can help with.
Prior to his work in government he began his professional career in community newspapers, where he worked for five years as editor-in-chief, business manager, reporter, photojournalist, art director and Chief Coffee Maker ("Extra cream, sir?"). Jon has done reporting and photojournalism in Chicago and D.C., interned at Slate.com and briefly worked as a freelance moderator for the Huffington Post.
He received his B.A. in English from the University of Rhode Island and his master's from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.
Social media is the backbone of the new brand of government – open, transparent, collaborative – and twentysomething government employees have cut their teeth on these technologies and already embrace a digital lifestyle. Current government leaders can learn a lot from these next-generation leaders and benefit from their creativity, innovative ideas, and natural inclination toward openness and collaboration. But younger employees also need to temper their enthusiasm with the wisdom and maturity of their more seasoned colleagues. This lively, interactive panel will:
> Bring together young government leaders, who are leading the charge on social media and collaboration, and seasoned workers who see the need for just a little more restraint
> Examine how the digital lifestyle has blurred the lines between personal and business personas
> Identify how – and whether - effective use of Web 2.0 and social media increases collaboration, efficiency and productivity
> Reveal how the next generation of government leaders envisions the workplace of the future