GITEC 2026 Award Nomination Form

Submission forms close on December 1st at 5:00PM ET

Excellence in Cybersecurity Award: will spotlight a federal government team who exemplifies excellence in government cybersecurity through contributions to programs that protect critical data and systems. The award will recognize a thought leader who has developed and operationalized innovative strategies or programs to address government cybersecurity challenges.

Digital Transformation Award: will be presented to a federal government team for promoting exceptional citizen service experiences through the use of digital technology. They have implemented best practices to radically improve the experience of government and pushed the boundaries to build customer-centric human connections in our digital world.

Advancing Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics Award: will recognize a federal government team for their demonstrable effort to promote AI technology and innovation in the federal government as a whole, and for their methods to increase efficiency and reduce cost using cutting-edge AI technologies.

Acquisition Innovation and Impact Award: will recognize a federal government team for their outstanding efforts in transforming IT procurement and acquisition processes. This award honors teams that have demonstrated innovation, efficiency, and impact in acquiring cutting-edge technologies and delivering value through strategic acquisition practices.

Workforce Development and Innovation Award: will recognize a federal government team for their exceptional efforts in advancing workforce development initiatives. This award honors teams that have demonstrated innovative approaches to building, training, and empowering the federal workforce, ensuring they are equipped to meet the evolving challenges of the digital age.

ATARC Working Group Excellence Award: will recognize an ATARC Working Group that has demonstrated outstanding collaboration, innovation, and impact over the past year. This award honors a team whose collective efforts have significantly advanced federal technology initiatives, fostered public-private partnerships, and delivered meaningful solutions to today’s most pressing challenges.

GITEC 2026 Award Nomination Form
GITEC 2026 Working Group Excellency Award Nomination

For full team write-ups, please see below the nomination form!

 

Artificial Intelligence Working Group

In 2025, the ATARC Artificial Intelligence Working Group advanced federal understanding of cutting-edge AI technologies and policy. It united experts from government, industry, and academia to explore responsible uses of generative and agentic AI in improving public services. The group produced two key deliverables—Guiding Principles for the Trustworthy Use of Generative AI and Leveraging Generative AI Technology in the Workplace—offering practical guidance for safe and transparent implementation. It also launched development of the Agentic AI Lab, designed to showcase mission-enhancing AI capabilities. Through these initiatives, the Working Group continues to drive innovation while prioritizing ethics and security.

CATO Working Group

The CATO Working Group demonstrated exceptional collaboration and thought leadership in advancing continuous Authorization to Operate (cATO) practices across government. We produced a series of influential white papers—including the Working Group Concept Paper, cATO Implementation Playbook, and Achieving ATOs Through Declarative Architecture and Shared Common Platforms—which collectively provide actionable frameworks and innovative strategies for accelerating secure system authorizations, at the speed of relevance. Our team bridged gaps between industry expertise and federal cybersecurity priorities, empowering agencies to modernize their risk management processes. Our work continues to drive adoption of automation, interoperability, and compliance transformation, directly contributing to more resilient and secure IT outcomes for agency mission owners.

Cybersecurity Education and Workforce Development Working Group

In 2025, the ATARC Cybersecurity Education and Workforce Development Working Group advanced national understanding of the convergence between AI and cybersecurity across education, workforce, and governance. Partnering with government, industry, and academia, the group produced a white paper and strategy recommendations for Congress and NASCIO addressing these emerging challenges. Central to their work was the proposed “AI-Cyber Converged Work Role” and a tiered curriculum framework spanning entry-level to executive roles. The group also provided recommendations for elevating AI and cybersecurity literacy and analyzed best practices from U.S. and E.U. policy. Together, these initiatives strengthen workforce readiness and campus resilience in an increasingly digital world.

DevSecOps Working Group

In 2025, the ATARC DevSecOps Working Group made significant strides in advancing secure software delivery across federal agencies through the release of the DevSecOps Maturity Model and Assessment Tool. This resource provides agencies with a practical framework to benchmark, improve, and sustain DevSecOps practices, driving measurable progress toward secure, automated, and compliant pipelines. The group also published “Considerations for Secure Infrastructure as Code under DevSecOps,” offering actionable guidance to strengthen cybersecurity within modern development environments. Through collaboration between government and industry experts, the group has accelerated federal adoption of secure-by-design principles and fostered a stronger, more resilient technology ecosystem.

Fraud Detection and Risk Mitigation Working Group

Established in 2025, the ATARC Fraud Detection and Risk Mitigation Working Group created a roadmap to help agencies, industry, and academia strengthen transparency and awareness around emerging fraud challenges. The group produced a white paper, Fraud Detection and Mitigation: A Technology-Driven and Risk-Informed Perspective for Today’s Evolving Threats, and incorporated GAO best practices for risk management. Through bi-monthly meetings and collaboration with ATARC’s Identity Management, AI, and Law Enforcement Working Groups, the team advanced cross-sector coordination on fraud prevention. The group also launched a “Grant Fraud AI Use Case” to improve detection and awareness of program fraud across agencies including GAO, DHS, FEMA, HHS, and VA. By year’s end, they aim to deliver a full proof-of-concept while continuing to inform agency policy and guidance development.

Future of Secure Work Working Group

In 2025, the Future of Secure Work (FSW) Working Group expanded its reach by using multimedia platforms to share analysis and recommendations developed through government–industry collaboration. The group hosted two webinars featuring agencies such as the National Nuclear Security Administration, showcasing real-world applications of FSW principles to boost efficiency and accelerate technology adoption. These sessions drew more than 100 live attendees and nearly 200 additional views, leading to two widely circulated white papers summarizing key insights. The Advisor Chair later presented the group’s findings at the 2025 National Guard Bureau A2/6 Communications & Cyber Symposium, amplifying the WG’s influence and partnerships. Together, these efforts advanced modernization for a more secure and effective federal workforce—surpassing the group’s original goals.

Global Quantum Working Group

In 2025, the ATARC Global Quantum Working Group advanced quantum technology initiatives and strengthened public-sector understanding of this rapidly evolving field. By fostering collaboration among government, industry, and academia, the group helped shape U.S. quantum strategy and policy. Its global membership—spanning allies such as Australia, the U.K., Japan, and South Korea—supported alignment on international quantum priorities. The group’s Quantum Speaker Series and published white papers showcased breakthroughs, government programs, and the need for a skilled quantum workforce. Through these efforts, the Working Group continues to position the U.S. as a global quantum leader.

Identity Management Working Group

In 2025, the ATARC Identity Management Working Group achieved significant milestones in advancing federal identity federation by developing unified governance structures, technical standards, and trust agreements to address redundancies in HSPD-12 processes and overcollection of PII across civilian agencies. Our key deliverable, the Federated Identity Management Framework (FIMF) Whitepaper v1.0, provides comprehensive guidance for government-to-government (G2G) interactions, incorporating hub-and-spoke and broker models while aligning with NIST SP 800-63, the Federal Zero Trust Strategy, and ICAM business requirements. This framework has streamlined credential sharing with a single PIV card or token, reducing implementation times and costs for new federation initiatives. By fostering interoperability and mutual trust among agencies, FIMF has enhanced collaboration, improved security postures against cyber threats, and supported modernization efforts under OMB M-19-17, ultimately delivering more efficient digital services to the American public.

Insider Risk Working Group

This year, the group continued to advance insider risk management from a reactive security issue to a proactive, multidisciplinary priority across government, the defense industrial base, and industry. Through a series of webinars, expert roundtables, and the publication of the white paper From Quiet Concern to Strategic Priority—developed with contributions from 15 cross-sector experts—the working group brought forward critical insights on identifying early behavioral and contextual risk signals, responsibly applying AI and data integration, and addressing persistent challenges in information sharing and privacy. By fostering collaboration, publishing a companion best practices guide for 2025, and promoting a human-centered approach to deterrence and mitigation, the Insider Risk Working Group has strengthened awareness, policy alignment, and operational maturity across the community—bringing continued distinction to both ATARC and GITEC.

SCRM Working Group

In 2025, the ATARC SCRM Working Group released a landmark white paper, Supply Chain Risk Management Practices: Consensus Considerations for SCRM Processes in Modern Enterprises, outlining a unified, government-aligned framework that integrates cybersecurity, acquisition, logistics, and business intelligence risks into one actionable model. The group translated complex NIST, CISA, and FAR requirements into scalable guidance to strengthen compliance and resilience across the public sector. Its innovations—such as AI-driven Cycer-SCRM maturity models, multi-domain Bills of Materials, and post-quantum readiness guidance—set a new standard for modern supply chain management. Collaboration with leaders from federal civilian, defense, and intelligence agencies ensured the framework’s real-world applicability and rapid adoption. These efforts have significantly enhanced federal supply chain transparency, resilience, and mission assurance.

Zero Trust Working Group

The ATARC Zero Trust Working Group has been active for several years, bringing together a diverse range of participants from both government and industry. Its innovative and practical approach has made it a valuable resource for the federal government on the topic of Zero Trust. In 2024, the group entered a new phase, showcasing the “Art of the Possible” to the “Art of the Proven” through 9 lab demonstrations. These labs featured a variety of technologies, methodologies, and approaches, all tailored to meet common requirements and use cases identified by federal government participants. The success of coordinating, discussing, and facilitating such a large and diverse group has been a notable achievement. Building on this success of doing, the working group is now transitioned into Phase 3 with specific tracks determined by the working group to be relevant address for the future of Zero Trust. These tracks are: Metrics, Artificial Intelligence, Training, Mobility, Mutlicloud, Operational, Quantum, DevSecOps and Training. Therefore, the Zero Trust working group continues to blaze a path forward to bring value to all participating with proven best practices, lessons learned and expertise that can be readily applied within organizations where some outputs have become best practices.