
Washington, DC CDAO Community
Executive Summit
June 18, 2025 | Convene at 1201 Wilson Blvd
June 18, 2025
Convene at 1201 Wilson Blvd
Collaborate with your peers
Get together with Washington, DC's top CDAOs to tackle shared business challenges and critical priorities facing your role today. Participate in this one-day, local program with peer-driven topics and interactive discussions with your true C-level peers.
Join your peers to discuss the most critical issues impacting CDAOs today:
Connecting Data, Analytics and AI Initiatives to Measurable Business Outcomes
Transforming Data Governance to Support and Scale Advanced Analytics
Maturing D&A Culture with Data Democratization and Self-Service Analytics
Washington, DC CDAO Governing Body
The Governing Body Co-Chairs shape the summit agenda, ensuring that all content is driven By CDAOs, For CDAOs™.
Governing Body Co-Chairs

Aravind Jagannathan
Freddie Mac
SVP, Single-Family Chief Data Officer

Peter Maynard
Guardian Life Insurance
Chief Data & Analytics Officer
What to Expect
Agenda
8:00am - 8:30am Registration & Breakfast
8:30am - 9:15am Keynote
Harnessing Human Energy — Thriving Amidst Rapid Change
Hosted by Fivetran

Josh Allan Dykstra
Future of Work Activist
Guest Speaker
In the face of unrelenting transformation, staying innovative and productive can feel daunting, especially with emerging generations' evolving work expectations, the permanence of hybrid teams and the pervasive influence of AI. The key to thriving in this chaotic environment lies in leveraging and organizing work around intrinsic motivators, such as yourself and the people within your organization.
Join this session to learn:
- The keys for navigating constant change with more energy and resilience
- How to create astonishing psychological safety within your team
- A practical framework to access more productivity across your entire organization
9:15am - 9:40am Networking Break
9:40am - 10:25am Breakout Session
Harnessing GenAI for Business Growth

Rajat Gupta
Head of Data & Analytics
Medtronic
Despite the value of Generative AI, many data & analytics leaders struggle to measure and communicate business value to others in the C-suite while also addressing fear and resistance on the ground level. To bridge this gap, leaders must develop robust methods for tracking ROI, directly linking AI initiatives to key business outcomes. By fostering understanding and collaboration, organizations can transform resistance into acceptance.
Join this session to learn how to:
- Demonstrate the strategic value of GenAI to stakeholders
- Effectively deploy GenAI initiatives with subject matter experts
- Drive informed decision making and secure executive buy-in
9:40am - 10:25am Breakout Session
Data Revolution — Building Ecosystems for Business Success

Amy Lenander
Chief Data Officer
Capital One Financial

Aravind Jagannathan
SVP, Single-Family Chief Data Officer
Freddie Mac
In an era marked by unprecedented data evolution driven by advanced data-dependent technologies like AI, organizations across sectors are tasked with implementing strategies to harness data-driven insights and drive results. Hear from the CDO of Capital One on her insights and best practices for unlocking value from data and technology in today's complex environment.
Join this fireside chat to learn how to:
- Advance a data strategy to embed AI across key business operations
- Build scalable, adaptable data platforms organization wide
- Create and foster a data-driven culture
9:40am - 10:25am Executive Boardroom
Data Governance — Modernizing Your Framework

David Branch
VP of Performance & Analytics
MedStar Health

Rakesh Srinivasan
SVP, Chief Data & AI Officer
Pilot Company

Dartanion Swift-Williams
Chief Data Officer
City of Baltimore
Positioning data governance as enablement rather than restriction is a tactic more data and analytics leaders are taking to gain buy-in. But as the digital enterprise rapidly evolves, governance frameworks must modernize, maturing to address trust, risk and ethics.
Join this session as CDAOs discuss:
- Understanding the baseline for effective governance
- Identifying common pitfalls or challenges within your policies and teams
- Outlining a path to ensure framework scalability
9:40am - 10:25am Workshop
Office Hours with Josh Allan Dykstra, Future of Work Activist

Josh Allan Dykstra
Future of Work Activist
Guest Speaker
Get a special one-on-one with futurist and TEDx speaker Josh Allan Dykstra for an exclusive, free advisory session! Sessions are 20-minutes and pre-registration is required.
In this unique, private session you’ll receive:
- One-on-one consultation with a workplace futurist
- Customized advice around a real business challenge
- Personalized suggestions for tangible action steps
10:25am - 11:10am Networking Break
10:35am - 11:00am Peer-to-Peer Meetings
Peer-to-Peer Meetings
Connect with like-minded peers in a one-on-one setting through Peer-to-Peer Meetings. You will be matched with peers in your community based on your shared interests and priorities.
11:10am - 11:55am Breakout Session
CDAO Unlocks Value for Data-Overwhelmed CFO
Hosted by SC&H Group

Nick Scott
Managing Director
SC&H Group

Lee Whieldon
Cloud Data, AI & ML Solution Architect
SC&H Group
In this data-driven world, companies thrive with a strong partnership between their Chief Data and Analytics Officers and Chief Financial Officers. CFOs are under immense pressure to deliver accurate, timely and actionable insights and CDAOs are uniquely positioned to provide the answers.
Join this session to learn how to:
- Streamline data governance framework to enhance accountability and trust
- Strategize to address skill gaps and challenges with financial data management
- Deploy data solutions and analytics for finance teams
11:10am - 11:55am Breakout Session
Unlocking Business Potential Through Self-Service Data

Bojan Duric
Chief Data Officer
City of Virginia Beach
Data democratization empowers organizations to make informed decisions, but challenges like siloed models and cultural barriers persist. Establishing flexible frameworks, enhancing communication and adopting hybrid approaches to integrate IT and analytics will foster a data-driven culture for growth.
In this session you will learn how to:
- Promote a data-driven culture at all levels of decision making
- Engage and enable business capabilities
- Establish the accessibility and scalability of a self-service model
11:10am - 11:55am Executive Boardroom
Build a Data Foundation That’s Ready for AI
Hosted by IBM

Jen Shreckhise
VP, Data and AI Platform Leader, US Federal
IBM

Meher Dasika
Chief Data Officer
Air Force

Kris Mork
Chief Data Officer
Leidos
Organizations face rapid growth in data volume and complexity, with data in diverse locations, formats and quality levels. Its value depends on usability, requiring real-time decisions and insights as analytical workloads rise and AI-enabled applications become standard. Your data is the fuel for differentiated AI — and today’s organizations have a lot of data. How can you put it to work for you?
Join this session to learn how to:
- Simplify and scale unstructured data integration, management and governance for AI
- Integrate AI workloads with a data governance strategy
- Leverage a hybrid and open data foundation to deliver more value across environments
11:10am - 11:55am Executive Boardroom
Measure Impact — Maximize Analytics Success

Venkatesh Varalu
VP of Data, Analytics & Insights
The Washington Post

Jay Como
Global Head of Enterprise Data Governance & Operations
T Rowe Price Group Inc
Measuring data and analytics initiatives is critical for data and analytics leaders to understand the effectiveness and impact of their strategies, as well as earn trust with leadership and peers. By setting clear metrics, KPIs and mechanisms organizations can track the progress of their initiatives and identify areas for improvement.
Join this session to discuss how to:
- Communicate the value of ROI of initiatives to stakeholders effectively
- Use real-world examples to illustrate impact
- Discover new opportunities to stay ahead of shifting market demands
11:55am - 12:30pm Lunch Service
Apply to Participate
Apply to participate in the Washington, DC CDAO Community Executive Summit.
Gartner facilitates exclusive, C-level communities by personally qualifying and understanding the priorities, challenges and interests of each member.
Our selective approach maintains the high quality of the network and ensures top-level discussions with peers from the world’s leading organizations.
Each application will be reviewed, and once your participation is confirmed, you will have access to year-round community programs.
Location
Venue & Accommodation
Convene at 1201 Wilson BlvdParking and Arrival Notes:
Metro: Venue is located 2 blocks from Rosslyn Station.
Parking is available in the 1800 N. Lynn Street garage daily between 6:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. Parking is $8.00 for a half day, $17.00 for a full day. To enter the main lobby from the parking garage, follow the GREY SIGNS to "OFFICE LOBBY". Take the elevator to the lobby (L) and check in at the welcome desk.
Street Entry: The entrance of the building is between N Lynn St and N Moore St. Enter through the main lobby of Central Place Tower on 1201 Wilson Blvd.
Hotels Nearby
Hyatt Centric Arlington
Address: 1325 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22209
Distance from Venue: 400 feet away
Residence Inn by Marriott Arlington Rosslyn
Address: 1652 N Oak St, Arlington VA 22209
Distance from Venue: 0.2 mi
Le Meridian Arlington
Address: 1121 19th St N, Arlington, VA 22209
Distance from Venue: .2 mi
Homewood Suites by Hilton Arlington Rosslyn Key Bridge
Address: 1900 N Quinn St, Arlington, VA 22209
Distance from Venue: 0.4 mi
Evanta does not have any affiliation with the suggested hotels listed. The list above is solely for informational purposes.
Community Program Manager
For inquiries related to this community, please reach out to your dedicated contact.