Please join us for our upcoming N&T COI Member Meeting for an engaging panel discussion on "Powering AI and Government Applications: The Critical Role of Fiber Networks and Data Center Infrastructure."
Description:
As the demand for AI-driven applications and high-bandwidth solutions skyrockets at an unprecedented pace, the need for fiber and capacity becomes even more pivotal. Cloud data centers are in a race to stay ahead of generative AI workloads, and the rapid growth of AI necessitates a substantial increase in fiber connectivity. Data centers now require at least 10 times more fiber connections to support the data flow. A resilient and expansive fiber network is essential for ensuring seamless communication between these data hubs.
This discussion will explore how networks and data centers are foundational to scaling AI applications and powering the future of the Government's data-heavy applications.
Event Details:
Date: April 2, 2025
Time: 10 AM - 11 AM ET
Format: Moderated panel discussion; virtual event
Moderator:
- Tom Temin, Anchor, The Federal Drive, Federal News Network
Panelists:
- Campbell Palmer, Vice President, Solution Architecture, Public Sector, Lumen
- Jim Gwiazda, Vice President of Public Sector, Equinix
- Jan Niemiec, Managing Director, Google Public Sector
Speaker Bios
Tom Temin
Anchor, The Federal Drive, Federal News Network
Tom Temin has 46 years of journalism experience.
For the past three decades, he has worked in the federal government market. For the past 16 years Tom has hosted the Federal Drive with Tom Temin, weekday mornings on Federal News Network 1500 AM. The show covers federal information technology, management, oversight, legislation and professional concerns of the federal workforce. Guests regularly include federal executives, members of Congress, think tank experts and attorneys specializing in federal acquisition, cybersecurity and federal labor issues. Podcasts of Federal Drive broadcast interviews garner some 50,000 downloads per month.
Tom also writes a weekly column for Federal News Network covering a range of IT and management topics.
Each year, Tom organizes and stages a Motorcycle Ride for Charity under FNN’s auspices. It makes contributions to the Federal Employees Education and Assistance Fund (FEEA), Friends of Patients at the NIH, and the U.S. War Dogs Association.
Earlier, Tom was the editor-in-chief of Government Computer News for 15 years, then the most-read and highest revenue business-to-business publication in the market. It won several Jesse H Neal awards from the American Business Media (ABM) editorial program.
After the Washington Post Company acquired GCN, Tom became executive vice president, editorial, at the newly formed PostNewsweek Tech Media Group. There he oversaw the content of GCN, Washington Technology – also a Jesse H Neal award winner – and several other properties.
Throughout his career, Tom has been a speaker and moderator at events staged by groups such as AFCEA, the Association for Federal IRM (AFFIRM) and ACTIAC. He also has made regular, paid appearances for sales and executive groups of federal contractors.
Before coming to the Washington, D.C., area, Tom spent 17 years with Cahners Publishing Company, editing magazines in the industrial supply, electronics and systems integration industries. He also worked in weekly and daily newspapers in New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
Tom has a bachelor’s degree in photojournalism from the Rochester Institute of Technology. He completed the Stanford Professional Publishing Program. As an employee of Federal News Network, he’s also a member of the SAG-AFTRA union.
In his private life, Tom is devoted to his wife of 40 years, two grown children and four grandchildren; playing the piano; and riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
Campbell Palmer
Vice President, Solution Architecture, Public Sector
Campbell Palmer is the Vice President of Technology Solutions Support for Lumen Public Sector. With 26 years of industry experience, Mr. Palmer leads Public Sector’s solutions engineers, architects, and associates supporting Federal, State & Local, and education channels. He is responsible for the technical development and delivery support of complex Lumen services through standard open market opportunities, the GSA EIS contract, and various statewide contracts to deliver service to Lumen customers.
Mr. Palmer has extensive experience in network engineering, design, managed networking, and security solutions. He has delivered automated statistical analysis feeds pertaining to network traffic engineering and forecasting. Mr. Palmer has designed multiple commercial and private dedicated network & security operations centers that enable best-of-breed, best-of-service, and the most effective and competitive Service Level Agreements for Lumen customers. Mr. Palmer and his team engage with Lumen customers and partners to understand requirements, expectations, limitations, and challenges. They develop and deliver tailored solutions that incorporate the Lumen core-management system. The team provides integrated custom components and monitoring capabilities that ensure Lumen provides each customer with a fully operational network management system.
Mr. Palmer has held various leadership roles within Lumen’s public sector organization since 2008. His primary focus as a leader is to continually bolster the engineering organization’s technical skillset and proficiency, while incorporating best-of-breed industry technologies into Lumen’s portfolio. Mr. Palmer and his team were responsible for the technical solutions for awards under the EIS contract, including the Department of Veterans Affairs, Social Security Administration, Department of Interior, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Agriculture, and multiple DoD contracts, including Indo-Pacific Transport Services.
Prior to joining Lumen, Mr. Palmer was a network engineer at Verizon, spending 8 years working with medium and large enterprise and government customers within Verizon to assist with the development of reporting and network monitoring systems for dedicated network operations centers as well as sales engineering.
Mr. Palmer is a graduate of Hampden-Sydney College with a Bachelor of Science degree and is currently enrolled at UVA’s Darden School of Business, MBA class of 2026. He is married to Emma Palmer, has three children, is an avid pickleball player and golfer, and lives in Falls Church, VA and loves to spend time skiing, boating, and hiking at Deep Creek Lake, MD.
Jim Gwiazda
Vice President of Public Sector, Equinix
As the Vice President of Public Sector at Equinix, Jim Gwiazda plays a pivotal role within the company, supporting agencies that leverage Platform Equinix as the place where they come together, enabling the innovations that improve the quality of life for the citizens they serve and keep our nation safe. With over two decades of experience in the technology industry, Jim is committed to fostering a culture of change, innovation, and excellence in service to the missions that his organization supports.
He is a decorated veteran of the United States Army and served as a Non-Commissioned Officer in the Corps of Engineers. Jim holds a Master of Business Administration from The George Washington University School of Business and a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Northeastern University.
Jan Niemiec
Managing Director, Google Public Sector
As the Managing Director of National Security & Defense Sales at Google Public Sector, Jan Niemiec brings over 30 years of experience in the national defense sector helping people understand how to apply technology solutions to their most difficult mission goals.
Jan’s proven field expertise includes research science, program management, test engineering, mission management and sales.
Before joining Google Public Sector, Jan led multiple teams across Cisco’s U.S. Public Sector organization including the Client Application Group, Advanced Technologies Group, Department of Defense and National Security organization.Throughout his career at Cisco, Jan focused on the success and support of his customers. He spearheaded customized solutions in security, collaboration, data center and networking including Cisco Workspace for Government and Classified Network Support.
As a commissioned officer in the Air Force, Jan was active duty at Space and Missile Systems Center in Los Angeles, California and in the Reserves at Headquarters Air Force. His Air Force career focused on the acquisition of space launch systems and management of space launch funding portfolios.
Jan earned a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey and a Master of Science with Thesis in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Maryland at College Park. While studying at the University of Maryland, Jan performed research at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in the polymer research division. He contributed to several technical publications about the structural mechanics of advanced materials. Jan’s professional education also includes Squadron Officer School.
Jan is married with four children and resides in Loudoun County, Virginia. He enjoys coaching youth sports and volunteering in youth sport organizations.
United States