Author Archive
Natalie Alms
Staff Writer

Natalie Alms is a staff writer at FCW covering federal technology policy, service delivery, customer experience and the government's tech workforce. She is a graduate of Wake Forest University and has written for the Salisbury (N.C.) Post. Connect with Natalie on Twitter at @AlmsNatalie.
CXO Briefing
GAO Pegs Unemployment Insurance Fraud Tally at More Than $60 billion
At the same time, the congressional watchdog cautioned that governmentwide fraud estimates are potentially dicey.
- By Natalie Alms
Emerging Tech
Gallagher Wants to Ban TikTok, But Says U.S. Ownership Could be a 'Workable Solution'
Congress passed a law to ban the popular app on federal government devices as part of the omnibus funding bill. It doesn't look like lawmakers' about national security and TikTok are waning.
- By Natalie Alms
Emerging Tech
Portman Introduces Two Bills on Facial Recognition, AI in Government
The fate of the bills in a lame duck session of Congress is uncertain, but a Portman aide says the outgoing senator wants to be active on the subjects even after retiring.
- By Natalie Alms
News
Omnibus Spending Bill Includes a Ban of TikTok on Government Devices
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) told FCW on Monday that Congress might have more work to do regarding national security implications of popular video-sharing app TikTok in the next session of Congress.
- By Natalie Alms
CXO Briefing
The CX Executive Order Turns One
The White House says that agencies have made improvements to websites, mobile apps and more. Several experts say that long-term success will depend on the staying power of customer experience as a priority and methodology.
- By Natalie Alms
CXO Briefing
For Federal Customer Service to Work, Congress, the White House and Agencies Need 'Fundamental' Change, Report Says
A new report from the Partnership for Public Service and Accenture Federal Services outlines the systemic barriers to customer experience, and the collaboration between Congress and the executive branch needed to address them.
- By Natalie Alms
Emerging Tech
DOD Wants Cyber Apprenticeships for Contractors, but Acquisition Regulations May Remain an Obstacle
DOD officials say contractors should increase the use of registered cyber apprenticeships, but some companies argue that federal contract requirements often lock them into education and experience prerequisites.
- By Natalie Alms
CXO Briefing
CISA Hires its First 'Chief People Officer'
NASA's Elizabeth Kolmstetter will be charged with aligning talent recruitment efforts at the cybersecurity agency during an increasingly tight labor market.
- By Natalie Alms
IT Modernization
White House, Agencies Still Sorting Out Who Will Pay for Cross-agency Service Delivery Work
OMB’s customer experience lead said Tuesday that more specifics for life experience projects will be made public in coming weeks.
- By Natalie Alms
IT Modernization
Maloney Introduces Presidential Records Reform Bill
Outgoing House Oversight and Reform Committee Chair Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) has a new bill meant to beef up compliance with White House records requirements.
- By Natalie Alms
CXO Briefing
Report Offers Insights on What CDOs Really Want
A new report also found that chief data officers are looking for more funding, more staff and clarity about how the CDO role intersects with agency CIO shops.
- By Natalie Alms
Cybersecurity
OPM's Ahuja Gets an Earful From Agencies Over Enhanced Pay for Cyber Talent
The Director of the Office of Personnel Management is navigating the intense competition among federal agencies for in-demand cybersecurity workers.
- By Natalie Alms
Cybersecurity
Cyber Talent Still in High Demand
In the last 12 months, more than 769,000 cyber job postings went up in the United States.
- By Natalie Alms
Emerging Tech
Biden Touts Launch of Student Loan Forgiveness Website
More than 8 million people applied on the beta version of the site over the weekend, officials said.
- By Natalie Alms
Emerging Tech
TMF Announces $36.4M in Awards
The Army, the Office of Personnel Management and the Federal Housing Authority are the latest recipients of awards from the Technology Modernization Fund.
- By Natalie Alms
Emerging Tech
National Archives Plans CX Research
The National Archives and Records Administration says that a new research agenda will help it understand what people who use the archives need, want and expect – and how the agency can meet those demands.
- By Natalie Alms
CXO Briefing
White House Seeks Advice on Cyber Workforce Development
The Office of the National Cyber Director is looking for input in a new request for information and will eventually quiz respondents about their ideas.
- By Natalie Alms
Emerging Tech
Labor Department Evolves Efforts to Assist States in UI Delivery
A pilot project meant to give the federal government a more central role in unemployment insurance delivery, is raising questions inside the Department of Labor and in Congress about the role of identity verification and enforcement authority over states in the system.
- By Natalie Alms
CXO Briefing
The White House Wants to Make Food Assistance Programs Easier to Use -- and Tech Plays a Big Part
Modernization and customer experience goals are folded into a new White House National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition and Health that was released Tuesday.
- By Natalie Alms
CXO Briefing
Is it Time to Add IT Workforce Ratings to the FITARA Scorecard?
A new report from ACT-IAC recommends changes to the biannual FITARA scorecard, including adding a category measuring IT workforce capabilities.
- By Natalie Alms