In this insightful conversation, Shelley McGuire sits down with Donald Bauer, former Chief Technology Officer for Human Resources and Global Talent Management at the U.S. Department of State and now a Partner at Strategic Results Consulting. From writing software for the space shuttle to racing stock cars, Donald dives into the serious business of federal HRIT reform and the lessons learned from decades of government service. He reflects on his viral article The Monday After, published after his departure from federal service, and opens up about the frustration he felt watching skilled public servants pushed out without proper change management. Donald unpacks the bespoke IT systems plaguing federal agencies, the complex reality of HR data, and why simply layering AI onto broken infrastructure won’t solve anything. Now on the industry side, Donald is still deeply committed to the mission of advocating for smarter modernization, data strategy, and systems that are built to adapt. To connect with Donald, visit him on LinkedIn here.Learn more about Strategic Results Consulting by visiting their webpage here. If you liked listening to this episode, view our Former Fed Perspectives page here. To view all of our podcast series, visit our podcast page. Thank you to our sponsor vTech Solution.