Mock IT

Kate Bradley Chernis is the Founder & CEO of Lately.AI, which identifies the makeup of the highest possible performing social media messaging for your target audience and generates posts that contain that content in your unique voice. AKA, her team is making GenAI personal for your brand.

We're serving up piping hot information on pitfalls of working in Corporate America, this new age of AI, and how to find your the right career. All guaranteed to keep you entertained from start to finish! From hilarious anecdotes to thought-provoking discussions, buckle up for a rollercoaster ride of an episode with Kate.

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You have to meet Gary White! Lucky for you, we interviewed him and got all the information for you. Gary's long list of accomplishments includes sitting on several nonprofit boards, co-founding and leading several federal and military innovation offices, and serving as a senior advisor, chief of staff, and consultant to C-suite executives.

His academic prowess shines with graduate degrees from Harvard and Georgetown, complemented by elite programs at Harvard Kennedy School and NREL.

Gary is the founder and principal of Mapportunity, where they envision a world where every startup has a clear, illuminated path to thrive and innovate. Learn what it takes to make your passions a reality.

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Meet MetroStar's Leslie Knope. From a six-week contract a decade ago to the Sr. Vice President of People and Culture, Debbie Peterson knows the ins and outs of her company. In this episode, Debbie shares when to be vulnerable with your employees and coworkers and when to "girl boss." We discuss navigating COVID-19 mandates, becoming a hybrid company, keeping culture alive while experiencing growth, and more.

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So, you're interested in Research and Development (R&D)? This is the episode for you. We chatted with Johhny Bouder about how he landed in the world of R&D and his work on open-source projects. Beyond talking about his techy prowess, we learned that you might find him in a mosh pit, or if you're having a dinner party, he may just bring you homemade cheese.

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Hannah Hunt, a Distinguished Technical Fellow, joined Mock IT to discuss her passion for government and how she had known since sixth grade that she wanted to be a part of the industry. If you're curious about government start-ups, navigating the fast-paced trajectory of your career, and the fascinating idea of data as a product, then this episode is a must-listen. But it's not all serious business; We also chat about what Taylor Swift-era Hannah has chosen for herself and a little (okay, a lot) about Harry Potter.

Social media is not easy! Brooke B. Sellas, founder and CEO of B Squared Media, shares tips and tricks to make your social media and the digital customer journey and experience shine. Listen to learn more about her "Think Conversation, Not Campaign" approach.

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Ryan Lewis is a Partner at SRI Ventures, a global leader in research and development. As a co-founder of tech companies and a member of several boards, Ryan shares his immense knowledge of startups and what makes them work.

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Pamela Aimee Leins, the Executive Director of the Boston Education Fund (BEDF), is a Bostonian, leader, strategist, connector, public servant, and barbershop owner (to name a few). In this episode, she shares her personal journey from being a first-generation Latina to becoming an Executive Director. We also gained insight into her recent project, EdQuity Boston, an initiative to transform educational equity through the fusion of participatory grantmaking and philanthropy. 

About BEDF: The Boston Education Fund is a 501(c)3 K-12 education fund, serving as the fiscal sponsor and fundraising partner of Boston Public Schools. 

In this jam-packed episode, guest Taylor Crow, an Associate Systems Engineer, joins Liz and Marie. The trio discusses Chat GPT-4 and the thoughts behind how inclusive can AI really be? They also discuss how we are shaping a more diverse tech culture and what it means to build inclusive spaces.

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Matt Chwat is an accomplished product & experience design leader. On this episode of Mock IT, he shares his career at ThinkGeek (later GameStop) and discusses the path and skills he needed to go from the world of gaming to government. 

International Women's Day (#IWD) theme this year is Embracing Equity. Ashley Brush and Navi Samra share what MetroStar's annual IWD event means to them, what to expect at the panel, and their thoughts on the theme.  

Join us for our hybrid event as our moderator facilitates an engaging discussion among speakers to share their journeys as women in technology, how we can work together for a brighter future, and advice to other aspiring women in technology.   

Joe Early, MetroStar's VP of Product and Design, joins the podcast to talk about open-source in the government and the power it can have to do good. He shares more about the Onyx solution, an open-source machine learning platform that is helping agencies share data and information across secure environments.   

Travis Oliphant is an impactful programmer and data scientist. He is the CEO of OpenTeams & Quansight, the founder of Anaconda, and the creator of NumPy, SciPy, and Numba. On this episode of Mock IT, he joins Marie and guest host Wilson to chat about trustworthy and ethical artificial intelligence (#AI) and machine learning (#ML).

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Beyond chatbots, virtual assistants, and the evolution of GPS systems, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and the tools behind making it all work are shaping the present and future world. It may feel like these technologies are in the infant stage, and perhaps they are, but #AI and #ML solutions are here to stay. Senior Data Scientist Wilson Rodden sat down with podcast hosts Liz and Marie to chat about how humans are kept in the loop of AI/ML, the common misconceptions behind the technology, and if it's really as dangerous as some people think.

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What do you do if you can't tell the world about the work you create for your customers? Many marketers in government contracting run into this problem. Director of Corporate Affairs at MetroStar, Anne McCombe, works closely with the marketing team at the leading solutions and digital services provider and helps tackle these roadblocks daily as they serve the public sector. Tune in to this fast-paced episode to learn tips for government marketing and how to highlight sensitive material.

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Hosts Liz and Marie are back with Season 3 of Mock IT. They share highlights from the ACT-IAC Customer Experience (#CX) Summit and welcome Principal Designer Allison Turi. Turi discusses the process behind designing swag and marketing material for an organization's corporate social responsibility (#CSR) initiatives. The trio chatted about past fundraisers, what mistakes to avoid, and why t-shirts make everyone go wild. 

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VP of Federal Civilian at MetroStar, Ashely Brush, joined Liz and Marie this week to discuss her leadership role, empowering women in the industry, and how to balance motherhood during it all. 

Before the trio dived into their experiences as mothers at MetroStar, Ashley shared her path to leadership, what she believes makes a great leader, and her team's role in transforming civilian projects for the government. Their discussion includes topics like customer experience, user research, and dark patterns. 

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Do you find yourself only focusing on colors, fonts, and photos while designing for a client? Do you feel as if clients only provide feedback on those aspects of your work? This is when UX storytelling comes into play to help designers and clients dig deeper and solve their users' true problems. Associate Design Manager Marie walked Project Manager Liz through the process of crafting a story around your designs and how to present them to people. UX storytelling can make a big difference in end products, timelines, communication, and more!

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Transitioning to the contracting world can be scary, especially if you're coming from a role that is a complete 180 from the industry. Hosts Liz and Marie discuss their journey into the industry and share the fears they had, what excites them about their work now, and the tips and tricks to make it work--no matter your role. If you're debating whether or not this industry is right for you, then this is the episode for you!    

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Amir Zonozi, President, and Nick Cronin, Chief Digital Officer of Zoomph, share insights into their media measurement company for sports and Esports brands. The company aims to help their clients understand the value they create online through their brand partners, and they dive deep into audience insights and how consumers engage with brands online. Amir and Nick discuss the changing landscape of collecting online data, how (and when) to reshape your products and services, and the power and importance of hiring women in sports. 

Learn more about Zoomph: https://zoomph.com/#

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Bree recently graduated from the University of Maryland and transitioned from a UX Intern to a Visual Designer at MetroStar. She shares her tips for having a successful career transition, the process of finding a mentor, and her thoughts on imposter syndrome. The trio discusses Bree's focus on Diversity-Focused Design and her research and advice on being an inclusive designer across industries. 

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Generalist, Specialist, or Explorer? What do these terms mean and how do they help you identify what type of worker you are in your industry and beyond.  

MetroStar's Director of Digital Strategy, Jason Stoner, sat down with Liz and Marie to discuss his career path and why he likes to call himself an Explorer in the workforce. This means he doesn't focus on being specialized in one area but has learned how to create a space where he is constantly learning and taking action with his new education. He discusses why you don't have to be scared to be a Jack of all trades, master of none--it can be a good thing! Listen for more.   

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Traci Walker, the Digital Services Coalition's (DSC) Executive Director, joined Liz and Marie once more to discuss the changing landscape of UX design in government and how it is shaping the future of work. The trio chats about accessibility, the difference between User Experience (UX) and Customer Experience (CX), designing from the procurement side, and more. 

Tune in to hear Traci's twenty-plus years of experience and knowledge in transforming design for the government. 

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The Executive Director at the Digital Services Coalition (DSC), Traci Walker, sat down with Liz and Marie to discuss the nonprofit's mission and why agencies, contractors, and companies should be paying attention. The DSC is dedicated to helping the government build successful digital services through good usability, reliable technology, and accessibility for all. As an experienced former government employee, Traci knows how to build sustainable digital, design, and tech communities within the federal sector.  

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Welcome to season two of Mock IT! To kick off the season, MetroStar's CEO and Co-Founder Ali Reza Manouchehri joined our hosts to discuss transforming a digital solutions company from a George Mason University dorm room to a tech company with 330 (and growing) employees. This episode celebrates MetroStar's 23rd anniversary, dives into the background of the company, shares insights into the future of tech in government, and how to succeed as an entrepreneur. 

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UX Architect Logan House shares with Liz and Marie his tips on how to successfully handle conducting remote UX research. At the start of the pandemic, many UX architects found themselves at a standstill on how to navigate user research, especially with federal clients. In this episode, Liz, Marie, and Logan offer the tips and tricks they learned in the past two years and offer the tools they've used to garner successful results for their clients. 

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Elisha Hardy is a Principal UX Architect at MetroStar tackling environment-first design to lessen the burdens of the climate crisis. Elisha gives the rundown on the latest document "Pathways to Net-Zero Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 2050" the United States Government released in late 2021 and shares with Liz and Marie the steps fellow designers can follow to understand and transform their work to be more environmentally friendly.

Read more about Elisha: https://mss.fyi/3HiIz6D

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Angela Terry is a tenured graphic designer, assistant professor at Northern Virginia Community College, and George Mason University grad student earning her MFA. She joined Liz and Marie this week to share her tips and tricks on creating designs that are not only beautiful but functional for your audience, too!     

In this special minisode, MetroStar's Sr. People Operations Manager shares how MetroStar's onboarding culture has shifted during the pandemic. Tune into this episode of Mock IT if you're a MetroStar "hopeful candidate" and interested in learning more about tech careers and how the first 90 days of a new job are shifting.

Liz and Marie welcome special guest Jason Glisson, Senior Software Engineer at MetroStar. As an advocate for the content management tool Drupal, Jason talks about the June 2022 release of Drupal 10 and why he recommends government agencies use this open-source CMS tool.

Liz and Marie welcome special guest Iva Hutson in this week's episode. As a Sr. Experience Strategy Manager, Iva understands the nuances and intricacies of design leadership and how UX experts can become a leader in their field. From an industry pull away from portfolios to finding yourself in the C-suite, the trio explores what it means to be a leader in #UX and government.  

In this minisode, Liz & Marie run through the basics of project and design restraints and how they tackle them. The duo chats about stakeholder feedback, time vs quality, and designing with negative space in mind (even for those pesky tablet devices). 

Liz and Marie welcome back special guest, Leslie Bozoian, on the podcast this week. Leslie is a Visual Designer who has a passion for design and social media. In this special social media-focused episode, the trio discusses the responsibilities social media companies have to protect users, like Facebook, and the steps designers are taking to aid users in navigating a new era of digital literacy. From algorithms to font texts and data tracking, they unpack a lot in this jam-packed episode.

Liz and Marie welcome a special guest, Leslie Bozoian, on the podcast this week. Leslie is a Visual Designer who has a passion for design and social media. The trio discusses how the pandemic has changed digital experiences, social media, and how designers can help tackle the spread of misinformation online. From understanding popups to navigating the redesign of share and flag buttons, this week's episode dives into social media platform design. 

So, you're a UX Designer about to start a career in government contracting? We know the environment can feel different than the work you've done in the past. This week, Liz and Marie chat about how they landed their roles at MetroStar, the different types of growth you can find in the industry, and tips for communicating with government customers. In the episode, you'll learn more about their process and tips for being successful.  

This week, Liz & Marie explore design systems, design libraries, and the United States Web Design System (USWDS). The pair explain what these tools are and how they impact designers in the government sector. They talk about things like the Obamacare website failure and how it changed the industry for designers. 

Mock IT is a design and culture podcast sponsored by MetroStar.

Mock IT's first episode features Liz, Marie, and their professional relationship. They cover how they met, how their friendship has grown, their work in government, and the forming, storming, and norming we all go through when starting a new project or job.

Liz and Marie offer insights into forming strong relationships with your coworkers and understanding the stages of team development on UX teams.