AI, Digital Transformation & Cyber on the Docket for POC’s Spring 2026 GovCon Events

Artificial intelligence, digital modernization and cybersecurity are no longer parallel priorities in government. They are converging into a single strategic mandate: modernize fast, secure everything and deliver measurable mission impact.

This spring, Potomac Officers Club, the nation’s leading GovCon networking organization, will bring together senior government and industry leaders to address that mandate head-on through three major events in northern Virginia:

• 2026 Artificial Intelligence Summit — March 18 at Hyatt Regency Reston

• 2026 Digital Transformation Summit — April 22 at Hilton McLean

• 2026 Cyber Summit — May 21 at Falls Church Marriott Fairview Park

Together, the trio offers a roadmap for contractors and federal executives navigating AI deployment, CIO-level modernization and escalating cyber threats.

What Are the Essential GovCon Events for Spring 2026?

2026 Artificial Intelligence Summit

March 18 | Hyatt Regency Reston | Register

If 2024 and 2025 were about AI pilots, 2026 is about operational dominance.

The 2026 Artificial Intelligence Summit will center on moving beyond experimentation and into mission-scale execution. Confirmed keynote Cameron Stanley, chief digital and artificial intelligence officer at the Department of War and a Wash100 Award winner, anchors a program designed around practical AI deployment inside high-stakes environments.

Rather than rehashing AI hype cycles, the agenda focuses on the hard questions agencies now face:

• How to orchestrate “model-of-models” architectures that generate mission-specific answers from enterprise data

• How to integrate AI into legacy federal systems without triggering costly ATO resets

• What it takes to operationalize generative AI securely in real-world mission environments

• How agencies are preparing for AI-enabled automation at scale

Which Government Speakers Will Address the AI Summit?

In addition to CDAO Stanley’s keynote, featured government speakers include Sunil Madhugiri, chief technology officer at U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Katie Noyes, chief AI officer at the FBI; Dr. David Markowitz, chief data and analytics officer at the Army; John Silson, director of AI and innovation at the State Department’s Center for Analytics; Dr. Delester Brown, chief data officer at the Army National Guard Bureau; and Chandra Donelson, chief data and AI officer at the U.S. Space Force.

Industry leaders from MANTECH, Empower AI, SOSi, Oracle, Anthropic and others will join the conversation, reflecting the growing public-private interdependence shaping federal AI strategy.

For GovCon executives, the 2026 Artificial Intelligence Summit is less about “what is AI?” and more about “how do we win with it?” You don’t want to miss it. Register now!

2026 Digital Transformation Summit

April 22 | Hilton McLean | Register

Formerly known as the CIO Summit, the Digital Transformation Summit remains one of POC’s most CIO-focused gatherings, targeting federal chief information officers and senior IT decision-makers across government.

Wash100 winner Pavan Pidugu, chief digital and information officer at the Department of Transportation, is expected to keynote this year’s edition—pending confirmation. Pidugu will offer a cabinet-level CIO’s perspective on funding priorities, enterprise architecture and the operational realities of federal digital transformation.

The agenda reflects a shift from incremental modernization to enterprise-scale transformation. Topics will explore:

• How agencies are using advanced technologies to tackle complex, mission-wide challenges

• Operationalizing AI-enabled innovation at speed in mission-critical environments

• Mission engineering and digital engineering as the backbone of defense modernization

• Implementing AI in high-security federal ecosystems

• Turning policy guidance on responsible AI into enterprise practice

Announced speakers thus far include Christopher Dearie of CBP; Dr. Ann Carbonell of the Digital Transformation Center powered by UDRI; Daniel Hettema of the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering; Col. Scott Klempner of Space Systems Command; Col. Jonathan McCall of the U.S. Space Force; and Andrea Brandon of the Department of the Interior.

For contractors, the 2026 Digital Transformation Summit‘s message is clear: CIO priorities are evolving. Architecture decisions, AI integration strategies and data governance frameworks are now central to competitive positioning in federal IT. Save your spot today!

2026 Cyber Summit

May 21 | Falls Church Marriott Fairview Park | Register

Cybersecurity remains the foundation under every modernization effort.

While keynote speakers have yet to be announced, past POC Cyber Summits have featured top Pentagon cyber officials and senior leaders from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, setting expectations for high-level participation again in 2026.

The first confirmed panel, “Combating Advanced Persistent Threat,” signals a focus on near-peer adversaries and the accelerating sophistication of state-backed cyber campaigns.

The broader conversation is expected to include:

• The role of AI in cyber defense and offensive cyber operations

• The evolving zero trust standard and the Pentagon’s 2027 compliance deadline

• Federal cyber budgets and acquisition priorities

• Emerging electronic warfare threats and tactics

• Strategic competition and cyber gamesmanship with China and Russia

For GovCon firms, the 2026 Cyber Summit offers insight into where dollars, urgency and regulatory pressure are converging. As zero trust deadlines approach and AI reshapes the cyber battlefield, alignment with federal cyber strategy will be critical. Make sure your GovCon cyber firm is represented.

Watch our interview with Bridget Bean, formerly of CISA, from the 2025 Cyber Summit (and subscribe to Executive Mosaic’s YouTube channel for more conversations about federal agency priorities).

Why Spring 2026 Matters for GovCon

Taken together, the 2026 Artificial Intelligence Summit, 2026 Digital Transformation Summit and 2026 Cyber Summit map directly to the three pillars defining the next phase of federal modernization:

1. AI at scale

2. CIO-led enterprise transformation

3. Mission-first cybersecurity

For industry executives, these gatherings offer early visibility into shifting requirements, budget signals and architectural priorities across defense and civilian agencies.

Spring 2026 will help define competitive positioning in the next era of government technology. Organizations that understand where agency leaders are headed, and why, will be better prepared to lead. Make sure you attend all three to get the full scope of what U.S. defense and civilian agencies need technologically to stay competitive and dominant on the global stage.