“The long-term winners will be the companies that modernize the data foundation and decision architecture before scaling AI too far,” says Shiv Misra, McKesson Global Head, Artificial Intelligence & Automation — a perspective that reflects the tone of the evening centered not on AI ambition alone, but the infrastructure to sustain it.

At CDO Magazine’s exclusive Roundtable Exchange at Sequoia DC on May 13, senior federal and enterprise data, analytics, and AI leaders from across the Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia region came together for a thought-provoking discussion on “Hype vs. Reality: What’s Actually Working in Data, Security, and AI Right Now.” Beneath the buzz around generative and agentic AI, one question surfaced repeatedly: Are organizations moving faster on AI strategies than the data foundations needed to support them?

The dinner conversation moved beyond theory into practical realities, ranging from strengthening trust in the data powering AI systems and safeguarding sensitive information to striking the right balance between innovation, accessibility, and security. Executives also debated the risks of locking data down too tightly versus opening it up too broadly, underscoring that the path to AI success increasingly depends on disciplined data strategy as much as technological advancement.

“Great discussion at the CDO Magazine DC Roundtable Exchange with fellow data and technology executives. A consistent theme across the conversation was that many organizations are racing to scale AI while still working through core challenges around data quality, governance, interoperability, and trust,” Misra elaborates.

Richard Patterson, Chief Data & AI Officer at the U.S. Department of State Bureau of the Comptroller & Global Financial Services, emphasizes, “The CDO Magazine Washington, DC Roundtable was a great reminder that the best insights come from the people in the room. AI, governance, business value, community — we touched on all of it. Grateful for the chance to reconnect with longtime colleagues and meet new ones who are doing incredible work with data. This is the community that keeps me energized.”

Ankit Goel, KeyBank EVP, Chief Data & Analytics Officer, agrees, “I truly enjoyed the engaging discussion around the intersection of AI strategy, business value, and data priorities.” 

For Matthew Lansdell, JPMorganChase VP, Data Science Lead, “The best part of the evening for me was how wide-ranging my conversations were. I went from talking about how to solve specific quirks in certain AI models to discussing the economic and societal implications of AI-driven layoffs. Hearing perspectives about where government and private industry organizations are going from the people leading them was inspiring and rekindled my excitement in the work ahead.”

According to Montae Brockett, DC Government Deputy Chief Information Officer & Chief Security Officer, the CDO Magazine Washington DC Roundtable Exchange was unlike anything he had ever experienced. He says, “As someone who is normally introverted in these settings, Gerri made the event truly exceptional through the genuine and intimate connections she fostered throughout the evening, bringing together thought leaders from both the public and private sectors. I’m already looking forward to attending again.”

Gerri Caveness, CDO Magazine Community Director, highlights, “We brought together senior executives from both the private and public sectors for conversations about AI, data, cyber, infrastructure, and leadership. Some of the nation’s capital’s brightest technology rockstars joined the conversation, representing diverse industries, perspectives, and experiences, which created a powerful mix of leaders! We’re building something special in the DMV. And if this event proved anything, it’s that the right people are already finding the room!”

Summing it up, Jimmy Oyeniyi, Denodo Sr. Sales Director, GTM Lead, Financial Services, says, “One theme stood out consistently across the CDO discussions — the challenge of accessing the right data fast enough to drive real-time AI decisions. Many attendees also highlighted the growing cost and complexity of managing large-scale data lakes over time. What made the event especially valuable was the collaborative nature of the conversations. The openness in sharing challenges, strategies, and perspectives led to some truly insightful discussions around the future of AI, data, and governance.”

Josh Beard, Cyera Head, Public Sector, underscores, “This week’s roundtable reinforced that public sector and critical infrastructure leaders are increasingly prioritizing data visibility and security as foundational to their AI and modernization strategies. It was energizing to be in a room full of peers who are wrestling with these challenges and driving real change.”

Special thanks to Cyera and Denodo for their partnership in making the event a success.

*Shiv Misra and Richard Patterson are members of the CDO Magazine Global Board. 

Executives attending the CDO Magazine DC Roundtable Exchange included: 

Dia Adams, former White House Enterprise Data Consultant; Gigi Branch, Public Company Accounting Oversight Board Chief Data Analytics Officer; Montae Brockett, DC Government Deputy Chief Information Officer & Chief Security Officer; Margarita Brose, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Deputy Chief Data Officer; Natalie Buda Smith, Library of Congress Director, Digital Strategy (Artificial Intelligence); Natalie Evans-Harris, State of Maryland State Chief Data Officer; Jessica Frey, JPMorganChase Head, Privacy for Chase; Stephanie Garland, State of Maryland Data Literacy Director; Austin Gerig, U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission Chief Data Officer; Ankit Goel, KeyBank EVP, Chief Data & Analytics Officer; Shawn Gordley, Prudential Financial VP, Delivery; Matthew Lansdell, JPMorganChase VP, Data Science Lead; Ari Lipman, Peace Corps Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer; Lauren Maffeo, State of Maryland Sr. AI/ML Program Manager; Shiv Misra, McKesson Global Head, Artificial Intelligence & Automation; Richard Patterson, U.S. Department of State Chief Data & AI Officer, Bureau, Comptroller & Global Financial Services; Jiaqi Qian, Spectrum Brands Sr. Manager, Consumer Data Strategy; Basia Powazki Sall, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Director, Data Management; Piotr Stempinski, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health PostDoctoral Fellow; Ling Ling Sun, Maryland Public Television VP, Technology; Deepti C. Tuteja, TD Bank Head, U.S. Data Management; Michael Weissman, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Chief Data Officer; Dartanion Williams, City of Baltimore Executive Director & Chief Data Officer; Michelle Zebrowski, U.S. Customs & Border Protection Chief Data Officer; Josh Beard, Cyera Head, Public Sector; Nicole Denney, Cyera Account Executive; Jimmy Oyeniyi, Denodo Senior Sales Director, GTM Lead, Financial Services; Kawika Takayama, Denodo Strategic Director, DoW & National Intelligence; Donna Medeiros, Data Society VP, AI Advisory; Gerri Caveness, CDO Magazine Community Director; Anthony Losanno, CDO Magazine Managing Director; and Camille Prado, CDO Magazine Global Editor.