Federal Talent

Ms. Lara Sayer is the Executive Director for the Commission on Planning, Programming, Budgeting and Execution (PPBE) Reform. Prior to joining the Commission, Ms. Sayer served as a part of the Senior Executive Service as the Comptroller for Commander, Navy Installations Command (CNIC) and Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC), where she had oversight of annual appropriations over $12B. Ms. Sayer also served as the Comptroller for the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and the Deputy Chief Financial Officer for the United States Special Operations Command.

Ms. Sayer has also served in several senior positions in the acquisition, budget, and resource management sectors throughout her career. Ms. Sayer holds a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and a Master of Business Administration from Wright State University. She also has a Masters in National Resource Strategy from the Eisenhower School at the National Defense University.

BG Brett Funck retired in June 2023 after a distinguished 33-year career in the US Army and his final command as Director of the Army Talent Management Task Force in Washington, DC.

General Funck served in various leadership and staff positions throughout his career: Platoon Leader, Company Commander, Troop Commander, and Team Leader; later served as an S3 and XO in the 82nd Airborne Division, Operations Officer in the Joint Special Operations Command, Battalion Commander, and Division G3 in the 10th Mountain Division, the Fort Bragg Garrison Commander, the Deputy Commander in the Combined Joint Inter-Agency Task Force, and Chief of Staff for the 82nd Airborne Division. As a Brigadier General, he served as the G3/5/7 for the United States Army Reserve Command and later as the Deputy Commanding General of Operations and Acting Senior Commander of the 10th Mountain Division. He served as Director of the Army Talent Management Task Force until his retirement from active service in June 2023.

General Funck graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1994 and earned his commission as an Infantry Officer. He holds a Master of Human Resources Administration and a B.S. in environmental science. His professional military education includes the Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, Command and General Staff College, Canadian Forces College, and the Joint and Combined Warfighting School.

Michael H. Schneider was named assistant director of the FBI's Human Resources Division in August 2022. He had most recently served as the special agent in charge of the Denver Field Office.

Mr. Schneider joined the FBI as a special agent in 2004 and reported to the Bedford Resident Agency in New Hampshire, a satellite office of the Boston Field Office. In Bedford, Mr. Schneider investigated criminal matters and led a Safe Streets Gang Task Force. He was promoted to supervisory special agent in 2009 and transferred to the International Terrorism Operations Section at FBI Headquarters.

In 2011, Mr. Schneider transferred to the St. Louis Field Office to lead the counterterrorism program and the Joint Terrorism Task Force. He was promoted in 2014 to assistant special agent in charge of the National Security Branch in St. Louis, where he oversaw the counterterrorism, counterintelligence, intelligence, and cyber programs.

In 2017, Mr. Schneider was named the chief of the Counter Improvised Explosive Devices Section of the Critical Incident Response Group (CIRG) at Headquarters. CIRG provides rapid assistance during crisis incidents such as child abductions and hostage negotiations and provides investigative analysis, special weapons and tactics, and other services.

While a CIRG section chief, Mr. Schneider also served as the U.S. government’s on-scene commander for the Winter Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, leading the team that ensured the safety and security of U.S. interests before and during the games.

Mr. Schneider was promoted to deputy assistant director of CIRG in 2018, overseeing the FBI’s operational response to crises around the country and the world. He was also responsible for the Hostage Rescue Team, SWAT teams, bomb technicians, the behavioral analysis program, surveillance and aviation programs, and the program to counter unmanned aircraft systems. He was appointed the special agent in charge of the Denver Field Office in 2020.

Mr. Schneider earned a Bachelor of Science in finance from Indiana University School of Business. Before joining the FBI, he worked in corporate finance and investment banking.

Colonel Hawk enjoys over 30 years of service in the US Army and Army National Guard, including multiple combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. He currently serves as Portfolio Lead for the Army Futures Command Network Cross-Functional Team. He leads a portfolio of research technologies and professional experts focused on a range of technologies, including, but not limited to AI, machine learning, data convergence, cloud, cyber, network security, and interoperability to serve joint service commands and warfighters.

Colonel Hawk served as J2 and Senior Intelligence Officer, Joint Force HQ, where he led all phases of Intelligence Operations, including planning and direction, collection, processing and exploitation, analysis and production, dissemination and integration, and mission evaluation. He separately served as Deputy Director and J2 Director of Intelligence for a Combined Joint Inter-Agency Task Force (CFIATF), where he was responsible for intelligence and targeting support to Special Operations Forces and led a task force focused on counterterrorism, counter-narcotics, and counter-threat finance.

Colonel Hawk holds a Master of Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College, an MBA in finance from Saint Joseph’s University and a B.S. in business administration and finance from Penn State University. He also holds such certifications as PMP, PMI-ACP, and LSSB.

Dr. Sean McFate is a professor of war at Georgetown University, Syracuse University, and the National Defense University. His career began as a paratrooper and officer in the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, and then he became a global private military contractor, and he is one of the world’s leading experts on mercenaries. He authored The New Rules of War: How America Can Win—Against Russia, China, and Other Threats, named a 'Book of the Year' by The Economist. He also authored The Modern Mercenary: Private Armies and What They Mean for World Order, which Foreign Affairs called 'essential reading'. He has appeared on all major news networks, and is also a novelist, authoring the Tom Locke Series based on his own military experiences. #1 New York Times bestselling author James Patterson calls him: 'The next Tom Clancy, only I think he's even better.' McFate holds a BA from Brown University, MPP from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and a Ph.D. in international relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

Arun Sundararajan is the Harold Price Professor of Entrepreneurship and Professor of Technology, Operations and Statistics at New York University’s (NYU) Stern School of Business. His best-selling and award-winning book, 'The Sharing Economy,' was published by the MIT Press in 2016, and has been translated into Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Vietnamese.

Professor Sundararajan's research studies how digital technologies transform business, government, and civil society. His current focus is on the future of capitalism, artificial intelligence and platform-enabled change, antitrust policy in tech, and the digital future of work. He has published over 50 scientific papers in peer-reviewed academic journals and has given hundreds of keynote, plenary and invited talks at industry, government and academic forums internationally. He has provided expert input about the digital economy as testimony to the United States Congress, the European Parliament, and the United Nations.