Innovation Meets Mission
Welcome to the Innovation Meets Mission podcast. Whether you’re a visionary starting on an innovation journey or a seasoned innovator, we hope these practical talks inspire you to think about innovation in new ways. In each episode government leaders and innovators share their stories, insights and experiences with mission focused innovation. Learn how trailblazers transform ambitious ideas into mission reality.
Podcast Description
Welcome to the Innovation Meets Mission podcast. Whether you’re a visionary starting on an innovation journey or a seasoned innovator, we hope these practical talks inspire you to think about innovation in new ways. In each episode government leaders and innovators share their stories, insights and experiences with mission focused innovation. Learn how trailblazers transform ambitious ideas into mission reality.
Episodes

May 21, 2025
May 21, 2025
9 min
In this Part 4 of a 4-episode series, Brendan McKinley shares a wealth of insight in his story about the challenges his team overcame to build an innovative product and deliver it in a new way as a DevOps/Agile team. Sit back and enjoy hearing the story unfold in each episode to gain practical ideas for your own efforts.

Apr 9, 2025
Apr 9, 2025
7 min
In this Part 3 of a 4-episode series, Brendan McKinley shares a wealth of insight in his story about the challenges his team overcame to build an innovative product and deliver it in a new way as a DevOps/Agile team. Sit back and enjoy hearing the story unfold in each episode to gain practical ideas for your own efforts.

Mar 19, 2025
Mar 19, 2025
13 min
In this Part 2 of a 4-episode series, Brendan McKinley shares a wealth of insight in his story about the challenges his team overcame to build an innovative product and deliver it in a new way as a DevOps/Agile team. Sit back and enjoy hearing the story unfold in each episode to gain practical ideas for your own efforts.

Feb 19, 2025
Feb 19, 2025
14 min
In this Part 1 of a 4-episode series, Brendan McKinley shares a wealth of insight in his story about the challenges his team overcame to build an innovative product and deliver it in a new way as a DevOps/Agile team. Sit back and enjoy hearing the story unfold in each episode to gain practical ideas for your own efforts.

Oct 16, 2024
Oct 16, 2024
16 min
Alli Banzon AI ethics scientist shares her perspectives on the importance of education and collaboration between diverse voices as we all navigate the challenges of AI ethics.

Sep 18, 2024
Sep 18, 2024
18 min
Ravi Raghava talks about how the benefits of cloud can unintentionally turn into run away costs and how he has worked with his government clients to manage costs.

Sep 5, 2024
Sep 5, 2024
21 min
Matt Hungerford joins the podcast this week to talk about the era of “next-generation space” that’s well underway, led by commercial space companies’ democratization of technology and missions. The government has taken notice of the domain’s evolution, according to Hungerford, from down-to-earth costs for building and launching miniaturized satellites to ubiquitous mission payload hosting that’s akin to ridesharing, all of which has dramatically lowered space mission risks. Being able to build assets faster and cheaper and get them into space more frequently, we will see the government adapt technology and innovation toward quantity and quality, resulting in proliferated space assets that bring resiliency to both national security and scientific exploration missions.

Aug 28, 2024
Aug 28, 2024
17 min
There is no shortage of innovative ideas to propel next-generation federal, civilian, and commercial space missions. The key to agency-contractor partnerships, according to Joe Poist, is relentless focus on execution and innovation, having the infrastructure, a strategic plan, and the right people to take ideas from drawing board to reality. Listen to this episode for the traits of successful industry solution providers from the former chief of staff at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

Aug 7, 2024
Aug 7, 2024
8 min
In this episode, you’ll hear from Jay Meil how AI is being deployed in defense, national security and the intelligence community to reduce human cognitive load amidst the data deluge and to serve as a force multiplier for missions. He offers insights on natural language processing and building symbiotic human-machine teams.
Please help us spread wisdom on innovation by sharing this episode with your colleagues and friends on Linkedin and other platforms.

Jul 17, 2024
Jul 17, 2024
27 min
The government must be able to constantly respond to changing drone threats. In this episode of SAIC's Innovation Meets Mission, host Tricia Ratliff hears how Jeremy Davidson and Greg Fortier use a Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) to help the government reduce cost and remain open for future innovation in drone technology.
Disclaimer:
The opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the individual speakers and not official views of their organization or company. This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered legal, professional, technical, or business advice. The views expressed are not those of the host or management of SAIC. We are not responsible for any losses, damages, or liabilities that may arise from the use of this podcast. The SAIC name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.
It is not always possible to check all facts and personal accounts provided by guests. Those facts and/or personal accounts are based solely on the guest’s own opinion, memory, or belief. Neither the host, nor SAIC as an organization makes any representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, or completeness of such facts or accounts.

Show Notes & Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the individual speakers and not official views of their organization or company. This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered legal, professional, technical, or business advice. The views expressed are not those of the host or management of SAIC. We are not responsible for any losses, damages, or liabilities that may arise from the use of this podcast. The SAIC name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.
It is not always possible to check all facts and personal accounts provided by guests. Those facts and/or personal accounts are based solely on the guest’s own opinion, memory, or belief. Neither the host, nor SAIC as an organization makes any representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, or completeness of such facts or accounts.







