In this episode we feature ACT-IAC’s Acquisition and Innovation Forum's
Lunch & Keynote Fireside Chat between Geoff Edwards and NASA Financial Systems Office Director Chi Okonkwo, who shares her career path from consulting to OPM modernization and then NASA. Okonkwo explains how NASA finance and acquisitions are modernizing legacy systems together, shifting the CFO role from retrospective reporting toward real-time analytics and performance insights, and pursuing responsible AI for future financial, budgeting, and risk needs, including fraud, waste, and abuse detection. She reflects on major NASA transformations, including the post-shuttle workforce realignment, commercialization partnerships, and implementing SAP with sustained clean audit opinions. Okonkwo emphasizes iterative modernization, governance, resilience, and leadership transparency, and advises prioritizing relationships and collaboration, including through ACT-IAC programs.

Agile Product Discovery Course | ACT-IAC

Summary - A Hole in One with ACT-IAC

Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform to never miss an episode! For more from ACT-IAC, follow us on LinkedIn or visit http://www.actiac.org.

Learn more about membership at https://www.actiac.org/join.
Donate to ACT-IAC at https://actiac.org/donate.

Intro/Outro Music: See a Brighter Day/Gloria Tells
Courtesy of Epidemic Sound

(Episodes 1-159: Intro/Outro Music: Focal Point/Young Community
Courtesy of Epidemic Sound)