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Red Hat Government Symposium 2026
Mission: Velocity 
Open Innovation. Trusted Infrastructure. Mission-Ready AI. 
October 28, 2026 | Washington, D.C.

Event Overview

Red Hat Government Symposium 2026

Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center

October 28, 2026 | 8:00 AM - 3:30 PM

Government agencies are being asked to put emerging capabilities into operation faster while maintaining the security, governance, and reliability their missions demand. Meeting that challenge requires a trusted, adaptable foundation that connects data, applications, infrastructure, and operations from the enterprise to the mission edge.

Modern public sector leadership requires delivering transformative capabilities at the speed of threat—without breaking security, compliance, or continuity. Achieving true mission velocity demands an open, resilient foundation that connects legacy assets to emerging edge and AI environments.

The 2026 Red Hat Government Symposium will examine how open platforms, intelligent automation, and AI-ready infrastructure can drive real-world mission outcomes with speed while minimizing risk. Through government use cases and practical discussions, you’ll explore how to modernize critical systems, govern AI, strengthen cyber resilience, improve interoperability, and deliver new capabilities with velocity.

 What you’ll gain:

  • Practical approaches to move AI from experimentation into secure, governed mission workflows, including generative and agentic AI
  • Strategies to automate infrastructure, compliance, and operations while expanding workforce capacity and reducing manual effort
  • Architectural models for securing and managing data, applications, and systems consistently across cloud, data center, and edge environments
  • Modernization pathways that improve efficiency, preserve mission continuity, and create greater flexibility across virtualization and hybrid infrastructure
  • Engage in candid discussions with government peers actively solving the public sector’s toughest modernization challenges

Our Speakers

Adam Tokar

IT Specialist (Linux Systems Engineer),
Federal Bureau of Investigation

Ben Cushing

Senior Principal Chief Architect, Health & Life Sciences,
Red Hat

Daniel Rubenstein

Infrastructure Architect, Criminal Justice Information Division,
Federal Bureau of Investigation

Dave King

Lead Ansible Architect,
Defense Health Agency

David MacDonald

Senior Vice President - Americas,
Red Hat

Emily Fox

Portfolio Security Architect,
Red Hat

Jay Gazlay

Acting Associate Director for Vulnerability Management,
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency

John Dvorak

Chief Technology Officer, Public Sector,
Red Hat

Travis Steele

Chief Architect, Aire Force and Space Force,
Red Hat

MeriTalk is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of Continuing Professional Education (CPE) on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors.

Boards of Accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: www.nasbaregistry.org

Sponsors

Platinum Sponsors

Intel logo

Gold Sponsors

Fierce Software logo

Become a sponsor.

For more information about sponsoring, contact us at redhatgovsymp@meritalk.com.

Event Details

When

October 28, 2026
8:00 AM-3:30 PM

Where

Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center

1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20004

Contact

Event Enquiries

redhatgovsymp@meritalk.com

Frequently Asked Questions

What type of event will this be?

The Red Hat Government Symposium is scheduled to be an in-person event, located at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004.

Will there be a hybrid/virtual component?

No, this event will be in-person only.

What is the dress code?  

The attire is business attire or commensurate military uniform.  

I registered but didn’t receive a confirmation email. What do I do?

Thanks for registering – it’s likely your spam filter caught the email confirmation. Please reach out to redhatgovsymp@meritalk.com to confirm your registration status and to receive further details. 

Can I receive CPE credits?

Yes, attendees are eligible to receive CPE credits for this event. 

I’m a confirmed speaker for the event. What should I do now?

Thanks for being a Red Hat Government Symposium speaker. Please reach out to redhatgovsymp@meritalk.com if you have any questions.

How do I contact the event organizers?

If you have additional questions, please contact redhatgovsymp@meritalk.com.  

 

921 King St., Alexandria, Virginia 22314
info@meritalk.com

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