ICYMI: Lunch & Keynote Fireside Chat from the Acquisition and Innovation Forum 2026

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.

Summary - A Hole in One with ACT-IAC

https://www.actiac.org/act-iac-event/fellows-friends-day-domaine-fortier 

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)

Transcript

HOST: [00:00:00] Hey there, and welcome back to The Buzz. ACT-IAC hosts some amazing events. Recently, we held our Acquisition and Innovation forum where government leaders and industry experts get together to explore how to streamline and simplify acquisition regulations. In this episode, we feature a fireside chat with Geoff Edwards and Chi Okonkwo, a NASA leader who has spent over 15 years at the agency and now directs the Financial Systems Office.
HOST: She discusses how NASA, finance, and acquisitions are modernizing legacy systems together. In case you missed it, here it is. 
GEOFF EDWARDS: Ooh. All right. Welcome back. Uh, now my honor to introduce our lunch keynote speaker, who I'll sit down with and have a bit of a fireside chat. She's been a mainstay at NASA for over 15 years, currently serves as the director of the agency Financial Systems Office.
GEOFF EDWARDS: With a background that spans both accounting and [00:01:00] information technology, she plays a central role in ensuring the financial systems behind NASA's biggest missions are as innovative as the rockets themselves. Please join me in welcoming Chi Okonkwo.
GEOFF EDWARDS: Good afternoon, Chi. 
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: Good afternoon- 
GEOFF EDWARDS: How are you?. 
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: I'm good. 
GEOFF EDWARDS: Um, great to meet you and, uh, and, and I appreciate having had the opportunity to spend a little time yesterday and today and look forward to knowing you generally. Um, your name, I thought, is unique, and so I wondered if maybe in, in a, in the spirit of get to know you a little bit- Mm-hmm
GEOFF EDWARDS: you would share the background of your name. 
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: Sure. Okay. So, um, I am Nigerian. Chidilim is my full name, Chidilim, but um, I definitely go by Chi professionally. So if you see me anywhere, it's Chi, not Chai. Which is really cute, uh, but C-H-I, Chi. And I tell [00:02:00] people to think of energy, like Tai Chi. So in Igbo, um, Chi derives from s- your source, right?
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: So that, that source that's bigger than us. The D in Chidilim is, um, it exists or it is, and delim means dwelling. So, uh, the name that my parents gave, um, to me when they were reconnecting and had me is, um, God's dwelling or God's with her. And I carry that, um, I carry that with me, u- understanding that anytime someone says my name, um, I embrace that energy 'cause it just means I'm divinely aligned, divinely protected, and, um, I recall that when I n- I need to be resilient.
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: That's 
GEOFF EDWARDS: a beautiful thing. Thanks for sharing that. Thank you. Yeah. Um, okay, so could we, could we learn a little bit about your background? And what drew you to NASA? 
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: Okay. Um, so I started [00:03:00] off I started off, was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. Um, came to, uh, Washington DC to attend Howard University. And afterwards, I had a great opportunity with Accenture Consulting in St.
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: Louis, but that was around the time of Enron and I ended up, ended up staying in the area. That, that quickly changed. They rebranded, I believe, to KPMG Consulting. Ended up staying in the area, um, working with, like, Grant Thornton, BearingPoint, really getting to know, um, the federal government. Um, also in that, I got a great project at the US Senate, Senate-at-Arms, and that's when I really fell in love with IT, right?
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: So I'd done a lot of audit and financial management, reporting, single audit acts, but it was there where there were, uh... I don't believe the US Senate-at-Arms was into the CFO Act, so we were just preparing them with financial statements and really seeing how it was built. Um, that's where I really fell in love and then went back [00:04:00] to school, University of Maryland.
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: Couldn't decide, so I did a double master's in accounting and IT. Um, from there, um, went from contracting and was into OPM. I got to help OPM with their, a major modernization, uh, from Momentum to Oracle Financials, and then from there, uh, came to NASA and have been at NASA ever since. 
GEOFF EDWARDS: Hmm. Thanks. So it sounds like your, your background, um, it's no mistake the position that you have today, so perfect alignment with it.
GEOFF EDWARDS: Um, so when you, when, uh, thinking about acquisition modernization and your, your partnership with acquisitions, I'm interested in, in that interplay. 
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: Mm-hmm. 
GEOFF EDWARDS: Um, how do you work with acquisitions? How are you helping to, uh, you know, helping to, uh, transform the acquisition processes? How does finance and, and acquisitions work together in that way?
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: Um, [00:05:00] what I will say is both, at NASA, both acquisitions, I think you heard from Marvin earlier, both acquisitions and, uh, the chief financial officer were both transforming at the same time. Um, we're both embracing, uh, available technology and products, modernizing our legacy systems. But, um, it's amazing to see leadership and how leadership, um, are collaborating with each other, um, more strategically, right?
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: And so the, the mission that NASA has to do with acquisition, procuring, acquiring, you know, major tools, uh, for us, it's also- And big rainy to see the role that the CFO has, right? So to go from almost like back office reporting, sharing what happened in the past, the modernization that we're doing, we're really able to talk more about not just the funds that we're making available, but to also offer [00:06:00] opportunities to talk about the performance of that.
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: Um, and so that's what we're seeing both as we're embracing AI, embracing, um, better, faster ways to share analytics, if you will. Um, so that's the, that's the connection. Really is the funds. It starts with the funds and what we do, um, almost like to secure the purse as acquisition is the hand that, that, um, brings in-- Well, that purchases all the major technology that we have.
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: Um, so it's, it's good to see at the senior executive level, level, the way that they're, um, sharing, doing decision-making, um, real-time. I think that's the, the biggest change. 
GEOFF EDWARDS: So you joined NASA around the time that the shuttle program- 
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: Yes ... 
GEOFF EDWARDS: was ending, and the shift of commercial first. Um, so you're no stranger to transformation.
GEOFF EDWARDS: [00:07:00] Um, what are the sort of the most pivotal moments of transformation that you've been involved in in your career? 
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: Again, it really, it really started with, um, that mindset shift. So when I first came to NASA and watching that, uh, the retirement of the shuttle era, that, that was major. That was huge. And it, um, encompassed so much.
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: It really was, how do we realign this workforce? Um, and some of the, uh, some of the ways that you had to make quick decisions about people that had their careers in shuttle and the specific sciences and saw how NASA shifted to, um, this partnership, um, how they started to do things with partnership. Even seeing, uh, us lend out scientists to FAA and what you saw with, like, green planes and things like that.
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: So just really watching, um, how our executives in both finance and, uh, even HR, how they supported, uh, the movement of that [00:08:00] workforce. Also, we saw that NASA started to set up the ecosystem of that private partner from there. You know, commercialization of space, where it's not just NASA building and owning the technologies, the, the capabilities, the, the equipment, where they really started to align with, like, SpaceX, and started to, um, uh, push that ecosystem where they can share uh, work with industry.
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: And then also, that was the time the CFO got Um, their integrated core financial system, which is SAP. So that was a time where we saw that alignment from the different centers. The CFOs, um, at the different centers were now aligned under headquarters. We had clean audit opinions. We were had- we had integrated financial statements.
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: They were able to respond, uh, both to Treasury and OMB faster. Um, so we really saw, uh, that, uh, collaborative one NASA shift happen after the end of that, the shuttle. 
GEOFF EDWARDS: Have you [00:09:00] seen any from a technology modernization standpoint in finance? Have you seen any, like, big bang moments, or has it been kind of iterative throughout?
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: It, it's been iterative. It's been iterative. Um, I think the beauty of NASA is almost, um, how everyone really pays attention and how dri- I mean, everyone is driven, but just how driven NASA really is in not just being the first, but sharing as they're, as they're going. So if there's something that we're pursuing and it doesn't work, you know, being very honest, like, "Hey, we're gonna pull back from our PA and, and reassess our governance," right?
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: So, um, th- that's really what I like, is the opportunity to pilot things. If it doesn't work, we scrub it. We learn from it. If it does work, we scale up. We bring in other people, um, to, uh, to be a part of the success with us. Um, so again, like I said, for [00:10:00] NASA, having that clean audit opinion ... You know, like I said, someone told us that we, you know, you didn't need a clean audit opinion to get to the moon.
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: I was like, "But you need good credit to pay for the gas, to pay for the fuel." So again, I think that's a testament, 'cause not a lot of government agencies can say they've had 15 years of a clean audit opinion. Um, not a lot of government agencies can say they have integrated core financial and budget, right?
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: And so on, on building on top of that, that's the ability to, um, have real-time performance and reporting so that we know, are we getting the value for all the great capabilities that Acquisitions is helping us obtain. 
GEOFF EDWARDS: Where are you seeing AI being used in financial systems? Is that something that you guys are wading into?
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: That is the goal. That is the goal. We, um, have an amazing... Well, we had an amazing chief, uh, AI officer, Dave Salvagini, was with us and got, uh, the governance and the framework started for NASA. We do have, um, some [00:11:00] capabilities out there, Chat, uh, ChatGFC- See at Goddard and some other things. So, so again, we're building the framework for that responsible government AI.
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: But as a connoisseur of data, as a connoisseur of a- analytics, um, I'm really excited about being able to utilize AI and those technologies in the future of our core financial system, the future of our budgeting, the future of our performance, um, and really bringing that analytic capability to the CFO umbrella.
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: Also with that, um, you know, we still have to be mindful of fraud, waste, and abuse. We still have to be mindful of risk and the risk that we have. So again, AI, um, has a value for that entire spectrum in the CFO, as well as how we, uh, manage our finances with acquisition. 
GEOFF EDWARDS: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Do you have opportunities to use AI to detect fraud, waste, and abuse?
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: That is the goal. So, 
GEOFF EDWARDS: okay. Yeah. [00:12:00] Got it. Got it. That's 
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: the goal. 
GEOFF EDWARDS: Science project. Yes. Okay. Um, let's see. So, um, I'm interested in what excites you about technology. 
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: Hmm. Personally- It's a broad question ... yeah. What excites me about technology personally and professionally, again, like I said, um, my experience at NASA has been, it has just constantly evolved.
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: It's never been boring, it's never been dull. It has changed and changed and changed. Um, and with that, uh, one of the things that personally, and I have teenagers, one of the things that personally excites me is just the love that America has for science, right? And so the young people, the interns, those that...
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: We j- we just had a call for, uh, Tech Force, NASA Force. It was open for four days, and we had hundreds of people apply. And so I think, um, even with the recent workforce realignment that we saw, just the interest in [00:13:00] science that, that is, um, that remains is very invigorating. And so, again, I have teenagers in my household that teach me all type of things, uh, um, to see this new- Federal workforce, um, that are coming in that are not tied to the legacy ways that we did things, that are, um, really interested in maintaining and sustaining America's presence in science.
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: Um, that, that, uh, personally inspires me. So again, they're not necessarily gonna be in finance, but, um, being able to tie the budget that our administrator's talking about right now on the Hill, you know, um, being able to, to fund those projects, give them opportunities to, to get into the workforce, um, that, that really excites me.
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: So again, they're learning things real time. They're able to bring in energy. We're now partnering with this, uh, space force, uh, with the Tech Force [00:14:00] program. We're partnering and bringing in executives with these, uh, I guess, uh, new people entering into the workforce, and really being able to gel that experience with their willingness to apply technology.
GEOFF EDWARDS: So yeah, um, you know, thinking about modernization and adaptability- Mm-hmm ... uh, what are some of the keys, elements of that when it comes to executing on change? 
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: Resilience. Like you said, resilience and adaptability. Um, and again, uh, I have a sticker on my door, you know, that we say NASA, uh, "Failure's not an option."
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: And, um, not just saying that, but seeing our executives live that. Um, uh, seeing them re-posture, restructure, uh, uh, readdress, openly say, "Hey, this didn't work," and, and, uh, I think our administrator just told them, "Hey, certain scopes we're not, we're not gonna [00:15:00] do that anymore," right? And so, um, having it from the top down, uh, I think is really important in that leadership, so again, taking that approach.
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: Uh, we've seen in other federal government agencies where there was an opportunity to have, you know, uh, uh, modernizations that were millions. We're, we're into millions, and then someone saying, "Hey, this is not working," and stop. You know, so not getting to that, but, um, having the culture where, um, it's okay to explore, where it's okay to, you know, bring in interns to be a part of the process, and then, uh, have executives make a decision, "Hey, either we're not gonna do that or we're gonna scale it up."
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: So again, just the, the resilience, the adaptability, the opportunities to change and, and to have, um, some of the most, uh, courageous leaders like our administrator, um, um, carrying this on their back. 
GEOFF EDWARDS: Uh, yeah. NASA is, uh, is at, certainly at the forefront of innovation- Mm-hmm ... and, [00:16:00] um, so thank you for that. Um, so I'll have one more question for you, and then maybe we've got a few minutes to have audience questions.
GEOFF EDWARDS: Okay. Um, so- Are you finding that systems transformation is a game changer from a data perspective? And what are you, how are you capitalizing on that? 
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: Mm.
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: For me, it really is the people, the people and the mindset. That, that's what ultimately drives it. Um, you know, you can build something and it not get used. We saw that with RPA, right? Even with our best, um, best efforts. So I really think it really starts with the mindset, the people, and the culture, and then those tools, applications, um, add value, and they assist, right?
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: So really it starts from, um, that governance, that framework, and the understanding. Uh, again, the collaboration between our leadership at the top level, [00:17:00] it really, really, um, I guess, sets the culture, sets the, sets the tone, and then those tools to assess. So yes, there is, um, there is a need for governance and framework in how we're going to, you know, implement AI.
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: There isn't, there is need for leadership and, hey, how are we gonna move to this new core financial system from, you know, on-premise legacy to something that's, uh, really amazing in a cloud platform. Um, there needs to be governance around data, data lakes, and what's gonna be there. But really it's the, that human connection, I believe is really, for me, really is the most important part of that.
GEOFF EDWARDS: Thank you. Uh, we've got a few minutes for an audience question or two.
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: Okay. 
GEOFF EDWARDS: Anyone? 
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: Requiem, no one's eating lunch. Okay. 
GEOFF EDWARDS: Yeah. Um, okay. Well, we've got, I've got one more question for you then, Chi. 
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: Okay. [00:18:00] 
GEOFF EDWARDS: So if you could go back to your early career Chi- Mm ... give her one piece of advice for managing change, like in the future, uh, what would that have been? 
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: Hmm. I, I think I would have started the relationship part- A lot earlier.
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: I think early on I thought I needed to have, like, all the certificates and, and there's nothing wrong with that. Having the certificates and the letters behind my name, you know, the, the accolades, the accreditation. Um, I, I think early on I, I thought that was, um, what was going to take me to the next level.
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: And honestly, with some of the things that we've all been through, uh, from the pandemic to, you know, workforce, it's honestly the relationships that mean the most. Um, I remember when I first applied for this position, this director position, and I didn't get it, and I thought... I couldn't believe it. I thought I was a shoo-in, and I didn't even make the [00:19:00] cert.
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: And it sat me down, and I remember that's when we started having, like, telework and things like that. I got rid of all my telework. I got rid of all my work from home, and I was at headquarters on a regular basis. And then what I started doing was visiting our executives, right? So they had open door policy at headquarters, and I would visit, like, Renee Wynn.
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: I would go sit in, uh, our CFO then, Beth Robinson's office. I would even go upstairs to the ninth floor and have lunch with Charlie, our administrator at the time, and I would just ask questions. I wanted to know what their challenges were. I wanted to know, you know, um, how they saw the CFO. I did a nine-month detail in the CI with Renee Wynn, and, um, that's when I really realized that that influence you have really starts at the working level with people.
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: Um, so hearing what Renee was talking about in her meetings, I would go back to our then CFO and be like, "Are you in their working groups? What are you doing with the CFO?" And I would just, like, bug them and, and [00:20:00] insist, you know, to create these collaborations. And, um, again, that's why I say that that resilience, it really isn't...
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: You know, you want someone that you're having that constant communication with, not when there's an executive order or when something doesn't work, that now we're having the meeting. It was, I was like, "Are you talking to them on a regular basis?" So I, I would say, um, also I joined, uh, Act I Act. Mm-hmm. I got, uh, uh, graduated from their partner program in '22 and then also went back and, uh, was leadership on the government side for their fellows program.
Chidilim (Chi) Okonkwo: And again, it, it's some of the best, um, interaction that I've had professionally, where there, it's very targeted, where industry and government are working together, learning together and, um, you know, sometimes I be like... I, I love that I've done it, but I wish I had done it a lot sooner in my career because that's, that, that for me has been more beneficial than any degree or certification I've gotten.
GEOFF EDWARDS: Yeah, I mean, [00:21:00] I can see that, uh, like the human development or your own personal development helped and has helped NASA to develop as a result. A- and I think the same is true for- You know, s- something when we tackle as, uh, monumental as a FAR overhaul- Yes ... or the change that we're addressing today- Yes ... the more interaction that we can have with, you know, as people and professionals in spaces like this- Mm-hmm
GEOFF EDWARDS: then the more likely we are to succeed. So thank you so much, and I appreciate- Thank you, Chad ... your contribution to NASA's great mission. 
HOST: If you're passionate about technology and eager to explore more incredible events, make sure to visit act-iac.org/upcoming-events. Keep your curiosity sparked and your calendars marked.
HOST: Until next time, stay inspired and connected.