AFN Fireside Chat Series: The CEO Journey
with AFN Member Anjuma Goswami Karkera, CEO of the Institute for Building Technology and Safety
With Subject Matter Experts
Anjuma Goswami Karkera, CEO, IBTS
Matt Sitter, CEO, AFN
Join us for an exclusive and intimate Fireside Chat with Anjuma Goswami Karkera, CEO of the Institute for Building Technology and Safety.
The Institute for Building Technology and Safety is a nonprofit organization established to provide professional services while enhancing the communities in which we work.
The AFN CEO Professional Network Series will discuss:
Fireside Chat Interview: Matt Sitter, AFN CEO, will engage in a captivating 30-minute conversation with Anjuma, exploring her role as a senior leader, her journey in overcoming challenges, and seizing opportunities. Anjuma will share her journey as a professional and a mom, highlighting the value of broad experiences and an enriching professional network to help you be a more thoughtful leader. Her inspiring experiences will motivate you to strive for excellence. Gain insights into the invaluable experiences she's acquired throughout her career and through her connection with AFN.
Discover the Power of Networks: Immerse yourself in global CEO professional networks and their transformative impact on personal and professional growth. Anjuma, with her unique journey and experiences, will share insights that are not to be missed, underscoring the benefits of learning, collaborating, and growing within a supportive community of experienced peers.
Unlock Opportunities: Learn about connections and insights that have positively shaped her leadership journey and contributed to her organization's success.
Following the Fireside Chat, AFN CEO Matt Sitter will host a dynamic live Q&A session, providing a unique opportunity for attendees to engage directly with Anjuma and delve deeper into the topics discussed.
Anjuma Goswami Karkera
Ms. Karkera, a trailblazing leader, is known for her unique approach to problem-solving. Her career is marked by her ability to swiftly generate and evaluate alternative, feasible solutions. She excels in building effective, diverse, and inclusive teams that are instrumental in achieving organizational objectives.
Ms. Karkera’s illustrious career is centered around public sector law and fair labor practices. She earned her juris doctorate from the Washington College of Law at American University. Notably, she served as Deputy Chief of Staff for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, where she spearheaded the development and implementation of the 'COVID-19 Reimagination, Reconstitution and Recovery Plan'. This plan was crucial in ensuring the safety of team members during intelligence missions, showcasing her leadership during a crisis.
Ms. Karkera has demonstrated strong business acumen in supporting the day-to-day operations of a 14,500-person global organization. With the support of her team and in less than two months, Ms. Karkera’s innovative efforts significantly increased the organization's mandatory submission requirements rate to the Department of Defense and the Office of the Director for National Intelligence. Additionally, she revamped the organization’s governance structure to reduce the overall forums thereby optimizing and prioritizing decision-making clearly linked to the organization’s strategy focused on serving the mission of the intelligence community. Previously, Ms. Karkera served as a U.S. Department of Labor trial attorney in Washington, D.C., assisting the Department of Justice with prosecuting claims and developing watershed legal theories that reduced potential damages by several million dollars.
With a proven track record as a practicing attorney and legal consultant, Ms. Karkera has ample experience fostering national and international strategies to enhance business and contractual relationships. She is an employment law subject matter expert with experience assessing Title VII, Section 1981, Family Medical Labor Association (FMLA); Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), and Americans with Disability Act (ADA), among others.
While working as Assistant General Counsel for the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), Ms. Karkera collaborated with the Equal Opportunity Office and the Office of General Council to develop and execute live training related to equal opportunity issues and DIA equal opportunity cases, which was applauded by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence as a revolutionary way to educate the workforce. The Director selected her as DIA’s Initiative Team Lead for its “Reshape DIA’s Culture” initiative, which sought to realign the Agency’s organizational culture to its core values.
With her appointment as IBTS’ CEO in October 2022, Ms. Karkera is focusing on continuing IBTS’ growth as a trusted partner and advisor to clients across sectors, leveraging the organization’s national workforce of subject matter experts and its unparalleled experience in the built environment to create stronger, more resilient, and more prosperous communities.
CEO, IBTS
Matt Sitter
Matt Sitter is a passionate believer in the power of networks to innovate and realize new opportunities. His career has focused on helping leaders grow, succeed, and to mobilize their teams, organizations, and networks.
Matt’s work has spanned a broad array of industries including Healthcare, Technology, Real Estate Investment, Consumer Products, and Finance (amongst others). He has worked with multiple Fortune 500 executive teams, Private Equity firms, startups, and everything in between.
In addition to his role at AFN, Matt is currently a partner at the Advisory Services firm, Advantary. His experience includes leadership roles at The McChrystal Group, CrossLead, Inc., and MedLever. He has led multiple functions including Product Management, Marketing, Reimbursement, and Product Development.
CEO, AFN