Brian Ngac, assistant dean for centers and FedWriters, Inc. Corporate Partner Faculty Fellow, recently joined Kynan Carver, vice president of cybersecurity at Maximus, to speak at Federal News Network’s AI & Apps: Scaling AI for Innovation and Implementation event. Maximus is a corporate and community partner of the Costello College of Business at George Mason University.
(left to right) Brian Ngac, assistant dean for centers and FedWriters, Inc. Corporate Partner Faculty Fellow and Kynan Carver, vice president of cybersecurity at Maximus. Photo provided by Brian Ngac.
Presented by Maximus and hosted at the Carahsoft Collaboration and Conference Center in Reston, Virginia, the event brought together federal, industry, and academic leaders for a conversation on how integrating customer experience, AI, and cybersecurity can drive innovation, strengthen resilience, and deliver trusted digital services.
"To better prepare students for an AI-enabled workforce, the Professional Readiness Experiential Program [PREP] immerses them in real-world projects and client environments, equipping them with hands-on experience to elevate their skills and readiness for professional success."
— Brian Ngac, assistant dean for centers and FedWriters, Inc. Corporate Partner Faculty Fellow
As AI continues to reshape the workforce, Ngac emphasized how the Costello College of Business is preparing its students not just to keep pace but to lead in this new AI‑driven era. What was once expected of an entry-level employee has changed drastically with more tasks being completed by AI agents. Now that the employee’s role has changed more to an oversight and troubleshooting position, Ngac explained how Costello’s academic programs are equipping students with the skills needed to both use and design these AI agents to improve efficiency and outcomes. "To better prepare students for an AI-enabled workforce, the Professional Readiness Experiential Program [PREP] immerses them in real-world projects and client environments, equipping them with hands-on experience to elevate their skills and readiness for professional success," he said.
Carver explained what employers in the industry look for when hiring new talent—particularly entry‑level workers—and outlined what these new employees should expect. “As the world continues to mature and things change, the speed of my response from a cyber operation cell is not the speed at which I can think,” said Carver. “It’s the speed at which the robot machine can think. We’re talking about light-speed reactions to incidents that are happening and unfolding in real time. When you start getting that concept in your mind about where agentic AI is going to be, you start understanding the landscape in which we have to respond to.”
The Costello College of Business has established a pipeline of talent to the Washington, D.C., region and beyond. Administrators and faculty members are working diligently to integrate a wide range of AI concepts and applications throughout the course curriculum. These efforts position the Costello College of Business as a leader in shaping the next generation of professionals ready to innovate, adapt, and excel in an AI‑driven future.