Coforma welcomes Josh Seckel as Lead Solutions Architect. Josh brings technical expertise, business acumen, and a systems-thinking mindset to his new role. Coforma StaffMarch 16, 2026 How does the discipline of taekwondo support the mind of a systems architect? For Coforma's new Lead Solutions Architect (and second-dan black belt), Josh Seckel, it helps him stay focused on solving the issues, even when it takes time. For decades, Josh's version of "solving the issues" has meant improving government IT. In his tenure as a Division Chief at the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), he developed a nuanced understanding of the federal ecosystem and what it takes to implement institutional change in a complex environment. As a Specialist Leader at Deloitte, he gained experience on the enterprise business side of contracting, learning how to best lean in while still being productive and transformative in government agencies. "A retreat called Integral Agile Wizardry really pushed my journey to broader organizational and systems thinking in a cohesive way," Josh shared in a recent chat about his new role. Excellent white beard notwithstanding, as a former Agile coach for the Homeland Security Information Network (HSIN), Josh is something of an Agile wizard himself. We asked him to share more about his career, his new position at Coforma, and the impact he hopes to have. Q: what does a solutions architect do? A solutions architect takes a systemic view of the solution as a whole. We look at the entire proposal or solution we are creating, and make sure we cover all bases and that everything works together. It's not just handing over technical architecture diagrams. It's knowing that, based on those plans, we need a specific number of people to deliver, or we need these particular processes to achieve our goals. Solutions architects are systems solvers. We survey the systems we're interfacing with - whether those are technical systems or human systems - evaluate what we know about them, and determine how that impacts what we're creating as a solution. Q: how did your systems-thinking mindset evolve throughout your career? I started my career as a developer and tester, working across the full software development lifecycle after earning my undergraduate degree in Computer Science. My early work included Y2K testing and various technical projects. Later, I pursued an MBA to better understand the business side of the industry. Following my MBA, I transitioned into business analysis, program management, and product management. Eventually, I became an Agile coach, which really solidified my approach to systems thinking. In my view, effective Agile coaches must take a systemic perspective. For example, you need to understand the individual functions that make up a team, as well as: * How the team functions as a single entity * How that team integrates within a "team of teams" * How that entire structure operates within the broader organization I applied this mindset as an Agile coach for several Department of Homeland Security programs, including HSIN, where we delivered high-quality results at pace. I then joined the federal government at USCIS and leaned further into systemic transformation. My team at USCIS wrote and implemented policies to drive agency-wide change. When building the systems to support those policies, we looked beyond technical solutions to consider the ripple effects on programs, people, and policy outcomes. Throughout my career, I kept adding layers of systemic thinking. Since leaving federal service, I've moved more into consulting, helping other organizations and leaders adopt the same systemic way of thinking. Q: what drew you to Coforma? I've known and worked with Imogen Thomas over my last decade in civic tech, and she initially bent my ear about the role. But a big part of what made me say yes was Coforma's focus on its mission and the company's values. Knowing that we won't pursue work if it doesn't align with our principles really resonated with me. Q: what will you do here? As Coforma's Lead Solutions Architect, my job is to take the forest view rather than the tree view. That doesn't mean I can't count every pine needle of a particular tree. But in general, I take that forest view and make sure everything is integrated and makes sense together. Part of that comes into play before we ever get an RFP. My job and my team's job is to discover where a potential or current client's pain points are and what's not working for them when we're talking to them about their issues. What are they trying to do that they can't do? How do we help them do it in a way that truly makes sense for them? And it's absolutely a team sport. In taking the systemic view, there are areas where I lack depth. In those instances, I call in any and all help on proposals. The same is true for the other solution architects I'll be working with here. How can we help? If you have a challenge we could help solve, we'd love to hear from you.

Ashley Owens joins Coforma as Contracts Director.