Ngoc Vu

Thomas Jefferson said, "The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do."

According to Ngoc Vu's coworkers, her eloquent yet succinct style makes her a force to be reckoned with at the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Vu joined the SEC's investment controls branch in 2008 and was involved in the drive to better link business with IT. Now she works closely with CIO Thomas Bayer on the commission's overall IT strategy.

"She's able to listen to the customer and translate that rapidly into a very innovative program," Bayer said. "She's able to change people's views with very few words. She picks the right words and is very effective."

Vu has been a key player in transforming the technology platforms at the SEC and has been promoted three times in the past three years. Now she manages a 12-person IT solutions delivery team that has tackled some of the SEC's biggest IT endeavors.

Among other projects, Vu and her team renovated the SEC's website and migrated it to the cloud, which allowed for 300 percent faster page refreshes, reduced bandwidth use by 37 percent and increased the site's security.

Although she studied information systems at George Mason University, Vu said she would never have guessed she'd work in federal IT. Her years at the SEC, however, have sold her on the rewarding nature of the government's mission.

"It's important to have that clear vision of how things can get better and how you can make a difference -- and also getting everyone on your team to see that same vision," Vu said.