Executivebiz iconExecutivebizSep 14, 2026 ~6 min source read

How Jennifer Sample Is Equipping Empower AI for the Agentic Era

Empower AI’s CTO describes a production-first approach to agentic systems, pre-built accelerators that deploy rather than demo, and how a recent acquisition complements the company’s push to include an AI agent with each contract.

How Jennifer Sample Is Equipping Empower AI for the Agentic Era

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Useful takeaways from this story.

Empower AI treats accelerators as production-ready, adaptable capabilities rather than demos or proofs of concept.

Highlight Technologies’ acquisition strengthens Empower AI’s DevSecOps, cloud modernization and software engineering capabilities and complements Empower AI’s delivery framework.

Empower AI aims to include an AI agent—such as a network engineer or service desk technician—with every contract it bids on.

The useful part

Your email does not exist, please register to enjoy unlimited access to articles, interviews, and invaluable govcon content. Facebook Twitter Latest Federal & Government Contracting Companies' News Coverage Menu Menu Latest Federal & Government Contracting Companies' News Coverage Search Search for: The Empower AI chief technology officer earned her doctorate in nanotechnology and spent the early portion of her career digging into data as a researcher at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.

How it works

  • Sample's early work in simulations and data analysis helped JHU APL win NASA's Parker Solar Probe contract.
  • Probe inspired her interest in the intersection of physical and digital worlds and led her to GovCon, which she joined as director of research and managing director at Accenture Federal Services.
  • Now two years into her time as CTO at Empower AI, Sample is leading a challenging and high-impact company initiative around an agentic AI workforce.
  • Empower AI wants every contract that it bids on to come with an AI agent, such network engineer or an AI service desk technician.
  • Empower AI's AI Services Framework is built on pre-built accelerators, real-world use cases and a defined data strategy to help agencies quickly integrate AI into critical operations.

What to take from it

It's going so well because the two organizations are extremely complementary. This is a great question, and I definitely understand why you asked it because it's on everyone's mind. Compensation obviously gets people's attention, but I think culture determines whether or not they stay.

Example or evidence

  • Jennifer Sample Empower AI Interview on Agentic AI, Data Processing....
  • Jennifer Sample Sample, CTO at Empower AI, is leading a company initiative around agentic AI Empower AI wants every contract it bids on to come with an AI agent Sample sat down with ExecutiveBiz to discuss...
  • Sample sat down for her first Spotlight interview to discuss what pre-built accelerators look like when first deployed at an agency, what KKR 's acquisition of Empower AI means for the future of the company...
  • This is a spacecraft collecting measurements and images to expand NASA's knowledge of the sun's origin and solar wind.

Details worth keeping

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More context around this story.

These are the AI skills Gen Z should have
Fastcompany iconFastcompanySep 10, 2026

These are the AI skills Gen Z should have

I wear two hats that give me a specific view on AI in education. As a mother, I care deeply about how my children are being prepared for the future. As a marketing executive whose role includes hiring entry-level employees, I care about whether the latest generation is ready for the workforce. What I’m seeing in school

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