While most remember reaching the milestone of adulthood in high school with their families or as freshmen on college campuses with new friends, Michael Valdez Sanders marked his 18th birthday in Marine Corps boot camp. That experience marked the beginning of an entrepreneurial journey shaped by the values of honor, courage, and commitment he gained in service. The discipline instilled during those formative years continues to guide his work supporting service members, veterans, and their families while keeping government transformation a people-first mission.
Sanders now serves as Founder and CEO at Interactive Government Holdings (IGH), he leads a firm that helps federal and civilian agencies manage programs and acquisitions, strengthen IT security, engineer and integrate new systems, and support operations across the globe.
“One of the biggest things I got out of the Marine Corps was being able to do things I didn’t want to do when I didn’t want to do them,” he says. But his nearly two decades of guiding Federal and Department of Defense agencies through modernization, process improvement, and program delivery were far from a straight or easy path. Sanders spent four years running IGH without a single contract win, all while working multiple jobs as a single father to avoid eviction.
By 2010, his persistence paid off with his first subcontract at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. “I remember telling my mother-in-law that if I just had 10 employees, I would never need anything else,” recalls Sanders. Five years later, IGH grew to 120 employees, operating in every state and U.S. territory, as well as outside the continental United States. Today, the firm continues to expand, including its first acquisition that will add new specialized capabilities in first responder support.
Government Technology and the Pace of Change
The pace of technology adoption in government lags behind the private sector, but where agencies have been able to streamline acquisition and use automation, they have achieved as much as tenfold improvements in program speed. “Technology moves so fast that by the time the government buys something, it’s already out of date,” he says. The “government inertia problem” is compounded by layers of bureaucratic processes, procurement rules, and budget delays that all work together to slow modernization efforts.
While the private sector has adopted AI at unprecedented speed, many government agencies remain restricted from using it. “My hope is that AI enables government to get rid of the minutiae so that people can work face to face, develop empathy, and lead with soft skills,” he says. At the same time, he cautions against overreliance: “Sometimes taking the slow way, making it personal, has more impact than letting AI do it for you.”
Marine Corps Principles in Civilian Strategy
Firms must first be compliant before they can be compelling, and simplicity is central to success. “Simplicity is beautiful, especially in government. If you can take something complex and break it down into a simple solution that is executed exceptionally, that’s where real impact happens,” he says.
Sanders often returns to the values that shaped him early on, particularly discipline, which underpins his approach to GovTech. He emphasizes three practices for securing contracts: mission clarity, execution rigor, and after-action learning.
IGH applies these principles across nationwide contracts that often require standardizing data and processes across dozens of states. In one example, Sanders’ team discovered inconsistent reporting on employment support, with some regions inflating numbers. By implementing standardized systems such as SharePoint and clear reporting protocols, IGH ensured accurate, consistent data that improved outcomes for service members and veterans.
Leadership Grounded in People
While technology plays a central role, real transformation must begin with supporting employees—and that commitment is clearly reflected in IGH’s identity as a service‑disabled veteran owned, small business. “Happiness is too personal to measure, but engagement is not,” he says.
This people-first approach shapes IGH’s culture with Sanders focused on providing staff with the tools, support, and leadership they need to succeed. “Employees remember how they were treated during life’s important moments,” he says. “Whether it’s a graduation, a birth, or even a tragedy, we show up for our people.”
And at a time when the pace of change can feel daunting, the future of government transformation depends on leaders like Sanders—those who put people first even as technology rapidly evolves, keeping the balance between advanced tools and human connection.
From experimental military technologies like augmented helmets to the spread of AI in every corner of work, the pace can be daunting. Bureaucratic processes often make it harder for agencies to keep up, but Sanders stresses that leaders grounded in people can help bridge that gap and keep transformation moving forward.
“Whatever comes your way, you’re going to be able to handle it. That’s what the Marine Corps instills, and it’s how I approach business and GovTech.”
Connect with Michael Valdez Sanders on LinkedIn.
