Chris Bunton is a seasoned IT professional with over 20 years of experience and a passion for sharing knowledge.

Chris is a state IT Leader who has been sharing his real-life industry experience with IT professionals for over 20 years. He brings real-life industry and private sector experience, with an in-depth ability to apply technical concepts to reality. During the last 15 years, he has held Infrastructure Director, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), and Chief Information Officer positions for the state. He currently serves as the Chief Information Officer for the Texas Department of Agriculture. He has also served on several advisory panels and committees in Cybersecurity and Technology, including the Technical Advisory Panel for TxDOT, Security Advancement Forum for the Enterprise (SAFE) for DADS, and a member of the Texas Research Innovation Council. He has successfully chaired the 4-year Cybersecurity Degree committee which brought a 4-year degree program to Austin Community College (ACC). He is currently chairing ACC’s Artificial Intelligence Microservices Initiative. Additionally, he has been a part of the IT Leadership Committee, served on the Cybersecurity Counsel, and is a member of the Digital Government Advisor Board. Chris holds a bachelor’s in Computers Science degree and an Associates in Business Administration.
Chris enjoys sharing technical expertise to help people utilize technology for advancement. He has a passion for customer service and helping Texans!

Jennifer Bush serves as the Chief Information Security Officer for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, where she leads efforts to safeguard sensitive data and advance the agency’s mission to Protect the Unprotected. She holds a Master’s degree in Cybersecurity and maintains several industry certifications, including CISSP, CISM, and multiple GIAC credentials.
A recipient of the TASSCC Rising Star Award, Jennifer is also a graduate of the HHS Executive Leadership Academy and the University of Texas’s Emerging Leaders in Texas Excellence (ELITE) program. She actively mentors aspiring cybersecurity professionals through WiCYS, UT’s STEM MUSE program, and the NCA HBCU Career Program, offering practical support and guidance to individuals from underrepresented backgrounds.

Kam Chumley-Soltani serves as the Director of OT Solutions Engineering for the U.S. Public Sector at Armis, where he specializes in industrial cybersecurity. His expertise lies in designing secure and resilient network architectures for critical infrastructure environments.
Previously, Kam led Cisco’s OT Solutions Engineering team for the entire U.S. Public Sector, delivering end-to-end solutions across IoT/OT security, network architecture, diverse RF wireless deployments, embedded systems, and edge computing.
He has guided numerous global enterprises, federal agencies, and SLED organizations in architecting solutions that incorporate robust networking, cybersecurity controls, advanced threat detection, and proactive vulnerability management.
A Navy veteran, Kam served as a flight systems engineer and mission operations planner. He holds a B.S. in Cyber Operations from the United States Naval Academy, an M.S. in Cybersecurity from Brown University, and an M.B.A. from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.

Mr. Ford is 30-year veteran in cybersecurity, crisis response, and intelligence-led cyber operations in both government and commercial sectors. Prior to joining Mandiant, Mr. Ford served in executive leadership roles for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Mr. Ford served as the responsible executive to the U.S.
Cryptologic Centers for strategic and tactical oversight of global cyber operations and key asset protection. In these roles. Mr. Ford developed the framework used by the U.S. Government to manage risk of cyber threats supporting government and critical infrastructure capabilities receiving recognition by the White House National Security Council and the United States Congress.
Currently, Mr. Ford serves as the Head of Mandiant cyber security solutions to State, Local and Education markets as well as professional service solutions. Mr. Ford leads operations, strategy and solution for our global partners, and globally leads Mandiant’s Insider Threat risk offerings. Mr. Ford coaches boards and executives on how to measure and manage enterprise risk, regularly speaks at industry conferences. Mr. Ford is a member of the Geneva Dialogue on Responsible Behaviour in Cyberspace and the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise. Mr. Ford is the founder of Mandiant's Elevate program to advance women in IT security into senior leadership and Board positions.
Mr. Ford serves as an adjunct professor teaching advanced curricula on cybersecurity and risk frameworks at St. Mary’s University. Mr. Ford is a graduate of Harvard, John F. Kennedy School on Cybersecurity Policy; and a graduate of Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Business in Strategic.

President, e.Republic

Dustin Haisler is the President of e.Republic - the nation's leading state and local government data, media, and events company - and the parent company of Government Technology, Governing, and the Center for Digital Government. He is also active in the academic and research community, serving as co-lead of the Center for Public Sector AI, an Eisenhower Fellow (2019 Zhi-Xing Program), board member of the Good Governance Worldwide Academic Journal, and Program Faculty for the Certified Public Management Program (CPM) at Texas State University.
As the former Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Assistant City Manager for the City of Manor, Texas, Dustin quickly built a reputation as an early innovator in civic tech. He pioneered government use of commercial technologies not previously used in the public sector, including open innovation, Quick-Response (QR) barcodes, crowdsourcing, and gamification. Recognized as one of the nation’s Top 25 Doers, Dreamers, and Drivers for government technology, he was also named a Business Transformation 150 Leader by Constellation Research. His work has been featured in Wired, Fast Company, the Wall Street Journal, Inc. Magazine, the Today Show on NBC, The Economist, CNN, Fortune, and Citizenville by California Governor Gavin Newsom. Most recently, Dustin has led initiatives to help public sector agencies safely adopt and integrate artificial intelligence technologies through public speaking, research, training, expert testimonies, and the development of AI tools.
Dustin graduated Magna Cum Laude from LeTourneau University with a Bachelor of Business Administration and has conducted research with universities around the globe on incubating next-generation technologies in government, including the Persuasive Technology Lab at Stanford University and the University of Trento, Italy. He is a frequent speaker and expert advisor who collaborates with Fortune 500 companies, investors, government agencies, academia, startups, and non-profits worldwide on the global govtech market, public sector technology trends, and artificial intelligence development.

Devon Halley, a Principal in Deloitte Consulting LLP, has dedicated his career to reimagining the interaction between people and technology. Over the past two decades, he has been deeply engaged in leveraging new and emerging technology to drive change and transformation for clients, with a focus on ethical considerations, design principles, and human-computer interaction as technology continues to evolve. During his 17-year career at Deloitte,  Devon has served a range of clients and industries. Devon shares his expertise on design, technology, and ethics as adjunct faculty Carnegie Mellon's Heinz College, as well as serves as a guest lecturer at places such as the University of Virginia and Indiana University. His work has been published by Governing Magazine, Harvard University’s Ash Center, the Wall Street Journal and Deloitte Insights.

Michael Kirchner is a cybersecurity professional at Lumen Technologies, specializing in the protection of critical IT infrastructure. With over a decade of experience in threat detection, incident response, and network defense, Michel advises private enterprise and government efforts to strengthen digital resilience. At Lumen, he drives strategic initiatives that anticipate and neutralize emerging cyber threats, helping organizations stay ahead in an increasingly complex threat landscape. Michel is a trusted voice in the cybersecurity community, contributing to industry best practices and speaking regularly at security forums. On this panel, he will share practical strategies for defending critical IT infrastructure, offering insights drawn from real-world challenges and frontline experience.

Kerrica has over 30 years of local government experience and for over twenty years she has successfully engaged leadership teams, stakeholders, customers, staff, and vendors to create innovative, customer driven, community focused technology solutions for the Austin community. 
As the Chief Information Officer for the City of Austin, she focuses on digital transformation efforts that will help the city modernize its technology portfolio and improve the digital experience for employees, the community and business operations. Additionally, her teams provide the core IT services that the City depends on daily.
Kerrica is a University of Texas alumna and she’s active in the Austin technology community serving as an advisor to the SIM (Society for Information Management) Austin Board of Directors and sits on the ACC Continuing Education IT Advisory Board.  She was awarded the Statescoop Local IT Leader of the Year Award in 2023. 

Prior to joining the Center, Matelski served for 25 years as an Information Technology & Security executive for municipal (City of Orlando, FL) and county government (Gwinnett County, GA), most recently retiring from DeKalb County, GA after 12 years of service.  John’s duties included executive management of all information technology and security resources and systems that support operations and drive innovation throughout the County enterprise. As DeKalb County CIO, he oversaw more than 100 employees serving ~800 million residents.
Matelski graduated from Arizona State University with a B.S. in Computer Science and an M.B.A. with an emphasis in Computer Information Systems and has been a Certified Government CIO since 2011.  Matelski has a proven track record of leadership in the public and private sectors, utilizing innovation and resourcefulness with a proven ability to build a compelling vision and move an organization toward it. Matelski rebuilt DeKalb County, GA’s technology capabilities from the ground up, helping lead to 8 straight years of recognition as a top 10 winner of the Center for Digital Government annual Digital Counties Survey. 
John has won numerous awards including Government Technology’s Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers, State of Georgia CIO ORBIE Award Finalist, and the Computerworld/Smithsonian Laureate Award for Information Technology.  During his tenure with DeKalb County, Matelski was also very active in technology leadership roles with the National Association of Counties (NACo), having served as Chair of the IT Standing Committee, Vice Chair of the Telecommunication & Technology Committee, and Vice Chair of the County Technology Advisory Council.

Sergio Ortega serves as the Business Development Lead for AI/ML Worldwide Public Sector at Amazon Web Services, focusing on State and Local Governments. With over 20 years of experience in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Analytics, Sergio is a recognized leader in driving technological innovation in the public sector. Previously at Microsoft Corporation, he led global strategies for Metaverse, IoT, and AI solutions. He holds a Master's in Data Science from CUNY, an MBA from the University of Warwick (UK), and degrees in Computer Science and Public Policy. Sergio is passionate about leveraging technology to solve complex governmental challenges.

With over 30 years of experience in the informatics field, Guy Pensa is a highly regarded Solutions Architect, Sales Engineer, Certified Technical Trainer, Mentor, and Subject Matter Expert in internet-hosted technologies and solutions. He has successfully solved a wide range of business challenges through his technical expertise. His knowledge spans various areas, including data management, directory services, identity services, integration services, messaging services, network services, operating systems, and security services—all hosted over diverse network architectures and communication protocols. 
Guy has also developed and managed a successful software services company, delivering cutting-edge technical solutions to international Fortune 50, 100, 500, and 1000 companies. His solutions often leverage open-source software to address complex business problems. 

Endi Silva is the Chief Experience Officer at the Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR). She coordinates and promotes DIR customer experience activities and establishes DIR brand and outreach strategies. She started her state government career as a research specialist with the Texas Senate Research Center before joining the DIR team as a policy analyst in 2013.  She was previously DIR's Director of Technology Planning, Policy, and Governance. Born and raised in El Paso, TX, Endi graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Texas at El Paso with degrees in Theater Arts and History.

Steve Troxel is a Field CTO at SHI International Corp, advising public sector and commercial organizations across the U.S. With over 25 years of experience in IT infrastructure, cybersecurity, and enterprise strategy, he has held executive roles including interim CTO for the Arizona Department of Education and VP of Technology for a national payment card processor. His work bridges public policy, operational execution, and long-term technology planning.

Dave serves as the Director of Strategic Digital Services (SDS) at the Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR.)  He’s worked at DIR for nine years, and in public sector IT for eighteen years, as a business analyst, project manager, technical trainer, program manager, vendor manager, and director. His certifications have included Project Management Professional (PMP,) Certified Scrum Master (CSM,) Information Technology Infrastructure Library Foundation Certification (ITIL,) and Certified Texas Contract Manager (CTCM.) 
As SDS Director, Dave’s team is responsible for supporting public sector agencies and institutes of higher education with digital transformation, upskilling, automation, and learning about emerging technologies such as AI and intelligent automation.  

Bala is a recognized Thought Leader on Data and AI from IBM. He leads Worldwide Solution engineering from IBM Technology Expert Labs to design and deliver solutions around Data Governance, Data Integration, Data Observability, GenAI and AI Governance.
Bala has a proven track record of designing and implementing Data and AI solutions for many State agencies, federal and private organizations in North America and around the world. He has extensive expertise in working with Chief Information Officers (CIOs) Chief Data Officers (CDOs) and CXOs to develop information governance strategy, Data Strategy, and agile implementation roadmaps to successfully adopt the governance journey to meet their regulatory compliance needs as well as to generate business value from the data management landscape. Bala received many awards in IBM including patent application invention achievement award for governed database connectivity through and around data catalog to registered data sources.
Bala lives in Frisco, Texas, and holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Purdue University and awarded three University gold medals for his outstanding achievements in bachelor degree (B.Tech) from Anna University, India.