Best of California 2009

"The Best of California gives IT professionals -- both state and local -- a great opportunity to celebrate our achievements and successes, as well as providing a congenial setting for sharing experiences with each other and an opportunity to connect with counterparts at other agencies and jurisdictions. Don't miss out -- anyone who is anyone will be there!"

Christy Quinlan, Chief Deputy Director/Undersecretary, Office of State CIO, State of California

WELCOME AND OPENING REMARKS

---

Teri Takai, Chief Information Officer, State of California

OPENING KEYNOTE

Cathilea Robinett, Executive Vice President, Center for Digital Government / eRepublic

You have cut budgets, staff, services and some of your most strategic programs and projects. You have even lowered your expectations about what comes next, if you have allowed yourself to think about it all. If this has been a different kind of recession, it calls for a different kind of recovery. Urban theorist Richard Florida, echoed by the likes of Bill Clinton and Steve Ballmer, talks about a fundamental "reset." What does life look like after the recession, the realignments, the retirements and/or the reset . . . For public sector IT? For our organizations? For the communities we serve? For ourselves? How should we reconcile the grim reality on the ground with the intrinsic optimism of the American spirit and the art of the possible, refined with each technological innovation? The answers are being created in the laboratories of democracy that are the states, as communities come together to dust themselves off, pick themselves up and begin building a (hopefully smarter and sustainable) future, together.

There is a growing consensus among economists that the darkest hours may be behind us. The question before us now is, "How do we survive the recovery?" It's not just a rhetorical question; some have called this a fundamentally different kind of recovery. What does ‘different' look like for states, cities and counties? How should jurisdictions prepare, plan and prioritize for a future that is lean, fluid, diverse, participatory and infinitely adaptive? A robust and nimble digital platform and infrastructure for doing the public's business would be a good place to start.

Perhaps the hard learned lesson in all of this is that government cannot do things the way it always has. We should not stay stuck on discussions of budget slashing and stimulus packages. It is time to change the story, again. There are encouraging signs, to be sure. As a matter of survival, innovation is taking root in some of the hardest hit public agencies with encouraging results. In this session, Cathilea Robinett, Executive Vice President, Center for Digital Government / eRepublic, will explore what life may be like after the dark clouds burn off and, in the words of the songwriter, "the world survives into another day."

---

TOPICS WILL INCLUDE

• Cloud Computing in Government
• Transparency and Open Government
• Are You Getting the Most from Your IT Resources?
• Innovating in Tough Times: Case Study
• Reaching Citizens Through Web 2.0
• CA Enterprise GIS Strategy
• Shared Services: Public & Private Sector Collaborations

---

REGISTRATION

Online registration is now closed - please register on-site.

Not open to private-sector registrations

CONTACT US

If you are interested in attending the Best of California 2009, please contact Lee Vang, Registration Coordinator, 800.917.7732 ext. 1407.

If you are interested in sponsoring the Best of California 2009, please contact Stacy Ward-Probst, Vice President of Sales, 916.932.1396.