Terence W. Burke, Sr. is a native of Montgomery, AL. He is a graduate of Jefferson Davis High School and Troy University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in computer and information science. He has been employed with the Department of Transportation for 32 years. Terence became the Chief Information Officer of the Computer Services Bureau in January 2022. He is passionate about establishing a work environment that is enjoyable, impactful, relevant, and beneficial to employees and the department. He’s an advocate for implementing efficient, user-friendly solutions to the end-user as Information Technology advances.
Terence is a proud parent of Terence W. Burke, II and Ashlee Janell Burke. Being a parent has taught him how God looks at us as his children, wanting the best for us, and having an unconditional love for us.
Terence enjoys helping others, listening to great music, traveling, eating good food, and relaxing around water.

Christine Cook is the Chief Procurement Officer with the State of Alabama Department of Finance and has been in the position since July of 2022. Prior to coming to the State she was the Purchasing Director for Alfa Mutual Insurance Company for 17 years. She’s a graduate of Auburn University at Montgomery with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. She obtained her Certified Purchasing Manager certification in 2009 and completed the Alfa Leadership Academy in 2019. In her almost two decades of procurement she has gained experience in a wide array of goods and services and made a conscious effort to resolve issues while promoting a collaborative environment for all involved parties.

Keith Cousins serves as Executive Director of Business Execution for OIT where he leads Business Relations (contracts management, IT solicitations, records disposition, and grant administration), Enterprise Services (Program Management – project management, enterprise PMO, business analysis and Technology Management – service strategy and planning, enterprise architecture, quality management, vendor management, service catalog), and until recently the Governance functions (policy, risk, compliance, and audit). Before OIT, Keith held senior leadership positions in publicly traded and privately held companies including KinderCare as Senior Director of Development, Movie Gallery and Hollywood Entertainment as EVP and Chief Development Officer, AT&T Prime Communications as Senior VP Development, Aronov as Senior Accountant, Newton Oldacre McDonald as Developer, and Triton Management as Chief Operating Officer. He has keyman experience in federal government IT acquisitions and modernizations, business analysis and process improvement, life cycle costing, and program control management with Computer Sciences Corporation as Program Control Manager, MCR as Cost Analyst, and Tecolote Research as Senior Cost Estimator. Keith’s management, development, and operations experience span every market in the US, Canada, and Mexico. Keith builds trust and motivates others to be kind, do the right thing, add value, and deliver within budget and ahead of schedule. A husband to a wonderful wife, Melissa, father of two talented daughters, Victoria and Emily, and grandfather to the best gifts ever, Liam, Graham, and Maisie.

Mark Craymer serves as Executive Director of Shared Services for the Office of Information Technology (OIT).
With more than twenty years of IT experience in state government, Mr. Craymer began his state service working for the Administrative Office of Counts (AOC). At AOC, he filled numerous critical System and Network Administration roles and helped to introduce multiple technology stacks which are utilized statewide by Alabama’s judicial branch.
Prior to his career with the state, Mr. Craymer worked in various industries such as banking, finance, education, and commerce. In each of his previous roles, he was responsible for implementing and supporting technology improvements.
Mr. Craymer attended Troy University where he earned his BSBA and MBA in Accounting. Later, he attended Kaplan University and received a Graduate Certificate in Project Management.

Experienced IT Director with a Proven Track Record
With over 20 years of experience in state government, John Demas has been involved in numerous projects across various levels and has served as an IT Director for two agencies in Alabama. Throughout a distinguished career, he had been dedicated to driving technological innovation and enhancing operational efficiency.
As the CIO of the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC), John Demas’s primary goal is to provide technology and innovation for correctional staff, ensuring that individuals transitioning through the system have the resources and support they need for successful reintegration. This involves equipping correctional employees with the proper tools to offer seamless access to critical programs and services provided by the ADOC.
John Demas is passionate about solving complex problems and driving business success. His goal is to continue making impactful contributions to the field of IT while mentoring and developing the next generation of leaders.

Gene has had a diverse and accomplished career in Marketing, spanning over 40 years. After graduating from Auburn University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Graphic Design and Illustration, he embarked on a professional journey that would see him excel in various positions within the marketing and technology industries.
At Nfina, Gene has served as the Marketing Director since 2018, utilizing his expertise to develop effective marketing, web, and SEO strategies for the company.
Before Nfina, several renowned organizations have sought Gene's talents throughout his career, including Konica Minolta, Cenveo, Xante, and QMS.
At Konica Minolta, he served as Apple Developer and Business Solutions Product Manager – a testament to his ability to navigate the ever-evolving world of technology-driven marketing solutions. Cenvo recognized Gene’s creative abilities by appointing him as their Creative Director/Marketing Brand-Product Manager – allowing him to oversee all aspects of marketing while ensuring consistent branding across different products and brands. His time at Xante saw him excel as both the Director of Product Marketing and Art Director – seamlessly blending creative vision with strategic insights. While at QMS, he worked as a Print Solutions Consultant while also lending his talents as a graphic designer and illustrator – he was part of the team that launched the first Adobe PostScript Laser Printer and first Adobe PostScript Color Printer.
In addition, Gene volunteers for nonprofit organizations like First Light Community of Mobile and is the Vice President and Webmaster for the Baldwin County Auburn Club.
In 2002 he established his own design agency, Gene Everette Visual Communications.

Sara Fenn is the Director of Technology for Jefferson County Schools, the second largest school district in Alabama. Sara has served in public education in Alabama for 18 years. Throughout this time, she’s served in multiple roles, including classroom teacher and school librarian before moving into district technology administration for the last seven years. She holds a masters in Instructional Leadership from Auburn University and a masters in Library and Information Science from the University of Alabama. Sara also serves on the board for the Alabama Leaders in Educational Technology as well as the Google Advisory Board for Alabama.

Willie Fields is Deputy Secretary for the Alabama Office of Information Technology (OIT). He joined OIT in 2021 as the Director of Network Engineering. Previously, Mr. Fields served as the CIO for the Alabama Department of Corrections. 
Before working with the state of Alabama, Mr. Fields served 22 years as a Cyberspace Operations Officer in the U.S. Air Force.
Education: MS in Administration and a Graduate Software Engineering Certificate from Central Michigan University; BS in Computer Science from the University of Alabama

With over three decades of experience in Information Technology, Manley began his career in the private sector, working across various industries with organizations such as Federal Express, Lend Lease, and Emory Healthcare. In 2004, Manley joined the Alabama Medicaid Agency as the lead for Server, Storage, and Database Systems. For the past 12 years, he has served as the Data Systems Manager for the Alabama Department of Transportation, leading a team responsible for data systems support, enterprise reporting services, analytics, as well as Power Platform Governance and Tenant Administration.
Throughout his career, he dedicated over 25 years to Expeditionary Communications as part of the Alabama Air National Guard, retiring in 2022.
Manley attended Jacksonville State University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in computer information systems.

Dr. Matthew Hudnall is a tenured Associate Professor in Management Information Systems and serves as UA’s 2024-2025 Faculty Senate President. Dr. Hudnall received his undergraduate degree in Mathematics from Troy University and his MS and Ph.D. in Computer Science from The University of Alabama. He is highly active in interdisciplinary funded research, having served as principal or co-principal investigator on over 70 grants totaling more than $40 million in combined funding.

An educator for over two decades, Mr. Chris Jenks currently serves as President of the Alabama Leaders in Educational Technology (ALET) and Director of Technology for the Tuscaloosa (Alabama) City Schools. ALET works to promote the positive impact of technology in education by preparing technology leaders and advocating for support. In Tuscaloosa, Chris leads a technology team supporting district stakeholders’ technical and instructional needs. He spearheads the district’s technology initiatives where the district seeks to transform the educational culture to prepare every student to be college and/or career-ready.  He has worked to standardize a baseline of district-provided technology services and equipment while fostering innovation and increasing efficiencies. Chris enjoyed the six years he spent as a middle school teacher where he continually integrated technology to facilitate student learning and growth. Chris and his wife Anna have two children and are longtime Tuscaloosa residents.

As the Chief Technology Officer for the City of Mobile since 2019, Scott Kearney oversees the IT and GIS Departments and provides leadership on technology innovations and IT initiatives. Previously, Scott served as the GIS Director at the City for 15 years.

Nikki Kerns has developed a passion for technology through a career that spans over 20 years in both the private and public sectors. She currently holds the position of Director of Information Technology for the City of Dothan, Alabama. Prior to her tenure with the city, Nikki occupied various roles in the private sector, where she successfully delivered technology projects and oversaw strategy development and execution across multiple teams.

Hollye Massey is an accomplished sales and contract negotiation professional with over 26 years of industry experience. She currently serves as the Director of Government Development at C Spire, where she leads strategic contract negotiations and market development within the public sector across Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and, starting in 2024, additional neighboring states. Hollye's career is distinguished by her expertise in managing complex contracts on local, regional, and national levels. Before her current role, she was Director of Commercial Sales at C Spire, overseeing a team of 11 and expanding operations throughout Central and North Alabama. A Lean Six Sigma Green Belt graduate (2018), Hollye earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Beyond her professional pursuits, she is dedicated to health and wellness, serving as a coach and operating her own online athleisurewear boutique. Hollye is also actively involved in her community as Chair of the Youth Committee and a member of the Praise Team at her local church.

Laury currently serves as the Director of the State Personnel Department. Laury began her career with State Personnel as a State Personnel Analyst in August of 2000, where she worked for over 11 years. During that time, she attended law school at Jones School of Law in Montgomery, graduating in 2011. After law school, Laury worked as a Staff Attorney at the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals for approximately four years. She returned to State Personnel in April 2016, where she served as Deputy General Counsel, General Counsel, and Deputy Director. She is also a graduate of the University of Alabama with Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology.

James S. Moseley Jr. (Jay) is the Director of the Alabama Fusion Center, part of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. In this role, he oversees the daily operations of the Fusion Center, focusing on criminal and terrorism-related information sharing and intelligence analysis, while advising command leadership on strategies to enhance the organization’s mission. Appointed as Director in May 2014, Jay also serves on numerous boards and committees and is the former Vice-President of the National Fusion Center Association.
In addition to his role at the Fusion Center, Jay serves as the Homeland Security Advisor for Alabama and the Homeland Security Director for the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. In this capacity, he leads and coordinates statewide efforts to enhance public safety, emergency preparedness, and critical infrastructure protection. Jay collaborates with local, state, and federal agencies to develop and implement strategic initiatives aimed at mitigating potential threats and ensuring the resilience of Alabama’s communities. His expertise in homeland security enables effective management of security operations and the advancement of comprehensive safety protocols across the state.
Jay retired from the Alabama Air National Guard in October 2012 as a Chief Master Sergeant, after 26 years of honorable service.

Taylor Nichols is General Counsel to the Alabama Department of Finance, where he advises the State Finance Director and the 400+ employees who oversee statewide functions including budgeting, accounting, procurement and contracting, property management, and risk management.  In this role, he is also an Assistant Attorney General, chief counsel to the State Board of Adjustment, and legal advisor to the State’s bond financing authorities. Prior to Finance, he served as Deputy Attorney General for the Office of Information Technology (OIT), where he was general counsel to Alabama’s Secretary of Information Technology.  He previously served as Policy Analyst for Governor Bob Riley, Deputy Chief of Staff to Lieutenant Governor Kay Ivey, and counsel for the Alabama Department of Commerce.  Taylor holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics, a J.D., and an M.B.A. from the University of Alabama.

Scottie joined Fortinet in 2022 with more than 20 years of B2B technology sales and leadership experience. A technology and business strategy veteran with deep experience in sales, operations, and customer centric solutions that address customer needs, she guides her team and customers through today’s evolving security challenges and the technology required to address them.
Prior to joining Fortinet, Scottie held a sales and leadership role at a large high-growth technology value added reseller as well as several large technology manufactures in the southeast. With a strong commitment to nurturing a collaborative culture, Scottie excels in forging lasting customer relationships and taking the southeast sales organizations to new heights.

Mr. Parker has over 35 years of experience, at all levels of systems and policy design, development, implementation, and strategic planning, across both the public and private sectors. He began his public service career with State of Alabama in 2008 and has served in various administrative and leadership roles.
He is currently Alabama Medicaid’s Chief Data Officer, as well as the Director of Alabama’s HIE, One Health Record®. In these roles, his responsibilities are focused on formulating and guiding the Agency’s Health IT, Data Governance & Interoperability initiatives.

Brittany Peterson is a Senior Buyer with the State of Alabama, Department of Finance, Division of Procurement.  Brittany has worked for the State for over 21 years, with more than 8 of those years in procurement.  Currently, she manages the team that handles RFPs and IT related procurements .  In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family and traveling. 

William (Bill) Rials, Ph.D., is a professor and associate director (department chair) of the Tulane University School of Professional Advancement IT and Cybersecurity Program, where he focuses on continually delivering and updating the program curriculum based on innovative and emerging technologies. Before transitioning to academia and higher education, he had a diverse gov tech career delivering value to state agencies, local governments, and law enforcement agencies throughout the state of Mississippi. He has served in CIO, CTO, and CISO roles for local governments and also in various leadership positions within the state of Mississippi’s IT organization as a deputy to the state CIO. Dr. Rials holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Belhaven University, a master’s degree in computer information systems and cybersecurity from Missouri State University, as well as a Ph.D. in higher education administration and public administration from Jackson State University. His dissertation research involved the critical factors that affect the adoption of cloud services within the public sector. He is a noted expert in the IT and cybersecurity space and is frequently quoted by national media outlets. He is also a frequent contributor to national IT government organizations such as NASTD and NASCIO.

Jonathan has experience conducting red team assessments in the DoD as a team lead and operator. He has held roles in government as a DA Civilian in intelligence and as a special operations communicator in 7th SFG. He has a B.S. in Cybersecurity from the University of Maryland with professional certifications to include the ISSMP, CISSP, C|EH, RTAC, Sec+, and Net+.

Tucker Simpson is a Cybersecurity Research Engineer and Project Manager for Auburn University’s McCrary Institute. Tucker is responsible for growing the McCrary Institute’s applied research efforts in Cybersecurity at both Auburn University and in Huntsville, AL at the Auburn University Research and Innovation Campus. Prior to joining Auburn University, Tucker served as a Government Civilian in the Department of the Army before moving to industry in roles conducting and leading Cyber Threat Intelligence efforts. Tucker is a Software Engineering Alumni of Auburn University.

Aaron is a native of Houston, TX. He is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy. He served as a commissioned officer of communications and cyber warfare in the United States Air Force and served in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. After joining the private sector Aaron has applied his leadership skills, project management experience, and operational knowledge across various business sectors, to include, oil and gas, government contracting, and auto manufacturing industries.  As a contractor for Lockheed Martin, Aaron was responsible for leading the IT operations and support of the Air Force National Capital Region, which included the Pentagon and over 200 executive Air Force officials, among them the Secretary of the Air Force and Chief of Staff of the Air Force.  Prior to joining ALEA, Aaron facilitated the evolution of the Hyundai/Kia Americas’ data center here in Montgomery, AL.

Daniel Urquhart serves on Alabama Governor Kay Ivey’s Cabinet as Secretary of the State of Alabama Office of Information Technology (OIT). First formed through the passage of Senate Bill 117 and signed into law on May 21, 2013, OIT is responsible for the strategic planning, governance, and resource utilization of all IT for the state.
Prior to his appointment by Governor Ivey to lead the agency on July 1, 2023, Secretary Urquhart served the State of Alabama for more than two decades and spent the past three years as Deputy Secretary of OIT.
Before joining OIT in 2020, Secretary Urquhart served as the CIO for the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) where he played a vital role in working with industry partners to design, build, and implement a state-of-the-art criminal justice network that exceeded regulatory compliance requirements.
The first fifteen years of Secretary Urquhart’s professional career were spent in the private sector. He held various technical and leadership positions in the banking and finance, drug/medical wholesale, childcare services, restaurant concepts, and consulting industries where he led and implemented various business and decision-making systems and platforms.
Secretary Urquhart attended Auburn University at Montgomery where he earned a BSBA in Management Information Systems.

Michael Vanhook is the IT Business Solutions Manager at the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA), leading the development of enterprise solutions using Salesforce, Laserfiche, Adobe, and ArcGIS. He recently spearheaded the replatforming of ADECA's financial management system from Cobol to Windows, encompassing over 1,000 applications and 30 years of data. Michael has also been involved with professional communities at the federal, state, and national leadership levels. He is a GISP-certified professional with a background in GIS, project management, and IT leadership. He holds a B.S. in Environmental, Geographic, Computer and Solar Technology Applications from the University of Alabama.

Larry is the Contract Manager for the State of Alabama Office of Information Technology (OIT). He has 10+ years of contract and solicitation management experience with the State of Alabama. After graduating college, his career started with Auburn University Montgomery (AUM) where he facilitated and managed various state agency RFPs, ITBs, and RFIs. After leaving AUM, Larry joined OIT as a contract manager.

Frank Yarnell, a seasoned professional with three decades of engineering prowess and leadership honed in diverse military and corporate environments, embodies a pragmatic approach in his daily endeavors. Frank possesses extensive expertise in Information security and Cybersecurity, complemented by a robust background in Telecom and infrastructure. As the driving force behind Simplex LLC, Frank dedicates himself to leveraging his extensive training and expertise to provide trusted, premium services in InfoSec and Cybersecurity. Founded with a clear mission, Simplex LLC is dedicated to delivering unparalleled expertise and insights, ensuring clients receive robust security solutions tailored to their specific needs.