Anebi is passionate about human-centered design, building data-driven products, and building high-performance teams. He has over a decade of experience in various organizations, from startups to Fortune 500s and, recently, Government.

Diane Barbarita is a Low Code and Microsoft tool advocate and engineer who has empowered City of Scottsdale colleagues to create business value and innovative solutions for over 20 years. Diane specializes in educating and mentoring colleagues in streamlining workflows and updating processes using Microsoft and other low codes tools.  Her drive to help others combined with her passion for learning continues to inspire colleagues to broaden their skill sets and seek to build their own innovative business solutions.

Wade Broyles, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure | Regional Vice President, is a seasoned cloud enthusiast with a passion for innovation and problem-solving. With over a decade of experience in the industry, he has honed his skills in Cloud Networking & Security, Cloud Modernization, and Cloud Computing. Wade’s insatiable curiosity drives him to stay at the forefront of emerging technologies, ensuring he remains a versatile professional in a rapidly evolving landscape. He has successfully led cross-functional teams, delivering cutting-edge solutions for various organizations. With a keen eye for detail and a deep understanding of user needs, he consistently delivers high-quality products that exceed expectations. Wade’s unwavering commitment to innovation and his ability to navigate complex technological challenges make him an invaluable asset in the ever-evolving world of technology.

Erin Carr-Jordan, Ph.D. is the President/CEO of the Digital Equity Institute, Head of Social Impact at ASU, and Head and Co-PI ASU ADVANCE. She has nearly two decades of leadership experience including roles as faculty, department chair, National Director, and Associate Dean. In addition to her work in academia, she is the founder and CEO of a youth-focused mental health tech company and CEO of a research and consulting firm focused on health, sustainability, and public policy. Dr. Carr-Jordan uses educational psychology and human-centered design to architect and drive large-scale, data-driven, multi-sector initiatives that improve equity and equality in the human experience. She is the creator of the SDG Notification system currently used by heads of state and parliamentarians in 70+ countries and the co-lead of ASU’s SDG5 task force. She was a delegate at COP21, serves on several state boards, and is an executive signatory of the UN Global Compact.

Rachelle Chong is a nationally recognized California regulatory lawyer and strategist who assists innovative clients before the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Rachelle is proud to be the first Asian American Commissioner of both the FCC and the CPUC, serving under President Clinton and Governor Schwarzenegger. Commissioner Chong is a deep regulatory expert on telecommunications, broadband, transportation network companies, electric and autonomous vehicles, smart grid, and microgrid regulation. She works to inspire companies and communities to bridge the Digital Divide, to adopt advanced technologies for grid modernization, cybersecurity and disaster recovery, and to explain the intersection of communications and energy transformation during an era of climate change. 
In addition to her federal and state public service, she has held roles as a law partner of Graham & James and Coudert Brothers, General Counsel for start-ups Broadband Office and Sidecar, Vice President of Government Affairs for a national cable company, Special Counsel for the California Emerging Technology Fund, and senior policy counsel for the California Technology Agency (the CIO office of the state). She founded her solo law and lobbying practice in 2013. Ms. Chong is a seasoned corporate board and advisory board member, serving at present on the boards of Greenlight Networks, and GoNetSpeed, and on the advisory boards of Fortinet, the Electric Power Research Institute, Anterix, Prologis, the T-Mobile External Diversity and Inclusion Council, and the AT&T Community Council.  Ms. Chong holds a law degree from UC College of the Law, San Francisco and dual B.S. degrees from UC Berkeley.

Rob Cohan is a Managing Director in Accenture’s Health & Public Service practice. He serves as Accenture’s North America Strategy and Consulting Lead and Global Public Service Gen AI Strategy Team Captain. With over 30 years of experience, he specializes in collaborating with state and local governments to catalyze transformative initiatives across program and service delivery – including operational, organizational, programmatic, administrative, and technological transformation, innovation, and implementation. His experience encompasses various facets of government strategy and operations including performance management, strategic planning, budgeting, procurement, auditing, organizational development & program design, federal funds management & strategy, benchmarking & assessments, sourcing, and technology modernization. He is a graduate of the MIT's GenAI for the C-suite course, the University of Texas, and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Sandeep is the Arizona Department of Education's information security officer. In this role, he leads the strategic development and oversight of security plans, ensuring compliance and safeguarding sensitive information systems. He is also the Vice President of the ISACA Phoenix Chapter and teaches cybersecurity courses at Phoenix City College. Sandeep's professional journey includes significant roles at Wells Fargo and Intel Corporation, where he honed his expertise in operational risk management and IT audit risk compliance. He is known for his ability to simplify complex security concepts and is passionate about making cybersecurity more accessible and impactful for young people.

After thirty years as a full stack developer, Michele decided to explore the world of low code to see if it really could replace pro-code for some of her projects. Indeed, it could! However, she also discovered the learning curve was steeper than expected. This prompted her to start up a weekly low code developers’ meeting where anyone from any department is welcome to stop in and discuss challenges and successes in working with this new technology.
A little over a year later, with strong support from IT management and peers, Michele leads the Low Code program at the City of Scottsdale, where a thriving community of practice continues to explore new tools and technologies.

Dan Lippert is the CIO and Assistant Director of Arizona's Medicaid program, AHCCCS. He leads a team of 175 staff and manages the technology systems and infrastructure for over 2 million Medicaid enrollees. He supports systems for both Arizona and Hawaii Medicaid programs. He has 20 years of experience in various Medicaid and public sector IT roles, including systems development, data warehousing, security, networking, and help desk support. He won the State of Arizona IT Innovator Award and the Patriotic Employer Award, and he is a member of the Grand Canyon University Technical Advisory group. He previously worked at UnitedHealthcare before joining AHCCCS, and he has a Bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona.

Candace Hamana is an Indigenous alumnus of Arizona State University (ASU) with a deep commitment to education and cultural integration. Previously serving as a Tribal Liaison at the Arizona Commerce Authority, Candace advocates for tribal voices in policy and project development, notably in expanding universal broadband access and digital equity in Arizona. 
Her decade-long professional journey began in tribal lands, fostering partnerships and leading initiatives for Native American and Urban Indigenous communities. In her previous role as a Public Affairs Specialist with the Indian Health Service, Candace navigated the complexities of the COVID-19 pandemic, leading culturally sensitive information campaigns and reinforcing trust within the community. With a Master of Science in Digital Audience Strategy, Candace's education complements her professional experience, showcasing her readiness to uphold and expand ASU's engagement with tribal nations. 
Returning to ASU as the Director of Tribal Relations, Candace seeks to give back to the institution that shaped her academic and personal growth. She brings a blend of lived experience, cultural understanding, and professional expertise to a role that bridges education and community, aligning with ASU's legacy of inclusivity and respect for tribal traditions.

As the Western Regional Executive for State Government Strategy with T-Mobile, Gary works with elected officials and state agency and department executives to demonstrate T-Mobile’s commitment to serving the public sector. Gary engages with state government leaders to help them understand how T-Mobile’s 5G network – now the nation’s largest and fastest 5G network– can be leveraged for the benefit of their states and constituents.

Rob Johnson, a graduate of Emporia State University, has worked with the government sector most of his career. He has been a lobbyist, direct sales, and industry consultant. In 2016, Johnson ran for the Kansas House of Representatives in the Kansas City area. Johnson joined Softdocs in July of 2023 to help build their State and Local government division. His focus is on identifying partnerships and advancing Softdocs market presence in the State and Local Government sector. Rob is married and has four dogs (Ellie, Denver, Tucker, and Shelby). He and his wife, Lisa, love to travel. Rob is also a big fan of F1, the Kansas City Royals, and the Denver Broncos.

Mike Lauer, National Director of Public Sector Programs at Fortinet, has over 20 years expertise supporting and advising State Government leaders on SLED initiatives as a former Chief Technology Officer and Architect for the State of Iowa and multiple agencies.

Bianca Lochner, Ph.D., has over 20 years of experience in information technology and local government. Throughout her career, she led multiple digital transformations and innovations in education and the public sector, modernizing legacy technology and positively impacting how citizens and businesses interact with the city government. As the Chief Information Officer for the City of Scottsdale, she combines her passion for public service and the power of technology to transform the way government delivers to the community it serves. She previously served as the Assistant CIO for the City of Phoenix and as the CIO for two school districts, leading a broad portfolio of technology infrastructure and digital projects, developing Smart City strategies, creating a more transparent and open government, and fostering innovation and partnerships to improve efficiency and service delivery and enhance the citizen experience and well-being.
Bianca is the co-founder and co-chair of the Cybersecurity Council of Arizona, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding Arizona's cybersecurity workforce. She is also a board member and advisor for the ArizonaCIO, Girls in Tech, the Arizona Technology Council, the Regional Wireless Consortium, Evanta, the Greater Phoenix Smart Region Consortium Connective, and the World Academy of Science, Engineering, and Technology. She holds a Master’s Degree in Computer Science, a Master’s Degree in American Studies, a Ph.D. in Educational Technology, a Postdoctorate in Management of Information Systems, and an Executive MBA from ASU's Thunderbird School of Global Management. Bianca is the recipient of the 2022 GoldenGov City Executive of the Year award and was recognized as Government Technology’s Top 25 Doers, Dreamers & Drivers of 2023.

Feroz Merchhiya CIO of the City of Glendale, AZ, and Board Member of The Association for Executives in Healthcare Information Technology (AEHIT), is a technology executive at the helm of transformative initiatives, Inspirational people-oriented leader with an ability to build high performing teams. Mr. Merchhiya has a broad range of experience in enterprise technology.
He can adjust to diverse and dynamic environments with the ability to overcome complex challenges with pragmatic solutions. Strong background in driving programs and services, Mr. Merchhiya strives to manage technology initiatives effectively by orchestrating the contribution of diverse groups across the enterprise.
Mr. Merchhiya is experienced in establishing a technology governance mechanism, a realizable value proposition that should demonstrate capability enhancement at a reduced cost and risk. Mr. Merchhiya has spearheaded development and execution of IT strategy that leverages an integrated portfolio management approach looking at Infrastructure rationalization road maps aligned to application consolidations, Process standardization, and efficiency improvement strategies.
Mr. Merchhiya is directly responsible for the city of Glendale's strategic use of technology to improve processes, capture data analytics, and enhance services. As the city's chief technologist, Mr. Merchhiya leads the implementation of complex technology projects. He is a founder of a Stealth Mode patent-pending startup.

Lisa Dee Meyerson Marshall is the Chief of Enterprise Programs & Consulting at ADOA-ASET. An enterprise-level leader with over 25 years of experience in information technology management, she has a proven track record of developing and operationalizing programs and transforming underperforming organizations, processes, and teams.
The Enterprise Programs that report to Lisa include Digital Government, Business One Stop, Data Governance, 911 Public Safety, Knowledge Management, IV&V Management, and Executive IT Consulting. 
Lisa holds a BA in Planning / Public Policy from the University of California and a J.D. from UCLA. She proactively drives her teams and her organization to success.

Mr. Murray joined the Arizona Department of Homeland Security in July 2021 as Deputy Director over the Statewide Information Security and Privacy Office and currently serves as the Chief Information Security Officer for the State. He also previously served as the Chief Information Security Officer for the Arizona Department of Revenue for three and a half years.
In his current role, Deputy Director Murray provides tactical and operational leadership for Cyber Command, and strategic planning, facilitation, and coordination of cybersecurity efforts throughout the State.
Prior to joining the State in 2018, Ryan has worked in several public sector organizations throughout Arizona. He has nearly 20 years experience in IT and Information Security, is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP) and holds a Bachelors in Cyber Security and Information Assurance from Western Governors University.
This year Mr. Murray looks forward to making progress on several key initiatives, including continued expansion of the Department’s Cyber Readiness Program for local cities, counties and schools, increased collaboration for cyber information sharing and collective defense across the State, and further developing the cybersecurity workforce through creative strategic partnerships.

Sara Muth has over 20 years of experience in state and local government. She spent 15 of those years as a full-stack developer for the State of Arizona, with a focus on building custom web applications. She now works for the City of Scottsdale as a Software Engineer, leveraging low-code tools to develop solutions to meet the needs of Scottsdale. Sara also helps other technologists in the organization make use of those tools through mentoring and training.

ADE's Chief Information Officer, Beth Neeley, joined ADE in 2021. With over 20 years of government and manufacturing experience, she is a passionate leader with a proven record of building fruitful partnerships to reach a common goal.

As an executive government advisor, Carlos is a public sector data practice subject matter expert who specializes in helping organizations leverage data to make informed, actionable decisions. He also works with Chief Data Officers, Geospatial Information Officers, and other data leaders to develop mission-driven data programs.
Prior to joining Amazon Web Services (AWS), Carlos gained 27 years of experience in federal and state government and higher education. Carlos was the first Chief Data Officer for the Commonwealth of Virginia. During his tenure, he helped former-Governor Northam, his executive team, and public health and emergency management professionals respond to the COVID-19 pandemic by leveraging data-driven intelligence products to help keep Virginians safe.
In Virginia, Carlos developed a statewide data program that leveraged the data trust as the legal framework to facilitate data sharing across public and private entities. The data program featured a secure cloud-based data sharing platform as the technical implementation of the data trust. He also established a centralized entity resolution service mapping individuals across multiple data systems supporting longitudinal studies. Carlos also provided an enterprise reporting system to facilitate the development and delivery of data-driven intelligence products to internal and external stakeholders. Lastly, he implemented the governance structure which facilitated engagement among leaders across the organization from agency data stewards to state senators in the data conversation.
Carlos also served as Chief Data Officer and Chief Enterprise Architect for the US Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration in Washington, D.C. Prior to these roles, Rivero worked at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Southeast Fisheries Science Center in Miami, Florida, as a physical scientist and as a research associate at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. This is where he developed a passion for geospatial information systems, ecological modeling, and data.
Carlos earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Studies from Florida International University. He received a Master of Science in Business Intelligence and Analytics from Saint Joseph’s University, focusing on database design, data management, business intelligence, big data, and data analytics.
Carlos enjoys traveling the US with his wife, daughter, and dogs in their RV and participates in outdoor activities everywhere he goes.

Kris is originally from Canada and has lived and worked across North America with global companies and their partners.  Most recently she worked in the gathering of data, engaging predictive and cognitive analytics, to improve and enhance business outcomes – which was foundational to creating complex and powerful solutions for her clients.   Kris is an accomplished IT & Business Professional, having worked for several years at IBM enabling clients to use technology to drive better outcomes and the enhancement of workforces and workplaces.  Kris has seen the power of Artificial Intelligence as the marketplace has advanced from the simplicity of chatbots to tools and models that have enabled governments to leverage their analytics more broadly across society.  Kris is an advocate for ‘we don’t know the outcome yet thinking’, and that only through courageous use of technology can we explore and advance to new possibilities.

Steve Towns is director of content strategy for the Center for Digital Government. He is the former editor of Government Technology and has spent more than 25 years covering technology in the state and local government market.
Steve joined e.Republic in 1996. During his tenure, e.Republic’s print and electronic media have received many awards for editorial excellence, including “Magazine of the Year” from ASBPE for Emergency Management in 2013, “Best New Web Site” from ASBPE for emergencymgmt.com in 2009, ”Best Overall Publication” at the Maggie awards for Government Technology in 2008 and “Magazine of the Year” from ASBPE for Public CIO in 2007.