Registration and Morning Refreshments

Grand Ballroom Lobby

Opening Remarks (via video)

Grand Ballroom A/B

Mark Myers, Chief Technology Officer, State of Arkansas

Keynote Speaker – Find Your Voice

Grand Ballroom A/B

Jim Meskimen, Master Impressionist and Communication Coach

Today’s culture emphasizes the value of teamwork and collaboration, sometimes at the expense of the individual. This is particularly true in the IT arena where you can find yourself stereotyped unfairly at times, or worse, not taken seriously. What good are insights and solutions if your words get lost in the crowd? You need to make sure that you’re heard. Jim Meskimen has spent the past 20 years studying the most famous, creative and interesting people in modern times. In this fascinating and hilarious session, Jim discusses – and illustrates – the traits and methods used by some of the best and most charismatic communicators in the world. Don’t settle for being “one of the crowd”. YOU have a unique identity. YOU have a voice!

Break

Grand Ballroom Lobby

Concurrent Sessions

Making Big Data Work for Your Organization

Harris Brake (Lower Level 2)

Big data might be extensive, but that doesn’t mean it has to be intimidating. Knowing how to properly analyze and respond to the data are necessary characteristics of growing and thriving organizations. This session is all about crunching the numbers and making big data work for your organization.

David Jacobs, CISSP, Systems Engineer, Veritas

Robert Leetun, Partner Territory Account Manager, Veritas

The Future of the IT Workforce

White Oak (Lower Level 2)

The IT landscape is dramatically changing – the technologies we use, the people we work with, and the way we deliver services are transforming at a pace previously unforeseen. This panel discussion will talk about the current make-up of the multigenerational workforce, how generations can collaborate to solve IT problems, and strategies for building the workforce of the future.

Marjorie Greenberg, Senior Advisor, Office of the Governor, State of Arkansas

Earnest Sweat, Assistant Director of Information Technology, Department of Workforce Services, State of Arkansas

Why Broadband Matters

Chicot (Lower Level 2)

Broadband can be a catalyst for businesses to grow and expand, for students to have access to greater educational opportunities, for patients and doctors to connect without leaving their communities, and for citizens to engage with their government. While more Arkansans have access to broadband, those that remain unserved and underserved are finding it increasingly difficult to keep up. Come hear how Arkansas is approaching the challenge of ensuring that citizens have equal opportunity to access high-speed broadband.

Eric Saunders, Ed.D., Assistant Commissioner for Research and Technology, Department of Education, State of Arkansas

Lunch

Grand Ballroom A/B

Lunch Keynote – Natives, Immigrants and Innovators – Oh My!

Grand Ballroom A/B

Jared Covili, Professional Development Trainer, Utah Education Network

Whether "digital immigrants" or "digital native", everyone brings a wealth of experience to the workplace that can be enhanced using new tools. Technology has reached the point where it can support just about anything that anyone wants to do. The toughest challenge is embracing the process of reinvention, but sometimes external pressures leave you no choice. In this session, author and professor Jared Covili will discuss innovative ways of leveraging a technology-diverse workforce through modern social media and technology tools.

Break

Grand Ballroom Lobby

Concurrent Sessions

Living in the Cloud

Harris Brake (Lower Level 2)

Anything as a Service (XaaS) is the essence of cloud computing, and these days almost anything can be delivered as a service: software, infrastructure, storage, platforms, data, you name it. The concept is no longer new, but it's far from settled. Valuable lessons have been learned by both government and private industry in recent years. This session focuses on the risk and rewards in building the business case.

Karl Hills, Director of Technology, Information Network of Arkansas

Danny Straessle, Public Information Officer, Highway and Transportation Department, State of Arkansas

Zach Wirges, President, Genesis Datacom

Delivering Interoperable Communication to Government

White Oak (Lower Level 2)

In the face of disaster the ability of different information technology systems to communicate, exchange data and use the information that has been exchanged makes all the difference in response and recovery. This session looks at current practices and new technologies and operating methods that make interoperability a reality.

Randy Foshee, Chief Information Officer, City of Little Rock

Kelly Gottsponer, Education & Outreach Coordinator, Arkansas Public Safety Broadband Network

Penny Rubow, PMP, Director, Arkansas Wireless Information Network

Rapid Application Development and Modernization

Chicot (Lower Level 2)

Conventional project management and software development are deliberate and orderly, emphasizing rigorous specification and planning. Today, however, the pace of development is accelerating, and the trend toward shared services and modernization puts even more strain on traditional methodology. Rapid development is agile, highly iterative and flexible. This session looks at current thinking about how, when and why this approach can be the most effective and practical way to go.

Scott Roehrenbeck, Solutions Architect, Mainstream Technologies

Break

Grand Ballroom Lobby

General Session – Breach! When Bad Things Happen to Good People (and Their Organizations)

Grand Ballroom A/B

Cyber security is the new front line of financial crime and social upheaval. It is the new Wild West, with hackers divided among the "white hats" and "black hats." Stage coach and bank robberies of old have been replaced by heists of personally identifiable information from major retailers, insurers and governments. Political protests are increasingly taking the form of denial-of-service attacks by so-called “hactivists” to disrupt the normal order of things. Such things can and do happen anywhere, and everybody has a role in preventing, preparing for, and responding to cyber threats. This interactive session unpacks key lessons and learnings from real-life cases with the help of a panel of local experts and engaged audience members.

Moderator: Rebecca Friedman, Government Technology magazine

Panelists: Neil Delacruz, Senior Global Security Consultant, AT&T

Larry Flaxman, Information Security Operations Manager, Department of Human Services, State of Arkansas

John Rathje, Associate Vice Chancellor & Chief Information Officer, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

View Presentation Here

Executive Reception

Grand Ballroom Lobby

Network with your colleagues and discuss technology solutions with the event exhibitors.