Michael Acord is a dynamic individual with a passion for technology and a knack for transforming educational institutions into technology hubs. At the age of 46, he serves as an IT Director with a rich background in the IT industry. Michael's journey began as a 10-year-old boy taking home a TV that was being thrown away and fixing it himself. Michael has been driven by his love for family, sports, and fishing, which seamlessly blend with his professional pursuits.
With a career spanning over two decades in the IT field, Michael has excelled in his role as a Senior Engineer for a surveillance software company to an IT Director at a local school, leading teams and initiatives that have modernized casinos, government entities, retail, and schools, turning them into cutting-edge technology meccas. Entering his first year of education during the COVID-19 pandemic. His innovative approach and dedication to advancing education through technology have earned him well-deserved recognition within the industry.
When he's not immersed in the world of IT, Michael can often be found spending time with his wife Vanessa and their 6 kids, on the sports field watching their kids play, or by the water's edge, indulging in his passion for family, sports, and fishing. His well-rounded interests and commitment to family, work, and leisure make him a multifaceted individual who brings a unique perspective to everything he does.
Michael Acord's story is one of professional achievement, technological innovation, and a balanced life that celebrates the outdoors and the digital world. He continues to inspire and significantly impact the intersection of education, technology, family, and leisure pursuits.

Jonathan Askins is the director of the Arkansas Department of Transformation and Shared Services (TSS) Division of Information Systems (DIS) and is also the state’s Chief Technology Officer. He has more than twenty-five years of experience in business development, operations, contract negotiation, and management. Mr. Askins comes to DIS from Acxiom Corporation, where he served as a Senior Client Management Director.
He helped to guide new product strategies in the company’s government business sectors. From 1998 to 2000, Mr. Askins worked at the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, where he led a cabinet-level task force to encourage investment into Arkansas’ tourism industry. In 2018, Governor Hutchinson appointed Mr. Askins to the state Data Transparency Commission, which he served as vice-chair. Askins holds a bachelor’s degree in Communications from the University of Montevallo in Montevallo, AL. He and his wife, Leigh Anna, reside in Scott.

Laura has over 20 years of experience leading/consulting on complex transformational programs in the public and private sector. Prior to joining Amazon Web Services, she served as the Chief Digital Transformation Officer at MTX, where she built a digital transformation organization to assist State & Local Governments and Higher Education institutions in planning and executing complex transformations for their agencies, including COVID-19 pandemic initiatives. She served the Commonwealth of Kentucky as an Executive Innovation Advisor, driving cloud adoption, modernization and maximizing the benefit of the cloud investment across multiple state agencies. In addition, for over 15 years she led global transformational programs for large corporations such as Schneider Electric and Lexmark International. These global programs included Enterprise Master Data Management, Quote to Cash, CRM, PRM, and Call Center Services Management.

Lane Bailey joined the state Broadband Office in June 2023.
2017 – 2023 – Senior IT Project Manager, Arkansas Department of Human Services
2015 – 2017 – Deputy Directory, Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs
2009 – 2015 – State Network Specialist, Arkansas Department of Information Systems
1999 – 2009 – Project Manager, Level 3 Communications (now Lumen)
Education:
MPA – University of Arkansas at Little Rock
MA – Brown University
BA – Ouachita Baptist University

Larry Flaxman currently serves as the Chief Information Security Officer for the Arkansas Department of Human Services, the largest Arkansas state agency, providing singular accountability for information security controls and compliance across all DHS divisions and offices.
As CISO, he is responsible for establishing principal security strategies, cyber framework, and execution plans to secure the agencies 7500+ employees and programs. Larry has been integral to the development of the agencies policies and procedures related to HIPAA and CJIS compliance as well as applicable state and federal guidelines on security, privacy, audit and monitoring requirements.
As part of his role, Larry leads the DHS incident response team in investigating and mitigating cybersecurity threats and is responsible for establishing and maintaining the information security training and awareness programs required for all DHS employees.
Prior to joining DHS, he served in various essential roles for both state and federal agencies for over 24 years, and comes from a diverse background of information technology and law enforcement, including expertise in digital forensic investigation and cybersecurity defense.
In his free time, Larry divides his time between his 501c(3) foundation – The Bridge of Compassion, and the obligations of being a best-selling-author widely known for applying his unique style of analytical science to anomalous topics.

Ray Girdler currently serves as a member of the DIS cybersecurity team through the Arkansas State Cybersecurity Office (SCSO). Mr. Girdler formerly served as the Director of Data Use & Privacy for the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE). Over the years, he has also served in multiple roles at the school and district levels. At the ADE, Mr. Girdler’s team provided direct support to schools and districts for multiple software applications, data privacy guidance, cyber incident response, and other technology initiatives.

Boylee T. Hamilton serves as DCO ARIES Project Director for Arkansas Department of Human Services - Division of County Operations. In this role he manages and leads the project’s business / functional teams by ensuring DHS policies and business rules are implemented and functioning correctly in the Arkansas Integrated Eligibility System (ARIES). He is also responsible for the ongoing maintenance and operations of the ARIES solution. Boylee has 31 years of service with the State of Arkansas. He has served in various roles throughout his career to include Caseworker, Program Manager, Supervisor, County Administrator, TANF Administrator, DWS Area Operations Chief, TANF Field Operations Chief, and Arkansas Fair Housing Commission’s Deputy Chief. Boylee attended University of Arkansas Pine Bluff where he earned a Bachelor of Social Work and later earned a Master of Public Administration from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He has also earned training certificates in Agile Project Management, SCRUM Master, AWS Cloud solutions, Microsoft Infrastructure Design and Active Directory Management.

Mr. Hudson, a Lees Summit, Mo resident, started his career at the Department of Defense before transitioning to the private sector. Aaron has worked for a number of Data Center Equipment Manufactures prior to his time at SHI, where he supports Public Sector agencies in Arkansas, focusing on Data Center solutions and technologies.

Mike helps to guide several programs that are focused on Fortinet’s mission to “Secure Everywhere”, as well as provide thought leadership on best practices within the State and Local government, and Education space. As a former Chief Technology Architect across multiple State Agencies for the State of Iowa, Mike provided a long track record of uniting State Government and Education initiatives across multiple stakeholders and regions that ranged from Policy, Technical Leadership, and Strategic Planning.

Keith Macedo serves as the City of Fayetteville Arkansas’ Director of Information Technology, overseeing the City’s Technology and GIS Divisions. Keith received his Bachelor’s degree at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville and is also a Certified Government Chief Information Officer (CGCIO) through the University of North Carolina. Keith has extensive skills and experience in technology, project management, budget management, contract negotiations, contract management and customer service. Prior to Fayetteville he served as the Director of Internal Services for the City of Keller, Texas overseeing all internal services departments. Prior to this position he worked for over a decade as Keller’s Director of Information Services and the Information Services Manager. Prior to his work with the City of Keller, he worked in IT and GIS for the City of Hurst, Texas and short stint in Kansas working on water quality projects for the EPA and NRCS.

Harsha Musunuru is a Senior Manager with Deloitte Consulting – Strategy and Analytics practice. He has over 17 years of experience delivering enterprise data platforms and mission analytics for State Government and Commercial clients. Harsha also serves as the enterprise data and analytics manager for the Arkansas Department of Human Services (ARDHS). Harsha incorporates his extensive knowledge in Health and Human Services (HHS) and State Health domains to assist state governments in harnessing enterprise data and AI for the purpose of catalyzing organizational transformation, fostering the development of innovative business ventures, enhancing operational efficiencies, and refining service delivery.

David Pricer is a Security Solutions Engineer at Google Public Sector, where he assists state and local government organizations secure their environments against evolving threats. With over 15 years at security industry leaders like Mandiant, FireEye and Verizon, he helps organizations transform their cyber security practices across both cloud and on-premise environments by providing agencies the ability test their people, process and technologies, understand how advanced attackers view their environments, and educate, enhance, and execute security strategies based on front-line intelligence and real world scenarios. And he is bringing Gen AI to the security playbook so customers can leverage AI to learn and adapt from previous risks to their digital health, so systems become better equipped to protect against, anticipate, and predict future attacks.

Eric Simpson currently oversees Technology Infrastructure and Cybersecurity operations for the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT). Eric has built collaboration across ARDOT to modernize technology processes, security, and infrastructure. He has over twenty years’ experience in technology serving at the state level as a Project Manager at DIS, working with the Department of the Army, and the National Guard Bureau managing projects and implementing technology solutions. He is a graduate of Central Baptist College in Conway, Arkansas and is currently in an Executive MBA program at Washington State University.

Gary Vance is an experienced Cyber Defense professional recognized for his expertise in establishing and leading global security operations to address risks across diverse industry verticals. With a proven track record, he is a trusted advisor in the data management and data services industries. Gary demonstrates a high level of proficiency in communicating risk management strategy to executive leaders and directors.
With a history of success, Gary has established an advanced level of skill in security risk management services, including physical and IT security, framework development, risk mitigation, executive and board governance, security organizational development, security compliance management, the crafting of security policy, and the design of technical security architecture.
As a business-focused risk leader and Cyber Defense professional, Gary has successfully worked from the executive levels all the way through operations to ensure cyber risk management protects the business and builds trust in the brand. Gary is a Cyber Defense professional ready to stand between businesses and threat actors. He remains a lifelong student of developments in threat detection and mitigation, affirming his ability and adeptness at assisting with every stage of cybersecurity management, from preventative measures to disaster mitigation and recovery.

Tim has spent his career working with city, county, and tribal government to implement and expand technologies to help empower the people who serve the public. He earned a bachelors degree in Economics from Eckerd College, and is a candidate for a Masters of Cybersecurity at Boston College this year. He has a deep passion for maximizing efficiency of municipal government while ensuring a deep culture of data security.