Name: Beyond the Beltway 2026
Start: 2026-02-18T08:00
Location: The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner

Overview

Beyond the Beltway 2026

The SLED Market is Shifting. Are You?

If you’re serious about serving state and local government, Beyond the Beltway 2026 is the event you cannot miss. Every year, sales and marketing professionals from top-performing companies attend to do one thing: set themselves up for success. Where are governments spending? What’s driving procurement? What’s working for your peers – and what isn’t? Beyond the Beltway is where you find out.

Hear directly from state and local CIOs, agency heads and other decision-makers and buyers about:

What’s bubbling to the top of their priorities
What they actually want from industry partners
How to earn their trust – and their business

We unpack the public-sector market intelligence your competitors wish they had.

Macroeconomic forces shaping public budgets
Emerging technologies influencing policy and service delivery
IT spending patterns across jurisdictions
What’s on the horizon and how to prepare
Where the opportunities are – and where the pitfalls lie

Registration and more details to come!

A message from our Keynote Speaker

Speakers

Bob Branch

Chief Information Security Officer, Information Technology, City of Virginia Beach, VA

Bob Branch is the Chief Information Security Officer at the City of Virginia Beach and has been in the information technology sector for 17 years. He is focused on maturing the City of Virgnia Beach’s cybersecurity program, fostering educational experiences through internships and embracing emerging technologies and strategies. Bob believes in mutual information sharing and the development of the next generation of cyber professionals because we are stronger as a collective than individuals.

Scott Conn

Chief Information Officer, City of Mesa, AZ

Scott Conn became the Chief Information Officer for the City of Mesa, AZ in January 2024 where he puts his 40+ years of C-level private sector, executive consulting and local government IT experience to work. Scott’s team in Mesa is a multi-award winning organization having earned a Smart 20 Award, a GovX Award, the MISAC Technical Excellence Award, the MISAC Visual Information Award, OnConferences Top 10 IT Team Award, #5 Digital City in the USA Award and the Fusion/PTI Innovation Award.
Scott has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Management from Santa Clara University in California, is a retired High School Varsity Football and Women’s Varsity Basketball Head Coach. He has co-authored three books on program management, software development life cycle and process enhancement/improvement. Scott has been married for 40 years, has three grown children and two beautiful granddaughters.
Scott is an active member of the Municipal Information Systems Association of California (MISAC) serving on the Communications Committee and is the President Emeritus of MISAC’s Northern Chapter. Scott is also the Chairman and Founder of the newly formed Western Regional Innovation and Technology Alliance (WRITA) – an organization that allows state, county and local government agencies, along with special districts, to connect and share information across its seven member states (AZ, ID, MT, NM, NV, UT, WY).

Lea Eriksen

Director of Technology and Innovation/Chief Information Officer, City of Long Beach, CA

Lea Eriksen is the Director of Technology and Innovation and CIO for the City of Long Beach, where she leads efforts to leverage emerging technology and data to address civic challenges. Under her leadership, Long Beach has been consistently recognized as a Top 10 Digital City by the Center for Digital Government, ranking as the top digital city for the past five years in its population category. Lea was nationally recognized as a Top 25 Doer, Dreamer and Driver in Government Technology in 2022 and was also named the 2024 SoCalCIO ORBIE winner in the Large Enterprise category.
With over 25 years of professional experience in local government, spanning budgeting, finance, technology and project management, Lea also brings over 15 years of non-profit board and committee leadership experience. She currently serves as the Vice Chair for Innovate@UCLA and the Treasurer for the Southern California Society of Information Management. Lea frequently speaks at regional and national events on leadership, innovation, digital inclusion and future-ready cities.

Rob Lloyd

Chief Technology Officer, City of Seattle, WA

Rob Lloyd is the Chief Technology Officer for the City of Seattle, where he leads a 630-person organization and manages a $300 million technology portfolio supporting 816,000 residents and a 14,000-person workforce in the largest city in the nation’s Northwest. The City’s IT mission: unleashing the brilliance of Seattle in service to community.
With more than 20 years of C-suite leadership experience in the government, utilities, and technology across Washington, California, Arizona, Oregon and Colorado, Rob previously served as Deputy City Manager for Transportation, Aviation and Technology for the nation’s 12th largest city in the heart of Silicon Valley. His work has advanced AI adoption, public-private partnerships, procurement modernization and pioneered omnichannel 311. Teams under his leadership have earned more than 50 national honors. He has been recognized as an AI 50 leader, Governing Magazine’s Public Official of the Year, GovTech Doers, Dreamers, and Drivers (twice), ORBIE CIO of the Year (twice) and LocalSmart City Executive of the Year (four times).

Richard McHattie

Chief Information Officer, Maricopa County, AZ

Richard McHattie is CIO for Maricopa County, AZ – the fourth largest county in the country – supporting technology and innovation for over 50 county departments. He has over 20 years of experience in technology in the public sector and has been recognized nationally for his focus on innovation, including a Futuredge50 Award, GovX Future Ready Award, ORBIE Finalist for Public Sector and GoldenGov County Executive of the Year 2020 and 2024.

Tony O’Neill

Chief Information Security Officer and Chief Risk Officer for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Tony O’Neill is Chief Information Security Officer and Chief Risk Officer for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. As the state’s lead IT office, the executive team is responsible for planning, development, communications and implementation of technology leadership across the Commonwealth to enhance the quality of public service and foster positive community outcomes. Tony draws upon his experience as an antitrust lawyer and business executive when developing strategies for resolving complex security problems through effective storytelling. On an ongoing basis, he provides operational risk management for value creation and protection and serves as an advisor for organizational governance and leadership.

Robert “Bob” Osmond

Chief Information Officer, Virginia Information Technology Agency (VITA)

Robert “Bob” Osmond was appointed CIO of the Commonwealth by Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin in April 2022. As CIO, he leads the Virginia Information Technologies Agency (VITA) whose responsibilities include: Protection of the Commonwealth’s information security programs; Operation of the IT infrastructure for the in-scope executive branch agencies; Governance of IT investments; and Procurement of technology for VITA and on behalf of other state agencies and institutions.
Prior to his appointment, Bob was the Chief of Technology and Business Strategy for the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) where he led divisions responsible for information technology, process improvement and strategic innovation. Prior to joining the Commonwealth, Bob was a Partner for IBM Global Business Services where he led various national and global organizations responsible for application development, organizational change management and human capital management. Bob volunteers as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) for the Forest View Rescue Squad and is certified by the National Registry of EMTs and licensed by the Virginia Department of Health.
Bob has provided lifelong pubic service. He has lectured on business management consulting at the George Washington School of Business; served as President for the Maryland Chapter of the American Society of Training and Development; and co-founded the Quantum Career Consulting organization that helps the Citizens of Virginia find new workforce opportunities. His work has been featured and published by Gartner, StateScoop, GovTech and The CEO Magazine. Bob is a member of the Academy of Distinguished Alumni from the Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Virginia Tech; a Government Fellow for Public Sector Network’s Future Government Institute; and has been recognized by StateScoop as a State Executive of the Year (2023 and 2025) and GovTech as a Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers (2025). Bob obtained his BS (1993) and MS (1995) Degrees in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Virginia Tech and is a graduate of the Virginia Executive Institute from the Virginia Commonwealth University.

Brandon Ragle

State Chief Information Officer and Secretary, Department of Innovation and Technology, State of Illinois

Brandon Ragle is the State Chief Information Officer and the Secretary for the Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology (DoIT). Appointed in April 2025, he leads the State’s enterprise technology strategy, cybersecurity posture, and delivery of modern digital services that support state agencies, citizens and businesses.
With more than 30 years of service in Illinois state government, Brandon is a seasoned technology executive with experience across Corrections, Financial and Professional Regulation, Insurance and DoIT. Over the past two decades, he has focused on modernizing large-scale systems, strengthening enterprise governance and using technology to drive efficiency, resilience, and public value.
Prior to his appointment as Secretary, Brandon served as Deputy Secretary and Deputy State CIO, as well as Chief of Enterprise Applications, where he led major digital transformation initiatives and enterprise platforms critical to statewide operations.

Shawnzia A. Thomas

Chief Information Officer, State of Georgia and Executive Director, Georgia Technology Authority

Shawnzia A. Thomas has dedicated over 15 years to integrating technology across various sectors of state government to enhance services for Georgians. She serves as the Chief Information Officer of the State of Georgia and as the Executive Director of the Georgia Technology Authority.
Shawnzia’s previous roles include Assistant Deputy Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Human Services, Executive Director of the Georgia Commission on Equal Opportunity and Director of the Georgia Secretary of State Corporations Division.
A native of Macon, GA, Shawnzia holds a bachelor’s degree from Middle Tennessee State University and a Master's in Public Administration from the University of West Georgia. She is actively involved in leadership governance roles at the state and national levels, serving on the Georgia Commission on Equal Opportunity Advisory Board and as a member of the Executive Committee for the National Association of State CIOs (NASCIO).
Shawnzia was recognized on the Atlanta Business League's list of Top 100 Women of Influence in 2021 and received the 2022 and 2024 GoldenGov: State Executive of the Year award from StateScoop, the 2025 Outstanding Achievement Award from Becoming Everything You Are (BEYA), and was recently named Government Technology's Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers of 2025.

Wednesday, February 18
6:00 pm Eastern	Opening Reception

Thursday, February 19
8:00 am Eastern	Registration / Continental Breakfast
8:30 am Eastern	Welcome and Introductions Phil Bertolini, Chief Delivery Officer, e.Republic Teri Takai, Chief Programs Officer, e.Republic
8:40 am Eastern	CEO Update Cathilea Robinett, Chief Executive Officer, e.Republic
9:00 am Eastern	What’s Next in Government Budgets This informative session will dig into the future of government budgets and the evolving technology landscape for 2026. Drawing from e.Republic’s extensive research, the session will examine state and local technology priorities, budget forecasts and technology spending across six key verticals – Health and Human Services; Finance and Administration; Justice and Public Safety; Transportation; Utilities and Environment; and Housing. It will provide insights into how budget increases and federal funding are being allocated – and how your company can take advantage of it! Joe Morris, Chief Innovation Officer, e.Republic
9:30 am Eastern	City Government Challenges City government CIOs are on the front line providing services that constituents see first. CIOs from city governments will discuss the latest technology issues impacting their organizations. Often, there are no easy answers, but the discussion always bears food for thought. This session will be no different. As city governments drive civic innovation, the CIO must become a leader to drive innovative and creative business solutions to meet constituent expectations. Moderator: Phil Bertolini, Chief Delivery Officer, e.Republic Scott Conn, Chief Information Officer, City of Mesa, AZ Lea D. Eriksen, Director / Chief Information Officer, Technology and Innovation, City of Long Beach, CA Santiago “Santi” Garces, MA, Chief Innovation Officer, City of Boston Rob Lloyd, Chief Technology Officer, City of Seattle, WA Stephen N. Miller, Chief Technology Officer, Office of the Chief Technology Officer, Government of the District of Columbia
10:15 am Eastern	Break
10:30 am Eastern	Cybersecurity Collaboration – What Is Working Across Government? Cybersecurity continues to top every priority list – whether state, city or county. With new funding sources, the ability to develop a whole-of-state approach is becoming a reality. But the technology landscape is changing – AI is helping and challenging the cybersecurity architectures and threat landscape. The buzzwords and accompanying technologies make it hard to keep up. This session will explore how state, city and county CISOs are navigating the future. Moderator: Teri Takai, Chief Programs Officer, e.Republic Bob Branch, Chief Information Security Officer, Information Technology, City of Virginia Beach, VA Tony O’Neill, Chief Information Security Officer and Chief Risk Officer, Executive Office of Technology Services and Security, Commonwealth of Massachusetts Donlen Ruffin, Assistant Director and Chief Information Security Officer, IT Solutions, City of Fort Worth, TX
11:15 am Eastern	Break
11:30 am Eastern	SLEDie Awards: Marketing and Communication Industry Excellence Awards for SLED We are pleased to present our industry marketing awards program to recognize leading state and local marketing campaigns and best practices. This program surfaces the most innovative and top-performing public sector marketing campaigns across all e.Republic channels. Hosts Heidi Lorenzen, Chief Content Officer, e.Republic Angela Fultz Nordstrom, Vice President of Customer Success, e.Republic
12:00 pm Eastern	Lunch
1:00 pm Eastern	Proven Best Practices for Successful Sales and Marketing to State and Local Government This session will put into practical context the discussion of the day and reveal actionable findings from the Center for Digital Government’s 2026 Government Contractors Report – to help you best positional your sales and marketing for success in the year ahead. Rachel Eckert, Director of Market Intelligence, e.Republic Heidi Lorenzen, Chief Content Officer, e.Republic
1:30 pm Eastern	County Government Challenges County governments have the challenge of working collaboratively with both cities and the state. The services they provide vary from county to county, but the issues and challenges remain the same. CIOs from county governments will discuss the latest technology issues impacting their organizations. As county governments continue to drive forward with innovative and creative solutions, the CIOs must be prepared to meet ever-changing constituent expectations. Moderator: Phil Bertolini, Chief Delivery Officer, e.Republic Jonathan Feldman, Chief Information Officer, Information Technology Services Department, Wake County, NC Richard McHattie, Chief Information Officer, Maricopa County, AZ Gail Roper, MD, Chief Information Officer and Department Director, Technology and Enterprise Business Solutions, Montgomery County Government
2:15 pm Eastern	Break
2:30 pm Eastern	The Mind of the State CIO CIOs from state governments will discuss relationships, technology budgeting and funding as they navigate the fast pace of technology. They will focus on how to work with funding bodies like legislatures and commissions, as well as the relationships that must be built for success. With increased budgets, federal funding, expanded expectations and the staffing shortage, CIOs are driving forward to a digital future for their states. Moderator: Teri Takai, Chief Programs Officer, e.Republic Robert (Bob) Osmond, Chief Information Officer, Virginia Information Technology Agency (VITA) Brandon Ragle, State Chief Information Officer and Secretary, Department of Innovation and Technology, State of Illinois Shawnzia A. Thomas, Chief Information Officer, State of Georgia and Executive Director, Georgia Technology Authority
3:15 pm Eastern	Break
3:30 pm Eastern	What You Always Wanted to Know To wrap up the day, speakers from the city, county and state panels will engage in a question-and-answer session to provide you an opportunity to gain valuable insights that were not covered in the earlier discussions. You can submit questions throughout the day. It will be a fun and interactive opportunity to hear from the technology leaders. Moderators Phil Bertolini, Chief Delivery Officer, e.Republic Teri Takai, Chief Programs Officer, Center for Digital Government
4:15 pm Eastern	Wrap Up Phil Bertolini, Chief Delivery Officer, e.Republic Teri Takai, Chief Programs Officer, e.Republic
4:30 pm Eastern	Closing Reception Participants will have a unique opportunity to network with industry colleagues and panelists.
5:00 pm Eastern	Adjourn Conference times, agenda and speakers are subject to change.

The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner

1700 Tysons Boulevard
McLean, VA 22102
703.506.4300

Get Directions To
The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner

Made Possible by Our Corporate Sponsors

Registration Information / Contact Us

Event Date: February 18 and 19, 2026

Open to Public and Private Sector.

Industry Registration Fee per person: $645
Early Bird Discount: $100 off if you register by January 19, 2026
Government Registration Rate: $95

Registration by credit card only; no billing.

This event is open to all individuals who meet the eligibility criteria, without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, age, disability, or any other protected class. We are committed to fostering an inclusive and welcoming environment for all participants.

Contact Information

Need help registering, or have general event questions? Contact:

Brad Loebs
Center for Digital Government
A division of e.Republic
Phone: (916) 932-1409
E-mail: bloebs@erepublic.com

Already a sponsor, but need a hand? Reach out to:

Mireya Gaton
Center for Digital Government
A division of e.Republic
Phone: (916) 296-2617
E-Mail: mgaton@erepublic.com

Want to sponsor and stand out? Reach out to explore opportunities!

Heather Earney
Center for Digital Government
A division of e.Republic
Phone: (916) 365-2308
E-mail: heather.earney@erepublic.com

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Beyond the Beltway 2026

Overview

A message from our Keynote Speaker

Speakers

Bob Branch

Chief Information Security Officer, Information Technology, City of Virginia Beach, VA

Scott Conn

Chief Information Officer, City of Mesa, AZ

Lea Eriksen

Director of Technology and Innovation/Chief Information Officer, City of Long Beach, CA

Rob Lloyd

Chief Technology Officer, City of Seattle, WA

Richard McHattie

Chief Information Officer, Maricopa County, AZ

Tony O’Neill

Chief Information Security Officer and Chief Risk Officer for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Robert “Bob” Osmond

Chief Information Officer, Virginia Information Technology Agency (VITA)

Brandon Ragle

State Chief Information Officer and Secretary, Department of Innovation and Technology, State of Illinois

Shawnzia A. Thomas

Chief Information Officer, State of Georgia and Executive Director, Georgia Technology Authority

Agenda

Wednesday, February 18

6:00 pm Eastern

Opening Reception

Thursday, February 19

8:00 am Eastern

Registration / Continental Breakfast

8:30 am Eastern

Welcome and Introductions

8:40 am Eastern

CEO Update

9:00 am Eastern

What’s Next in Government Budgets

9:30 am Eastern

City Government Challenges

10:15 am Eastern

Break

10:30 am Eastern

Cybersecurity Collaboration – What Is Working Across Government?

11:15 am Eastern

Break

11:30 am Eastern

SLEDie Awards: Marketing and Communication Industry Excellence Awards for SLED

12:00 pm Eastern

Lunch

1:00 pm Eastern

Proven Best Practices for Successful Sales and Marketing to State and Local Government

1:30 pm Eastern

County Government Challenges

2:15 pm Eastern

Break

2:30 pm Eastern

The Mind of the State CIO

3:15 pm Eastern

Break

3:30 pm Eastern

What You Always Wanted to Know

4:15 pm Eastern

Wrap Up

4:30 pm Eastern

Closing Reception

5:00 pm Eastern

Adjourn

The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner

Made Possible by Our Corporate Sponsors

Registration Information / Contact Us

Event Date: February 18 and 19, 2026

Contact Information

Venue

The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner

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