Thomas Appelbaum, JD, MBA, serves as the Information Technology Director for St. Louis County, Missouri, the state’s largest political subdivision. He leads initiatives to modernize and secure technology infrastructure, driving digital transformation across government operations. Tom’s diverse background spans technology leadership in mining, healthcare, finance and telecommunications.
After earning his law degree, he founded a financial technology company focused on renewable energy and efficiency investments, gaining deep insight into government frameworks. His expertise in legal, business and technology strategy led to his appointment to deploy an enterprise solution for public information requests, paving the way for his current role. Tom holds a JD and MBA and has been with St. Louis County for six years, where he champions innovation and collaboration to enhance public services.

Liana Bailey-Crimmins was appointed State Chief Information Officer and Director of the California Department of Technology (CDT) by Governor Gavin Newsom in June 2022. As State CIO, she provides comprehensive strategic advice to the Governor on a wide range of technology issues, including best approaches to implement state technology-related strategic plans, policies, standards and enterprise architecture. It is her job to ensure California’s technology landscape is resilient, secure, and forward-thinking by optimizing IT operations, and integrating emerging technologies such as generative AI, cloud services and digital identity solutions. In addition to helping shape the state’s technology policies, she plays a central role in advising on funding needs to support key technology initiatives, ensuring that projects are not only innovative but also sustainable and scalable over time.
With over 30 years of state government technology experience, Liana has been instrumental in driving California’s digital transformation. Under her leadership as State CIO, California achieved its first “A” grade in the Center for Digital Government’s 2024 Digital States Survey. This biennial survey evaluates how effectively state governments leverage digital technologies to enhance service delivery, expand capabilities, and achieve policy objectives across all 50 states. Under her leadership, California has received numerous award honors for its public technology achievements, including several awarded by the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO).

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.

Bruce Coffing is an information security professional with over 25 years of industry experience in information technology and cyber security. He is the Chief Information Security Officer for the City of Chicago, IL. Prior to joining the City of Chicago, he held information security positions at Bank of America and at consulting firm Accenture. Bruce holds the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification and is a Qualified Technology Expert (QTE).
Bruce was a finalist for the 2023 ChicagoCIO ORBIE CISO of the Year Award and was a semi-finalist for the 2022 Chicago CISO of the Year Award.

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 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.

Jonathan Feldman is Chief Information Officer for Wake County, NC, home to Raleigh and Research Triangle Park. Wake County was recently recognized as the top digital county in the nation and is consistently recognized as a great place to work, live, play and learn.
Jonathan is an award-winning government CIO, speaker and writer and has been recognized for leading through emerging technology to make a positive impact on the communities he serves. He has been named County Executive of the Year multiple times by GoldenGov; Public CIO of the year by NC Tech; has been awarded a Frost & Sullivan CIO Impact Award; and has been included in Government Technology’s Top 25 Dreamers, Doers, and Drivers. He is frequently listed among top CIO and IT practitioners. Jonathan is widely acknowledged as a pioneer of cloud computing, digital transformation, and civic tech, with Forbes calling his efforts “IT done right.”
Jonathan’s success leading government technology led him to co-author Code for America’s book, “Beyond Transparency” with Tim O’Reilly and others. His column with InformationWeek magazine, which won an American Society of Business Publication Editors award, started many industry conversations about positive IT transformation. He has spoken all over the world about government technology, the future of work, data and performance, leadership and digital transformation. He is frequently quoted in the media about these topics. Jonathan is active on social media at jfeldman.bsky.social.

Alan Fuller was appointed Chief Information Officer for the state of Utah in March 2021. As CIO, he oversees all IT functions for executive branch agencies in Utah with the goal to improve innovation and improve government services through the use of technology. A resident of Lehi, Utah, Alan has a bachelor’s degree in economics from Brigham Young University and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

As a kid growing up in Bogotá, Colombia, Santiago Garces witnessed the near collapse of the national government and the general disillusionment of national politics, along with creative and unconventional approaches to solve issues at the local level. Those experiences developed a lifelong passion for making government more efficient and effective for citizens. Santi joined the City of Boston as Chief Innovation Officer to help push forward Mayor Michelle Wu’s vision of building a government that earns the trust of its people.
As CIO, Santi oversees the Department of Innovation and Technology (DoIT) and a team of nearly 150 employees. DoIT provides and maintains mission-critical technologies for the City’s more than 18,000 employees and hundreds of thousands of constituents.
In the last few decades, DoIT has been an enabler of progress in Boston. Santi’s goal is to create a new chapter in that history so that DoIT can continue to be an engine of transformation in the service of residents and employees. Through data science, statistics, and human-centered design, Santi will empower his staff to deliver more dignified experiences for residents and optimize the role of government. He also plans to leverage the City’s relationships with academia, local industries, and civic organizations to make sure big decisions reflect the many voices of Boston.

A seasoned cybersecurity executive and entrepreneurial dynamo with 18 years of rich experience, John Godfrey excels in delivering cutting-edge technology and information security strategies. He has a knack for transforming organizations through modern digital solutions, spurring business enablement and fostering talent elevation. His unique blend of action-oriented leadership and influential communication has consistently steered executives and boards through periods of organizational metamorphosis.
Demystifying complex technology and making it comprehensible is one of his key strengths. Known for his fervor and transformative leadership, John has spoken at numerous local and national conferences, moderated sessions, featured as a podcast guest and contributed articles to various magazines and publications.
Presently, John holds pivotal roles as a board member and advisor to boards of directors. He is actively engaged with the information security community, holding memberships in premier organizations like ISC2, ISSA, ISACA, InfraGard and more. His academic arsenal includes several industry certifications and he is pursuing a Doctorate in Cybersecurity with a focus on executive leadership.
Outside of work, he relishes time with family and friends, loves touring vineyards and enjoys traveling.

Collin Hill is the Chief Information Officer for the Information Services Agency (ISA), a division of the Consolidated City of Indianapolis-Marion County (City-County). As CIO, Collin ensures that more than 45 local government agencies and departments have access to secure information technology, which enables them to deliver reliable, user-friendly digital services to Indianapolis and Marion County residents, businesses and visitors.
Collin began serving as Chief Information Officer in January 2023, first as interim and officially appointed in February. He also served as ISA’s Chief Technology Officer after his promotion from Application Services Manager and held a trusted role during the technology planning and build-out phases of the Community Justice Campus.
Before joining the City-County, Collin worked in multiple roles with Indiana University – Indianapolis, IUPUI and private sector managed services and logistics companies. He has over 20 years’ experience in the IT industry and holds several certifications including CISSP, CISM and CDPSE.

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 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.

Chief Technology Officer, Office of the Chief Technology Officer, Washington, DC / DC Government

Stephen N. Miller serves as the sevent Chief Technology Officer for the District of Columbia, where he leads enterprise technology strategy, digital transformation and emerging technology initiatives for one of the nation's most digitally advanced municipal governments. With 24 years of experience as a software developer, technologist and operations manager in the public sector – including 17 years architecting solutions within DC Government – Stephen oversees the implementation and operation of enterprise platforms supporting collaboration, data management, process automation and organizational change across District agencies.
Stephen's work directly impacts residents' daily lives: streamlining business certification and licensing processes, ensuring timely payroll systems for government employees, creating economic opportunities for DC residents and powering school choice systems that place students in their preferred schools. His approach balances mission-critical service delivery with identifying IT budget efficiencies and process improvements across District operations.
As Task Force Lead of DC's Artificial Intelligence Task Force, Stephen directs the District's AI strategy and software development initiatives. Under his leadership, the Task Force received the inaugural AI 50 Award from the Center for Public Sector AI in 2025, recognizing its ethical, resident-focused approach to deploying production AI systems.

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 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 public 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 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.

Dru Rai was appointed New York State Chief Information Officer and Director of the Office of Information Technology Services. In this position, he is responsible for leading New York’s ongoing digital transformation, enhancing the state’s cyber posture to defend New York against evolving cyber threats and working with Executive Branch agencies to create digital interactions between state government and residents that are simple, seamless and straightforward.
A highly skilled leader with more than 30 years of experience in Digital Product Management, Information Technology and eCommerce, Dru most recently served as Chief Digital and Information Officer of Quaker Houghton Company.  He previously served as Global CIO for the Ball Corporation, DuPont Coatings and GE Advanced Material (a Division of GE) and began his career at Ernst & Young.
Dru also led and volunteered as CIO for Goodwill Industries International and the American Cancer Society, helping each organization set and execute their digital strategies, and make significant technology operational improvements. He earned an MBA from the University of Connecticut and a Bachelor of Technology from GB Pant University in India.

Gail M. Roper is a nationally recognized technology leader with an exceptional record of driving digital transformation across the public and private sectors. As Chief Information Officer for Montgomery County, MD, she champions digital equity, ensuring that innovative technology solutions enhance accessibility and community well-being. Gail has successfully led multimillion-dollar IT projects, forged strong partnerships and fostered collaboration between government and industry. Her career reflects a deep commitment to leveraging technology for the public good, emphasizing inclusivity and economic empowerment through digital initiatives. 
Previously, Gail served as CIO for the cities of Austin, TX, Raleigh, NC, and Kansas City, MO, and held a leadership role at Alphabet (Google) as Southeast Regional Expansion Manager. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business and technology from Rockhurst University and advanced certifications from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A decorated professional, speaker and National Academy Fellow, Gail continues to shape innovation in government technology. 

Donlen Ruffin is an Assistant IT Director for the City of Fort Worth and CISO, responsible for Cybersecurity, End User Experience and Radio Services (aka SER!).
Prior to joining the City of Fort Worth in 2020, Donlen served with Alcon Laboratories, Tandy Corporation, Levi Strauss and Co. and Photon Unlimited in a variety of senior management roles. He completed undergraduate studies at Dallas Baptist University and Executive MBA studies at Texas Christian University.
His breadth of IT experience across different industries (retail, healthcare, wholesale, finance, life sciences) provides unique insight for solving the business challenges of today. His passion is building and leading highly successful functional teams and has managed global teams spanning multiple countries across four continents.
Outside of work, Donlen enjoys family, music and acting.

Melissa Scott is the City of Philadelphia, PA’s Chief Information Officer, CIO. As CIO, Melissa holds a critical leadership role responsible for overseeing the city's information technology strategy, infrastructure and operations. She also ensures that technology initiatives align with Mayor Parkers’s goals and deliver effective, efficient, and secure services to residents, businesses and city departments.
Melissa is a lifelong public servant, highly experienced professional with a distinguished background in both the public and private sectors. Her diverse work experience has equipped her with the skills and knowledge needed to excel in her roles and make a significant impact on the organizations she has served.
In recent years, Melissa has led several groundbreaking initiatives within the City of Philadelphia's License & Inspections Department, revolutionizing how services are delivered to residents. Notably, she spearheaded the development of the L&I Virtual Inspection Application, a state-of-the-art platform that allows building regulation experts and inspectors to offer services virtually through remote inspection software, live-streaming videos, photos and custom inspection reports. This innovation is anticipated to boost L&I productivity by an impressive 80 percent.

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.