Registration and Morning Refreshments

Welcome

Mike Watson, Chief Information Officer, Virginia Information Technologies Agency, Commonwealth of Virginia

Keynote – The Future of AI

How can your organization harness the power of artificial intelligence without sacrificing ethics, trust, or long-term value? Together we will explore how industries are evolving with generative and applied AI while spotlighting real-world case studies that move beyond the hype. Founder and Chief AI Officer at AI Leadership Institute, Noelle Russell, offers a clear, actionable framework to scale AI responsibly, mitigating bias, protecting privacy, and fostering innovation that complements human ingenuity. Discover how to translate excitement into execution and ensure your AI investments drive meaningful, sustainable growth.

Noelle Russell, Leading AI Innovator and Practitioner, Founder and Chief AI Officer at AI Leadership Institute

Sponsored by: EY, Everforth Apex, Gartner, and Wize Solutions, LLC

Networking Break

Refuel and reconnect over premium refreshments courtesy of Recharge Break Sponsors: AIS Network, Atos, DSI Tech

Concurrent Sessions

AI Without the Fear

Plenty of state and local staff across the Commonwealth still see AI as a threat to their jobs rather than a tool that makes them better. This session meets those employees where they are and walks through how agencies have moved people from tech-averse to confident daily users. Panelists share practical roadshow tactics, early wins that build trust, and honest talk about what AI can and cannot do. The goal is to replace fear with a realistic sense of what is possible. By the end, adoption looks less like a leap of faith and more like a series of manageable steps.

Enterprise in a Box: The Art of the Possible in Government

Modern government technology works best when it is integrated rather than stitched together from disconnected point solutions. This session shows what an AI-enabled, modern stack can actually do for an agency, turning scattered tools into a cohesive platform that staff will use. Using real deployments, presenters connect infrastructure, data, and applications so the art of the possible feels concrete instead of abstract. Virginia's shared-services approach makes this especially relevant for smaller localities that cannot build everything themselves. Come see how far a single, well-designed platform can carry an agency that assumed it was too small to keep up.

Secure by Design in a Third-Party World

Most breaches still trace back to fundamentals that were skipped, not exotic new attack methods. This session returns to secure-by-design principles: strong access controls, multifactor authentication, and disciplined review of every third-party connection. Panelists discuss how agencies across the Commonwealth can hold vendors to a higher standard when so much risk now lives outside their own walls. Special attention goes to localities that inherit third-party patches and have less control over their supply chain than the state does. The message is simple: master the fundamentals, and most of the scary headlines stop applying to you.

Data Classification 101

Many organizations use the words sensitive and confidential interchangeably, and that ambiguity creates real risk. This session defines the terms, walks through a working classification methodology, and assigns the roles needed to keep it running. Presenters connect classification directly to Virginia FOIA obligations and to how records should be labeled before a request ever arrives. Because many Virginia localities have no classification model in place at all, the focus stays practical and achievable rather than theoretical. Walk out with a starter framework simple enough to put in front of your team next week.

The Human Experience of Government: Accessibility, Digital Humans, and Feedback Loops

Government services only matter if the people who need them can actually use them. This session looks at accessibility, translation, and responsive feedback loops that close the gap between a constituent request and a resolved issue. Presenters share examples ranging from digital humans in community spaces to simple reporting tools for everyday problems like potholes. Virginia's health and human services agencies bring a boots-on-the-ground view of serving residents who are not tech-savvy and cannot be left behind. The result is a design mindset that starts with the resident and works backward to the org chart.

Lunch

General Session

General Session

Short Break

Please proceed to the concurrent sessions.

Concurrent Sessions

Governing AI Without Slowing It Down

Effective AI governance is not just an IT project because it also reaches into HR, budget, and procurement. This session shows how agencies are standing up cross-functional governance teams that set guardrails without smothering useful experimentation. Panelists cover the role of internal AI champions and the emerging jobs, such as agent monitors, that keep a human meaningfully in the loop. Virginia's centralized IT model offers a useful backdrop for discussing where statewide policy ends and agency discretion begins. Expect a practical blueprint you can hand to leadership without commissioning a six-month study first.

How Do You Evaluate Risk in 2026?

The window to patch a known vulnerability keeps shrinking, and much of the exposure now sits in software agencies did not write. This session tackles how to evaluate risk in 2026 when your supply chain is only as strong as its least careful vendor. Panelists discuss practical ways to assess third-party risk, prioritize patches, and mitigate what you cannot fully control. Localities across the Commonwealth that rely heavily on outside providers will find frank guidance on where to focus limited staff. You will leave with a sharper way to decide what actually deserves your limited attention.

Data You Can Actually Trust

Open data portals taught government how to share information, and the next step is building that same discipline inside the organization. This session covers data architecture, safe frameworks, and the design choices that let an agency own and trust its own data. The Library of Virginia brings perspective on why records management and data stewardship have become a genuine priority rather than a back-office afterthought. Presenters connect these choices to Virginia FOIA and to the growing demands that AI places on well-structured data. The through-line is clear: trustworthy data is architected on purpose, never inherited by accident.

AI on the Front Lines: Public Safety, Real-Time Crime, and Privacy

AI is changing how public safety agencies see, staff, and respond, and it is raising hard questions at the same time. This session examines real-world uses such as video analysis and real-time crime centers, including work underway in Roanoke. Panelists also look at how AI can supplement chronically understaffed correctional facilities without replacing human judgment. Running through it all is the tension between what the technology now makes possible and the privacy expectations of Virginia residents. It is an honest conversation about force multipliers and the guardrails Virginians will expect in return.

Executive Briefing for Industry Partners

Hosted by: Mike Watson, Chief Information Officer, Virginia Information Technologies Agency, Commonwealth of Virginia

Networking Break

Refuel and reconnect over premium refreshments courtesy of Recharge Break Sponsors: AIS Network, Atos, DSI Tech

General Session

Commonwealth Technology Awards

Networking Reception

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

End of Day One

Registration and Morning Refreshments

Welcome

Mike Watson, Chief Information Officer, Virginia Information Technologies Agency, Commonwealth of Virginia

Keynote – EMBRACE THE SHAKE: Transforming Limitations into Opportunities

Success, especially in today’s fast-changing business environment, depends on our ability to make creativity and innovation a continuous process. Leaders want to know how their teams can rise above any challenge and succeed no matter what comes their way. Whether the goal is to embrace change, overcome obstacles, sustain growth, or take your success to the next level, leaders and teams want to learn how to “Embrace the Shake.” The term “Embrace the Shake” is coined from artist Phil Hansen’s personal story of transformation. After developing a career-ending tremor in his drawing hand, Phil embraced his “shake” both physically and metaphorically by redefining his limitation as an impetus for creativity. Phil not only restored his artistic abilities, but he also became a much more creative and innovative artist than ever before. Phil’s powerful message of finding creativity within limitations will inspire you to stop looking outside and start looking within for the resources that can transform your challenges into opportunities for success.

Phil Hansen, Artist, Speaker, Author and Innovator

Sponsored by: EY, Everforth Apex, Gartner, and Wize Solutions, LLC

General Session

Networking Break

Refuel and reconnect over premium refreshments courtesy of Recharge Break Sponsors: AIS Network, Atos, DSI Tech

Concurrent Sessions

No AI Strategy Without a Data Strategy

There is no AI strategy without a data strategy, because the two are inseparable. This session makes the case that useful, trustworthy AI starts with data quality, governance, and security working together. Presenters show how agencies can align their data and AI roadmaps instead of treating them as separate initiatives that compete for budget. The discussion ties directly to the Commonwealth's broader push to modernize how public data is managed and protected. The point is blunt: fix the data first, and the AI mostly takes care of itself.

Post-Quantum in Plain Language: Preparing for the PQC Transition

Post-quantum cryptography sounds like a distant problem, but the timeline for preparing is already here. This session translates the White House directives and federal guidance into plain language and a realistic statewide plan. Panelists address the challenge of building a Commonwealth-wide approach across agencies and localities at very different levels of readiness. The emphasis is on explaining why the transition matters, using recent breaches to make an abstract threat feel concrete for leadership. Leaders leave with a plain-language answer to the only question that matters, which is why start now.

Application Modernization for Public Agencies

Aging applications quietly drain budgets, frustrate staff, and block the very AI and data work agencies want to pursue. This session lays out practical paths for modernizing legacy systems without disrupting the services residents rely on every day. Presenters cover how to sequence a modernization effort, manage risk, and make the case for funding to skeptical decision-makers. Agencies across the Commonwealth carry decades of technical debt, so the focus stays on realistic, phased approaches rather than rip-and-replace fantasies. The payoff is a way to decide what to fix first when you cannot fix everything at once.

What Happens If We Do Nothing?

Good technology work fails when no one can explain its value to the people who fund it. This session helps IT leaders tell a story that resonates with executives, elected officials, and residents alike. Panelists share how to frame technology as a business enabler and how to answer the sharpest question of all: what happens if we do nothing? One presenter walks through taking that message on the road, including a roadshow done alongside a mayor. Bring your hardest project, and leave with a way to pitch it that finally lands.

Lunch

General Session

Short Break

Please proceed to the concurrent sessions.

Concurrent Sessions

Upskilling for the AI Era

The AI era rewards organizations that invest in their people, not just their tools. This session focuses on building real upskilling pathways that move employees from cautious to capable across every generation on the team. Presenters share tactics like time-use audits that reveal where staff lose hours and where training pays off fastest. With a wave of retirements reshaping the Commonwealth's workforce, the session also weighs how AI skills should factor into the hiring profile. The goal is a workforce you grow deliberately instead of scrambling to replace.

Fighting Fraud with AI and Identity Proofing

Fraud against public programs is growing more sophisticated, and so are the tools to stop it. This session shows how agencies use AI to detect fraud and verify identity at the moment service is delivered. Identity proofing sits at the center of the conversation as the hinge between preventing fraud and managing legitimate access. Presenters look at how benefits and services programs across the Commonwealth can protect residents without turning every interaction into an obstacle course. You will know exactly where identity proofing plugs into your fraud and access playbook.

Whole-of-State Security: Aligning Local, State, and Federal

Attackers do not respect the boundaries between a state agency, a county, and a small town, so defense cannot either. This session explores a whole-of-state approach that aligns local, state, and federal partners around shared threat intelligence and common standards. Panelists discuss how localities identify threat vectors and where Virginia's centralized IT model can lift up under-resourced jurisdictions. The framing stays blunt, because the real measure is not speed or convenience but what happens if you do nothing. The closing thought is that no jurisdiction defends this alone, and none should have to.

End of Conference

Conference times, agenda, and speakers are subject to change.