Carlos Aiken is a dynamic executive with more than three decades of information technology (IT) experience in the public and private sectors. He presently serves as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO)-Deputy Director for the City of Virginia Beach. Carlos’ strategic leadership abilities have catapulted him to a top post within the City’s Information Technology Department. As CTO-Deputy Director, Carlos is responsible for IT business operations, service quality, and operational effectiveness. He oversees Infrastructure and Operations; Strategy, Architecture and Planning; Solutions and Service Delivery; and Service and Portfolio Management. Carlos directs architecture guidance, policies and procedures, framework use, training, configuration management, and standards across the enterprise. His efforts reduce risk, cost, and duplication while enabling reusability and strengthening stakeholder alignment.
Carlos has gained extensive industry knowledge from his tenure in a range of positions which include systems engineer; senior technical support analyst; network administrator; infrastructure support manager; senior GIS coordinator; business applications manager; systems development coordinator; and chief strategy officer. He acquired a compelling skillset in system architecture and design, systems reengineering, network support, project management, business analysis, help desk functions, team leadership, training, and governance. Carlos’ passion for continuous improvement and lifelong learning have prepared him to thrive at the helm of high-performance organizations.
Some of Carlos’ most notable accomplishments include overseeing the data center migration and colocation site for the City of Virginia Beach as well as data center buildouts for the City of Chesapeake and the City of Boynton Beach. Such achievements exemplify Carlos’ consistent pursuit of opportunities to increase resiliency and operational efficiency, especially from the lens of business continuity and disaster recovery. He continues to explore and introduce emerging technologies that can create competitive advantage and enable transformational business models.
Carlos is currently focused on smart city and digital equity initiatives to ensure high-speed broadband in underserved communities, expand public Wi-Fi access, and extend fiber via smart poles to help close the digital divide. He views these efforts and the teams leading them as vital for success in today’s digital economy.
Carlos proudly served in the U.S. Army as a combat telecommunications operator and systems programmer and held a top-secret security clearance. He earned undergraduate degrees in Business Management and Business Administration. Carlos enjoys coaching, playing basketball and football, and spending quality time with his family.

Phil Bertolini is a senior vice president for Government Technology, the premiere event and thought leadership content provider for state and local government technology professionals. Previously, he served as deputy county executive and CIO for Oakland County, Michigan. During his 31-year tenure, Phil built a world-class IT organization in the second-largest county in Michigan, just north of Detroit. As Oakland County CIO, he oversaw more than 150 employees serving over 1.2 million residents. In 2005, he was also promoted to deputy county executive, holding dual positions until his retirement. Phil’s efforts earned the county national attention, winning numerous awards for technology innovation and excellence. He was named Governing Magazine’s Public Official of the Year and Government Technology Magazine’s Top 25 Doers, Dreamers & Drivers. He was also honored by the President Obama White House as a Champion of Change.

Tiffany Blair is a Principal Digital Strategist and Industry Advisory at Salesforce supporting State and Local government customers. For the last four years, as part of the Salesforce Government Digital Transformation team, she has worked with agencies and programs to set their strategic vision and roadmap as they undertake complex technology transformation efforts. She has been working with government for over 20 years, having started her career as a Medicaid analyst for New York State, then transitioning to transforming government with CRM and Cloud technology with companies including IBM, Oracle, Pegasystems, and Salesforce.

David Clark proudly served in the U.S. Air Force for 10 years and is currently the Information System Security Technician for the City of Roanoke. He oversees most aspects of the Cybersecurity Program including Security Awareness and Training, Incident Response, Governance and Compliance, and Audits and Assessments. David has 8 years of IT experience with 4 years of dedicated cybersecurity work. He also has a master’s degree in Cybersecurity Management and Policy from the University of Maryland and has obtained the Security+ and Certified Information System Auditor (CISA) certifications.

Barry has worked in the IT field for over 37 years holding a wide range of technology leadership positions in the public and private sectors and was most recently the CIO for Chesterfield County, Virginia where he pursues initiatives based on digital transformation, open government, and citizen centricity. Under his leadership Chesterfield County Va was four times recognized as the #1 digital county in the USA. Barry holds a masters degree in public leadership with a minor in economics from Virginia State University and a bachelors degree in computer science from DeVry University. He has been adjunct faculty for Virginia Commonwealth University and is currently adjunct faculty for the Public Technology Institute in the certified government CIO program. Barry has been an active NACo contributor, a gubernatorial appointee to the Virginia elections security standards workgroup and a two-time president of the Virginia Local Government IT Executives (VALGITE) organization. He is a certified government CIO (CGCIO), a certified information security manager (CISM) and a national top 25 Doer, Dreamer & Driver. He likes to teach, research technology, write code and blog about technology leadership from his home in Moseley, Virginia.

Dr. Matthew Paul Cowley serves as the Associate Vice Provost for Virginia Tech’s Career and Professional Development, the university’s central career center serving all students and helping connect the employer community to great talent. Matthew began his career in higher education and career services at Auburn University, working as a graduate assistant in the College of Business’s Office of Professional and Career Development. Since then, Matthew has been privileged to serve in several positions in the University of Florida’s Career Connections Center and as the director of Old Dominion University’s Career Development Services unit. Matthew is driven by the opportunity to provide positive postsecondary outcomes for all students with a focus on producing equity and justice, developing strategic partnerships, and executing innovative initiatives.

Jaime Lees (she/her/hers) is the Chief Data Officer in Arlington County, Virginia, serving in this role since 2019. She is responsible for ethically and innovatively leveraging the County’s data assets, with particular focus on data stewardship and constituent and employee re-use of administrative data for the public good. Jaime is responsible for the County’s data analytics, open data and data privacy programs. Jaime has also served in IT leadership roles for non-profit organizations, the National Academy of Sciences and the American Geophysical Union. Jaime is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and graduate of NYU’s GovLab Executive Course on Data Stewardship, and also serves on the governing bodies of the Mid-Atlantic StatNet and DC Evanta CDO Community. Jaime relentlessly pursues business value through the effective harnessing of data to inform and guide decision-making, planning and performance management. She believes in the democratization of data to inform policies and practices that serve all equitably. When not data-ing, Jaime may be found outdoors or with her nose in a book.

Ken is a security and finance industry veteran, formerly serving as VP and Managing Director of Data Protection and Governance at OneMain Financial. Prior to OneMain, he served as Chief Security Officer for TechDemocracy LLC, MFS Investments, and before served as CISO for Pioneer Global Asset Management SpA (Including Pioneer Investments and all operating subsidiaries in 26 countries).
Ken’s Information Technology and Security experience spans over three decades, with strategic, technical, and executive experience at companies such as Microsoft, Dell, Capital IQ, Miradiant Global Network, Avaya, and Merrill Lynch. Ken coauthored Microsoft's “Best Practices for Enterprise Security” white papers and participated on the Information Systems Security Association's International Privacy Advisory Board covering the initial implementation of GLBA. He reported on security risks and performed vulnerability analysis for Windows IT Pro Magazine’s “Security Administrator” publication for four years, and has been a contributing expert for Information Security, CIO and CSO Magazines, and is a Distinguished Fellow of the Ponemon Institute.

John Savage serves as the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Infrastructure and Security Services for the 23 Virginia Community Colleges.  During his 41 years in the Information Technology field, 30 of which have been spent in support of K12 and Higher Education, he has been an innovator in new and emerging technologies as well as a leader in implementing IT security programs and solutions.  He holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the College of William and Mary and a Master of Science in Engineering Management from The George Washington University.

Suresh Soundararajan is a Transformation Strategist that leverages technology with a passion for Strategic Transformation initiatives that aligns with the Organization Objectives effectively with focus on process, business model and cultural transformation.
Suresh specializes in Public Sector Innovation, Journey Orchestration through human centered experience and digital transformation and has 28 years of experience leading and managing multiple programs including extensive public health experience.
As the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for Suresh provides Strategic Vision, planning and guidance to the agency leadership and ensures the Technology, Data and Security delivers outcomes that support VDH goals.
Suresh has been the CIO of VDH since 2019 and in the public health space for over 15 years and acted in different roles. He has won Agency Star awards in 2010 and 2017 and was recognized as a VDH Public Health Hero in 2011. For 13 prior years, he has consulted for both Government and Private Sector clients. He is described in general as an innovative and inspirational leader maximizing team’s performance through empowering and supporting inventive ideas from conception to implementation, focusing on service delivery using strategic and cost-effective technology and data solutions goals.
Suresh led efforts to implement a variety of innovative and collaborative solutions to address COVID-19 pandemic containment and vaccination efforts and was awarded Govtech’s Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers for 2022, and his teams won Government Project Experience award for 2022. He was also a recipient of other Governor’s Technology Awards through the years. He is also a frequent speaker and strategic advisor on Public Sector/Government Innovations and on CIO Forums. He has been coaching youth baseball for 15 years and also a Henrico County Appointed Board of Directors for the Economic Development Authority.

Igor Steinberg is Data, Analytics, and AI Sales Specialist at Google Public Sector. In this capacity, Igor is dedicated to assisting Google Public Sector customers in harnessing the potential of data, analytics, and artificial intelligence to drive innovation and achieve tangible value from their investments in these technologies.
Previously, Igor has served as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) at the State of Wisconsin Department of Justice where he successfully led a multi-year IT modernization initiative, and at Madison College, where he led multiple initiatives to improve student experience by effectively leveraging technology in support of teaching and learning.
Igor's passion for leveraging technology to improve public services is evident in his work and personal mission. He firmly believes in the transformative power of data, analytics, and AI to address complex societal challenges and enhance the quality of life for citizens. Igor is committed to partnering with public sector organizations to identify and implement innovative solutions that deliver positive and measurable impacts on the communities they serve.
Igor brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to his role at Google Public Sector. His deep understanding of technology, combined with his hands-on experience in both the public and private sectors, enables him to provide tailored and insightful advice to his customers. Igor holds a Ph.D. in Computer Sciences from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Melinda has 24 years of progressive experience in IT; including recent roles as Acting Chief Operating Officer, Executive Director of IT at VITA and Office of the Governor, Digital Innovation & Technology Director. Private and public experience in IT including roles at VITA with previous state IT roles at the Department of Motor Vehicles and the State Corporation Commission. Extensive background in project management, website and application development as well as enterprise solutions. Melinda is an enthusiastic leader who strongly believes in building “positive” success orientated teams. Melinda has a Master of Science, Management of Information Technology from the University of Virginia, as well has attended the Virginia Executive Institute (VEI) and is a VITA Executive Leadership Development Program Graduate. In her down time, Melinda enjoys traveling with her husband, helping rescue animals and loves a good mystery novel.

Marcus Thornton serves as the Deputy Chief Data Officer (CDO) for the Commonwealth and is from Danville, Virginia. He has worked in software engineering for the last 20 years. Before becoming the Deputy CDO, he worked for a data company that specializes in the collection of retail pricing data across all of North America. As the Deputy CDO, he serves as the Chief Operating Officer to the Chief Data Officer and the CDO’s technical adviser. He creates new partnerships between the Office of Data Governance and Analytics and Commonwealth agencies and shows them how sharing data across the Commonwealth can be leveraged to make more informed decisions and increase their own efficiencies.

Gerrit VanVoorhees is an experienced IT and technology management professional with over 28 years of leadership experience. Currently serving as the Director of Information Technology for the City of Petersburg, VA, Gerrit has a proven track record of effectively managing technology across various sectors including local government and K12 education.
A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, Gerrit holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics with minors in Mathematics and Philosophy. His technical proficiency spans a wide range of applications and operating systems.  Gerrit's current interests are AI in Big Data, and data privacy.

Tom has over 25 years of experience in the I.T. space as it relates to local government, the last 10 years of which have been in various focused supervisory and management roles.  He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Master’s degree in Cyber Security, is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), and is an active member of VALGITE (Virginia Local Government Information Technology Executives), where he serves as the co-coordinator for VALGITE’s Region 3

Timothy Wyatt, Director of Information Technology, is responsible for the oversight and direction of the IT Department and technology throughout the York County Government. And he is also VaLGITE President. Mr. Wyatt began working for York County in 1999. He received a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Old Dominion University and is a Certified Government Chief Information Officer through CompTIA. Additionally, he has a graduate certificate in Local Government Management from Virginia Tech and has obtained dozens of Microsoft, Cisco, and other industry recognized certifications. Through his leadership, York County has been ranked in the top 10 digital counties nationally by digital government for the last 7 years.