George Akiyama was appointed as the Chief Information Officer, for the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). In this position, he leads and provides oversight for the full range of Information Technology functions throughout Caltrans. Prior to working at Caltrans, Mr. Akiyama started his State career in 1995 and has held various positions including Application Development Manager, Enterprise Architect, IT Project Manager, Strategic Planning Manager and Chief Information Officer of the Financial Information System for California (FI$Cal) Project.
Mr. Akiyama holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and a Master of Business Administration from California State University, Sacramento.

Andrew started his career in private sector, where he worked for a variety of companies managing teams of software and system engineers. He entered state service in 1991. In 2001 he was appointed as the Deputy Secretary for BCSH and later GOVOPS Agencies. Andrew established the first office of eServices for the state of California. He served as the director of that office from September of 2006 to June of 2008 where he provided leadership on initiatives to enhance electronic service delivery on the State Portal.
After retiring from state service in June of 2020, he co-founded a startup IT consulting company (AnSurTech) to help public sector provide innovative services to people of California.
Andrew graduated from the California State University in Chico with a degree in electronics and computer science.

Halelly Azulay is an author, speaker, facilitator, and leadership development strategist and an expert in communication skills and emotional intelligence.
She is the author of two books, Employee Development on a Shoestring (ATD Press) and Strength to Strength: How Working from Your Strengths Can Help You Lead a More Fulfilling Life. Her books, workshops and workshops build on her 20+ years of professional experience in communication and leadership development in corporate, government, nonprofit and academic organizations.
Halelly is the president of TalentGrow LLC, a consulting company she founded in 2006 to develop leaders and teams, especially for enterprises experiencing explosive growth or expansion. TalentGrow specializes in people leadership skills, which include communication skills, teambuilding, coaching, and emotional intelligence. TalentGrow works with all organizational levels, including C-level leaders, frontline managers, and individual contributors.
Halelly is a sought-after speaker at conferences and meetings and is a contributing author to numerous books, articles and blogs. She recently published two popular LinkedIn Learning courses titled Leveraging Your Strengths and 10 Mistakes Leaders Should Avoid. Halelly blogs at www.talentgrow.com/blog, publishes a leadership podcast at www.talentgrow.com/podcast, and has a popular free biweekly subscription newsletter – sign up at www.tinyurl.com/talentgrow.

Liana Bailey-Crimmins was named Chief, Office of Technology Services (OTech) and Chief Technology Officer on March 9, 2021. She leads the State’s only general-purpose data center which delivers cost effective, optimized, and highly available technical services to 300+ customer departments.
She has served the public sector for 30+ years. Prior to her current role, Liana was recruited by CalPERS as their Chief Information Officer where she became known for her ability to lead a large and diverse cross-functional organization to meet CalPERS' technology needs through innovative solutions.
In 2017, she was named CalPERS Chief Health Director and under her leadership, CalPERS adopted a set of Health Care Beliefs, implemented its value-based insurance design and established the California regions that CalPERS uses today for its regional healthcare pricing. For the last few years, Liana has served CalPERS’ Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) ensuring that member data and technology systems were protected from internal and external threats.
Prior to CalPERS, she worked as the information technology director and CIO of California Correctional Health Care Services (CCHCS). In 2015, she was honored with the prestigious "CIO of the Year" award from the California CIO Academy. Other honors include recognition for her work on CCHCS' Telemedicine Program, which helped them win the 2012 Computerworld Honors Program Laureate Award, and the Best of California award in the Government Technology Digital Internal category in 2011.

Christine Blake is an IT Manager for the Center of Data Insights and Innovation (CDII) within the California Health and Human Services Agency (CalHHS). The CDII was established to advance CalHHS data initiatives and help turn data into insights, knowledge, and action. Christine has a background in Enterprise Architecture (EA), Project Management and Portfolio Management. Christine received her Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Southern University A&M in Baton Rouge, LA and her MBA from Strayer University in Atlanta, GA. Christine is the Product Owner of the CalHHS Equity Data Dashboard. The purpose of the Equity Data Dashboard is to address equity data gaps and disparities among CalHHS health and human services programs.

Betsy Bogart is the Business Programs Division Chief for the California Secretary of State. Ms. Bogart joined the Secretary of State’s office in September 2000 as a Staff Counsel, having worked in private practice for nine years prior as a business transactional partner in a Stockton law firm where she assisted businesses with business formations, amendments, mergers and termination documents filed with the Secretary of State’s office and saw firsthand the impacts the Secretary of State’s office has on businesses. Within five months of joining the Secretary of State’s office, Ms. Bogart was promoted to Supervising Staff Counsel III, supervising 10 attorneys and 3 support staff. In 2007, Ms. Bogart became Chief of the Business Programs Division, responsible for directing and coordinating all operational aspects of the division including, policy, strategic planning, managing a $34 Million budget, legal and investigatory services, legislation and regulations and personnel overseeing a division of over 340 staff. In addition to directing and coordinating the day-to-day operations of the Business Programs Division, Ms. Bogart was Co-Sponsor of the major IT initiative California Business Connect which successfully implemented all 4 modules ending with bizfile Online Portal in April 2022 for business entities, uniform commercial code and trademarks.

Brenda Bridges Cruz is the Deputy Director of the Office of Professional Development at the California Department of Technology. She is responsible for the oversight of statewide IT professional development initiatives and programs which include IT Leadership Academies, IT Workforce Development, and the Statewide Technology Training Center. Ms. Bridges Cruz is part of CDT’s executive team and serves as a key advisor to the State Chief Information Officer on issues that affect statewide IT professional development.
Ms. Bridges Cruz has 25 years of technology and management experience in the private and public sectors combined. During her career, she has worked at various state departments and worked on large integration projects around legacy modernization, and enterprise initiatives related to application development, quality assurance, data management and analytics, strategic planning and organizational change management.
Ms. Bridges Cruz has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Valdosta State University, Georgia along with various IT certifications such as ITIL, Program Management, Project Management, and Agile Project Management. She has been on the California CIO Academy Advisory Board since 2017 and was a 2012 CIO Academy IT Leadership Award recipient.

Stephen joined Amazon in 1999, and for the next thirteen years held technical roles that allowed him to observe the organizational patterns that accompanied Amazon’s evolution. In 2012 he moved to HR to lead the Amazon Culture Program. Following a rotation with Amazon’s Executive Development team and two years running Talent Management for Amazon Web Services, Stephen returned to his focus on culture as a Principal Evangelist for AWS in 2019. His mission is to help AWS customers unlock innovation within their own organizations.
Stephen lives in Kent, WA with his wife, Cheryl, and three kids. When not working or hanging out with his family, Stephen enjoys singing choral music with Opus 7 Vocal Ensemble and building electric bass guitars. Stephen got his B.A. in vocal performance from Biola University, where he learned how to sing French art songs with a Mexican accent.

Justin Bruce currently serves as the Director of Client Services of Tyler Technologies Data and Insights division. He brings a wealth of experience to the position. Having served as a client success manager and an implementation and program specialist at Socrata previously. In those roles, he helped governments embrace and implement data, innovation, and performance management methodologies that drove efficiency, effectiveness, and transparency. Additionally, he assisted government partners with long-term strategic planning for their respective programs and led the Socrata Performance Community of Practice which is a compilation of over 275 performance practitioners.
Justin is an innovative, creative leader born and raised in the Jackson metro area of Mississippi. While he is pushing forward to make an impact in the community today, his efforts from the past have not gone unnoticed. In 2009, Mr. Bruce launched Ivolution, Inc. – a company centered on the premise that every person can “I-volve.” Essentially, “I-volving” is Justin’s belief that all people are capable of self-progression and that our aim in life is to be content but never complacent.
To that end, Justin has gained a wealth of professional experiences that have shaped his approach to success. He served as the first Director of Innovation and Performance for the City of Jackson after working as a senior strategist in the office of Mayor Tony Yarber. While leading the Innovation and Performance program, Jackson started down the path of becoming a data-driven government. Bruce and Jackson successfully implemented an open data program, JackStats performance management program, and developed a culture of process improvement through simple data analytics. Jackson’s work has been highlighted by major universities, public and private sector entities, and leading practitioners across the country.
For his efforts, Justin was selected as a Next Generation Leader in 2015 through his work with the African American Mayors Association. Justin also received the 2017 Emerging Leader Award from the American Society of Public Administration’s Center for Accountability and Performance for his accomplishments in the realm of performance management.

Scott Capulong is the Chief Information Officer of the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. In this role, Scott is responsible for the technology environment and infrastructure that supports 37 tax and fee programs and manages $74 billion in revenue. Previously, Scott served as Project Director for the Centralized Revenue Opportunity System Project, an enterprise business transformation initiative that replaced the department’s legacy systems. Scott has also held a number of leadership positions in application development and project management.

Ben leads State & Local Government at Juniper Networks, consulting with agencies to deliver secure, experience first networking and municipal broadband solutions; consistently collaborates with executive leadership to ensure positive outcomes. Prior to Juniper, Ben led organizations for technology companies; designed wireless and wired network systems, including critical infrastructure for global Oil & Gas. Ben holds a BS’EE degree and served 8 years in the US military.

Jessica Chan is the Chief Technology Officer for the California High-Speed Rail Authority. Jessica has more than 12 years of experience in IT service management and application development. She is the former Chief Information Officer for the California Office of Traffic Safety. Jessica began her career with the DMV, holding a variety of positions budgets, project management and application developer. Jessica has a degree in Finance and Economics as well as her MBA.

Retired Assistant Commissioner Chris Childs served as a member of the California Highway Patrol for nearly 28 years, having worked in the Los Angeles, Sacramento, and San Francisco Bay Areas. He is a graduate of the FBI's National Academy for law enforcement executives and has served as the commander of multiple CHP areas including Napa, Santa Rosa, and Golden Gate Communications Center. During his tenure as a commander in the San Francisco Bay Area, he helped form and oversaw the Special Response Team to dozens of high-profile civil disturbance events throughout California. As an assistant chief, he served as a member of the Autonomous Vehicle Working Group and the Law Enforcement Standing Committee for the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators and represented the CHP in the implementation of autonomous vehicles in California. Upon promotion to Chief, he led the CHP’s Information Management Division and served as its Chief Information Officer. Upon his appointment as Assistant Commissioner, Staff, he became its Chief Financial Officer where he oversaw the Department’s $2.8 billion budget, administered statewide policy implementation, and managed the CHP’s fleet of nearly 4,000 vehicles.

Kevin joined Covered California as Chief Information Officer in 2020, where he is responsible for the strategic direction for CalHEERS, California’s health benefit exchange platform, as well as Covered California’s enterprise technology and digital initiatives. Prior to Covered California, Kevin held multiple technology leadership roles in healthcare, higher education, and high tech across a diverse portfolio of private-sector companies. Kevin holds a bachelor’s degree in Human Information Processing from the University of California, San Diego.

David leads the overall Enterprise and Government sales strategy including directly overseeing and managing sales to State and Local Government clients. Additionally, he will partner with both Region and Headquarter channels to execute sales strategy, reporting and overall management of this critical growth business segment.
David is an accomplished global sales and field operations leader with deep experience managing enterprise accounts across a broad range of network, mobility, cloud and security solutions, accelerating business growth with a focus on Customer Experience.
He comes to us most recently from Delphix in San Francisco where he performed Regional Sales for an emerging Data Virtualization Company. From 2002 through 2017, he worked for AT&T as VP/GM for AT&T Solutions across several regions in the U.S. and most recently as Vice President, AT&T Global Enterprise Services, providing Sales and Account Management to Fortune 2000 companies headquartered in the Western U.S.
He earned his MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business, and his bachelor’s degree from Stonehill College in North Easton, Mass. David is married, and has a college age daughter.

Stu is a nationally recognized IT leader who previously led the State of Ohio’s Information Technology community and functioned as State CIO. Stu is currently a Director of Consulting Services for CGI.
As CIO Stu led the conception and implementation of an IT consolidation and optimization effort that resulted in the realignment of unfocused and duplicative spending to being directed at making Ohio a better place for its citizens to live and businesses to be established and grow. Stu led the State IT community via consensus driven approaches to technology adoption and the development of new IT services, and the delivery of these services.
Former State of Ohio CIO (~8 yrs) with 20+ years management of Information Technology and Geographic Information Systems in the private and public sector as well as international consulting experience. Past President of the National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC), responsible for the coordination of State Geographic Offices and GIS Coordinators as well as a Past President of the National Association of State CIOs (NASCIO), responsible for the coordination of the community of all State CIOs nationally.

Patrick Dennis is the Deputy Director and Chief Information Officer for the California Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), a position he’s held since 2018. As the CIO, Dennis has overall responsibility for the information technology (IT) activities that support DPR’s critical lines of business, which includes: IT Project and Portfolio Management; Network and Client Services; Web and Application Development; IT Procurement and Contracting; and IT Infrastructure and Security Services. Additionally, Dennis is responsible for the development of the departmental IT strategic direction, and technology operational plans in support all of DPR’s business operations. Previously, Dennis had most recently served as a special projects director at the California Department of Technology (CDT). Dennis started at CDT in 2012 and served in various leadership roles including; section chief in the department’s Statewide Information Technology Project Delivery Office, Business Integration lead for the State Technology Approval Reform (STAR) Project, where he led efforts to reform the statewide policy supporting the state’s IT Project Approval Lifecycle (PAL), and served as a branch manager of CDT’s internal IT operations. Before coming to the Department of Technology, Dennis worked for nearly 20 years, in project implementation and systems testing for the Franchise Tax Board.

Chief Diggins has been a member of the California Highway Patrol for twenty-seven years serving in a variety of assignments which has included road patrol, supervision, and management within Los Angeles, San Diego and Orange Counties. Chief Diggins was assigned as the Commander of both the San Onofre Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Facility and the Capistrano Area and was also assigned as a Critical Incident Investigation Team Leader, Calfire Incident Management Team Law Enforcement Liaison, Protective Services Detail Coordinator, and Special Response Team Commander for Border Division. As a member of the Dignitary Protection Section, he was responsible for the security of California’s elected officials. In his staff assignments, Assistant Chief Diggins has been involved in the CHP’s recruitment, hiring, and applicant background investigations as well as conducting inspections and investigations for the Department.
In August of 2019, he was promoted to Assistant Chief and assigned as Assistant Division Commander of Border Division covering San Diego and Imperial Counties. On January 1, 2022, he was promoted to Chief of the Information Management Division.
Chief Diggins was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico and raised in West Covina, California.

Malissa is the Sr. Director and Area Leader for CA and Hawaii for Tier 1 Commercial. She has been with Dell for 2.5 years, initially coming into Dell as the Director of Sales for the VMWare business in the West. Malissa has a BA in English and a minor in Sociology. She has been in high tech sales with a focus in storage, networking and semiconductors for 30 years.
With over 20+ years of leadership experience and a diverse sales and marketing background, she has led global channel sales teams, direct sales, inside sales, channel marketing, online sales, prosumer sales, e-tail and retail teams.

Gillian Gillett Manages the California Integrated Mobility Program at Caltrans. Prior to coming to Caltrans, she managed San Francisco’s broadband and wireless permitting program, was San Francisco Mayor Lee’s Transportation Policy Director, and Chief of Staff to then-Supervisor Scott Wiener. She Chaired the Caltrain Board of Directors in 2019 and passed Caltrain’s post-electrification Business Plan.. Prior to public service, Gillian was a business process reengineering/workflow consultant to the private sector, focusing on financial services. Before that she co-founded a financial service startup. She has a bachelor’s degree from St. John’s College in Annapolis, MD (the Great Books School). She lives in San Francisco with her partner and two children.

Fred Gomez was appointed CIO and Director of the Information Technology Services Division at California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) in August 2018. In this role he made major improvements to the structure and operations of information technology at CPUC. Fred has over 20 years of public and private sector IT experience. He began his state service in 2009 with the Employment Development Department as a supervisor in the Infrastructure Division. In 2014 he joined Department of Transportation (Caltrans) as the Chief over the Server & Storage Management Section. In this role Fred was responsible for managing over 1500 servers for all programs Caltrans wide. Prior to state service, Fred worked in the private sector holding various IT positions of increasing responsibility from Desktop and Customer Support to IT Operations Manager accumulating over 18 years of IT knowledge, skills and experience. Fred studied Aeronautics at Arizona State University and served in the US Air Force/Reserves for 12 years. Fred is a graduate of the IT Leadership Academy and received an Outstanding Leadership award from the CIO academy in 2017.

Betsy Greytok is Vice President of Ethics & Policy in the Chief Privacy Office for IBM. She works closely with the IBM AI Ethics Board developing principles, practices and policies driving the ethical development and deployment of technology. Prior to joining the CPO, Betsy was Senior Counsel for IBM and lead a legal team providing business unit support for IBM global mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, IP Partnerships, and other complex alliance transactions. She was Synergy Counsel for the Red Hat acquisition, aligning key compliance measures while maintaining Red Hat’s separate identity and culture. Betsy joined IBM in 1999 after working as a trial lawyer. She has provided legal support for various IBM practices & offerings including OEM Channel Sales, Cloud & Cognitive Systems, Power Systems, and the AIX operating system.

Ajay Gupta was appointed Chief Digital Transformation Officer in February 2020. Gupta leads business and technology transformation efforts for the DMV to become a modern enterprise. Gupta has served as a special advisor to the DMV Director since 2019.
Before joining state service, Gupta worked as a managing director at KPMG, where he led the delivery of legacy transformation, technology innovation, and managed services for State departments nationally. Gupta brings more than 23 years of public sector experience to the DMV. He served State departments in California, Texas, and Hawaii while working for CGI Inc., Visionary Integration Professional Inc., Deloitte LLP, and Tata Consulting Services.
Gupta has a B.E. in Electrical Engineering from Delhi College of Engineering and an MBA in Marketing and Information Technology from UC Davis. Gupta is also certified as a PMP, PSM, PSPO, Cloud Practitioner, and Enterprise Architect.

Brent Houser currently serves as the Chief Deputy Director of Operations for the California Department of State Hospitals overseeing the Administrative Services Division, Legal Division, Technology Services Division and the Offices of Communications, Human Rights, Legislation and Protective Services. Houser has been Deputy Director for the California Department of State Hospitals since 2021. He was Principal Program Budget Analyst for the California Department of Finance from 2019 to 2021 and held multiple positions at the California Department of State Hospitals from 2016 to 2019, including Assistant Budget Officer and Staff Services Manager II. Houser was a Staff Services Manager I at the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development from 2015 to 2016, where he was Health Program Specialist I from 2014 to 2015. Houser earned a Master of Arts degree in Public Policy and Administration from California State University, Sacramento and his Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Mike Hussey is an industry executive director for state and local strategy for Oracle Government and Education. Mike has 25 years of senior leadership experience with the State of Utah where he most recently served as CIO for the State of Utah and the executive director for the Department of Technology Services. While serving in this cabinet-level position, Mike was known as a collaborative and transformative leader who enjoys applying technological advances available in the market. Among some of his accomplishments while the state CIO, Mike led the state’s cloud journey and digital transformation efforts, created the state’s first cyber center, and formed the state’s first innovation fund.
Mike has been recognized as a “Top 25 Doer, Dreamer and Driver” in the public sector.

Todd Jerue is an Account Relationship Director for KPMG, focusing on California state government. Todd joined KPMG in September 2018.
Prior to joining KPMG, Todd spent nearly 22 years with the California Department of Finance as an analyst, Program Budget Manager, Chief Deputy Director, and Chief Operating Officer. In these various roles, Todd was widely known as a problem solver, was instrumental in various budget-related efficiencies, and played a key role in significant policy reforms such as 2011 Public Safety Realignment.
As the Chief Operating Officer, Todd was the Sponsor of the FI$Cal Project and Chair of the Executive Steering Committee from 2011 to 2018, providing guidance to the Project and business partners as the Project implemented budget, accounting, procurement, and cash management functionality.

Marcie Kahbody currently serves as the Agency Chief Information Officer (AIO) for the California Transportation Agency (CalSTA). In this capacity, Marcie oversees information technology (IT) responsibilities for all of CalSTA’s Boards, Offices, Commissions, and Departments (including DMV, Caltrans, CHP, High Speed Rail, and others). With over 31 years of public sector experience in IT, Marcie possesses a record of proven outcomes as a collaborative leader, directing highly technical teams and successfully implementing enterprise transformation initiatives and programs. Marcie focuses on fostering collaboration, building effective teams, encouraging two-way communication, and providing mentorship. She believes in the strength of diversity, building relationships, finding innovative approaches to updating policies, and is passionate about cultivating up and coming leaders. Marcie believes that success begins with a People First foundation and has championed it throughout her career.

State Chief Technology Innovation Officer Rick Klau joined the California Department of Technology in February after serving as senior operating partner for Google Ventures from 2011 to 2020. Before that, he held executive positions with a number of firms in the private sector. Klau received his juris doctorate from the University of Richmond School of Law.

In December 2020, Mr. Levine joined T-Mobile for Government where he was hired as the National Senior Executive for State Government Strategy and given the task of building and leading the company’s State and Local Government Telecommunications & Technology strategy team.
Mr. Levine is a former member of the California State Legislature, where he served as Chair of the Assembly Committee on Utilities and Commerce. Mr. Levine established himself as one of California’s leading experts in energy, telecommunications, and technology policy. Consistently tackling some of the most challenging and signification statutory policy changes, Mr. Levine authored numerous pieces of historic legislation which became national models in many policy areas. Mr. Levine served as a member of Governor Schwarzenegger’s Broadband Taskforce and was a Founding Member of the Board of Directors of the California Emerging Technology Fund.
In addition to his work at T-Mobile, Mr. Levine is a Senior Policy Fellow at the University of California, Riverside’s school of public policy and a Founding Member of the school’s Advisory Board. Along with the School’s Dean, Mr. Levine co-founded the University’s Center for Technology Policy and Society. Later this year, Mr. Levin’s first book, “Technology vs. Government: The Irresistible Force Meets the Immoveable Object” will be published.

Prashant Mittal was appointed Chief Information Officer of the California Department of Motor Vehicles in April 2022. Mittal brings to the DMV 25 years of experience in managing enterprise technology solutions to deliver enhanced and sustainable IT services for evolving business needs across various domains in the public and private sectors.
Mittal worked at the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) since 2014 and held various positions, including Director of the Pension Solution Project and the Director of Enterprise IT Solutions and Innovations. Prior to that, Mittal served as the Enterprise Solution Development Manager at California Correctional Health Care Services (CCHCS). Before joining state service in 2011, Mittal worked as a senior technology leader at numerous global organizations.
Mittal holds a master’s degree in Computer Applications and a Bachelor of Science in Physics, Mathematics, and Statistics.

Kristin Montgomery currently serves as Director, Enterprise Information Services for California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). She provides leadership for the continued development and management of an innovative, robust, and secure information technology environment throughout CDCR. Prior to taking the role of Director she was the Deputy Director of Operations and Support at CDCR. In this role she managed all the enterprise infrastructure functions including: network services, storage/server services, telephony management, radio management, and active directory management.
Prior to CDCR, Kristin served as Controller at California Public Employees Retirement Fund (CalPERS). She managed all functions in the Financial Reporting and Accounting Services Division which included: accounts payable, accounts receivable, cashiering, pension and health accounting, investment accounting, financial reporting, and treasury management.
Ms. Montgomery has more than 20 years of experience in the investment, financial, and pension industries. Before joining CalPERS she worked as a consultant, providing technology and change management services for accounting, investment, and enterprise-wide pension projects.

Joseph Morris is the deputy chief innovation officer for the Center for Digital Government and a national keynote speaker on issues, trends and drivers impacting state and local government and education. He has authored publications and reports on funding streams, technology investment areas and public-sector priorities, and has led roundtables, projects and initiatives focused on issues within the public sector. Joe has conducted state and local government research with e.Republic since 2007 and knows the ins and outs of government on all levels. He received his Bachelor of Arts in government and international relations from the California State University, Sacramento.

Dr. Casey Morris is a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Lead and Strategist, primarily in the public sector industry. Over the past 9 years, Dr. Morris has applied a DEI lens to her many engagements across various organizations. She brings a unique perspective to technology and her teams through her research which was focused on Black male student athletes and their educational experiences within predominantly White institutions (PWIs). Dr. Morris's background prior to joining Accenture was focused on promoting and emphasizing equity, leading a program that aimed to enhance the experiences of marginalized and under-represented student groups. Through this work, she discovered that many of the challenges experienced by minority students, who are at the premise of her studies, are parallel to those experiences of Black, indigenous, people of color (BIPOC) communities in professional settings.
During her time at Accenture, Dr. Morris has leveraged her expertise working with her teams to partner with our many clients and in the public sector to build and execute their DEI strategy and approach. She and her team leverage innovative practices at the core to drive and solution DEI implementation and advancement.
Outside of work, she is the mother of an energetic 6 year old daughter, who often inspires many great ideas!

Arun Narayanan is an executive leader with 20+ years of expertise in building business capabilities delivering value to Fortune 500 clients through innovative approaches solving business issues & challenges. Arun has delivered large-scale transformational projects from conception to benefit realization. Provides strategic direction with focus on digitization and coaching staff to deliver the highest client service levels, steering 90+ staff members. Arun has served in various roles around the globe supporting Data & Analytics initiative including at prominent organizations such as Arizona state lottery, Cisco, eBay, Luxottica, Harley Davidson, HP, Nortel Networks, DHL, Flextronics, Applied Materials, Komatsu, Mahindra.
Arun holds a Masters In Computer Management. He has several leadership, project management, and Data Analytics & Data Science certifications. A U.S. national born and brought up In India, has worked across APAC, Europe & Americas. A native of northern virginia, Arun enjoys spending his free time exploring new adventures with her family.

Rosanna Nguyen is the Chief of the Information Technology Consulting Unit for the Department of Finance. She leads a team responsible for performing fiscal oversight of IT projects and evaluating fiscal and operational impacts for IT initiatives as part of the state’s annual budget process. Prior to this role, Rosanna served as a Fiscal Oversight Manager for the Department of Finance from 2016-2019. She has also held IT management and analyst positions working in the areas of Project Management, Project Oversight and Enterprise Strategic Planning at the Franchise Tax Board in her 26 years of state government service.

Russell J. Nichols was appointed Deputy State CIO and CDT Chief Deputy Director in February 2021. Previously, he was Director of the Division of Enterprise Information Services at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation since 2015. He also served as the Department’s Agency Information Officer and previously as its Director of the CDCR Strategic Offender Management Systems’ Program. Nichols was responsible for the technology solutions provided to employees and offenders. Nichols oversaw more than 640 Information Technology employees while at CDCR. In 2018, the California Public Sector CIO Academy named him Chief Information Officer of the Year.

Kimberly is a State of California Procurement leader with over 12 years of experience. During her tenure at the state, Kimberly held positions which supported IT administration, budgets, contract management and IT and non-IT procurements. She is the co-chair on the California Health and Human Services Procurement subcommittee which promotes the sharing of procurement best practices across the agency and standardizing procurement processes and practices.
Kimberly holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Strategic Management from California State University, Sacramento.

As a Sales Leader, I drive revenue growth, and ensure continuous profitability by developing high-performing teams, implementing advanced leadership strategies, and capturing new markets through business expansion. I’ve secured a collective revenue of $625M+ in the last 15 years alone. I achieved this top-line growth by reforming core sales functions, implementing customer-focused sales practices, and developing executive leaders in team management excellence. I’ve also successfully managed up to 500 sales representatives at a single point in time. Aside from augmenting organizational performance by building powerful teams, I’ve grown business scope by spearheading new market development plans, boosting industry exposure, and increasing customer acquisition. At Logicalis, for instance, I initiated national business development campaigns at distinguished events such as Educause. I also led a $500K expansion project to California and helped build a 25-member division there.

Cathilea is Chief Executive Officer of e.Republic, where she oversees operations for the company’s award-winning media platforms: Governing, Government Technology and Emergency Management. Cathilea also oversees e.Republic’s websites, conferences and events, and its national research and advisory groups: the Center for Digital Government, the Center for Digital Education and the Governing Institute.
In 2014 Cathilea directed the launch of the Governing Institute’s Women in Government Leadership Program, an innovative initiative that encourages future generations of women to participate in public service.
Cathilea is a frequent speaker for government and education organizations worldwide, including the United Nations, Harvard University, the State Legislative Leaders' Foundation, the National Conference of State Legislatures, the Council of State Governments, and the World Congress on Information Technology. She has been quoted frequently in publications including the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, Forbes and others.
Cathilea is a recipient of NASCIO’s National Technology Champion Award for her outstanding contributions to advance public sector information technology innovation. She is also the winner of an Outstanding Women Leadership Award from the Sacramento Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners and is a Greater Sacramento Business Hall of Fame Laureate.

As the Assistant Vice President, Mark leads all AT&T business activities serving the states of California, Oregon, and Washington, overseeing a highly skilled sales and technical support team delivering strategic technology solutions and services focused on network transformation, infrastructure modernization, wireless communications, and advanced cyber capabilities. Mark has held various leadership positions within AT&T since joining the company in 2007. Prior to AT&T, Mark spent 16 years in the telecommunications industry with various companies, supporting retail, finance, and public sector clients.
With over twenty-five years of state and local government and industry experience, Mark is focused on ensuring customers have the information, technology, and infrastructure necessary to effectively execute their missions.

Steve Saman is a Solution Consulting Practice Lead for Adobe Public Sector, specializing in digital transformation. He helps government customers modernize their business practices by moving away from paper-based processes to more compliant and secure digital workflows. Steve is passionate about the potential for digital technology to help the government better serve the public and its citizens.

Robert Schmidt currently serves as an advisor with California Department of Transportation. Robert previously served as the California Department of Technology Chief, Office of Technology Services, Agency Information Officer and Chief Information Officer with the California Department of Food and Agriculture, and over 25 years in CA State Government. Always dedicated to his craft, Robert has received multiple awards from the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO).

Angela Shell was appointed Deputy Director of the Procurement Division at the Department of General Services and Chief Procurement Officer for the State of California on Nov. 1, 2017. In her current role, Angela is responsible for overseeing the State’s purchase of goods and services vital to state department operations that serve the needs of California. This includes developing and awarding statewide leveraged procurement agreements, delegating purchasing authority, developing statewide policy and training, identifying sustainable procurement methods and products, and certifying Small and Disabled Veteran Business enterprises.
Angela has more than 26 years of service to the State of California including 19 years at the Department of Transportation (Caltrans) from 1998 to 2017 serving as the Division Chief and Chief Procurement Officer for the Division of Procurement and Contracts, Assistant Director for the Office of Business and Economic Opportunity, Chief of the Office of Construction Support, and Labor Compliance Program Manager.
Angela has also worked for the Contractors State License Board and Department of Insurance and has extensive experience working with the small and disabled veteran business communities, state and federal government stakeholders and vendor community representatives to develop innovative solutions to California’s contracting and procurement needs.

Reggie was born in San Jose, California and he attended Texas Christian University (TCU) on a basketball scholarship. While at TCU, Reggie was a standout Power Forward and Center breaking several university records during his tenure including the all-time leader in career rebounds at 966, and 1,630 career points which ranks fifth on the all-time scoring list. He was a member of the first team All-Southwest Conference during his Junior and Senior year’s and he concluded his college career by owning four records in rebounds, blocked shots, consecutive starts and career starts.
The Portland Trailblazers selected Smith in the second round – the 31st pick overall – in the 1992 NBA Draft where he played two seasons. The year Reggie was drafted he was in some very good company for rookies including Shaquille O’Neal, Alonzo Mourning, Christian Laettner, Walt Williams and Latrell Sprewell. Following his tenure in the NBA, Smith played professionally abroad in France, Spain and Australia.

Jared joined the State of California as the California Military Department (CMD) CIO in November 2020. He has served the IT community at large since 2001, working in various positions and roles in both private and government sectors. He is currently a uniformed member of the CMD with 20 years of military experience and serves an adjunct professor with Doane University where he teaches organizational leadership, strategic management, and communications. Jared also teaches interpersonal communications through a local non-profit in Placer County and has served on several non-profit boards in various capacities. Jared holds a BA in Organizational Management and Project Management, an MBA, and is completing his Doctor of Business Administration with an emphasis on Management and Leadership (ABD).

Mr. Song is currently the Chief Information Officer at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection(CAL FIRE), the largest forestry and fire protection agency in the US. Before CAL FIRE, Mr. Song was the Chief Technology Officer at the California Highway Patrol (CHP). Prior to his State services, Mr. Song held various leadership roles in private and federal governments, such as Hewlett Packard and the US. Small Business Administration(SBA) played a key role in driving innovation and provided expert consultation in the emerging technology areas.

Teri Takai is the senior vice president of the Center for Digital Government, a national research and advisory institute on information technology policies and best practices in state and local government. She worked for Ford Motor Company for 30 years in global application development and information technology strategic planning. From Ford, she moved to EDS in support of General Motors. A long-time interest in public service led her to the government sector, first as CIO of the State of Michigan, then as CIO of the State of California and, subsequently, the CIO of the U.S. Department of Defense, the first woman appointed to this role. She then served as the CIO for Meridian Health Plan.
Teri is a member of several industry advisory boards. She has won numerous awards including Governing magazine’s Public Official of the Year, CIO Magazine’s CIO Hall of Fame, Government Technology magazine’s Top 25 Doers, Dreamers & Drivers, the Women in Defense Excellence in Leadership Award and the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service.

Herb is a State, Local and Education Strategist. Having history in various government CIO roles he is responsible for assisting customers achieve their strategic outcomes through understanding their business issues and how policy can impact business outcomes. He has been sharing best practices learned from around the country on optimization, workforce modernization and hybrid cloud. He also is providing insight in practical implementations of AI, Smart Communities and blockchain at many government conferences. Prior to joining in 2018, VMware Herb served as the State of Wisconsin Deputy State CIO and CTO, CIO for Health and Family Services and Corrections.

Skip grew up in Placerville, California where he was a five sport Varsity player in football, basketball, baseball, track, and skiing. He attended Oregon State University where he played four years of football, and four years of baseball. He was a co-captain of the 1967 “Giant Killer football team that finished the season ranked 7th in the nation and he participated in the East-West Shrine Game, the Hula Bowl and the Coaches All-American Game. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the third round in 1968 where he served as a starting outside linebacker for 10 of the 11 years with the 49ers. He was selected to the Second Team Pro-bowl, and he was the defensive team captain from 1974-1978. In 1978, he was traded to the New Orleans Saints where he played one year with Archie Manning, before retiring from the NFL.
Mr. Vanderbundt holds a Bachelor of Science degree in social science with a secondary emphasis in landscape architecture from Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. He was a college All-American football player and is an inductee of the State of Oregon Sports Hall of Fame, the Oregon State University Hall of Fame, and the Northern California Sports Hall of Fame. He was awarded the “Key to the City of Sacramento” by the mayor for his work with children and community involvement with local and national charities.

Wright began his career with the state in 1994 as an IT manager for the Department of Motor Vehicles, a position he held for 24 years, with one two-year break. In 2005, he left DMV and moved to CDT. He worked at what was then Teale Data Center until 2007, returning to the DMV in 2007 and remaining until his promotion to the deputy directorship for IT for the Office of Traffic Safety in 2018. In May 2018, Wright was named Deputy Director and CIO for Technology and Administration for the Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), whose mission is “to effectively and efficiently administer traffic safety grants while fostering partnerships to deliver innovative programs that reduce traffic deaths, injuries and economic losses.” Wright held that position for just under two years before being named to the CDT position in March. Wright has held various positions in Enterprise Architecture, Program Supervisory, and IT Technical and Management classifications. He is also a graduate of the 25th Information Technology Leadership Academy (ITLA), one of several career-development programs that the state offers. He’s also a member of the Sacramento Blockchain Code Forum.

Peter works in the KPMG Government Solutions Advisory practice as part of the State of California team. He has extensive experience in leading multiple initiatives and he has a broad technical background that includes several years in senior leadership with Microsoft.
I served as Senior Director and held P&L responsibility for $275M business focused on selling the entire Microsoft portfolio of software solutions. I also managed a team of eleven directs across six states (AK, CA, ID, MT, OR, WA) serving State, County and City customers. I was also an Executive sponsor for Microsoft across the entire customer base. Moreover, I led contract negotiations with State of CA for O365, Dynamics and Azure procurements.
I am a Principal in KPMG’s Health and Government Solutions Advisory practice. I am results oriented, experienced management executive with a deep understanding of State and Local Government. I am also a tested leader with extensive experience in developing new business, managing executive relationships, building teams and culture, and leading multiple initiatives and large projects. I have a broad technical background with outstanding analytical and problem-solving abilities along with a track record of success with high customer satisfaction.