Brett has expertise to lead public service organizations gracefully through their visions of change, especially technology transformation for connected healthcare. He can provide insight into every part of their journey, from envisioning a solution to implementing and operating it, with a deep understanding of public service and its systems from years working and consulting for local and state government organizations. He spent 10 years serving in municipal and county administration roles, including manager’s office, public works, police, fire, and enterprise technology. He also spent five years working in advisory roles, providing project management, organization change management, and IT guidance for enterprise projects with state and university clients. Most recently, he has spent one year providing strategy and management for technology and networking products.

As the Global SE Leader for 5G Strategy and Carrier Operations at Cradlepoint, Roger currently focuses on developing multi-vendor business solutions with a focus on 4G and 5G technologies. Roger leads the technical strategy group for 5G within Cradlepoint. He also heads a global team of Sales Engineering Architects that support network operators around the world. Roger leads webinars and conducts speaking engagements about the use of 5G and 4G LTE technology in multiple industry segments. He has authored or co-authored multiple blog articles on the Cradlepoint website.

James R. Farrell Jr. serves as the Chief Information Officer for the Village of Bolingbrook. James has been employed at the Village for 15 years and has championed many Technological initiatives within the organization including the “Digital Front Door” online experience. The Digital Front Door has provided the ability for residents and businesses to apply for all permits and licensing online. This platform allows for real-time inspections and communications. This Digital Front Door has added the ability for the Village to receive online payments of all monthly remittance taxes for businesses which include hotel, restaurant, amusement and other taxes which make up 70% of the Village’s revenue. The pandemic highlighted some of the deficiencies of the Village and created a digital roadmap for the future. James also serves as the Vice President of Management for one of the largest Government Associations in the Country, GMIS-Illinois. This organization has a membership of over 60+ cities in Illinois. James’ passion for STEM has been on display within the community as he is on the Bolingbrook STEM Association’s Executive Board where he and his peers bring STEM classes and learning to the children of Bolingbrook that do not have the opportunities because of the many constraints that are present with the underserved communities. James has a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology Management, a Master of Science in Information Security and is currently finishing up his MBA at Lewis University.

Tommy Gardner is HP’s Chief Technology Officer for HP Federal, spanning the US Federal Agencies, Higher Education, K-12 Education, State and Local government customer segments, as well as Federal Systems Integrators. His current responsibilities include technology leadership, strategic technology plans, product and technology strategies, sales force technical support, and customer and partner relationships.
Previously, Tommy has served as the Chief Technology Officer for Jacobs Engineering, Scitor, and ManTech. Earlier in his career he was a senior technical executive at Raytheon. In the U.S. Navy he served as the Deputy for Science and Technology for the Chief of Naval Research. He oversaw the Navy’s Deep Submergence Program as well as its Advanced Technology Program. He also commanded the nuclear submarine, USS San Juan (SSN 751).
Tommy’s educational background covers multiple disciplines and fields of interest including: cybersecurity, data science, blockchain, quantum information science, artificial intelligence, high performance computing and systems integration.
Tommy holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy, a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard University, an M.S. in Management of Technology from MIT and a Ph. D. in Energy Economics from George Washington University. He is a Professional Engineer, an ASME Fellow, and serves on the ASME Board of Governors, the ANSI Board of Directors and the U. S. Council on Competitiveness as the Co-chair of the Advanced Computer Roundtable.

Aimee Heinzel has over 25 years of experience working in design and technology. She has spent most of her career in the public sector in both education and local government. She has witnessed the transformation from one shared computer in the classroom or design studio to collaborating on projects across the country in real time. In her current role she is tasked with improving user digital experience across services and platforms for better public engagement.

Kenny Holmes became the leader for Public Sector at Fortinet in 2019. He is an expert in cybersecurity with a background in cryptography. He has worked in the Federal Government, State Governments, Research Institutions, and Universities on some of the largest security projects in the world.

Eve Jennings is the Director of Data Science for the City of Chicago, managing the teams involved in database administration, business intelligence, data analytics, and the open data portal. Eve’s previous positions include managing the City’s Data Analytics team. Eve’s background is in GIS, property taxation and tax increment finance. She holds a certificate in Applied Data Analytics from UC (Coleridge Initiative), as well as a certificate in Civic Leadership from UC (Harris School of Public Policy). Eve has a B.A. and an M.P.A. from the University of Illinois.

Lamarr Justice recently joined Automation Anywhere after spending several years managing strategy and execution for SAP Procurement in North America and helping Amazon Business build out their pre-sales organization. Lamarr has been in the technology industry for 25 years, with strategic roles in management, sales, and organizational strategy. His passion is helping organizations solve critical challenges by leveraging cloud/service-based solutions. Lamarr is a self-proclaimed “Jock-Nerd” because he has always loved both technology and sports. He played Division 1 basketball and ran track while attending the University of Notre Dame – Go Irish! Lamar still volunteers as a coach and lives in the west suburbs of Chicago with his wife and their 2 children.

Nick is Chief Data Officer for the City of Chicago’s Office of the Mayor. In this role, Nick brings data to the forefront of policy and decision-making for over 20 agencies and 2.7 million residents. His tenure has included responding to a global pandemic, ensuring an equitable economic recovery and managing data strategy for an organization with a $16 billion annual budget.
Nick has worked as a data scientist and an attorney, with experience as a lawyer and senior official in a variety of state and local government settings. For many years, Nick worked on litigation and policy issues related to the subprime foreclosure crisis and its affects within Chicago. Nick also helped roll out the Affordable Care Act in Illinois by serving as the State of Illinois’s Chief Administrative Law Judge for human services. He was the product owner for the development of a federally mandated case management system for overseeing legal appeals for millions of people enrolled in public healthcare, food assistance and many other social benefits programs.
Nick has a law degree and a master’s degree in computer science from DePaul University, and a bachelor’s degree from Ohio State University.

Tom Lynch serves as the Chief Information Officer for Cook County Government. Prior to joining Cook County, Lynch served as Principal at SDI, a systems integrator focused on public sector clients. He also spent 25 years in IT leadership roles for the State of Illinois, Chicago Park District, and Chicago Public Schools. Across his career, Lynch led the acquisition and successful implementation of three ERP systems and two Time & Attendance systems. Lynch holds a B.A. in Political Science from Purdue University and an M.P.A. in Finance from the University of Delaware, in addition to a variety of professional certifications.

Thomas Nisbet is an Associate Partner with IBM, assisting clients apply cognitive capabilities in their enterprises. Over 10 years of AI and advanced analytics experience across State and Local and Federal government have given Thomas a diverse background and experience with how cognitive capabilities can help deliver on the promise of the digital reinvention of Government. He is currently focused on using AI and automation to transform agencies with goals to increase program satisfaction, lower costs, improve employee efficiency, and overall program outcomes. Thomas lives in Raleigh, NC with his wife and 2 children.

Cassie Roach is Vice President of Global Public Sector in worldwide sales at Cisco, leading go-to-market strategy and transformational growth. As countries and their economies stabilize, Cassie engages with government, education, and healthcare leaders to help solve their top challenges and drive their digital agendas. From smart cities to country digitization, Cassie believes in the imperative to connect everyone and help close the digital divide. She guides organizations to leverage technology to expand education, healthcare, and government services, and provide connectivity, access, and equity for all.
Whether it’s supporting the hybrid workforce and workplace, making education and training more accessible and affordable, or modernizing critical infrastructure to improve sustainability, Cassie and her organization develope leading-edge strategies with secure, comprehensive solutions to help Cisco’s customers.
Cassie has held many industry leadership roles spanning public sector. She brings together community, industry, and government leaders to address social challenges and improve individual lives.

Charles “Chuck” Ruehling is the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for Cook County, Illinois. He came to Cook County in 2018 from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) at Goddard Space Flight Center where he worked as the Cyber Threat Analyst and Certification and Authorization Official. Prior to that, he was the Cyber Security Program Manager for the Office of Environmental Management at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in Washington DC. Chuck retired from the U.S. Army in April of 2011 and after a brief time as a contractor working for the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) he started Federal Service for DOE. During his time in the Military, he served in numerous positions as a Telecommunications Systems Engineer at Fort Bragg, NC, Seoul, South Korea and culminating in an assignment with the Information Assurance Directorate at the National Security Agency at Fort Meade, MD. Chuck has an undergraduate degree in Computer Science from Iowa State University and a Master of Arts in Computer Resources and Information Management from Webster University. He is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional since 2008.

Omar Sandoval is the Director of Government Programs for the Center for Digital Government, a national research and advisory institute on information technology policies and best practices in state and local government. Prior to joining the Center, Omar was the Director of Information Technology for the Naperville Park District.
Omar has won numerous awards which include a Distinguished Services Award, by the Naperville Jaycees; Four Under 40 Achievement Award, presented by the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce which recognizes young who demonstrate excellence based on leadership in the community, business leadership, and career and life balance. Government Technology magazine honored Omar with awards for Technology Innovations in the Park District Operations and Citizens categories; Top 25 Doers, Dreamers, and Drivers and a Leadership Innovation Award for his efforts in assisting his own organization and others to start eSports leagues during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Omar earned his Master of Science degree in Business Analytics with a concentration in Business Administration from Benedictine University. He currently serves as an adjunct professor at the College of DuPage in the Computer and Information Technology department.

Eric Skomra leads State and Local Government customers in IT and business transformations by applying Dell Technologies solutions, 25+ years of public and private-sector IT experience, and a passion for excellent customer service. Eric served in the public sector as the CIO for the State of Ohio Medicaid Agency, CIO and CTO for two Ohio counties, and the CIO of an Ohio city. Eric built and ran three IT departments, two data centers, one disaster recovery center, and was recognized nationally as a "Broadband Hero" for his regional and statewide broadband expansion leadership. Eric has also led in Healthcare IT, supporting a physician's corporation, two hospitals and multiple clinics.

Nitin Vengurlekar is the Chief Technology Strategist for Oracle Government and Education, with Thought Leadership, Sales Enablement, and Full stack Implementation architect, as the primary responsibilities. Nitin is recognized as the premiere thought leader, and well-known technologist in the areas of Cloud Migrations, Data Management, and High Availability. Nitin has written several books and articles on Data and Storage Management, two of these books are considered to be the “bible” and premiere sources of information in its respective field. Nitin sits on the curriculum board for the following colleges:
Collin College - Computer Systems/Web & Mobile Applications Advisory Committee
Dallas Community Colleges (DCCCD) - Cloud curriculum Advisory Board

Rod Warren is the city of Chicago’s Managing Deputy Chief Information Officer. Rod has extensive knowledge and understanding of the City of Chicago Government Operations, leading technology endeavors that provides Chicago some of the best technological solutions available. Rod is responsible for the enterprise solution tier consisting of managing the application portfolio, cloud solutions, and the PMO for the city’s technology bureau, that supports and manages all enterprise technology systems and services throughout all city agencies. Other responsibilities include managing the IT Managed Services Contracts that provide technology support for all city departments and agencies, as well as vendor management to the vendor community that support the technology initiatives within the City of Chicago environment. Rod also serves as the lead technology liaison for the city council division with the responsibly of delivering technological services and support to all elected officials. Rod has a passion for delivering the best technological solutions to the City of Chicago that will empower Chicago to lead on the cutting edge as the most technologically innovative city in the nations. Rod has a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Robert Morris University, and IT Security Management from DePaul University. Rod Warren is also a licensed ordained minister of the Apostolic Church of God where he serves on the official board, and on several auxiliaries as a faithful steward serving people. Rod also serves as a board member of the I AM A GENTLEMAN INC. organization that provides mentorship and leadership programs for young men ages 13-21. Rod loves to encourage, motivate, and inspire all people from all walks of life, and loves technology and what technology can do to empower people. Rod loves traveling, reading, and assisting people with growths in all areas to empower people to become their best.