Kanti Chalasani serves as the Division Director for the Georgia Data Analytics Center (GDAC) at the Office of Planning and Budget (OPB). With over 25 years of experience in IT and management, and hands-on data warehousing / analytics experience, she brings an abundance of knowledge. Prior to joining OPB, she worked for various state agencies in Georgia ranging from Senior Business Intelligence Architect for the P20 data warehouse at the Office of Student Achievement to Associate Director/Chief Data Architect at the University System of Georgia Board of Regents as well as Information Systems Manager at the Georgia Department of Education. Kanti started her career after receiving her Master’s in Computer Applications from Osmania University in India in 1995.

A 16-year veteran of state government, Christin Lotz serves as the director of the Office of Evidence and Impact in the Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration. Her previous state government roles include working as the Department of Revenue’s research director and in the Policy Office for former Governor Bill Haslam. Throughout her career, Christin has been heavily involved in public policy-making and implementation, legislative affairs, and analytical research.
In her current role, Christin is focused on using data to inform decision makers to ensure the state invests in programs that work for Tennesseans. She also serves as an appointee to the federal Advisory Committee on Data for Evidence Building.
Christin has a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Tennessee at Martin and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from the Nashville School of Law.

Derek is a nationally recognized leader of Data, Digital Transformation, and System Modernization programs. He focuses on Data and AI in state and local government and is Deloitte Sector Lead for CDO Services. In this role, he helps government organizations establish data strategy and governance and turn plans into results with a practical approach to data and technology.

Nick has been working in data analytics, GIS & IT for over 30 years. He is responsible for all data, analytics, and Mapping needs for Salt Lake City. The goal is to make better decisions based off good data. Displaying this data quickly through dashboards or spatially connected maps. He has a BS degree in Business Administration and in Industrial Relations Nick is a Certified Geographic Information Systems Professional (GISP) and is a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer.

Sean has over 25 years of experience in the IT Industry. His career began in Software Development and Unix Systems Administration, moved to High Performance Computing with Silicon Graphics, and then transitioned to Sales and Sales Leadership with Cisco.
In the years since leaving Cisco, Sean was the VP of Digital Transformation for a SLED-focused Partner in the Rocky Mountain Region (Advanced Network Management); Sales Director for the US Air Force and COCOMs at Splunk; and, most recently, Sales Leader for the US DoD at Cohesity. He is passionate about connecting customers with the right technology portfolio to solve problems in the spaces of Predictive Analytics, AI and Machine Learning, Data Fusion, and more.

William (Bill) Mannion has been orchestrating the expansion of business intelligence availability to the multiple agencies of the State of New Hampshire over the past 4 years. Bill comes from 30+ years in the private and nonprofit sectors as a Vice President of Technology Solutions, VP of Supply Chain Management, Security Officer, and Director of Technology for several start-ups, mid-sized, non-profit and fortune 500 companies. Bill has implemented or matured the organization’s technology base in the verticals of manufacturing, fin-tech (online banking), distribution and supply-chain. Bill is known for creating an online loan origination system with a highly complex underwriting system that reviews 25 different credit score and fraud detection characteristics within seconds. He has leveraged Six Sigma Lean to determine the Department of Health and Human Services “Options” application modules that will be modernized to an ASP.NET MVC responsive web application. He is a “Disney Family” man and travels 3 to 4 times a year to see “Mickey”.

Katie Regan currently serves as the State Data Services Manager within the California Department of Technology (CDT). CDT’s Data Services team includes geospatial services and is dedicated to sustainable and accessible data sharing, elevating data management standards, leading various centers of excellence, and providing support to strategic data initiatives. Before joining the state, Katie led the creation of the Office of Performance and Data Analytics at the City of Stockton, which focused on performance management, data governance, open data, and operationalizing analytics for equitable service delivery to residents. Prior to joining public service, Katie consulted for medical device and pharmaceutical clients where she led program implementations, streamlined business processes, and risk assessed regulatory compliance. Katie has a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the University of Puget Sound and a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law.

An executive government advisor, Carlos is a public sector data practice subject matter expert who specializes in helping organizations leverage data to make informed, actionable decisions. He also works with Chief Data Officers, Geospatial Information Officers, and other data leaders to develop mission-driven data programs.
Prior to joining Amazon Web Services (AWS), Carlos gained 27 years of experience in federal and state government and higher education. Carlos was the first Chief Data Officer for the Commonwealth of Virginia. During his tenure, he helped former-Governor Northam, his executive team, and public health and emergency management professionals respond to the COVID-19 pandemic by leveraging data-driven intelligence products to help keep Virginians safe.

Rhiannon has worked in private, nonprofit, and government sectors in a variety of roles dealing with information, records, data management, and data governance for 30 years. She holds a Masters of Arts in Humanities Computing, a Masters of Library and Information Studies, and a PhD in Information Management, and is currently the Enterprise Data Architect at the Lower Colorado River Authority, where she works with a multidisciplinary team in converging technology planning, user expectations, data governance, and business needs.

Teri Takai is 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.

Khaled directs a diverse civic technology portfolio and the San José 311 Contact Center for the nation’s twelfth largest municipality. The City organization consists of 7,000 employees and carries over $5 billion total budget, serving 1 million residents and 80,000 businesses in the heart of Silicon Valley. The City’s quest is to be as innovative as the community we serve. San José is recognized for its leading role in innovation, artificial intelligence, digital privacy, driving equity through data, and digital empowerment.
Over two decades, Khaled has held senior leadership roles in the government and private sectors, including Los Angeles County and City of Irvine, earning his teams’ national awards for operational excellence through technology and innovative solutions.

Albana Theka is the Sr. Director of Data and Analytics at NYC Health and Hospitals and leads the Financial Sustainability Analytics Center of Excellence. In this role she partners with Executive leaders in the areas of Finance, Human Resources, Facility Development, Managed Care, Patient Growth and Metroplus to lead the delivery of data products and solutions that impact financial decisions and outcomes. Albana has spent most of her career in finance and strategy roles within the healthcare industry and prior to joining NYC Health and Hospitals she held various leadership roles at NYU Langone Health. Albana’s hobbies are singing and traveling with her family.

As the state CDO, Irene is responsible for transforming public service through the use of data. The position is responsible for statewide data strategy, enterprise data governance, and empowering the state’s workforce to maximize the value of data on behalf of all Washingtonians.
“My priority is to create an enterprise data strategy for the state and, within that, create an enterprise data platform to enable a 360-degree view of the state, which fits in nicely with our connected government goal,” Irene said, adding that “what draws me to public service is the opportunity to improve the lives of residents. Previously I was at Los Angeles County. I had a similar role there, in that my broad role was to drive data-driven decision-making within the county and ultimately improve the lives of the LA County residents. I am just really excited about the possibility of doing it in Washington state.”