Dr. Madhu Gottumukkala serves as the Chief Information Officer for the state of South Dakota. He has more than 20 years’ experience in technology and leadership positions.
Prior to his service for the State of South Dakota, Madhu served as Senior Director of IT for Business Solutions at Sanford Health. He also serves on the Advisory Committee of the College of Business and Information Systems at Dakota State University.

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.

Rob Breakiron is a diversified professional with proven leadership serving as a strategic advisor and management consultant helping commercial and government organizations transform their IT and business programs. Rob helps his clients understand and articulate the cost, quality, and the value of their IT portfolio to help drive efficiency and empower transformation inside of the IT organization enabling better integration and support of the enterprise.

Margaret Brisbane is the Chief Information Officer and Director of the Information Technology Department for Miami-Dade County, proudly serving as the first woman in this role. She leads a team of over 900 IT professionals, driving the county's technological modernization and digital transformation initiatives. Under her leadership, Margaret has implemented innovative solutions that enhance public services and improve residents' quality of life. Her vision for a FutureReady Miami-Dade focuses on bridging the digital divide and fostering inclusive smart city technologies. Before joining the county, Margaret served as an IT Director for various brands under the Diageo Corporation. She holds an MBA from Nova Southeastern University and a certificate in Executive Leadership from Harvard University. A passionate mentor, Margaret chairs the IT Women Virtual Mentoring Program and has developed programs for high school students and apprenticeships with local colleges. Her contributions have earned her numerous accolades, including induction into the Miami-Dade College Hall of Fame, the FIU Torch Award, and the title of Female Technology Leader of the Year by the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce. In 2023, she received the South Florida CIO ORBIE Award for Large Enterprise, solidifying her status as a leader in government technology.

Jordan Burris is a trailblazer in government innovation and digital trust, leveraging over 15 years of experience to transform public sector technology and pioneer cutting-edge solutions. As Vice President & General Manager of Public Sector at Socure, Jordan is driven by a profound commitment to identity inclusion and fairness. In this role, he steers the operations and strategic direction of the business, while seamlessly integrating dynamic teams in strategy, customer success, sales, business development, legal, and compliance to redefine how identity verification technologies enable digital service delivery.
Prior to Socure, Jordan was the Chief of Staff to the U.S. Chief Information Officer at the White House, where he led transformative technology and cybersecurity efforts across two Presidential administrations. He was a key architect of initiatives that modernized federal IT infrastructure, reimagined cybersecurity, and advanced digital identity solutions, all while overseeing the Federal Government’s multi-billion dollar technology budget.
As a prominent voice in technology, Jordan serves on the boards of the Identity Theft Resource Center and the Kantara Initiative, actively advancing efforts in identity compromise mitigation and digital identity standards. A certified CISSP and CRISC practitioner, and a proud graduate of Pennsylvania State University, Jordan is on a mission to shape a safer, more inclusive digital future.

Nikhil J. Deshpande is Chief Digital Officer for the state of Georgia. He heads the Office of Digital Services (DSGa) under the Georgia Technology Authority.
Nikhil envisioned and led Georgia’s user-centric digital transition to an enterprise open-source web publishing system, GovHub. Under his direction, Georgia became the first state in the United States to use enterprise Drupal and meet special needs of constituents with a range of disabilities affecting vision, hearing, motion, and cognition, making GovHub Section 508 and WCAG 2.0 AA compliant.
Nikhil strongly advocated and set the framework for the use of social media for Georgia, back when using social media for government was not common. He established a presence for the state on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter to quickly address citizens’ questions and concerns.
Prior to his career in digital government, Nikhil worked in advertising and digital media.
Nikhil has two master’s degrees in visual communications and Interaction Design from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IITB) and the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). He served as adjunct faculty at the Atlanta campus of SCAD for 10 years, where he taught graduate classes in Interaction Design and User Experience.
Nikhil has won several national and international awards and recognition for his work in digital government. He was recently honored with Atlanta’s 40 under 40, an award recognizing 40 accomplished individuals under the age of 40.
Connect with Nikhil on Twitter or LinkedIn @nikofthehill

Adam Frumkin is a results-driven leader with more than 25 years of experience in developing, directing and executing business transformation and strategies. He has an established record collaborating with other executives to bring clarity to strategic business decisions and implementing technology to transform business processes.
Adam has focused experience in strategic planning, cultural and organizational development and emotional intelligence, process reengineering, enterprise system implementations, cybersecurity and disaster recovery and business continuity planning. He has been named as one of the 2023 Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers by Government Technology; StateScoop – Local Smart County Executive of the Year 2021 and the Columbus Business First – BizTech Executive of the Year 2021. He is an adjunct professor at The Ohio State University and for the PTI Certified Government Chief Information Officer (CGCIO) through Rutgers University.

Daniel Gohl joined HP Inc. as head of U.S. Education Strategy in September 2022. He brings three decades of partnering for success through innovation with students and educators from pre-kindergarten through post-graduate studies. Daniel has deep knowledge and extensive experience in teaching, education management and educational policy at the local, state and national level. He is committed to helping communities, and the institutions serving them, ensure that education is contemporary, challenging and continuous. Dan was raised in the Mid-Hudson Valley region of New York and currently lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida with his wife and three children.

Sybil is the Assistant CIO for Alameda County.  She is responsible for the Account Management of approximately 20 Departments/Agencies as well as the development and support of enterprise apps including .ERP, Criminal Justice and Property Systems.  She also leads Digital Services and Strategy focused on Citizen Engagement as well as leading the County's Cybersecurity Program.

President, e.Republic

Dustin Haisler is the President of e.Republic - the nation's leading state and local government data, media, and events company - and the parent company of Government Technology, Governing, and the Center for Digital Government. He is also active in the academic and research community, serving as co-lead of the Center for Public Sector AI, an Eisenhower Fellow (2019 Zhi-Xing Program), board member of the Good Governance Worldwide Academic Journal, and Program Faculty for the Certified Public Management Program (CPM) at Texas State University.
As the former Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Assistant City Manager for the City of Manor, Texas, Dustin quickly built a reputation as an early innovator in civic tech. He pioneered government use of commercial technologies not previously used in the public sector, including open innovation, Quick-Response (QR) barcodes, crowdsourcing, and gamification. Recognized as one of the nation’s Top 25 Doers, Dreamers, and Drivers for government technology, he was also named a Business Transformation 150 Leader by Constellation Research. His work has been featured in Wired, Fast Company, the Wall Street Journal, Inc. Magazine, the Today Show on NBC, The Economist, CNN, Fortune, and Citizenville by California Governor Gavin Newsom. Most recently, Dustin has led initiatives to help public sector agencies safely adopt and integrate artificial intelligence technologies through public speaking, research, training, expert testimonies, and the development of AI tools.
Dustin graduated Magna Cum Laude from LeTourneau University with a Bachelor of Business Administration and has conducted research with universities around the globe on incubating next-generation technologies in government, including the Persuasive Technology Lab at Stanford University and the University of Trento, Italy. He is a frequent speaker and expert advisor who collaborates with Fortune 500 companies, investors, government agencies, academia, startups, and non-profits worldwide on the global govtech market, public sector technology trends, and artificial intelligence development.

Mike Homant is an innovative technology leader with more than 30 years of success. Currently he is CTO and Deputy CIO for the City of Detroit. Previously, was CIO at Wright & Filippis.  He has held leadership roles at: Asset Acceptance Capital, Comprehensive Receivables Group - BC/BS WI, and William Beaumont Hospital. He specializes in implementing technology modernization and building customer service focused teams. Outside work he is a husband, father, and passionate photographer.

Rob Lloyd is the Chief Technology Officer for the City of Seattle, WA, leading the diverse technology portfolio, 650-person team, and $290 million budget for the largest city in the US Pacific Northwest. Seattle serves 800,000 residents and operates with a $8.3 billion budget, a citywide staff of 13,300, across 84 square miles next to the beautiful Puget Sound.
Previously, Rob was the Deputy City Manager for Transportation, Aviation, and Technology in San Jose, CA, the 12th largest U.S. city, where he managed a $1.5 billion portfolio. He served as Chief Information Officer for six years prior to that role. With almost 20 years of C-level experience in technology, government, and utilities across California, Arizona, Oregon, and Colorado, Rob’s teams have led the nation in procurement innovation and partnerships, omnichannel 311, service design, equity through data, and AI, earning over 40 national honors for customer engagement, operational excellence, and innovation.
He has been named a Governing Magazine Public Official of the Year, a GovTech 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers (twice), is an ORBIEs CIO of the Year, Phoenix Business Journal 40 Under 40, and is a Cybersecurity Genius Fellow grant recipient.

Chris Mazzarella is an experienced leader driving business value realization through strategic execution and a specialization in digital transformation. His most recent endeavor is in shaping new information-driven solutions to improve quality of life and city services for the City of Tucson as Chief Information Officer. With over twenty-five years combined experience in information technology, project management, and business operations management, Chris brings a unique approach in achieving meaningful business targets using information as an enabler to radically reshape operations.
Chris has a diverse background in government contracting, non-profits, education and the private sector. He is a board member for the Eller College at the University of Arizona and has a BS in Management Information Systems and Operations, a Master’s in Business Administration, and certificates in Business Intelligence and Analytics, Architecture, Six Sigma, and Project Management. Chris’s current major initiatives within the city include: establishment of a city-wide portfolio and master plan, introducing fiber to the premise for all Tucsonans, and a new agile engagement model for technical solutions integrated with public safety. With a proven track record of business-oriented thinking, creative problem solving, and a passion to improve the lives of those around him, Chris is eager to share ideas with like-minded partners to drive innovative techniques advancing the digital transformation of city operations and services.

Tony O’Neill is CISO and chief risk officer for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. As the state’s lead IT agency, the executive team is responsible for planning, development, communications and implementation of the Commonwealth’s digital transformation, including enhancing data security, safeguarding privacy and improving service delivery to the end user. On an ongoing basis, he provides operational risk management for value creation and protection and serves as an advisor for organizational governance and leadership.

Dr. Orgeron has extensive information technology experience in both the private sector and the federal and state level of the public sector. Currently, Dr. Orgeron is Professor of Management Information Systems in the Else School of Management at Millsaps College. After beginning his career as a communications-computer systems officer in the United States Air Force, he served as the Executive Director of the Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services (ITS) and Chief Information Officer for the State of Mississippi. In this role, Dr. Orgeron provided statewide leadership in the provision of services that facilitated cost-effective information processing and telecommunication solutions for Mississippi government agencies and institutions.
Dr. Orgeron has served as an Executive Government Advisor with Amazon Web Services (AWS), President of the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) and on the Executive Committee of the Multi-State Information Sharing & Analysis Center (MS-ISAC), as well as participated in numerous government information technology task forces and committees, such as the Mississippi Broadband Task Force, the Digital Signature Committee, the Electronic Government Task Force, and the Governor’s Commission on Digital Government, which led to the implementation of the enterprise electronic government in Mississippi. Dr. Orgeron holds a bachelor’s degree in MIS, a master’s degree and doctorate in public policy and administration from Mississippi State University. Dr. Orgeron is a certified public manager and a graduate of the Senator John C. Stennis State Executive Development Institute, as well as the Institute on International Digital Government Research, and the Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government Executive Education Series, Leadership for a Networked World, Cybersecurity: The Intersection of Policy and Technology, and the Harvard Business Analytics Program (HBAP).

Amelia Powers Gardner has over 15 years of experience in the private sector working in engineering, manufacturing, and business development. After college, she worked for Caterpillar, spending time throughout the U.S. and Canada before returning home to Utah County where she now serves as a County Commissioner.
As the Utah County Clerk/Auditor, Amelia championed innovation and efficiency in government. Under Amelia’s leadership, Utah County launched the first ever completely online marriage license portal and became the first jurisdiction in the U.S. to allow people with disabilities to vote using blockchain technology.
Amelia’s focus as County Commissioner has centered on preparing the county for growth, working with cities on addressing the housing crisis, and implementing policies that protect urban farming and private property rights.
Amelia is an elected official, community leader, business consultant, disruptive technology advocate, government innovation leader, and mentor for women.
She and her husband Tobin live in Pleasant Grove, UT and have 6 children.

As an Executive Government Advisor, Morgan works with senior leaders from public sector organizations and their partners to share real-world examples of innovation in government and develop strategies for modernizing citizen services with the cloud. Morgan helps organizations work backwards from the outcomes they hope to achieve, then optimize for the people and process parts of the change before diving deep on technology.
Prior to joining Amazon Web Services (AWS), Morgan served as the State CIO for the State of Arizona’s Strategic Enterprise Technology office.

Denise Reilly-Hughes brings over 20 years of extensive technology expertise in managing operations and strategic initiatives. In September 2023, she was appointed to the role of Vermont’s CIO and Secretary of the Agency of Digital Services. She leads the state’s technology systems and services while focusing on improved human-centered design and core technology standards of the state’s information systems. Denise is dedicated to improving Vermonters’ experience, employee enablement and modernizing government technology services.
Before her current position with the State of Vermont, Denise spent her career in the private sector developing teams and growth initiatives within the technology industry. During that time, she helped lead numerous U.S. states through their modernization journey and adoption of cloud services. Denise is committed to ensuring the State of Vermont’s technology achieves value-based outcomes and digital services are designed to meet the needs of the Vermonters who access them.

Arizona CIO J.R. Sloan has been a hard-charging advocate for making technology pull its weight in state government since taking over in 2019.
The efforts of Sloan and his team at the Arizona Strategic Enterprise Technology (ASET) Office were perhaps most noticeable during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the state’s critical investments in cloud technology paid dividends. At the time, Sloan called the move “the single largest transformational initiative” of the last few years. That consolidation — which narrowed the footprint of 90 official and unofficial data centers spread across the state to two major locations and the cloud — enabled a quick transition to the remote work needs of some 90 state agencies. “Everyone had cloud-based tools for collaboration and virtual meetings. Moving quickly on cloud technologies really positioned us well for that transition,” he told GovTech in October 2020. The state’s trust-but-verify approach to IT shows prominently in how it vets cloud vendors through the AzRAMP process and its participation in the larger-scale StateRAMP initiative, an effort Sloan undertook a leadership role in crafting.
Where government work intersects with the public, Sloan has been a force for progress. In 2021, he reported that the state’s resume of digital services had reached 266 — the equivalent of 550,000 transactions worth $147 million. Similarly, the creation of a new e-licensing platform streamlined access to professional licensing. In 2020, the state earned an A- grade for these efforts in the Digital States Survey* under Sloan’s leadership.

Vibha Soni is a highly accomplished cloud architect and IT leader for SLED in the central US with a proven track record of success in designing, implementing, and managing complex technology solutions.
She has extensive experience in cloud technologies, database administration, and middleware platforms, with a strong focus on modernizing organizations. Vibha has a passion for driving innovation and delivering business value through technology particularly within state and local organizations.
She is a strategic thinker with exceptional communication and leadership skills, and is dedicated to fostering collaboration and mentoring others. As an advocate for responsible AI, Vibha believes in harnessing the power of technology for the betterment of society.

Ben Straub is the Head of Public Sector for Atlassian. He leverages over 25 years of experience in enterprise software to lead the go to market efforts for government, federal systems integrators, defense contractors and education. Prior to joining Atlassian Ben held various go to market leadership roles at organizations such as Pendo, ServiceNow and Cornerstone both in the public and private sector. His unique perspective of seeing the many differences in the markets helps him become a trusted advisor to public sector organizations looking to drive significant digital transformation.

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.

Shawnzia A. Thomas has worked in Georgia state government for more than 13 years, with an emphasis on integrating technology to improve constituent services and better serve Georgians. In July 2021, she was appointed Chief Information Officer for the State of Georgia and Executive Director of the Georgia Technology Authority by Governor Brian P. Kemp.
Previously, Ms. Thomas served as Assistant Deputy Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Human Services. Previously, she was Executive Director of the Georgia Commission on Equal Opportunity and Director of the Georgia Secretary of State’s Corporations Division.
A native of Macon, Georgia, Ms. Thomas received her undergraduate degree from Middle Tennessee State University and Master’s in Public Administration from the University of West Georgia. She is a Commissioner on the Georgia Commission on Equal Opportunity’s Advisory Board and member of the Hospitality Ministry at Chapelhill Church in Atlanta. Ms. Thomas was named to the Atlanta Business League’s list of Top 100 Women of Influence for 2021 and received the 2022 Golden Gov: State Executive of the Year award from StateScoop.

James "Jim" Weaver joined the N.C. Department of Information Technology in March 2021, with more than 30 years of leadership and management in the IT industry. 
As secretary and state chief information officer, he leads the agency responsible for strategic IT planning and the procurement and delivery of IT services and solutions as well as cybersecurity and efforts to expand broadband access and affordability across North Carolina.