Georgia Digital Government Summit 2024 Banner

Overview

The Digital Government Summit brings together technology focused public-sector professionals with leading industry partners to connect on innovative approaches, get inspired and discover new technologies. Join us and let’s improve the future of government together!

A message from our Keynote Speaker

The way technology-fueled change continues to accelerate, non-stop transformation is the new reality for state and local governments. Where once we aimed for destinations, now we’re looking more at mapping paths. That’s our best bet for serving citizens in new and innovative ways. At the 2024 Georgia Digital Government Summit, we’ll compare notes, share successes, explore the possibilities, and even draw inspiration from one another. Whether you’re an IT staff member or agency business leader, you are sure to find value in the keynote presentations, breakout sessions and vendor exhibits. I hope you’ll plan to join us.

– Shawnzia Thomas, Chief Information Officer, State of Georgia

 

Speakers

Shawnzia A. Thomas

Shawnzia A. Thomas

State Chief Information Officer & Executive Director, Georgia Technology Authority

Ms. Thomas has worked for the state of Georgia for more than 15 years with an emphasis on integrating technology in all sectors of state government to improve constituent services and better serve Georgians.
Most recently, she 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 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 Advisory Board and a director on the Executive Committee of the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO). She serves as a member of the Hospitality Ministry at Chapelhill Church in Atlanta.

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Scott Klososky

Scott Klososky

Technologist, Futurist, Humanist, Author and Consultant

As a founding partner of digital strategy firm, Future Point of View (FPOV), Scott lives on the leading edge of technology and innovative thinking. Scott speaks to large audiences worldwide about the intersection of humanity and the Digital Transformation. Through FPOV, Scott provides advisory work for clients including Fortune100, SMB’s and government entities. This work has driven him to develop unique concepts such as the HUMALOGY® Scale for measuring the amount of human or machine involved in a system or process, and the Rivers of Information® process for building learning eco-systems. He also pioneered a framework for looking accurately into the future of an industry sector in order to set organizational strategy: The High Beam process.
Scott co-founded Alkami Technology (ALKT), the developer of a second-generation online banking platform with innovative features non-existent in current systems. The company went public in 2021 at a $3billion valuation and is today headquartered in Dallas with over 350 employees.
Scott is recognized globally for his unique ability to accurately predict future digital trends and explain the logic behind why these will alter the current status quo of the economy and society. While business application of his insights is extremely valuable to leaders and companies, he is also motivated help improve the impact post Covid environments are having on people and their daily lives. Technology has been increasingly driving change and stress and recent events are amplifying this problem. He has a unique perspective on how to manage the personal toll technology is causing people, teams and organizations.
Even as a young child, Scott was destined to see the world through a Humalogy® lens. His father was a programmer for Boeing and his mother was a counselor who mixed many philosophies into her practice of helping people in life. To this day, he is a hybrid of a technologist and humanist who strives to find a hopeful future in blending the two.
Scott has the ability to entertain, inspire, and enlighten audiences, while helping them gain new perspectives about how technology is impacting us. Scott never does a canned presentation with the exact content across events. He sets himself apart from other speakers by architecting his content with the latest examples, current events and trends relevant for the keynote he is delivering.
He is equally adept at giving large stage keynotes, speaking to small boards of directors, facilitating half and full day workshops, and doing break-out sessions. As an added bonus of his presentations, attendees come away learning how to be a better facilitator, speaker or presenter by seeing Scott use different applications and technologies to engage audiences either in a virtual, hybrid or in person setting. The best measure of his ability to inspire and inform audiences is the high percentage of speaking clients who bring him back for follow up work with their audiences.
He produces a podcast titled “The Digital Optimist” in which he delivers ideas about the transformation of humanity through the impact of technology with a positive and hopeful lens. He also writes a blog titled Digital Awakening – both can be found at his website at www.klososky.com

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John Matelski

John Matelski

Executive Director, Center for Digital Government. 

Prior to joining the Center, Matelski served for 25 years as an Information Technology & Security executive for municipal (City of Orlando, FL) and county government (Gwinnett County, GA), most recently retiring from DeKalb County, GA after 12 years of service.  John’s duties included executive management of all information technology and security resources and systems that support operations and drive innovation throughout the County enterprise. As DeKalb County CIO, he oversaw more than 100 employees serving ~800 million residents.
Matelski graduated from Arizona State University with a B.S. in Computer Science and an M.B.A. with an emphasis in Computer Information Systems and has been a Certified Government CIO since 2011.  Matelski has a proven track record of leadership in the public and private sectors, utilizing innovation and resourcefulness with a proven ability to build a compelling vision and move an organization toward it. Matelski rebuilt DeKalb County, GA’s technology capabilities from the ground up, helping lead to 8 straight years of recognition as a top 10 winner of the Center for Digital Government annual Digital Counties Survey.  
John has won numerous awards including Government Technology’s Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers, State of Georgia CIO ORBIE Award Finalist, and the Computerworld/Smithsonian Laureate Award for Information Technology.  During his tenure with DeKalb County, Matelski was also very active in technology leadership roles with the National Association of Counties (NACo), having served as Chair of the IT Standing Committee, Vice Chair of the Telecommunication & Technology Committee, and Vice Chair of the County Technology Advisory Council.

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Gary Buonacorsi

Gary Buonacorsi

Public Sector Chief Technology Officer, Unisys

Gary Buonacorsi has nearly two decades of experience in the IT industry as a transformational leader for Government agencies and Fortune 500 companies.  As Unisys’s Public Sector Chief Technology Officer, Gary is responsible for thought leadership in the public sector, State and Local business strategy, and guiding customer security and operations transformations.  Additionally, he will define long-term goals for the State and Local Government vertical, build key customer relationships, identify business opportunities, build capacity for Sales teams to convey Unisys’s Point of View, facilitate conversations with our customers, lead industry discussions, and conduct conference keynotes and seminars.
Gary comes to Unisys with a wide range of experience.  Most recently he served as the Field CTO and Enterprise Architect for ServiceNow SLED vertical.  He has also been the SLED CTO for Tanium and Dell Technologies.  Additionally, Gary’s career includes positions as CIO and CTO in the States of Nevada and Texas.

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Kanti Chalasani

Kanti Chalasani

Division Director, Georgia Data Analytics Center, Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget, State of Georgia

Kanti Chalasani serves as the Division Director for the Georgia Data Analytics Center (GDAC) at the Office of Planning and Budget (OPB). Kanti played a pivotal role in establishing GDAC’s data cloud from the ground up, managing key aspects like data sharing and governance, data engineering/analytics and data security strategy. Her leadership resulted in the creation of a robust data lake following industry best practices for Georgia.  With over 29 years of experience in IT and management, and hands-on data and 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.

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.

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Sean Choate

Sean Choate

Senior Account Executive, Connectivity Product Sales, T-Mobile 

Sean Choate is an Enterprise Connectivity Solutions Specialist and the leader of the 5G Advanced Network Solutions team for T-Mobile’s SLED sector in the Southeast US.  He is responsible for delivering purpose-built 5G solutions to customers to deliver business outcomes and solve digital transformation initiatives.  Sean brings over 33 years of experience in the telecommunications / technology industry to his engagements.  His consultative solutions approach has made him very successful across multiple disciplines, helping customers deploy IOT for Smart City initiatives, AI enriched video for public safety applications, and purpose-built wired and wireless networking solutions for Enterprise use cases.   His work has spanned Marketing, Operations, Product Management, Business Development, Sales, and Solutions Architecture.   Sean has led highly successful teams within Fortune 500 companies, as well as start-ups.
Sean lives in the Dallas / Fort Worth area but grew up in West Texas.  He graduated from Angelo State University with a BA in Mathematics and a minor in Business Management.  He completed his MBA at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, TX.  Outside of his role at T-Mobile, Sean’s passions include working on his family ranch in West Texas, watching sunsets, hiking, and just generally being outdoors with his family.  He also volunteers on a local Credit Union’s board of directors.

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Monika Davis

Monika Davis

Chief Information Officer, Dekalb County School District 

Monika Davis is currently the Chief Information Officer of DeKalb County School District, which has over 118,000 technology users.  Ms. Davis started her career in the DeKalb County School District as a technology paraprofessional at Murphy Candler Elementary school in 1994.  She has spent all 26 years of her vast career in educational technology working closely with all areas of Information Technology.    Prior to her role as a district leader, Monika held many positions ranging from technician to school technology specialist to district-level instructional technology specialist.
Ms. Davis’s graduate education includes a Master of Science degree in Instructional Technology and a Master of Education degree in Educational Leadership both from Georgia State University as well as an Education Specialist Degree in Instructional Technology from Kennesaw State University.   Her interest in technology started as a student at Redan High School in Stone Mountain, Georgia where she excelled in coding, computer math, and graphics design.  Upon graduation from Redan High School, Ms. Davis attended Georgia Institute of Technology where she studied Computer Science for three years.  As fate would have it, K – 12 education beaconed changing her career and higher education trajectory.
Ms. Davis has worked with local school districts as an employee and consultant including DeKalb County, Fulton County, and Atlanta Public.  She also has industry experience providing technical support and technology-related instructional design for businesses both stateside and abroad.  She has facilitated multiple sessions covering various educational technology topics with collaborative learning groups, such as the Explorer’s Guild, Tech and Learning, and The Learning Counsel.  Ms. Davis is also no novice to the technology conference circuit, having served as presenter, panelist, steering committee member, and keynote speaker for events such as Georgia Educational Technology Conference, International Society of Technology in Education Conference, and RTM CIO Congress. 
Being a life-long learner is critical in a field as dynamic and constantly evolving as information technology.  Ms. Davis embraces this challenge and believes it is her job to empower stakeholders by connecting the dots between information technology and education through leadership, strategic planning and execution, and ongoing advocacy.   Ms. Davis is currently fixated on continuing the district’s digital transformation journey with a focus on enhancing security and operational effectiveness with an intense focus on digital equity that promotes access, use, and design that benefits learning for all students.

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Nikhil Deshpande

Nikhil Deshpande LinkedIn

Chief Digital & AI Officer, Georgia Technology Authority, State of Georgia

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 @nikofthehill

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Tommy Gardner

Tommy Gardner

Chief Technology Officer, HP Federal, HP Inc.

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.

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Drew Hendrickson

Drew Hendrickson LinkedIn

Director, UX + Human-centered Design, RSM US

Drew Hendrickson is a Director within RSM’s Human Centered Design practice. In this role he leads research and design activities focused on developing solutions, services and software through the lens of the user.
He has held a range of design and creative leadership roles at select agencies, consultancies, campaigns, and manufacturers. With expertise in building interactive experiences for brands like Google, Twilio, Netflix, and Spotify– and for public sector clients like Maryland DOT, the Pennsylvania Turnpike, and the Atlanta-Region Transit Link Authority, Drew brings a blend of technical knowledge, passion for great user experiences, and brand storytelling to the Human-Centered Design practice at RSM. 

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Drew Malone LinkedIn

Solutions Engineer, Wiz 

Drew Malone is a Solution Engineer on the US Public Sector team at Wiz. Raised in the South, now living in Maryland outside Washington DC, he has twenty years of experience with Government software, security, and IT work. Drew started his career as a civil servant with the DoD, where he cut his teeth on data center & cloud automation and helped support one of the government's first self-service, isolated cloud environments. Since then, he's learned that the best way to make progress in government work is to be empathetic and solve other people's problems. Ask him sometime for the MTU story that cost him three months of his life.

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Jason Matthews

Jason Matthews LinkedIn

Regional Systems Engineer, Public Sector, Fortinet

Renee Parker

Renee Parker

Chief Information Officer, Georgia Department of Driver Services 

Renee is currently the CIO for DDS.  She has been at DDS since September 1 of 2021 starting as the Deputy Director becoming Interim CIO in February 2023 and becoming official CIO December 1, 2023.  Before then Renee worked at the Department of Human Services as a program manager for about two years.  Before that she was with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Environmental Protection Division (EPD) which she started in November of 2000.  Renee and the CIO at the time developed EPD’s own Information Technology team as EPD is a sub
She was recently married with one daughter and one step daughter. 

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Stacey Valrie Peace, Esq., MSW

Stacey Valrie Peace, Esq., MSW

State ADA Coordinator, State ADA Coordinator’s Office

Stacey Valrie Peace serves as the State Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Coordinator for the State of Georgia. The State ADA Coordinator’s Office is within the Georgia State Financing & Investment Commission. She is responsible for developing and implementing programs and activities to advance and monitor agency compliance with the ADA statewide. Stacey also serves as the ADA Coordinator for the State Properties Commission and the Georgia Building Authority. From 2014-2019, she served as the Chair for the Georgia Emergency Preparedness Coalition for Individuals with Disabilities and Older Adults. The Coalition is comprised of state and federally funded emergency preparedness and service delivery agencies and organizations. Prior to becoming the State ADA Coordinator, Stacey was the Assistant State ADA Coordinator for 13 years. Preceding her employment in state government, Stacey was as an attorney representative for individuals seeking disability benefits from the Social Security Administration.
Ms. Peace is a member of various collaborative groups and organizations including: The National Association of ADA Coordinators, Tools for Life - Advisory Council, National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) Georgia Committee, DBHDD’s Deaf Advisory Group, University System of Georgia’s - Compliance and Risk Management Subgroup, the American Correctional Association, the Georgia Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters, the State Bar of Georgia – Government Attorneys and Employment Law Sections, and the City of Atlanta's Mayor Office's of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion's (MOEDI) 2024 Inclusive Language Guide Advisory Committee. Ms. Peace is a graduate of the Georgia Leadership Institute's Executive Leadership Program. She is a Certified ADA Coordinator with the ADA Coordinator Training Certification Program (ACTCP).
Ms. Peace also holds a B.A. in Psychology from Spelman College, a M.S.W. from Clark Atlanta University and a J.D. from the University of Georgia, School of Law. Ms. Peace is a dedicated member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and Jack and Jill of America, Inc.

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Rusty Putzler

Rusty Putzler LinkedIn

CTO and COO, SDI Presence

Clark Rainer

Clark Rainer

Chief Information Officer, Office of the Attorney General Chris Carr 

[LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/pub/clark-rainer/15/a96/38

IT Executive with over 25 years of experience in leading IT operations for public and private organizations. Currently serving as the CIO for Georgia’s Attorney General, Chris Carr. Clark holds his CGCIO, and LGCIO certification from University of Georgia - Carl Vinson Institute for Government, BBA in General Business Administration from Georgia College and State University, and Associate of Arts from Oxford College of Emory University.
Author – How to Build an IT Department from Chaos to Continual System Improvement, copyright © 2018.
Recently, Clark has been a change agent driving digital transformation of City, County, and State Government Agencies serving in the roles of IT Director and CIO. He has developed cyber security programs for the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office and Georgia Office of Attorney General, implementing proven methodologies and frameworks in maturing operational and cyber security posture.
Clark served nine consecutive term as GMIS International Director www.gmis.org, and worked closely with International partners in the formation of LOLA (Linked Organization of Local Authorities – www.lola-ict.org ), and includes executives representing Australia, Belgium, Canada, Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, United Kingdom, and the United States. In addition, Clark served on the Board of Georgia GMIS (president in 2010) for fifteen years.
Clark was awarded the GMIS International Outstanding Professional Award (previously MISAPA) in 2001.
Outside of work, Clark enjoys traveling, spending time with family and friends, fishing, horseback riding, and menagerie of animals on his “hobby farm” in rural Butts County, GA.

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Johan Rempel

Johan Rempel

Interim Associate Director/UX/ICT Quality Assurance Manager, CIDI @ Georgia Tech

Johan oversees digital accessibility and user experience (UX) initiatives, including the AccessGA Project. Johan’s background and employment in the areas of disabilities and accessibility include education in a number of fields including previous certifications as an Assistive Technology Instructional Specialist (CATIS), Vision Rehabilitation Therapist (CVRT), Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC), and User Experience Certification (UXC). 

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Jason Sankey

Jason Sankey

Chief Information Officer, City of Atlanta 

Jason Sankey is a strategic change agent with nearly two decades of executive leadership and experience in operations and technology. He is known for his ability to effectively collaborate across business lines while continuously driving innovation.
He brings his immense experience as a technology leader for the City of Atlanta as the City’s chief information officer (CIO). In this role, he is accountable for delivering strategy, innovation, and results. Jason is widely known for his executive leadership, technology foresight, and thought-provoking strategies in transforming organizations. He strives to balance innovation with a realistic approach to advancing technology while integrating the City’s goals to achieve desired outcomes. He prides himself in building talented, highly accomplished teams that demonstrate excellence.
Recognized as a consummate professional and determined leader who perseveres through challenging times, Jason prides himself on the impact he makes within communities through his work serving as a public service executive. Jason serves on various community boards where he stresses collaboration and seeks enterprise solutions while focusing on maximizing technology through customer experience.

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Jessica Simmons

Jessica Simmons

Deputy State Chief Information Officer and Executive Director of the Georgia Broadband Program, Georgia Technology Authority 

Jessica Simmons serves as Deputy CIO and Executive Director of the Georgia Broadband Program at the Georgia Technology Authority (GTA). Since joining GTA in 2021, she has facilitated over $650 million in grant awards for broadband expansion in Georgia.
Prior to joining GTA, she served as a Deputy Commissioner at the Georgia Department of Revenue where she oversaw the Legal Affairs and Tax Policy Division, the Department’s law enforcement divisions, and the Department’s communications and legislative programs.
She began her career in public service in the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office. After working in Washington, D.C., Simmons returned to Georgia as the Assistant Director of the Georgia Elections Division and later served as Chief of Staff in the Secretary of State’s Office.
Simmons is a native of Marietta and holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Georgia. Simmons and her husband, Matt, live with their two children in Sandy Springs.

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Kevin Talbert

Kevin Talbert LinkedIn

Senior Solutions Engineer, Cloudera Government Solutions

Kevin Talbert is a dedicated Senior Solutions Engineer with Cloudera Government Solutions. He comes from an architecture background working with large, distributed data platforms, and designing customer-centric solutions for problems at scale. He provides technical expertise to customers looking to modernize their data stack and builds solutions to integrate Cloudera wherever they are on that journey.

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Mike Thompson

Mike Thompson LinkedIn

Director of Cloud and Security Architecture, Varonis

Mike leads a global team of security and cloud experts dedicated to data-centric security. As part of the Varonis Incident Response Team, Thompson regularly assists Varonis clients in defending against insider threats and cyberattacks and advancing their threat detection capabilities. As a Cloud specialist, Thompson has assisted numerous organizations with navigating complex data security challenges as they move away from on-prem data stores and into M365, AWS, Google, and Salesforce. Before joining Varonis in 2015, Thompson worked as a technology consultant with Kraft Kennedy.

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Eric Toler

Eric Toler

Executive Director, Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center, State of Georgia 

Colonel (Retired) Eric Toler joined Augusta University in 2018 as Executive Director of the Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center (aka Georgia Cyber Center). Mr. Toler previously served in the U.S. Army as a Military Intelligence Officer, retiring with over 27 years of leadership and national security experience. In addition to seven combat tours in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Balkans, Mr. Toler was a pioneer in leading and developing cyberspace operations capabilities for the Army and Department of Defense, serving in key positions within Army Cyber Command, U.S. Cyber Command, and the National Security Agency.
In his role as Executive Director of the Georgia Cyber Center, Mr. Toler is responsible for fulfilling the Center’s mission to create an ecosystem of collaboration among government, academia, and private industry partners that helps solve the state and nation’s most challenging cybersecurity problems through innovative education, training, research and development, and practical applications.
In addition to numerous military schools and training, Mr. Toler holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Henderson State University, a Master of Public Administration from the University of Kansas, and a Master of Science in National Security Strategy from National Defense University.
Mr. Toler has numerous military awards and decorations, including the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, and two Bronze Star Medals. In his current role, Mr. Toler has been twice named to Georgia Trend Magazine’s Georgia 500 most influential leaders and three times named in James Magazine as one of Georgia’s most influential men and women.

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Bala Vaithyalingam

Bala Vaithyalingam

WW Leader for Data & AI Solutions, IBM

Bala is a recognized Thought Leader on Data and AI from IBM. He leads Worldwide Solution engineering from IBM Technology Expert Labs to design and deliver solutions around Data Governance, Data Integration, Data Observability, GenAI and AI Governance.
Bala has a proven track record of designing and implementing Data and AI solutions for many State agencies, federal and private organizations in North America and around the world. He has extensive expertise in working with Chief Information Officers (CIOs) Chief Data Officers (CDOs) and CXOs to develop information governance strategy, Data Strategy, and agile implementation roadmaps to successfully adopt the governance journey to meet their regulatory compliance needs as well as to generate business value from the data management landscape. Bala received many awards in IBM including patent application invention achievement award for governed database connectivity through and around data catalog to registered data sources.
Bala lives in Frisco, Texas, and holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Purdue University and awarded three University gold medals for his outstanding achievements in bachelor degree (B.Tech) from Anna University, India.

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Agenda

Friday, October 11

8:00 am Eastern

Registration and Morning Refreshments in the Exhibit Area

Grand Ballroom Pre-Function

9:00 am Eastern

Opening Remarks

Grand Ballroom AB

Shawnzia A. Thomas, Chief Information Officer for the State of Georgia and Executive Director of the Georgia Technology Authority

9:15 am Eastern

Keynote – The Age of Digital Disruption: Moving Forward, Faster

Grand Ballroom AB

Technology advancements continue to disrupt at a swifter pace than ever before. 2023 witnessed the impact of AI in all sectors, and this year the public sector is required to adapt and adopt at a speed unheard of in the past. For the rest of our careers, intelligence will be built into all devices, applications, and processes. This changes how we must think about the use of data and the integration of humans and machines. What are the crucial strategies for adapting to and maximizing the benefits of these advancements? This session will have you ready to move forward at high speed as it paints a vibrant picture showing how synthetic intelligence can amplify current systems and our workforce.

Scott Klososky, Technologist, Futurist, Humanist, Author and Consultant

10:15 am Eastern

Networking Break in the Exhibit Area

Grand Ballroom Pre-Function

10:45 am Eastern

Concurrent Sessions

Building a Resilient Cybersecurity Framework

East/West Paces Room

With cyber criminals increasingly targeting local governments, what unique cybersecurity challenges does the public sector face? How can organizations implement a zero-trust architecture and link risk management with recovery strategies? This session highlights the latest trends in cybersecurity along with a comprehensive security strategy. Understand how to cultivate a strong cyber culture at every level of your organization, engaging a whole-of-government approach in protecting digital assets. Equip yourself with strategies to safeguard your infrastructure and ensure resilience against cyber threats.

Moderator: Hansa Bernal, Senior National Conference Director, Government Technology

Steve Hodges, Chief Information Security Officer, Georgia Technology Authority

Tommy Gardner, Chief Technology Officer, HP Federal, HP Inc.

Drew Malone, Solutions Engineer, Wiz

Legacy to Leading Edge: Modernization Strategies for Government

Grand Ballroom C

Legacy applications often form the backbone of many public sector organizations' IT infrastructure. However, as technology advances, they can become a liability, hindering innovation and efficiency. Modernizing these systems is crucial for improving service delivery, operational effectiveness, and citizen engagement. This session will explore various strategies for modernizing legacy systems in the public sector, considering different models for moving forward, agile adoption, and costs associated with modernization efforts.

Moderator: Myra Guy, Chief Information Officer, Georgia State Accounting Office

Gary Buonacorsi, Public Sector Chief Technology Officer, Unisys

Sean Choate, Senior Account Executive, Connectivity Product Sales, T-Mobile

Renee Parker, Chief Information Officer, Georgia Department of Driver Services

Creating an Accessible Georgia

Grand Ballroom D

Accessibility is a commitment to providing equitable access to all government services. Designing, developing, and maintaining accessible technology starts with understanding your role and responsibility! What do you need to know about accessibility in government? How can smaller organizations meet requirements even when they don’t have staff dedicated to overseeing accessibility? This session breaks down the tools, training, and resources that will aid your organization along its accessibility compliance journey.

Moderator: Nikhil J Deshpande, Chief Digital and AI Officer, State of Georgia

Stacey Valrie Peace, Esq., MSW, State ADA Coordinator, State ADA Coordinator’s Office

Johan Rempel, Interim Associate Director ICT/UX Quality Assurance Manager, Center for Inclusive Design and Innovation, Georgia Tech

Jessica Simmons, Deputy State Chief Information Officer and Executive Director of the Georgia Broadband Program, Georgia Technology Authority

The Evolving IT Workforce Landscape

Grand Ballroom E

Workforce challenges in the public sector are not a new issue – but one that has certainly evolved over the last few years. What skills are ACTUALLY needed to have an effective team in 2024? How can we ensure we have the right people in place to align IT initiatives with business strategies? Are there new approaches to examine as we look to retain and upskill our current staff? This session will provide answers to those questions as we strive to build a robust and dynamic workforce.

Moderator: Jason McSwain, Director and Chief Information Officer, Office of Information Technology, Georgia Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Disabilities

Monika Davis, Chief Information Officer, Dekalb County School District

Clark Rainer, Chief Information Officer, Office of the Attorney General Chris Carr

11:45 am Eastern

Lunch

Grand Ballroom AB

12:45 pm Eastern

Technology Innovation Showcase Awards

Grand Ballroom AB

1:00 pm Eastern

Bits and Bytes - Georgia Cyber Innovation & Training Center: Strengthening Cybersecurity for All

Grand Ballroom AB

The Georgia Cyber Innovation & Training Center (GCITC) at Augusta University is a unique and powerful ecosystem of government, academia, and private industry – working together with a common mission in cyber operations and cybersecurity. This presentation will explain why this state-funded entity is located in Augusta and why its mission is critical to local, regional, and national security. It will also describe the services it provides or could provide to state and local government organizations and small to medium-sized businesses at a much more affordable rate than most alternatives.

Eric Toler, Executive Director, Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center, State of Georgia

1:25 pm Eastern

Short Break

Please proceed to the concurrent sessions.

1:35 pm Eastern

Concurrent Sessions

It's Not If, It's When: Resilience in Action

East/West Paces Room

In this unpredictable world, ensuring the continuity of government operations is crucial. You must consider strategies for managing internal risk, maintaining operational resilience, and securing the continuity of essential services. This session investigates the importance of identifying and prioritizing critical tasks that must continue, regardless of which systems may fail. We will explore key lessons learned from recent disruptions, while highlighting effective strategies for business continuity and disaster recovery. It is never too late to strengthen your organization's resilience!

Moderator: John Matelski, Executive Director, Center for Digital Government

Jason Matthews, Regional Systems Engineer, Public Sector, Fortinet

Barry Puckett, Interim Chief Information Officer, Dekalb County

Mike Thompson, Director, Cloud and Security Architecture, Varonis

Sharing Data Makes Government Go Round

Grand Ballroom C

To improve service delivery, reduce costs, and enable collaboration, government must be able to share data effectively. How can you overcome procedural and technical barriers while navigating complex legal and policy requirements? What positive impact would data sharing within the executive branch unlock? Where do agencies start? This session provides a deep dive into strategies for effective data sharing and the tools and insights needed to promote data interoperability while safeguarding privacy and security.

Moderator: Kanti Chalasani, Director, Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget, Georgia Data Analytics Center

Natalie Lee, Deputy Geospatial Information Officer, Georgia Geospatial Information Office

Kevin Talbert, Senior Solutions Engineer, Cloudera Government Solutions

Bala Vaithyalingam, WW Leader for Data & AI Solutions, IBM

Designing for All: Creating the Future of Citizen Interaction

Grand Ballroom D

Having the right services that meet the modern users’ needs is becoming more critical than ever before. Constituents seek an intuitive, holistic, and accessible approach when working with government. The answer exists in user engagement practices and human centered design. Are they getting what they need? How can we design our systems and applications, so they meet the needs of the enterprise and the individual? Join our expert panel as we dive into the intersection of human centered design and accessibility as we look to elevate the constituent experience.

Moderator: Nikhil J Deshpande, Chief Digital and AI Officer, State of Georgia

Drew Hendrickson, Director, UX + Human-centered Design, RSM US

Jason Sankey, Chief Information Officer, City of Atlanta

Exclusive Briefing for Industry Partners

Grand Ballroom E

Hosted by: Shawnzia A. Thomas, Chief Information Officer for the State of Georgia and Executive Director of the Georgia Technology Authority

2:35 pm Eastern

Networking Break in the Exhibit Area

Grand Ballroom Pre-Function

3:00 pm Eastern

General Session – The Constituent Digital Experience of the Future

Grand Ballroom AB

Constituents are accustomed to a certain level of ease and convenience when buying and receiving goods and services – typically through a smartphone button. Ensuring this digital experience is at the top of the NASCIO priorities for 2024. How can the government keep up in this fast-changing world with soaring pressures to be constituent-centric? How can the government ensure digital equity and accessibility are embedded in their solutions? How will AI and new technologies enhance the digital experience while ensuring constituent privacy? This session will look to answer those questions and discuss what it takes to deliver government services safely, equitably, and securely.

John Matelski, Executive Director, Center for Digital Government

4:00 pm Eastern

Networking Reception in the Exhibit Area

Grand Ballroom Pre-Function

Network with your colleagues and discuss technology solutions with the event exhibitors.

4:30 pm Eastern

End of Conference

Conference times, agenda, and speakers are subject to change.

The Westin Buckhead Atlanta

3391 Peachtree Road NE
Atlanta, GA 30326
(404) 365-0065

Get Directions To
The Westin Buckhead Atlanta

Advisory Board

Government Representatives

Tameka Allen
Director of Information Technology
City of Augusta

Renee Alonso Parker
Chief Information Officer
Department of Driver Services
State of Georgia

Ronald Barrett
Director of Information Technology
City of Marietta & Marietta BLW

James Brown
Chief Information Officer
Bureau of Investigation
State of Georgia

Paula Calhoun
Director of Communications
Georgia Technology Authority

Kanti Chalasani
Director
Data Analytics Center, Governor's Office of Planning and Budget
State of Georgia

Roger Custin
Deputy Chief Information Officer
Department of Administrative Services
State of Georgia

Monika Davis
Chief Information Officer
Dekalb County School District

Nikhil Deshpande
Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer
Georgia Technology Authority

Daren Duncan
IT Manager
Department of Administrative Services
State of Georgia

Steve Geddes
Chief Information Officer
Department of Audits and Accounts
State of Georgia

Richie Golden
Chief Information Officer
Department of Natural Resources
State of Georgia

Myra Guy
Chief Information Officer
State Accounting Office
State of Georgia

Jeffrey Hill
Chief Information Officer
Department of Transportation
State of Georgia

Steve Hodges
Chief Information Security Officer
Georgia Technology Authority

Robert Keown
Executive Director, GA Virtual Technical Connection
Technical College System of Georgia

Nigel Lange
State Inspector General
Office of the State Inspector General
State of Georgia

Kimberly Lemley
Chief Information Officer
Cobb County

John Matelski
Chief Information Officer
DeKalb County

Jason McSwain
Chief Information Officer
Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities
State of Georgia

Susan Miller
Geospatial Information Officer
State of Georgia

Tyson Morris
Chief Information Officer
Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority

Trinity Mosley
Executive Staff Advisor
Georgia Technology Authority

Barry Puckett
Deputy Director of Infrastructure
DeKalb County

Clark Rainer
Chief Information Officer
Attorney General
State of Georgia

Melody Richards
Director, Project Management Office
Department of Audits and Accounts
State of Georgia

Jason Sankey
Chief Information Officer
Information Management
City of Atlanta

Jessica Simmons
Deputy State Chief Information Officer and Executive Director of the Georgia Broadband Program
Georgia Technology Authority

Sharon Stanley
Support Services Agency Head
Cobb County

Shawnzia A. Thomas
Chief Information Officer
State of Georgia

Les Thomassen
Communications Manager
Georgia Technology Authority

Col. Eric Toler
Executive Director
Georgia Cyber Innovation & Training Center
State of Georgia

Robbie Vickers
Chief Information Officer
Information Technology
Technical College System of Georgia

Ananias Williams
Chief Information Officer
Department of Revenue
State of Georgia

Industry Representatives

Julien Bouil
Public Sector Account Manager - Georgia
HP Inc.

Donna Johnson
Technology Sales Leader
IBM

Don Katello
Senior Manager
State Government
T-Mobile

Bret Klingenberg
Major Account Manager
Fortinet

John Lally
SLED Account Executive
Wiz

Tony Lester
Senior Solutions Engineer
PC Solutions and Integration

Registration Information / Contact Us

Event Date: October 11, 2024

Open to Public Sector only.

Registration - Free

If you represent a Private Sector organization and are interested in Sponsorship Opportunities, please contact Heather Earney.

Contact Information

For registration and general assistance contact:

Abigail Suiter
Government Technology
Phone: (916) 932-1405
E-mail: asuiter@erepublic.com

For assistance or questions concerning Sponsor Logos or Logistics please contact:

Mireya Gaton
Government Technology
Phone: (916) 296-2617
E-Mail: mgaton@govtech.com

Sponsorship opportunities are available. For more information, contact:

Heather Earney
Government Technology
Phone: (916) 932-1339
E-mail: heather.earney@erepublic.com

Venue

The Westin Buckhead Atlanta

3391 Peachtree Road NE
Atlanta, GA 30326
(404) 365-0065

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Parking 

Directions for Parking

Government Technology has arranged for discounted self-parking at the Westin Buckhead Atlanta parking garage. Event-day self-parking is discounted to $20 and overnight self-parking is discounted to $39 per night. Ask our event registration desk for a parking voucher to receive the discounted rate at the pay station before leaving the garage. 
 

Accommodations 

Government Technology has a group block established at The Westin Buckhead Atlanta. Please reference the ‘Georgia Technology Summit’ when making your room reservations to receive our group rate over phone or click on Group Rate Reservation Link.
Rate: $209
Cut-off date: 9/29/24 at 5:00 PM local
Rooms are on a first come first served basis. Please note, once the room block is full you will need to make other arrangements for your accommodation with the hotel directly or a nearby hotel.