Dr. Carter has worked expressly in the field of higher education for over fourteen years. In her current role as eCampus Director for the Technical College System of Georgia, she has the opportunity to support the mission of expanding educational opportunities to all citizens of Georgia. In addition, Dr. Carter has supported the team leading the first system-wide implementation of a Customer Relationship Management System aimed at improving student, staff and faculty communications through technology and automation.
Dr. Carter has experience with the student life cycle from enrollment through to graduation at all levels, including nine years of service as an online adjunct instructor. Dr. Carter is a passionate leader in education with a vast knowledge of student development and online learning. Dr. Carter has helped to author strategic plans and execute initiatives to improve student success outcomes tenfold.
Dr. Carter holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Higher Education Leadership from Capella University and is a proud wife and mother of three. She also holds a Master of Arts in Post-Secondary Education from Argosy University and a Bachelor of Arts in Child and Family Studies from Berea College.

Steven Ferguson is a 23-year veteran of the IT industry. As the Chief Information Officer for the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG), he leads a talented team of IT professionals in support of TCSG’s technical education, adult education, economic development and workforce divisions across the 88 campuses of Georgia’s 22 technical colleges. Recently, he spearheaded the adoption and deployment of an award-winning artificial intelligence chat bot, successfully championed a data center infrastructure consolidation initiative, standardized and expanded enterprise cybersecurity technologies and led the system through the rollout of a new mobile app to enhance the student experience.
Ferguson holds an M.S. in Information Technology from Southern Polytechnic State University, a B.S. in Business Administration, Information Technology from Columbia Southern University, an A.S. in Engineering from Gainesville State College, and is a proud graduate of TCSG’s Executive Leadership Academy. Steven currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Development Authority of Lumpkin County, Advisory Board Member for the Georgia Digital Government Summit, President of the Board of Directors for Castleberry Ridge, Communications Chair for Leadership Lumpkin County and as a volunteer for various non-profit and educational organizations. Recipient of the 2019 Georgia CIO of the Year ORBIE Award Winner | Nonprofit/Public Sector.

Mr. Kagansky serves as Chief Technology Officer and Deputy Executive Director at the Georgia Technology Authority. He came to GTA in 2021 as Chief Cloud Officer and helped launch the state’s cloud migration initiative.
Before joining GTA, Mr. Kagansky worked for Amazon Web Services where he helped state agencies across the country in their cloud implementations and migrations. Prior to AWS, he served as Executive Vice President of Development for Star2Star Communications, and in many technical and leadership roles for different software vending companies. Most notably, he served as the Federal Chief Technology Officer for Quest Software, spending several years in Europe working with commercial and government customers.
Mr. Kagansky holds a BBA in finance from Hofstra University and an MBA in management of information systems and operations management from the University of Georgia.

Susan Kerr has over 35 years of experience in higher education (27 years in the University System of Georgia) and 20+ years in IT management. Starting as a faculty member, she developed a passion for teaching with technology and transitioned to an IT role supporting academic technologies. Susan has held IT positions of increasing roles and responsibilities at four different USG institutions, Christ For The Nations, Ellucian, and Dynamic Campus Solutions. She now serves as the Chief Information Officer for Georgia College & State University, where she provides leadership, integrative management, and direction for the University’s Information Technology department.
Susan has a Master of Arts in Mathematics from the University of Georgia and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics with an emphasis in Computer Science from Georgia Southern University. She also has an Associate of Practical Theology degree from Christ For The Nations Institute in Dallas. TX. Throughout her career, Susan’s specialization has been in team-focused leadership built on strong pillars of exceptional customer service, technical management, hard work, and excellence.

Keith Osburn, Ed.D., serves as the Deputy Superintendent of Technology Services for Georgia Department of Education. Prior to his appointment Dr. Osburn served as the as the Associate Superintendent for Georgia Virtual Learning and as Chief Information Officer for a small, rural school district in south Georgia. While in that position he led the district's technology integration plan to acquire learning technologies to help usher in digital learning in the district. Specifically, he worked to implement many of the 1EdTech standards, especially the OneRoster standard to streamline rostering of applications for student and staff use. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Georgia Association of Managers of Educational Information Systems (GAMEIS). Keith received his doctorate and undergraduate degrees from Valdosta State University and master's degree from Georgia Southern University.

Mr. Rutherford was appointed the Director of the Office of Information Technology (OIT) in 2022. As Director, Henry oversees and coordinates the development and evolution of information technology, all activities related to enterprise systems development and technical services, and the overall operation of OIT.
Mr. Rutherford has served the State of Georgia for more than 20 years, beginning in the Compliance division with the Georgia Department of Revenue. Where he served in many roles and was named Acting Director for the ITS Governance division in 2021. Henry holds a degree in Science from Clayton State University and certifications in Project Management and Leadership from Georgia Technology Authority.

As Georgia State University’s first Chief Innovation Officer, Phil Ventimiglia is helping shape Georgia State University’s exploration of new ideas for teaching, learning and research through innovative uses of technology.
Phil has nearly two decades of experience in new technology development and strategy, working internationally and across industries, to foster the growth of new technologies, encourage entrepreneurship and help grow educational opportunity.
Phil currently serves on the advisory board for the Educause Learning Initiative (ELI) and as a mentor in Georgia Institute of Technology’s Flashpoint startup incubation program. Before joining Georgia State University, Phil was Vice President for Innovation and New Product Development at NCR Corporation, where he led a global team that acted as an innovation catalyst and development accelerator. Phil also held the position of Vice President & General Manager for the NCR Hyderabad Development Center in India. In Hyderabad, Phil was responsible for leading the creation of an independent, emerging-market development center with end-to-end, in-market product development capabilities, including engineering and product management. Also, while in Hyderabad, Phil helped facilitate the introduction of a new international school in order to improve educational options in the area.
Prior to NCR, Phil worked at Dell for over 10 years, helping to build and lead Dell’s entry into new lines of business, including Inspiron notebooks, Dell Printers, Dell Flat Panel Monitors, Dell TVs and Dell Projectors. In addition, he spent over three years in Singapore, helping to lead and build Dell’s Singapore Design Center.
Phil began his career as a product marketing manager with the IBM Consumer Division and held various engineering positions at Lockheed Sanders. He holds a Master’s of Public and Private Management from the Yale School of Management and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Connecticut.

John was appointed vice president and chief information officer for Spelman Technology Services at Spelman College in July 2019. As CIO, he is responsible for realizing a critical aspect of Spelman’s Strategic Plan and upgrading campus technology infrastructure. In this role, John partners with administrative units to create and use accessible and effective technology processes to promote innovation and support streamlined business operations and cutting-edge technological capabilities, including data analytics, cybersecurity, automation and systems integration.
John’s background in higher education technology includes operational support, strategic leadership, vision and direction. He has managed several key administrative application portfolios that include student information, human resources, finance, identity and access management, integration, customer relationship management (CRM) and imaging/workflow systems. Prior to joining Spelman he spent 17 years as a senior manager of information technology at Emory University, directed the enterprise information systems at Georgia Institute of Technology where he was responsible for strategic planning and operational oversight.