John Hoffman serves as the Deputy State Chief Information Officer and Chief Technology Officer for the Texas Department of Information Resources. John joined the DIR team in 2010 and has held various roles within the agency in network and security. He is responsible for providing comprehensive strategic planning for the state's technology efforts as well as the agency. John oversees DIR's reporting such as the State Strategic Plan for Information Managers, the Biennial Performance Review. John and the CTO team also ensures strategic development of contracts and services which DIR offers including shared technology services, data center services, enterprise architecture, application management, innovation, and technology implementation.
John brings over 30 years of experience in the technology sector. John holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering Management from the University of Missouri and a Master of Business Administration from Southern Methodist University.

Steve Pier began working in politics and government in 1994. Working in Texas until 2007, he turned to the international arena through 2014 and returned to Texas government service in 2015.
In late 2019, Steve came to the Department of Information Resources (DIR) as chief of staff and recently moved into the role of deputy executive director. At DIR, his areas of responsibility include oversight of external relations, outreach, compliance, and risk management. Additionally, he works closely with the executive director on issues such as strategic solutions, finance, and human resources.
Before joining DIR, he served as the director of governmental relations at the Office of Attorney General starting in January 2015. In August 2015, that role expanded to include strategic initiatives allowing Steve to assist the attorney general in large-scale efforts such IT modernization and the agency’s zero-based budgeting initiative.
Steve spent five years as the country director for IRI’s Arabian Gulf and Pakistan programs where he worked to build civil society organizations, develop political parties, and conduct public opinion research. Following that, Steve launched OxOr Development. OxOr provided consultative services to foreign political parties, candidates, and NGOs, as well as other political entities in developing democracies across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Steve assisted heavily with campaign and political party trainings throughout the Middle East/North Africa region and the Far East and observed elections for the International Republican Institute. He conducted trainings and/or consultations in approximately twenty countries and for activists for another half dozen.  In December 2007, he was chosen as a delegate for IRI’s election observation in Pakistan. In December 2008, he served on IRI’s election observation in Bangladesh and in August 2009, he provided logistical assistance for IRI’s Afghanistan election observation.
Steve’s stateside campaign experience ranges from local county races to a successful US Senate campaign. His legislative experience includes time as a legislative aide, chief of staff for a committee chairwoman, and as the director of government relations for the Texas Workforce Commission with offices in Austin and Washington, D.C.

Tanya Acevedo is Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer for Capital Metro in Austin, Texas, with three decades of technology experience, Tanya Acevedo has a proven track record of establishing the technology vision and leading innovative strategies that add value, increase revenue opportunities, and ultimately decrease costs of service, for large organizations. Her prior roles included the CIO for Miami Dade College, Houston Airports and Travis County, Texas.
Tanya holds a Master of Business Administration in Information Systems and in 2021 Tanya was recognized as a Public Sector finalist by the Houston CIO of the Year ORIBE awards, in 2017 she was listed in Government Technology magazine as a Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Driver, and in 2016 she received the Texas Public Sector, Chief Information Officer of the Year.

TX Giovanni was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 2012 and is serving his sixth term representing District 98 which encompasses all or part of Grapevine, Colleyville, Southlake, Keller, Westlake, and Euless.
Giovanni currently serves as Chairman of the House Committee on Pensions, Investments & Financial Services, the House Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence & Emerging Technologies, and the Innovation & Technology Caucus.  He is also Co-Chairman of the Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council.  As a leader in technology policy that comes before the legislature, Giovanni is looked to for guidance on a multitude of different important topics.  He has passed several key pieces of legislation such as the Texas Cybercrime Act, the Texas Cybersecurity Act, and the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act.  He has also passed legislation creating an Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council, created harsher punishments for doxing, addressed IT workforce shortages, and thoughtfully regulated digital asset service providers.  He has previously chaired several technology-focused committees, such as the Texas Data Privacy Advisory Council, the House Select Committee on Cybersecurity, the Joint Oversight Committee on Investment in IT Improvement and Modernization Projects, and the Appropriations Subcommittee on State Infrastructure, Resiliency, and Investment.  In recognition of his work, Giovanni was awarded the 2023 Texas Association of Business Technology Policy & Innovation Award, the 2023 Technology Champion Award from the National Association of State Chief Information Officers, and the 2022 Champion of Innovation Award from TechNet.
Giovanni has been married to his wife Elisa for 23 years, and has three children, two of whom attend Carroll ISD schools, and one who attends Texas A&M University. After receiving his BS in Physics, he pursued his MBA in Finance from Santa Clara University. After school, Giovanni pursued a semiconductor design career in Silicon Valley before going on to work for a DFW-based venture capital/private equity firm.

Amberle Carter is no newcomer to the expansive world of data.  Her professional career began simply by developing systems to provide accessible and reliable data to accomplish work in the most efficient manner. Today, she’s a leader of professional data storytellers, enabling state government agencies to demonstrate the work they accomplish or improve upon through visualizations, as well as data architects and data engineers, maturing the enterprise data architecture and use of clean, reliable data.  She is a strategic problem solver with demonstrated proficiency in data management and governance, reporting, strategic planning, and complex project and program management. In her role, she hopes to help people to put data at the center of their mission and apply analytics to enhance strategic and tactical decisions.
Amberle’s current role as of August 2024 is the Data Management Officer, Comptroller of Public Accounts.  Prior to that she was the Chief Data and Analytics Officer for the Department of Family and Protective Services, setting policy and strategy at an executive level for data and analytics both for internal and external partners. She has successfully established both a Data and Artificial Intelligence Center of Excellence.
Amberle represents the agency at various conferences, on a governing board for the Texas Chief Data and Analytics Officers (CDAO) network, at a national level serving as a chair on the National Chief Data Officer (CDO) Council, and now at a global level on the AIM Leaders Council. Her achievements have been recognized and nominated for the 2022 GITEC Emerging Technology Award. She is a graduate of the ELITE (Executive Leadership for Information Technology Excellence) program at the University of Texas at Austin Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs.

Mike Driessen is a Vice President for Government Technology and the Publisher for Industry Insider.  He is responsible for managing the strategy and operations for all recurring revenue services including GovTech Industry Navigator, a market and sales intelligence tool for private-sector SLED teams, and GovTech Industry Insider which provides daily news and insights into gov tech markets.   
Mike brings over 30 years of experience in IT consulting and systems integration with firms like Accenture, Grant Thornton and Hitachi Consulting.  His experience covers sales and marketing leadership, advising on digital strategies, and managing enterprise application alliances and implementations.  He has managed both large global teams and led start-ups. Mike lives in Los Angeles, although he grew up in the Midwest, and graduated from Marquette University with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Business Administration.

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.

Heather Hall serves as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) at the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC). Her 19-year state career includes serving as the Director for Strategic Decision Support at the Health and Human Services Commission, the Project Management Office Director, Deputy CIO and CIO at the Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS); Project Manager at the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts; and other roles within DADS, Department of Human Services, and Office of the Attorney General.
Throughout her career, Heather has volunteered her time and professional skills to several professional organizations including Project Management Institute (PMI), Austin Chapter (President, Vice President of External Services, and Professional Development Day Director); Executive Women in Texas Government (Vice President/Conference Chair and Communications Director); and State Agency Coordinating Committee, IT Subcommittee (Vice Chair and Chair).
Heather is a PMI-certified Project Management Professional and holds a bachelor’s degree in Latin from Baylor University, a master’s degree in Library and Information Science from The University of Texas at Austin, and a Ph.D. in Information Science from The University North Texas.

Eric Holen serves as the Unemployment Insurance Director at the Texas Workforce Commission. In that role, Eric leads over 1,070 team members who serve and support Texas’ employers and claimants. During his nearly 26 years at TWC, he has led or participated in multiple projects to modernize customer service delivery systems, streamline operations, improve efficiency, and help make Texas’ unemployment insurance program one of the best in the nation.  Prior to joining TWC, Eric worked for the City of El Paso Emergency Medical Services for 9 years, first as a paramedic, district supervisor, and then leading the department’s technology program.  Combined, Eric has over 34 years in public service with 22 years in a supervisory or leadership role.  In his spare time, Eric enjoys serving as a Commissioner and Treasurer for the Hays County Emergency Services District #5 and Kyle Fire Department.  Eric has a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Information Systems from Park University.

Jeff Peden serves as the Deputy Chief Information Officer (DCIO) for Infrastructure Services at the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC). In his role at TWC, Jeff is responsible for performing highly advanced managerial work providing direction and guidance in strategic operations and planning to the Information Technology (IT) Division. He provides leadership and direction to the IT staff.  He develops and implements strategic planning actions and policy decisions and makes recommendations concerning the direction of the IT Division. 
Jeff has worked for the State of Texas for more than 25 years, beginning in 1998 at the Texas Department of Human Services, also serving at Texas Department of Health, Department of Vocational Assistance and Rehabilitative Services, and joined TWC in January 2016.
Jeff practices servant-based leadership and is known for his ability to support mission-critical activities, infrastructure, and IT services, including telecommunications and data operations that impact various areas of the agency.
He is a graduate of the GEDP (Governor’s Executive Development Program) and ELITE (Executive Leadership for Information Technology Excellence) programs at the University of Texas at Austin Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs.

Anh Selissen serves as the Chief Information Officer at the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) with a $500 plus million annual information technology portfolio. Anh has served as the Chief Information Officer for TxDOT since September 2019. In this position, Anh serves as a principal technology advisor to TxDOT’s Executive Director and the senior leadership team. She leads the department’s efforts to transform TxDOT by implementing smart technology solutions, promoting innovation, and strengthening TxDOT’s cybersecurity. She is responsible for transforming the agency’s technology services to exceed the expectations of the customers to meet the mission of the agency – Connecting you with Texas.
Anh has led information technology organizations in both the public and private sectors. She previously held positions as Chief Information Officer (CIO) at NuStats Inc., Director of Enterprise Systems at the University of Texas at Austin, and Deputy CIO at the Texas Comptroller’s Office. In each of her leadership roles, Anh has built a diverse range of experience working across the organization to deliver IT services to meet the needs of the organization and customer community. She is passionate about providing strong customer service and strives to work with her team to provide strong support and services to the organization and their customers. This has resulted in improved interactions with the end user communities and positive positioning of the organizations. Among several professional affiliations, Anh is on the AASHTO Transportation Technology Committee. She served two years as President of the Texas Association of State Systems for Computing and Communications, and IT Chair of the State Agency Coordinating Council.
Most recently in April 2023, Anh received a State Leadership of the Year award from StateScoop 50. In 2022, Anh was awarded the Trailblazer Award by the CIO Roundtable 2022. She was named one of the 2021 Boss Ladies by the non-profit, Austin Women in Technology. She received the 2021 IT Executive of the Year Award sponsored by Society of Information Management (SIM) Austin. In 2020 under Anh’s leadership, the Information Technology Division was awarded the TxDOT Grit Award for exemplary performance during the agency’s ransomware event. In 2019, she was the recipient of the Austin Women in Technology - Women in Tech Excellence Award also sponsored by SIM.

Bryan is the Director of TWC’s Civil Rights Division. He has held various significant roles in state government, including Assistant Attorney General, General Counsel, and Executive Director. Bryan earned his law degree from Texas Southern University and began his legal career as a law clerk in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. He then transitioned into intellectual property law with a large multinational firm. His academic background also includes studies in chemistry at the University of Texas at Austin, intellectual property at the University of Houston, and an MBA from the University of Texas at Tyler. Before attending law school, Bryan served as an officer in the United States Air Force. In his leisure time, he enjoys playing tennis, pickleball, and snowboarding.