Behrang serves as the Digital Services Bureau Manager for the City of Long Beach. He leads a team of technologists entrusted to provide technology solutions that improve the daily lives of Long Beach residents and staff.

Majida Adnan is the Assistant Auditor-Controller and Chief Information Officer for the Department of Auditor Controller, County of Los Angeles. Ms. Adnan has over 21 years of robust experience in Information Technology, out of which 15 years with the County of Los Angeles.
Ms. Adnan is responsible for overseeing development and maintenance of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems that include countywide Financials, Budget, Payroll, Personnel, Human Resources and Property tax systems of the largest County in the United States with over 110 thousand employees and a $43 Billion budget.
As a Technology Leader, she partners with county departments to provide modern technology solutions to accelerate transformation, automation, and information sharing. She championed the implementation of a Center of Excellence for the Robotics Process Automation in the County and the implementation of modern cloud data platforms.

As Chief Information Security Officer of Los Angeles County, Jeffrey is responsible for all aspects of information security, including information security governance, strategic direction, executive advisory, program maturity, and adherence to federal information security policy. Other responsibilities include participating in information technology advisory bodies, and other committees or agencies involving County policies, plans, methodologies, and programs related to information security.
Jeffrey is also responsible for working with the County Chief Information Officer and providing information security leadership and advisory across the 38 disparate County departments which includes but not limited to Healthcare, Justice, Elections, Tax collection and County operations.
With over 25 years of experience, Jeffrey has served as a consultant to several Fortune 500 organizations providing an array of services ranging from advisory roles to executive leadership to recommendations of technical solutions; he has experience in the automotive, healthcare, financial, technology, government and consulting industries.
Jeffrey holds industry certifications CISM, CRISC, CDPSE and earned his MBA from Pepperdine Graziadio Business School. He is an Adjunct Professor for Pepperdine Graziado Business school and an active member of several industry advisory boards including FBI Cyberwatch, Infragard, LA City CyberLabs, Secure the Village, Pepperdine CyRP program, a 2019 Government Technology award winner for Service, Support & Leadership and 2023 Government Technology award winner for High Impact Leadership .

In February 2023, Mirian S. Avalos became the first Latina to be appointed General Manager of Information Technology with the Los Angeles County Internal Services Department. Ms. Avalos is responsible for directing application development, network activities, and data center operations for one of the largest local government agencies in the nation, with 110,000 employees and over 10 million citizens. Managing a technology workforce of more than 1,000 employees and a budget of $330 million, Ms. Avalos oversees collaboration between a centralized Information Technology (IT) Service and over 40 Los Angeles County departments to develop and implement technologies for a vast range of public services, including animal care, parks, law enforcement, and social services.
Ms. Avalos is an accomplished IT executive with over two decades in the industry, successfully utilizing technology to innovate government – her mission is to create a government that is transparent and efficient. She most recently served as the Chief Information Officer of the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (DMH). Previously, she was the Chief Technology Officer at the District Attorney's Office in San Bernardino, where she led the office to become a shining example of government innovation and transparency in Southern California. Beyond this, she provided valuable insights on using Body Worn Cameras and Evidence.com while being part of the Customer Advisory Board for Taser International. Her expertise proved instrumental in creating an interface for processing evidence in the District Attorney's offices. She also Co-Chaired the Southern California District Attorney IT Directors. Beforehand, Ms. Avalos held technology positions with the Los Angeles Unified School District and the Southern California Association of Governments.
Ms. Avalos boasts an impressive educational background, having studied Clinical Informatics at the University of Chicago. She earned a dual degree in Chicano Studies and Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley. She is a Woodrow Wilson Fellow in Public Policy and International Affairs recipient and a Carnegie Mellon University CIO Institute graduate. Ms. Avalos also holds a Master's in City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Ms. Avalos is originally from National City, California. In the Fall, you will find her watching her daughters play field hockey games on the pitch.

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.

Aman Bhullar has over 25 years of experience in technology implementations and consulting. He oversees strategic planning and modernization initiatives in information technology, information security and data management for the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk. As the department’s Chief Information Officer, he provides executive leadership and is responsible for assisting the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk in administering and formulating the Information Technology operations of the Department with direct responsibility and oversight of Information Security standards and strategies for governance and compliance.
A pioneer leader in incorporating cutting edge technology applications and infrastructure, Mr. Bhullar supports a workforce of 1,500 employees that serves the nation’s largest and most diverse election jurisdiction of approximately 6M voters. Under his leadership, the largest voting system has been transformed through the development and implementation of the Voting Solutions for All People (VSAP). As part of the VSAP rollout, he is working to execute the Open Source strategy for the most complex, largest voting technology stack in the nation.
A seasoned technology visionary and disrupter who is recognized for driving innovative technology initiatives into enterprise software roll-out of ERP, CRM, SCM, Imaging & Electronic Records Programs, he has a proven track record for key process improvements and cost benefits to customers/end-users. Under his direction, he supports one of the largest repository of vital records in the nation, serving more than 10M constituents.
As part of election security initiatives, he deployed the ALBERT Network and Monitoring & Management system (from CIS); the first in LA County. The information and security programs implemented at RR/CC has won several national and international awards from EAC, NIST, NACO, Gold Globee, Clearie, CSAC, CDG and other organizations. He has recently been recognized as High Impact IT leader at the Los Angeles IT Leadership Forum, and has been awarded in LocalSmart Awards as the Local IT Leader of the Year 2022.

A cultural anthropologist by training, Dr. Amy Blizard (formerly Amy Brown) is currently a manager in KPMG’s Innovation Lab. She has a passion for using ethnographic methods, human centered design and design thinking to help stakeholders solve complex problems. At KPMG, she applies her anthropological training to diverse projects, and has led both government and commercial client-facing research and facilitation teams focused on health equity, digital front office transformation, technology in government, team chartering, DEI, and employee experience. Prior to joining KPMG, Amy was a New York City public school teacher and a professor of anthropological writing at the University of Pennsylvania, as well as a freelance writer, curriculum designer, and consultant. As an academic, her research and writing focuses on the impact of public-private partnerships on the construction of race and the pursuit of equity in the United States, as well as on anthropological approaches to leadership and high-performance teaming.

D.R. is the Senior Director of Segment Marketing and Go To Market Strategy for the Americas at Equinix, focusing on strategy and messaging in support of some of Equinix’s largest customers and partners. D.R. has honed his expertise in communications by frequently speaking at events and organizations across the country. His topics and approach draw from his 20+ years of experience selling technology services and developing brand, messaging, and content strategies.
D.R. and his wife Jenny have four children. On most weekends, D.R. can be found coaching his kid’s sports teams. While their halftime speeches are extremely motivational his lifetime record hovers around .500.

With more than 30 years of experience in information technology (IT) and cybersecurity, Kathy is a five-time Chief Information Officer (CIO) with a background across all IT and business domains. As a Mandiant Consulting Practice Leader Ms. Cruz helps clients assess, design and build effective security programs focusing on threat intelligence, defensive posture, proactive cyber management, security validation, incident response and incident preparedness.
Ms. Cruz is the recipient of the Silicon Valley YWCA Tribute to Women in Industry (TWIN) Award, is a past Board member of the Gentle Barn Foundation headquartered in Santa Clarita, CA, a past Board Member of the Career Action Center in San Jose, CA, and a former member of Golden Gate University School of Technology and Industry Executive Advisory Board. She previously served as an Ensign in the California State Guard, Cyber Operations Detachment

Mike Driessen joined Government Technology in 2021 as the VP of Subscription Services, where he is responsible for managing execution, strategy and operations for all recurring revenue services. He also oversees Navigator, a market and sales intelligence tool for private-sector SLED teams, and Techwire and Industry Insider – Texas Edition, each of which provide daily news and insights into the California and Texas GovTech markets.
Mike brings over 25 years of experience in the IT consulting and systems integration industry 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 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.

Lea Eriksen is the Director of Technology and Innovation and CIO of the City of Long Beach, a top 10 Digital City. Lea is in charge of implementing the City’s technology vision, developing a staff of 191 FTE and managing a $70 million budget. With 25 years of experience working in local government, Lea’s background includes positions related to economic development, budget and finance, and technology. Prior to her current role, Lea served as the City of Long Beach’s budget manager and assistant finance director. Before joining the City of Long Beach, Lea spent 16 years with the City of Cincinnati. She has an MBA from Xavier University and graduated cum laude from Miami University. Lea also has extensive experience serving on non-profit boards and committees, including the Long Beach Transit Board, Southern California Society of Information Management and Innovate@UCLA. Lea is passionate about advancing digital equity and using emerging technology and data to solve civic challenges in Long Beach.

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.

Michelle Hahn, with a strong background in government and community partnerships, possesses exceptional political acumen and networking skills. Her ability to foster long-term relationships and navigate senior-level government officials makes her an invaluable asset in her field. Michelle's extensive knowledge of political processes further enhances her capacity to navigate the intricacies of government, benefiting her company and clients alike.
Committed to changing the way government engages with businesses and communities, she has worked diligently to help government entities with their digital transformation efforts. As a former government employee and elected official staff member, she has learned from the inside out how to bridge the need to modernize the government while balancing the complexity of how to do business with the government.
Michelle also believes in giving back and is committed to serving underserved communities. Michelle’s leadership in nonprofit organizations has resulted in an increase in graduation rates for high school students through an athletic program and enhanced the connection between schools and home through educational software and technology. She also works with an organization focusing on empowering survivors of human trafficking and improving access to justice for all survivors.

Nadia Hansen is aligned as a Global Industry and Go-To-Market (GTM) Executive within the Digital Transformation Team. She serves as a SME for Salesforce in the State, Local and Federal & Civilian domain markets advising customers on a range of topics across Information Technology and government performance. Her primary SME focus is in the AMER State and Local Government (SLG) and License, Permit, and Inspection (LPI) markets. Nadia is a former CIO, board member, and recognized government leader who brings two decades of enterprise technology experience building a wide range of products, teams, and operations around the world across both public and private entities.

Hassan Janjua, PMP, CSM, CSPO, possesses more than 24 years of experience in the IT field. He boasts over 20 professional certifications in IT, with specializations in Cloud Computing, Enterprise Content Management, and Project Management. Hassan's experience spans a diverse range of industries including Healthcare, Government, Finance, and IT, encompassing startups, leading IT service providers, and manufacturers. He is also a published author, with his book, "INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN: A LEADER'S TOOL TO NURTURE EMPLOYEES FOR THE FUTURE OF WORK". Currently, Hassan holds the position of IT Division Manager for the General Government Systems Division at ISD.

Rebecca F. Kauma is a passionate equity-minded digital equity and inclusion leader. In June 2023, she was appointed as the first-ever Director of Digital Equity for the County of Los Angeles. In this inaugural role, she is ensuring that low-income communities and communities of color across the Greater Los Angeles Region have equitable access to and use of digital inclusion opportunities, resources, and power they need to thrive in democracy, society, and the economy. Rebecca strives to uplift and empower communities most in need through equitable, inclusive, and culturally relevant programs, practices, policies, and systems change efforts.
Rebecca previously served as the first Digital Equity and Inclusion Officer for the City of Long Beach where she led the City’s Digital Inclusion Initiative for five years. In that role, she deployed more than $2.7 million in Federal digital equity grant program funding in collaboration with 11 community partner organizations. This included the administration of free internet connectivity services, technology devices, digital literacy trainings, and digital inclusion navigation services for Long Beach residents, businesses, and non-profits most impacted by the digital divide during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, Rebecca spearheaded the co-development of the first Digital Inclusion Roadmap (digital equity strategic plan) in collaboration with the Long Beach Digital Inclusion Stakeholder Committee and more than 170 Long Beach community members.
Rebecca is the recipient of the 2020 National Charles Benton Digital Equity Champion Award. This national award recognizes outstanding individuals across the country yearly who have made a significant impact in advancing digital equity and inclusion and addressing the digital divide. She also serves on the Governing Board of Directors for the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) as a Board Member and Treasurer. Rebecca also served as the 2021 Co-Chair of the National Digital Inclusion Week (DIW) Planning Committee. In 2020, she was selected as New Leaders Council Fellow. The New Leaders Council (NLC) Institute is a highly selective national place-based leadership training program that equips leaders with the skills to drive equity and systems-level change efforts in their communities.
Rebecca has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration (MPA) from The American University School of Public Affairs. She received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Health Administration (BSHA) from California State University, Northridge.

Daniel Clark Lee serves as the City of Los Angeles Information Technology Agency Integrated Security Operation Center (ITA ISOC) manager, where he leads the team responsible for helping protect one of the largest cities in the United States. He has been a passionate advocate for implementing Zero Trust and DevSecOps principles through the various City of Los Angeles Departments.
Prior to joining the City of Los Angeles he worked for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Security Operation Center as a Threat and Detection Manager. As a Threat and Detection Manager he wrote some of the rules and methods used to detect Advanced Persistent Threats in an ever evolving threat landscape. While working at NASA, he also closely collaborated with federal agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (DHS CISA) to help identify threats posed across the government and help with the prosecution of malicious actors.

Ms. Leone is a seasoned IT professional with over 29 years of experience as part of CGI. She has focused much of her career on Health and Human Services programs including Medicaid, Child Welfare, Child Support Enforcement, and Integrated Eligibility programs, policies, and solutions.
She has a deep understanding of HHS data and in her current role, Ms. Leone has leveraged her experience to develop the vision, roadmap, and approach to the creation of the CGI Trusted Fabric data ecosystem solution. This solution is designed to help HHS agencies securely share data and collaborate more effectively.
Ms. Leone is a highly skilled and experienced IT professional with a proven track record of success. She is passionate about using technology to improve the lives of others, and she is committed to making a difference in the HHS sector.

David Michael is the Chief Information Officer at LA28 the organizers of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles where he is responsible for all technology to deliver the games.
David was previously CTO at startup football league XFL, CIO at The Madison Square Garden Company, CIO at advertising powerhouse GroupM (part of WPP) and CIO at UBM, the world's largest B2B trade show organizer.
LA28 website https://la28.org/
Follow David twitter.com/david_michael

Keith Nelson is Senior Industry Strategist for Global Public Sector at OpenText. He has more than 20 years experience working in public sector high-tech and management consulting and as a government appointee. His roles in government include serving as Assistant Secretary for Administration, Chief Financial Officer, and Deputy Chief Information Officer at multiple U.S. Federal Cabinet Agencies.

Thomas Nisbet is an Associate Partner with IBM, assisting clients apply cognitive capabilities in their enterprises. Over 10 years of AI and advanced analytics experience across State and Local and Federal government have given Thomas a diverse background and experience with how cognitive capabilities can help deliver on the promise of the digital reinvention of Government. He is currently focused on using AI and automation to transform agencies with goals to increase program satisfaction, lower costs, improve employee efficiency, and overall program outcomes. Thomas lives in Raleigh, NC with his wife and 2 children.

Juan started his career with the County in 2007 when he was recruited out of college to join the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk (RR/CC). He began as an application developer, primarily focused on the Recorder/County Clerk side of the Department to implement functionality for the in-house enterprise system. In 2018, Juan transitioned to the Registrar side of the Department as an IT Division Manager over the Information & Voter Systems Division and played a role in the roll out LA County’s new voting system called the Voting Solutions for All People, or VSAP. During that transition, Juan led the team that ushered in the Electronic Poll Pad solution which replaced paper-based Roster of Voters. Juan recently joined ISD to lead the Cloud Business Solutions division and continues to look for process improvement opportunities.

Carlos Rivero is an Executive Government Advisor at Amazon Web Services (AWS). Previously, Rivero served as the Chief Data Officer for the Commonwealth of Virginia as well as Chief Data Officer and Chief Enterprise Architect for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration in Washington, D.C. Rivero has also worked at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Southeast Fisheries Science Center in Miami, Florida, as a physical scientist and as a Research Associate at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, where he developed a passion for geospatial information systems, ecological modeling, and data. Rivero earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Studies from Florida International University and a Master of Science in Business Intelligence and Analytics from Saint Joseph’s University, focusing on database design, data management, business intelligence, big data, and data analytics.

Terrie L. Salazar is the Information Technology Manager of the Technical Support and Services Division at the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk. With over 34 years of experience in Information Technology, Ms. Salazar has served multiple County departments in various roles. She has also earned several awards for her contributions to the County, including the latest 2023 National Association of Counties (NACo) Achievement Award for the Optimization of the Pre-Check Process for Vote Center Readiness. Ms. Salazar currently manages three distinct teams that support day-to-day and election operations within the organization.

Steve Towns is director of content strategy for the Center for Digital Government. He is the former editor of Government Technology and has spent more than 25 years covering technology in the state and local government market.
Steve joined e.Republic in 1996. During his tenure, e.Republic’s print and electronic media have received many awards for editorial excellence, including “Magazine of the Year” from ASBPE for Emergency Management in 2013, “Best New Web Site” from ASBPE for emergencymgmt.com in 2009, ”Best Overall Publication” at the Maggie awards for Government Technology in 2008 and “Magazine of the Year” from ASBPE for Public CIO in 2007.

Having three decades of Information Technology (IT) experience spanning across India, Singapore, Malaysia, and the USA, Francis has become one of the most sought-after leaders among the 40+ county departments for Data Strategy, Governance, Data Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, and Governance. He joined DPSS in 2015 and has championed numerous data initiatives to realize and capitalize on the hidden synergy across the human and health services departments of L.A. County, the US Census, and numerous research organizations to enable coordinated services and care.
Prior to DPSS, through his progressive leadership in Program Management Office, IT Project Management, IT applications development, Enterprise Resource Planning Implementation, applications management and operation, Business Intelligence, IT infrastructure management, service delivery, and contracts management, he engaged with clients like DirecTV, Jet Propulsion Lab Pasadena, County of San Diego, Herbalife, Singapore Airlines, Computer Resources India, and PERODUA Car Malaysia, among others.