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. 

His invaluable leadership has been pivotal in developing and implementing the Office’s budding technological infrastructure. Managing a $24 million budget and a staff of 140 employees, Deepak’s strategic planning has helped bring modern technological practices into a traditional space. With his 18 years of experience in criminal defense and technology operations, his efforts have successfully driven the digitization of business processes and implemented technology-based solutions to enhance office operations.
Before joining Santa Barbara County in 2017, Deepak was instrumental in developing the Canyon County Public Defender’s Office in Idaho. There, he was able to design and implement a paperless case management system and manage all aspects of technology, administration, finance, and legal support functions, streamlining workflows and improving efficiency.
His progressive thinking and hands-on experience bridge the gap between technology and people, ensuring that offices stay ahead of current and future trends while fostering a trusting environment where IT professionals can thrive and be a part of a traditionally Attorney-centered space.
Deepak firmly believes in data-driven decision-making, especially in governmental spheres, where things can be easily criticized but difficult to change. Because of this, he continuously seeks ways to optimize processes, improve efficiency, and secure funding, all while enhancing the quality of public defender services for clients and his team.

Bill Carter is a dynamic cybersecurity leader with a passion for securing the digital world and educating others on the evolving threat landscape. Currently serving as a public sector cybersecurity strategist at Fortinet, Bill previously protected Ohio’s 12 million citizens as the Chief Information Security Officer for the Department of Commerce and Deputy Chief Information Security Officer for the State, overseeing security strategies across 80+ agencies. With a career spanning additional roles as Field CTO, Senior Systems Engineer, and Technical Consultant, he brings deep expertise in cybersecurity strategy, infrastructure, and risk management. A hands-on technologist and sought-after public speaker, Bill holds a master’s degree in Cybersecurity and multiple industry certifications, including CISSP, SecurityX, and all MITRE credentials. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Cybersecurity, and an active member of the Ohio Cyber Reserve and the FBI’s InfraGard. Beyond his professional pursuits, Bill is dedicated to philanthropy in serving as CEO for an 80,000-person strong non-profit organization.

Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is the largest treated water utility in the nation and serves the water needs of 19 million Californians.  Eckstrom is responsible for the strategic direction and day-to-day management of Metropolitan’s information technology operations and organization.  He was recently honored by the LA Times as one of six finalists for the 2025 Top CIO for Large Companies.
Prior to joining Metropolitan in 2017, Eckstrom was the assistant chief information officer and interim CIO for Orange County, where he was responsible for the technology vision and the day-to-day information technology operations serving approximately 3.1 million citizens in the sixth largest county in the United States. He was named the “2017 Innovator of the Year” by the Association of California Cities, and under his leadership, the Orange County Information Technology team was awarded the “Best in Category Achievement Award for County Administration and Management” by the National Association of Counties.
Eckstrom previously held IT executive positions at Toshiba America Medical Systems, United Health Group, and Deloitte Consulting. He received a master's degree in business administration from the University of Southern California and a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Lea Eriksen is the Director of Technology and Innovation and CIO for the City of Long Beach, where she leads efforts to leverage emerging technology and data to address civic challenges. Under her leadership, Long Beach has been consistently recognized as a Top 10 Digital City by the Center for Digital Government, ranking as the top digital city for the past four years. Lea was nationally recognized as a Top 25 Doer, Dreamer, and Driver in Government Technology in 2022 and was recently named the 2024 SoCalCIO ORBIE winner in the Large Enterprise category.
With over 25 years of professional experience in local government, spanning budgeting, finance, technology, and project management, Lea also brings 15 years of non-profit board and committee experience. She currently serves as the Membership Chair for Innovate@UCLA and Treasurer for the Southern California Society of Information Management. Lea frequently speaks at regional and national events on leadership, innovation, digital inclusion, and smart cities.

John B. Furay 5th is a retired Senior Special Agent of the United States Secret Service, where he served from 1998 and held key roles in the Office of Protective Operations, Office of Investigations, Critical Systems Protection Program, and the National Incident Response Teams for Cyber Crimes. He was stationed at the Los Angeles Field Office and worked on the Cyber Fraud Task Force, Regional Digital Forensics Lab, and served as liaison to the City of Los Angeles on cyber and physical infrastructure security.
Currently, he is a Civilian Investigator with the Beverly Hills Police Department, assigned to the High-Tech Crimes Task Force and Digital Forensics Lab. He specializes in cybercrime investigations, digital forensics, cyber threat intelligence, and critical infrastructure protection.
Dr. Furay holds a Doctorate in Public Administration (1998) with a published dissertation on multi-jurisdictional task forces for domestic terrorism, a Juris Doctor (1996), a Master’s in History with Honors (1997), and a Bachelor’s degree Summa Cum Laude (1991). He is also a graduate of Harvard University’s Leadership in Homeland Security Program.
An experienced law enforcement and university lecturer, he teaches cybersecurity and digital forensics at the University of Southern California’s Price School and Safe Communities Institute, and at Pepperdine University’s Graziadio Business School. He also lectures nationally and internationally, including for the FBI’s InfraGard Program on topics such as cybercrime, infrastructure security, and National Special Security Event (NSSE) operations.
He has coordinated operations for multiple NSSE and SEAR events, contributed to task forces across the U.S. and abroad, and worked with federal, state, municipal, and private sector partners on cyber and physical infrastructure protection.

Danny Inukai is NHMLAC's Chief Information Officer. He is responsible for the overall vision, strategy, and architecture of technology infrastructure supporting the Museums’ mission and operations. This includes information technology and strategy, website infrastructure/architecture, ticketing systems, customer relationship management (CRM) databases, digital asset management, and cybersecurity.
Danny comes to us from the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, where he served as the Managing Director of Technology for five years.  Prior to joining the Lucas Museum, Danny was the Chief Technology and Innovation Officer at SAG-AFTRA, where he oversaw the Information Technology, Business Innovation, and Residuals Processing functions. He had also previously worked as Software Developer, Project Manager and Director of Analytics and holds a Bachelor’s in Information Systems from The University of Arizona and an MBA from UCLA.

Chief Information Security Officer, City of Los Angeles, California

Tim leads the comprehensive cybersecurity strategies for America's second-largest city. He oversees the award-winning Integrated Security Operations Center, which processes over one billion security events daily to protect critical city services. Timothy also founded America's first city-led cybersecurity collaboration, the LA Cyber Lab, nationally recognized for its innovative public-private partnerships. With deep expertise in security operations, incident response, compliance, and risk management, he shapes cybersecurity practices across all City departments, ensuring resilience at scale and strengthening operational defense for over 40,000 employees.

With over 35 years of public sector IT experience, he serves as the principal adviser to the CEO and provides strategy, leadership and guidance on enterprise IT initiatives, IT Governance and the delivery of information technology capabilities to support the County mission and Board priorities.   
Prior to joining the Los Angeles County, Mr. Loo was Director of Consulting Services at a large multi-national firm, where he was responsible for the successful delivery of multiple public-sector ERP and public health projects at State and local governments. 

With over 25 years of invaluable experience in information technology, Leah Oliver currently serves as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at the Ventura County Employees’ Retirement Association (VCERA). Throughout her career, she has consistently demonstrated leadership expertise in cultivating high-performing teams and implementing technology based solutions that drive innovation and efficiency.  She holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems, which has laid the foundation for her technical acumen, and a Master of Public Policy and Administration, which provides a unique blend of technical proficiency and strategic insight.  Leah is an advocate for promoting equal opportunity and bridging the gender gap in the tech industry. 
Leah was born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia and moved to Simi Valley, CA with her family in 2006.  She is an avid car enthusiast so when she isn’t behind a computer, you will find her either off-roading in her Jeep or at the racetrack in her Subaru. 

Ted Ross is CIO for the City of Los Angeles and General Manager of the Information Technology Agency (ITA). His department of 450 employees delivers enterprise IT services to 48,000 employees across 41 City departments and digital services to over 4 million residents. Appointed by Mayor Eric Garcetti in 2015, Ted has over 21 years of private and public sector technology experience, earning various awards along the way, including #1 Digital City, Top 25 Doer & Dreamer, and CIO of the Year according to LA Business Journal. Ted has been featured in Fortune Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and The Economist, as well as, a presenter at many conferences, such as the Andreessen-Horowitz Tech Summit, Milken Institute, and India’s NASSCOM. 

James Thurmond is a seasoned cybersecurity leader with over 25 years of diverse experience. He currently serves as the Interim Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for Los Angeles County where he oversees cybersecurity strategy and governance. Previously, as Director of IT Security for the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), James established a comprehensive strategic vision and plan, while managing day-to-day security operations, governance, and cyber risk management. Under his leadership, LAUSD’s security posture advanced significantly, laying a roadmap for ISO 27001 certification.
James’s expertise goes beyond cybersecurity, to include full IT operation management, law enforcement, physical security, application development, fire/life safety, and building automation systems. During his tenure with the City of Chicago, he served as Deputy Commissioner of IT for the Department of Buildings and as an IT Program Manager with the Chicago Police Department. He also served as Director of Solutions Development, managing international DevOps teams in the U.S., Mexico, Australia, the U.K., Canada, and China. As a former police officer and a US Army servicemember, he brings a mission-driven approach to every role. His combined experience positions him as a dynamic leader who delivers strategic and technical excellence.
James holds a Master’s in Information Systems Management and a Bachelor’s in Psychology, complementing his technical and leadership skills with a strong understanding of people and organizational dynamics. He also holds certifications including CISSP and CGEIT.