Tom Allsup is an IT leader with over 20 years of commercial IT experience and nearly a decade of active duty military experience as well as over a dozen industry recognized certifications.  Currently the State of Louisiana Office of Technology Services Director of Agency Relationship Management, he has held leadership positions in both the public and private sector, including Deputy Chief Technology Officer for the State of Louisiana and Director in multiple consulting firms covering the petrochemical, heavy equipment manufacturing, healthcare, automobile manufacturing, and legal industries.  Having a technical background in service management frameworks, infrastructure, cybersecurity as well as software delivery, he is an advocate for Lean IT, Agile, and the use of IT as a business enabler.

Director, Department of Technology, St. Tammany Parish Government

Grant Black is a distinguished technology leader with a remarkable career spanning over 25 years in the IT industry with 21 of those year as a Department of Defense Contractor. His journey has been one of constant innovation and transformation, marked by his diverse roles as a Program Manager, System Architect, System Integrator, System Administrator, Database Administrator, Data Analyst and, Developer. Grant spearheaded the pioneering migration of the U.S. Navy's First and Largest ERP deployment into the AWS Cloud, the system archived full Department of Defense Risk Management Framework accreditation. In his role as Director of Technology at St. Tammany Parish Government, Grant commands a realm of all technological functions including Cybersecurity, Network Administration, System Administration, Helpdesk, Desktop Support, Geographic Information Services (GIS), and Archives. His GIS Team won a Special Achievement in GIS Award from ESRI in 2024 and Grant is the Louisiana IT Symposium 2023 IT Leader of the Year.

Eyal works with clients across the public sector to help them take advantage of the Generative AI and AI innovations that are transforming the delivery of customer experiences, the organization’s workforce, and the enterprise. He leads teams of dedicated strategy, consulting, technology, and operation professionals to design, implement, and deliver Generative AI solutions that can enable public sector organizations to transform their operations and the customer experiences they offer, simplifying and accelerating how citizens can access government services. Eyal combines passion and pragmatism to shape innovative solutions that positively impact his clients’ customers. 

Heather Doxon is a Regional Engagement Manager (REM) with the Multi-State Information Sharing & Analysis Center (MS-ISAC®). As part of the MS-ISAC’s Stakeholder Engagement team, she works with our nation’s State, Local, Territorial, and Tribal (SLTT) governments and public education institutions to provide free cybersecurity resources and services through partnerships and collaborations. Heather manages partnerships with the hundreds of MS-ISAC® members throughout CISA Region 5, supporting their overall cybersecurity posture. She also holds a GISF certification.
Heather joined the Center for Internet Security (CIS) as an Account Manager with the Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing & Analysis Center (EI-ISAC®). Prior to that, Ms. Doxon worked in the Elections field for almost 15 years, most recently as a Training & Implementation Specialist for the Nebraska Secretary of State’s Elections Division and worked closely with the counties of the state on Elections security and best practices.
Heather holds a Certified Elections Registration Vendor (CERV) from The Election Center and is a graduate of the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. She also is part of Women in Cybersecurity and volunteers in her community with various civic and animal welfare organizations.

Christine Evans brings over two decades of experience in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to her role as GIS Manager at St. Tammany Parish Government, where she has served for nearly four years. With a robust background in the government sector, Christine has been instrumental in modernizing GIS operations, notably guiding St. Tammany Parish through a significant upgrade from an outdated system to the latest ESRI Enterprise solutions. Her expertise in integrating cutting-edge ESRI products has been crucial in enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of the Parish’s GIS capabilities.
A proud graduate of Southeastern Louisiana University, Christine holds a Bachelor of Science degree that has aided her extensive career in GIS. At St. Tammany Parish, she not only led the transition to advanced GIS technology but also took a proactive role in organizing and facilitating training sessions for Parish Government employees, ensuring a smooth adaptation to the new platforms.
Christine’s dedication to advancing GIS practices has been recognized with the prestigious Special Achievement in GIS Award from ESRI, awarded to the St. Tammany Parish GIS Department at the 2024 User Conference. Her innovative approach and commitment to excellence continue to drive the success of GIS initiatives in her community.

Elliot is a technical leader behind Tyler Technologies' initiatives on behalf of high-profile government organizations to help them manage, share, and explain their data more effectively. Elliot is an expert on cross-organizational data sharing, data analytics and visualization, and data standards. He also brings deep experience using data visualizations to help non-data savvy users understand data, and he trains government employees, developers and data scientists on how to use APIs and web visualization frameworks together.

With over 20 years of experience in Technical Delivery Management roles, Shermaine Haymer is no newcomer to the world of Enterprise Content Management. She has extensive expertise in ECM, software development and systems implementations. As a Technical Project Manager with Access Sciences, her goal is to drive efficient delivery of right outcomes for the customer and organization using proven methodologies.
Shermaine has delivered solutions for State Farm, Lockheed Martin at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility, the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s office and LASERS. Most recently, Shermaine’s Access Sciences team worked with Louisiana OTS & DOTD to replace Content Manager with the FileNet Enterprise Architecture platform. She enjoys the challenge of solving complex, recurring problems that are rooted in organizational culture and ways of working. 

Delicia Justice has served the State of Louisiana’s Transportation Department as an Engineering Technician for 23 years She has 14 years of experience in collecting GPS and Highway Inventory Data, 6½ years assessing QA/QC for data within Pavement Management and 2½ years in Construction Inspection for Louisiana’s Highways. She graduated from the International School of Brussels Belgium (1981) and has two Trades Degrees in CADD (Computer Aided Drawing & Drafting) and Commercial Art with Certification as a CADD Operator from Louisiana Technical College. She continues to participate in continuing education courses the Department offers in both ArcGIS and CADD. She values how data, collection methods, digital mapping and data integration endure and evolve.

James O. Murray, Jr. is a dynamic and accomplished information technology professional with over two decades of experience in the field. Currently serving as the Deputy Judicial Administrator Director of Information Technology Services at the Louisiana Judiciary Branch of Government (Louisiana Supreme Court), where he has demonstrated exceptional leadership skills in managing and executing numerous infrastructure advancements for the Louisiana Judiciary.
Under his direction, the Louisiana Supreme Court has seen the successful implementation of the E-Box System, a cutting-edge solution that has revolutionized the way the court operates. Mr. Murray's expertise and vision have played a critical role in bringing this project to life, improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the court system as a whole.
In addition to his work at the Supreme Court, Mr. Murray has also played a key role in directing a broad range of court Information Technology initiatives and Cyber Security, providing invaluable support to the Judicial Administrator's Office and Case Management Information Systems (CMIS) objectives. His ability to collaborate and communicate effectively with cross-functional teams has been a driving force behind his success, allowing him to bring new and innovative solutions to the table.
Mr. Murray's education is a testament to his commitment to excellence in the field of information technology. He holds a Master's Degree in Developmental Education from Grambling State University, as well as a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science from the same institution. These achievements, along with his extensive experience, have made him a valuable asset to the Louisiana Judiciary Branch of Government and the wider community.

Brandon is a graduate of Southeastern Louisiana University with a degree in Business and a concentration in Computer Information Systems. He began his IT career in 1998 as a helpdesk technician for the LA Department of Education.   He finished his time at DOE in 2007 as a IT Tech Support Supervisor where he lead an IT starup team for the New Orleans Recovery School District.
Today Brandon is the IT Director for Ascension Parish Government where he has served for 16 years.  His accomplishments in Ascension include the implementation of a modern ERP system, the launch of the official Ascension Parish mobile app, an award-winning GIS mapping portal, and the creation of the Ascension Parish Citizen Services Center.
Brandon has an ITIL 4 Foundation Certification, is a graduate of the Leadership Ascension class of 2010,  is currently serving as the assistant regional executive for the local Delta Region Sports Car Club of America, and is the region 2 team lead for the Louisiana State Guard Cyber Reserve. 

Zena Pelletier is a Team Lead Solution Engineer for the State & Local Government team at Esri's San Antonio Regional Office. With over 8 years at Esri, she collaborates with customers to maximize their use of Esri’s software and technology, helping them deploy solutions that achieve their business objectives. Zena brings over 20 years of experience from her tenure at the Department of Defense, where she worked on various geospatial data analysis projects for infrastructures worldwide. Her diverse background also includes expertise in surveying and drafting, construction and design management, computer programming, software development for network and system improvement, and process automation to enhance productivity.

William (Bill) Rials, Ph.D., is a professor and associate director (department chair) of the Tulane University School of Professional Advancement IT and Cybersecurity Program, where he focuses on continually delivering and updating the program curriculum based on innovative and emerging technologies. Before transitioning to academia and higher education, he had a diverse gov tech career delivering value to state agencies, local governments, and law enforcement agencies throughout the state of Mississippi. He has served in CIO, CTO, and CISO roles for local governments and also in various leadership positions within the state of Mississippi’s IT organization as a deputy to the state CIO. Dr. Rials holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Belhaven University, a master’s degree in computer information systems and cybersecurity from Missouri State University, as well as a Ph.D. in higher education administration and public administration from Jackson State University. His dissertation research involved the critical factors that affect the adoption of cloud services within the public sector. He is a noted expert in the IT and cybersecurity space and is frequently quoted by national media outlets. He is also a frequent contributor to national IT government organizations such as NASTD and NASCIO.

Eric Romero is a 29-year employee with the City of Baton Rouge - Parish of East Baton Rouge, currently serving as the Director of Information Services. During his tenure as director, Romero has seen the Department of Information Services transition from one which was focused solely on traditional internal information technology support to one which now also supports external initiatives, transparency, and internal process improvements across the City-Parish government. He has led efforts to consolidate IT services, implement an enterprise resource planning system, launch the Open Data BR program, and leads the City’s community approach to cybersecurity.