John Brennan is the Assistant Secretary of Operations for the Department of Disabilities and has been with the department since its inception in 2004. John has spent more than 20 years in the disability field and began at the National Federation of the Blind. He oversees the department's administration and operations, Maryland Technology Assistance Program and Telecommunications Access of Maryland. His current areas of focus in the policy arena are non-visual access and affordable housing.

Pothik Chatterjee serves as the Chief Economic Officer of Greater Baltimore Committee (GBC). Chatterjee brings a diverse portfolio of economic and operational leadership to the organization to bolster GBC’s ability to provide a leading voice in the Baltimore region on equitable economic growth and civic issues. Chatterjee leads the organization’s economic development initiatives, including shaping the GBC’s efforts to accelerate economic opportunity for the Greater Baltimore region and pursue competitive opportunities that advance innovation and business investment within the region. Drawing from 15 years of experience working in leadership positions, Chatterjee provides valuable insight in leading the GBC’s strategic and economic initiatives. Last year, Chatterjee led Baltimore’s Tech Hub designation from the federal government, part of a $10 billion program under the CHIPS and Science Act, with a focus on Biotech and AI investments in the greater Baltimore region. The consortium of 48 institutions includes biotech and AI private firms, healthcare delivery organizations, higher education, workforce development and regional economic development organizations.
Chatterjee joined GBC from LifeBridge Health, where he served most recently as assistant vice president for Innovation for the health system in Maryland. Chatterjee earned his MBA in Business Administration and Management from Harvard University, an MA in International Economics from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a BS in Economics from Georgetown University. Chatterjee has been recognized as one of Baltimore Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 honorees. He is also a recipient of the “Best in Tech” award from the Baltimore Business Journal among other awards in the Baltimore tech and entrepreneurship community.

Lance Cleghorn serves as the Maryland Director of State Cyber Security at the Maryland Department of Information Technology. In this role, Lance is responsible for overseeing the engineering development and adoption of Maryland’s centralized cyber security services. Lance is a leader in the whole-of-state cyber security centralization strategy, bringing senior guidance and cyber engineering talent to Maryland. Prior to joining the Maryland State Government, Lance spent ten years in the United States Department of Defense. The last four years of his DoD career was with the Defense Digital Service as the lead cyber security engineer working on major department challenges like the conflict in Ukraine, the evacuation of Afghanistan, and Operation Warp Speed. Lance has also held notable positions working with the DoD Hack the Pentagon program to bring crowdsourced penetration testing to all corners of the DoD and leading the web.mil program to deliver thousands of public facing .mil websites overseeing their development, delivery, and cyber security. 

With over 15 years of dedicated leadership within the field, Andrew has built a strong track record in championing accessibility, particularly in the field of information technology. His expertise spans special education, higher education disability support, and assistive technology evaluation, culminating in a multifaceted proficiency in digital and web accessibility. Certified as an accessibility professional by the International Association of Accessibility Professionals, he have served as an expert witness in legal and administrative proceedings, highlighting his qualifications and commitment to the field. Beyond formal recognition, he has made significant contributions to digital accessibility in the Metro DC area. Andrew authored the State of Maryland's inaugural comprehensive digital accessibility policy, announced by the Governor in January 2024. He has also shared his expertise on national platforms, addressing conferences, participating in televised panel discussions within the technology industry, and serving as a guest lecturer at local universities. These engagements have allowed him to spread awareness about the critical importance of accessibility for all.

Michele Evans is the Assistant Vice President for Change Management and Advisory Services at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB). Michele leads the people-side of change for mission-critical projects at UMB. Her Organizational Change Management team advocates for users of enterprise applications such as Oracle Cloud Financials, Analytics, and Human Capital Management, as well as SAP Concur, to help UMB achieve successful change outcomes and return on its investments. Michele also oversees a Management Advisory Services team that helps UMB realize audit improvements by providing advice and assistance with any audit, compliance, and general fiscal or operational matters, as well as education on accountability, compliance effectiveness, internal controls, and best practices. Michele is a Certified Public Accountant with over 33 years experience working in Maryland State government, with about 25 of those years within the University System of Maryland.

Natalie Evans Harris serves as Maryland’s State Chief Data Officer. An ecosystem builder at heart, she is a mission-driven data scientist, strategist and speaker with over 20 years of experience advancing the public sector’s strategic use of data. Leading initiatives, coalitions and organizations to powerfully and equitably leverage data to combat economic and social injustice.
As a leading voice in the responsible use of data for social impact, she has spent her career working with a broad network of academic institutions, data science organizations, application developers, and foundations to advance the responsible use of data. Prior to joining Governor’s Moore Administration as the State Chief Data Officer, she was the founding executive director of the Black Wealth Data Center and as a senior policy advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo, under the Biden Administration. Ms. Evans Harris served as a senior policy advisor to the U.S. Chief Technology Officer in the Obama administration and spent 16 years at the National Security Agency. She holds degrees from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and George Washington University.
Ms. Evans Harris has a master’s degree in public administration from The George Washington University and bachelor’s degrees in computer science and sociology from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. She lives in Maryland with her husband and daughter.

Mr. Koshanam is an excellent Information Technology Leader with passion for bringing transformation and consumer engagement into Government and Public Service, recognized for Digital Innovation by CIO 100, with 25 years of diverse experience as a senior executive, program manager, technologist, and an entrepreneur, having wide experience in various functional domains such as the Healthcare, Finance, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Transportation, Security, Compliance and Government.
Mr. Koshanam has led largescale, multi-million-dollar technology programs in public and private sectors. As the CIO of the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange (MHBE), he has been instrumental in establishing and operating a robust IDIQ vendor contracting model that empowers the organization to rapidly implement cost-efficient enterprise IT initiatives. Mr. Koshanam developed and inculcated a high-performing and supporting team culture, led the transformational technological journey from a barely functional exchange solution into an award-winning digital platform, focused in delivering high value and active engagement with our consumers, partners and stakeholders.
Under Mr. Koshanam’s leadership, MHBE continues to innovate, evolve and extend its technology to provide best in class health exchange solution utilizing cloud infrastructure, open source technology, integrated web and mobile platforms, data driven solutions, robotic process automation, and artificial intelligence solutions.

Ira levy engages in research in the area of Trustworthy and Responsible AI as well as Cyber Security at the University of Maryland College Park’s School of Public Policy.  He is affiliated with UMD’s Center for International & Security Studies, Center for Governance of Technologies and Systems, and the Science and Tehcnology Policy Initiative.  Additionally, Ira is an associate managing director at Kroll in the Cyber Risk practice, based in Washington D.C where he leads the global services lines for cyber due diligence and risk frameworks . He leverages more than 20 years of experience in both the public and private information technology sector, working within telecommunications, software development, managed service providers, government, and nonprofits.
Prior to joining Kroll, Ira served as the executive director of the administrative modernization program at the University of Maryland. Before that, he held the title of chief operating officer at Affiniti, a national telecommunications and managed services company. Additionally, he previously served as CEO of Torrential Systems and chief information officer at Howard County Government in Maryland.
Ira’s notable achievements include leading the deployment of the One Maryland Inter-County Broadband Network (ICBN), which received a $115 million federal grant and was acknowledged by the White House for innovation and impact. Additionally, Ira designed and brought five technology products to market including a machine learning network security solution adopted by a multitude of healthcare facilities across the US which was later acquired by a national managed services company.
Ira Levy maintains certification as a Certified Information Security Professional (CISSP) and holds an MBA  from Johns Hopkins University, an MS in Information and Telecommunications from Johns Hopkins University, an MA in Education from University of Central Florida, and a BA in Psychology from University of West Florida.

Sergio Ortega is an accomplished executive with 20+ years of experience in AI, machine learning, analytics, and public sector industries. He excels in driving organizational excellence, fostering inclusive cultures, and solving customer challenges. Sergio has 15+ years of experience in cloud computing, PaaS, SaaS, and solution selling, with expertise in program management and go-to-market strategies. Currently, he is the Business Development Lead for AI/ML WW Public Sector at Amazon Web Services. Previously, he held leadership roles at Microsoft, including Metaverse, IoT, Light Edge Azure Engineering Global GTM and Ecosystem Lead. Sergio holds advanced degrees in data science, business, computer science, and cybernetics. His extensive experience and academic credentials make him a valuable asset to any organization.

Mr. Charles (Charlie) O’Shea is the Eastern Regional Executive for State Government Strategy at T-Mobile. Before joining T-Mobile, Mr. O’Shea had a long and distinguished career in public service, beginning as a New York State Assemblyman. While in the Assembly, Mr. O’Shea served on several powerful committees, none more important than the Committee on Ways and Means, which gave him deep insight into the financial operations of all state departments. After twelve years in the Assembly, Mr. O’Shea ran for and was elected as the Chairman of the Nassau County Board of Assessors and Nassau County Real Property Tax Director. In this capacity, Mr. O’Shea pushed for and secured a hard-fought modernization of the county’s tax assessment and collection system. After leaving elected office, Mr. O’Shea continued his public service career as the Director of Government Affairs & External Relations for the New York State Department of Transportation. His long and dedicated career in public service has earned Mr. O’Shea respect and accolades across the political spectrum in New York City and State Government Circles. After leaving government service, Mr. O’Shea joined the highly respected law and policy firm of Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein as a government relations attorney. Mr. O’Shea was motivated to join the T-Mobile brand because of his longstanding efforts to improve and modernize government.
Mr. O’Shea, a graduate of Duke University and the Fordham University School of Law, resides on Long Island, New York, with his wife, Carole.

Matt currently serves as the Chief Information Security Officer for the MD Department of Health and has been with the Agency for over 4 years.  Over a 30 year career he has worked in several global organizations including Jacobs Engineering where his focus was bridging the gap between IT and OT (Operational Technology) or ICS (Industrial Control Systems) for information security. Matt has achieved a Bachelor's Degree in Electronics Engineering and holds multiple information security certifications including CISM (Certified Information Security Manager).  Outside of work Matt enjoys spending as much time as possible with his Family, coaching youth sports, volunteering for MD Special Olympics, and enjoying nature related activities.

Stephen Polacek is the current Director of IT Accessibility Policies & Programs at the IT Accessibility Initiative of MDOD. He became involved in accessibility by working with a blindness skills training program in Maryland. He originally had started his career working in television and theatre with a focus on audio production; he then moved into digital communication and website management. These skills have aided him in developing accessible media by combining his education with the training provided by the blind instructors. During his time as an accessibility specialist at the MDOD, Stephen has earned his Section 508 Trusted Tester Certification and performed numerous website and software accessibility evaluations and training sessions in multiple areas of digital accessibility. He is committed to making Maryland a leading example in becoming accessible. 

Duane Prophet is a leader and innovator in government IT. He is passionate about using AI ethically and responsibly. As a speaker, he leads panels at conferences locally and nationally, making emerging technology understandable and accessible to all audiences. In 2018, he organized the TedX College Park, bringing nationally recognized speakers to discuss the trajectory of artificial intelligence, including potential bias.
Duane’s leadership is marked by advancement, fiscal responsibility, and resourcefulness. He is the Director of Digital Government for Prince George’s County, Maryland. Before being promoted to Director of Digital Government, Duane was the Office of Information Technology’s Applications & Web Division Chief and was responsible for leading all application development that supports Prince George’s County agencies and its residents. He led major initiatives to modernize government services cloud migration of the intranet which kept the County online and functioning through the pandemic. Duane empowered his team to deliver multiple cloud-based applications to support key initiatives including grant programs for housing, rental assistance, business openings, and immunizations. His insights were essential in developing the strategic direction of cloud enablement.
Prior to joining Prince George’s County Government, Duane was impactful in a 16-year tenure with the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Department of Parks and Recreation. In his culminating role as the Data Relationship Manager, he mapped technological advancements and transformed business processes. Duane launched the Parks Direct registration system in 2017, saving the Commission $1 million. He managed an innovation portfolio of new processes and programs, including water filtration systems, cisterns, and keyless entry for unstaffed facilities throughout the organization. Duane also co-chaired the Innovate Parks and Recreation Taskforce, focusing on introducing new processes, ideas, products, and services to enhance and enrich the Department of Parks and Recreation and the community of Prince George’s County.
Duane earned his B.S. in Information Systems Management from the University of Maryland University College.

Arien Seghetti serves as the Principal Security Architect on Iron Bow's Cyber Security team. He is responsible for maturing Iron Bow's next generation solutions and accelerating zero trust and cybersecurity go-to-market strategies for SLED, federal, and civilian agencies, and commercial customers. 
Arien has more than 20 years of experience in cybersecurity and enterprise technology. He has served as a field manager for the U.S. Air Force, and has worked in the federal classified/unclassified, OT/IT, gaming, healthcare, and energy industries. His focus spans security architecture, network security, cloud security, endpoint security, and SecDevOps. Arien holds multiple industry certifications from AWS, Azure, Checkpoint, Cisco, Fortinet, Microsoft, Netskope, Palo Alto, and VMware. 

Igor Steinberg is Data, Analytics, and AI Sales Specialist at Google Public Sector. In this capacity, Igor is dedicated to assisting Google Public Sector customers in harnessing the potential of data, analytics, and artificial intelligence to drive innovation and achieve tangible value from their investments in these technologies.
Previously, Igor has served as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) at the State of Wisconsin Department of Justice where he successfully led a multi-year IT modernization initiative, and at Madison College, where he led multiple initiatives to improve student experience by effectively leveraging technology in support of teaching and learning.
Igor's passion for leveraging technology to improve public services is evident in his work and personal mission. He firmly believes in the transformative power of data, analytics, and AI to address complex societal challenges and enhance the quality of life for citizens. Igor is committed to partnering with public sector organizations to identify and implement innovative solutions that deliver positive and measurable impacts on the communities they serve.
Igor brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to his role at Google Public Sector. His deep understanding of technology, combined with his hands-on experience in both the public and private sectors, enables him to provide tailored and insightful advice to his customers. Igor holds a Ph.D. in Computer Sciences from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Prof. Siva Viswanathan is the Dean’s professor of Information Systems and Digital Innovation at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland. He has a Bachelor's degree in Engineering, a Master's and a Ph.D. in Business Administration. Siva has served on the faculty at the University of Maryland since 2001 where he teaches in the undergraduate, master's and doctoral programs. His research examines the nuanced impacts of digital technologies, in particular, the implications of emerging digital technologies for firms, consumers, public policy and society at large. Siva's current studies focus on the role of AI and their implications for participants' behaviors and outcomes in a variety of contexts. His research studies have been in collaboration with online platforms and traditional firms across different verticals. Siva has chaired over 15 doctoral dissertations and his research has been published in top academic journals and international conferences. 

Greg von Lehmen is Special Assistant to the President, Cybersecurity, at the University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC). In this role he supports the Maryland Cybersecurity Council, a statutory body for which UMGC is the designated staffing entity. During the second half of 2023, he served as interim staff to the Modernize Maryland Oversight Commission. That work entailed coordinating presentations for the Commission by State CIOs, other IT practitioners, and SMEs across the US on IT modernization questions. He drafted the Commission’s final report which was adopted in December. Its recommendations shaped legislation, passed this year, that will advance IT modernization efforts within Maryland State government. His Ph.D. is from the University of Georgia.

Gabriella Waters is an artificial intelligence and machine learning researcher. She’s the Director of Operations and the Director of the Cognitive and Neurodiversity AI Lab (CoNA) at the Center for Equitable AI & Machine Learning Systems at Morgan State University in Baltimore, MD. She is a research associate at NIST, where she leads AI testing and evaluation across three teams, and also serves as the AI advisor – Principal AI Scientist at the Propel Center, where she is also a professor of Culturally Relevant AI/ML Systems.
She is passionate about increasing the diversity of thought around technology and focuses on interdisciplinary collaborations to drive innovation, equity, explainability, transparency, and ethics in the development and application of AI tools. In her research, Gabriella is interested in studying the intersections between human neurobiology & learning, quantifying ethics & equity in AI/ML systems, neuro-symbolic architectures, and intelligent systems that make use of those foundations for improved human-computer synergy. She develops technology innovations, with an emphasis on support for neurodiverse populations.

Jesse Willard, currently serving as the Senior Director of Operations for the Cybersecurity division at Tyler Technologies, he brings with him 18 years of operations and leadership experience. His journey within Tyler began in support within the Tyler System Management team. In 2011, Jesse joined Corporate Cloud Services as an Installation Engineer, rising to a leadership role as the Director of Security Operations. In 2022, Jesse transitioned to Cybersecurity, where he now leads multiple operations teams across the business unit.