Zamira has over 10+ years of experience assisting State governments in planning and executing their business and IT transformation projects. The last few years have been dedicated to supporting the State of New York in their Health and Human Services transformation initiatives, mostly working with the Medicaid Program. As a former State employee, Zamira is passionate about helping government entities in becoming more efficient and innovative.

Elijah Cedeno is a Regional Engagement Manager for the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center™ (MS-ISAC®), a division of the Center for Internet Security, Inc.®. He is a member of the Stakeholder Engagement team, which works with our nation’s State, Local, Territorial, and Tribal (SLTT) governments and public education institutions to provide free cybersecurity resources and services. Elijah manages the MS-ISAC® members in the Northeast regions, supporting their overall cybersecurity posture.

As the Director of Experience Design at Nagarro, Manisha brings over 20 years of design experience, having led the creation of award-winning public sector applications that deliver intuitive and inclusive solutions. She is passionate about aligning design with business goals and crafting experiences that prioritize people. Designing next-gen experiences is about more than meeting current needs—it's about anticipating what users will need next, staying ahead of the curve, and delivering solutions before they even ask. She is excited to be at the forefront of this work, continually innovating to create experiences that leave a lasting impact.

Byron Garcia is an accomplished project management leader with over 25 years of experience delivering complex, high-impact initiatives across higher education, healthcare, technology, and the nonprofit sectors.
As the Director of the Project Management Office at the University of Massachusetts Boston, Byron leads enterprise-level projects that drive digital transformation, operational efficiency, and strategic alignment. His leadership ensures that project delivery supports the university’s mission and long-term institutional goals, while fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and results.
Byron’s career includes influential roles at Mass General Brigham, Road Scholar, IBM, and John Hancock. Across these organizations, he has built a reputation for combining technical expertise with a pragmatic, people-centered approach to leadership. His work has consistently empowered teams, improved systems, and delivered measurable value.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Northeastern University and is certified as both a Project Management Professional (PMP) and a Certified ScrumMaster (CSM)—credentials that reflect his strength in both traditional and agile methodologies.
Byron is known for translating project management principles into clear, actionable insights. Whether speaking to executive audiences or emerging professionals, he brings authenticity, clarity, and strategic vision to every conversation.

Ray Lefebvre is Vice Chancellor of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer at UMass Boston. With 40+ years’ leadership and information technology experience – the last 17 within higher education, including UMass Boston, Bridgewater State University and the UMass Medical School – Mr. Lefebvre, together with his teams, have enriched student learning, increased efficiencies and enhanced communications while reducing costs, improving service delivery, and strengthening regional partnerships.
Throughout his career, Mr. Lefebvre has directed his considerable expertise and energy to improving and enhancing delivery of technological services and applying his influential leadership style to inspiring, energizing and empowering each and every member of his team to “own” his/her piece of a shared vision for the future by focusing on getting the right work done right, on time, on budget, with pride and purpose.

Chris McDonough is an Associate Director of Solutions Architects of public sector for the Verizon Business Group. In this role, he leads a technical solutions team responsible for customer engagement and solution development to address the increasingly complex requirements of state and local governments and education clients. Chris has 28 years of experience in the wireless industry specializing in technical solutions, internet of things, smart communities, and public sector. Chris earned his Master’s of Business Administration from Pfeiffer University in Charlotte, NC and holds a Bachelor of Science from Clarkson University in Potsdam, NY.

Pete Sherlock is the Chief Executive Officer of CyberTrust Massachusetts, a nonprofit organization at the forefront of a bold initiative to transform cybersecurity workforce development and strengthen local cyber defenses. Under his leadership, CyberTrust partners with higher education institutions to provide cutting-edge training, technology, and expertise to nearly 1,000 students in cybersecurity programs. The organization also operates a growing statewide network of Security Operations Centers (SOCs), rapidly emerging as one of the top managed security service providers (MSSPs) serving the local government sector.
Pete brings a distinguished career of leading organizations solving some of the nation’s major technology challenges. He has developed deep expertise in cybersecurity and the critical task of building a highly skilled STEM workforce. Previously, he served as Chief Operating Officer and head of the Defense and Intelligence business at MITRE, a national and global leader in cybersecurity research, development, and operations. He also led the Network Infrastructure business at Motorola Broadband.
An active supporter of the Massachusetts technology ecosystem, Pete remains deeply engaged in higher education and has served on state-level councils focused on digital health and cybersecurity.

Purpose, pride, and passion define Steve Zuromski’s 20 years of leveraging technology to meet the ever-increasing challenges fundamental to higher education. As Vice President of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer at Bridgewater State University, he is responsible for developing and communicating IT strategy and leading his team to successful completion of stated objectives.
Guided by his philosophy of value-based leadership, Mr. Zuromski took a leading role to bring an enterprise cyber range and expanded cybersecurity educational programming to the university while in parallel working with local and state officials to help foster an advanced cyber ecosystem for the state of Massachusetts. As a result of these and other efforts, Bridgewater State University is recognized as a Cybersecurity Center of Excellence by Cyber Trust Massachusetts, a consortium of university members in the region. Mr. Zuromski served as the inaugural chair of the Higher Education Cybersecurity Coordinating Committee, a recommending body designed to strengthen the overall cybersecurity readiness and resiliency of the public higher education institutions in the Commonwealth.
Mr. Zuromski’s responsibilities include overseeing all of the university’s critical business applications, technology infrastructure, cybersecurity, and service management functions. Additionally, he is co-chair of the BSU’s Enterprise Risk Management Committee and the Artificial Intelligence Advisory Committee.
Hired in 2004 as a Technical Support Specialist, he assumed increasing responsibilities from Assistant Director of Networking to Assistant Vice President of Infrastructure, Associate Vice President of Information Technology to his current position as Vice President of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer, a well-earned progression in Mr. Zuromski’s professional journey.
Innovation and collaboration, combined with purpose, pride, and passion drive Mr. Zuromski’s service-minded approach to forging strategic partnerships with members of the university community and beyond. IT’s vision statement – “Fearless pursuit of service excellence through strategic technology partnerships and innovative digital transformations” – is a daily mantra for Mr. Zuromski, not a vague promise. He is not only committed to bringing value to the institution by way of cutting-edge technology solutions, but also at the same time, generating additional revenue through diverse relationships and skillful management of vendor contracts.
Mr. Zuromski is a true son of Bridgewater, having earned his bachelor’s degree in management information systems and his master’s degree in Technology Management from BSU. He holds multiple industry certifications from ITIL (Foundations & Practitioner), Cisco, and is a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer.
He appreciates the personal nature of the campus, understands the culture of the institution, and has an authentic interest in ensuring the success of all students, faculty, and staff.