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Overview

Local governments face urgent needs to modernize old technology systems and update manual business processes. The Center for Digital Government’s most recent Digital Cities and Counties surveys show that local governments are coping with an array of issues, including strengthening cybersecurity, upgrading constituent experience, improving resilience, and harnessing the power of data and analytics to support decision-making and boost performance.

Tackling these issues is a major undertaking for any organization.  Those who attended joined the Center for Digital Government and their peers for an in-person Summit to share innovative ideas and solutions to the challenges. 

The Summit covered topics such as:  Innovative Approaches to Modernization; Transforming Security and Compliance and Unleashing the Power of Data. 

 

 

A message from our Keynote Speaker

Speakers

Aaron Bentley

Aaron Bentley

Chief Information Officer, Salt Lake City, Utah

Aaron Bentley has worked for Salt Lake City for over twenty years. While at the city, he has held several roles in the Information Management Services department. He currently serves as the Chief Information Officer and a member of Mayor Erin Mendenhall’s cabinet.
Aaron and his team enjoy modernizing local government and transforming Salt Lake City into a more open and inclusive community. He is passionate about tackling the digital divide in the city and has worked with the mayor and city council to establish programs to help address these issues.
Aaron attended Brigham Young University and Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He and his wife Amy enjoy serving the refugee community who call Utah home. They have 9 children, 5 of which are refugees from around the world.

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Barry Condrey

Barry Condrey

Senior Fellow, Center for Digital Government

Barry has worked in the IT field for over 37 years holding a wide range of technology leadership positions in the public and private sectors and was most recently the CIO for Chesterfield County, Virginia where he pursues initiatives based on digital transformation, open government, and citizen centricity. Under his leadership Chesterfield County Va was four times recognized as the #1 digital county in the USA. Barry holds a masters degree in public leadership with a minor in economics from Virginia State University and a bachelors degree in computer science from DeVry University. He has been adjunct faculty for Virginia Commonwealth University and is currently adjunct faculty for the Public Technology Institute in the certified government CIO program. Barry has been an active NACo contributor, a gubernatorial appointee to the Virginia elections security standards workgroup and a two-time president of the Virginia Local Government IT Executives (VALGITE) organization. He is a certified government CIO (CGCIO), a certified information security manager (CISM) and a national top 25 Doer, Dreamer & Driver. He likes to teach, research technology, write code and blog about technology leadership from his home in Moseley, Virginia.

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Bianca Lochner

Bianca Lochner

Chief Information Officer, City of Scottsdale, AZ

Bianca Lochner, Ph.D., has over 20 years of experience in information technology and local government. Throughout her career, she led multiple digital transformations and innovations in education and the public sector, while modernizing legacy technology and positively impacting how citizens and businesses interact with the city government. As the Chief Information Officer for the City of Scottsdale, Arizona, she combines her passion for public service with technology’s power to transform how government delivers to the community it serves.

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Chelo Picardal

Chelo Picardal

Chief Technology Officer, City of Bellevue, Washington

Chelo is responsible for infrastructure operations, customer service, cybersecurity, broadband connectivity partnerships, and coordinating Bellevue’s Smart City strategy.  She chairs a consortium building a robust regional fiber network connecting community institutions – schools, universities, hospitals, public safety agencies and cities.  She delights in collaborating with enthusiastic partners committed to creating a more livable, sustainable, and resilient Bellevue.  She truly benefits from the City’s vision of “Bellevue welcomes the world” – having been born in the Philippines, growing up in Michigan, starting her career in Washington DC, and making the Pacific Northwest home for over 20 years.

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Vanetta Pledger

Vanetta Pledger

CIO and Director of Information Technology Services, City of Alexandria, Commonwealth of Virginia

Vanetta Pledger is Chief Information Officer and Director of Information Technology Services for the City of Alexandria, Virginia and serves as the City’s principal information technology strategist. She has over 20 years of executive technology leadership that she uses to drive digital transformation and create value. Vanetta leads a team of esteemed technology professionals who produce ingenious solutions that enable the City’s mission to cultivate a thriving Alexandria.
She holds a master’s degree in information technology systems and a certificate in federal executive competencies for chief information officers, both from The George Washington University.

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Teri Takai

Teri Takai

Senior Vice President, Center for Digital Government

Teri Takai is Senior Vice President of the Center for Digital Government, a national research and advisory institute on information technology policies and best practices in state and local government. She worked for Ford Motor Company for 30 years in global application development and information technology strategic planning. From Ford, she moved to EDS in support of General Motors. A long-time interest in public service led her to the government sector, first as CIO of the State of Michigan, then as CIO of the State of California and, subsequently, the CIO of the U.S. Department of Defense, the first woman appointed to this role. She then served as the CIO for Meridian Health Plan.
Teri is a member of several industry advisory boards. She has won numerous awards including Governing magazine’s Public Official of the Year, CIO Magazine’s CIO Hall of Fame, Government Technology magazine’s Top 25 Doers, Dreamers & Drivers, the Women in Defense Excellence in Leadership Award and the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service.

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Maria Thompson

Maria Thompson

State and Local Government Cyber Security Leader, Amazon Web Services

Maria S. Thompson is the State and Local Government Cybersecurity Lead for Amazon Web Services (AWS). In this role, she brings over 20 years of experience in information technology, strategic planning, computer network defense and risk management. Prior to her role with AWS, Maria served as North Carolina’s first State Chief Risk and Security Officer. There she was instrumental in establishing the Whole of State Approach to Cyber. This included the development and implementation of the state’s first Cyber Disruption Plan, and the Joint Cyber Task Force (JCTF). Maria also served 20 years in the United States Marine Corps and retired as the cybersecurity chief/information assurance chief for the Marine Corps. Other security roles held includes certification and accreditation (C&A) lead for the Multi-National Forces – Iraq and senior security engineer in a joint military organization and Security Operations Center lead for a federal agency.

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Elizabeth Reining Buehler

Elizabeth Reining Buehler

Director of Innovation and Project Management, Salt Lake City, Utah

The team’s role is to implement special projects, direct organizational change management, and enterprise IT project management, policy, technical guidance, and outreach for internal, and City-wide initiatives. Elizabeth has 20 years of local government experience, including serving as Salt Lake City’s Homeless Services Coordinator and Civic Engagement Manager prior to coming to the Department of Information Services. She received her Master’s in Community and Regional Planning from the University of Texas at Austin. 

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Robert Reynolds

Robert Reynolds

Chief Information Officer, Orange County, North Carolina.

As a trusted thought leader with over 25 years of demonstrated success, Robert helps organizations in establishing strategic vision, creating digital transformation strategies, nurturing innovation, and building collaborative relationships across the enterprise, thereby helping lead organizations and their technology initiatives to successful outcomes. During his career, Robert has consulted for the federal government and corporate clients helping them to improve operations and IT security. Robert has held senior leadership positions in corporate, State and Local Government organizations with extensive IT operations and security experience in law enforcement and military high value mission critical environments. Robert holds a Master of Science in Cybersecurity and an MBA from the University of Maryland. He also holds the CISSP, MCSE, and Certified Government Chief Information Officer (CGCIO) certifications. Robert is an active member of FBI InfraGard, ISSA, ISC2 Raleigh Chapter and the U.S Secret Service Electronic Crimes Task Force. Robert has also served in the United States Navy.

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Chris Seidt

Chris Seidt

Director, Information Technology, Louisville Metro Government

Chris Seidt is the Executive Director of Metro Technology Services for Louisville-Jefferson County Metro Government where he has served the residents of Louisville for the past 22 years in a variety of roles for the merged city-county government, including leading city efforts around Smart Cities, and serving the past six years as the leader of the IT organization where he has led a digital transformation of the city government. Chris holds a B.S. in Organizational Leadership from the University of Louisville and numerous technical certifications from Microsoft, CompTIA, and Cisco.

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Todd Shanley

Todd Shanley

Chief Information Officer, Cabarrus County, North Carolina

Todd has served the community for over 26 years. Todd’s relentless drive for civic innovation has modernized the way governments deliver internal and citizen-facing services. From leading enterprise IT operations, encouraging innovation to empowering a dedicated workforce, Todd’s impact as a technology leader is fostering a culture of collaboration to propel the county forward. He was named one of Government Technology Magazine’s 2020 Top 25 Doers, Dreamers & Drivers and StateScoop’s 2020 GoldenGov: County Executive of the Year. Under his leadership, Cabarrus County won Top Digital County Award in the 2019 and 2021 Digital Counties Surveys as well as ranked first place in the 2020 and 2022 Overall County Government Experience Awards by the Center for Digital Government.

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Alina Walters

Alina Walters

CIO, City of Lakewood, Colorado

Lakewood is the 5th largest city in Colorado. With 20+ years of IT business management experience, Alina is a proven leader focused on developing trusting relationships, empowering staff, and building a culture of respect, collaboration, and mutually rewarding successes. Technology has been an undercurrent throughout Alina’s career in various ways. She started in marketing and had her own graphic design business, then moved to product and program management, was a government consultant, and worked for a variety of public and private sector companies. Ultimately, her journey led to Lakewood where she joined as the Business Transformation Manager, and 5 years later, was appointed to her current role of CIO. Alina is passionate about people and technology and is committed to exploring and delivering future-ready solutions for the city that ultimately benefit the community. In her free time, you can find Alina exploring the great outdoors - usually on a “forced-family fun” adventure - with her husband, son, and adorably stubborn dog, Tazer.

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Agenda

Wednesday, July 31

6:00 pm Mountain

Dinner

Thursday, August 1

8:00 am Mountain

Registration and Breakfast

9:00 am Mountain

Welcome and Introductions

Teri Takai, Senior Vice President, Center for Digital Government

9:45 am Mountain

Cyber is Still the CIOs’ Top Priority – What Actions Are Working Best?

This session will explore how CIOs are attacking their top priority in an ever-changing threat environment. Cutting-edge tools must be appropriately identified and applied, critical partnerships created, and organizational resilience established. Local governments don’t have the funding or staff to do it all themselves, so they must strategize accordingly. Participants will share battle-tested tactics, lessons learned and collaborations that keep governments secure and safe.

Moderator: Teri Takai, Senior Vice President, Center for Digital Government

Aaron Bentley, Chief Information Officer, Salt Lake City, Utah

Todd Shanley, Chief Information Officer, Cabarrus County, North Carolina

Maria Thompson, Executive Government Advisor, Cybersecurity, Amazon Web Services

10:45 am Mountain

Break

11:00 am Mountain

Modernization – Are We Done Yet?

Local governments are tackling multiple modernization challenges — from infrastructure to applications to data migration. This means planning their move to the cloud to improve security, changing from capital to operating-expense funding models, and embracing new technologies. Modernization approaches should ultimately improve the constituent experience and meet the growing need for accessible and equitable services. This session will cover what is working, what the challenges are, and how governments are working together and with partners to achieve their technology goals.

Moderator: Barry Condrey, Senior Fellow, Center for Digital Government

Chelo Picardal, Chief Technology Officer, City of Bellevue, Washington

Alina Walters, CIO, City of Lakewood, Colorado

12:00 pm Mountain

Lunch

1:00 pm Mountain

Keeping Pace with Technology – What’s Next?

On top of their daily challenges, CIOs face a constantly evolving technology landscape. The pace of technology is moving faster — artificial intelligence (AI) can rapidly transform all aspects of our professional lives — and local government must take action. Implementing AI and other new technology means managing data differently, addressing talent and skill gaps, and changing how we do business. Expectations are high, and the possibilities are great, but the path forward is uncertain. In this session, we will discuss how we can prepare our infrastructure, data and workforce for the future.

Moderator: Teri Takai, Senior Vice President, Center for Digital Government

Elizabeth Reining Buehler, Director of Innovation & Project Management, Information Management Services, Salt Lake City Corporation

Vanetta Pledger, Chief Information Officer & Director Information Technology Services, City of Alexandria, Commonwealth of Virginia

Robert Reynolds, CIO, Orange County, North Carolina

2:00 pm Mountain

Break

2:15 pm Mountain

Are You Sure You Are Focused on What Matters Most? – Group Discussion

The list of priorities for government CIOs keeps getting longer. How do you know if you are focusing on the most important things? And which topics need further clarification or explanation? This dynamic session will identify critical issues and opportunities for CIOs and allow attendees to ask questions and get answers from peers who understand what it takes to be successful

Moderators:

Barry Condrey, Senior Fellow, Center for Digital Government &

Teri Takai, Senior Vice President, Center for Digital Government

Bianca Lochner, Chief Information Officer, City of Scottsdale, Arizona

Chris Seidt, Director, Information Technology, Louisville Metro Government, Kentucky

3:15 pm Mountain

Closing Comments

3:30 pm Mountain

Summit Adjourns

*Conference times, agenda, and speakers are subject to change.

Marriott Salt Lake City Center

220 South State Street
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
801961-8700

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Marriott Salt Lake City Center

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Venue

Marriott Salt Lake City Center

220 South State Street
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
801961-8700