Laura Archer is a versatile leader with over a decade of experience building strong, effective teams across government, nonprofit, and private sectors. In her current role as Director of Training & Operations at NYC’s Department of Housing Preservation & Development, she oversees strategic initiatives that enhance employee engagement, streamline operations, and improve organizational communication. Known for bridging creativity with structure, Laura has led successful efforts in talent development and internal communications that have strengthened workplace culture. Her background in marketing, public relations, and HR informs her human-centered approach to leadership—focused on clarity, connection, and collaboration.

Patti Bayross joined NYCHA as Chief Information Officer and Executive Vice President in May 2020. Patti comes to NYCHA with more than 27 years of information technology experience in the public, nonprofit, and private sectors.
Most recently, she was Chief Customer Officer/Deputy Commissioner of Customer Experience Management for the City’s Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT). In this role, she helped establish DoITT’s first department dedicated to customer engagement and the customer experience, centralized customer communications, modernized the service desk, and launched new digital tools to enhance the customer experience.
Prior to DoITT, Patti served as the Chief Information Officer/Assistant Commissioner of MIS for the City’s Administration for Children’s Services where she led a department of more than 175 IT professionals and managed the agency’s $45 million IT budget.

Tiffany Blair is a Principal Digital Strategist and Industry Advisory at Salesforce supporting State and Local government customers. For the last four years, as part of the Salesforce Government Digital Transformation team, she has worked with agencies and programs to set their strategic vision and roadmap as they undertake complex technology transformation efforts. She has been working with government for over 20 years, having started her career as a Medicaid analyst for New York State, then transitioning to transforming government with CRM and Cloud technology with companies including IBM, Oracle, Pegasystems, and Salesforce.

With over four decades of progressive experience in Information Technology management, Mike is a seasoned professional specializing in network infrastructure, data center operations, and business continuity. Holding a Master of Science in Computer Science from Polytechnic University and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems from Mercy College, Mike combines deep technical expertise with strategic leadership.
As the Assistant Commissioner of IT Infrastructure and Support Services at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Mike oversees a team of over 60 professionals, ensuring the seamless operation of network services for more than 7,000 staff members. His team’s accomplishments include large-scale VoIP rollouts, public WiFi implementations, and the relocation of the agency’s data center—achievements that highlight his team’s ability to manage complex IT initiatives.

Peta-Gay Campbell-Perdomo has over 15 years of expertise in organizational change leadership. As Senior Organizational Change Manager at the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), she supports technology adoption initiatives, helping to fulfill IT's mission to enable NYCHA to provide quality housing by delivering meaningful, innovative, high-performing, and cost-effective technology solutions.
Peta-Gay takes a strategic approach to change management, recognizing that successful technology deployments require more than just technical excellence—they demand thoughtful attention to how people adapt, learn, and thrive within new systems.
She is a Prosci Certified Change Practitioner with an Executive Master of Public Administration from CUNY-Baruch College. She also shares her expertise as an Adjunct Professor at Alfred University.

Chris Casarez joined the Office of Field and Information Services within the Division of Human Resources of NYCPS in May 2024 after more than a decade of leading analytics, professional learning, technology initiatives, and improvement science approaches for several NYCPS Teacher Development offices. In his roles, Chris used data visualization technologies to tell compelling stories using program-generated data to support decision making. By building trust through open communications, effective collaboration with colleagues and senior leaders within and across divisions, Chris helped developed NYCPS’ Advance System and the classroom observation components NYC public schools use today.

Richard Cumberbatch is currently the Senior Director of Infrastructure Resilience at NYC Office of Technology and Innovation. He leverages his 30+ years of IT experience to lead other IT managers and information security related projects to support the mission of DOITT and other city agencies.
His tenure in NYC government started at DOHMH and joined the DOITT team in 2016. He has held various IT leadership roles, including Director of Information Security at DOITT, Director of Identity and Access Management and manager of Security Operations Center (SOC) at NYC Cyber Command. His experience covers a broad range of IT disciplines including project lead, systems administration, database administration, software development, systems integration, security engineering, network engineering, risk management and incident response.
Richard holds a Master of Science in Cybersecurity and holds a CISSP certification as well as other IT certifications. Richard is a 25-year retired veteran of the US Army, a graduate of various military leadership institutes and recipient of multiple awards and commendations.

Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, a telecom veteran with almost two decades with AT&T, serving in a number of capacities from Retail, to Service Management, Sales Ops & Enablement. Most notably, Sales to the Public Sector supporting agencies such as the United States Department of Agriculture, Veterans Affairs and Health & Human Services. Left the halls of telecom, and spend a couple of years in cloud at Microsoft, leading a global team of Technical Presales Consultants supporting Azure Infrastructure for Microsoft Partners in the U.S., LATAM, EMEA & India. Now assisting Sales with Market Analysis, Business & IT Research, Field Engagement & Executive Briefings through Global Advisory at Equinix. 
Franklin Foster, is a Global Advisory leader, supporting the Equinix public sector organization. In this capacity he works with customers on digital strategy initiatives. A telecom veteran with almost two decades with AT&T, his experience includes, retail, service management, sales operations and enablement. He also spent several years at Microsoft, where he led a global team of Technical Presales Consultants supporting Azure Infrastructure for Microsoft Partners in the U.S., LATAM, EMEA & India.

Kareem Gabriel is the Associate Commissioner of Personnel at the Office of Technology & Innovation where he oversees and leads a team of professionals in the Personnel, Labor Relations, and Employee Engagement Division. As the Associate Commissioner, Kareem advises the Chief Technology Officer, Executive & Senior Management on all Human Resources, and labor-related matters.
He is a thoughtful leader and DEI implementer who is a driver of culture and change transformation, and strategy execution. With over 17 + years of experience serving in various capacities in the public sector including Human Resources, EEO, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Procurement, and Labor Relations. Kareem's professional experiences include executive-level management, strategic program management, training/employee development, organizational development, employee relations, policy development, interpreting federal and state laws to meet compliance mandates, and dissemination. 

Mohammed Hassan is the chief information security officer (CISO) at NYC Labor Relations. He has over two decades of experience, holds MS Degree and a number of prestigious industry certifications. He is a mentor and a coach in his field of work. He has worked with employers like CUNY HQ, McAfee, NYC DOT and clients in various fields such as finance, utilities, emergency services and social services. In addition, he has taught courses at John Jay College and NYC College of Technology. Forensics on a Mobile Device, Tools and Limitations is his most recent work.

Michael Hoernemann is the Manager of the PreSales Engineering team for Dynatrace, covering State, Local, and Educational institutions in the United States.  He has three decades of experience in the observability and monitoring spaces, both as a vendor, and heading up Monitoring strategies for global companies. His focus in recent years has been on helping commercial and public sector entities traverse their observability journey from reactive to proactive stances, while they navigate complex projects such as ecosystem migrations into cloud native environments and implementations of newer technology stacks such as AI LLM's.

Seth Iskovitz is a dynamic transformational leader with a proven track record in guiding organizations through digital transformation. With a career that began in the networking sector, Seth quickly developed a passion for helping clients navigate the evolving technology landscape.
At Verizon, he played a pivotal role in supporting Fortune 500 companies, including JetBlue and Henkel, as they embraced adoption and digital strategies. His expertise in fostering innovation and driving change was further honed during his time at Gartner, where he collaborated with leading enterprises to implement effective technology solutions.
Currently, as the SLED (State and Local Government) Leader for the Eastern U.S. at Equinix, Seth is dedicated to empowering state and local agencies, as well as K-12 and higher education institutions, on their transformational journeys. He works closely with these organizations to leverage technology in enhancing public services and improving operational efficiency.
With a commitment to driving impactful change and building strong partnerships, Seth Iskovitz is passionate about helping state and local leaders harness the power technology to better serve their communities and advance their missions.

Scott Martin is a seasoned Systems Engineering Leader with over two decades of experience driving growth and innovation across cloud, networking, and security domains. He currently leads the Principal Engineering team at Arista Networks, focusing on GTM strategies for automation-driven network transformation.
Previously, Scott held senior leadership roles at Alteryx and VMware, where he built high-performance teams and led global initiatives in security, governance, data analytics and cloud networking. His leadership helped build customer-centric engineering cultures in strategic and global accounts.
Known for his ability to simplify complex technology, Scott is a passionate public speaker and mentor who thrives at the intersection of business value and technical excellence.
Scott holds a B.S. from the University of Maine and has completed executive leadership training at the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business.

Dr. Teboho Moja is a Clinical Professor of Higher Education at New York University, an Extraordinary Professor at the University of the Western Cape - South Africa, and a Visiting Research Fellow at the Centre for the Advancement of Scholarship at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. She was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Education by the University of Pretoria. She is the recipient of the Martin Luther King, jr. Faculty Award (2019), the National Research Foundation- Lifetime Achiever Award (2019), Women in International Education Award (2019), and Graduate Students Star Award (2019).
She previously served as an Executive Director and Commissioner of the National Commission on Higher Education in South Africa (1995), appointed by President Mandela. The Commission produced a national report that provided a framework for higher education reform in South Africa. She has published extensively on higher education policy, presented numerous keynote addresses at international conferences on higher education issues. Before coming to NYU, Teboho Moja served as a Special Advisor to the Minister of Education.
Teboho Moja has served on numerous committees, advisory boards and boards of international bodies such as UNESCO and Councils of Universities in South Africa. She has served as Chair on various Boards. In 2010 she was appointed visiting professor at the University of Oslo (Norway) and University of Tampere (Finland), and in 2017 she was a visiting professor at the University of Hong Kong.

Advisor and architect of cybersecurity, risk mitigation and compliance to chief executives throughout North America. Mitigating risk across infrastructure, network, operations, and people. Evangelist/host of non sales security knowledge sharing programs and events. Founder, Moderator, Secretary for 16 "SECRT" (Security <Leaders> Round Table) chapters across the US.

I have over a decade of dedicated service at the Division of Instructional and Information Technology (DIIT) within NYC Public Schools, I held multiple roles during this tenure, contributing to the evolution and modernization of IT systems across the organization. For the past five years, I have been focused extensively on Human Capital Systems, playing a pivotal role in the successful implementation of various HR technology solutions. By collaborating closely with the Division of Human Resources (DHR) and DIIT senior leadership, I have helped drive strategic initiatives that enhance operational efficiency, improve user experience, and align technology with organizational goals. My work bridges the gap between business needs and technical execution, ensuring that our systems support the mission of NYCPS effectively and sustainably.

Marjorie D. Parker serves as the CEO and President of JobsFirstNYC. Marjorie has over 25 years of experience overseeing adult and youth services initiatives and consulting for nonprofit organizations. Marjorie served as Deputy Executive Director before assuming leadership of JobsFirstNYC in 2017. Prior to joining JobsFirstNYC, she was the Deputy Executive Director of Programs at Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow. Marjorie has also held positions at the CUNY Research Foundation and the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development. She serves as the current Board Chair of Reconnect NYC and a Board Member at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, CUNY. Marjorie holds a bachelor’s degree from Fordham University, a master’s in public administration from New York University, a Certificate in Executive Education from the Senior Leaders Program at Columbia Business School, and a Certificate in Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management from Harvard Business School. Marjorie has distinguished herself as a transformative leader, earning consecutive high-profile recognitions that underscore her significant impact on workforce development and partnership building, including being named a Robin Hood Power Fund Leader in 2022, a Crain's New York Business Notable Black Leader in 2023, a City & State Economic Development Trailblazer in 2024 and an amNY Metro Black Power Player in 2025.

Jose Tejada is a seasoned cybersecurity executive with more than 20 years of experience in information technology. He currently serves as the Deputy Chief Information Security Officer for the New York City Office of Technology & Innovation, guiding citywide efforts to protect the data and digital services relied on by more than eight million residents. Prior to assuming this role in April 2025, he was the Chief Information Security Officer for the New York City Police Department, overseeing enterprisescale defenses for one of the world’s most demanding publicsafety environments.
Jose holds a Master’s in Cybersecurity & Digital Forensics from John Jay College (CUNY), a B.S. in Computer Science from Stony Brook University, and is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP). He transforms complex cyber risks into clear, actionable strategies and fosters crossagency collaboration to keep New York City’s essential services resilient and secure.

Hansun Zhang Waring is Professor of Linguistics and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University (USA) and founder of The Language and Social Interaction Working Group (LANSI) that hosts an annual conference every Fall (https://www.tc.columbia.edu/lansi/). Her work can be found in over 70 journal articles and book chapters along with 9 books on social interaction in various contexts.
I don't have any social media accounts (including Linkedin) personally, unfortunately, but I do manage the LANSI account on X @lansi_tc and BlueSky @lansi2024.bsky.social

Demond Waters is a highly accomplished and visionary leader serving as the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for the New York City Public Schools, the largest school district in the United States. With a career marked by a deep commitment to safeguarding sensitive information, securing critical systems, and dedication to building the next generation of cybersecurity professionals. His extensive experience spans over 15 years in the field of information security.
As the CISO of NYC Public Schools, Demond has established himself as a forward-thinking leader who embraces innovation while preserving a strong commitment to the safety of students, staff, and sensitive data. He has played a pivotal role in designing and implementing a comprehensive cybersecurity framework tailored to the unique requirements of the school district, prioritizing both proactive threat mitigation and responsive incident management.
With Demond Waters at the helm as CISO, the New York City Public Schools are setting the benchmark for cybersecurity in the educational sector. His dedication to creating a safe and secure environment for students to learn and thrive ensures the continued success of the largest school district in the United States.
School: Georgia Institute of Technology
Degree: Master of Science in Cybersecurity (Cybersecurity Policy)