New York Digital Government Summit 2024 Banner

Overview

The Digital Government Summit brings together technology focused public-sector professionals with leading industry partners to connect on innovative approaches, get inspired and discover new technologies. Join us and let’s improve the future of government together!

Winners of the 2024 Best of New York Awards were celebrated on September 24th at the New York Digital Government Summit in Albany. 

A message from our Keynote Speaker

The 36th New York Digital Government Summit convenes leaders in state and local government IT to foster collaboration, tackle challenges, and exchange best practices. Our goal is to elevate our products and services while enhancing our ability to serve all New Yorkers in a better, smarter and more effective way. I am very much looking forward to engaging in discussions on improving the customer experience, striving for operational excellence, leveraging artificial intelligence, advancing common sense cybersecurity strategies, and cementing the government's connection with hardworking New Yorkers. Register now and be a part of this dynamic event.

- Dru Rai, New York State Chief Information Officer and Director of the Office of Information Technology Services

Speakers

Jennifer Lorenz

Jennifer Lorenz

Executive Deputy Chief Information Officer, State of New York

Jennifer Lorenz has more than 20 years of experience as a leader and operational manager of information technology systems. Previously the Deputy Chief Information Officer for Operations, Jenn has taken on the role of Executive Deputy Chief Information Officer. In this role, Jenn oversees the operations of the entire agency, including governing the framework for introducing new systems, programs and technologies to New York State agencies, as well as ensuring alignment between IT, client business strategies and financial objectives.
Prior to her role as Deputy CIO for Operations, Jenn led the NYS ITS Chief Portfolio Office. Her technical expertise has led to numerous service improvements and statewide technology transformation efforts. She is a results-oriented leader who advocates for leveraging technology to solve business problems and create process efficiencies.
Jenn has been with ITS since the agency’s inception in 2012. She previously served in the United States Air Force. Jenn holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from Empire State College and an ITIL Foundations certification.

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Scott Klososky

Scott Klososky

Technologist, Futurist, Humanist, Author and Consultant

As a founding partner of digital strategy firm, Future Point of View (FPOV), Scott lives on the leading edge of technology and innovative thinking. Scott speaks to large audiences worldwide about the intersection of humanity and the Digital Transformation. Through FPOV, Scott provides advisory work for clients including Fortune100, SMB’s and government entities. This work has driven him to develop unique concepts such as the HUMALOGY® Scale for measuring the amount of human or machine involved in a system or process, and the Rivers of Information® process for building learning eco-systems. He also pioneered a framework for looking accurately into the future of an industry sector in order to set organizational strategy: The High Beam process.
Scott co-founded Alkami Technology (ALKT), the developer of a second-generation online banking platform with innovative features non-existent in current systems. The company went public in 2021 at a $3billion valuation and is today headquartered in Dallas with over 350 employees.
Scott is recognized globally for his unique ability to accurately predict future digital trends and explain the logic behind why these will alter the current status quo of the economy and society. While business application of his insights is extremely valuable to leaders and companies, he is also motivated help improve the impact post Covid environments are having on people and their daily lives. Technology has been increasingly driving change and stress and recent events are amplifying this problem. He has a unique perspective on how to manage the personal toll technology is causing people, teams and organizations.
Even as a young child, Scott was destined to see the world through a Humalogy® lens. His father was a programmer for Boeing and his mother was a counselor who mixed many philosophies into her practice of helping people in life. To this day, he is a hybrid of a technologist and humanist who strives to find a hopeful future in blending the two.
Scott has the ability to entertain, inspire, and enlighten audiences, while helping them gain new perspectives about how technology is impacting us. Scott never does a canned presentation with the exact content across events. He sets himself apart from other speakers by architecting his content with the latest examples, current events and trends relevant for the keynote he is delivering.
He is equally adept at giving large stage keynotes, speaking to small boards of directors, facilitating half and full day workshops, and doing break-out sessions. As an added bonus of his presentations, attendees come away learning how to be a better facilitator, speaker or presenter by seeing Scott use different applications and technologies to engage audiences either in a virtual, hybrid or in person setting. The best measure of his ability to inspire and inform audiences is the high percentage of speaking clients who bring him back for follow up work with their audiences.
He produces a podcast titled “The Digital Optimist” in which he delivers ideas about the transformation of humanity through the impact of technology with a positive and hopeful lens. He also writes a blog titled Digital Awakening – both can be found at his website at www.klososky.com

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Phil Bertolini

Phil Bertolini

Senior Vice President, Government Technology

Phil Bertolini is a senior vice president for Government Technology, the premiere event and thought leadership content provider for state and local government technology professionals. Previously, he served as deputy county executive and CIO for Oakland County, Michigan. During his 31-year tenure, Phil built a world-class IT organization in the second-largest county in Michigan, just north of Detroit. As Oakland County CIO, he oversaw more than 150 employees serving over 1.2 million residents. In 2005, he was also promoted to deputy county executive, holding dual positions until his retirement. Phil’s efforts earned the county national attention, winning numerous awards for technology innovation and excellence. He was named Governing Magazine’s Public Official of the Year and Government Technology Magazine’s Top 25 Doers, Dreamers & Drivers. He was also honored by the President Obama White House as a Champion of Change.

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Tony Allegrati

Tony Allegrati

Senior Cloud Systems Engineer, Fortinet

Tony Allegrati has over 20 years’ experience as a Security Engineer. For the last 10 plus years he has focused on helping secure workloads and applications as they move to Public cloud.  He is knowledgeable in AWS, Azure And GCP and has most recently been a featured speaker at AWS NY Summit.

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David Betts

David Betts LinkedIn

Principal, Life Sciences and Health Care Practice, Deloitte

David is the author of numerous publications on health care topics and is one of the authors of Deloitte’s point of view on the trajectory of the health care ecosystem titled Forces of Change: The Future of Health. He brings this experience and thought leadership to the Public Health space to recover from the pandemic, restore confidence and trust in public health and to reimagine the future of public health.

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Gary Buonacorsi

Gary Buonacorsi

Public Sector Chief Technology Officer, Unisys

Gary Buonacorsi has nearly two decades of experience in the IT industry as a transformational leader for Government agencies and Fortune 500 companies.  As Unisys’s Public Sector Chief Technology Officer, Gary is responsible for thought leadership in the public sector, State and Local business strategy, and guiding customer security and operations transformations.  Additionally, he will define long-term goals for the State and Local Government vertical, build key customer relationships, identify business opportunities, build capacity for Sales teams to convey Unisys’s Point of View, facilitate conversations with our customers, lead industry discussions, and conduct conference keynotes and seminars.
Gary comes to Unisys with a wide range of experience.  Most recently he served as the Field CTO and Enterprise Architect for ServiceNow SLED vertical.  He has also been the SLED CTO for Tanium and Dell Technologies.  Additionally, Gary’s career includes positions as CIO and CTO in the States of Nevada and Texas.

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Julia Cherashore

Julia Cherashore

Deputy Superintendent, Data Governance and Management, Department of Financial Services, State of New York

Julia Cherashore is Deputy Superintendent for Data Governance and Management at New York State Department of Financial Services. In her role, she’s leading DFS' data transformation and implementation of agency-wide data governance program, including leading data governance solutions, tools, processes and capabilities.  Prior to joining DFS last year, Julia spent 20 years working at top investment banks and financial services firms across Data, Risk Management, Compliance, Management Consulting, and Operations.  She received an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business and dual undergraduate degrees in Music and Business Administration from Weber State University.
In addition to her professional responsibilities, Julia has been engaged with affinity networks and non-profits in a leadership role since 2014 and currently serves on several charitable Boards dedicated to advancing education and economic opportunity in New York State.

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Trevor Collins

Trevor Collins

Virtual Currency Data Governance Director, Department of Financial Services, State of New York

Trevor Collins currently leads the data governance and analytics function of DFS’s crypto regulatory framework that encompasses Virtual Currency and Limited Purpose Trust Companies. He is also the designated data steward for the Research & Innovation Division, responsible for implementing and documenting data processes and procedures. In these roles Trevor and his team are responsible for the systematic intake of regulatory data including financial statements, capitalization metrics, stablecoin issuance monitoring, consumer complaints, and exam findings. Under Trevor’s leadership, the virtual currency data governance team has expanded to meet the evolving needs of businesses conducting virtual currency business activity in New York State. Prior to joining DFS, Trevor was Global Head of Custom Index Development for benchmark calculator S&P.

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Nathan Cooper

Nathan Cooper

Director, Information Security, Lucid Software

Dirk deRoos

Dirk deRoos

Principal, Learning Content Development, Data and AI, IBM

Dirk deRoos is the Information Architect for IBM's AI education curriculum and leads IBM's watsonx certification program. Dirk joined IBM in 2000 after graduating from the University of New Brunswick with bachelor’s degrees in both Computer Science and English. Dirk began his IBM career with the Db2 development team at the IBM Toronto Software Lab. In 2010, Dirk joined IBM’s world-wide technical sales team, eventually leading the data science, data governance, and data management practices. Dirk is a frequent speaker on generative AI, data science, and data governance, and has authored a number of books in these areas, including Big Data Beyond the Hype and Hadoop for Dummies. In his spare time Dirk enjoys playing sports and music with his two (nearly adult) children.

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R. Grace Dillon

R. Grace Dillon LinkedIn

Executive Director, Revenue, Finance and Public Integrity Portfolio, State of New York

Grace Dillon currently serves as the Executive Director of the Revenue Finance and Integrity Portfolio at the NYS Office for Information Technology Services. A Portfolio Executive Director ensures IT needs are met for client agencies with a similar lines for business. For Grace, this includes the NYS Department of Taxation and Finance, Division of Tax Appeals, Gaming Commission, Office of the Medicaid Inpector General, Division of Human Rights, and several others. In her role she assists in the planning, development, delivery and operation of IT services and initiatives consistent with the New York State IT Strategic Plan. She oversees IT project governance for her agencies, identifies risks to meeting project deliverables, escalates isses to mitigate those risks and collaborates with client agencies and ITS leadership to align IT investments, services and projects with agency business needs and priorities. In her nineteen years of service to NYS, Grace has always lived on the bridge between technology and the business, supporting various agencies and serving in roles related to Information Security, Project Management and Client Engagment. She comes from a long line of storytellers and prides herself on her ability to use that skill to educate and lead others. Grace holds an Associate Degree in Computer Information Systems from Hudson Valley Community College.

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Adam Ford

Adam Ford

SLED Chief Technology Officer, Zscaler

With over 20 years of experience, Adam has dedicated his career to ensuring that information systems and data are protected and available to meet the unique needs of government organizations. Currently serving as the Chief Technologist at Zscaler, a leading cybersecurity company, Adam plays a crucial role in helping state and local government organizations securely transform their systems. As a respected leader in the public sector market, his expertise and guidance are instrumental in ensuring that the systems that keep government running are not only efficient but also protected from cyber threats.
Prior to Zscaler, Adam served as Chief Information Security Officer for the State of Illinois.  In this role, he had responsibility for cybersecurity for various agencies, boards and commissions under the Governor. During his tenure the State of Illinois modernized and grew its security practice to protect systems and data that drive critical services to Illinois residents.
In addition to serving State Agencies, Adam oversaw State and Local security partnership and collaboration efforts including operation of the Illinois Election Cyber Navigator program in coordination with the Illinois State Board of Elections and the Illinois State Police.
Adam joined the Office of the CISO as Security Engineering Manager in 2017 and also served as Deputy CISO prior to becoming CISO.  Before coming to security, he spent more than 15 years in data center and wide area network engineering and architecture roles with the Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology and the Illinois State Police.
Adam was named the 2023 NASCIO Thomas M. Jarrett State Cybersecurity Leadership Award winner in 2023 and received a 2023 StateScoop 50 State Leadership of the Year Award. 
He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Illinois College and a Master of Science in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance from Western Governors University.

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Scott Geer

Scott Geer

Technical Director, Office of Information Technology Services, State of New York

Scott Geer is the Technical Director of the eDiscovery team for the NYS Office of Information Technology Services. With over 20 years in both the private and public sector of the IT field, Scott brings a wide array of experience to his role of managing and implementing eDiscovery technical strategy in New York’s large and complex consolidated environment. Scott has been a member of the eDiscovery team since 2016, progressively moving up the ranks until taking the lead in 2020. Under Scott’s leadership, the NYS eDiscovery team, which consists of an Email and Collaboration suite unit, a Non-Email and Digital Forensics unit, and a newly created Platforms unit, has grown and scope to meet the evolving needs of the state enterprise.  
Scott holds a master’s in business administration from the State University of New York, and a Masters in Cybersecurity from Excelsior College. He also holds multiple vendor-neutral IT certifications. In his free time, Scott enjoys coaching his daughter’s softball teams and golfing with friends and family.

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Robert Groat

Robert Groat

Executive Vice President of Technology and Strategy, SMX  

Robert Groat is the EVP of Technology and Strategy for SMX. He brings 30+ years of experience in designing, developing and delivering products and services, especially in financial services, healthcare, federal, and DOD sectors.
Under Rob’s leadership, SMX has developed large-scale cloud solutions for Treasury, DOJ, DOI, U.S. Navy, Fannie Mae, Siemens, Medtronic, and more. The first use of virtualization technologies in theater (for the forward-deployed Marine Expeditionary Forces) took place under his leadership, as did the first government-wide solution hosted in the AWS cloud.  
He has co-published numerous papers on advanced optimization mathematics, holds a patent in numerical analyses methods, and was the winner of the Northern Virginia Technology Council CTO Innovator of the Year award for his pioneering work in deploying cloud solutions for the federal government.
Rob holds a BS in Electrical Engineering, a BS in Computer Engineering, and several professional certifications across AWS, Google, and Microsoft.

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Maxwell Heintz

Maxwell Heintz

Associate Attorney, Office of Information Technology Services, State of New York

Max Heintz is the lead for the Adversarial Matters Bureau within the Office of Information Technology Services’ Division of Legal Affairs.  Under his leadership, this team is responsible for litigation and administrative agency matters affecting ITS, providing policy and practical guidance in labor and employment matters, and supporting internal and external investigations.  Max’s 11 years of State government experience include litigation regarding accessibility of government websites, coordinating efforts, finding and remedying accessibility issues in existing web content, and leading proactive measures to ensure new web content is consistent with accessibility standards.  Therefore, Max’s experience gives him insight into both the legal and technical aspects of public sector web accessibility.  Prior to joining ITS in 2017, Max served as a Senior Attorney with the New York State Education Department.
Max earned a Juris Doctor from Albany Law School, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Communications from Adelphi University.  He has been licensed as an attorney in New York State for over 11 years and is an active member of the New York State Bar Association.   He is also a past member of the Albany County Bar Association, through which he participated in pro bono legal projects.  In his free time, Max enjoys exploring the backroads of upstate New York on his motorcycle, as well as camping and hiking.

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Mike Isadore

Mike Isadore

Director, North America, Local Government & Higher Education Research, Nvidia

Mike is a results-driven, senior executive possessing 20 years of progressive success focused on aligning client's technology goals/initiatives to their desired business outcomes. Track record includes working with SMB to Global Enterprise customers and in various sectors that include SLED, Healthcare, Finance, and Manufacturing. Mike’s goal as leader of Local Govt / Higher Ed Research for NVIDIA is to ensure successful development of the “AI State” ecosystem by enabling groundbreaking research and AI education. A key focus area for Mike is guiding collaborations between universities and the private sector to help society embrace the next great evolution of our time.

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Matt Jebaraj

Matt Jebaraj LinkedIn

Executive Director, ITS Program and Project Management Office & Business Analysis Services, State of New York

Matt Jebaraj leads NYS ITS Program and Project Management Office (PPMO) as Executive Director. Prior to that, Matt was the Deputy Executive Director for ITS Workforce, Public Safety and Housing portfolios. Matt was the Deputy CIO reporting to NYS Education Department (NYSED) CIO, leading IT Business Solutions, and launched NYSED's PMO and BA Services units. Before that, he has led multiple teams at NYS ITS, and has successfully managed various large, complex programs and technical deliveries. Matt has 25+ years of public and private sector IT management experience, including at GE Energy and Ford Motor Company. He holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree and a Bachelor of Engineering degree. Matt has received various recognitions, including the 'IT Leader of the Year' Award as part of eRepublic / GovTech NY IT Leadership Forum. Matt has implemented multiple organizational effectiveness programs, in various organizations. He also formed and led local interest groups for the Project Management Institute (PMI) to mentor outstanding leaders, and served as PMI Upstate NY Chapter's Strategic Planning Director. Matt has been a panelist and moderator in previous NY IT Leadership Forums, and is passionate about bringing experts together to share ideas, and helping new and experienced IT leaders grow, and develop professionally.

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Anton Keller

Anton Keller

Program Manager, Education Department, State of New York

Anton Keller has been NYSED employee for nearly 22 years, supporting customer's needs from desktop client development to enterprise Java application development, and various project management roles. During an audit in 2015, worked as NYSED's web accessibility coordinator and worked with US Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights to address necessary remediation efforts. Currently overseeing the agency's migration from Drupal 7 to Drupal 10.

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Josh Klemm

Josh Klemm

Chief Information Officer, Thruway Authority, State of New York

Josh S. Klemm was appointed as the Chief Information Officer of the New York State Thruway Authority in October 2021. Prior to joining the Authority, Mr. Klemm served in a variety of positions in his 20 year Information Technology career, including 14 years of service in the State of New York. While with the State of New York, Mr. Klemm served as Chief Information Security Officer and Director of the Bureau of Systems and Informatics at the New York State Department of Health. Mr. Klemm received his Bachelor of Arts and his Masters of Science from the University at Albany, where he serves as an Adjunct Lecturer in Informatics with the College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security, and Cybersecurity.

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Suzanne Lazar

Suzanne Lazar

Manager, Business Analysis Shared Services, Office of Information Technology Services, State of New York

Suzanne Lazar leads teams of Business Analysts who support projects for the ITS Chief Portfolio Office/PPMO/ Business Analysis Shared Services/Health and Human Services Portfolio (OMH/OASAS/OPWDD). 
Suzanne has been part of building and implementing new systems and applications, developing and managing teams of Business Analysts across agencies, overseeing Modernization and Optimization efforts for OMH and OASAS, and is currently acting as an advisor for business analysis on the Integrated Eligibility System (IES) Program.
Prior to that she acted as an Analyst for the Office of the Attorney General as part of the NY Matters Case Management development and as an Analyst for the NYMMIS (Medicaid Management Information System) project for NYS Department of Health.  Suzanne has 25+ years of public and private sector IT Analysis experience including LexisNexis.
Suzanne holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management and Economics and she is currently working on completing a M.A. in Learning with Emerging Technologies.
Suzanne is also an active member of the NYS Forum and has been a co-chair for the Business Analysis and Architecture Workgroup since 2019.
Suzanne has been a panelist in previous NY IT Leadership Forums and NY Digital Summit Forums and is dedicated to supporting and learning from fellow leaders and up and coming leaders.  Suzanne also has a vested interest in knowledge sharing and collaborating for process improvement.

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Dr. Nadeem Malik

Dr. Nadeem Malik

Distinguished Engineer, Vice President of AI and ML Technologies, Kyndryl

With over 25 years of R&D experience, Dr. Malik has made significant contributions in AI/ML technologies, IT automation, software engineering, and microarchitecture design. His work includes research on optimized processor architectures for AI languages, leading to the design of superscalar microarchitectures for high-performance systems, and the development of formal verification techniques for weakly coherent multiprocessor systems. Dr. Malik has filed 111 patents with the US Patent Office and authored 29 papers presented at journals, conferences, or industry events. Additionally, he has held adjunct professor appointments at UT Austin, SUNY, and Cornell University, and served as a panelist for US government research programs and a founding member of IEEE conference steering committees.

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Geoffrey Plante

Geoffrey Plante

Partner, KPMG

Geoff Plante is a Partner at KPMG LLP, where he leads the firm’s State and Local Government Finance Transformation practice and serves as the Lead Partner for the State of New York. He has more than three decades of experience helping governments, universities, and not-for-profit organizations successfully transform their back-office operations to better serve their workers, constituents, and communities. He focuses on leveraging technology as an enabler, bringing deep functional and industry experience to strategy, program management, quality assurance, finance transformation, procurement, and organizational development initiatives.

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William Rauch

William Rauch

Chief Data Officer and Deputy Chief Information Officer, Office of Information Technology Services, State of New York

Will Rauch was appointed Chief Data Officer of NYS ITS in August 2024 and brings two decades of leadership experience to the role. Prior to joining NYS ITS, Will worked as a senior advisor to help establish bureaus within the Office of Health Insurance Program’s IP Division of Data Services. He has also held multiple directorships of analytics and IT teams within the private healthcare sector, empowering organizations to leverage data to advance their operational mission.
Will serves on the board of directors for the Health Analytics Collaborative, is on the advisory council for the Industrial and Systems Engineering program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and is a veteran of the US Army.
Will holds a master’s degree in management, a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering and an associate degree in respiratory care.

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Jim Richberg

Jim Richberg LinkedIn

Head of Cyber Policy and Global Field Chief Information Security Officer, Fortinet

Jim Richberg’s role as a Fortinet CISO leverages his 30+ years’ experience leading and driving innovation in cybersecurity, threat intelligence, and cyber strategy & policy for the US Government and international partners. Mr. Richberg’s broad operational experience –including his 20 years at CIA-- gives him practical insight into difficult cyber problems ranging from advanced threat capabilities to insider threat and supply chain integrity. He helped build the discipline of cyber threat intelligence analysis and has been an innovator in measuring cyber performance, risk, and return on investment (ROI). In his non-cyber moments, he builds and uses large telescopes and has run astronomy outreach programs for the Smithsonian Institute and the National Park Service.

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Hector Rodriguez, MBA

Hector Rodriguez, MBA

Principal Healthcare Security Lead, Non-Profit Healthcare, Amazon Web Services

Hector Rodriguez is a healthcare solution strategist, technologist, and prior Chief Information Security Officer.  He has worked for over 30 years in the health industry with provider, health plan, life sciences, and government organizations.  As a Healthcare security lead for AWS his work focuses on leveraging modern technology as an innovative and transformative catalyst to accelerate and support an organization’s ability to live their mission.  His work covers topics such as “Modern Disaster Recovery and Ransomware Mitigation”, “Cybersecurity and the Trusted Healthcare Cloud”, “Blockchain in Healthcare” and “Healthcare’s Digital Front Door and IoT/IoMT Devices”. Hector has an M.B.A. in Management Finance and Entrepreneurship and a Bachelor’s in Computer Science from Rutgers University.

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Steven Spalten

Steven Spalten

Executive Deputy Superintendent for Technology and Operations, Department of Financial Services, State of New York

Steven Spalten is currently DFS’ Executive Deputy Superintendent for Technology & Operations. Steven is leading DFS’ digital transformation and driving the adoption of cutting-edge technologies to enhance operational performance across all divisions.  Prior to joining the DFS, Steven served as Deputy Commissioner and Chief Strategic Officer at NYS Department of Labor.  Previously, Steven worked at NYS ITS in different leadership roles, including leading the migration into Office365, serving as the Deputy Chief Operations Officer, and as the Executive Director of the Tourism and Environment Portfolio.

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Marcy Stevens

Marcy Stevens

Chief General Counsel, Office of Information Technology Services, State of New York

Marcy S. Stevens has served as Chief General Counsel to NYS ITS since January 2020. In this role, she is the chief legal and policy officer for the agency and is responsible for all legal matters pertaining to and affecting NYS ITS, as well as in its capacity as a statewide service provider. Marcy has been with the agency since 2016, previously serving as ITS Deputy Counsel and Director of Litigation & eDiscovery.
Marcy has more than a decade of legal experience in the public and private sector. Prior to joining NYS, Marcy worked as a civil litigation attorney, most recently at a national law firm in the commercial and liability defense litigation practice, where she served as a member of the national eDiscovery triage team and represented corporate clients in high-exposure tort claims and employment matters.
Marcy is a key member of the NYS ITS leadership team, as well as a respected resource across the state for her ability to bridge the gap between complicated legal and policy matters and their intersection with technology tools, information security and data privacy issues.
Marcy holds a Juris Doctor (JD) and Master of Business Administration from Western New England University Schools of Law and Business, as well as a bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University.

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Kevin Talbert

Kevin Talbert LinkedIn

Senior Solutions Engineer, Cloudera Government Solutions

Kevin Talbert is a dedicated Senior Solutions Engineer with Cloudera Government Solutions. He comes from an architecture background working with large, distributed data platforms, and designing customer-centric solutions for problems at scale. He provides technical expertise to customers looking to modernize their data stack and builds solutions to integrate Cloudera wherever they are on that journey.

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Jennifer Walden

Jennifer Walden

Managing Director, Public Service, Accenture

Jennifer E. Walden is the Managing Director and New York account lead for Accenture’s Public Service sector, focusing on state and city agencies, higher education, and nonprofits. With over two decades of experience, she has led significant projects at state and federal levels, enhancing systems and citizen services. Notably, Jennifer has driven major improvements in New York State, modernizing critical systems to better serve its residents and increase agency transparency.
Her work includes leading large-scale public service projects and pioneering initiatives in GenAI, Federal Funds Management, Public Health, and Systems Integration. Throughout her career at Accenture, Jennifer has been a key voice in promoting employee engagement, mentorship, and diversity.
Recognized as one of City & State Magazine’s “40 under 40” in Albany, NY, Jennifer is dedicated to enhancing the citizen experience and connecting people with essential services. A Clarkson University alumna, she actively participates in its leadership boards and resides in Albany with her family.

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Agenda

Tuesday, September 24

8:00 am Eastern

Registration and Morning Refreshments in the Exhibit Area

Level 1 Pre-Function & Level 2 Pre-Function

9:00 am Eastern

Opening Remarks

Multi-Purpose Room

Jennifer Lorenz, Executive Deputy Chief Information Officer, State of New York

9:15 am Eastern

Keynote – The Age of Digital Disruption: Moving Forward, Faster

Multi-Purpose Room

Technology advancements continue to disrupt at a swifter pace than ever before. 2023 witnessed the impact of AI in all sectors, and this year the public sector is required to adapt and adopt at a speed unheard of in the past. For the rest of our careers, intelligence will be built into all devices, applications, and processes. This changes how we must think about the use of data and the integration of humans and machines. What are the crucial strategies for adapting to and maximizing the benefits of these advancements? This session will have you ready to move forward at high speed as it paints a vibrant picture showing how synthetic intelligence can amplify current systems and our workforce.

Scott Klososky, Technologist, Futurist, Humanist, Author and Consultant

10:15 am Eastern

Networking Break in the Exhibit Area

Level 1 Pre-Function & Level 2 Pre-Function

10:40 am Eastern

Concurrent Session

Strengthening Digital Defenses: Cultivating a Culture of Cybersecurity and Crisis Management

Meeting Room 2B/2C

In an era where digital threats are evolving at unprecedented pace, establishing a resilient cybersecurity framework is paramount for governments stiving for digital excellence. How can the public sector balance the need for rapid technological innovation with the imperative of maintaining robust cybersecurity defenses without hindering progress? What are the most critical elements in creating a sustainable culture of cybersecurity within state and local government agencies? This session delves into the strategic importance of building a robust culture of reinforcement in cybersecurity and crisis management within the public sector.

Moderator: R. Grace Dillon, Executive Director, Revenue, Finance, and Public Integrity Portfolio, Office of Information Technology Services

Tony Allegrati, Senior Cloud Systems Engineer, Fortinet

Claudia Fisher, Acting Director of Integrated Security Services, Office of Information Technology Services, States of New York

Adam Ford, SLED Chief Technology Officer, Zscaler

Ben Spear, Chief Information Security Officer, Board of Elections, State of New York

Thomas Stewart, Director Information Security Engineering, ITS Chief Information Security Office

Bridging the Divide: Enhancing Accessibility and Usability in Government Services

Meeting Room 2A

As governments strive for digital excellence, ensuring that digital services are accessible and user-friendly for all citizens is crucial. How can the public sector balance the need for innovative digital services while maintaining high accessibility and usability standards? This session focuses on both the challenges and solutions and equips attendees with the tools and insights needed to promote digital equity across the state.

Moderator: Anton Keller, Program Manager, Education Department, State of New York

Jesse Gardner, Director, User Research, Office of Digital Transformation, Office of Information Technology Services, State of New York

Maxwell Heintz, Associate Attorney, Office of Information Technology Services, State of New York

Jacob Morrison, Deputy Commissioner, Dutchess County Office of Central Information Services

Darrick Mowrey, Principal Architect, Google Cloud

Revolutionizing Public Health: The Role of IoT and Health IT in Achieving Digital Excellence

Meeting Room 1B

The integration of Internet of Things (IoT) Technologies and Health IT is transforming the landscape of public health services, driving efficiency, improving patient outcomes, and the overall quality of care. What strategies can be employed to address the security and privacy concerns associated with the use of IoT and Health IT in public health? This session will explore how governments can leverage IoT and Health IT to achieve digital excellence in public health.

Moderator: Zach Patton, Chief Editor, Content Studio, Government Technology

David Betts, Principal, Life Sciences and Health Care Practice, Deloitte

Hector Rodriguez, MBA, Principal Healthcare Security Leaf, Non-Profit Healthcare, Amazon Web Services

Shaping Tomorrow’s IT Leaders: Essential Skillsets for Digital Excellence and Transformation in Government

Meeting Room 1A

In an era of rapid technological advancement, the future of government depends on the cultivation of leaders equipped with the technical skills and vision to drive digital excellence and transformation. What are the most critical technical skillsets professionals in the public sector need to develop to lead effectively? How can government create an environment that supports the continuous development of technical-focused leaders and encourage innovation? Join this insightful session where experts will highlight the critical skills required for future leaders and what it takes to succeed in today’s dynamic environment.

Moderator: Suzanne Lazar, Manager, Business Analysis Shared Services, Office of Information Technology Services, State of New York

Andrew Bellinger, Deputy Chief Information Officer, Operations and Enterprise Systems, Office of the Attorney General, State of New York

Trevor Collins, Virtual Currency Data Governance Director, Department of Financial Services, State of New York

Scott Geer, Technical Director, Office of Information Technology Services, State of New York

Jennifer Walden, Managing Director, Public Service, Accenture

11:40 am Eastern

Lunch

Multi-Purpose Room

12:40 pm Eastern

Bits and Bytes- Ethical Excellence: Navigating Responsible AI in Digital Government

Multi-Purpose Room

As Governments around the world increasingly adopt artificial intelligence to improve public services, the need for responsible AI practices has never been more crucial. How can New York State ensure that AI systems used across the state are free from bias and promote fairness across diverse populations? What can New York State learn from the expectations set for regulated institutions in the banking and insurance sectors? In what ways can transparency in AI decision-making processes enhance public trust and accountability? Join this fireside chat to hear about the measures being implemented by the Empire State to ensure AI technologies are used equitably and responsibly.

Steven Spalten, Executive Deputy Superintendent, Technology and Operations, Department of Financial Services, State of New York

Marcy Stevens, Chief General Counsel, Office of Information Technology Services, State of New York

1:00 pm Eastern

Short Break

Please proceed to the concurrent sessions

1:10 pm Eastern

Concurrent Sessions

Accelerating Modernization: Leveraging Emerging Technologies for Digital Transformation in Government

Meeting Room 2B/2C

As governments nationwide strive for digital excellence, the integration of emerging technologies offers a transformative opportunity to modernize public services and operations. How can governments identify and prioritize the areas where these technologies can most effectively drive modernization and improve public services? Join this session to explore how emerging technologies can be a catalyst for modernizing government services, paving the way for a more efficient, transparent, and citizen-centric public sector.

Moderator: Steven Spalten, Executive Deputy Superintendent, Technology and Operations, Department of Financial Services, State of New York

Robert Groat, Executive Vice President of Strategy and Technology, SMX

Dr. Nadeem Malik, Distinguished Engineer, Vice President of AI and ML Technologies, Kyndryl

Michael St. John, Chief Information Officer, Education Department, State of New York

Data-Driven Excellence: Enhancing Data Quality and Utilization for Government Success

Meeting Room 2A

Achieving digital excellence in government hinges on the quality and effective use of data. How can the public sector establish and maintain high quality standards to ensure the reliability of data-driven decisions? What are the most effective strategies for transforming raw data into actionable insights that can lead to successful outcomes in government projects? In this enlightening session we will discuss the critical aspects of data quality, the usefulness of data, and strategies for leveraging data to drive success in public sector initiatives.

Moderator: Zach Patton, Chief Editor, Content Studio, Government Technology

Julia Cherashore, Deputy Superintendent, Data Governance and Management, Department of Financial Services, State of New York

Dirk deRoos, Principal, Learning Content Development, Data and AI, IBM

William Rauch, Chief Data Officer and Deputy Chief Information Officer, Office of Information Technology Services, State of New York

Kevin Talbert, Senior Solutions Engineer, Cloudera

Aligning Business and IT Governance: Achieving Digital Excellence in Government

Meeting Room 1B

In the quest for digital excellence, the alignment of business and IT governance is essential for government agencies to deliver efficient, effective, and innovative services. What are the key challenges in aligning business and IT governance, and how can they be overcome to ensure seamless collaboration and improved service delivery? How can these challenges be overcome to ensure seamless collaboration and improved service delivery? This session will provide you with valuable insights and practical strategies to harmonize business and IT governance, driving your organization toward digital excellence.

Moderator: Matt Jebaraj, Executive Director, Program and Project Management – Chief Portfolio Office, Office of Information Technology Services, State of New York

Nathan Cooper, Director, Information Security, Lucid Software

Lane Hunt, Director of Systems Integration, Orange County Government

Tom Norton, Director of Infrastructure and Operations, Office of the State Comptroller, State of New York

Geoffrey Plante, Partner, KPMG

Tapping Alternatives Talent Pipelines

Meeting Room 1A

Workforce challenges in the public sector are a well-known issue, requiring innovative and creative solutions. Traditional strategies for attracting and retaining talent are becoming obsolete, especially in an era marked by generative AI and rapid technological advancements. How can your organization discover and leverage untapped, underutilized hiring pipelines to build the workforce of the future? What does a skills-based hiring model look like in practice? This session will share strategies, tactics, and real-world examples demonstrating how to build a future- ready public sector workforce.

Moderator: Andrew Bellinger, Deputy Chief Information Officer, Operations and Enterprise Systems, Office of the Attorney General, State of New York

Patrick Alderson, Chief Information Officer, Albany County Division of Information Services

Gary Buonacorsi, Public Sector Chief Technology Officer, Unisys

Tapesh Chaturvedi, Manager, IT Services, Office of Information Technology Services, State of New York

Mike Isadore, Director, North America, Local Government & Higher Education Research, Nvidia

Exclusive Briefing for Industry Partners

Multi-Purpose Room

Hosted by: Jennifer Lorenz, Executive Deputy Chief Information Officer, State of New York

2:10 pm Eastern

Networking Break in the Exhibit Area

Level 1 Pre-Function & Level 2 Pre-Function

2:30 pm Eastern

General Session - The State of AI in GovTech: Exploring the Future

Multi-Purpose Room

Presented by the Center for Public Sector AI, this keynote presentation delves into the present status of Artificial Intelligence in the GovTech sector, offering a detailed examination of AI’s applications within state and local governments. We will explore AI’s potential future paths in GovTech, highlighting emerging trends and discussing how technology and policy leaders can prepare for AI’s impact on service delivery. We will address starting points for AI implementation, stressing the importance of collaboration, ethical considerations, and equitable technology access. This forward-looking talk will equip attendees with a thorough understanding of AI’s trajectory in GovTech, providing practical insights to effectively leverage AI for public sector innovation and advancement.

Phil Bertolini, Senior Vice President, Government Technology

3:30 pm Eastern

The Best of New York Awards

Multi-Purpose Room

Be ready to celebrate with the New York Government Technology community as we recognize the amazing technology and service work done for the people across the state.

Hosted by: Jennifer Lorenz, Executive Deputy Chief Information Officer, State of New York

4:00 pm Eastern

Networking Reception in the Exhibit Area

Level 1 Pre-Function & Level 2 Pre-Function

Network with your colleagues and discuss technology solutions with the event exhibitors.

4:30 pm Eastern

End of Conference

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

Albany Capital Center

55 Eagle Street
Albany, NY 12207
(518) 487-2155

Get Directions To
Albany Capital Center

Advisory Board

Government Representatives

Jim Bell
Director Senate Technology Services
NY Senate
State of New York

Andrew Bellinger
Deputy Chief Information Officer
New York State Office of the Attorney General
State of New York

Dorianne Blanchard
Deputy Chief Information Officer
Performance and Portfolio Management
New York State Office of the Attorney General

Colin Brady
Chief Information Officer/ Deputy Comptroller
New York State Office of the State Comptroller
State of New York

Marlowe Cochran
Chief Information Security Officer
State Education Department
State Education Department

Christine Costopoulos
Program Director
NYS Forum
The New York State Forum

Chris DeSain
Chief Information Security Officer
Office of Information Technology Services
State of New York

Grace Dillon
Executive Director, Revenue, Finance and Public Integrity Portfolio
Office of Information Technology Services
State of New York

Claudia Fisher
Acting Director of Integrated Security Services
Office of Information Technology Services
State of New York

Gail Galusha
Director of Data and AI Governance
Office of Information Technology Services
State of New York

Drew Hanchett
Chief Health Information Officer
NY Department of Health
State of New York

Mathan Jebaraj
Executive Director of ITS Project Management Office
Office of Information Technology Services
State of New York

Rick Johnson
Director, Information Technology
St Lawrence County
State of New York

Michele Jones
Chief Risk and Data Privacy Officer
Office of Information Technology Services
State of New York

Josh Klemm
Chief Information Officer
NYS Thruway Authority
State of New York

Suzanne Lazar
Business Analysis Shared Services
Office of Information Technology Services
State of New York

Jennifer Lorenz
Executive Deputy Chief Information Officer
Office of Information Technology Services
State of New York

Glenn Marchi
Chief Information Officer
Orange County
State of New York

Jacob Morrison
Deputy Commissioner
Office of Central & Administrative Services
Dutchess County

Stacy Panis
Chief Portfolio Officer
Office of Information Technology Services
State of New York

Suzette Poulin
Deputy Executive Director, Human Services Portfolio
Office of Technology
State of New York

Dru Rai
Chief Information Officer and Director of the Office of Information Technology Services
Office of Information Technology Services
State of New York

Scott Reif
Chief Communication Officer
Office of Information Technology Services
State of New York

Fran Reiter
Executive Director
NYS Forum
State of New York

Scott Rogler
Chief Information Security Officer
Office of Temporary and Disability Assistant
State of New York

Varun Sehgal
Chief Information Officer
New York State Office of the Attorney General
State of New York

Ben Spear
Chief Information Security Officer
NY Board of Elections
State of New York

Michael St John
Chief Information Officer
NY State Education Department
State of New York

Marcy Stevens
Chief General Counsel
Office of Information Technology Services
State of New York

Industry Representatives

Robert Cady
Regional Sales Director
Dell Technologies

Maria Del Rosso
Managing Partner
Kyndryl Inc.

Scott Elliott
Client Advisor
Amazon Web Services

Chris Gabriel
Client Partner
Google Cloud

Mark Larochelle
Strategic Public Sector Account Executive
Cloudera Government Solutions

Ross Maughan
Managing Client Partner
IBM

Melanie Meeson
Account Executive
Dell Technologies

Leah Murphy
Managing Director
Client Relationship Executive, NYS Government
Deloitte

Greg Nellis
Director, Business Development
SMX

Geoffrey Plante
Lead Partner
KPMG

Made Possible by Our Corporate Sponsors

Registration Information / Contact Us

Contact Information

2025 Sponsorship opportunities are available. For more information, contact:

Heather Earney
Government Technology
Phone: (916) 932-1339
E-mail: heather.earney@erepublic.com

Venue

Albany Capital Center

55 Eagle Street
Albany, NY 12207
(518) 487-2155