Laura Baker serves as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the New York State Board of Elections, a role she began on May 2, 2024. Prior to this position, she held the roles of both CIO and Deputy CIO for Schenectady County over a span of 13 years, where she was instrumental in modernizing and transforming the digital infrastructure of the county. She has held nearly every position within an IT department and has focused her career in the government and not-for-profit sectors. This provides her unique insight into how to accomplish goals without the wealth of resources seen in the private sector. Since joining the State Board, Laura has been actively involved in key initiatives, including overseeing the modernization of existing technology, creating and implementing policies, and the development of integrated software solutions to enhance election processes in New York State. In her spare time Laura strives to "unplug" and enjoy time with her family and can often be found reading a book.

Cynthia Bowles is a Senior Account Executive leading the State and Local Government and Higher Education sectors in the Eastern U.S. With her Bachelor's degree in Education and over 18 years of experience in government technology, she is dedicated to connecting organizations with innovative collaboration and productivity solutions.  Cynthia provides tailored guidance to ensure the successful adoption of Atlassian solutions, empowering teams to align work to agency goals, unleash knowledge, and accelerate collaboration for faster more efficient outcomes.

Ravi Kiran Singh Chevvan is a distinguished IT executive with over 20 years of experience leading digital transformation projects and delivering impactful solutions across industries.
As an Associate Partner within IBM's Business Transformation Services consulting organization, Ravi oversees Delivery Management for the public sector, driving the success of large-scale transformation initiatives and enabling sustained, long-term results.
Mr. Chevvan brings an impressive track record of over two decades as a versatile IT leader, adeptly managing technology projects and fostering global research partnerships. He has successfully executed multimillion-dollar programs with significant achievements across both public and private sectors.
In addition, Mr. Chevvan is a Professional Fellow at the World Economic Forum, where he contributed to the AI Governance Alliance briefing paper series, addressing the multifaceted challenges and opportunities posed by artificial intelligence. His work was featured in the Davos 2024 Publication: AI Governance Alliance Briefing Paper Series.

Industry Executive Director, City and County Government, Oracle
Joel Golub is the Industry Executive Director for Local and County Strategy for Oracle North America. Joel has 30 years of experience as a CIO in California County Government, NYC Government and NJ State Public Transit.
He most recently served as CIO in Orange County, CA, the nation’s 6th largest county supporting 3.2 million constituents. Joel served on two Orange County Boards responsible for the oversight of Law and Justice Technology and Land Based Radio Communications. Joel served on the Board for California County Information Services Directors and worked as their President promoting technology sharing and collaboration among CA county IT organizations.
Joel served as the Deputy Fire Commissioner and Chief Information Officer for the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY).
Joel spent most of his career at NJ TRANSIT and remains one of the longest tenured CIOs in the public transit industry in the United States.

Lynn Hansen has worked for New York State for over 22 years in multiple roles on information technology projects. She has extensive experience across project management, business analysis, systems design, procurement, and managing teams. Lynn’s career started as developer/analyst at the Human Services Application Center on the BRIA BIN application.  She then transitioned to working on multiple projects including NYS e-Grants project, the State Comptroller’s Office Contract Management System, VendRep System, Contract Submission System, implementation of Contract Audit Module in SFS, and served as the lead on several other projects at NYS Office of State Comptroller. In 2014, Lynn moved into OSC’s CIO Division where she steadily moved up into management positions on the Lotus Notes and IT Business Management teams. In Lynn’s current role, she oversees all application development on over 100 applications, including the NYS Payroll System and NYS Retirement System.

Mark Israel is a deputy chief information officer within New York State’s Office of Health Insurance Programs (OHIP) and has systems oversight for Medicaid Eligibility and Client Management (MECM) and NY State of Health (NYSOH). He is helping lead New York state’s continuing Medicaid eligibility modernization that will deliver modernized technology and business processes in a consumer-centric and simplified Medicaid delivery model. Mark has been a technology executive in the financial services industry for over twenty years followed by over eight years of serving New York’s public sector. Mark holds degrees in political science, business administration, and law.

Mark Jackson, a graduate of The College of Saint Rose, began his state career in 2001 as an intern at the New York State Education Department (NYSED). Over 12 years at NYSED, he advanced steadily before taking on leadership roles at the Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB), the Office of Information Technology Services (ITS), the New York State Attorney General’s Office (OAG), and the Office of the State Comptroller (OSC). Mark’s notable accomplishments include creating comprehensive training plans and leading several technological modernization initiatives for both hardware and software. His efforts were recognized with the “Outstanding IT Manager” award in 2017 and the “OAG Achievement” award in 2018. Currently, Mark serves as Assistant Director of PeopleSoft and Payment Applications at OSC.

Mathan (Matt) Jebaraj is currently the Deputy Chief Strategy Officer, directing business value development and partnering with dedicated agency teams and ITS Shared Services to deliver products and enterprise solutions. Prior to that, Matt was the Exec Director for ITS PMO / BA Shared Services & Deputy Exec Director for ITS Workforce, Public Service and Housing dedicated IT teams. Matt's previous role at New York State Education Department was Deputy CIO, leading multiple IT areas including Business Solutions. Matt has directed several large and complex programs and delivered enterprise products and has led multiple IT solution implementations in both public and private sector organizations. Balancing risk and innovation and leading in an evolving technical landscape has been a strategic focus in several of the initiatives directed by Matt, and he is passionate about mentoring others in developing leadership skills.

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.

Mark is an Electrical Engineer and former software developer who has been focused in State and Local Government Sales for the past 20 plus years.

Suzanne recently joined the Product Development team within the NYS/ITS/DOH Dedicated Support team to manage business analysis activities for all efforts centered around the NYS Department of Health. 
Suzanne has supported other NYS agencies in efforts to build and implement new systems and applications, develop and manage teams of Business Analysts across NYS agencies, oversee Modernization and Cyber Remediation efforts, and acted as an advisor for business analysis activities 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 the 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 an 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 Business Architecture Workgroup since 2019.
Suzanne has moderated previous NY IT Leadership Forums and NY Digital Summit Forums and is dedicated to supporting NYS.

Angela Liotta is the Public Information Officer and Communications Director at the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC) where she develops and executes strategic communication and outreach initiatives for state-administered financial aid programs, directly supporting over 300,000 college students annually. While at HESC, Angela has also successfully spearheaded the launch of three impactful grant programs, including the NYS Vaccinate, Educate, Graduate Vaccine Incentive Scholarship, the Nurses for Our Future Scholarship, and the Healthcare Workers for Our Future program. Additionally, she oversees call center operations that assist more than 100,000 students each year.
Prior to her current role, Angela served in various leadership positions within the Office of Information Technology Services. As Client Engagement Director, she facilitated IT solutions for state agencies while managing communication related to IT changes and their organizational impact. Earlier, as Public Information Officer and Communications Director, she drove key marketing and communication initiatives, including the launch of a new website and the development of a comprehensive social media strategy.
Angela Liotta also served as the Deputy Director of the New York State Broadband Office, where she worked to advance New York State’s broadband agenda, including the Connect NY Broadband Grant Program. As Deputy Director, she worked closely with industry stakeholders, government officials, and community leaders to promote broadband access and awareness throughout the state.
Angela also held public relations consulting positions, as well as communication and marketing roles in the private sector. 

Valerie A. Lubanko has served as Deputy General Counsel to NYS ITS since January 2022.  In this role she assists in managing the daily operations of the Division of Legal Affairs, which includes addressing a wide variety of topics related to litigation, procurement, electronic discovery, ethics, policy, and legislation.  Prior to joining ITS, Valerie worked for the NYS Executive Chamber since 2017, first as the Chamber FOIL Counsel and then as an Assistant Counsel to the Governor, managing a portfolio of technology, local government, and judicial related matters. Most recently, Valerie was selected to be a member of the drafting team for Sedona Conference Working Group 13 addressing Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Discovery.
Valerie has spent her entire legal career in public service. Her first position out of law school was with the Town of Colonie as an Assistant Town Attorney, and then for the City of Albany as a First Assistant Corporation Counsel.  Valerie’s experience in the public sector and government is a valued asset to ITS. 
Valerie holds a Juris Doctor (JD) from Albany Law School where she graduated magna cum laude, as well as a bachelor’s degree from Mount Holyoke College.  She lives in Niskayuna and enjoys going to the Troy Farmers Market with her family on the weekend.

Jeff accepted an appointment with NYS Information Technology Services (ITS) in January 2016. Jeff has served as an Executive Director for multiple Chief Portfolio Office (CPO) Portfolios since November 2020, most recently as Executive Director for the Public Safety Portfolio. Jeff previously served as Deputy CPO and Director of Project Management Shared Services.
Prior to NYS service, Jeff enjoyed a 28-year career as an IT Consultant, with over 20 years as a certified Project Management Institute (PMI) Project Management Professional (PMP) (7 times recertified). Jeff was part of NTT Data’s Project Office, providing direct oversight, management, supervision and auditing of upwards of 30 NTT Data (Keane) managed multi-year projects with a combined value of nearly $100 million.
In 2019 Jeff retired as a Sergeant Major assigned to Joint Force Headquarters – New York, NYS Division of Military and Naval Affairs, with 34 years of service in the US Army, US Army Reserves, and NY Army National Guard. Jeff deployed to Iraq as a First Sergeant with the 42nd Infantry Division, responsible for the preparation, training, credentialing, deployment, and redeployment of 200 soldiers and over $25 million of unit equipment.

Robert Piascik is the New York Power Authority’s Senior Vice President and Chief Information and Technology Officer. He leads the development and execution of the organization’s technology services and capabilities, while enabling NYPA and Canals digital ecosystem, serving both customers and employees. He held senior leadership roles in both the public and private sectors at the Connecticut Municipal Electric Energy Cooperative (CMEEC), Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, and Prudential Financials.
Rob began his career in the electric power industry at CMEEC by developing software and providing technology services and served as Senior Director at Pfizer Pharmaceuticals to implement and manage global shared technology services. Prior to joining the Authority, he served as Vice President of Planning and Strategy of Annuities at Prudential where he led the IT transformation to evolve the enterprise digital and diversified product development and analytics capabilities.
Rob has a Master’s degree in Management with a concentration in finance from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a Bachelor’s degree in Technology with a concentration in engineering from the University of New Haven.

Richard is a senior technologist with public sector and financial services industry experiences.  His career has spanned hardware design, software development, program management, advanced systems research, and high performance infrastructure engineering.   He holds a B.S. from Manhattan College, a M.S. from Columbia University, and a Ph.D. (ABD) from New York University.

Jesse Roberts is an AWS Principal Solutions Architect with 27 years’ experience as an engineer, analyst, architect and executive. At Amazon Web Services, Jesse serves as the Lead Solutions Architect for their State, Local Government and Education business in the eastern United States where he is enthusiastic about leveraging cloud technology to help address some of the biggest challenges of government and education. Prior to AWS, he worked for 21 years at Boeing and General Electric in various system and data architecture leadership roles after which he joined Maximus becoming their Vice President of IT Architecture. Jesse has a passion for leveraging technology and design thinking to help solve complex problems. Outside of IT, Jesse is a co-founder of the Rensselaer Repair Café and serves on the Board of Trustees for both Woodland Hill Montessori School and the Arts Center of the Capital Region. He mentors formerly incarcerated students in coding and technology as well as lectures on various topics through the Justice Through Code project at Columbia University.

James Sammons serves as the Associate Commissioner for Data Analytics. He is responsible for establishing a data strategy and providing advanced analytical solutions for data mining, reporting, analysis, and visual display services to each business unit within the Office of General Services (OGS).
Prior to joining OGS< James has spent nearly 20 years in State government focusing on enterprise application administration, data analysis, executive event management, public policy analysis, and enterprise-wide IT systems implementation. Over the last decade, he was instrumental in the development and deployment of two enterprise-wide applications for the Office of the Attorney General and the Office of Information Technology Services. He began his government career working for the University of Albany, in the government relations office.
James received his BS in Business Management from Stony Brook University and his Master of Public Administration from the University at Albany’s Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy.

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. Prior to joining NYS, Marcy worked as a civil litigation attorney 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 subject matter expertise at the intersection of law and technology, with a deep understanding of information security and data privacy principles.
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. Marcy is also a certified information privacy professional (CIPP/US) as accredited by the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP). 

Jim White leads the NYS Comptroller's Software Platform division. Before this role, he dedicated most of his career to Application Development. With over 20 years of IT leadership experience, Jim has managed diverse teams, including application developers, cloud engineers, system administrators, and project managers. He has overseen Civil Service staff and consultants, managed multi-million-dollar IT budgets, and led complex projects. Jim has spearheaded transformative initiatives, such as introducing Rapid Application Development to modernize outdated applications, transitioning critical infrastructure to the cloud, and replacing legacy systems with modern SaaS solutions. Jim has significantly enhanced team efficiency—reducing overdue work by over 90%—and saved agencies millions through cost-effective strategies. A strong advocate for modernization, operational excellence, and collaboration, Jim strives to foster collaboration across user groups and technical teams. He holds an MBA and a bachelor’s degree in information systems.