James Alberque, City of Raleigh GIS and Emerging Technology Manager, leads a talented teams of data analysts, web developers, and technologists at the City of Raleigh. He has been with the City for 10 years in various technology management roles. Jim’s team delivers dozens of digital solutions for internal and public use.

Chris Bennett currently serves as Global CTO for AI and Data Solutions at Dell Technologies, where his principal focus is on advising clients on how to leverage AI to achieve business outcomes. With Dell since 2007, Chris has held key roles in customer and partner engagement and in developing cloud automation platforms. Prior to Dell, he led technology teams in telecommunications and banking. Passionate about tech innovation, Chris stays at the forefront of AI, data analytics, and cloud computing trends. He believes strongly in technology's transformative potential to drive human progress.

Vinod Brahmapuram is Senior Director of Security for state and local government and education markets at Lumen Technologies. With more than 25 years of information technology experience, Vinod has held cybersecurity leadership positions in three states, advising governors and legislators on key cyber issues. Before joining Lumen, he served as the State Chief Information Security Officer for the State of Washington.

Appointed to the Information Technology Strategy Board by N.C. Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger, Keith Briggs is director of enterprise architecture and innovation for the N.C. Department of Information Technology. He is committed to innovation and continuous improvement.
Briggs has 25 years’ experience in technology leadership in data centers management, cloud, application infrastructure, application development, IT service management and information security. He has primarily worked for the private sector in the financial, technology manufacturing and health care industries.
Briggs joined NCDIT in June 2022. He was appointed to the IT Strategy Board prior to joining NCDIT. At the time, he was chief information officer for the N.C. Department of Insurance, a position he held since 2018.
Briggs holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts and a master’s degree from Texas Christian University.

As the Chief Data Officer of Wake County, North Carolina, Dr. Bonnie Brown serves the people who live, work, and play, thereby empowering evidence-based decision-making. With over 20 years of experience in various IT roles, Dr. Brown’s areas of concentration are technology adoption, building communities of practice, and organizational change management as it relates to the practice of data.

Christie Burris was appointed as the state's chief data officer with the N.C. Department of Information Technology in January 2024.
She leads NCDIT's statewide development of enterprise data strategies, including management, privacy and governance across all platforms. As director of NCDIT's Government Data Analytics Center, she also guides the state's use of integrated data to support public safety, fraud, compliance, healthcare, finance and performance and policy decision analysis.
An award-winning communications executive with experience in industries from radio and television to public housing and insurance, Burris joined the N.C. Health Information Exchange Authority, within GDAC, in 2016. She became its executive director in December 2017 and oversaw the ongoing strategy to develop a mature and modernized state-designated health information exchange, NC HealthConnex, and support health care providers in fulfilling the state mandate for data connections.
Burris holds a B.A. in journalism from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and Government Chief Information Officer Certification from the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Government. She received a State Leadership award from the National Association of State Chief Information Officers in 2019.

Dr. Greg Byrd is a professor of electrical and computer engineering at North Carolina State University (Raleigh, NC), and the executive director of the IBM Quantum Innovation Center at NC State. His research interests include the implementation of quantum algorithms, quantum error mitigation and correction, and parallel computer architecture. He is the vice-chair of the IEEE-CS Quantum Technical Community, and a founding organizer of the IEEE Intl. Conf. on Quantum Computing and Engineering, for which he has served as program chair, finance chair, and general chair.

Michaela Caudill (she/her) is the Senior Data + Program Manager for the Digital Service Network project at the Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown University. In her role, she focuses on network development, strategy, and growth to support government practitioners within our network to share best practices, discuss challenges and solutions, and carry out mission objectives. She is passionate about utilizing data and technology to drive more informed decision-making and more equitable systems.
Michaela is currently pursuing a Master’s in Business Analytics from Georgetown University and graduated from James Madison University with a Bachelor of Science in Intelligence Analysis with a double minor in Asian Studies and Chinese (Mandarin).

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.

Stephanie is an accomplished Manager within KPMG's Infrastructure, Capital Projects, and Climate Advisory Practice, specializing in strategic, commercial, and financial advisory for transportation, real estate, and utilities sectors.
With 10 years of experience, she guides public sector clients through the development and implementation of capital projects, ensuring alignment with government objectives. Stephanie's expertise includes driving economic, fiscal, and spatial impact analyses to make informed investment decisions, resulting in successful project implementations and community enhancement.

Mick DiGrazia is the Senior Director of Enterprise Operations, North Carolina Department of IT, where he provides leadership in delivering application and infrastructure services to Citizens and 375 state agencies, local government, and educational institutions in North Carolina. With over 25 years of experience in IT leadership in State Government, Higher Education, and Healthcare, Mick has served in various capacities, delivering services in Infrastructure, Applications, Cloud Services, Identity Management, Information Security, and Risk and Compliance. As a change leader, DiGrazia has lead organizational transformation through automation and cloud technologies leveraging collaboration and community, in order to modernize and streamline institutional practices.

Jonathan Feldman is an award-winning Chief Information Officer, speaker, and writer. He has been recognized for his positive impact on the communities he serves by the Frost & Sullivan CIO Impact Award and inclusion in Government Technology’s Top 25 Dreamers, Doers, and Drivers, and he is frequently listed among top CIO and IT practitioners. Jonathan is widely acknowledged as a pioneer of cloud computing, digital transformation, and civic tech, with Forbes calling his efforts “IT done right.”  
Jonathan’s success leading government technology led him to co-author Code for America’s book, “Beyond Transparency” with Tim O’Reilly and others. His column with InformationWeek magazine, which won an American Society of Business Publication Editors award, started many industry conversations about positive IT transformation. He has spoken all over the world about civic technology, the future of work, talent management, leadership, and digital transformation, and is often quoted in the media about these topics. He is active on social media both to learn and to share and tweets at @_jfeldman.

Raju is an IT executive with 25 years of professional experience in the information technology field. Raju joined the Division of Employment Security, NC Department of Commerce in July 2016 as their Chief Information Officer. Raju works with the assistant secretary, senior executives and directors to set business priorities and develop the supporting IT strategy at NCDES.
Prior to joining at NCDES, Raju worked at Oxford University Press for approximately six years. He held the position of US IT Director, served as the Head of Software Development and Content Systems for Global Academic business unit. Prior to that, Raju worked as the VP and CIO of a technology services company in Morrisville, NC. Raju graduated with a master’s degree in Computer Science from Alabama A&M University in Huntsville, AL. For more information on his professional experience, please refer to his LinkedIn profile, linked above.

Tommy Gardner is HP’s Chief Technology Officer for HP Federal, spanning the US Federal Agencies, Higher Education, K-12 Education, State and Local government customer segments, as well as Federal Systems Integrators. His current responsibilities include technology leadership, strategic technology plans, product and technology strategies, sales force technical support, and customer and partner relationships.
Previously, Tommy has served as the Chief Technology Officer for Jacobs Engineering, Scitor, and ManTech. Earlier in his career he was a senior technical executive at Raytheon. In the U.S. Navy he served as the Deputy for Science and Technology for the Chief of Naval Research. He oversaw the Navy’s Deep Submergence Program as well as its Advanced Technology Program. He also commanded the nuclear submarine, USS San Juan (SSN 751).
Tommy’s educational background covers multiple disciplines and fields of interest including: cybersecurity, data science, blockchain, quantum information science, artificial intelligence, high performance computing and systems integration.
Tommy holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy, a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard University, an M.S. in Management of Technology from MIT and a Ph. D. in Energy Economics from George Washington University. He is a Professional Engineer, an ASME Fellow, and serves on the ASME Board of Governors, the ANSI Board of Directors and the U. S. Council on Competitiveness as the Co-chair of the Advanced Computer Roundtable.

Kerry Lindsay Goode, Sr., was named Chief Information Officer for the City of Durham in April 2010. He brought 20 years of experience in the management of information technology (IT) profession when he joined the City of Durham. Most of his experience has been in leading IT departments within City Government. Within his first year in Durham, Kerry joined the City's Core Strategic Planning and Implementation Team where he continues to work to support the City’s strategic goals and initiatives.
Under Kerry’s leadership, the City of Durham has gained national recognition for its use of technology. In 2013, Durham was ranked number three by the Center for Digital Cities for improving transparency with residents and operating more efficiently with taxpayer dollars. Since this third-place ranking, the City has been ranked in the top 10 for six consecutive years including 2 second place and one first place rankings. In 2014, the Public Technology Institute (PTI) bestowed its 2013-2014 PTI: Technology Solution Award on the City’s Technology Solutions Department (TS). PTI recognized TS for its use of technology and enablement to improve service delivery, reduce costs, and generate revenues. In August 2016, the City of Durham was awarded the Municipal Innovator for its Open Data Program at the Digital Government Summit Award and was named a City Portal Category finalist in the Best of the Web awards.
Goode was named 2014 CIO of the Year by the Triangle Business Journal and the North Carolina Technology Association and speaks at several CIO forums around the U.S., discussing topics such as cloud computing and emerging technologies implemented in Durham.
Kerry is currently the appointed project executive for replacing the current enterprise legacy core business systems with Next Generation ERP, Utilities, Inspections and Planning solutions. The goal is to not only place these solutions in production, but to deliver to the City’s operations a digital transformation of its megaprocesses. Kerry is currently also leading the City IT governance process that provides solution development and agile enterprise IT strategic planning. He is currently serving on the North Carolina Central University IT Educational Programs Advisory Board. He resides in Durham with his wife Brenda and children.

For over 25 years, L. V. Pokey Harris has been employed in public safety within emergency services. Harris has extensive knowledge and experience in 911, public safety communications, emergency management, emergency medical services, as well as local government and private sector management.
She has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration with a concentration in Emergency Management from Jacksonville State University.
She is currently vice president of the National Association of State 911 Administrators and a member of the National Emergency Number Association and the Association of Public Safety Communications Officers. She holds certifications as an Emergency Number Professional and in Emergency Medical Dispatch, Emergency Fire Dispatch and various areas for the National Incident Management System. Harris has been appointed to the North Carolina Statewide Interoperability Executive Committee and serves as a member of the N.C. State Medical Assistance Team 800.

Joey Harrison has served as the N.C. Department of Information Technology’s human resources director since October 2017.
In this role, Harrison leads the Human Resources Division and is responsible for guiding the development of human resources programs and practice for the agency. 
His team manages and guides critical organizational support functions involving recruitment and selection, classification and compensation, employee relations, workforce development, diversity and inclusion, performance management, benefits administration, safety and health, and HRIS administration.
Harrison is a career state employee with more than 27 years of service. He has worked in a variety of human resources roles at other agencies, including five Cabinet and two Council of State agencies. 
A native of Wake County, Harrison earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Appalachian State University. 

Amy Hepler is an International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) certified Web Accessibility Specialist (WAS) and a seasoned developer with over 25 years of experience. As the lead UX/accessibility developer on the state’s Digital Commons platform, she ensures the platform meets high standards of accessibility and user experience. Additionally, Amy founded and leads the Accessibility Community of Practice (CoP) at the state, along with a small core team. She is also responsible for writing the recently adopted State of NC Digital Accessibility and Usability standard.

As chief deputy/deputy state chief information officer, Torre Jessup leads the N.C. Department of Information Technology’s Internal Operations Division and focuses his efforts on providing enterprise application and infrastructure services to state agencies, local governments and universities across North Carolina.
Prior to becoming chief deputy state CIO in April 2024, Jessup served more than two years as NCDIT’s chief operating officer, overseeing the department’s administrative functions.
In that role, he focused on building capacity in administrative areas to better serve the agency's operational needs, investing in process improvement for statewide IT procurement and increasing the agency’s internal and external engagement. He has also served as NCDIT’s lead for the N.C. Environmental Justice Council and the Interagency Resiliency Task Force.

Tim Johnson has an extensive tenure leading Emerging Solutions organizations across several industries. He is currently the Director of IoT Sales, Public Sector and Enterprise West Region for T-Mobile. In this role he leads teams to provide Federal, State, Local and Education communities with connected solutions which Enable Opportunity, and, for Enterprises do either do something they’ve never done before, or do something better, utilizing IoT Connectivity. He has held several leadership roles in sales and Product/Business Development where he drove IoT/Connected Community Eco-system growth, including advanced transportation/mobility solutions.

Mike Lauer, National Director of Public Sector Programs at Fortinet, has over 20 years expertise supporting and advising State Government leaders on SLED initiatives as a former Chief Technology Officer and Architect for the State of Iowa and multiple agencies.

Glenn Poplawski has more than 25 years of business experience, including five years in systems engineering and technical analysis for the federal government and 15 years working in the private information technology sector.
Prior to coming to work for the state of North Carolina, Poplawski worked for various private companies, including IBM, a systems integration firm, an internet startup bought by CMGI, the former Anderson Consulting and as a consultant to various private companies and public agencies. This work included managing client relationships and engagements, managing the operations of critical business systems, guiding the implementation of large-scale system development projects and contributing with the senior team to develop the local business strategy and operational model. 
Poplawski has been working for the state for more than 10 years. Initially, he served the Office of Information Technology Services Enterprise Solutions Division in the role of team lead for the Project Management Services team. He built a team of certified project managers to manage both ITS-related projects and other executive agency projects. Subsequently, per the ITS chief information office, Poplawski took on additional duties as required to include the Service Transition organization, including the PMO, and later IT Business Applications.   
Currently, Poplawski heads the N.C. Department of Information Technology's Solutions Delivery Division, which includes the Enterprise Project Management Office, the Project Management Office, Business Analysis Services, Solutions Architecture Services, Software Quality Assurance Services, Digital Commons Services and several general government CIOs. 
Poplawski is a certified project management professional and government chief information officer.  He has a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering from Virginia Tech and a Master of Business Administration from George Mason University.

Brooks Raiford has served as President + CEO of the North Carolina Technology Association since 2008. NC TECH is the statewide industry association for the tech sector, representing nearly 700 member companies and organizations that collectively employ over 250,000 North Carolinians. Early in his career, Brooks served as a policy aide to the Governor of North Carolina, where a key focus area was information technology and its impact on a variety of public policy areas. Subsequently, he held leadership positions in North Carolina’s nonprofit and business sectors. Brooks’ current and recent leadership activities include serving as an appointee of the Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court to the North Carolina Commission on the Administration of Law and Justice; Vice Chair (and US Policy Chair) of the Board of Directors of the Technology Councils of North America; the North Carolina Advisory Committee of the US Global Leadership Coalition; the Corporate Advisory Board of the Independent College Fund of North Carolina; the MHA Healthcare Advisory Board – UNC Wilmington; Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of Guilford College; and President of the Dean’s Advisory Board for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at NC State University, where he is a former Student Body President and University Trustee. Brooks is also a Fellow of the Marshall Memorial Fellowship of the German Marshall Fund of the United States.

Steve Rao is a prominent political figure and entrepreneur based in North Carolina. He is recognized for his extensive public service and contributions to the community. Rao serves on the Morrisville Town Council and has held this position since 2011, demonstrating a long-standing commitment to local governance and civic engagement.
Since 2011, Rao has been an influential voice in the Morrisville Town Council, advocating for policies that promote economic growth, technology, and innovation. His work focuses on improving the quality of life for residents and fostering a vibrant community.
Rao has also served as the Mayor Pro Tem of Morrisville, where he played a pivotal role in various developmental projects and initiatives aimed at enhancing the town’s infrastructure and services. He has served as an advocate for the Town of Morrisville's smart city initiative, a nationally recognized leader in this area by IDC and recent winner of the Global CIO Symposium Award.
Beyond his political career, Rao is an accomplished technology entrepreneur. He has founded and led several successful tech startups, contributing significantly to the tech industry in North Carolina and beyond. He also hosts the Leaders Show, on Radio Nyra, the largest South Asian Radio Station in the Research Triangle.
Rao has a strong background in business development, working with numerous companies to help them grow and succeed. His expertise in this area has been instrumental in driving economic development and attracting investments to the region.
Council Member Rao is a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion and served on the NC League Of Municipalities Race and Equity Task Force. He works tirelessly to promote representation and equality within the community, striving to create opportunities for all individuals, regardless of their background.
He is actively involved in various educational initiatives, aiming to enhance learning opportunities for students and support the development of future leaders. Rao believes in the power of education to transform lives and communities.
Rao is a sought-after public speaker and frequently appears in media to discuss topics related to politics, technology, and community development. He uses these platforms to raise awareness and drive positive change. Rao serves as a Political Commentator on WPTF Radio, hosting his own show, Wake County Round Up, as a Political Analyst on Statelines and Black Issues Forum on PBS Carolinas and an Opinion Writer for WRAL Tech Wire.
Rao is a dedicated family man, balancing his professional and public service commitments with his responsibilities as a husband and father. His family’s support plays a crucial role in his success and motivation. He resides in Morrisville with his college sweetheart, Dr. Komal Parekh and his children, Sonia (UNC Chapel Hill 2024 Graduate) and Rayan (Sophomore at NC State)
Throughout his career, Rao has received numerous awards and recognitions for his contributions to public service, technology, and community development. Most recently, he has been selected as a Hunt Institute Fellow and has served as a Board Member to the New American Economy. (Now American Immigration Council)..
These accolades highlight his impact and dedication to making a difference.

Robert Reynolds is the Chief Information Officer for 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.

Rob Sauerwalt is the Vice President of Customer Success for the Public and Federal Market at IBM. The mission of the Customer Success community is to help clients adopt and transition to the cloud, catalyze widespread adoption of IBM Cloud in the market, and elevate the cloud acumen of other IBMers, with client engagement roles. Customer Success Managers bridge the gap between traditional sales, technical sales, architects and evangelist, bringing clarity to clients about their optimal path forward in cloud.
He has an offering management background. Over his 21 year career with IBM, he has incubated emerging technologies to deliver cloud solutions, next generation platforms, compositional application architectures, and service oriented delivery models.
Rob has received the IBM Chairman’s Award for Excellence as a founding member of the IBM BladeCenter program and spent a year as the IBM Industry Fellow at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. Prior to joining IBM, Rob spent 10 years in the information technology distribution industry.

Rani Selvaraj is the Director of Strategy and Special Programs for the Information Technology Division at the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) in North Carolina. With over 18 years of experience in IT and management across public and private sectors, Rani has established a reputation as a strategist and delivery leader.
Rani holds a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering and boasts certifications including Project Management Professional (PMP) from PMI, Six Sigma, Dale Carnegie Leadership Foundations, and Certified Government Chief Information Officer (CGCIO) from UNC School of Government. Rani was selected as a final nominee for the prestigious Governor’s Award.
Rani’s career trajectory began as a Java Developer and progressed through roles such as business analyst, project manager, portfolio manager, and now Director. Since joining DHHS in 2016 as a Portfolio Manager, Rani has overseen critical projects including the Controlled Substance Reporting System, Broughton Hospital Infrastructure Implementation, Electronic Medication Administration System. During her role as a Portfolio Manager, Rani established Enterprise Platform Services Group (EPSG) within ITD to centralize all delivery platforms and create a standardized scalable delivery model that improved delivery timeline and significantly improved reusability. Rani has also led the Agile Transformation for the organization.
In March 2022, Rani was promoted to Director, leading the Strategy and Special Programs team, a newly established position within ITD. Rani has successfully defined and executed the team's scope, focusing on Strategic Planning, Organizational Strategy, Workforce Development, Governance, Portfolio Standards, and Process and Performance Measures.
Under Rani’s leadership, ITD has undergone organizational transformation, revised vision, mission, goals, and objectives established, and ITD’s strategic priorities roadmap and biennium plan published. The Strategy team continues to prioritize Succession Planning, workforce skills assessment, workforce modernization, and streamlining delivery for portfolios, while also implementing performance measures dashboards and various process improvement initiatives.
Rani’s strategic foresight and dedication to IT delivery excellence have been instrumental in driving impactful change within DHHS and beyond.

Tom is a Specialist Director of Analytics in KPMG’s Deal Advisory and Strategy practice. He has deep experience in using existing data, gathering new data, and using advanced analytics to improve efficiency in state and local governments. He provides strategy on building analytics teams within governments and delivering data-driven decisions for real-world challenges. Tom combines contemporary machine learning and analytical techniques with existing and new technologies to ensure analytics can scale across the enterprise. He also specializes in data visualization and data communication to help connect technical work with senior leadership and the public to drive value. Tom’s accomplishments include serving as Chicago’s CDO where redesigned and expanded Chicago’s award-winning open data portal and launched OpenGrid.io, a map-based real-time situational awareness tool for the public and also used by Chicago’s emergency services personnel.

Michael Ware works for the North Carolina Department of Information Technology and serves as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality.  Michael has 22 years of IT leadership experience and is a 24-year veteran of the US Air Force.  Over the years, Michael accumulated a robust range of IT experience with numerous domestic and international business partners across a diverse portfolio of technologies. 
Michael began his career in the Air Force in 1990 and served as an aircraft avionics technician before commissioning as a Second Lieutenant in August 2002.  He served in a variety of leadership positions throughout his career and a veteran of multiple campaigns and several overseas operations including Operations Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn. 
During Michael’s Air Force career, he was the Director of Operations for the 83rd Network Operations Squadron, where he directed network operations for half of the Air Force’s Information Network.  He led IT operations during deployments to Bosnia and Iraq (twice) supporting IT networks in dynamic situations working with a host of international contractors.  He also served as the Operations Flight Commander for the largest Communications squadron in the Air Force, the 86th Communications Squadron, at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.   
After he retired from the Air Force, Michael joined the Department of Information Technology in November 2014 and was assigned as the CIO for DEQ in October 2016.  In this role, he provides IT leadership, strategic direction, and day-to-day operational oversight for 72 IT professionals supporting the department’s 1600+ employees. 
Michael holds an MBA from Webster University and a BS in Management Information Systems from National American University.  He completed the Certified Government Chief Information Officer program at UNC Chapel Hill.  Michael and his wife, Julie, have two sons: Collin and Carson.

Mark Wittenburg is the Chief Information Officer for the City of Raleigh. Mark has extensive public sector experience working with city and regional leaders in Arizona and now North Carolina to develop strategic direction and manage IT operations. His knowledge helped advance initiatives such as deploying smart water meters to conserve water, advancing regional digital equity by accelerating 5G and fiber installation, and building a culture that embraces innovation. Mark brings that same passion for public service to Raleigh, leveraging thoughtful and appropriate technology to advance the priorities of the community.