Registration and Morning Refreshments in the Exhibit Area

Imperial Ballroom Foyer

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Imperial Salon III, IV and V

Teena Piccione, Secretary and Chief Information Officer, Department of Information Technology, State of North Carolina

Keynote – Debrief to Win: Building Teams that Succeed in Disruption

Imperial Salon III, IV and V

In times of turbulence and disruption, even the best teams can struggle to stay focused, aligned, and accountable. Overcoming these challenges requires a shift in mindset and the right leadership tools to create resilient, high-performing teams. Learn from a former U.S. Air Force Fighter Weapons School ("Top Gun") instructor how elite military teams succeed by centering on a shared mission, driving purpose, and embracing accountability as a path to growth, not blame. Walk away with actionable strategies and inspiring insights to help your teams thrive under pressure and achieve lasting success.

Robert “Cujo” Teschner, Founder and CEO, Vmax Group

General Session – From Strategy to Service: Aligning IT, Policy, and People Across North Carolina

Imperial Salon III, IV and V

A strong IT strategy only delivers value when it is clearly aligned to the state’s mission, effectively executed at the department level, and understood by the people responsible for carrying it forward. This session explores how North Carolina is approaching IT strategy as a unifying framework—one that connects statewide priorities with agency execution, legal and privacy obligations, and the day-to-day work of public servants.

Networking Break in the Exhibit Area

Imperial Ballroom Foyer

Concurrent Sessions

Advancing AI Through Clear Communication

Imperial Salon I and II

As artificial intelligence rapidly advances, technology leaders face a dual challenge: implementing powerful new capabilities while clearly communicating what those changes mean for employees, stakeholders, and the communities they serve. This session explores how effective communication strategies are essential to successful AI adoption—not just as a technical rollout, but as an organizational and public trust initiative.

Rajesh Santhanam, Principal, KPMG LLP

Building the Muscle: Relationships, Agility, and Outcome-Driven Teams

Imperial Salon VI

Modern project success is no longer defined by delivering on time and on budget alone—it’s defined by how well teams adapt, collaborate, and deliver outcomes that actually work for the people they serve. This session explores how strong relationships - across teams, departments, and stakeholders - create the foundation for more agile, responsive project planning.

Moderator Rachel Eckert, Director of Market Intelligence, e-Republic

Nicole Coughlin, Chief Information Officer, Town of Cary

Beth Stagner, Assistant IT Director, City of Raleigh

Chastan Swain, Director of Strategic Partnerships and Programs , Department of Information Technology, State of North Carolina

Finding the Middle Ground Between Policy and Strategy

Imperial Salon VII

Too often, policy and strategy are treated as separate - or even competing - forces, with policy seen as restrictive and strategy as aspirational. This session explores the critical middle ground where well-designed policy enables effective strategy by providing clear guardrails that support innovation, execution, and responsible decision-making across legal, privacy, security, and operational teams.

Moderator Zach Thorn, Senior National Conference Director, Government Technology

Sarah Porper, Director of Business Strategy, Department of Information Technology, State of North Carolina

Martha Wewer, Chief Privacy Officer, Department of Information Technology, State of North Carolina

Mark Wittenburg, Chief Information Officer, City of Raleigh

Lunch

Imperial Salon III, IV and V

General Session – Design That Works: Lessons from Successful User Experience Stories

Imperial Salon III, IV and V

Great user experience is not about flashy design - it’s about leadership choices that prioritize outcomes making services easier, clearer, and more effective for the people who rely on them. This session highlights real-world user experience success stories that show how leaders set the tone for thoughtful design, cross-functional collaboration, and continuous feedback to drive meaningful digital transformation.

Liz Coalts, Deputy Commissioner of Modernization, Division of Motor Vehicles, State of North Carolina

Amy Hepler, Digital Accessibility Lead, Department of Information Technology, State of North Carolina

Break

Please proceed to Concurrent Sessions

Concurrent Sessions

The Power of the Triangle: Collaboration as a Force Multiplier

Imperial Salon I and II

North Carolina’s Triangle region is a unique concentration of public-sector leaders, universities, research institutions, and private-sector innovators - and an untapped opportunity for smarter, more efficient government. This session explores how state and local agencies can better leverage that shared thought leadership to drive real collaboration, reduce duplication, and deliver services more effectively. Rather than working in silos, the discussion focuses on practical, community-driven models for sharing expertise, tools, data, and infrastructure, and on how partnerships across government, higher education, and industry can translate collaboration into measurable cost savings and stronger outcomes for the state.

Moderator Zach Thorn, Senior National Conference Director, Government Technology

Jim Alberque, GIS and Emerging Technology Manager, City of Raleigh Information Technology

Lisa Jones, Chief Information Security Officer, Wake County

Marina Kelly, Chief Information Security Officer, City of Raleigh

Dave Rheaume, Director of SLED Sales, Atlassian

Building Digital Instincts: Closing the Expertise Gap in a Rapidly Changing Workplace

Imperial Salon VI

The pace of technological change is outpacing traditional models of expertise, training, and workforce development—creating a growing gap between what organizations need and what teams feel prepared to deliver. This session explores how technology leaders can close that gap by reshaping workplace culture, rethinking skills development, and building digital instincts across their organizations. Rather than relying solely on deep specialists, leaders must cultivate nimble employees who can learn, adapt, and collaborate as technology evolves, facilitating a new workplace dynamic that empowers experimentation, continuous learning, and sound judgment, while better leveraging the intuitive relationship with technology that newer generations often bring.

Raju Gadiraju, Chief Information Officer, Department of Commerce, Division of Employment Security, State of North Carolina

Mary Kelley, Chief Deputy State HR Director, Office of State Human Resources, State of North Carolina

Dan Kempton, Sr. IT Advisor, Department of Information Technology, State of North Carolina

Human in the Loop - What It Really Means for Technology Leaders

Imperial Salon VII

“Human in the loop” has become a common phrase in conversations about AI, automation, and digital systems—but what does it truly mean in practice, and how should technology leaders frame that conversation inside their organizations? This session moves beyond buzzwords to unpack the real responsibilities, tradeoffs, and leadership decisions behind keeping humans meaningfully involved in technology-driven processes.

Phaedra Boinodiris, IBM Consulting’s Global Leader for Trustworthy AI, IBM

Networking Break in the Exhibit Area

Imperial Ballroom Foyer

General Session – Leading Through Uncertainty: Cybersecurity, Infrastructure, and the Human Side of Geopolitical Risk

Imperial Salon III, IV and V

Geopolitical tensions, nation-state cyber activity, and global supply-chain disruptions are no longer abstract threats - they directly impact the resilience of our digital infrastructure and the people responsible for protecting it. This session explores how today’s leaders can navigate heightened geopolitical risk while maintaining trust, clarity, and momentum across their cybersecurity and IT teams.

Networking Reception in the Exhibit Area

Imperial Ballroom Foyer

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

End of Conference

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