Oklahoma

J. Kevin Stitt is the 28th governor of Oklahoma. Governor Stitt is leading the state with a vision to become Top Ten in critical categories, from government accountability to job growth, infrastructure, education and more.
Governor Stitt is an entrepreneur and businessman who founded Gateway in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 2000. Starting Gateway with only $1,000 and a computer, he grew his business into one of the top 20 mortgage lenders and servicers in the nation, operating in more than 40 states and servicing more than $20 billion in residential mortgages. Stitt led Gateway through a merger with Farmers Exchange Bank in 2018 and formed Gateway First Bank, which is headquartered in Jenks, Oklahoma, and operates more than 160 mortgage centers across the country and employs more than 1,400 people.
Oklahomans spoke in record numbers that they wanted Stitt to use his business acumen to transform the state. In 2018, he received more votes than any gubernatorial candidate in state history in his first bid for elected office of any kind.
Since taking office, he worked together with the Legislature to produce historic reform in five of the largest state agencies, allowing him to identify and recruit the best talent to serve in critical leadership positions.
More than half of the governor’s cabinet is made of experts who came from the private sector in Oklahoma, including the first chief operating officer in state history.
Governor Stitt also led the state to build its largest savings account in history, which proved to be prophetic in the face of a significant decline in the oil and gas market.
He is a fourth-generation Oklahoman who graduated from Norman High School and is an alumnus of Oklahoma State University, where he received an accounting degree in 1996. Stitt and his wife, Sarah, have six children and have been married for 22 years.

As the chief information officer, Jerry Moore manages OMES Information Services. The CIO has jurisdictional responsibility related to information and telecommunications systems of all state agencies as provided under the Oklahoma Information Services Act. Moore previously served as OMES director of IT applications services. His other information technology experience includes positions with Devon Energy, ConocoPhillips, Alliance Resource Partners, Xeta Technologies (now Windstream) and the Tulsa Technology Center.

Dan Thurmon is the founder and President of Motivation Works, a company that helps leaders and their organizations move confidently through change and transformation so that they achieve and contribute MORE. Dan is an expert speaker and performer. He has delivered thousands of presentations across six continents for audiences including world leaders, Fortune 500 companies, entrepreneurs, educators, and even troops on the front lines of battle. In 2011, he was inducted into the prestigious Speaker Hall of Fame. Dan recently served as the President of the National Speakers Association. During his tenure, he led the Board of Directors and the 3,000+ member organization through a critical transformation, which included new governance, a new mission, higher member value, and greater financial accountability. He’s authored two books: Success in Action and Off Balance On Purpose. Dan produces an ongoing weekly video coaching series and podcast in which he shares leadership principles and life-enhancement strategies in under three minutes. He is a health and fitness advocate. In his 50s, Dan continues to train and perform advanced acrobatics, and enjoys hobbies such as golf, mountain unicycling and the flying trapeze.

Teri Takai is the Co-Director of the Center for Digital Government, a national research and advisory institute on information technology policies and best practices in state and local government. She worked for Ford Motor Company for 30 years in global application development and information technology strategic planning. From Ford, she moved to EDS in support of General Motors. A long-time interest in public service led her to the government sector, first as CIO of the State of Michigan, then as CIO of the State of California, and subsequently the CIO of the U.S. Department of Defense, the first woman appointed to this role. She then served as the CIO for Meridian Health Plan. She is a member of several industry advisory boards. Teri has won numerous awards including Governing Magazine’s Public Official of the Year, CIO Magazine’s CIO Hall of Fame, Government Technology Magazine’s Top 25 Doers, Dreamers & Drivers, the Women in Defense Excellence in Leadership Award, and the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service.

Phil Bertolini is the Co-Director of the Center for Digital Government, a national research and advisory institute on information technology policies and best practices in state and local government. 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.

Dustin Haisler is the Chief Innovation Officer for e.Republic. As Chief Innovation Officer, he has a strategic role to help shape the company’s products, services, and future direction. Primarily, he leads e.Republic Labs, a market connector created as an ecosystem to educate, accelerate, and ultimately scale technology innovation within the public sector. Dustin began he career at a very young age as the finance director and later CIO for Manor, TX, a small city outside Austin. He quickly built a track record and national reputation as an early innovator in civic tech, for which he was named a Government Technology Top 25 Doer, Dreamer and Driver in 2009. A member of Code for America’s original steering committee, Dustin pioneered government use of commercial technologies not before used in the public sector – including Quick-Response (QR) barcodes, crowdsourcing, and gamification. Dustin went on to the private sector to help broaden the adoption of these and other civic innovations. His work has been featured in Wired, Fast Company, the Wall Street Journal, Inc., and the Today Show on NBC. An in-demand speaker, he has given two TEDx speeches – one on Disrupting Government (TEDxAustin) and the other on Disrupting Education (TEDxLivermore).

Prior to Governor Kelly’s appointment as Secretary of Administration, Dr. DeAngela Burns-Wallace served as the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies at the University of Kansas. Dr. Burns-Wallace started her career as a Foreign Service Officer (FSO) with the U.S. Department of State. Dr. Burns-Wallace has been selected for various leadership opportunities, awards and honors throughout her higher ed and government career, including the 2018 White House Champions of Change College Opportunity, and earning a Superior Honor and three Meritorious Honor awards from the U.S. State Department. Dr. Burns-Wallace serves as a national trainer and curriculum developer for various national professional development organizations, non-profits, and higher ed institutions on issues ranging including micro-aggressions, multigenerational workplace differences, diversity and inclusion, change management, professional development pathways, and strategic planning. Service is also a cornerstone of her journey. Dr. Burns-Wallace currently serves on Stanford University’s Board of Governors, and has previously held board roles in numerous local, regional, and national organizations, and international selection committees including Gates Millennium Scholars, Dell Foundation Scholars, and Rhodes, Marshall, and Fulbright fellowships. Dr. Burns-Wallace holds a dual bachelor’s degree in International Relations and African American studies from Stanford University, a Master in Public Affairs from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, and a doctorate in education from the University of Pennsylvania.

Anthony Huey is a highly popular international speaker and communications consultant who offers session attendees pragmatic communications tools, tips and techniques they can use immediately in their professional and personal lives. His career includes tenures as a news reporter, magazine senior editor, crisis management specialist, media relations consultant and executive speech coach. Anthony heads Reputation Management, LLC, one of the nation’s leading communications training and crisis consulting companies. He has presented nearly 2,700 keynote speeches, workshops and seminars. His direct client work includes a wide variety of advertising, public relations and communications initiatives for hundreds of trade associations, municipalities and companies.

Amy Blackburn is the Director of Web and Citizen Experience at the State of Oklahoma. She also serves as the Director of State Branding, working alongside Lt. Governor Matt Pinnell. Coming from an extensive advertising and marketing strategy background, Amy lends a unique perspective as she helps state agencies manage their online presence and points of engagement with citizens.
Amy has worked with a variety of brands including Volkswagen, Oklahoma Tourism, Oklahoma Lottery Commission, First Fidelity Bank, the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, 7-Eleven and many more.
An Oklahoma City-native, Amy is married to Jeff Blackburn and they have a daughter, Everly, who is in kindergarten. In her spare time, she enjoys golf, cooking and spending time with family.

Alan is Executive Vice President of e.Republic and Publisher of Government Technology magazine and Techwire. In this role, Alan is involved in the annual production of dozens of events as well as the strategic direction for Governing, Government Technology, Emergency Management, the Center for Digital Government and the Center for Digital Education. Alan is also the senior executive that has overall charge of e.Republic’s research organization which includes, custom research, the Digital Government and Digital Education Navigator tool and the Content Studio (webinars and custom content).
Alan has been a guest lecturer at universities and a frequent speaker for key government and industry organizations. For over 35 years, Alan has worked with industry, education and government officials to help them better understand the importance and use of information technology. Alan received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration at California State University, Sacramento.

Jason is the National Practice Director for the Public Sector Division at DataBank. He has been working within the government space for over 20 years and started his career with an initial focus on Health and Human Services. From there, he expanded his public sector expertise and moved into more enterprise-level modernization including citizen self-service and engagement, as well as proactive go-to-market methodologies.

Nathan Flow has 23 years combined experience in the telecommunications, Internet, and Managed IT industries with a primary focus of assisting companies in the development of cloud solutions that keep their mission critical applications operational and to relieve the burden of overworked IT resources.

For over eight years, Tanner Hughes has been a noteworthy leader in the Oklahoma Government IT space. He has held roles in IT Operations, Technical Engineering, IT Strategy and Enterprise Architecture and is currently a Chief Technology Officer for the Office of Management and Enterprise Services. During his tenure with the state, Tanner has had a considerable amount of success reimagining how the cloud can better serve agencies whose mission it is to serve Oklahomans. Tanner has designed and led several successful cloud projects across the state. He helps agencies realize moving to the cloud can mean higher sustainability, scalability and availability, which ultimately is passed on as savings to the citizens of Oklahoma.

With over 25 years in the information technology industry, Chris Lim has served a plethora of commercial and public sector clients both locally and globally. His proven expertise in combining technologies, business requirements, and strategic analysis to deliver enterprise-solutions has helped maximize stakeholders’ value. As a Digital Experience Sales Leader with Adobe Public Sector, he has the privilege to help public sector organizations meet their mission to serve their stakeholders through digital strategies and solutions.

Seth Kindley serves as a Principal Systems Engineer at Pure Storage, where he is a technical advisor to: engineering, product management, sales, marketing and presales leadership in the field.
Seth has been a trusted advisor to US Federal customers since moving into data storage in 2005. Prior to Pure Storage, Seth worked at EMC Inc. as a Senior Systems Engineer focused on HPC within the Department of Energy.
Based outside of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Seth lives with his wife and two children and enjoys fishing and working on his property.

Joe joined the State in April 2020 as a Director over OMES centralized IT. As Director of Service Delivery, his primary focus is to help their agencies address the needs of citizens. Joe has more than 20 years of experience delivering business value and solving complex challenges through the innovative use of technology. Joe am passionate about using data creative marketing to drive innovation and change. Joe is focused on creating a Get Stuff Done (GSD) culture and empowering teams to succeed.

Jim Meehan is the Global Investigation Manager for Global Security Services where he coordinates the forensic investigations conducted by the investigative response unit worldwide. Prior to working at Verizon, Jim worked with the United States Secret Service. With 27+ years of law enforcement experience, his career spanned numerous disciplines within the United States Secret Service to include supervising technical security countermeasures and tactics. He served in a supervisory capacity on the Presidents Protective Detail during which he advanced to the principal assignment on the President’s Counter Assault Team. In his last assignment with the agency he was the Deputy Special Agent in Charge of Cyber Operations. In that position he supervised and engaged in historical transnational cybercrime investigations, oversaw the Critical Systems Protection Program and all of the Secret Service network intrusion and forensic examination programs.
He has a Master’s Degree in Strategic Studies (Counter Terrorism) from the National Defense University and has graduated from the Chief Information Security Officer Program at Carnegie Mellon University.

In the role of Principal Architect Dan works with State and Local Government agencies integrating their long term plans with Information Technology industry direction. Dan has 20 years of experience at AT&T in a variety of roles supporting Public Sector and Enterprise clients in their efforts to innovate and deliver what is possible within their organizations. He holds an MBA from Lawrence Technological University. Dan currently resides in Redford, Michigan with his wife, Heidi, and their 3 sons. Outside of work Dan enjoys travel and DIY projects around the house.

Joseph Morris is vice president of Research and a national keynote speaker on issues, trends and drivers impacting state and local government and education. He has authored publications and reports on funding streams, technology investment areas and public-sector priorities, and has led roundtables, projects and initiatives focused on issues within the public sector. Joe has conducted state and local government research with e.Republic since 2007 and knows the ins and outs of government on all levels. He received his Bachelor of Arts in government and international relations from the California State University, Sacramento.

With 35+ years of designing and implementing a wide variety of computer systems, Dan’s experience enables him to provide the best business solutions possible with an efficient use of resources. He has managed both business unit production teams and Information Technology operations teams; managed large and small I.T. departments supporting a wide variety of internal clients; maximized productivity by connecting business units with best-fit Information Technology personnel and services; responsible for efficient operations of data centers, telecommunications equipment, disaster recovery planning, budget planning and management. Member of several technology Advisory Boards Technology Groups.

Shamlan Siddiqi is CTO of NTT DATA’s public sector where he leads the group’s technology, advisory and innovation vision and strategy, supporting efforts to improve agency outcomes through pragmatic innovations and focused services.
Siddiqi has more than 20 years in IT services, most recently serving as NTT DATA’s vice president for digital and cloud services practices, leading a team of consulting, solutions and service delivery professionals. Siddiqi also served as vice president of North America architecture and application development, establishing practices -- mobile, interactive web, user experience, architecture modernization and integration – to solve customers’ business problems through innovative, repeatable business-driven, technology-enabled solutions.
Siddiqi is a recipient of the CIO Certificate in Federal Executive Competencies awarded by CIO University and George Washington University. He holds a master’s degree in Information Systems Technology from George Washington University and a bachelor’s degree in Decision Sciences and Management Information Systems from George Mason University.

Matt Singleton was appointed as the Chief Information Security Officer for the State of Oklahoma in July 2019. In this role, he is challenged with designing the cybersecurity strategy for the State as well as creating the State’s privacy, compliance and security engagement practices. His initial approach was focused on building the State’s teams and establishing strategic relationships with the intelligence community, industry partners and local, federal and tribal governments.
In his previous role as chief operations and accountability officer for the State of Oklahoma’s Information Services division, he was charged with the consolidation of statewide IT operations, modernization of IT services and enhancement of the IT client experience. His largest initiative, the unification of 110 IT organizations across the state, realized over $833M in IT cost-reductions and was recently featured in the Wall Street Journal best-seller, “One Mission: How Leaders Build a Team of Teams” by Chris Fussell.
Before joining the state, Matt spent 15 years at the University of Oklahoma in various leadership roles. His final position was director of external relations and strategic ventures where he created partnerships with industry, state agencies and other universities; developed strategic ventures, commercial activities and outreach programs; and diversified and managed the university’s technology supply chain.
Matt has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Oklahoma, a master’s certificate in IT service management, numerous industry certifications and is continuing his education through graduate studies in the field of Applied Intelligence at Georgetown University.

As an Enterprise Account Executive at Granicus, Ryan has previous experience partnering with private and public sector organizations to help achieve digital transformation through robust communication strategies and digital service delivery. Ryan’s focus has been bringing highly secure digital solutions to financial services, healthcare organizations, and government agencies across the country. Ryan graduated from Winona State University with a major in Management Information Systems. Ryan is a native Minnesota resident where he is a proud girl dad to his two daughters.