Andrea S. Ballinger is an executive IT leader and strategist who directs high-caliber teams, crafts high-level guiding visions and aligns technology investments with business goals. Andrea has been in higher education for more than 20 years, serving in many senior capacities that include CTO, CIO, COO and, briefly, CEO. During her tenure in higher ed, Andrea has been a key driver for IT operations, transformations and strategies, building high-performing teams and bringing complex projects to fruition.
In her current role as Vice Provost for University Information and Technology with Oregon State University, Ms. Ballinger is responsible for providing senior strategic vision and leadership for the overall IT environment in support of OSU’s mission.
Andrea has a passion for reimagining the student experience, building strong IT teams, using analytics as a decision-making beacon and achieving operational excellence. Andrea has an undergraduate degree and an MBA, both from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Angela Bluhm, she/her/hers, is a data and research justice advocate and Leading for Equity Specialist in the Oregon Department of Education. Angela previously served as a policy analyst for the Educator Advancement Council and for the Oregon Longitudinal Data Collaborative in the Chief Education Office and Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC). Angela’s past work has focused on building and analyzing data policies around the ethical and equitable use of data in longitudinal and integrated data systems, focusing on the Statewide Longitudinal Data System. Angela served on the Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy’s national workgroup for Centering Racial Equity in Government Data Processes and has presented in local and national contexts, most recently for the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard’s Strategic Data Project.

Steve Corbató serves as Executive Director of Link Oregon (the dba for Oregon Fiber Partnership), the non-profit organization formed by Oregon’s four largest research universities and state government to develop and operate a high-speed, statewide broadband network in support of the founding partners’ missions of education, research, healthcare, and public service.
Prior to assuming this role in 2018, he was Chief Technology Officer with responsibility for IT infrastructure at Oregon Health & Science University. Corbató has nearly three decades of experience around Internet-based network development and deployment. While at the University of Utah (2006-2015), he served as a member of the governing board of the long-standing Utah Education Network (now UETN) and launched two long-term partnerships with public transportation agencies for access to optical fiber and conduit for network expansion.
Earlier at the Internet2 national non-profit organization, he led the national, high-speed network that supports U.S. research and education. Previously, while at the University of Washington in the 1990's, he was a member of the steering group that developed the Washington State K-20 Network connecting all sectors of public and higher education.
Over his career, he has served on numerous boards for regional and national networking organizations. He currently serves as a board treasurer for the Northwest Access Exchange (NWAX), the non-profit Internet Exchange in the greater Portland area, and board chair for The Quilt, the national affinity group of non-profit regional networks serving the research & education community. He also acts as the convenor for the Western States Broadband Alliance, a unique seven-state partnership that engages leaders of state broadband offices, state research and education networks, and state libraries as well as Tribal representatives. He has been a frequent peer reviewer for the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy, and other research universities.
Corbató received a B.A. from Rice University in Houston and a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, both degrees in physics. He later conducted post-doctoral research in experimental astrophysics at the University of Utah.
He resides in Portland, Oregon.

Simon Hayes is the Chief Technology Officer for the Oregon Health Authority and Oregon Department of Human Services.
Before joining the state of Oregon in 2018, Simon spent most of his career in the finance and biotechnology sectors, in a variety of multinational companies. He has worked on a number of enterprise initiatives around data analytics, enterprise integration, and ERP/CRM implementation.
Simon now leads the ‘hands on’ technology teams that provide technology services, solutions, and customer support for OHA and ODHS staff and partners across the state of Oregon. His focus areas include technology modernization, the intersection of equity and technology, and cloud platform adoption.
Outside work, Simon is an active pilot and flight instructor.

Kathryn Darnall Helms, MSIS, MA, currently serves as Oregon’s inaugural Chief Data Officer. Kathryn has recently led the development of Oregon’s first Enterprise Data Strategy, launched the State’s Open Data Program, and is currently staffing and expanding the Chief Data Office. In previous roles, Kathryn led an initiative to centralize information and data governance at the City of Austin and provided information governance and digital archiving consulting services to human rights organizations in Rwanda, El Salvador, Austin, and Guatemala as part of the Human Rights Documentation Initiative. Kathryn holds graduate degrees in Information Science and Latin American Studies, both from the University of Texas at Austin, where she focused her studies on the role of government records in addressing human rights abuses and as tools to speak truth to power.

As the Western Regional Executive for State Government Strategy with T-Mobile, Gary works with elected officials and state agency and department executives to demonstrate T-Mobile’s commitment to serving the public sector. Gary engages with state government leaders to help them understand how T-Mobile’s 5G network – now the nation’s largest and fastest 5G network– can be leveraged for the benefit of their states and constituents.

Dr. Marjorie McGee is the REALD & SOGI Director in the Equity & Inclusion Division of the Oregon Health Authority. She oversees and is charged with implementing the Race, Ethnicity, Language and Disability (REALD) data collection standards, and soon the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) data collection standards. She oversees a unit with 23 positions (most of whom are new and in process of being filled). Prior to this role, Dr. McGee served as the REALD Equity Analyst in OEI since 2016. Her work set the stage for where the unit is now. When able, she also conducts research and data quality analyses with other datasets using REALD & SOGI data. Dr. McGee identifies as a white, cis, deaf and hard of hearing, queer and as a critical disability studies scholar. She has published articles on health inequities experienced by people with disabilities; she has a keen interest in taking an intersectional approach to reveal avoidable social and health inequities present within groups as well as between groups. Dr. McGee started her career as a vocational rehabilitation counselor with a deaf/hard of hearing caseload. Other previous roles include working in the Oregon Disabilities Commission as the manager of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Assistance Program, Quality Assurance Specialist in the Breast and Cervical Cancer program, Executive Director of the Women with Disabilities Health Equity Coalition and research analyst at Portland State University. Dr. McGee holds BA in Psychology from Whitman College, a MS in Counseling from Western Oregon State University focusing on counseling deaf and hard of hearing people, and a PhD from Portland State University in Social Work Research focusing on health disparities. She is also an adjunct at Portland State University.

Pandit holds a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from the University of Pune in Pune, India, a master’s degree in computer science from the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago and an MBA from the University of Washington in Seattle. Pandit comes to the UO from Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU), where he served as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Chief Data Officer (CDO). While at OHSU, Pandit led several enterprise-wide change initiatives focused on modernizing the institution’s technological infrastructure and meeting emergent business. In addition, he established an Office of Advanced Analytics, which focuses on harnessing the analytical capabilities of the university and supporting OHSU’s data-driven culture. Pandit also serves as faculty at OHSU, having previously taught at the University of Oregon, Oregon Institute of Technology, and the University of Phoenix.

For 15 years, Dugan Petty served in Oregon state government. His goal was to improve its effectiveness at the enterprise level. He served as the state’s chief information officer for six years. His collaborative leadership led to a new e-government delivery system, open government applications, strengthening security, and improvements in IT governance.
He moved to Oregon in 1998 to become the state’s chief procurement official. During this time, he co-led a cross jurisdictional taskforce in the modernization of Oregon’s procurement statutes. In 2003-2004, he led a sourcing initiative called Smart Buy that improved contract outcomes and reduced spending. During this time, he gained a reputation as a trusted leader who could work with diverse groups to achieve consensus-based outcomes in procurement, risk management, sustainability, and information technology.
Before coming to Oregon, he served in Alaska state government for over 24 years. He started his career in facilities management. His effectiveness as an innovator and leader was recognized, and he was promoted to deputy director of General Services and eventually director of General Services. Then, his knowledge and effectiveness in managing state procurement resulted in an appointment as the state’s chief procurement officer.
Dugan is a past president of both the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) and the National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO). Additionally, he was a founding member and past chair of the Western States Contracting Alliance (WSCA). He received the Julio Mazzone Distinguished Service Award in public purchasing in 2004, and Government Technology magazine named Dugan one of its Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers for 2011.
Petty holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Political Science from the University of Oregon.

As General Manager of Tyler Oregon, Amy Stark is responsible for leading business operations and strategy as part of public/private long term electronic government services partnership with the State of Oregon. She oversees the company’s team of technology professionals and is responsible for ensuring quality outcomes for government customers and their constituents in Oregon. Amy Stark has 18 years of experience overseeing business operations and working with State government in Utah, Colorado, Arkansas, and Pennsylvania. She was also a key innovator in conceiving and helping produce the first version of Tyler Technologies’ Gov2Go product, a resident experience platform for government.

Steve Troxel has over 25 years of progressive experience in information systems infrastructure, software, cybersecurity and management, and over 10 years of experience as a business owner in the Arizona community. He served as the interim CTO of the Arizona Department of Education, and has been serving public sector agencies for over 15 years. He continues this passion as a solutions engineer at SHI, working with agencies and municipalities in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah.

Mark Weatherford is a globally recognized information security professional with experience at some of the world’s largest public- and private-sector organizations. He was appointed as the first deputy undersecretary for cybersecurity at DHS in the Obama administration and was chief information security officer for the state of Colorado and for the state of California under Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. In the energy industry, he was VP and chief security officer at the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, where he worked daily with Congress and electric utilities across North America on cybersecurity standards, regulations, and policy issues. He also served as a principal at The Chertoff Group and was VP and chief cybersecurity strategist at vArmour. Most recently, he was the VP and global information security strategist at Booking Holdings, the world’s largest online travel business with offices and employees in almost every country in the world and whose major companies include Booking, Priceline, Kayak, OpenTable and Agoda.

Samuel Williams is an accomplished professional with more than 20 years of experience in technology and media across both nonprofit and higher education domains. He brings a distinctive perspective to his work as an enrolled member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of Montana, a first-generation student, and a member of the LGBTQI+ community. Samuel's career highlights include serving as the Director of Administrative Technology at Salish Kootenai College, Director of Academic Technology Services & Innovation at the University of Portland, and most recently as the Chief Information Officer at Linfield University.