Name: Texas IT Leadership Forum 2024
Start: 2024-11-21T08:00
Location: JW Marriott Austin

Overview

The IT Leadership Forum brings together current and emerging technology leaders with the industry partners that support them. This invitation-only event provides a space for leaders to collaborate while addressing the most important policy, management and leadership issues surrounding the future of digital government. Contact us if you’d like to join the conversation!

A message from our Keynote Speaker

The Texas IT Leadership Forum is a fantastic opportunity to come together and learn. I encourage Texas' government technology professionals to attend, connect with their fellow leaders, and collaborate to improve how we serve the Lone Star State.

- Amanda Crawford, Executive Director and State Chief Information Officer

Speakers

Amanda A. Crawford

Executive Director and State Chief Information Officer, Department of Information Resources (DIR), State of Texas

Amanda Crawford is the Executive Director of DIR and serves as the Chief Information Officer for the State of Texas. In this role, she is responsible for the overall leadership, direction, and daily operations of DIR, an agency with an annual fiscal profile of more than $4 billion per year. DIR's responsibilities include protecting the state's data and critical technology infrastructure, managing a multi-billion-dollar cooperative contracts program, and providing strategic technology leadership, solutions, and innovation to all levels of Texas government. Under Mandy’s leadership, DIR led the state’s successful response to the 2019 ransomware attack that affected over 20 local government entities in Texas and secured the transition to the next-generation suite of managed IT services offered through DIR’s Shared Technology Services program.
Prior to leading the team at DIR, Mandy served at the Office of the Attorney General of Texas (OAG) for more than 17 years. She held various positions at the OAG, including ultimately serving for two and a half years as the Deputy Attorney General for Administration and General Counsel. Mandy also served as a faculty member for the National Attorneys General Training Research Institute’s Center for Leadership Development, teaching managerial leadership across the country.
Mandy earned her B.A. from The University of Texas at Austin and her law degree from the University of Houston Law Center. She is a graduate of the Governor’s Center for Executive Development through the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin. 

Scott Klososky

Technologist, Futurist, Humanist, Author and Consultant

As a founding partner of digital strategy firm, Future Point of View (FPOV), Scott lives on the leading edge of technology and innovative thinking. Scott speaks to large audiences worldwide about the intersection of humanity and the Digital Transformation. Through FPOV, Scott provides advisory work for clients including Fortune100, SMB’s and government entities. This work has driven him to develop unique concepts such as the HUMALOGY® Scale for measuring the amount of human or machine involved in a system or process, and the Rivers of Information® process for building learning eco-systems. He also pioneered a framework for looking accurately into the future of an industry sector in order to set organizational strategy: The High Beam process.
Scott co-founded Alkami Technology (ALKT), the developer of a second-generation online banking platform with innovative features non-existent in current systems. The company went public in 2021 at a $3billion valuation and is today headquartered in Dallas with over 350 employees.
Scott is recognized globally for his unique ability to accurately predict future digital trends and explain the logic behind why these will alter the current status quo of the economy and society. While business application of his insights is extremely valuable to leaders and companies, he is also motivated help improve the impact post Covid environments are having on people and their daily lives. Technology has been increasingly driving change and stress and recent events are amplifying this problem. He has a unique perspective on how to manage the personal toll technology is causing people, teams and organizations.
Even as a young child, Scott was destined to see the world through a Humalogy® lens. His father was a programmer for Boeing and his mother was a counselor who mixed many philosophies into her practice of helping people in life. To this day, he is a hybrid of a technologist and humanist who strives to find a hopeful future in blending the two.
Scott has the ability to entertain, inspire, and enlighten audiences, while helping them gain new perspectives about how technology is impacting us. Scott never does a canned presentation with the exact content across events. He sets himself apart from other speakers by architecting his content with the latest examples, current events and trends relevant for the keynote he is delivering.
He is equally adept at giving large stage keynotes, speaking to small boards of directors, facilitating half and full day workshops, and doing break-out sessions. As an added bonus of his presentations, attendees come away learning how to be a better facilitator, speaker or presenter by seeing Scott use different applications and technologies to engage audiences either in a virtual, hybrid or in person setting. The best measure of his ability to inspire and inform audiences is the high percentage of speaking clients who bring him back for follow up work with their audiences.
He produces a podcast titled “The Digital Optimist” in which he delivers ideas about the transformation of humanity through the impact of technology with a positive and hopeful lens. He also writes a blog titled Digital Awakening – both can be found at his website at www.klososky.com.

Stacey Caster

CEO and Founder, North Executive Advisor

Throughout her impressive and diverse career, Stacey Caster has earned a reputation for being a forward-thinking leader, business consultant, executive coach, and workshop facilitator. Possessing an innate understanding of people, businesses, and systems that she has continued to develop throughout her 25+ year career, Stacey has been recognized for her innovative approach to organizational structure, management, and leadership development. At the core of her work, she was responsible for increasing the value and performance of senior leaders, c-level executives, organizations, and teams and for delivering the necessary support to help businesses run smoothly. Stacey is an accomplished and well-respected speaker, consultant, and engaging business coach. She’s also an accomplished business leader specializing in technology and business operations. Stacey is constantly driven to transform obstacles into opportunities and challenges into possibilities for her clients.
Stacey was chosen by LA Weekly as one of the “Top 10 Leadership Coaches to Watch in 2024” and a 2023 RISE Mentor of the Year. In addition, she is an ICF Certified Executive Coach, a Certified Master Facilitator, and a Genos Emotional Intelligence Certified Practitioner.

Tracy-Ann Palmer

CEO and Founder, Corporate Athlete Academy

Tracy-Ann is a seasoned, well-rounded, executive leader with 25+ years of global transformation experience and deep expertise across all areas of the business. She is a catalyst for change and a savvy, courageous leader who is unafraid to tackle difficult challenges. Optimistic in the face of uncertainty, Tracy-Ann is able to skillfully navigate through ambiguity and stay ahead of the market. She is a stellar relationship builder and inspirational leader who creates diverse, resilient teams that consistently exceed growth targets. Tracy-Ann develops bold leaders through passionate, empathetic mentorship. With a pioneer mindset, she develops winning cultures and empowers people to deliver value beyond their own expectations. Tracy-Ann is a celebrated motivational speaker, executive coach known for accelerating growth in the face of adversity, exceptional entrepreneurial success, and visionary leader.
Tracy-Ann is a 2023 Stevie Award Winner – Women Executive of the Year, a CRN Executive Mentor of the Year, a CRN Inclusive Leader Award recipient, a Channel Futures Top 20 Cloud Channel Leader, a CRN Female Executive of the Year and Role Model of the Year finalist, and a CRN Power 100 recipient three years in a row for The Most Powerful Women of the Channel. Tracy-Ann is also the Founder of the “We Build Character” non-profit executive leadership mentoring program.

Amina Al Sherif

Generative AI & ML Practice Lead, Google Cloud

Amina Al Sherif is a technical engineering lead in machine learning and generative AI at Google. She immigrated to the United States in 2010 as a first generation Arab-American. She has spent twelve years in the Department of Defense serving as an Army officer in the Reserves and North Carolina National Guard as a tactical cyber operator and cyber targeter.
Amina has previously worked as an early stage startup executive focused on artificial intelligence innovation and product. Prior to her startup experience, Amina worked at Google as a Cloud Engineer bringing the innovation and power of Google’s capabilities to the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community. She focused on big data and machine learning, gaming and simulation, and data privacy and security in cloud computing and analytics.
Amina has worked with the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) as an Arabic, Farsi, and French language enabled Open Source Exploitation Analyst at Fort Belvoir, VA and Fort Bragg. She deployed under Operation Inherent Resolve to Baghdad, Iraq in 2015/2016. In 2016-2017 she deployed to Afghanistan supporting the Special Operations Community. Most recently Amina deployed to Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Israel for a Special Missions Unit out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina supporting cyber-HUMINT operations.
Amina holds a BA in Linguistics and Arabic from the University of Mississippi and a Masters in Professional Studies in Cybersecurity and Information Sciences from Penn State University. She is currently attending the University of Texas in San Antonio to pursue a career in astrophysics at the PhD level. She regularly blogs on Medium documenting her self-taught technical career. In January 2020, she published her first book An Approach to Machine Learning in Cyber Defense for the Department of Defense. She is also working on a three-part young adult fiction novel series and is currently contracted with Black Rose Writing for publication. She also blogs regularly on her website, https://www.aminaalsherif.camp

Frank Feagans

Vice President of IT and Chief Information Officer, University of Texas at Dallas

Frank Feagans is the Vice President of IT and Chief Information Officer for the University of Texas at Dallas. Prior to joining UT Dallas in 2015, Frank was the Executive Director of Central IT Services for the University of Arizona. Before his transition into Higher Education, Frank’s career was in private industry, where he held various senior IT leadership positions. His experience includes 15 years within the McDonald’s system, 8 years in IT consulting, and 2 years with US Cellular.
Frank has extensive experience leading all facets of IT, including research computing, application development, enterprise and solutions architecture, project management, infrastructure, operations, and client services. With a keen ability to mitigate systemic risks in complex systems, Frank champions IT as a transformational partner to the business. He emphasizes the importance of strong collaborative relationships with colleagues and service providers and fosters an IT culture rooted in caring and teamwork.
A native of Illinois, Frank holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science and a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Kerrica Laake

Chief Information Officer, City of Austin

Kerrica has over 30 years of local government experience and for over twenty years she has successfully engaged leadership teams, stakeholders, customers, staff, and vendors to create innovative, customer driven, community focused technology solutions for the Austin community. 
As the Chief Information Officer for the City of Austin, she focuses on digital transformation efforts that will help the city modernize its technology portfolio and improve the digital experience for employees, the community and business operations. Additionally, her teams provide the core IT services that the City depends on daily.
Kerrica is a University of Texas alumna and she’s active in the Austin technology community serving as an advisor to the SIM (Society for Information Management) Austin Board of Directors and sits on the ACC Continuing Education IT Advisory Board. She was awarded the Statescoop Local IT Leader of the Year Award in 2023.

Tracy Prater

Manager, Business Process Outsourcing, Access Sciences Corporation

Tracy Prater joined Access Sciences in 2005, bringing a varied portfolio of Information Systems experience spanning almost 25 years. He has a proven track record of leading and facilitating Document Management System (EDMS) migrations, rollouts, divestitures, change management communications, and training programs.
Tracy is a trailblazer for organizational change management programs which deliver esprit de corps to the project and for the impacted audience, profoundly demonstrate "What's In It for Me" (WIIFM).
He is a lifelong dog dad, classic rock curator, and audio-visual volunteer for non-profit organizations and schools in his community.

Savita Raghunathan

Principal, Deloitte

Savita Raghunathan is a Principal with Deloitte Consulting with over 16 years of experience in large-scale low-code and custom application development, enterprise application integration, program management and client advisory services for various government clients. Her areas of expertise include management of large-scale IT implementations using Agile concepts covering the software development lifecycle.

Principal, Human Capital, SLED, KPMG

Ben Straub

Head of Public Sector, Atlassian

Ben Straub is the Head of Public Sector for Atlassian. He leverages over 25 years of experience in enterprise software to lead the go to market efforts for government, federal systems integrators, defense contractors and education. Prior to joining Atlassian Ben held various go to market leadership roles at organizations such as Pendo, ServiceNow and Cornerstone both in the public and private sector. His unique perspective of seeing the many differences in the markets helps him become a trusted advisor to public sector organizations looking to drive significant digital transformation.

Dave Tucker

Director of Strategic Digital Services, Department of Information Resources, State of Texas

Dave is the Director of Strategic Digital Services in the Chief Technology Office of the Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR.) Dave leads the team that assists agencies and IHEs in adopting digital technology, transforming manual processes with digital processes, and replacing legacy technology with modern technology. Dave has managed or supported state government programs for 25 years as a project manager, vendor manager, business analyst and grant manager. He’s also President of the Southern Region of the National Association of State Technology Directors.
Dave holds bachelor’s degree from Bard College, and is a certified Project Manager, Scrum Master, Contract Manager, Facilitator, and ITIL Practitioner. When not working or parenting two daughters, Dave rehabilitates vintage mechanical watches (at times successfully,) and is usually recovering from electric skateboard injuries.

Bala Vaithyalingam

Worldwide Leader for Data & AI Solutions, IBM

Bala is a recognized Thought Leader on Data and AI from IBM. He leads Worldwide Solution engineering from IBM Technology Expert Labs to design and deliver solutions around Data Governance, Data Integration, Data Observability, GenAI and AI Governance.
Bala has a proven track record of designing and implementing Data and AI solutions for many State agencies, federal and private organizations in North America and around the world. He has extensive expertise in working with Chief Information Officers (CIOs) Chief Data Officers (CDOs) and CXOs to develop information governance strategy, Data Strategy, and agile implementation roadmaps to successfully adopt the governance journey to meet their regulatory compliance needs as well as to generate business value from the data management landscape. Bala received many awards in IBM including patent application invention achievement award for governed database connectivity through and around data catalog to registered data sources.
Bala lives in Frisco, Texas, and holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Purdue University and awarded three University gold medals for his outstanding achievements in bachelor degree (B.Tech) from Anna University, India.

View Speakers

Agenda

Thursday, November 21
8:00 am Central	Registration and Morning Refreshments in the Exhibit Area JW Grand Ballroom Foyer and Salon 5
9:00 am Central	Opening Remarks JW Grand Ballroom Salon 6/7/8 Amanda Crawford, Executive Director and State Chief Information Officer, Department of Information Resources, State of Texas
9:15 am Central	Keynote – The Age of Digital Disruption: Moving Forward, Faster JW Grand Ballroom Salon 6/7/8 Technology advancements continue to disrupt at a swifter pace than ever before. 2023 witnessed the impact of AI in all sectors, and this year the public sector is required to adapt and adopt at a speed unheard of in the past. For the rest of our careers, intelligence will be built into all devices, applications, and processes. This changes how we must think about the use of data and the integration of humans and machines. What are the crucial strategies for adapting to and maximizing the benefits of these advancements? This session will have you ready to move forward at high speed as it paints a vibrant picture showing how synthetic intelligence can amplify current systems and our workforce. Scott Klososky, Technologist, Futurist, Humanist, Author and Consultant
10:15 am Central	Bits and Bytes JW Grand Ballroom Salon 6/7/8
10:45 am Central	Networking Break in the Exhibit Area JW Grand Ballroom Salon 5
11:15 am Central	Concurrent Sessions AI and Automation in Practice: Turning Vision into Action JW Grand Ballroom Salon 2 As AI and automation become integral to the future of government, leaders must navigate the complexities of transforming cutting-edge technology into practical, implemented solutions. How can IT leaders overcome the barriers to adoption and help guide projects through critical milestones? What strategic decisions, visionary thinking and collaborative approaches are necessary to drive successful outcomes? This session dives into what we as leaders need to be thinking of now and into the future as we look to elevate our services through automation. Moderator: Casey Kennedy, Director of Information Services, Office of Court Administration, State of Texas Amina Al Sherif, SLED Practice Lead, AI & ML, Google Cloud Dave Tucker, Director of Strategic Digital Services, Department of Information Resources, State of Texas George Stolard, Chief Information Officer, Innovation & Technology Division, Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, State of Texas Let’s Get to Work! Addressing Challenges and Solutions for Texas’ Future Workforce JW Grand Ballroom Salon 3 As technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace, agencies are facing unique hiring challenges and seeking innovative solutions to build and retain a skilled IT workforce. From competition with the private sector to the complexities of government hiring processes, we'll first uncover the root causes behind these challenges. But what’s next? How can organizations overcome those obstacles to create an effective team? Are there unique internship or hiring opportunities that we can replicate? Our expert panel will look to answer those questions and will explore how they are tackling one of the biggest challenges we face as leaders today. Moderator: Jerry White, Texas Workforce Commission Chris Shuster, Principal, Human Capital, SLED, KPMG Ben Straub, Head of Public Sector, Atlassian Navigating Change: Aligning Internal and External Strategies for Effective IT Leadership JW Grand Ballroom Salon 4 Public sector IT leaders must successfully navigate the complex landscape of change management, balancing internal dynamics with external pressures. How can we overcome resistance, communicate effectively across departments, and ensure smooth transitions? Can we foster a culture of adaptability? This session explores how you can drive change that not only meets internal objectives but also resonates with the broader demands of the organization’s ecosystem. Tracy Prater, Manager, Business Process Outsourcing, Access Sciences Corporation
12:15 pm Central	Lunch JW Grand Ballroom Salon 6/7/8
1:15 pm Central	IT Leadership Awards JW Grand Ballroom Salon 6/7/8 Applaud the winners of the IT Leadership Awards. This award program honors outstanding public sector IT leaders.
1:30 pm Central	Short Break Please proceed to the concurrent sessions.
1:45 pm Central	Concurrent Sessions Leadership in the Era of Emerging Technologies JW Grand Ballroom Salon 2 True leadership in the fast-paced realm of IT leadership extends beyond mere awareness – it requires the ability to guide your teams adeptly through transformative periods. Are you equipped with the necessary skill sets to lead effectively amidst emerging technological challenges? This session offers unique perspectives on how to lead in this rapidly evolving technological landscape, balance risk with strategic decision making, and drive transformative change within your organization ensuring its readiness for tomorrow. Frank Feagans, Vice President of IT and Chief Information Officer, University of Texas at Dallas Kerrica Laake, Chief Information Officer, Communications and Technology Management, City of Austin Savita Raghunathan, Principal, Deloitte Bala Vaithyalingam, Worldwide Leader for Data & AI Solutions, IBM Mastering the Dual Roles: When to Lead, When to Manage JW Grand Ballroom Salon 3 As IT leaders, understanding when to lead with vision and inspiration, and when to manage with structure and efficiency is paramount for driving organizational success. What are some nuanced distinctions between leadership and management? Can you effectively unravel the key roles and responsibilities associated with each? Join this session where we’ll dissect the roles of leadership and management, examining how they synergize to drive efficiency. Accessibility in the Evolving Public Sector JW Grand Ballroom Salon 4 As the public sector workforce becomes more diverse and the nature of work shifts, ensuring accessibility is no longer just a compliance requirement - it’s a leadership priority. How should we approach embedding accessibility into our strategic plans? Are there solutions like remote work or more flexible environments that could support a set of diverse needs? This session examines the intersection of accessibility and the changing workforce and how we as leaders can promote an inclusive culture that continues to drive innovation.
2:45 pm Central	Networking Break in the Exhibit Area JW Grand Ballroom Salon 5
3:15 pm Central	Featured Speakers – Navigating Leadership with CLARITY JW Grand Ballroom Salon 6/7/8 It’s no secret that work in the public sector is rewarding. It’s also no secret that conditions to get this rewarding work done can be difficult with teams feeling like there’s never enough money, people, or time. How do current and future leaders cultivate skill sets that allow them to withstand and recover from the daily challenges presented? In this engaging workshop, you’ll enhance your leadership toolkit with the CLARITY framework. You’ll leave with an action plan to implement for immediate results all while enhancing your capacity for resilience! Stacey Caster, CEO and Founder, North Executive Advisor Tracy-Ann Palmer, CEO and Founder, Corporate Athlete Academy
4:15 pm Central	Networking Reception in the Exhibit Area JW Grand Ballroom Salon 5 Network with your colleagues and discuss technology solutions with the event exhibitors.
4:45 pm Central	End of Conference Conference times, agenda, and speakers are subject to change.

JW Marriott Austin

110 E 2nd Street
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 474-4777

Get Directions To
JW Marriott Austin

Advisory Board

Government Representatives

Tanya Acevedo
Chief Information Officer & Senior Vice President
Capital Metro

Fuat Aki
Director of Development
Texas Education Agency
State of Texas

Patricia Avitia
Chief Information Officer
Water Development Board
State of Texas

Jessica Ballew
Chief Information Officer
Department of Public Safety
State of Texas

Wendy Barron
Chief Information Officer
Texas Department of Motor Vehicles
State of Texas

Chris Bunton
Chief Information Officer
Department of Agriculture
State of Texas

Amanda Crawford
Executive Director & State Chief Information Officer
Texas Department of Information Resources
State of Texas

Carl Drescher
VP of Technology Operations
Lower Colorado River Authority
State of Texas

Daniel Drumm
Chief Information Security Officer
Department of Banking
State of Texas

Mark Gager
Chief Information Officer
Department of Information Services
Bexar County

Tony Gonzalez
Director of Information Technology
Information Technology
City of New Braunfels

Heather Hall
Chief Information Officer
Texas Workforce Commission
State of Texas

Ann Hallam
Chief Information Officer
Texas State Board of Public Accountancy
State of Texas

Keith Halman
Associate Vice Chancellor and System Chief Information Officer
Information Technology
Texas Tech University System

Bruce Hermes
IT Director
Austin Transit Partnership

John Hoffman
Deputy State Chief Information Officer
Department of Information Resources
State of Texas

Sylvia Kauffman
Deputy Executive Commissioner, Information Technology & Chief Information Officer
Health and Human Services Commission
State of Texas

Casey Kennedy
Director, Information Services Division
Office of Court Administration
State of Texas

Kerrica Laake
Chief Information Officer
Communications and Technology Management
City of Austin

Enrique Martinez
Chief Technology Officer
Information Technology
City of Arlington

Jamie McClanahan
Director of IT
Department of Parks and Wildlife
State of Texas

Drew McGrath
Chief Information Officer
Department of Family and Protective Services
State of Texas

Anh Selissen
Chief Information Officer
Department of Transportation
State of Texas

George Stolard
Chief Information Officer
Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission
State of Texas

Ralph Warren
Director of Information Technology Services
Information Technology Services
Travis County