Emmanuel Ajanma is the Director of Information Technology for the Vermont League of Cities and Towns (VLCT), where he champions the integration and management of technology initiatives to enhance municipal services across Vermont. With over 20 years of experience in both public and private sectors, Emmanuel has a wealth of expertise in driving technological advancements and fostering collaboration. He plays a pivotal role in supporting Vermont’s local governments through educational workshops, consulting, and advocacy. Emmanuel serves on the Vermont State and Local Government Cybersecurity Grant Committee and is a Certified Cybersecurity Rubric Evaluator (CCRE). His commitment to improving communication strategies and unifying IT ecosystems ensures that government entities in Vermont meet evolving technological demands and citizen expectations.

Scot Barker, Chief Innovation Officer for the City of Burlington, VT, joined the government after more than 25 years in the private sector as a leader of global technology and operations teams. He is also a management consultant, speaker, and educator. Along with innovation, technology, and operations, Scot has led organizational change management efforts, coaches developing professionals, and presents workshops and classes on project management, communication, leadership, organizational change management, multi-sector awareness and other topics. Scot has taught leadership classes at Marlboro College and presented at conferences including Public Sector Network, International City/County Management Association, and the Vermont Technology Alliance. 

Cary Brown is the Executive Director of the Vermont Commission on Women, a state agency that works to advance rights and opportunities for women and girls in Vermont. She’s been in this role since 2012, after several years as both a member of and advisor to the Commission. In her prior positions she has worked as the Director of Girls’ Programs for Vermont Works for Women, a non-profit organization supporting education, training and careers in non-traditional fields for women and girls; directed the Women in Technology Project, a national award–winning program for girls at Vermont Technical College; and served at the helm of a child care center. Cary received her bachelor’s degree from Haverford College, and a Master of Public Administration degree from Norwich University. She lives in Montpelier, Vermont with her family, where she serves on the Montpelier City Council.

As Chief Information Officer of the Vermont State Colleges System (VSCS), Kellie works in close partnership with the Council of Presidents to provide leadership, management, and strategy for the Information Technology (IT) shared services division. Inclusive of seven key service areas, the IT division provides direct IT services to the entire VSCS. Kellie also serves on the executive leadership team driving at transformation objectives for the state colleges system. As a commissioner and committee co-chair on the Vermont Commission on Women, Kellie works with others on non-partisan issues to advance the rights and opportunity for women in the state of Vermont.

With over 25 years of experience in new business development, customer relationship management, and digital transformation, Robin has dedicated his career to helping organizations navigate the evolving landscape of the future of work. As the Managing Director of the Advisory Business Group, Northeast Region at Avanade, Robin leads a team focused on integrating human-centered strategies with the latest in AI, cloud, and data analytics to drive transformative business outcomes. His passion lies in harnessing these technological advancements to create strategies that resonate with human needs, ensuring meaningful and sustainable change.
His approach to business challenges is rooted in a deep understanding of market dynamics and a keen insight into technological possibilities, enabling him to shape impactful business strategies and navigate through complex situations. Having worked with diverse teams across multiple industries, he has developed a nuanced perspective that aids in foreseeing industry trends and preparing businesses for future challenges. He is continually inspired by the opportunity to collaborate with like-minded professionals and organizations eager to transform and excel in a digitally-driven world.

Adam Goldstein is an Associate Professor and an Academic Program Director in Cybersecurity at Champlain College. He also serves as Academic Director of the Leahy Center for Digital Forensics and Cybersecurity at Champlain where he helps oversee undergraduate students working on a wide range of projects. Adam has vast industry experience as an information security officer having previously established cybersecurity operation programs at Dartmouth College and IT Security Officer and Villanova University. With over 20 years’ experience in information security at institutions of higher education and a background in systems and network engineering, he has a thorough understanding of the unique security challenges in the modern enterprise. Adam received his BA from Rutgers University, a Master of Science in Information Assurance from Norwich University, and a Graduate Certificate in Digital Forensic Science from Champlain College. He is a Certified Information System Auditor (CISA), and a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)

Christine Hallquist started as a design engineer for a major computer company and then became a leader in Lean Manufacturing. Christine became a free-lance consultant on Business Process Redesign. In 2000, Christine took charge of operations and engineering for Vermont Electric Cooperative (VEC) and implemented a GPS asset system and built fiber networks to start a Smart Grid. Christine become CEO of VEC in 2005 when VEC was teetering on bankruptcy and ultimately became an A+ rated utility and was recognized nationally for its technical leadership.  She was with the Technical Advisory Board for the NRECA for 10 years. Christine became Vermont’s Democratic candidate for governor in 2018. In 2019 Christine formed a Canadian company to develop a grid battery with 3 times the energy density of Lithium Ion. Christine is now the leader of the Vermont Community Broadband Board and is getting every Vermonter access to fiber optic Internet.

Dissertation Chair, Quantum Computing, Capitol Technology University
Dr. Atif Farid Mohammad is the Quantum Computing Chair at Capitol Technology University. He has a PhD in Cyber Security and a second PhD in Scientific Computing. Dr. Atif is an entrepreneurial-spirited, pioneering technologist with 30+ years of experience, out of which 16+ years are leadership experience identifying, qualifying, building consensus for, and implementing enabling technologies and enterprise systems that facilitate business processes and strategic objectives.  Areas of Expertise: Quantum, Computing, Artificial Intelligence / Generative AICyber Security Data Science.

Chris Neff is a Vice President at Tyler Technologies, where he helps government leaders create digital government solutions that address unmet needs and exceed the evolving expectations of constituents. He has spent 24 years overseeing market research, resident engagement, and new service development to help state, local, and federal agencies deliver best-in-class products. Prior to joining Tyler, he managed consumer marketing programs for entertainment and retail clients at The Coca-Cola Company. At MCI Communications, he was the brand manager for several consumer telecom services. Chris began his career as a cable television broadcaster and producer.

Joseph Paquin brings technical leadership to the Vermont Judiciary’s core networking and IT customer service. Doctoral candidate with an MBA in Information Technology Leadership. Deployed a modern backbone for the Vermont Judiciary following NIST 800.215 standards “Guide to a Secure Enterprise Network Landscape.” Created highly available networks to support access to justice for both court facilities as well as in correctional facilities. To balance life in a technical field, Joe has a homestead in Tunbridge VT where he raises livestock and grounds himself in the soil.

Josiah is the Director of the Division of Artificial Intelligence for the State of Vermont. Josiah has been with the State of Vermont since 2016, and served as a Developer, Special Projects Lead, and Director of Quality Management prior to taking on his role as the first AI Director.

Zoltan Sachs is a seasoned professional with over four decades of IT experience. He has honed his skills in various IT domains, including network security, system administration, managed services, IT management, and IT business ownership. He is currently engaged in pivotal work at the Leahy Center, where he applies his extensive knowledge and skills to real-world challenges. Zoltan leads a multi-year federal grant to work with Vermont municipalities, schools, nonprofits, and small businesses with the mission of reducing their risk of data breaches and exposure to cyberthreats while also training the next generation of cybersecurity professionals. His passions are guiding students in developing both technical and soft skills to excel in real-world environments and improving the cybersecurity posture of Vermont organizations including data protection, disaster preparedness and response, cybersecurity standards and compliance, and multimodal collaboration and training.

As the Co-Director of the Career Collaborative and Career Coach for the Information Technology and Sciences Division at Champlain College, Kerry leads initiatives to foster student career success. With nearly 15 years of industry experience, Kerry focuses on managing recruiting pipelines and employer relationships with both local, national, and international partners. In her current role, she specializes in industries such as cybersecurity, digital forensics, computer science, mathematics and data analytics; partnering up and coming student talent with emerging opportunities. Additionally, she collaborates with faculty and her team to design comprehensive programming, enhancing students' readiness for the job market through skill development, networking, and career positioning strategies. When not in the office, you can find Kerry spending time with her husband and two kiddos or testing out her favorite recipes from the Great British Bake Off. 

Emma Spett is a researcher and program coordinator based at UVM's Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships and Office of Engagement. She has developed programming related to rural development and capacity building, data-driven planning, and community resilience in Vermont, and carries out research on rural data governance and community economic development. She is completing her PhD in Sustainable Development Policy, Economics, and Governance at UVM, and teaches courses on community resilience and planning in the Public Administration and Community Development and Applied Economics departments at UVM.

John Toney (JT) serves as the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for the State of Vermont.  JT brings more than two decades of expertise, spanning more than 30 countries. Specializing in incident response, threat intelligence, and security operations, JT has been instrumental in architecting and building global security teams across five continents. He is an advocate for accountability and risk-based decision making.  He previously served as a Special Agent with the United States Secret Service in Philadelphia, DHS Headquarters, and at The White House.

I have worked as the Director of Risk Management for the State of Vermont since 2015. I protect State assets and transfer risk by managing the workers’ compensation and general liability self-insurance programs, securing insurance coverage for cyber, property, crime and flood exposures and identify insurance, indemnification and contractual requirements for vendors and ensure compliance. I have several years of experience in developing and managing innovative property and casualty risk management programs tailored to the needs of large and complex public sector organizations. I have the CPCU designation and am licensed to practice law in New York.