Ms. Abbott started her career with the WV Department of Transportation (DOT) after graduating from the WV Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Management Information Systems and a Bachelor of Business Management. Over the last 26 years she has held multiple positions within WV State Government working for the DOT, the Dept of Health and Human Services, and the West Virginia Office of Technology (WVOT). Her current role as COO began in 2018.
As COO, Ms. Abbott works with the CIO as well as executive staff to plan and incorporate the strategic goals of the WVOT into daily operations. The WVOT currently has over 220 employees and provides IT services to state agencies. Ms. Abbott is over client facing services such as Accounts Management, Configuration Management, Field Staff, Service Desk, and the Data Center.

Chris Behre is an Information Systems Manager with the West Virginia State Police. He has 11 years of experience developing solutions for law enforcement as well as overseeing state criminal justice systems and networks which have led to a passion for technology integration and automation.

Neil started IT work at age 6 with a Digital Equipment PDP8 computer and teletype in 1968. Neil has three adopted children. Neil has worked as an Air Quality Inspector, a developer and an oracle database administrator since starting at WVDEP in 1996. Neil has a BS in Computer Engineering.

Over the last 22 years of my professional career I have drawn expertise from several different industry settings including telecommunications, technology, education, and healthcare. I have demonstrated success in network management, project management, while managing a staff to keep my respective departments within budget. I am a well-organized, results oriented individual with a proven track record of implementing standards, procedures and processes that improve functionality and productivity. My business focus includes definition and alignment of business and technology processes, defining effective cross-functional strategies, budgeting & program management, regulatory compliance, and disaster recovery & business continuity.

James M. Dixon is the West Virginia Office of Technology's Director of Professional Development and Special Initiatives and has served in this role since December of 2018. He is retired from the US Air Force and the WV Air National Guard with 30+ years of service. He spent 23 years of his military career working in IT and concluded his military service as the WV Air National Guard State Command Chief. James is a graduate of the University of Charleston with a degree in Organizational Leadership.

Hussein Elkhansa is the West Virginia Department of Transportation Chief Technology Officer. Mr. Elkhansa worked West Virginia Department of Transportation for 35 years starting as an Engineer Trainee and had worked in almost every Division of the Deplanement.
Elkhansa holds a Bachelor of Science degree from West Virginia Tech in Civil Engineering and a Master of Science degree in Engineering Management from Marshall University Graduate College.
In 2021, Mr. Elkhansa was appointed by the Secretary of the WVDOT to serve as CTO for
WVDOT, to bring more efficiency and effectiveness through coordination by using the latest technology and promotion of best practices.
In 2019, Mr. Elkhansa was appointed by the Secretary of the WVDOT to serve as Chief Data Officer.
In 2004, Mr. Elkhansa was appointed by the Governor to serve as a board member of the WV Addressing and Mapping Board.
Also in 2004, Hussein Elkhansa was appointed to develop the new GTI Section as the Geographic Information System (GIS) Committee Chairman. He led the GTI Section in developing web-based applications to spatially enable the WVDOT’s data by combining spatial information with existing data from multiple agencies within the WVDOT and FHWA. The GTI Section continues to pursue partnerships with various federal and state agencies in developing the section.

Mr. Fisher became the Claim Manager for the West Virginia Board of Risk and Insurance Management (BRIM) on June 1, 1997 and added the title of Deputy Director in July 2002. Prior to coming to BRIM, he was actively involved with the State insurance program while employed by CNA Insurance Companies and later American International Group. Mr. Fisher has more than 36 years’ experience in the insurance and risk management fields. Since his arrival at BRIM, he was one of several individuals who were instrumental in establishing the private physician program that is now the West Virginia Mutual Insurance Company and has helped establish many of the programs that are now successful at BRIM. Mr. Fisher is a Past President of the State Risk and Insurance Management Association, a national organization of State Government Risk Managers.

Frazier, a native of Man, WV now residing in Oceana in Wyoming County, was appointed DMV Commissioner in January 2020 by Governor Jim Justice. He has worked for Thornhill Automotive Group for 22 years and has served as operations manager for the chain for 13 of those years. Frazier is no stranger to government, previously serving as a public representative on the West Virginia Board of Pharmacy from 2015 to 2019 and serving on the Wyoming County Planning Commission within the Wyoming County Economic Development Authority. Frazier took over with a desire to focus on improving customer service and technology, but more importantly, to foster a team effort environment, empowering all employees to contribute and feel valued in the agency.

Kermit Graham leads System Engineering in State, Local Government, and Education for the Eastern United States. His organization is responsible for the design and deployment of Fortinet solutions built on integrated security architectures that help solve the business challenges of customers.
After serving 13 years in the United States Marine Corps., Kermit entered the private sector via the Arrowpoint startup. After being acquired by Cisco, Mr. Graham held various leadership roles across Federal and SLED businesses, both domestically and internationally. With over 30 years of IT experience, he brings extensive knowledge of the Public Sector business.
Kermit and his wife Deonna reside in Austin, TX and are the proud parents of two sons.

Jamie Hoffmann is the Program Manager of the West Virginia Office of Broadband within the West Virginia Department of Economic Development. Mr. Hoffmann focuses on day-to-day implementation of Governor Jim Justice’s West Virginia Broadband Investment Plan to help deploy high-speed reliable broadband and resources for connectivity throughout West Virginia. He focuses on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) within the context of the broadband industry to administer grant programs, develop databases, and applications to support data-driven management decisions. He envisions the utilization of GIS data in West Virginia to help support funding opportunities with the utmost efficiency. Mr. Hoffmann strives to bridge the digital divide by mapping broadband availability and adoption at the address level to utilize funds through all state, local, and federal grant programs in West Virginia.

Gordon Lane is the current Director of Fraud Monitoring through the West Virginia State Auditor’s Office. The Division oversees nearly a billion in state and local spending annually. In this capacity Mr. Lane was the project manager for a new bespoke fraud software application that helps detect and identify fraud, waste, and abuse in public spending using AI/ML. This software combines insights from past fraud cases and investigator intuition and applies it to all transactions and is currently in production. From there Mr. Lane has been project lead for several other AI/ML model production projects currently being developed.
Mr. Lane also involved in the WV US Attorney’s Northern Division’s data driven healthcare fraud taskforce as well as vice-chairman of BRIM, the entity that manages the state’s property and liability insurance program for state agencies, other public entities, and non-profits.

Ian McQuinn is the General Manager of NIC’s West Virginia Enterprise Office. Since 2013, Mr. McQuinn has led his team of experienced digital government professionals as they have delivered over 450 high-impact government services and websites for 165 state and local government agencies.

A Raleigh County native, Governor Justice is a West Virginian through and through. With an education from Marshall University and the Greenbrier Military Academy, Gov. Justice built a career in farming and energy. Yet, he always had a profound pull to give back to West Virginia through his time, talents and resources. In 2017, he was elected as the 36th governor of the State of West Virginia and has spent his tenure finding ways to grow tourism, enhance statewide infrastructure, develop new educational opportunities and set a bright fiscal future of West Virginia.

Jamison Mitchell began with the West Virginia Office of Technology in June of 2018. He was appointed as the Chief Digital Officer in September of 2022, while still serving as the Director of Enterprise Solution Services. Since his time at the WVOT, he has begun re-identifying the State’s Program Management Office and working with agency business leaders to understand government services and operation requirements in order to translate them into digital products and services that enable new government service models and drive strategic outcomes.

Zach Patton is the chief editor of the Content Studio at e.Republic and Government Technology. He has been covering the public sector for nearly 20 years. Until 2019, he was the executive editor of Governing magazine, where he also had served as a staff writer for more than a decade.

Dr. Carl Powell is the Director of the West Virginia Network for Educational Telecomputing. WVNET provides telecommunications and computing services to West Virginia’s colleges, universities, and K-12 schools, as well as public libraries, county governments, and state government offices.
Dr. Powell has over thirty-five years of experience in senior IT leadership and higher education. He is an energetic and team-oriented leader with strong interpersonal, collaboration, and communication skills. As a seasoned CIO, he has extensive experience in executive leadership, strategic planning, and technology management.
Dr. Powell has held several CIO positions over his career in Ohio, Michigan, and Colorado. He holds a doctorate from Cleveland State University, as well as degrees from Kent State University and the University of California at Santa Barbara. He is a Certified Information Security Manager and has served his community as an Emergency Medical Technician and as a Reserve Police Officer.

Joshua Spence was named Chief Information Officer for the State of West Virginia, Office of Technology, in November 2018. Under his leadership, the state has begun a digital transformation designed to build a digital government capability seeking to leverage technology to improve both citizen services and internal government operations. To date, the state has embarked on a number of initiatives to include: establishing a holistic cyber risk management approach to cybersecurity, the modernization of the physical technology infrastructure with data center 2.0, and a workforce technology development endeavor dubbed Project Sunrise.
Prior to the appointment to CIO, Josh served as the Chief Information Security Officer for the state. Under his leadership, West Virginia implemented a new cybersecurity strategy, resulting in capabilities enhancements in all four strategic initiatives (risk, outreach, protection and operations). He holds expertise in cybersecurity strategy, risk management, certification and accreditation, cryptography, and incident response. Spence also serves as a Cyber Operations Officer in the West Virginia Air National Guard with over 21 years of service.
Spence holds a Master of Science in Information Technology Management from Marshall University. He has achieved numerous industry certifications, including Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), and has spoken at numerous technology conferences and events.

Ashley Summitt is a native North Carolinian, who moved to West Virginia in 1995. She graduated from Northeastern University School of Law in 2000 and returned to West Virginia, taking a position with the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals. Leaving the Court, she worked as an associate with the Charleston law firm Pauley, Curry, Sturgeon and Vanderford, PLLC. In 2009, Ashley came to work for the West Virginia Secretary of State as general counsel and stayed there until 2017 when she went to work for Governor Jim Justice as deputy general counsel. In 2019, Ashley came to the WV Board of Risk and Insurance Management as the state's Chief Privacy Officer.

2022 marks the 29th year in Dave’s information technology career. In his current role as CIO for the WV Secretary of State’s Office, he has overseen several process and application modernizations, assisted with office pandemic adaptations, and aided in the transition of elections technology into the U.S. Critical Infrastructure.

Nuvia is an information systems engineer with a master’s degree in Geographic Information System. Over seventeen years of broad experience in process optimization, technological integration, management change, and information systems in the disaster, emergency, and security fields, she has led the adoption of new technologies in disaster management such as satellite radar, monitoring systems, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), and Emergency Management Information Systems (EMIS). She has participated in multidisciplinary groups defining, designing, and implementing standards for developing Geospatial Data Infrastructures for disaster management in Catalonia, Spain, Andean Community Countries, and Mesoamerican Countries. Now, as a public servant, she is working on improving the emergency management processes by implementing information technology in the West Virginia Emergency Management Division (WVEMD) and pursuing a Master’s in Public Administration (MPA) degree.

Sheryl Webb was appointed as the Director of the Division of Personnel in 2017. Since her time at the DOP, she has worked to maximize customer relations, streamline processes, and be a resource for applicants and agencies that we serve. Prior to her time at the DOP, Sheryl was the Deputy Secretary of State/Chief of Staff with the Secretary of State’s Office. She also served in the Communications Department with the State Treasurer’s Office. Sheryl has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Communication Studies with an emphasis in Organizational Communications from Marshall University.

Morgan is an internationally recognized expert on cybersecurity strategy, cyberterrorism, identity theft and privacy. Morgan's landmark testimony before Congress on Healthcare.gov changed how the government collected personally identifiable information. He is currently a contributor to TheHill.com on matters of cybersecurity, national security and intelligence in addition to his national news appearances. Previously, Morgan was a senior advisor in the U.S. State Department Antiterrorism Assistance Program and senior law enforcement advisor for the 2012 Republican National Convention. In addition to 18 years in state and local law enforcement as a highly decorated state trooper and detective, Morgan has developed solutions in defense, justice and intelligence for the largest technology companies in the world including Cisco, Alcatel-Lucent/Bell Labs, Unisys and SAIC.