Florida Digital Government Summit 2024 Banner

Overview

The Digital Government Summit brings together technology focused public-sector professionals with leading industry partners to connect on innovative approaches, get inspired and discover new technologies. Join us and let’s improve the future of government together!

A message from our Keynote Speaker

Speakers

Scott Klososky

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

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Mike Driessen

Mike Driessen

Vice President, Government Technology

Mike Driessen is a Vice President for Government Technology and the Publisher for Industry Insider.  He is responsible for managing the strategy and operations for all recurring revenue services including GovTech Industry Navigator, a market and sales intelligence tool for private-sector SLED teams, and GovTech Industry Insider which provides daily news and insights into gov tech markets.   
Mike brings over 30 years of experience in IT consulting and systems integration with firms like Accenture, Grant Thornton and Hitachi Consulting.  His experience covers sales and marketing leadership, advising on digital strategies, and managing enterprise application alliances and implementations.  He has managed both large global teams and led start-ups. Mike lives in Los Angeles, although he grew up in the Midwest, and graduated from Marquette University with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Business Administration.

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Romelia Flores

Romelia Flores

Distinguished Engineer, Master Inventor, Public Sector Markets, IBM 

Romelia is an IBM Distinguished Engineer working for IBM's Client Engineering team in the Dallas / Fort Worth area.  As a certified Senior IT Architect and Enterprise Design Thinking Leader she collaborates with leading Public Sector clients to design essential IBM solutions running on IBM’s watsonx AI platform.  Examples of key projects she has focused on include 2022 Helix County Water District Fleet Management, 2022 Space Force Space Surveillance, 2021 Harris County Connect 360, 2021 Tulare County Connect 360, 2021 DFW Airport of the Future, 2021 Office of Attorney General, 2020 Canadian Institute for Health Information, and 2019 City of Fort Worth Storm Water Management.  Romelia is also the Global IBM Distinguished Board Chair and leads Global Sales' Master Inventor program.  She has contributed significant intellectual capital including 84 U.S. Patents and over 10 Patents Pending.  She is also a member of the IBM Academy of Technology and the International Women's Forum.

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Paul Forrester

Paul Forrester

Chief Information Officer, Florida Department of Commerce, State of Florida   

Paul Forrester is the Chief Information Officer at the Florida Department of Commerce. Paul moved into the CIO role in October 2022 after previously serving as Deputy CIO and leading the Applications Development team. Paul also spent 25 years at the Florida Department of Revenue managing several teams in Information Technology. He has led major projects at both FloridaCommerce and the Florida Department of Revenue. He has also worked closely with Senior Leadership on a list of IT initiatives. Paul has a degree in Economics from the University of Georgia, as well as a degree in Management Information Systems from Florida State University.

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Glendora Fortune

Glendora Fortune

Chief Information Officer, Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT)

Glendora was named as the FDOT Chief Information Officer (CIO) in June of 2023. Before taking on the role of CIO at FDOT, she served as the CIO of the Florida Legislature, Office of Legislative IT Services. Prior to her time with the Legislature, Glendora spent almost 10-years at FDOT, leading efforts to expand data infrastructure and management capabilities and to establish and execute cloud infrastructure and development strategies, helping accelerate FDOT’s move to a cloud environment, while also furthering development of enterprise services, service management, and enterprise architecture.
Glendora began her career as a computer programmer at the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV). From DHSMV, she moved to take on additional opportunities with the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA). In total, she spent more than sixteen years with these two agencies, gaining skills and knowledge with each promotion.
Glendora is a collaborative leader, who is committed to building and strengthening relationships, while also working hard to ensure that technology is utilized to best support business needs. 
Glendora graduated from Florida State University with a degree in Management Information Systems. She also maintains professional certifications including Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Public Manager (CPM), Certified Scrum Master (CSM), and Florida Certified Contract Manager (FCCM).

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Heather Hall

Heather Hall

Chief Information Officer, Texas Workforce Commission

Heather Hall serves as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) at the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC). Her 19-year state career includes serving as the Director for Strategic Decision Support at the Health and Human Services Commission, the Project Management Office Director, Deputy CIO and CIO at the Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS); Project Manager at the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts; and other roles within DADS, Department of Human Services, and Office of the Attorney General.
Throughout her career, Heather has volunteered her time and professional skills to several professional organizations including Project Management Institute (PMI), Austin Chapter (President, Vice President of External Services, and Professional Development Day Director); Executive Women in Texas Government (Vice President/Conference Chair and Communications Director); and State Agency Coordinating Committee, IT Subcommittee (Vice Chair and Chair).
Heather is a PMI-certified Project Management Professional and holds a bachelor’s degree in Latin from Baylor University, a master’s degree in Library and Information Science from The University of Texas at Austin, and a Ph.D. in Information Science from The University North Texas.

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Jamey Heary

Jamey Heary LinkedIn

Distinguished Solutions Engineer, Cisco Systems 

Jamey Heary is the Chief Security Architect at Cisco Systems where he leads the Global Security Architecture Team. Jamey is a trusted security advisor and architect for many of Cisco’s largest and most strategic customers. His passion is consulting with customers on security design and architecture with a focus on integration for better together protection. Jamey is the author of three security books, holds patents on risk reputation techniques and also invented the SAFE security architecture process. He is a sought-after speaker for cybersecurity events and is a Cisco Live distinguished speaker. Jamey spent 8 years on the PCI Standard Board of Advisors. He is a CCIE and has been working in the IT security field for over 25 years. Jamey lives in Florida where he enjoys boating, scuba diving and travel.

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Joey Hornsby

Joey Hornsby

Chief Information Officer, Department of Law Enforcement, State of Florida 

Joey Hornsby was appointed Director of Information Technology Services for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) in May 2014. As IT Director, Mr. Hornsby serves as Chief Information Officer and is responsible for all aspects of FDLE’s Information Technology and Security programs.
Mr. Hornsby’s duties include support of the Florida Crime Information Center (FCIC), providing Florida’s Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice entities access to local, state, national, and international information repositories. Duties also include supporting the country’s 3rd largest criminal history and biometric identification systems, as well as stewardship of Florida’s Criminal Justice Network, state government’s largest wide area network connecting over 1,800 Local, State, and Federal agencies across 500+ locations. These systems, in concert with many others, support Florida’s Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice communities and serve as national and international gateways for access to criminal justice data.
Mr. Hornsby holds a Bachelor of Computer Engineering degree from Auburn University and has over 32 years of public and private sector IT experience including networking, systems, infrastructure, security, and data center operations.

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Mike Hussey

Mike Hussey

Industry Executive Director, Oracle

Mike Hussey is an industry executive director for state and local strategy for Oracle Government and Education. Mike has 25 years of senior leadership experience with the State of Utah where he most recently served as CIO for the State of Utah and the executive director for the Department of Technology Services.  While serving in this cabinet-level position, Mike was known as a collaborative and transformative leader who enjoys applying technological advances available in the market.  Among some of his accomplishments while the state CIO, Mike led the state’s cloud journey and digital transformation efforts, created the state’s first cyber center, and formed the state’s first innovation fund.
Mike has been recognized as a “Top 25 Doer, Dreamer and Driver” in the public sector.

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Henry Jia

Henry Jia LinkedIn

AI/ML Specialist Solutions Architect, Amazon Web Services 

Henry Jia is Specialist Solutions Architect with the AWS Public Sector team with over a decade of industry experience in applying AI/ML solutions to solve enterprise challenges.  Henry now works with customers in the GovTech sector to design and prototype innovative solutions using AWS Generative AI tools and services, with a particular focus on AI alignment and ethical AI.

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Don Katello

Don Katello

Senior Manager, State Government, T-Mobile

Hernán Londoño, Ph.D.

Hernán Londoño, Ph.D.

Chief Technology and Innovation Strategist, Dell Technologies

John Mallette

John Mallette

Application Services Manager, Department of Transportation, State of Florida 

John currently serves as the Application Services Manager for the State of Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) where he previously served as a Section Manager managing development teams. In his current role, John and his team support cloud infrastructure, enterprise services, enterprise architecture, application development, and product delivery. Prior to joining FDOT in 2016 , John was with the Florida Department of Revenue for 17 years managing numerous teams and software projects. John maintains professional certifications including: Project Management Professional (PMP) Certified Scrum Master (CSM), and Florida Certified Contract Manager (FCCM).

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Scott McPherson

Scott McPherson

Senior Fellow, Center for Digital Government

Scott is a fifth-generation native Floridian. Born in Jacksonville in the mid-1950s, Scott was raised in Broward and Martin Counties. An international businessman at age 21, Scott was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 1980 from the south Miami-Dade County area at age 25, defeating a two-term incumbent. Scott served in the early 1980s.
Scott has been a technology and communications consultant for the past nineteen years, and moved his practice to Tallahassee in 1991. His weekly technology column for Knight/Ridder Newspapers, “The Help Screen,” went on hiatus in 2002 after seven consecutive years of production. It ran coast-to-coast and appeared regularly in such newspapers as the Boston Globe, the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Detroit Free Press, the Tallahassee Democrat, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Orange County (CA) Register.
In 1995, Scott became Director of Information Technology for the Republican Party of Florida and guided the party’s IT, data collection, software production and GIS efforts through two campaign cycles – the two most successful cycles in state Party history. His legacy at RPOF includes the first state Republican Party Website and the groundbreaking “Victory Suite” software program.
In 1999, Governor Jeb Bush asked Scott to leave that position to design and helm Team Florida 2000, Florida’s statewide Y2K preparedness effort. The largest IT project in Florida’s history, Team Florida 2000 became a national model and garnered several state and national best practice awards. TF2K’s statewide critical infrastructure survey and disaster recovery awareness programs were a precursor to Florida’s best-practice homeland security efforts following 9/11.
In early 2000, following the success of TF2K, Governor Bush asked Scott to repair the ailing state Census partnership. Scott’s redesigned and reenergized effort, Sunshine Count 2000, was a critical and media success, and helped Florida secure a second new Congressional district, which no political pundit thought possible.
Immediately following the Census project, Scott designed a plan for enterprise-wide information security. In early 2001, Scott created the Office of Information Security within Florida’s State Technology Office. Efforts were accelerated following 9/11, and Scott won a national “Best of Breed” award from the Center for Digital Government in 2002 for the Florida cybersecurity effort. A derivative of the effort, “SecureFlorida.org,” was launched jointly by Scott, the State Technology Office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement in 2003 for the benefit of the general public, local governments and the private sector.
In March 2001, Scott was appointed Chief Information Officer (CIO) at the Florida Department of Corrections. He served in that capacity for nearly six years. Under Scott’s tenure, the Department’s Office of Information Technology has won seventeen (17) Davis Productivity Awards from Florida TaxWatch for technological innovation and excellent stewardship of taxpayer dollars.
Scott is a past-president of the Corrections Technology Association, a hemispheric association of state, federal, tribal, county and municipal corrections technology professionals from the Pacific islands to Canada, the United States and Mexico. He also served on the Article V Technology Board and served as the Corrections representative to the CJJIS Council. He was the last chairman of the Florida Geographic Information Board (GIB) in 2001. Scott also was elected unanimously by his peers as Chairman of the CIO Council of State government chief information and technology officers for 2005-06.
In November 2006, Scott returned to his legislative roots and accepted the appointment as CIO for the Florida House of Representatives. “It’s good to be home,” he said.
With his unique background in government, business, emergency preparedness and disaster recovery, Scott is now recognized internationally as an expert in preparedness for an eventual influenza pandemic. Scott has lectured extensively across the country on the topic, and is frequently consulted for quotes and comments from the national and trade press on the subject. His presentations are referenced by the National Association of County and City Health Officials, the State University System of Florida, the University of Illinois, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the National Institute of Corrections. Scott appeared on Fox News Channel as part of its ongoing swine flu coverage. 
At the personal invitation of Dr. Michael Osterholm, a well-known, deeply respected and frequently-quoted expert on public health issues, Scott lectured at the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) September, 2009 conference titled "Keeping the World Working During an Influenza Pandemic." It was the final opportunity to inform business, government and industry prior to the full onset of 2009's H1N1v pandemic.  As a result of his pandemic efforts and overall body of work, Government Technology Magazine recognized Scott as one of the Top 25 public technology leaders in the United States for 2008, along with FEMA Director Craig Fugate and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
In 2017, for his overall portfolio of accomplishments, Scott received the inaugural Florida CIO Hall of Fame award from Public CIO magazine.
Scott McPherson is married to the former Marta Carballo, and is stepfather to her two grown children.  High school football fans know Scott as The Voice Of the Trojans, calling games for Tallahassee Lincoln High School’s nationally-recognized football team. He retired from announcing in 2013, following his 12th year behind the microphone.

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Darrick Mowrey

Darrick Mowrey LinkedIn

Principal Architect, Google 

Darrick Mowrey has been a Cloud Architect for over a decade with a wide experience of applying data and AI to solve a diverse set of government issues.

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Josh Pearl

Josh Pearl

Regional Director, Systems Engineering, Public Sector, Fortinet 

With 15 years in the Cybersecurity space, Josh Pearl has spent the last 4 years working to secure Public Sector organizations in Florida. As the Public Sector Systems Engineering Director for the state of Florida at Fortinet, he has had the opportunity to work with many FL-based Government organizations to understand their goals, the technical hurdles they face, and how to put them in the best position possible to mitigate cyber-attacks in a world where they are becoming increasingly ubiquitous.

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Cole Sousa

Cole Sousa

Chief Information Officer, Department of Children and Families, State of Florida

Cole Sousa is the Chief Information Officer (CIO) at the Florida Department of Children and Families, with four years of dedicated service, including two years as CIO. Cole is currently spearheading a significant digital transformation initiative, focused on modernizing critical departmental applications and systems. He believes in fostering collaboration among diverse teams, driving innovation, and maintaining active engagement with industry leaders to ensure the department remains a pioneering force in using technology to support the well-being of Florida's children and families.

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James E. Taylor

James E. Taylor

Chief Executive Officer, Florida Technology Council 

James Taylor serves as a Senior Board Member of the Florida Center for Cyber Security, a Board Member of the Florida State College of Jacksonville School of Technology, a Board Member of the Tallahassee Collegiate Academy, a member of the Tallahassee State College Cybersecurity Advisory Board, a Board Member of Innovation Park N Florida Innovation Labs, and serves on the Florida State University Gap Proposal Review Committee, a Board Member for Florida’s Public Sector Academy and a Board Member for the Florida Digital Government Summit.
Mr. Taylor served as the technology industry representative for the Governor’s Reopen Florida Taskforce, and the Cybersecurity and Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Legislative Work Group in the Florida House of Representatives.
In 2019 James began assisting the FBI in developing partnerships with higher education institutions by implementing free FBI Cybersecurity Symposium educational events across the state. In 2022 James was appointed as one of 16 leaders in industry, education and workforce development to serve on the State’s newly created Credentials Review Committee.
James is the creator of Florida’s Tech Day at the Capitol, the Florida Technology Magazine for state legislators and agencies, FTC’s State Advisory Workgroup, Government CIO Mentorship Program and the Private Sector Academy.
James Taylor lives in Tallahassee Florida with his incredible wife Penny and is a recent graduate of the U.S. Department of Justice FBI Citizens Academy.

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Michelle Taylor

Michelle Taylor

Chief Information Officer, Leon County Government

Michelle Taylor is the Chief Information Officer since January of 2020 for the local government of Leon County, Florida, where she previously served as the Director of IT Operations. Prior to her career with Leon County, Michelle held technology positions with The Florida State University’s College of Law, Department of Biological Sciences, and College of Education. Michelle received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer science from The Florida State University and is a Certified Government Chief Information Officer through FSU’s Florida Institute of Government. Michelle has three decades of experience in successful IT hiring.

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Kate Williams

Kate Williams

Assistant Secretary, Office of Child and Family Well Being, Department of Children and Families, State of Florida

Kathryn “Kate” Williams is the Assistant Secretary for the Office of Child and Family Well-Being. Kate began her career with the Department as a Child Protective Investigator, and she still maintains her CPI Certification today. With almost two decades of experience, Kate brings frontline experience, a vast expertise in child welfare, and innovation to the role.
Mrs. Williams previously served as the Deputy Secretary for the Office of Child and Family-Wellbeing where she oversaw Operations in OCFW. During her time with the Department, Kate has lent her knowledge and insight to a number of statewide initiatives that are transforming our system of care including her role in spearheading an effort on frontline-focused initiatives through best practice identification, standardization and implementation. Additional initiatives include leading the charge in the creation of the Family Navigation Program, participation in the SSPE workgroup while Florida implemented our Child Welfare Practice Model and serving as the Policy and Practice Team lead for the CPI Efficiencies Project. Kate is a native Floridian originally from Clay County. She has a master’s degree in Criminal Justice from the University of North Florida. Kate now resides in Tallahassee with her husband and two children.

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Agenda

Wednesday, May 29

8:00 am Eastern

Registration and Morning Refreshments in the Exhibit Area

1st and 2nd Level Atriums

9:00 am Eastern

Opening Remarks

Room 208 (Auditorium)

Michelle Taylor, Chief Information Officer, Office of Information Technology, Leon County

9:15 am Eastern

Keynote – The Age of Digital Disruption: Moving Forward, Faster

Room 208 (Auditorium)

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 Eastern

Networking Break in the Exhibit Area

1st and 2nd Level Atriums

10:45 am Eastern

Concurrent Sessions

Securing the Backbone: Strategies for Defending Critical IT Infrastructure

Room 103 (1st Floor)

Bad actors have more tools at their disposal than ever before and staying on top of them has proven to be the challenge of our day. What does the current threat landscape look like? Are there new tools and tactics we can deploy to strengthen our security posture? This session takes a deep dive into cyber strategies and how to ultimately protect your most critical infrastructure.

Moderator: Scott McPherson, Senior Fellow, Center for Digital Government

Jamey Heary, Chief Security Architect, Cisco Systems

Josh Pearl, Regional Director, Systems Engineering, Public Sector, Fortinet

Jeremy Rodgers, State Chief Information Security Officer, State of Florida

Finding Your Way to the Cloud

Room 214 (2nd Floor)

Do you have legacy systems that are getting long in the tooth? Moving to the cloud can help to accelerate digital transformation while enabling you to deploy applications faster and potentially reduce costs. Embracing the journey to the cloud amplifies efficiency, collaboration, and agility. Explore how this strategic shift optimizes operational processes, ensuring your enterprise stays agile and well-equipped to thrive in the rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Moderator: Mike Driessen, VP of Industry Insider Florida, Government Technology

Glendora Fortune, Chief Information Officer, Department of Transportation, State of Florida

Mike Hussey, Industry Executive Director, Oracle

John Mallette, Application Services Manager, Department of Transportation, State of Florida

Doug VanDyke, Director, Public Sector Cloud, CDWG

Accessible Automation: Empowering Everyone

Room 114 (1st Floor)

Automation continues its march into the workplace. Today, automation agents powered by generative AI are getting smarter and more capable by the day, blurring the distinction between task augmentation and task elimination. Robotic process automation (RPA) has made significant impacts on the work that you do and the customers you serve. This session discusses the present and future use cases of automation and how innovative approaches using machine learning and emerging generative AI will positively impact your organization.

Moderator: James E. Taylor, Chief Executive Officer, Florida Technology Council

Romelia Flores, Distinguished Engineer, Master Inventor, Public Sector Markets, IBM

Joseph Martin, Chief Information Officer, Department of Business and Professional Regulation, State of Florida

Kevin Talbert, Senior Solutions Engineer, Cloudera Government Solutions

Let’s Get to Work!

Room 201 (2nd Floor)

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 must 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 you face as leaders today.

Moderator: Hansa Bernal, Senior National Conference Director, Government Technology

Heather Hall, Chief Information Officer, Texas Workforce Commission

Joey Hornsby, Chief Information Officer, Department of Law Enforcement, State of Florida

Don Katello, Senior Manager, State Government, T-Mobile

Jerry White, Human Resource Director, Texas Workforce Commission

11:45 am Eastern

Lunch

Room 108 (Dining Room)

12:45 pm Eastern

Bits and Bytes – Empowering Organizational Agility: Bridging IT and Business for Success

Room 208 (Auditorium)

In today's dynamic landscape, aligning IT endeavors with the overarching business strategies is a priority for organizational agility. Establishing strong relationships is the key to achieving this alignment. Do you have the right structure to get things done? Join us to discover strategies for fostering cohesion between IT and business operations, enhancing collaboration, and cultivating agility.

Moderator: Mike Driessen, VP of Industry Insider Florida, Government Technology

Cole Sousa, Chief Information Officer, Department of Children and Families, State of Florida

Kate Williams, Assistant Secretary, Office of Child and Family Well Being, Department of Children and Families, State of Florida

1:15 pm Eastern

Short Break

Please proceed to the concurrent sessions.

1:25 pm Eastern

Concurrent Sessions

Demystifying AI – A Realistic Perspective

Room 103 (1st Floor)

Artificial Intelligence is one of the most talked about technologies inside and outside of government. Machine learning, chatbots, predictive analytics and generative AI are only some of the ways AI is rapidly embedding itself into organizations across the globe. As with any new technology, there are more questions than answers. This session will offer a level set, exploring various terms and definitions as well as the ethics, governance and security concerns AI presents that must be confronted now and into the future.

Moderator: Michelle Taylor, Chief Information Officer, Office of Information Technology, Leon County

Henry Jia, AI/ML Specialist Solutions Architect, Amazon Web Services

Andy Sweet, Data and Analytics Lead, North America, Avanade

Scott Ward, Chief Information Officer, Agency for Healthcare Administration, State of Florida

Responsible Use of Data for Equity and Security

Room 214 (2nd Floor)

Unlocking the full potential of data while ensuring privacy and integrity presents challenges for government organizations. Coupled with the push to implement AI, it becomes even more complex to leverage data effectively for informed and equitable decision making. Responsible data practices can foster trust, equity, and resilience in government operations and services. This session explores strategies for defending sensitive data while making it usable for all.

Moderator: Hansa Bernal, Senior National Conference Director, Government Technology

William Armstrong, Information Security Manager, Agency for Healthcare Administration, State of Florida

Hernán Londoño, Ph.D, Chief Technology and Innovation Strategist, Dell Technologies

Darrick Mowrey, Principal Architect, Google

Bracing for the Next Crisis: Essential Lessons and Resilience Strategies

Room 114 (1st Floor)

Where will the next crisis come from, and do you have a disaster preparedness plan in place? Whether it is natural disasters, cyberattacks, societal shifts, or pandemics, the next hurdle is just around the corner. Gain valuable insights from past disruptions and explore practical tools and strategies to enhance your team's ability to operate efficiently in the face of adversity. Join us to fortify your resilience and readiness for whatever challenges lie ahead.

Moderator: Scott McPherson, Senior Fellow, Center for Digital Government

Tim Brown, Assistant Vice President, Northwest Regional Data Center & Florida Virtual Campus, Florida State University

Paul Forrester, Chief Information Officer, Florida Department of Commerce, State of Florida

Henry Martin, Chief Information Officer, Walton County Schools

Exclusive Briefing for Industry Partners

Room 208 (Auditorium)

Hosted by: Mike Driessen, VP of Industry Insider Florida, Government Technology

2:25 pm Eastern

Networking Break in the Exhibit Area

1st and 2nd Level Atriums

2:55 pm Eastern

General Session – The State of AI in GovTech: Exploring the Future

Room 208 (Auditorium)

Presented by the Center for Public Sector AI, this keynote presentation delves into the present status of Artificial Intelligence in the GovTech sector, offering a detailed examination of AI's applications within state and local governments. We will explore AI's potential future paths in GovTech, highlighting emerging trends and discussing how technology and policy leaders can prepare for AI's impact on service delivery. We will address starting points for AI implementation, stressing the importance of collaboration, ethical considerations, and equitable technology access. This forward-looking talk will equip attendees with a thorough understanding of AI's trajectory in GovTech, providing practical insights to effectively leverage AI for public sector innovation and advancement.

Mike Driessen, VP of Industry Insider Florida, Government Technology

3:55 pm Eastern

Best of Florida Awards Program

Room 208 (Auditorium)

4:10 pm Eastern

Networking Reception in the Exhibit Area

2nd Level Atrium

Network with your colleagues and discuss technology solutions with the event exhibitors.

4:40 pm Eastern

End of Conference

Conference times, agenda, and speakers are subject to change.

Florida State Conference Center

555 W Pensacola Street
Tallahassee, FL 32306
(850) 644-3801

Get Directions To
Florida State Conference Center

Advisory Board

Government Representatives

Pura Ahler
Deputy Chief Information Officer
Department of Health
State of Florida

Eric Brown
Chief Information Officer
Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
State of Florida

Alan Cash
Chief Information Officer
Governor's Office
State of Florida

Paul Chafin
Chief Technology Officer
Department of Health
State of Florida

Bob Endress
Chief Information Officer
Senate
State of Florida

Richard Evans
Chief Information Officer
Department of Management Services
State of Florida

Paul Forrester
Chief Information Officer
Department of Economic Opportunity
State of Florida

Glendora Fortune
Chief Information Officer
Department of Transportation
State of Florida

Joey Hornsby
Chief Information Officer
Department of Law Enforcement
State of Florida

Ruth Lang
Chief Information Officer
Department of Corrections
State of Florida

Joseph Martin
Chief Information Officer
Department of Business and Professional Regulation
State of Florida

Kerri McEwen
Acting Chief Information Officer
House of Representatives

Chad Morris
Director of Information Systems
City of Niceville

Terrence Samuel
Chief Information Officer
Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
State of Florida

Roosevelt Sawyer
Chief Information Officer, Florida Supreme Court
Office of the State Courts Administrator
State of Florida

Leo Schoonover
Chief Technology Officer
Florida Digital Service
State of Florida

Andre Smith
Deputy Commissioner of Innovation
Department of Education
State of Florida

Cole Sousa
Chief Information Officer
Department of Children and Families
State of Florida

Marty Stevens
Chief Information Officer
Department of Environmental Protection
State of Florida

Jim Taylor
CEO
Florida Technology Council
Florida Technology Council

Michelle Taylor
Chief Information Officer
Office of Information Technology
Leon County Government

Mike Turner
Chief Information Officer
Florida Fish and Wildlife
State of Florida

Michael van Zwieten
Chief Information Officer
Florida League of Cities, Inc.

Scott Ward
Chief Information Officer
Agency for Healthcare Administration
State of Florida

Susan Whitmire
Chief Information Officer
Florida Gaming Control Commission
State of Florida

Industry Representatives

Jamie Borup
Account Executive
Cloudera Government Solutions

John Breed
Government Cloud Sales
Google Cloud

Pete Butler
Account Manager
Cisco Systems

Herb Fillyaw
Senior Technical Sales Representative
Amazon Web Services

Chuck Lang
Oracle Cloud
Oracle

Debbie Langeman
Principal Technology Leader
IBM

Hernan Londono
Chief Technology and Innovation Strategist
Dell Technologies

AJ Lucci Jr.
Sales Manager
CDW-G

Josh Pearl
Director, Systems Engineering
Fortinet

Patrick Refern
Senior Account Executive, State Government
T-Mobile for Government

Mike Vandall
South Government and Public Services Lead
Avanade

Registration Information / Contact Us

Contact Information

2025 Sponsorship opportunities are available. For more information, contact:

Heather Earney
Government Technology
Phone: (916) 932-1339
E-mail: heather.earney@erepublic.com

Venue

Florida State Conference Center

555 W Pensacola Street
Tallahassee, FL 32306
(850) 644-3801