Emma-Marie Banks is the Coordinator of Learning Through Technology at the Maine Department of Education. Emma provides vision and oversight of statewide technology in education, including technology integration, digital citizenship, technology provision, artificial intelligence, cyber security, computer science, digital equity, and more. 

Mr. Ryan Barnes is a Cybersecurity Advisor covering the state of Maine in Region 1 for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Ryan comes to CISA with more than 15 years of industry experience in telecommunications engineering, electrical utility operations, cybersecurity operations, as well as serving in the Air Force as a Cyberspace Engineering Officer where he deployed to numerous locations worldwide and is currently the Director of Operations for a Cyberspace Engineering and Installations Squadron.
Mr. Barnes’s education includes a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering Technology from the University of Maine at Orono, and a Master of Science in Cybersecurity Studies from American Military University. He is an Information Systems Audit and Controls Association (ISACA) Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) and maintains a Security+ certification by CompTIA. In addition, Ryan has attended numerous specialized trainings throughout his career focusing on cyberspace defense, operations, engineering, and resiliency, as well as numerous leadership training courses.
He has had a career pathway that had him working with various critical infrastructure sectors, including telecommunications and energy throughout Maine, where he started out as a networking engineer and was sought out to be the lead for developing a cybersecurity program from the ground up.
Mr. Barnes was entrusted with the responsibility of designing and deploying robust cyber solutions worldwide to include for the White House Communications Agency, in addition to throughout the United States, Africa, and Asia for the Department of Defense and coalition partners.
Ryan joined the CISA team in 2022 as the Cybersecurity Advisor for the State of Maine. As a Cybersecurity Advisor, Ryan focuses on ensuring that organizations are performing the “Eat Right and Exercise” of cyber by developing a solution for their particular needs to meet a baseline of security and defense-in-depth to build from to enhance and secure their infrastructure from the cyber threats of today and those in the future, He believes that collaboration is a key element for the protection of critical infrastructure and emphases relationship building and information sharing as prime factors in any successful cybersecurity endeavor.

Secretary of State Shenna Bellows is Maine’s 50th Secretary of State and first female Secretary of State.  She serves on the Executive Board of the National Association of Secretaries of State as the Eastern Region Vice President. She chairs the national Executive Committee of the Election Infrastructure-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EI-ISAC.) She also serves on the Elections Assistance Commission. She previously represented part of Kennebec County as a State Senator. Prior to public service, she was Executive Director of the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine on the UMA campus, where she now serves on the UMA Board of Visitors.  She resides in Manchester.

Chris Boudreau is the Director of Enterprise Data Services at MaineIT where he specializes in Data Analytics services, Data Integration services and all things Oracle. Formerly the Director of the Center for Workforce Research and Information (CWRI) at the Maine Department of Labor, Chris has been nationally recognized for his development work on statistical systems, leveraging data visualizations to convey labor market data on CWRI’s website and for his work on longitudinal outcomes research. He was a member of the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Labor Market Information Oversight Council and the Sigma Class of Leadership Maine.

Aimee Carlton is the Business Operations Manager for the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF).  She has been in this role since October of 2013. She has worked for the State of Maine for 31 years in various capacities at the Department of Administrative and Financial Services (DAFS), Department of Marine Resources (DMR), Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), and the Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS). Prior to that, she worked at the Town of Freeport.  Aimee has served on the Board of Directors for Maine State Credit Union as well as her church.  Her professional passions are to serve the people of Maine and work collaboratively and equitably across DACF and its partners for successful outcomes in every aspect of government services.  Her personal passions include spending time with family, especially her three grandchildren, photography, and hunting.

Jim has served 36 years in public and private education as a teacher, coach, technology coordinator, curriculum coordinator, principal, and superintendent of schools. He served sixteen years as an elementary, middle, and high school principal and six years as a superintendent of schools. Jim is in his third year at the Maine Department of Education as the Infrastructure Specialist for the Learning Through Technology Team.
Jim’s work supports LEAs and IT Directors with infrastructure, new school tech standards, cyber leadership, cyber security, and digital wellness. He has supported a 1.5 million dollar Cyber Performance Grant, working with CISA in response to their Protecting Our Future report of 2023. He represents the DOE on the planning team for the Homeland Security/MEMA State and Local Cyber Security Planning Grant. Mr. Chasse is also working with the Maine School Safety Center, and Maine Connectivity Authority to promote and program for statewide digital equity and safety. He recognizes and has lived through significant K12 technology changes that span a career and what that means to our local school systems in now more recent challenges.
Jim enjoys the Maine outdoors, athletics, theater, and playing guitar. He and his wife Charlene, a special education behavior teacher, love spending time with their 10 grandchildren!

Michael Cornwell is the Director of Operations for the Department of Administrative and Financial Services (DAFS). With over 18 years of public service, Michael applies his diverse experiences in finance, administration, social work, project management, and staff development to support MaineIT, the Project Management Office, and the Data Management and Governance Practice. Michael is a champion for privacy and always seeks to harness technology to improve people’s lives. A veteran of several California wildfires, Michael is proud to call Maine his new home and has recently taken up kayaking.

Glen has over 30 years of experience in Information Technology and Information Security with proven thought leadership.  Prior to Check Point he has managed networks for national healthcare providers, and ran the Cyber Security practice for a Check Point reseller/integrator.    Over this time he has worked with many Fortune 100 customers and federal, state, and local government agencies, architecting and managing high profile network and security projects.  Glen currently leads the engineering teams for Vertical Solutions at Check Point Software, supporting Telco/MSSP, and Public Sector.

Natalie Haynes currently serves as the Senior Cybersecurity Legal and Policy Advisor for the Information Security Office within the Office of Information Technology. Natalie advises on a wide array of cybersecurity policies, programs and initiatives that require alignment with an evolving regulatory landscape. In this role, she supports the application of best practices in information security to develop and refine internal controls, governance matters and risk management processes that enhance the resilience of the State's information technology infrastructure. Natalie earned her B.A. from Rollins College, her M.A. from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and her J.D. from the University of Maine School of Law. She is a member of the Maine bar. 

Sharon Horne is the Executive Director of Enterprise Shared Services for the State of Maine in the Office of Information Technology. Sharon leads the application strategic initiatives as well as the Enterprise Architecture & Policy office for the Office of Information Technology. Sharon’s passion is to deliver essential services to state agencies while providing the best value to the State of Maine. With over 36 years in the technology industry, she uses her tireless energy to inspire teams to work collaboratively, drive change and deliver innovative solutions that are secure, follow best practices and are sustainable while balancing risk & value.

Joshua Howe is the Deputy Executive Director for Workforce Training and Remote Working for the Maine Community College (MCCS) Harold Alfond Center for the Advancement of Maine’s Workforce, part of the Maine Community College System. He leads Remote Work for ME project which is training Maine people to be effective, healthy and productive remote workers, and businesses and organizations to successfully implement and lead remote and hybrid teams. He joined MCCS after 19 years with the State of Maine, specializing in system improvement, workforce development, and disability services. He holds a BA in Psychology and English Literature and MA in Rehabilitation Counseling, and is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC).

Jordon Hubert is the Security Governance and Training Officer at the Information Security Office of the State of Maine Office of Information Technology (MaineIT). With over 11 years of public service experience, Jordon leads the team responsible for overseeing security awareness training for the Executive Branch of the State of Maine, encompassing 15 departments, 40 agencies and quasi-agencies, and approximately 12,000 employees. In addition to her primary responsibilities, Jordon is actively involved in business continuity and disaster recovery projects, including facilitating tabletop exercises for MaineIT, helping to strengthen the state's preparedness and resilience against potential security threats. Outside of work you’ll find her enjoying family time with her husband and chasing after their adventurous two year old or enjoying a good book.

Since 2021, Hon. Chris Johnson has served as the Deputy Secretary of State for Information Services and Chief Information Officer for the Maine Department of Secretary of State.
A former state senator from Lincoln County, Johnson previously worked as an IT integration specialist at the Island Institute, Senior Network Architect at Central Maine Power, and Director of IT at DeskNet Inc.
The Honorable Johnson brings a deep commitment to public service, combining his technical expertise with a strong focus on privacy and transparency. One of his key priorities is driving technology modernization to improve services for the people of Maine. By making life easier for Mainers, reducing burdens on the workforce and municipal partners, and demonstrating how government can operate effectively and resiliently, even in the face of unforeseen challenges, he underscores the critical importance of innovation in public governance.

Dan Johnson heads State and Local Government customer engineering for Google, a position he has held since January of 2020. Dan and his team are responsible for working with a range of government customers to apply advances in big data and machine learning to their business problems. Prior to his current role, Dan led Financial Services customer engineering for Google working in Global Banking and Financial Markets.
Dan started his career 19 years ago at NLV Financial Corporation as a Systems Programmer. His path leading to Google in 2013 includes leadership and engineering roles at Cisco Systems, ATT and the University of Oregon.
"Through ML and AI, cloud computing will provide both the data storage and the processing power necessary to train new models tackling new problems that were previously incalculable."
Mr. Johnson holds a BA in Economics from the University of Washington and a MS in Organizational Leadership from Colorado State University.

Jeff Jordan is the Associate CIO for Maine’s Community Colleges. Through 20 years working in technology for Maine’s public sector, Jeff has used his experience to help bring solutions to the State of Maine and Maine’s Community Colleges. Jeff’s approach is built on a foundation of collaboration, communication, and transparency, bringing key stakeholders together, and fostering strong working relationships.

Amy Lachance has been the Drinking Water Program Manager for the Maine CDC since February 2021, with oversight of the State’s Public Water Systems.  She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Geology and a Master’s Degree in Hydrogeology.  She worked as an environmental and public health regulator for 33 years in Michigan and Massachusetts prior to returning to her native Maine.

Beth Lambert is the Chief Teaching and Learning Officer at the Maine Department of Education where she leads a wide range of innovative initiatives that provide important and necessary supports to students and educators. The Office of Teaching and Learning includes State Standards, Early Learning, Interdisciplinary Instruction, Learning through Technology, Support for Multilingual Learners, Multitiered Systems of Support, and Maine’s Digital Content Library (MOOSE).
In her nearly 25 years in education, Beth has been a school administrator as well as taught at the middle and high school levels where she served in a leadership capacity around standards, curriculum and assessment, student-centered teaching, and teacher leadership. She has also served on her local schoolboard and chaired the policy committee.
Beth holds a Master of Education degree in Educational Leadership with a concentration in teacher leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a Master of Public Policy Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School.

Driven by her passion for digital equity, Lisa Leahy has actively collaborated with local communities, as well as state and federal entities, to promote accessible government digital services in her role as MaineIT’s Director of Digital Services. Her efforts have included hosting workshops, seminars, and public forums to empower individuals with the skills and resources required to thrive in the digital age and raising awareness about the critical need for broadband connectivity. With over 25 years of experience in federal and state government grant management, Lisa has successfully administered funding for digital equity and broadband initiatives, ensuring strategic resource allocation and maximizing impact for the communities she serves.

Joe Legee is the Deputy Director at Maine Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) – the State agency responsible for coordinating the mitigation of, preparedness for, response to, and recovery from emergencies and disasters in Maine.
As the Deputy Director, Joe provides leadership and support to the entire staff, ensuring that day-to-day operations run smoothly and that the Director’s priorities are being met. Joe has been with MEMA since 2015, having previously served as the Agency’s Senior Planner and Division Director for Mitigation, Planning, and Recovery.
Prior to working at MEMA, Joe worked at the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, as the State’s Strategic National Stockpile Coordinator. During his time at CDC, Joe prepared key responders to move life-saving medical countermeasures from federal and state stockpiles to the public during emergencies.
The motivating force behind Joe’s career is tackling complex problems – and emergency management presents plenty of those, like measuring how prepared we are. Over the course of his career, Joe has played a role in the State’s response to and recovery from several major disasters, including the 2009 H1N1 Pandemic, the Ebola outbreak in 2015, the 2017 Windstorm, the 2019 COVID Pandemic, and Winter Storm Elliott in 2023. In blue skies, as well as gray, Joe relies on a robust team of dedicated professionals, strong partnerships, lots of collaboration, and a little humor to get the job done.
Joe has a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Maine – Orono, and a master’s in public health from the University of New England. A life-long Mainer, he currently resides in Oakland Maine with his wife and two kids. Joe is a dedicated husband, father, and outdoor enthusiast – enjoying running, cycling, hiking, and playing golf.

Mark Lutte is the Chief Operating Officer for the State of Maine’s Office of Aging and Disability Services (OADS).  OADS is an office within the Department of Health and Human Services.  As Chief Operating Officer, Mark is responsible for contracts, procurement, and financial matters; human resources; and information technology projects and investments.  Mark’s background is focused on public procurement and contracting at the state and federal levels.  When he is not stuck behind a pile of contracts, he is coaching youth soccer (at least, this time of year he is).

Tom Lynch is the GIS Administrator at Maine IT, supporting the Maine Department of Transportation. A seasoned GIS professional, Tom has been instrumental in the growth of GIS within the State of Maine since its early days. He has a deep understanding of GIS technology and its applications, having worked at the Maine Office of GIS and his own GIS software development company.
For the past 17 years at MaineIT, Tom has been dedicated to helping MaineDOT leverage GIS to create an integrated approach to data management. He is passionate about making data accessible to a wide range of users through user-friendly web interfaces and services.
A lifelong Mainer, Tom enjoys spending time with his family and exploring the state's natural beauty.

Brian McDonald started his career at the Maine Municipal Association in 2012, in 2021 he was promoted to serve as the Director of Information Technology and Administration. He has worked in the Information Technology field for 20 years. In his time at the Maine Municipal Association Brian has worked to assist members with best practices and cybersecurity strategies.

Derek Mullens is the Executive Director of Client & Infrastructure Services at MaineIT.  Most recently, he had been the Director of the Account Management team at MaineIT since 2018. With over 20 years of experience in the IT industry, the last 12 years have been with the State of Maine. This vast experience includes client systems support, administration of an enterprise infrastructure, and acted as a senior advisor to the chief information security officer focusing on risk management and the overall security posture for the State of Maine. His most recent accomplishments include working on the development and execution of MaineIT and agency strategic imperatives to support State of Maine operations and services. Derek manages MaineIT’s Infrastructure teams which include Client Technologies, Computing Infrastructure & Services, Networking Services, Cloud Center of Excellence, and the MaineIT Radio Operations group.

Michelle Nolan is a Regional Engagement Manager for the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center™ (MS-ISAC®), a division of the Center for Internet Security, Inc.®. She is a member of the Stakeholder Engagement team, which works with our nation’s State, Local, Territorial, and Tribal (SLTT) governments and public education institutions to provide free cybersecurity resources and services. Michelle manages the MS-ISAC® members in CISA regions 8 & 10, supporting their overall cybersecurity posture.

Angela brings a wealth of workforce experience and statewide relationships to her role with the Project>Login program. Angela's background in economic and workforce development and has worked on several jobs-related federal grant programs. She is passionate about matching students and adults with educational programs and quality job opportunities in Maine. Angela earned her BS in Business Administration from the University of Maine at Augusta and her Master of Science in Organizational Communication from MSU. Angela is a member of Maine Technology Institute's IT Tech Board, a Microsoft TechSpark Fellow and she also serves as a SCRIPT Steering Committee member for CSforALL. She enjoys hiking, camping, and kayaking across Maine.

Mark Ostrowski is the Head of Engineering for the East region of US at Check Point Software Technologies. Mark has over 25 years’ experience in IT security and has helped design and support some of the largest security environments in the country. As an evangelist and member of the Office of the CTO at Check Point Software, Mark provides thought leadership for the IT security industry, outlining the current threat landscape and helping organizations understand how they can proactively mitigate and manage risk in our world of digital transformation. Mark actively contributes to national and local media discussing cybersecurity and its effects in business and at home on media outlets such as the Today Show on NBC, Good Morning America on ABC, and the Wall Street Journal.

Dave Pascarella is currently serving as the Director of the MaineIT Cloud Center of Excellence for the State of Maine. Dave has held technical and leadership positions across public and private industry focusing on a variety of technology including implementation of cloud services, hyperconverged hosting, network, and telephony with the goal of modernization and process improvement. He is dedicated to advancing the State of Maine's IT capabilities, ensuring robust services, and optimizing technology infrastructure. He lives in Bowdoinham with his wife and two children.

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.

Dawnna Pease is the Director, Computing Infrastructure & Services, Office of Information Technology, State of Maine. She has been with the state 38 years, in her current role since 2018, and received the 2024 State Leadership StateScoop 50 Award. As a leader and operational manager of information technology systems in State Government, Dawnna is committed to enhancing collaboration, fostering innovation, delivering customer experience, and increase operational efficiencies. She serves on the StateRAMP Steering Committee as a representative for the National Association of State Technology Directors (NASTD) and is Past President of the National Association of State Technology Directors (NASTD).

Henry has been the State of Maine’s Digital Accessibility Coordinator since 2019 and plays an integral role in setting the strategic direction for Maine’s digital accessibility program. Prior to that, Henry served in multiple information technology roles within Maine State Government, including Security, Architecture and Policy, Applications, Fiscal Management, Customer Relationship Management, Server Administration, and Operations. Henry is the Chair of the State Information Technology Accessibility Committee, a long-standing advisory group to the Chief Information Officer. Henry also coordinates the Multi-State Digital Accessibility Collaborative, which was initiated by Maine and now includes representatives from twenty-three different states. Henry is a lifelong Maine resident and is the proud dad of two grown daughters. Henry’s educational background includes advanced degrees in Business Administration, Public Policy and Management, Business Education, and Information Systems. Outside of work, Henry regularly performs in community theater.

Jonathan Ross is the director of the Preparedness and Homeland Security Division. He began his work at the Agency in 2019 as the Senior Planner and transitioned to his current role in January 2024.
As the Division Director, he is responsible for oversight of the state’s preparedness and homeland security programs. Preparedness staff include the Agency’s Senior Planner, State Training Officer and State Exercise Officer. In conjunction with this staff, the division also houses two grant program managers who administer several federal preparedness grants. The Homeland Security program at MEMA includes staff that manage the state’s critical infrastructure protection program, and a staff member assigned to the state’s fusion center.
Through a comprehensive, analytical approach, the Preparedness and Homeland Security Division coordinates with partners at the federal, state, county, and local levels to increase resiliency and build response and recovery capabilities across the state.
In the event of an activation of the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC), Jonathan serves in the Planning Section and has fulfilled the roles of Section Chief, Officer, and Situation Unit Leader. Prior to joining MEMA, Jonathan worked in the non-profit disaster support sector and served in the US Army Reserves.
Jonathan holds a bachelor’s degree in history and political science (second major) with a minor in Arabic Studies from the University of Massachusetts Lowell and a master’s degree in security and resilience studies from Northeastern University. He is also a certified Master Continuity Practitioner, a member of FEMA’s National Continuity Instructor Cadre, and has taken several trainings and courses through FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute.

Charles Rote currently serves as the Deputy Chief Information Security Officer for the State of Maine consisting of 30 personnel, that provides information security to all State of Maine agencies within the executive branch and maintains a cooperative partnership with other branches to provide information security improvements to the whole of government. He serves as the chair of the State Risk and Authorization Management Program, Standards and Technical Committee (StateRAMP) and has security and contingency planning certifications from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Disaster Recovery Institute International, and the Computing Technology Industry Association.

Peter has been working for the State of Maine for 25 years. He started  in 1999 working for the Department of Environmental Protection. As a leader of the Data Management Unit and in the role of an agency Information Technology Coordinator, data input was done by the team, while he continued learning about database architecture, doing data analysis, and writing queries for data extraction from agency systems. Over the years, more system modernization efforts were needed, and he participated many system upgrades working closely with team members from Application Development. At the same time he listened to the needs of the agency, helped document business requirements, translated tech-speak to help deliver successful IT solutions. In 2015 he joined the Maine Office of Technology, working in the Account Manager team. His focus as Account Manager has been to learn and understand the business objectives and connect them with the appropriate IT subject matter experts. He’s been the Director since February 2024 leading team of 5 exceptional employees. Peter manages the oversight and business relationship of 14 departments and 40+ agencies. He is currently assigned as a member of the MaineIT CIO advisory team assisting in the development of information technology and leadership strategies.
Peter and his wife live in Belgrade, Maine where is a member of the Board of Selectpersons. In his free time his hobbies include: hunting, fishing, and gardening.

Tim Swan is the Director of Design for Tyler Maine/InforME and has built State of Maine government websites for over 20 years. He was a member of the original state accessibility committee, and has been serving again since 2022. He is committed to building appealing and informative websites built on current best practices, with a focus on ensuring equal access to all citizens. 
When he's not building websites he can be found indulging his passions: photography and fly-fishing, cooking for his family, or traveling.

Patrick Williams is the Director of Architecture and Policy for MaineIT. He was initially appointed Acting Director in July 2020 and later formally hired as the Director during the pandemic. Patrick has 30 years of diverse service experience within the private and non-profit sectors. During his 15-year tenure with a New England based health system, Patrick served in many roles leading up to a System Director for LEAN as an advanced workshop leader of an internationally recognized client centric management method. Throughout his career, Patrick has developed a focus on customer service approaches while aligning organizational mission & vision strategies impacting service delivery, leadership development, and the execution of strategic plans.
Patrick has served as president on local non-profit boards providing support for industry and community programs. As a native of Maine, Patrick obtained his undergraduate from the University of Southern Maine, his two graduate degrees (MBA and Organizational Leadership) from Southern New Hampshire University along with his Project Management and LEAN graduate certificates from Villanova University. Patrick is a graduate from the Maine Development Foundation’s Leadership Maine program (Pi Class).