Registration and Morning Refreshments in the Exhibit Area

Opening and Welcome Remarks

Dru Rai, Chief Information Officer and Director, Office of Information Technology Services, State of New York

Keynote- EMBRACE THE SHAKE: Transforming Limitations into Opportunities

Success, especially in today’s fast-changing business environment, depends on our ability to make creativity and innovation a continuous process. Leaders want to know how their teams can rise above any challenge and succeed no matter what comes their way. Whether the goal is to embrace change, overcome obstacles, sustain growth, or take your success to the next level, leaders and teams want to learn how to “Embrace the Shake.” The term “Embrace the Shake” is coined from artist Phil Hansen’s personal story of transformation. After developing a career-ending tremor in his drawing hand, Phil embraced his “shake” both physically and metaphorically by redefining his limitation as an impetus for creativity. Phil not only restored his artistic abilities, but he also became a much more creative and innovative artist than ever before. Phil’s powerful message of finding creativity within limitations will inspire you to stop looking outside and start looking within for the resources that can transform your challenges into opportunities for success.

Phil Hansen, Artist, Speaker, Author and Innovator

General Session – Turning Challenges into Opportunities: Building New York’s Digital Future

Every agency is facing unprecedented change—from AI and cybersecurity to workforce shortages, aging infrastructure, evolving resident expectations, and increasing demands for transparency and accountability. This executive discussion brings together state and industry leaders to examine the intersection of AI, cybersecurity, identity, cloud, data, and public trust. Rather than focusing on technology alone, panelists will explore how agencies can responsibly adopt innovation while managing risk, preparing their workforce, and delivering measurable outcomes for New Yorkers.

Networking Break in the Exhibit Area

Concurrent Sessions

Responsible AI: From Pilot to Production

Artificial intelligence is moving from experimentation to enterprise adoption across government. But successful implementation requires more than selecting the right technology—it demands strong governance, thoughtful risk management, high-quality data, and a clear strategy for responsible adoption. How can agencies move beyond pilot projects while maintaining transparency, accountability, and public trust? Join this session to hear practical lessons learned from government leaders as they discuss governance frameworks, model selection, guardrails, human oversight, and strategies for scaling AI responsibly across the enterprise.

Modern Government Starts with Trusted Data

Data is the foundation of modern government. From improving resident services and informing policy decisions to strengthening cybersecurity and enabling digital transformation, agencies depend on trusted, accessible, and well-governed data to achieve their missions. As agencies continue to modernize, how can they transform fragmented data into a trusted enterprise asset that powers better decisions, stronger collaboration, and future innovation? This session explores practical strategies for building and sustaining a modern data ecosystem that supports today's operational needs while preparing organizations for tomorrow's opportunities.

Murali Gandhirjan, Director, Regulated Industries CTO, Snowflake

Making Innovation Count: Measuring Value and Driving Better Outcomes

Innovation is no longer measured by the number of technologies an agency deploys—it's measured by the outcomes it delivers. As governments invest in digital transformation, agency leaders must balance innovation with accountability, ensuring new technologies improve operations, strengthen public trust, and deliver measurable value. This session explores how organizations are evaluating emerging technologies, prioritizing investments, measuring return on investment, and scaling successful initiatives across the enterprise.

Jason Adolf, Vice President, Global Public Sector Vertical, Appian

Building the Workforce of Tomorrow: Leading Through Change

Technology is transforming the way government works—but lasting transformation begins with people. As agencies modernize operations, adopt new technologies, and respond to evolving workforce expectations, leaders must build organizations that are adaptable, collaborative, and prepared for continuous change. This session explores the human side of digital transformation, focusing on strategies for building a future-ready workforce equipped with the skills, mindset, and culture needed to thrive in a rapidly changing environment.

HP Interactive Session (TBD)

Lunch

Short Break

Please proceed to the concurrent sessions.

Concurrent Sessions

Modernizing Government Infrastructure: Building the Foundation for What’s Next

Modern government depends on resilient, secure, and scalable infrastructure to deliver reliable services, support emerging technologies, and meet growing constituent expectations. As agencies modernize legacy environments, they face important decisions about cloud adoption, hybrid architectures, data center strategies, connectivity, and long-term technology investments. This session brings together government and industry leaders to explore practical approaches to building the infrastructure that powers digital government.

Carrie Smith, Chief Technology and Innovation Strategist, Dell Technologies

Identity, Trust and Cybersecurity: Securing The Future of Government

As government becomes increasingly digital, identity has emerged as the new security perimeter. Protecting users, devices, applications, and data require more than traditional cybersecurity—it demands a comprehensive approach built on Zero Trust principles, proactive risk management, and a resilient security strategy. This session explores how government organizations are strengthening their security posture while supporting modernization, cloud adoption, and digital service delivery.

From Procurement to Possibility: Modernizing Government Acquisition

Innovation moves quickly—but procurement often struggles to keep pace. As government agencies modernize technology, adopt cloud services, and explore emerging solutions, procurement is evolving from a transactional function into a strategic enabler of digital transformation. How can agencies modernize procurement to accelerate innovation while maintaining transparency, accountability, and public trust? In this session, government and industry leaders will share practical strategies, lessons learned, and emerging approaches for building procurement processes that enable innovation while meeting the unique requirements of the public sector.

Accessibility by Design: Building Better Digital Government

Meeting accessibility standards is no longer the finish line—it's the foundation. As agencies continue to modernize digital services, how can they embed accessibility into planning, procurement, design, development, and service delivery from the start? Join this session to hear practical strategies, lessons learned, and real-world examples of how agencies are making accessibility part of everyday operations to improve the resident experience, reduce rework, and build more inclusive digital services.

Zscaler/Okta Interactive Session (TBD)

Exclusive Briefing for Industry Partners

Hosted by: Dru Rai, Chief Information Officer and Director, Office of Information Technology Services, State of New York

Networking Break in the Exhibit Area

General Session – 25 Years of Digital Government ‘The Eras Tour’: How Technology, Policy and Public Service Evolved – and What Comes Next

In 2001, “digital government” meant moving paper forms to static PDF downloads. Today, it means real time, AI driven resident services, “whole of state” cybersecurity, and cloud native infrastructure that never sleeps. As the Center for Digital Government (CDG), celebrates its 25th anniversary, we invite you to a high-energy retrospective and forward-looking strategy session that tracks the evolution of the public sector’s digital DNA. We will walk through the “waves” of transformation we’ve navigated together and will provide a roadmap for the next quarter-century of innovation.

Zach Patton, Chief Editor, Content Studio, Government Technology

The Best of New York Awards

Be ready to celebrate with the New York Government Technology community as we recognize the amazing technology and service work done for the people across the state.

Hosted by: Dru Rai, Chief Information Officer and Director, Office of Information Technology Services, State of New York

Networking Reception in the Exhibit Area

End of Summit

Conference times, agenda, and speakers are subject to change