CompTIA Sharkbytes

Season 3: Episode 11: The Last Episode??Final thoughts as CompTIA Sharkbytes ends and Sharkbytes continues as Sharkbytes.Net. Host and moderator Alan Shark explains. 

Season 3: Episode 10, May 18A conversation with Eric Skomra, State & Local Government Chief Technology & Innovation Strategist Central US and Canada, for Dell EMC. Eric has a unique view of the state and local technology having served as the CIO for a city, a county, a hospital, as well as CIO for the largest county in Ohio at Franklin County Data Center. He also was the state CIO for the State of Ohio Medicaid Agency. Add to all his public sector experience he has spend some time in the private sector as well. 

A conversation with Kerry Goode, Chief Information Officer, and DeWayne Kendall, Chief Technology Officer, for the City of Durham, North CarolinaKerry and DeWayne share how they perfected a working model that initially was designed to address key IT staff shortages and has grown to much more. Originally a presentation at PTI's recent Local Government CIO & Tech Leader Summit, this presentation was so interesting it was converted into a Sharkbytes.Net podcast. What they did for the City of Durham can serve as a dynamic model for all local governments to emulate. 

A conversation with Dr. David Bray, Distinguished Fellow at the non-partisan Stimson Center as well as non-resident Distinguished fellow, Business Executives for National Security, and former CIO of the Federal Communications Commission. Dr. Bray served as the Chief Information Officer for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for 4+ years where he witnessed first-hand the problems of disinformation and the rise of botnets and “cyborgs” – hybrid human and AI posters of disinformation that was deployed to negatively impact public policymaking. His work today continues to address tackling disinformation online, especially given he has provided great insight to the federal government through numerous high-level engagements on how innovative approaches to AI and algorithms could improve organizational adaptability and agility. He is a proven collaborator, writer, speaker, and thought/action leader.

A Conversation with Joe Morrisroe, Deputy Commissioner and Executive Director, NYC311, Office of Technology and Innovation - City of New York.New York City Mayor Eric Adams recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of the launch of New York City's 311 service, the platform that provides New Yorkers seeking information and assistance from the city agencies direct answers and support to their needs. Since it launched in March 2003, 311 has received more than 525 million contacts — through phone calls, texts, social media posts, website submissions, chat support, and a mobile app. Joe Morrisroe has provided the leadership and vision and is responsible for the growth and evolution of the 311 Center for nearly 17 years. 

A year-end summary with host Alan Shark, CompTIA Vice President, Public Sector and Executive Director for the Public Technology Institute.

A conversation with Ruth Buckley, Director Cork City Council and CIO.Ruth Buckley has been with the City of Cork Ireland. As a member of senior management team for over 20 years she has led an ambitious digital transformation program, the delivery of a Digital strategy for the city and is a founder of the Cork Smart Gateway. As of founder member of I Wish, Ruth fully supports women in technology and diversity in the workplace.Ruth holds two internationally recognized project management certifications PMP and IPMA and has managed complex business transformation projects for over 20 years in both the private and public sectors.

A conversation with Nadira Hussain, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Martin Ferguson, Policy and Research Director, Society for Innovation, Technology and Modernization (SOCITIM), United Kingdom. Formed in 1986, SOCITIM focuses on how technologies and data can be harnessed to reset the collective mindset to ensure adherence to ethical principles, respecting social foundations and ecological constraints locally and globally and to reform public services by embracing innovation and modernization. Both Nadira and Martin share their passions for excellence in tech leadership – especially helping woman excel.

A conversation with Steve Emmanuel, Partner and Director, Consulting Services, State and Local Government, CGI.Now back in the private sector, Steve has not strayed from his roots or his passion for public service. Few have the employment portfolio that comes close to Steve's. He has been the CIO of Amtrak before going full-blown into the public sector. He was State CIO of New Jersey, CIO of Montgomery County, MD; CIO City of Newark, NJ. And he made many lasting improvements in every position. His passion for public service remains as he continues his career assisting other and apply his vast knowledge

A conversation with James E. Pacanowski, CGCIO – Network Administrator, Ventnor City, NJJim is all too typical of most local government CIOs who have little to no staff. While Jim's official title is “Network Administrator” he is a one-person operation serving as CIO, CTO, CISO, and much more. Jim has been with the City of Ventnor. A graduate of Syracuse University Jim majored in civil and aerospace engineering, Jim was hired by the City of Ventnor, NJ in 2003 as Network Administrator and has been with the city for over 19 years. Jim also serves as President of the Ventnor City Board of Education. Anyone who has ever played the game of Monopoly may recall the name Ventnor was made famous with as one of its properties.Jim has worked hard through the years keeping up with fast changing world of IT. As a result, he holds a number of certifications. These include: CGCIO – Certified Government Chief Information Officer from Rutgers and CompTIA PTI, MCP – Microsoft Certified Professional, MOS – Microsoft Office Certified Master Instructor, A+ Certified Network Technician, and Security + Certificate.

A conversation with Maria Thompson, CISSP, CRISC, SLG Leader, Cybersecurity Amazon Web Services (AWS). Maria has a passion for public service and in particular, cybersecurity awareness and readiness. Maria served as North Carolina's top cybersecurity official, after six-and-a-half years as its chief risk officer where she often advocated for a “whole-of-state” mentality in protecting securing IT and infrastructural assets, an approach that resulted in closer collaboration not just between agencies in Raleigh, but with local governments and the education and private sectors. Before state government, Maria had a 20-year career in the Marine Corps, during which she was among the branch's first group of cybersecurity personnel, ultimately retiring as its first cybersecurity and information assurance chief. We discuss the need to bring greater diversity into public service – and in particular tech.

A conversation with Giselle Mota, Creator of NFTY Collective and Founder of Versd, and Deborah Schildkraut, CompTIA's Vice President for Global Community Engagement. Giselle Mota is highly regarded as a leading futurist and thought leader focused on enabling an inclusive future of work, web3, and the metaverse. She has been named as a Top 100 Future of Work Thought Leader. NFTY Collective focuses on bringing disability inclusion into web3 and metaverse, and Versd is an inclusive innovation and strategic ventures group. Giselle is a global speaker and has been featured on TED Talks, Forbes, Yahoo News, Cheddar News, and Chief Learning Officer Magazine.

A conversation with Giselle Mota, Chief of Product Inclusion at ADP, Creator of NFTY Collective, Founder of Versd and Deborah Schildkraut, CompTIA's Vice President for Global Community Engagement. Giselle Mota is the and regarded as a leading futurist and thought leader focused on enabling an inclusive future of work, web3.0 and the metaverse. Giselle has been named Top 100 Future of Work Thought Leader and served as Principal Consultant on the Future of Work at ADP. Giselle is the Creator, NFTY Collective, which focuses on bringing disability inclusion into web3 and metaverse. She is founder of Versd, an inclusive innovation and strategic ventures group. She is a global speaker and has been featured on TED Talks, Forbes, Yahoo News, Cheddar News, Chief Learning Officer Magazine among others.

A conversation with Lena Geraghty, Director, Sustainability & innovation Center for City Solutions, National League of Cities. Lena will share in some of the basic themes found in NLC's recent publication, Cities and the Metaverse. This publication serves as an excellent guide towards better understanding the possibilities of how cities can use this wide-ranging technology. Access the publication HERE. Before coming to NLC, Lena served as Director of Innovation and Performance Management for the City of Portland, Maine; and prior worked as Senior Implementation Advisor for the Center for Government Excellence at Johns Hopkins University.

Season 2: Episode 19, July 28: Transformation and Innovation – It's not the Difference but the Outcomes that Matter. A conversation with Behzad Zamanian, Chief Information Officer at Washoe County, NV. In this episode we discuss the difficulties and opportunities in navigating digital transformation and the various operational definitions. Behzad further describes the many challenges he faces including the constant search for talent and at the same time making sure he has the right incentives to keep the talent he already has.Before coming to the second largest county in Nevada, Behzad served as Chief Information Officer, City of Huntington Beach for over 17 years. Behzad is a technology executive/leader with a demonstrated history of working in government administration, private sector, Fortune 500, and higher education industries with expertise in strategic planning, business partnership, project management, IT governance, technology infrastructure, enterprise applications, regional multi-agency initiatives, and public safety systems. 

Recently CBS, NBC, CNN covered the significance of cities hiring “Chief Heat Officers”. The first in the Nation was Phoenix. Prior to all the national attention we had a chance to interview David Hondula for this podcast. Weather is an awe-inspiring phenomenon that captures the attention of everyone at some point in their lives, but it's also powerful and can be deadly as well. When we think of life-threatening weather, hurricanes, severe storms, and flooding come to mind first, but did you know extreme heat is one of the leading killers when it comes to weather-related fatalities? The city of Phoenix, Arizona is keenly aware of this, ranking near the top for hottest cities in the United States. This is also one of the reasons why the city became the first in the nation to have a publicly funded office for heat response and mitigation.

A conversation with Scott Conn, Chief Information Officer, City of Modesto, CA. In this episode, Scott shares his passion for public service and improving the citizen experience. For many years Scott has volunteered as a coach and we explore how his background has helped him when it comes to team-building in tech. As he well states, tech is still about people. Scott is viewed as a collaborative leader with 30+ years of experience in global information technology operations. He has always kept a sharp focus on customer needs and excels at IT strategy. Scott utilizes integrity, optimism, innovation, empathy, and adaptability to align IT resources with business strategy. He has extensive experience operating in a leadership capacity at the C-level, President, Vice President, and Director levels within start-ups, government, and established private/public entities. Scott is a graduate of the CompTIA PTI CGCIO leadership program.

Arriving at the City of Fort Collins just before the pandemic struck and having spent some dozen-plus years as a senior executive in the insurance industry Kevin describes his journey in public sector service and his quest for digital transformation. He has been described as a visionary, dynamic, and innovation-driven executive leader with proven success in delivering optimal outcomes in organizations undergoing significant change and transformation. Kevin has demonstrated success in delivering large-scale, cross-functional strategic initiatives in digital transformation, customer experience, cultural transformation, business process optimization, and digital enablement. This down-to-earth discussion both inspires and informs.

A conversation with Chuck Brooks one of the nation's foremost cybersecurity thought leaders. Chuck Brooks is a globally recognized thought leader and evangelist for Cybersecurity and Emerging Technologies. LinkedIn named Chuck as one of “The Top 5 Tech People to Follow on LinkedIn”. He was named by Thompson Reuters as a “Top 50 Global Influencer in Risk, Compliance,” and by IFSEC as the “#2 Global Cybersecurity Influencer” in 2018. He is also a Cybersecurity Expert for “The Network” at the Washington Post, Visiting Editor at Homeland Security Today, and a Contributor to FORBES. He is President of Brooks Consulting International. He is also Adjunct Faculty at Georgetown University's Applied Intelligence Program and graduate Cybersecurity Programs where he teaches courses on risk management, homeland security, and cybersecurity. Finally, Chuck served as chair for CompTIA's Emerging tech Council.

A conversation with Jamie Ward, Cybersecurity Solutions Manager, MultiState Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) who also serves as Mayor of Mayfield NY, and Eugene Kipniss, Stakeholder Maturity, MS-ISAC. MS-ISAC is an integral part of the Center for Internet Security (CIS) a nonprofit funded by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Within this episode we explore how MS-ISAC continues to serve as a state and local government partner for all things cybersecurity. In particular, Jamie and Eugene will share and explain some of the latest tools added to their offerings including the all-powerful Falcon suite.

A conversation with Dr. Oliver Schwabe, Risk Partner at Roll Royce Civil Aerospace, Cybersecurity Manager for Major Cities of Europe IT Association, and chair and principal web weaver, Open European Network for Enterprise Innovation. Oliver is a writer and consummate learner and is now engaged in helping kindergarten students embrace STEM. Oliver lives and works outside of Frankfurt Germany and shares some fascinating insights that prove once again our profound commonality with our European local government partners.

A conversation with Ian Sharping, Chief Academic Officer, CompTIA Tech Careers Academy (CTCA). Learn how the CTCA trains and prepares adults for certification and success in IT jobs to address an industry shortage of skilled IT professionals. Ian shares his goals and challenges in helping CTCA grow in size and scope as it strives to help students unlock their potential by helping them launch and grow their careers in information technology. With college admissions dropping, CTCA fills a very practical and cost-effective gap.

Live from CompTIA's CCF Conference in Chicago, IL: A conversation with Amy Kardel, senior vice president of strategic workforce relations. Apprenticeships are often forgotten and today they may be one of IT's best recruitment tools that create a truly win-win scenario. Amy has more than two decades of experience as a founder, investor, and advisor to technology organizations. An attorney by training, Amy served on CompTIA's board of directors for more than six years, including three as its chairperson. Today, she works to expand the reach of Creating IT Futures and CompTIA which are a set of initiatives designed to propel the industry forward by creating more IT workforce solutions across America.

A conversation with Jeff Frazier, VP, Head of Global Public Sector at Snowflake. Listen as Jeff discusses his passion for public sector applications and how data sharing can make a significant difference. Before coming to Snowflake, Jeff was involved with numerous start-ups in emerging tech focusing on AI and cybersecurity. Earlier Jeff had served some 13 years as Cisco's Managing Director for their Global Public Sector. Jeff started out in law enforcement which ultimately led him to become an FBI agent for some 4+ years serving in total over 11 years in law enforcement before going to Cisco. Jeff is a Senior Executive Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School as well as an Eisenhower Fellow.

A conversation with City of Dallas CIO, Bill Zielinski. Bill came to Dallas in June 2020 as the pandemic was spreading throughout the country. After some 30 years of federal government service he decided to apply his leadership and knowledge skills in a city environment. He held some very senior positions at the federal levels including GSA – Assistant commissioner for IT category and before that Deputy Assistant Commissioner for Category Management; OMB -Branch Chief for Agency Oversight; Social Security Administration, CIO; and OPM, Associate for Retirement Services. Learn through this fascinating conversation what it is like to move from the federal side to local government – the opportunities and the downsides.

A conversation with Mark Wheeler, Chief Information Officer, City of Philadelphia. Mark has been CIO for nearly 4 years where he oversees and sets vision for the City's IT and innovation department, with annual budgets: $112M operating, $35M grants, $28M capital. He has been an outspoke champion for smart cities. Mark has been an urban planner and chief geographic officer.

A conversation with Laschelle McKay, Town Manager, Leonardtown, Md. and Joshua Justice, Founder, Owner & President, JustTech. Imagine an unfolding and beautiful 4th of July Weekend – until it becomes apparent there has been a crippling cyber-attack. Listen to this riveting conversation with the town manager and the Town's faithful outside tech service provider. Will they succumb to paying the ransomware and what did it take to recover? Since this was recorded as part of our October 27th Cyber Leader Summit, the recording has been edited to contain only the “interview/conversation.

A conversation with book's co-author Dan Lohrman, Chief Strategist & Chief Security Officer at Security Mentor, Inc. – former CISO, CTO, and CSO, State of Michigan. Dan discusses some of the key points of his must-read new book, where is served as co-author, Cyber Mayday and the Day After – Managing and Recovering From Inevitable Business Disruption. The book contains enormously instructive stories as well as invaluable resources and checklists. Dan continues to be one of the leading spokespersons on the topic of cyber security in the public sector.

A conversation with MJ Shoer, SVP, Executive Director, CompTIA ISAO. Before coming to CompTIA to head up the new feature-rich ISAO, MJ served as CompTIA's Board Chairman, having served many years on the board. Prior to that he has been a successful small business leader in the IT field and starting his own companies along the way. Learn about CompTIA's new and exciting cyber initiatives and how CompTIA is actively addressing the growing threats of cyber-attacks on both industry and public institutions.

A conversation with former Texas State CIO Karen Robinson and Arkansas State CTO Claire Bailey Join us for Part 2 where the conversation continues with Karen Robinson and Claire Bailey. Both Karen and Claire have enjoyed a remarkable career in many significant ways. First, they defied the average tenure for the top tech leader where the normal tenure is 18 to 24 months. Karen Robinson was State CIO for 5+ years (10 years in the Governor's Office prior) and Claire Bailey for some 23 years. Second, the excelled in a largely male-dominated environment. And third, they continue to lead, inspire and innovate. Today Karen serves as CEO and Founder of KWR Acuity Strategies, who has teamed up with Claire as Vice President of Business Development.

A conversation with former Texas State CIO Karen Robinson and Arkansas State CTO Claire BaileyBoth Karen and Claire have enjoyed remarkable careers in many significant ways. First, they defied the average tenure for the top tech leader where the normal tenure is 18 to 24 months. Karen Robenson was State CIO for 5+ years (10 years in the Governor's Office prior) and Claire Baily for some 23 years. Second, they excelled in a largely male-dominated environment. And third, they continue to lead, inspire and innovate. Today Karen serves as CEO and Founder of KWR Acuity Strategies, who has teamed up with Claire as Vice President of Business Development.

A conversation Emily Yates, Smart City Director, Innovation Management, Office of Innovation & Technology, City of Philadelphia A Fascinating discussion with practical real-life examples of innovation at work in the City/County of Philadelphia. This year the Philly won a coveted PTI Solutions Award which will be explained in this podcast. Emily Yates is a highly skilled urban policy professional with over fifteen years of project management, economic development, sustainable planning, and design experience. She has advanced knowledge in the transatlantic urban agenda with a focus on resiliency and revitalization policy, facilitating cross-sector collaboration and partnerships, and implementing civic engagement strategies which have brought vibrancy to local communities.

A conversation with Dan Lohrmann, Chief Strategist & Chief Security Officer at Security Mentor, Inc. – former CISO, CTO and CSO, State of Michigan. Dan Lohrmann is one of the brightest thought leaders when it comes to cybersecurity and government. Dan led Michigan government's cybersecurity and technology infrastructure teams from May 2002 to August 2014, including enterprise-wide Chief Security Officer (CSO), Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) roles in Michigan. During his distinguished career, he has served global organizations in the public and private sectors in a variety of executive leadership capacities, receiving numerous national awards including: CSO of the Year, Public Official of the Year and Computerworld Premier 100 IT Leader.  

A Conversation with Mayor Jake Woodford, City of Appleton, WI.   Mayor Woodford succeeded a retiring mayor who had the position for some 24 years. Mayor Woodford took office just as the pandemic was taking off leaving no time to enjoy the traditional “honeymoon” period that most newly elected leaders enjoy. He wasted no time in summoning the forces he could control and pivoted to a hybrid work environment. Most importantly he recognized at once the importance of technology and is a firm believer in investing in it. This interview will leave many saying, “why can't my mayor think and act like that!”.  

A Conversation with Adam Lesh, Founder and CTO, The Maker Foundry, and Co-Chair, of CompTIA's Blockchain Advisory Council. For anyone seeking a better explanation of what blockchain can do along with a practical and well thought out application, this podcast is for you! Adam Lesh dispels some common myths about blockchain and shares a practical blockchain framework for entitlements to citizens and customers alike. They are: 1. Tokenization, 2. Smart Contracts, 3. Proof of Identity, 4. Identity Protection, 5. Instant Redemption, and 6. Immutable Record. Taken together this framework holds the promise of a far greater system of entitlements to citizens and customers alike that is highly efficient, immediate, easily auditable, and secure. Join CompTIA's Blockchain Technology Interest Group here to learn more from Adam and our Blockchain Industry Advisory Council members:  https://connect.comptia.org/connect/technology-interest-groups/blockchain-technology-interest-group  

A Conversation with Dr. Costis Toregas, is the Director of the Cyber Security and Privacy Research Institute at George Washington University and is Montgomery County's IT Advisor, and if his name looks familiar he was with PTI for some 28 years mostly as its President and CEO. Dr. Toregas is regarded as one of the finest thought leaders in the US when it comes to technology and government. Costis speaks to the continued need for innovation in government, sheltered adoption and the reality of dissonance between policy and the speed of technological advances. The discussion looks at the current state of cyber security and how the issue of privacy fits in. Ultimately it's all about the citizen and how local governments relates to them both in form and substance.

  A Conversation with Chris Cruz, Chief Information Officer (State, Local, Education) at Tanium, and former Director and CIO San Joaquin County, California. Listening to Chris Cruz, security it is all about protecting the endpoints. While CIO San Joaquin County, the county was named as a leader in the prestigious 2020 Digital Counties Survey due in large part the Chris Cruz's leadership. San Joaquin County runs a demanding IT infrastructure connecting thousands of endpoint devices and supporting everything from local education services and law enforcement to the court system and healthcare facilities. Such complexity can be the enemy of effective IT security and operations. Chris actually spent most of his career in State government as California's Deputy CIO, Department of Technology; Deputy Director and CIO for the California Department of Health Care Services; and Agency CIO, California Department of Food and Agriculture.   

A Conversation with Katherine Escobar, Managing Director of the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM), and Deputy Division Chief Data and Standards Division, U.S. Department of Defense, Joint Staff J6, and Paul Wormeli and Mike Phillips who are both part of a NIEM Tiger Team to reach out to local, territorial and tribal authorities (SLTT).   This session continues the discussion on NIEM as the conversations digs deeper into NIEM and information sharing. NIEM was formed in part as a response to 9-11’s failures to gather and share data in a meaningful way. After freeing itself from early growing pains and cumbersome procedures – NIEM has become agile, streamlined and now supports 15 critical domains – many directly impacting state and local governments. In a world where is data is “pure gold” We need to be able to share and digest it in a AI-ready environment. This discussion is an eye-opener.

A Conversation with Katherine Escobar, Managing Director of the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM), and Deputy Division Chief Data and Standards Division, U.S. Department of Defense, Joint Staff J6, and Paul Wormeli and Mike Phillips who are both part of a NIEM Tiger Team to reach out to local, territorial and tribal authorities (SLTT).   For those who may have tried NIEM in the past or never heard of it, NIEM just celebrated 20 years of accomplishments in information and data sharing. NIEM was formed in part as a response to 9-11’s failures to gather and share data in a meaningful way. After freeing itself from early growing pains and cumbersome procedures – NIEM has become agile, streamlined and now supports 15 critical domains – many directly impacting state and local governments. In a world where is data is “pure gold” We need to be able to share and digest it in a AI-ready environment. This discussion is an eye-opener.

Spencer has become a leading proponent of Change Management and even holds a certification in change management. He has served as a subject matter adjunct to PTI’s CIO and Tech Leadership Certification program for the past 7 years. Spencer has held numerous high-level positions in the private sector specializing in assessing the business and process impact of new technology-based solutions, ranging from enterprise-wide software systems to wireless communications networks. Prior to his current position, Spencer was with Microsoft as Customer Success Manger, and in addition to having his own consulting practice, he led the Public Sector Practice of Chicago Office at Baker Tilly/Virchow, Krause. Previously, while working at Motorola, he initiated the company's Public Sector 3-1-1/CRM consulting practice, which focused on delivering Business Process Re-Engineering (BPR), Change Management, and Return on Investment (ROI) studies for clients. Spencer was also a founding partner of Market Strategy Group, LLC, a boutique management consulting company based in Chicago, where he led their Public Sector practice. Spencer holds a BS in accounting from the University of Illinois and an MBA in corporate finance and strategic management from The Wharton School of Business. He is also a CPA and a Six Sigma Certified Green Belt.

Addressing the need for cloud security assurances, and borrowing best practices from FedRamp, state and local governments can now benefit from the work of the newly formed nonprofit, StateRAMP. Executive Leah McGrath discusses the goals and objectives of StateRAMP. McGrath has a rich experience in local government having served as deputy mayor for the City of Fishers, Indiana, and also served as government affairs director for the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns. She also served in the private sector working as vice president of public affairs and marketing for Knowledge Services - a certified woman-owned (WBE) professional services organization with employees located in offices throughout North America.

Bob serves on CompTIA’s Drone Advisory Council and shares his insights about how this technology can be a money-saver for local governments. A software architect and business executive, Mr. Dahlstrom is currently CEO for Apellix a company that develops precision software controlled aerial robotics systems. These aerial robots were designed to physically contact or fly in very close proximity to structures, to paint, clean, and measure them, and is able to autonomously complete maintenance, cleaning, coating and measurement tasks. Before evolving into a tech entrepreneur, Bob was a full-time faculty member at Florida State University, worked for the Florida Legislature, and worked at AT&T Microelectronics where he wrote his first computer program in 1986. Bob is adamant that software is “eating the world” and loves having the vision, passion, and experience to work with a team of amazing people to design and create software controlled robotic systems that modify the built environment, keep people out of harm's way, and help save lives.

Doug Robinson is by far the most recognized and respected thought-leader in all things state government and tech. NASCIO has played an instrumental role in championing the DOTGOV Online Trust in Government Act that was signed into law in the last days of 2020. To date this Act has gone largely unnoticed. Yet this Act contains wide-ranging implications for local governments of all sizes across the nation. This podcast we will learn about its origins as well as what the Act contains and what it means for cities and counties.

Doug Robinson is by far the most recognized and respected thought-leader in all things state government and tech. Doug has been at the helm of NASCIO for some 16+ plus years and shares his insights from the NASCIO Wheelhouse. Doug’s background as a university researcher and state government employee leading to his becoming deputy CIO make him uniquely qualified to articulate the latest trends in government technology leadership. In this episode, we explore the roadblocks as well as opportunities for state CIOs and local government CIOS to work more closely together.

Brad is one of the longest serving local government CIOs in the nation having been with the City of Scottsdale for 30 years. In this interview Brad discusses the many successes over the years plus some huge challenges that he describes when looking ahead. Leadership has always been a recurring theme with him – both in theory and practice. While technology has certainly changed over the years and continues to evolve, tech leadership has been the one constant where Brad argues that in the end it’s all about people and relationships. Brad is one of ten members who sits on PTI’s Tech Leadership Forum Executive Committee. 

While CompTIA may be best known for its world class and far-reaching certifications, there is an all-inclusive membership side that encompasses dozens of technology interest groups, advisory councils, and global communities. Before coming to CompTIA, Gary enjoyed a successful career in the private sector as a consultant who specialized in working with companies seeking to build new channels within the technology field. I addition, Gary was recruited to serve as a CompTIA faculty member to help member companies better understand the market from which they were attempting to better understand. Now we shift to the addition of PTI and other public sector groups and explore ways these communities can learn and benefit from one another.

Join Alan Shark, Executive Director of Public Technology Institute, as he talks with Adam Frumkin, CIO off Franklin County, OH. They focus on the lessons learned as a CIO and how the learning never stops, there is something new day and with each new technology.Adam is an exceptional and recognized results-driven leader with more than 20 years of experience in developing, directing, and executing business transformation and strategies in alignment with corporate objectives for both public and private sectors. He has directed mid-sized organizations and managed annual budgets exceeding $20 million and has acted throughout his career as a change agent. Adam serves as chair of PTI’s Tech Leadership Forum and is a graduate of PTI’s CGCIO CIO Leadership Certification program where he graduated with honors.  Adam is also an adjunct professor at Ohio State University as well as Ohio Dominican University.

  Jon Walton brings over 25 years of experience in the field of Information Technology and has a diverse background in both public and private sectors, setting innovative technology standards and providing visionary leadership for numerous organizations. Under his leadership, Jon implemented a countywide shared digital public safety radio system, a hyper-converged SDN datacenter, a multi-jurisdictional high-speed fiber network, and the migration of key enterprise applications to the Cloud. In addition, he oversaw the launch of SMC Public Wi-Fi to help bridge the digital divide within the County.  

  A discussion with Dan Lohrmann, Chief Strategist & Chief Security Officer at Security Mentor, Inc. – former CISO and CSO, State of Michigan. Dan Lohrmann led Michigan government’s cybersecurity and technology infrastructure teams from May 2002 to August 2014, including enterprise-wide Chief Security Officer (CSO), Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) roles in Michigan. During his distinguished career, he has served global organizations in the public and private sectors in a variety of executive leadership capacities, receiving numerous national awards including: CSO of the Year, Public Official of the Year and Computerworld Premier 100 IT Leader.  

Recently recognized by StateTech Magazine as one of the 30 State and Local Government IT Influencers Worth a Following in 2020, Dr. Jonathan Reichental has recently found himself in the news with the publication of his new book, Smart Cities for Dummies and has been active on Twitter and LinkedIn on smart city topics, including the benefits of cloud services in city government and how to measure progress in implementing smart city plans.

  The title of Chief Information Security Officer is relatively new within local government and is quickly raising in stature and importance. Unfortunately, all too often, the CISO is viewed as all about “doom and gloom” by colleagues. I was pleased to have the opportunity recently to sit down with two of the leading CISOs in the local government tech community and to hear their concerns, their worries, and more importantly, their strategies to maintain effective security practices in their organizations.