This event is now complete
Thu 29 Jan 2026
View event detailsCamellia
Registration and Networking
7:30 AM - 8:30 AM (60 mins)
Magnolia
Welcome from Public Sector Network
8:30 AM - 8:40 AM (10 mins)
Magnolia
Welcome from the Chair
8:40 AM - 8:50 AM (10 mins)
Magnolia
Bridging the Gap: Strengthening Collaboration Across Technology, Program, and Leadership
8:50 AM - 9:10 AM (20 mins)
Cross-functional collaboration is critical to ensuring solutions are both innovative and practical. By bringing technologists and program leaders together, organizations can create meaningful dialogue that aligns emerging tools with real-world needs. This session will show you how to strengthen conversations across teams so your solutions drive impact, adoption, and results.
- Achieve stronger alignment between technology capabilities and program priorities
- Improve dialogue by including both technical and business perspectives in discussions
- Adapt solutions to solve real-world challenges, not just showcase innovation
- Transform collaboration practices to ensure tools are practical, relevant, and adopted
Magnolia
Modernizing Government Service Delivery with AI & Unified Service Management
9:10 AM - 9:30 AM (20 mins)
Explore how AI-driven service management helps agencies modernize legacy systems, unify service experiences, and improve efficiency for employees and constituents. Learn practical, real-world approaches to using automation and analytics to enhance employee experience and deliver more responsive, resilient government services.
- Create a unified service experience for employees and the public
- Improve efficiency through AI-driven automation
- Use data and analytics to support better decision-making
- Support scalable, secure service delivery across agencies
Magnolia
AI vs. AI: Navigating California's new frontier in defending innovation, trust, and the digital state
9:30 AM - 9:50 AM (20 mins)
As the birthplace of global innovation, California is one of the world’s most targeted cyber battlegrounds. Artificial intelligence now operates on both sides of the security equation — accelerating discovery and defense, while enabling new forms of automated cyber attacks. The result is a digital future where speed, adaptability, and foresight define success.
In the era of AI vs. AI, California’s next leadership challenge is clear: to ensure AI not only powers progress, but protects it from adversaries.
This session explores how California can turn its innovation edge into a defensive shield, using AI to outpace AI-driven threats. Government, academia, and industry leaders will unpack the unique risks facing the Golden State and chart a path toward secure, ethical, and future-ready AI adoption.
Key Highlights:
- The rise of AI-driven cyber warfare — and what California must prepare for.
- How AI can power the next generation of cyber defense across critical sectors.
- How to turn innovation into armor — building resilience into every digital layer.
- Why ethics, transparency, and public trust will define the future of AI-enabled governance.
Magnolia
Smarter State Buying: How Innovation, Data, and Partnerships Are Transforming Procurement
9:50 AM - 10:20 AM (30 mins)
Procurement is evolving from a compliance exercise into a strategic driver of innovation and value. As governments modernize, procurement teams are rethinking how to buy smarter, faster, and more transparently.
This session will unpack how innovation, data, and collaboration are reshaping public purchasing. You’ll learn how to apply new approaches to streamline processes, strengthen supplier diversity, and create partnerships that deliver fair and accountable outcomes.
- Achieve greater agility and transparency through modern procurement reform
- Adapt lessons from leading states to enhance digital and data-driven sourcing
- Increase supplier diversity and equitable access through smarter tools
- Transform vendor engagement and partnership models to accelerate innovation
Camellia
Morning Networking Break
10:20 AM - 10:50 AM (30 mins)
Magnolia
Welcome from the Track Chair
10:50 AM - 11:00 AM (10 mins)
Government in the Intelligence Age: Balancing Innovation, Efficiency & Risk
Gardenia
Welcome from the Track Chair
10:50 AM - 11:00 AM (10 mins)
Tofanelli
Welcome from the Track Chair
10:50 AM - 11:00 AM (10 mins)
Magnolia
AI, Automation, and Next‑Generation Innovation
11:00 AM - 11:20 AM (20 mins)
Understanding AI and automation is critical as technology reshapes business and society. This session will help you apply new approaches on how you can harness these tools to transform your operations, workforce, and strategic planning.
- Discuss how AI can support ecosystem level transformation
- Explore how AI may change career paths and workforce readiness
- Highlight some of the skills and capabilities that may be required in next-generation innovation
- Explore how AI and automation are redefining business models and societal impact
Gardenia
Reimagining DMV Services: Digital Transformation for a Seamless Customer Experience
11:00 AM - 11:20 AM (20 mins)
As demand for faster, easier, and more transparent public services grows, agencies are rethinking how they deliver high-volume, citizen-facing programs. This session will highlight how modernization and digital-first strategies are helping agencies enhance efficiency, reduce friction, and create a seamless customer experience.
- Expand self-service tools to reduce wait times and improve accessibility
- Modernize legacy systems to enable faster, more reliable service delivery
- Incorporate customer feedback and continuous testing to refine digital platforms
- Strengthen trust and transparency with real-time updates and streamlined processes
- Advance workforce productivity by using digital tools to support, not replace, staff
- Ensure equity by designing inclusive services accessible to all communities
Tofanelli
Strategic Modeling for Cost-Effective Cybersecurity Innovation
11:00 AM - 11:20 AM (20 mins)
Magnolia
AI for Enhanced Public Safety and Emergency Response
11:20 AM - 11:40 AM (20 mins)
Communities face increasing natural disasters, crime rates, and public health crises. Recent issues like wildfires and the ongoing need for efficient emergency response in California highlight the importance of leveraging AI to improve response times, predict risks, and optimize resource allocation, ultimately enhancing public safety and resilience.
- How can we effectively integrate AI technologies into our existing public safety infrastructure to improve response times and coordination during emergencies?
- What predictive AI tools can we implement to better forecast and mitigate the impact of natural disasters and other emergencies in California?
- How can we address ethical concerns and ensure the responsible use of AI in public safety, maintaining transparency and public trust?
Gardenia
When Work Just Works: AI’s Role in the Modern Digital Workplace
11:20 AM - 11:40 AM (20 mins)
Government work has never been more complex or more fragmented. Employees navigate disconnected systems for communication, collaboration, knowledge, and service delivery, slowing execution and weakening engagement. Despite years of investment, many digital workplace initiatives have added tools without restoring coherence.
In this fireside chat, Simpplr and SAP explore how an AI-powered intranet is redefining the digital workplace as one cohesive system of work, connecting people, tools, and intelligence rather than layering on more technology.
We’ll examine why traditional productivity and engagement platforms fall short, how fragmented AI deployments deepen silos, and what it takes to move from tool sprawl to a single gateway for effective AI experiences and intelligent orchestration. Attendees will hear practical insights on how AI can understand intent, personalize employee experiences, and govern complexity at scale while meeting the security, compliance, and transparency requirements of the public sector.
Tofanelli
Active Directory and Cyber Resiliency - An Open Conversation
11:20 AM - 11:40 AM (20 mins)
Industry data shows Active Directory is targeted in most ransomware attacks, driving outages that average 28 days. AD recovery alone can take weeks, compounding impact. This session explores why identity is foundational to cyber recovery, how organizational silos slow response, and what mature, test-driven AD resilience really looks like today.
Magnolia
Driving Innovation with Emerging Tools for Lasting Change
11:40 AM - 12:10 PM (30 mins)
Governments are under increasing pressure to deliver better services with fewer resources. While emerging tools create opportunities for rapid improvement, the real challenge lies in sustaining innovation and embedding it into everyday operations. This session will help you apply new approaches on how you can drive, support, and scale innovation to create lasting impact across your organization.
- Advance innovation by building systems and leadership support that sustain change
- Adapt emerging tools to meet the evolving needs of citizens and communities
- Optimize collaboration across agencies to scale pilots into long-term solutions
- Amplify the resilience and impact of your services through continuous innovation
Gardenia
Reactive to Proactive: Building California’s Next Era of Digital Public Services
11:40 AM - 12:10 PM (30 mins)
California’s public agencies are reimagining service delivery to be more proactive, equitable, and responsive to citizen needs. This session explores how leadership across departments can champion a culture of modernization and collaboration that enhances both customer and operational outcomes.
- How agency leadership can partner with IT to drive human-centered service design and improve operational efficiency
- Using data and feedback to improve accessibility, trust, and decision-making in essential public services
- Building a culture of innovation and accountability that supports equitable outcomes for all families
- Ensuring modernization efforts align with real-world needs — strengthening service delivery, optimizing resources, and reaching vulnerable populations
Tofanelli
Securing the Supply Chain: Cybersecurity in Public Sector Procurement
11:40 AM - 12:10 PM (30 mins)
Public sector supply chains are increasingly targeted, making procurement a critical line of defense. This session will show you how to embed cybersecurity in contracts, assess vendor risk, and ensure resilience in third-party partnerships.
This session will help you apply new approaches on how you can align procurement with security frameworks, reduce third-party vulnerabilities, and transform vendor relationships into trusted partnerships.
- Integrate cybersecurity standards and Zero Trust principles into procurement processes
- Evaluate vendor risks using proven frameworks and due diligence practices
- Adapt lessons from recent supply chain attacks to strengthen resilience
- Balance innovation, cost, and security in vendor selection and contract negotiations
Magnolia
A Government IT Value Play: How CIOs Can Do More With Less
12:10 PM - 12:30 PM (20 mins)
Gardenia
Accelerating Digital Service Delivery Through AI and Human-Centered Design
12:10 PM - 12:30 PM (20 mins)
Tofanelli
Artificial Intelligence in Practice
12:10 PM - 12:30 PM (20 mins)
This presentation is an overview of how Delinea is applying Artificial Intelligence to two problems that routinely fail at enterprise scale: (1) getting correct answers fast during deployment and operations, and (2) turning privileged access audit artifacts into actionable security evidence.
The session opens with a short primer on Delinea’s cloud platform for identity security and privileged access management, focusing on what “centralized authorization” and unified auditing mean in operational terms. It then moves to Delinea Expert, an in-product assistant designed to answer configuration, workflow, and best-practice questions; its documented design point is that it is grounded in Delinea’s public documentation and does not access tenant data. The second half covers Iris Auditing (often referred to as Iris Audit): automated analysis of recorded privileged sessions using computer vision and large language model analytics to produce a searchable audit trail, highlight elevated/risky actions, and accelerate investigations.
Camellia
Networking Lunch
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM (60 mins)
Magnolia
Interactive Roundtable Discussions
1:30 PM - 2:15 PM (45 mins)
Roundtable 1: Accelerating Transformation With AI - Facilitated by Avinash Jain, Delivery Project Executive, IBM
Roundtable 2: Network Modernization With AIOps - Facilitated by Ben Caruso, Field CTO, HPE
Roundtable 3: Modernizing Government Technology Environments - Facilitated by Zoom
Roundtable 4: Designing User-Centered Services - Facilitated by John Gambaro, Vice President – State, Local Government & Education, Freshworks
Roundtable 5: In these days of cost containment what is the future of hypervisors and the protection of them - Facilitated by Rubrik, Nutanix, Portola
Roundtable 6: Modernizing Government with AI-Without Losing Governance - Facilitated by Andy MacIsaac, Solutions Marketing Director, Laserfiche
Roundtable 7: What Does "Context" Mean for AI in Government, and Why Does It Matter? - Facilitated by Nabih Metri, Senior Product Manager, Hyland
Roundtable 8: Building Resilient State Agencies for the Future - Facilitated by Don Ingle, SAP
Roundtable 9: Technology Solutions to Navigate the Data Driven Landscape - Facilitated by Keith Nelson Senior Strategist, Public Sector, and Simon Woodford, Director of Sales, SLED US Public Sector, OpenText
Roundtable 10: Ensuring Reliability and Predictability in AI-Driven Systems ? Facilitated by Andy Nguyen, Sr Solutions Architect, Tricentis
Gardenia
Partnering with Government: Procurement Insights for Vendors
1:30 PM - 1:50 PM (20 mins)
Government procurement is evolving, with agencies seeking not just cost savings but also innovation, accountability, and long-term value from vendor relationships. In this session, procurement leaders will provide insights to help vendors better understand the government’s priorities, expectations, and processes. Attendees will gain clarity on how to navigate compliance requirements, present innovative solutions, and build partnerships that align with agency missions and citizen needs.
- What government buyers look for beyond pricing
- Common challenges vendors face in government procurement—and how to overcome them
- Best practices for engaging with agencies early and effectively
- How agencies evaluate innovation while ensuring fairness and compliance
- Building trusted, transparent, and long-term vendor partnerships
Camellia
Afternoon Break
2:15 PM - 2:35 PM (20 mins)
Magnolia
Compliance Isn't a Checkbox: Building a Mature Compliance Posture
2:35 PM - 2:55 PM (20 mins)
Many agencies are focused on passing the next audit, but new requirements or internal changes often expose how fragile basic compliance can be. Looking at the example of CJIS, this session explores why compliance maturity matters and how agencies can move beyond checkbox compliance to build controls that hold up as environments and requirements evolve.
- Understand the difference between simply passing an audit and maintaining durable, audit-ready compliance
- Identify common gaps that emerge as access models, staffing, and requirements change
- Learn what mature compliance looks like in practice and how it can provide security and operational benefits
Magnolia
Retaining Critical Cyber Knowledge in a Shifting Workforce
2:55 PM - 3:45 PM (50 mins)
As government agencies face retirements, career transitions, and the influx of new talent, the continuity of institutional knowledge and technical expertise is at risk. This session will examine how leaders can safeguard critical cyber knowledge while building a future-ready workforce. From structured succession planning to mentorship programs and smarter workforce design, discover practical strategies to reduce knowledge loss and accelerate capability building.
- Strengthen knowledge transfer with structured handover, shadowing, and documentation practices
- Evolve retention and mobility policies to keep experts engaged in advisory or part-time roles
- Enhance leadership visibility into knowledge gaps, at-risk functions, and workforce vulnerabilities
- Expand mentorship and peer learning programs to accelerate onboarding for new cyber professionals
- Embed resilience into succession strategies to ensure long-term workforce stability and readiness
Engaged California: Creating a First-in-the-Nation Deliberative Democracy Program
3:45 PM - 4:05 PM (20 mins)
When California launched Engaged California, the first-in-the-nation deliberative democracy program, we set out with one goal: to foster meaningful dialogue and strengthen trust between Californians and their government. It was first used as a new, equitable and innovative opportunity to engage with LA wildfire survivors to inform recovery and rebuilding efforts. The goal was to invite them to participate in their own plan to rebuild together, synthesize and organize the responses, and deliver the results to leaders across all levels of government within the State. A second engagement was just held with the California state workforce to gather ideas to make government more efficient and effective.
In this keynote, Jarrett Krumrei, Lead Product Manager for the Office of Data and Innovation, will share how Engaged California was created to address persistent challenges in how government listens and learns. He’ll walk through the program’s core principles of human-centered design, equity, and transparency and how they created a trusted space for constructive input from state employees, for state employees, across roles and tenure. The session connects the shift from fragmented, voice-dominated idea silos to listening at scale, showing how inclusive dialogue can drive meaningful improvements for both the workforce that runs government and the Californians it serves.
Magnolia
From Mission to Momentum: How the Governor’s Innovation Fellows Program is Transforming State Government Innovation
4:05 PM - 4:35 PM (30 mins)
The State of California is embracing innovation at a whole new level. The Office of Data and Innovation launched the Governor’s Innovation Fellows, to achieve one of the initiatives set out by Governor Newsom in his July executive order on pursuing more effective, more efficient government. Fellows are subject matter experts who already work within the State Government. They are being trained on best practices in using a product mindset to help state agencies and departments provide better services to all Californians.
You’ll meet three of the Fellows and hear from ODI about the importance of this work to gain insight on establishing a new culture of problem solving based on discovery and iterative prototyping.
Magnolia
Closing Remarks from Chair
4:35 PM - 4:40 PM (5 mins)
Camilla
Networking Drinks Reception
4:40 PM - 5:40 PM (60 mins)
