As the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania accelerates its digital transformation, strategic alignment between business and IT leaders is delivering measurable value across government. From rethinking procurement to launching unified digital platforms like PA.gov, Pennsylvania is reshaping service delivery by embedding collaboration at every level. This session will unpack how these partnerships are working in practice so you can apply new approaches on how you align IT capabilities with mission-critical priorities.

• Learn how aligning IT teams within agency business units accelerates delivery and enhances accountability
• Understand how cross-functional governance models drive enterprise-wide initiatives like Reimagine PA and grants management
• Discover how in-house IT talent strategies reduce costs while increasing control over core digital services

Human-centered service design isn’t a trend — it’s now essential to how governments deliver value. Pennsylvania is leading the way through CodePA, a first-of-its-kind digital initiative focused on simplifying access, improving usability, and embedding equity into every layer of service delivery. This session will highlight how Pennsylvania is transforming end-to-end experiences by redesigning systems from the user’s perspective — not the government’s.

Explore how the Commonwealth is closing service gaps and scaling better design through co-creation, enterprise tools, and an unwavering focus on user outcomes.

• Improve public trust through better service design
• Close access gaps using community-driven co-design
• Streamline enterprise services and digital front doors
• Build inclusive feedback loops into digital delivery
• Enrich internal design capacity through the CodePA framework

Like State Governments, cities are also adopting more AI and digital tools, but many are learning that transformation starts with the basics: good data and strong processes. Without clean, connected, and context-aware data, even the most advanced technologies can’t deliver on their promise. This session brings together leaders from Philadelphia, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and Lancaster to share how they are building foundational capabilities—like API-first platforms, open data strategies, and service design grounded in real user needs—to support enterprise-scale change.

Rather than chasing shiny solutions, these cities are rethinking how digital services are designed, governed, and delivered—anchored in data, aligned processes, and intentional innovation.

This session will explore:

• How cities are rebuilding digital foundations to support AI, automation, and data-sharing
• Why governance, data quality, and process design must come before new tech
• How open data portals and user-driven prototypes are reshaping city services
• The risks of vendor overreach and how to stay focused on long-term value
• How lessons from city innovation can be scaled to state-wide transformation

Dartanion Swift-Williams

Chief Data Officer, City of Baltimore

Hannah Louie

Director of Project Delivery, Office of the Chief Administrator, City of Philadelphia

Doren Brown

Bureau Chief - Civic Engagement, Department of Neighborhood Engagement, City of Lancaster

Andrew Hayhurst

Senior Manager, Innovation & Performance, City of Pittsburgh

This fireside chat will present the IT–Risk collaboration as a live case study of Pennsylvania’s new enterprise risk management framework. By aligning strategic oversight with IT implementation, their approach is breaking down silos, building trust across agencies, and creating a single, unified view of risk that strengthens service delivery and safeguards public resources. This session will:

• Demonstrate how IT and Risk teams are operationalizing Pennsylvania’s statewide ERM framework
• Explore how the partnership is enabling early risk detection and better cross-agency coordination
• Unpack how shared ownership is improving compliance, transparency, and internal controls
• Share how secure data access is being managed to balance usability with confidentiality
• Show how this case study is informing long-term planning and budget preparedness across the state

Pennsylvania is moving to a “defend forward” model — reshaping how cybersecurity is resourced and executed.
This session will outline how to transform your cyber posture, reduce risk, and collaborate across jurisdictions.

• Integrate zero-trust frameworks into state cyber planning
• Coordinate with counties and agencies on breach response
• Deploy identity-first security tools statewide
• Align security roadmaps with federal and ONCD shifts

Cybersecurity in 2026 demands more than defense — it requires speed, adaptability, and shared action across all levels of government. As Pennsylvania accelerates its shift to a defend-forward posture, agencies must rethink how they plan, respond, and partner to manage risk in real time.

This panel will bring together state and local leaders to unpack what’s working, what’s changing, and what’s next for cyber resilience in the Commonwealth.

• Advance shared threat intelligence across jurisdictions
• Improve cyber readiness through coordinated planning and playbooks
• Reduce complexity by adopting enterprise-wide zero trust models
• Bolster incident response with local-state-federal partnerships
• Future-proof cyber strategy against AI-driven threats

1. From Strategy to Service: Turning Digital Vision into Measurable Outcomes
2. Responsible AI in Government: From Policy to Practice
3. Data Sharing Without Compromise: Enabling Secure, Cross-Agency Collaboration
4. Building Digital Capability at Scale: Workforce, Culture, and Skills
5. Cyber Resilience as a Business Enabler, Not a Barrier
6. Modernizing Legacy Systems Without Disrupting Essential Services
7. Partnering for Innovation: Getting More Value from the Vendor–Agency Relationship

Pennsylvania is emerging as a national leader in responsible AI adoption — from predictive traffic flows to improved student outcomes. By piloting real-world solutions and setting early governance standards, the Commonwealth is proving that AI can drive measurable improvements without compromising public trust.

This panel will spotlight how Pennsylvania is scaling AI across sectors while aligning innovation with accountability, ethics, and public value.

• Implement AI pilots in education, transportation, and core operations
• Apply ethical frameworks to high-impact use cases with public oversight
• Build AI governance models that prioritize transparency and auditability
• Partner with academia to accelerate responsible innovation
• Scale successful AI use cases statewide with equity in mind

As expectations rise for simpler, more secure digital services, Pennsylvania needs a whole-of-state approach that modernizes legacy platforms while scaling AI and data innovation responsibly. This session will help you apply practical strategies to re-engineer high-impact processes, align leadership around shared priorities, and reduce delivery and trust risks so you can improve outcomes for citizens and your agency.

• Embrace risk as a driver of innovation across agencies and leadership
• Explore new models for collaboration across government, industry, and community
• Define what a unified, whole-of-state digital strategy could look like
• Improve citizen experience by redesigning services and internal workflows to be simpler, inclusive, and secure.
• Advance automation by leveraging in-house applications to streamline repeatable processes, including settlement workflows, and remove manual handoffs.
• Define digital strategy that prioritizes interoperable platforms, measurable outcomes, and cross-sector collaboration.