Gartner Brings Together the Region’s Best and Brightest Graduate Students for Annual Case Study Competition

On March 6, 2025, Gartner hosted the final round of its second Case Study Competition that brings together teams from graduate programs from across northern California to tackle challenges faced within the public sector. Students from University of San Francisco (USF), California State University Sacramento (Sacramento State), and University of California Davis (UC Davis) brought their effort and ingenuity to this year’s event. The initial nine teams worked with Gartner coaches over a one-week time frame to prepare their case study presentations and then presented their analyses to Gartner Consulting Managing Partners and Expert Partners. According to Gartner Senior Managing Partner Eugene Martinez, “The Gartner Case Study Competition was established to demonstrate the importance and complexity of government work to the best and brightest minds in the region, and to hopefully inspire them to bring their talents to the local IT ecosystem.”

After incorporating the feedback they received in the first round, the top three teams moved on to the final round where they presented to three esteemed judges who had the following comments:

• Liana Bailey-Crimmins (State of California CIO and Director of the California Department of Technology): “The Gartner Case Study Competition is a great opportunity for these students to get real world experience. I am incredibly impressed by the students, their teamwork, and innovative approaches to solving government challenges.  Their futures are bright, and I am hopeful these young professionals see public service as a potential career choice.”

• Marcie Kahbody (California State Transportation Agency Information Officer and Caltrans Chief Information Officer): “Judging this competition was an absolute privilege. The dedication, creativity, and technical acumen displayed by all three teams were truly impressive. Their ability to collaborate, communicate, and problem-solve as a team was just as remarkable as their technical expertise. It’s clear that the future of technology is bright with such talented young professionals stepping into the field.”

• Stephenson Loveson (CalPERS Chief Information Officer): “It was a pleasure to be part of an amazing event. I was very impressed by the student’s knowledge, creativity, and their enthusiasm to come up with innovative solutions. I was most impressed by their ability to complete their analysis and develop such quality presentations in such a short time frame. It would be wonderful if events such as these can inspire these high-caliber students to work with the State.”

The results for this year’s competition were as follows:

• First Place:  Case Closed from UC Davis
• Second Place: Elevate X from USF
• Third Place: Visionaries from Sacramento State

Case Closed from UC Davis with the judges and Eugene Martinez

All finalists with judges, Eugene Martinez and Nikhil Nayak (Gartner Consulting Director)