Three State Agency Leaders Added to Insider Event Roster

Three agency leaders have been added to the speaker list for the inaugural State of Technology: Texas Industry Forum on Aug. 31.

Department of Family and Protective Services Deputy Commissioner Jennifer Sims will be the featured speaker during the session “Fireside Chat: A Business Leader’s Perspective on IT.” Sims has served in Texas state agencies for more than 20 years; she was also a deputy commissioner for the Department of State Health Services.

Heather Hall, CIO of the Texas Workforce Commission, and Anh Selissen, CIO of the Texas Department of Transportation, will also speak.

The event has an eye toward the coming budget year and also the recently enacted state biennial budget and is produced by Industry Insider — Texas, Government Technology magazine and the Center for Digital Government, all part of e.Republic.

“This event is a unique opportunity for industry partners to hear directly from top Texas IT leaders,” said Mike Driessen, e.Republic’s vice president of subscription services. “We scheduled this event to coincide with the approval of the Texas biennium budget which allows for discussions on upcoming priorities and also provides an inside perspective on what is on the mind of CIOs. This event is vital for industry partners selling to the state of Texas.”

State Rep. Giovanni Capriglione will speak about what’s on the Texas Legislature’s mind when it comes to technology and the future of tech in the state. Capriglione chairs the Texas Innovation and Technology Caucus.

Dustin Haisler, chief innovation officer of e.Republic, will give a budget briefing addressing technology allocations and potential vendor opportunities.

The state CIO and director of the Department of Information Resources, Amanda Crawford, will kick off the event, followed by panels with agency and departmental CIOs that cover the state landscape. Other IT leaders speaking:

• Tanya Acevedo, CIO and senior vice president of Capital Metro in Austin
• Wendy Barron, CIO of the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles
• Ricardo Blanco, deputy executive commissioner and CIO of Texas Health and Human Services
• John Hoffman, deputy CIO and CTO of the Department of Information Resources

Tickets to the event, along with registration information and details about the agenda and speakers, can be found online or by emailing Brad Loebs.