At NASCIO’s 2025 Mid-Year Conference, the energy in Philadelphia was focused on the future but grounded in pragmatism. State technology leaders aren’t chasing buzzwords. They’re redesigning government from the inside out, leveraging artificial intelligence (AI), data, cybersecurity, and partnerships to accelerate digital services that deliver tangible results to citizens.
In the post-conference State Tech Vision roundtable hosted by MeriTalk, Amanda Crawford, executive director and state CIO of Texas; Heather Abbott, West Virginia’s CIO; and Tom Nieto, president and COO of PayIt, unpacked how states are translating NASCIO’s top priorities into citizen-centered outcomes.
Moving Beyond Innovation for Innovation’s Sake
Crawford set the tone early, noting that the goal of the Texas Department of Information Resources is “to transform how Texas government serves Texans. We believe that technology can be a force multiplier to totally reimagine how government can truly serve its people.” She emphasized that innovation must be grounded in value. “We’re focusing on cybersecurity, on new ways to drive innovation – not just for the sake of innovation, but for producing value for Texans.”
Nieto echoed that theme from the private-sector vantage point. “There’s a big efficiency theme right now. … People … are really trying to understand how to make sure [they’re] delivering the best service to our constituents but doing it as efficiently as possible.”
That clarity of purpose is timely. NASCIO’s 2025 priorities placed AI and cybersecurity in a dead heat for the top spot – a signal, Crawford noted, of just how transformative this wave of AI has become. “I’ve long joked that cybersecurity is table stakes,” she said. “To see how quickly AI rose to the top really speaks to the transformational nature of this generation of AI.”
Taking AI From Concept to Capability
Both CIOs described how they’re adapting to the new realities of AI in workflows with caution and care.
West Virginia created an AI Task Force by legislative mandate, and rather than dissolve it after a final report, the state is extending its work. “We’re going to keep going,” Abbott said, because ideas and innovation in AI are only increasing.
Crawford also highlighted the creation of an AI user group open to both state and local government employees. “In just over a year, more than 700 people have joined,” she said. “Folks are sharing best practices, templates, policies.” The state is also building an AI literacy program for technologists, business leaders, and laypeople to grow knowledge of AI capabilities, as well as safe and effective deployment, Crawford noted.
Nieto pointed to the constituent experience as a driving force behind AI implementation. “The amount of information that most of our state partners hold has expanded so exponentially,” he said. “How do you bring [data] to bear so you can use it in meaningful ways? That’s probably one of the ways that I’ve seen AI move the fastest … taking friction out of the back office.”
Enhancing Security and Growing Cyber Skills
While AI is ascendant, cybersecurity is still foundational. Both Texas and West Virginia have made major strides in growing cyber capacity through university partnerships that double as workforce development pipelines.
Texas piloted its first Regional Security Operations Center (RSOC) at Angelo State University in 2021, where students provide free cybersecurity services to local governments – network monitoring, detection, and response, as well as outreach and education, Crawford said. The program has since expanded to two more campuses, with four additional RSOCs pending funding.
West Virginia is working on a similar model, developing a student-run SOC in partnership with Marshall University and West Virginia University, Abbott shared. “We’re working out the details … but I’m super excited about the opportunity to work with the students and increase their knowledge and then possibly get some of them to come to work for the state.”
Developing Services That Just Work
When asked what success looks like in digital services, both CIOs turned to relatable, low-friction wins.
In three years, 9 million residents have created accounts on the Texas by Texas mobile app, Crawford said. “It’s really taken off,” she observed. “We’re getting great feedback … folks are calling out other agencies that aren’t integrated into the app and saying, ‘Hey, when are you next? Because we love this … this is fantastic [and] … this is how government should work.’”
In West Virginia, COVID-era reforms at the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) sparked a transformation in state service delivery, Abbott noted. When the DMV first launched its portal for appointment scheduling, people were skeptical – but quickly embraced it once they realized they could be in and out of the office in 20 minutes instead of hours, she said. Since then, “We’ve gone just full steam ahead with every license [online],” Abbott said. “The citizens of our state have fully embraced it.”
Building the Workforce for the Future
Both states are investing in the next generation of government talent with a strong emphasis on paid internships, apprenticeship programs, and vendor-supported training.
In West Virginia, the Office of Technology utilizes the state-funded Learn & Earn grant program, in which the state and local community and technical colleges each pay 50 percent of students’ internship wages, Abbott noted.
In Texas, the DIR offers paid internships for college students in a range of roles, from cybersecurity and IT to procurement, accounting, human resources and legal, Crawford said, and recently created an apprenticeship program with junior colleges.
“Those junior colleges and community colleges will work with us to build the curriculum to [fill] the jobs that we need,” Crawford said.
Nieto underscored that public-private partnerships must include upskilling. “When we’re partnering with states, we do the training and enablement … and we bring in best practices from one state to another … so we’re helping states move faster, rather than having to reinvent the wheel every single time.”
Evolving the Role of the CIO
As the discussion closed, the panelists reflected on how the CIO role has shifted from back-office IT to strategic leadership.
“When I first started with state government, IT was a barrier, in some ways, to what the business needed,” Abbott recalled. “Now, we can give them what they need. [We need to ensure] that the CIOs and the directors of the IT agencies are talking to the businesses, talking to the cabinet secretaries, the commissioners, to make sure that they get what they really need.”
Crawford agreed. “We don’t want to just innovate for innovation’s sake. We need to make sure that we’re driving for efficiencies and … changing that legacy mindset. The CIO role is only going to continue to grow, to use technology to drive efficiency to better serve the people in our state.”
To watch the full State Tech Vision discussion, visit https://www.meritalkslg.com/event/state-tech-vision-may-2025/.