State CIOs Gear Up For NASCIO 2017 in Austin

State CIOs and technology industry leaders will gather next week for the NASCIO 2017 Annual Conference in Austin, Texas.

State CIOs and other government officials will be able to exchange best practices, network, and learn about the latest technology that improves state services and citizen satisfaction. Attendees can expect pop-up network events to meet fellow government IT leaders, and industry experts; sessions on hot-button technology topics; and an opportunity to speak in small groups with state CIOs who have mastered deployment and implementation of new technologies.

To help readers plan their conference experience, MeriTalk State & Local put together a rundown of some of what’s happening.

Keynote Speeches:

• Monday, Oct. 2, 8:30 a.m. – How Curiosity Changed My Life
  Curiosity and exploration, the spark and the fire that burns from it, are powerful disruptors of human existence. Adam Steltzner explores these topics and asserts that when we follow our own curiosity and explore what we might be, we are better for it.
• Tuesday, Oct. 3, 3:15 p.m. – Leading From Any Seat: Stories from the Cockpit & Lessons from the Grit Project
  With real-world stories and insights from in and out of the cockpit, Shannon Huffman Polson offers tangible leadership lessons for audience members to seek out their own targets and, where passion and purpose intersect, incorporate them into their own professional lives

General Sessions:

• Monday, Oct. 2, 1:30 p.m. – Unleash the New: State Governments Get Agile
  Agile is changing the game for state governments. To explore the implications and opportunities, Accenture and NASCIO are partnering on multifaceted research. Drawing from the public and private sectors, the research reveals a comprehensive perspective on the role of agile within state government.
• Monday, 3 p.m. – Top Ten Talks
  Five speakers will have just 5 minutes to deliver a focused talk on one of the CIO Top Ten Priorities.
  • Consolidation/Optimization
  • Cloud Services
  • Budget and Cost Control
  • Enterprise IT Governance
  • Valuing Diversity
• Tuesday, Oct. 3, 9 a.m. – Insights from the World of Public Sector Leadership: 2017 State CIO Survey
  What’s on the minds of state CIOs? This session will provide insights into the role of the state CIO, including key relationships, business trends and critical policy areas. Over the summer, NASCIO, CompTIA, and Grant Thornton surveyed state CIOs on their priorities, perspectives, issues and trends. Survey results publication available after the session.
• Tuesday, 11:15 a.m.  – Workforce
  The workforce challenges facing state government can seem overwhelming, but small steps can lead to big impact. Learn about a summer internship program for high school students held by the City of Austin that addressed two main goals: inspire a desire among the students to work in tech, thereby deepening the pool of available technologists for hire in the coming years and help civil servants address long-standing problems.
• Wednesday, Oct. 4, 9 a.m. – Cybersecurity: The Human Factor
  Effective cybersecurity depends on people. Georgia, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Michigan will highlight examples of the human factor in action; from their workforce to end users to legislators.
• Wednesday, 10:30 a.m. Cybersecurity: Real-World Scenarios
  Experts believe that in 2015 there were 65 hacktivist incidents involving state and local governments; the number rose to 160 in 2016. Hacktivist incidents can mean loss of digital services for taxpayers and additional staff time to pick up the pieces after an event. Join NASCIO for this real-life simulation as attendees debate: If a hacktivist incident happened to you, what would you do?

Network Opportunities:

• Sunday, 6:30 p.m. – Welcome Reception
  Meet, greet and mingle with fellow NASCIO attendees. Heavy hors d’oeuvres provided.
• Monday, 7:30 a.m. – Networking Breakfast
  This breakfast will give attendees an opportunity to get to know their colleagues and industry experts outside of the conference sessions.
• Monday,  10:45 a.m. – Speed Networking
  This session will allow for quick, introductory conversations focused on the needs and vision of states and the complementary solutions, services, and expertise offered by NASCIO corporate partners. Pick a state, watch the timer and network! There will be three networking rounds.
• Monday, 6 p.m. – Awards Dinner
  Join NASCIO in honoring outstanding achievements in the field of information technology. The recipients of the 2017 State IT Recognition Awards, the State Technology Innovator Award and the Thomas M. Jarret Cybersecurity Scholarship will be announced.
• Tuesday, 7:30 a.m. – Networking Breakfast
  This breakfast will give attendees an opportunity to get to know their colleagues and industry experts outside of the conference sessions.
• Wednesday, 8 a.m. – Networking Breakfast
  On the last day of the conference, join NASCIO for another networking breakfast. As with the other breakfasts, conference attendees will have a chance to get to know each other outside of sessions and talks.

For the full conference agenda, click here.

Check back next week for MeriTalk State & Local’s full coverage of the NASCIO 2017 Annual Conference.