Technology Summit 2019 - Session Speakers

Calvin Rhodes

State Chief Information Officer and Executive Director, Georgia Technology Authority

Serving as state CIO and Executive Director of the Georgia Technology Authority since 2011, Calvin Rhodes has led the state’s public/private partnership to transform state government’s IT enterprise. The initiative has strengthened security, modernized infrastructure and networks, improved reliability, and increased transparency. Under his direction, GTA promotes an enterprise approach to technology by establishing statewide policies, standards and guidelines based on industry best practices and federal requirements.

As state CIO, Calvin chairs Georgia’s Statewide Cybersecurity Board, created in 2015 by executive order, to assess and strengthen the state’s security posture. He led GTA’s oversight of construction of the Georgia Cyber Center in Augusta. The center opened in July 2018, and its second building opened adjacent to the first in January 2019. He has also been responsible for partner coordination at the center, which promotes modernization in cybersecurity technology and workforce development for the public sector and private industry through unique education, training, research and practical applications. Calvin holds a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems and an MBA.

Sean Brown

Florida State University, Strategy Director, Campus Reimagined

Sean Brown is a globally recognized thought leader and writer in the educational technology sector. He has led groundbreaking product strategies and campaigns for Apple, IBM and Oracle, and currently serves as director of strategy for Campus Reimagined at Florida State University.

Link to presentation Campus Reimagined

Stu Davis

Sense Corp, Managing Director for Public Sector

At Sense Corp, Stu Davis continues his service to government agencies, now directing the firm’s work with public sector entities on digital transformation. Previously, he served as the state of Ohio’s CIO. There, he led the conception and implementation of an IT consolidation and optimization effort directed at making Ohio a better place for its citizens to live and businesses to be established and grow. Under Stu’s leadership, consolidation projects addressed infrastructure, public safety, enterprise resource planning (ERP) and enterprise applications, networking, security/privacy and end-user/endpoint (pc/tablets/mobile devices) productivity. Stu has 20+ years of experience in management of information technology and geographic information systems in the private and public sector, plus international consulting experience. He is a past president of the National Association of State CIOs (NASCIO).

Link to presentation Data Analytics and the New Vision

Bern Elliot

Gartner, Distinguished VP, Analyst

Bern Elliot is a vice president and distinguished analyst with Gartner Research and has been with Gartner for more than 18 years. His current research focus is artificial intelligence (AI), with added focus on natural language processing (NLP), machine translation, and customer self-service. In his previous coverage within Gartner he was a lead analyst in the areas of contact center infrastructure and unified communications. He built more than 20 years of IT experience prior to coming to Gartner.

Link to presentation Key Trends in Applying Real-World AI

Sachin Lulla

EY, Digital Transformation and Internet of Things Leader

Sachin Lulla is a partner in EY’s advisory business and is responsible for leading Internet of Things (consumer and enterprise IoT) and digital transformation for advanced manufacturing clients across the Americas. Prior to EY, he was with IBM where he established IBM's IoT services business in the Americas for industrial clients. Sachin has deep experience in the automotive area, with focus on artificial intelligence, robotics and augmented/virtual reality. He helped launch an award-winning 3-D printed self-driving electric shuttle, for instance. He was earlier with Deloitte in their manufacturing and aftermarket business. Sachin has spoken at conferences around the world.

Link to presentation AI is Changing the Future Today

Renae Madison

City of Decatur, Communications Specialist

Renae Madison is responsible for the city of Decatur (Georgia) newsletter (Decatur Focus), website, social media and other communications initiatives. She serves as the city’s public information officer. She is also a member of the city’s technology committee and plays a vital role in the development of the city’s Alexa project.

Link to presentation GSU Capstone Class

John Martin

Georgia State University, Executive-in-Residence

John Martin is an innovative IT professional with over 30 years’ experience in the design, implementation, operation, and maintenance of technology products, services, and processes. He is a thought leader in finding inexpensive, innovative ways to maximize organizational effectiveness. His organizations have been recognized for IT innovation in Georgia, and Information Week recognized his team’s Georgia Outdoor Map product as one of the Elite 100 projects in the U.S.

Link to presentation GSU Capstone Class

Jason Poovey

Georgia Tech Research Institute, Branch Head

Jason Poovey is the head of the HPC, data analytics, and software engineering branch at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI). His work there has focused on creating high performance solutions to a wide variety of problems and applying analytics to large quantities of data. This research has spanned the field — from social media analysis to business intelligence, systems engineering, health analytics, Internet of Things research, and network analysis. Jason has also taught at North Carolina State University, Emory University, and Georgia Tech.

Aaron Rakes

EY, Manager, EPM Technology Enablement

Aaron Rakes leads multiple disciplines in intelligent automation, from thought leadership to process discovery addressing today’s business challenges. Over the past 10+ years he has worked with many emerging technologies to redesign the way work is performed both locally and globally. Aaron’s experience in intelligent automation has helped clients achieve business optimization, enhance governance, gain comfort with new technologies, and realize sustainable growth at scale.

Link to presentation Intelligent Automation (IA)

Doug Robinson

NASCIO, Executive Director

Doug Robinson has served as executive director of the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) since 2004. His career spans more than 35 years in public sector information technology, including positions in state government, higher education, and IT consulting. Prior to joining NASCIO, he served as executive director in the Governor’s Office for Technology, Commonwealth of Kentucky. NASCIO, founded in 1969, is the only national organization representing state chief information officers of the 50 states and territories.

Alan Skelton

State of Georgia, State Accounting Officer

Alan Skelton was appointed State Accounting Officer by Governor Nathan Deal in July 2012. He provides accounting leadership for the state of Georgia, including financial reporting oversight, accounting policy, interpretation of GAAP standards, and implementation of business process improvements. He is a CPA with Big 4 experience who brings business advisory, internal audit, process improvement, and large ERP expertise to his work for Georgia.

Link to presentation Intelligent Automation (IA)

Beverly Wright

Relational AI, Partner

Beverly Wright leads the analytics practice for RelationalAI and serves several companies in Atlanta with data science strategy, insights, solutions, and training. She has spent more than 25 years leading and executing marketing analytics and modeling through corporate, consulting, and academic experience. In earlier work heading Georgia Tech's Business Analytics Center, she managed business community engagements, as well as student experience aspects of the center.