Keith Armonaitis has worked for the Port Authority of NY/NJ for eight years and is currently championing three distinct Innovation disciplines for the agency. This past year has seen him work with the Partnership For NYC on the Transit Tech Lab to bring resiliency pilots to the PA, create and manage the high level agency innovation initiative, the iHub, and as one of the founders, develop the grassroots innovation program the Innovation Incubator. Prior to his work at the PA, Armonaitis was a managerial consultant for Innovation at EMC, a developer of online testing methodologies for Lightspeed Research, and a serial entrepreneur and inventor for three tech startups. In his spare time when not thinking about tech, Armonaitis is an independent filmmaker and screenwriter.

Tina Chiao has been with Carahsoft for over 15 years; she joined as one of the first sales reps, and eventually ran the VMware SLED and Civilian business for Carahsoft. In 2018, Tina took on the AWS business as Director of Sales, and is currently responsible for sales, marketing, billing, operations, marketplace and partner development for the AWS business. Tina has a team of 25 AWS focused resources and has generated almost 200% YoY growth from 2020 to 2021. Tina is also responsible for managing AWS marketplace and is in the process of launching an exclusive two-tier distribution program to support public sector resellers in the marketplace.

Matt Clarkson leads the AWS US GovTech organization. He has been with AWS for 5 years. The US GovTech organization’s charter is to collaborate with and educate our partners, grow their business, and help them deliver results for their customers. Prior to AWS, Matt spent 7 years at Cisco Systems and 13 years at Sun Microsystems in various sales and sales leadership roles.

David Clow is the Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Deputy Director for the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Technical and Analytical Services Bureau (TASB). MPD-TASB supports the 6th largest police force in the United States, with over 4,500 employees, 3,800 of which are Sworn law enforcement officers. The IT staff of over 100 IT professionals manages IT infrastructure, CCTV, Body Worn Cameras, applications development, data warehousing, business intelligence, telecom, and help desk client support for those who protect and serve the District. Before joining MPD in 2019 he worked as a telecommunications and IT professional for the District of Columbia since 2004 including fifteen years at the Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) in variety of roles of increasing responsibility until becoming the Associate Chief Technology Officer over DC-Net, the District’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) program.

Barry has worked in the IT field for over 37 years holding a variety of technology leadership positions in the public and private sectors and is presently the CIO for Chesterfield County, Virginia where he pursues initiatives based on digital transformation, open government and citizen centricity. Under his leadership Chesterfield County Va has been four times recognized as the #1 digital county in the USA. He is an adjunct faculty for Virginia Commonwealth University, an active NACo contributor, two-time president of the Virginia Local Government IT Executives (VALGITE) organization, a certified government CIO and a national top 25 Doer, Dreamer & Driver. He likes to teach, write code and blog about technology leadership.

Gregg Conley is the Executive Counsel for Georgia’s Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John King. Gregg also worked for Judge Amanda Mercier at the Georgia Court of Appeals and in the Superior Court for the Appalachian Judicial Circuit. A veteran, Gregg served as an infantryman in the U.S. Army, completing two tours in Iraq and one tour in the Republic of Korea. Gregg lives in Atlanta where he serves as a Deacon at Christ Covenant Church.

Jeff Cook is a Managing Director at Shea & Company, a software and technology focused investment bank that advises companies, boards and investors on mergers and acquisitions, capital raising and corporate finance matters. At Shea & Company, Jeff leads the firm’s government technology practice and has advised on approximately 30 transactions in the public administration and public safety verticals. Jeff has worked with established and emerging clients such as CentralSquare, Emergency Reporting, Granicus, GovQA, OpenGov and Lexipol, among many others. Jeff earned his Masters and Bachelor’s degrees in Accounting and Finance from Boston College and is a Chartered Financial Analyst and Certified Public Accountant.

Michael (he/him/his) currently serves as the Pilot Programs Coordinator at the City of Long Beach Technology & Innovation Department. In this role he has developed and managed the Smart City Initiative’s employee-initiated and vendor-initiated pilot projects. By collaborating with public and private stakeholders, Michael facilitates public sector innovation through the implementation of emerging technologies to address ongoing challenges faced by residents and employees. Before joining the City, Michael worked as a designer in the technology, education, and financial sectors for ten years. Michael holds a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from University of California, Los Angeles and a Bachelor of Fine Art in Graphic Design from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Before co-founding GridMatrix, Nick was a Senior Global Supply Manager at Apple. In that role, Nick managed several hundred million dollars in annual spend across 20+ mechanical component, sensor, RF test equipment, and engineering design service suppliers. Prior to Apple, Nick worked at Amazon where he was a Senior Inventory Manager for its primary retail business. He used big data analytics to purchase goods, manage inventory levels, and optimize product distribution. Before Amazon, he interned with Google while also pursuing his MBA and worked on demand forecasting for the launch of the Pixel - Google’s first smartphone. Before Amazon, Nick worked as an Investment Analyst in the New York Office of McKinsey & Company, a global consulting firm. As an analyst, he supported the management of the Firm’s public equities portfolio with custom software development, market data analytics, and complex financial modeling. Nick holds a Master of Business Administration from Yale University and a Bachelor of Arts from Pomona College.

Will DeRuve began his career in solar PV and energy efficiency for both residential and commercial clients before making his way into large scale fleet management in the Northeast. At Livingston Energy Group based in New York Will DeRuve is the Director of Sales. Livingston provides utility infrastructure upgrades to install both Level 2 & Level 3 EV Charging stations to both private and public sector customers across the country as well as software and networking platforms to facilitate public facing chargers, fleet charging and management and utility demand response capabilities.

Christian Dorsey was first elected to the Arlington County Board in 2015 and is now serving his second term. He currently is Vice-Chair and served as Chair in 2019. During his tenure as Chair, Mr. Dorsey guided the Board’s adoption of: the Vision Zero transportation safety plan, the update to the Public Spaces Master Plan, the update to the Community Energy Plan, the renaming of Route 1 to Richmond Highway, the economic performance agreement and land use entitlements for Amazon’s headquarters in Arlington, principles of collaboration with the City of Alexandria on joint efforts to ensure inclusive growth with expected economic development, and an Equity Resolution that detailed the scope of work in Arlington’s mission to realize racial and social equity.
Christian is Chair of the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG), where he has represented Arlington since 2016. Previously, Mr. Dorsey served as Arlington’s Member on the Transportation Planning Board (TPB) in 2019 and 2021. Additionally, Christian served as a Principal Member of the Board of Directors for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, aka Metro, and as a Commissioner on the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission from 2016-2020.
In 2022, Christian is serving as the County Board liaison to the Civilian Oversight Board, the Commission on the Status of Women, the Human Rights Commission, the Neighborhood Complete Streets Commission, the Sports Commission and Aquatics Committee, the Emergency Preparedness Advisory Commission, the Fiscal Affairs Advisory Commission, the Northern Virginia Juvenile Detention Center, the Clarendon Alliance, the Arlington County Fair Board, and the Rosslyn BID. Christian is also Co-Chair of the County Board’s Audit Committee.
Outside of public service, Mr. Dorsey engages as a policy and communications consultant supporting progressive organizations in realizing their missions. Prior to joining the Board, Christian was a senior leader at the Economic Policy Institute, a think tank that promotes economic policies that foster broadly shared prosperity.
Throughout his career, Mr. Dorsey has been committed to improving the Arlington community. He had the privilege of serving as executive director of The Reading Connection, promoting literacy development for children facing housing insecurity. He also led the Bonder and Amanda Johnson Community Development Corporation, which provided essential community services and jump-started a moderate-income housing development in the Green Valley neighborhood.
Equally rewarding has been the many opportunities that Christian has had to serve our Arlington community as a volunteer, which have included serving on the boards of directors of the Arlington Free Clinic, A-SPAN, Leadership Center for Excellence, and Arlington Independent Media, and serving on County Board advisory commissions (Tenant-Landlord, chairman; Planning, member).
Christian has been a proud Arlingtonian since 1993. He and his wife, Rachael, live in the Columbia Forest neighborhood and have two children in Arlington Public Schools.

Marcus Dudley currently serves as the police chief of Abilene Texas, with 136,000 residents west of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. Chief Dudley has 24 years of experience in law enforcement. Before being selected to lead Abilene Police Department, Chief Dudley was employed as the Internal Affairs Bureau Commander in the Aurora Police Department in Colorado. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Economics with a concentration in management and finance from Bethany College in Kansas. Chief Dudley served in the U.S. Army Reserves for eight years and was deployed to the combat zone during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

Taj Ahmad Eldridge is a 25+ year investment professional whose career has included high level executive roles in banking, asset management, alternative investments, and entrepreneurship. As General Partner of Include Venture Partners and former Senior Director of Investments at the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI), Eldridge has built a longstanding career with expertise in the fields of fintech, media, energy, transportation, and the circular economy. Eldridge is also one of the 70 Black Investors in Bevy.com - a $325 million virtual conference platform as noted in AfroTech.

Founding Compass Advocacy in 2018, Hannah Garagiola has shaped the Compass brand into a political powerhouse for government and public relations, spanning Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Delaware. Hannah leads Compass as the founder and President of Compass Government Relations and Compass Public Relations. As a private sector lobbyist for 16 years, she understands the intersection of public policy, political messaging, branding, and grassroots advocacy.
Government Relations
Known for her political savvy, understanding of policy issues, and energetic approach, Hannah directs a bipartisan team with a proven track record of commonsense solutions to business matters before the Maryland General Assembly and local governments across Maryland. Hannah’s practice also includes lobbying before the D.C. City Council and Mayor’s Office.
Advocating on behalf of fortune 500 businesses, major energy developers, infrastructure companies, and large trade associations, Hannah’s clients are afforded access at the highest levels to meet their organization’s needs. As Deputy Chief of Staff to the late Maryland Senate President, Thomas V. “Mike” Miller, Jr., Hannah’s public sector role gave her the experience, institutional knowledge, and concrete relationships with decision-makers to be effective for clients seeking results.
Public Relations
Aside from her lobbying expertise, Hannah has also helped clients navigate media, communication, and political campaign strategies to educate decision-makers. As Deputy Chief of Staff to the late Maryland Senate President and staff to the Maryland Senate Democratic Caucus, Hannah honed her skills on various political campaigns over multiple election cycles. As a veteran on statewide and national campaigns, Hannah uses her skills to help clients educate policymakers on complicated issues by employing multi-faceted grassroots and grasstops tactics to meet client needs.
Additional Background
In February 2022, Hannah was named one of the 40 most powerful leaders in government and lobbying in Maryland by The Daily Record. In April of 2022, Hannah was named one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women. She has also been awarded by The Daily Record as one of the state’s Leading Women as well as a Very Important Professional (VIP). Her work has been written up in The Washington Post and The Baltimore Sun.
Hannah is married to former State Senator Rob Garagiola, and they have two young children together and a Jack Russell named Oyster. A former collegiate sailor, Hannah can be found cruising the Severn River with her family when she isn’t working. She also enjoys cooking, entertaining, and travel.

Maria G. Gotsch is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Partnership Fund for New York City (www.pfnyc.org), which is the investment arm of the Partnership for New York City. The Fund, which has invested over $170 million, has built a network of top experts from the investment and corporate communities who help identify and support New York City’s most promising entrepreneurs in both the for-profit and non-for profit sectors.
In addition to leading the Fund’s operations, Maria has spearheaded the creation and operation of a number of the Fund’s strategic initiatives, including: FinTech Innovation Lab; New York Digital Health Accelerator; Transit Tech Lab; NY Fashion Tech Lab; NYCSeed (seed financing for IT/digital media companies); BioAccelerate Prize NYC (proof-of-concept funding for university-based biomedical research); Arts Entrepreneurial Loan Fund (low cost loans for mid-size arts groups); ReStart Central and Financial Recovery Fund (assistance and funding for small businesses impacted by 9/11/01); and, the NYC Small Business Resource Network (assistance for small businesses impacted by COVID-19 economic shutdown). Ranked #39 on Crain’s 2021 Most Powerful Women in New York, #16 on City & State-New York’s The Life Sciences Power 50 in 2021 and #15 on Institutional Investor’s The FinTech Finance 40 in 2018. Selected for Crain’s 2019 Notable Women in Tech and 2021 Notable Women on Wall Street. She is a member of the FINRA FinTech Industry Committee.
Prior to joining the Fund in 1999, Maria was a Managing Director at BT Wolfensohn (now part of Deutsche Bank), providing strategic and financial advice related to mergers, acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures and the development of business strategies. Before starting with Wolfensohn, Maria worked at LaSalle Partners in the New York area and for Merrill Lynch Capital Markets in New York and London. Maria has an MBA from Harvard Business School and a B.A. from Wellesley College. She was also the recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship to study international relations at the Institut Universitaire de Hautes Etudes Internationales in Geneva, Switzerland.
Maria is a member of the boards of Sonepar SAS and Sonepar USA Holdings and serves on the audit committee of Sonepar SAS. She also serves on the advisory boards of ProPublica (investigative journalism non-profit), Schools That Can, Hospital for Special Surgery Innovation Advisory Council and the Cornell-Tech Runway Visiting Committee.

Chuck Grindle, Ph.D. (Colonel, retired, U.S. Army) is an Information Scientist who joined Amazon Web Services (AWS) in March of 2020. Chuck specializes in information security, policy and strategy. He previously served as the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s Chief Information Officer.

Brandon Gumm is the VP of Revenue for Qwally, a software company providing business engagement and procurement solutions for governments. After starting his career in neighborhood and community development in the Cincinnati region, he moved to Kansas City, MO to pursue a career in GovTech. At mySidewalk, Brandon helped lead the company toward 5 years of double digit growth as their Director of Solution Development. He now leads sales, marketing, and customer success at Qwally.
Brandon attended undergrad at James Madison College for Public Policy at Michigan State University. He then received his Masters of Urban Sustainability and Resilience from Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH. He now lives in Grand Rapids with a loving boyfriend and 2 cats. Brandon continues to work toward strengthening communities while celebrating their stories every day.

As the former Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Assistant City Manager for the City of Manor, Texas, a city outside Austin, Dustin quickly built a track record and reputation as an early innovator in civic tech. Dustin pioneered government use of commercial technologies not before used in the public sector – including Quick-Response (QR) barcodes, crowdsourcing, and gamification. Dustin was named as one of the nation’s Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers for government technology, was selected as an Eisenhower Fellow in 2019, and most recently, a 2021 Business Transformation 150 Leader by Constellation Research. Dustin’s work over the years has been featured numerous publications and books including Wired, Fast Company, the Wall Street Journal, Inc. Magazine, the Today Show on NBC, and Citizenville by California Governor, Gavin Newsom.
Dustin graduated Magna Cum Laude from LeTourneau University with a Bachelor of Business Administration and has worked with universities around the globe on incubating next-generation technologies in government including the Persuasive Technology Lab at Stanford University and the University of Trento, Italy. Dustin continues to work with Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, academia, gov tech startups, and non-profits across the globe on innovation, go-to-market, and citizen engagement strategies.

Elle has spent her career making it easier for the public and private sectors to work together to solve problems. Prior to co-founding The Atlas, Elle served as the Director of Strategy & Partnership at re:focus partners, where she managed a $3 million grant program. She also served as Special Assistant and Communications Director in the U.S. EPA’s Office of International and Tribal Affairs, where she managed an initiative that facilitated city-to-city learning on urban innovation, designed a program that supported environmental entrepreneurship, and developed a strategy that educated stakeholders about EPA’s international success stories.
Elle has an MBA with a marketing concentration from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management and a B.A. in Public Policy from the University of Michigan Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy.

Danielle is currently an Executive Government Advisor for Amazon Web Services (AWS) helping public sector customers on their digital transformation journey. Prior to joining Amazon in 2017, she worked in public procurement for over 20 years, including higher education and local government. As Chief Procurement Officer for King County, Washington, she led a $3 billion procure-to-pay organization and was responsible for sponsoring multiple Lean Six Sigma transformation projects that reduced cycle time and improved the customer experience. She led procurement technology and policy modernizations at multiple organizations and served for over a decade in leadership roles with NIGP-Institute for Public Procurement, Rocky Mountain Government Purchasing Association, and Colorado Municipal League. She is a Certified Public Procurement Official and earned her Master’s Degree in Public Administration.

Brant Imperatore is a trusted public policy advisor and advocate who takes a broad strategic perspective on government relations and emphasizes the importance of integrating advocacy efforts with other elements of clients’ businesses—from investor relations to communications to legal, and everywhere in between.
Above all, Brant prides himself on cultivating strong relationships—whether advocating on the Hill and within the executive branch, or collaborating across communications firms, nonprofits, think tanks, and beyond. During his decade at the firm, Brant has also built a strong foundation across a number of sectors, including financial services, energy, and trade. His gift for collaboration has yielded key successes for Mindset clients and strengthened our team.
Brant joined the firm over a decade ago after spending several years leading the financial services practice at another major Washington lobbying shop. His career in public policy began when he served as Counsel for the House Financial Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government Sponsored Entities.
Prior to working on the Hill, Brant practiced maritime law in the energy sector in New Orleans, Louisiana, and has significant experience with the Napoleonic code. During his years as a practicing attorney, he honed his litigation skills and brings this doggedness to bear for Mindset clients.
Brant holds an MBA from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia and a JD from Tulane Law School.
Brant’s hidden talent: He is his own human-powered ski lift, descending backcountry peaks that he scales with his gear and supplies on his back.

Anthony Jamison has over 10 years of working with and for state and local governments on technology concerns. He has served as director of business development for the National Association of Counties. He has developed and served as lead for NACo Smarter Counties Summits and CIO Forums. He is a battle-tested serial entrepreneur.
In his spare time, Anthony enjoys running, grilling and supporting NYC sports teams. He also enjoys international travel and is a well below average golfer.

Alex Johnson is the President of InState Partners, leading a dynamic and experienced team of state affairs professionals from across the country. Offering comprehensive state government affairs and strategic counsel, he works to ensure that clients are well informed about state political environments and current policy issues.
Mr. Johnson has worked in politics for over 20 years working on campaigns, PACs and political committees. Previously, Mr. Johnson served as the founding director of both the Republican Legislative Committee and the Republican Lieutenant Governor Association. More recently, he served as senior vice president at FP1 Strategies and founded a boutique state affairs firm.
Mr. Johnson received his bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Marquette University. He currently serves on the executive committee of the board for the America Council of Young Political Leaders.

Ryan Justus, VCA, is a graduate of Hampden Sydney College. He previously worked for Fairfax County advising their Public Safety and Vehicle Services agencies. Ryan currently serves as a Procurement Officer for Prince William County where he advises their Human Services and Information Technology agencies. Since starting with Prince William, Ryan has been a part of their transition to an electronic contract management system and has helped implement an IT license process.

Patrick Kigongo is a product professional who has focused his career on large-scale product delivery. He is currently a Product Manager with 18F - an office of federal employees within the General Services Administration that partners with federal, state, and local agencies to improve the user experience of government services by helping them build and buy technology.
Prior to joining GSA, Patrick developed his product experience in the digital media space in Los Angeles, CA. He has worked on apps, websites, and custom builds in the fashion, sports, and entertainment sectors. Before moving to Los Angeles, Patrick spent several years working in nonprofits in Washington, DC.
Patrick holds bachelor’s degrees in International Relations and French Language and Literature from University of Maryland, College Park and a master’s degree in International Affairs from The George Washington University.

Sharon Lewis is a 31-year professional in public procurement in the Commonwealth of VA. She is considered one of the foremost experts in the field, having worked as a Contracts Officer at VA Tech University, the Purchasing Manager for the City of Roanoke, VA, the Director of Procurement for Alexandria City Public Schools and currently as the Purchasing Division Chief for Arlington County. Sharon is faculty at Georgetown University, teaching a class in Sourcing & Contracting for a master’s degree program in Supply Chain Management. Sharon’s expertise is in all methods of procurement, including Design-Build, Construction Management at Risk, Public Private Partnerships, Design Bid Build and Professional services in design.
Sharon earned a Doctor of Education from Northcentral University in Global Training and Development with a specialization in eLearning in 2022. She holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy and Regulatory Law from Regent University, a Master’s in Paralegal Studies from George Washington University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Strayer University.
Sharon holds a nationally recognized achievement of honorable distinction in Sigma Alpha Pi National Society of Leadership and Success, which is the largest collegiate leadership honor society in the United States. Sharon is an honor society member of the Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity International, and a member of the Kappa Delta Phi, International Honor Society in Education.

Elizabeth Lo is the IT Director for Bedford County, VA. She has worked with and for local and state governments for 20 years in information technology. She is responsible for the enterprise technology infrastructure, telecommunications, services, and applications in support of the Bedford County mission. She is an active member and serves on the board of the Virginia Local Government Information Technology Executives (VaLGITE) Association. She also serves on the National Association of Counties (NACo) IT Advisory Council, IT Standing Committee, and GIS Subcommittee.
Elizabeth is currently pursuing her master's in public administration with a focus on local government at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. She holds a bachelor's in international politics from Georgetown University and a double master's in Economics and Journalism from Syracuse University.

Frank LoSacco currently serves as the police chief of East Brunswick New Jersey, with 50,000 residents adjacent to Rutgers University, State University of New Jersey. Chief LoSacco began working for East Brunswick Township in 1987 as a Special Police Officer. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Management Science from Kean College and Master of Arts degree in Educational Administration and Supervision from Seton Hall University. He is a graduate of the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police "West Point Command and Leadership" Academy and he currently serves as an instructor in this prestigious program. Chief LoSacco became a Certified Public Manager after attending the Rutgers University School of Public Affairs and Administration. He has also served as Adjunct Professor of Criminal Justice for Rutgers University and Middlesex, Mercer, and Morris County Colleges.

Nick Lyell is CivStart’s Chief Impact Officer, bringing a range of expertise in media, narrative, and visual communications strategy and tactics along with a familiarity with both local government and civic technology communities. He loves to leverage technology to help governments make the largest impacts with their communities. Nick previously worked at ReThink Media, a nonprofit convening organizations on communications strategies for state & local democracy-advocacy campaigns. Before that, he helped build out the Research Department and, later, digital communications at the National Association of Counties (NACo), elevating NACo's overall brand and position as a thought-leader in the local government space. Nick is a part-time independent filmmaker. His most recent work is False Alarm (www.falsealarmfilm.com). Nick also reads way too much science fiction and joins any rec sports he can drag his friends into.

Ganesha Martin is an executive legal thought leader committed to improving the culture of public safety across the country for the betterment of our communities and those who protect and serve. From senior roles within the Baltimore City Police Department (the nation’s 8th largest) to the Mayor’s Office, she has leveraged her positions to develop and implement compliance and risk mitigation strategies, crime and violence reduction plans and legislative priorities, and to transform community and police relations. As a collaborative leader, negotiator, and consensus builder amongst diverse stakeholders, Ganesha is also passionate about building and cultivating safe spaces for suppressed voices and uniting communities of color and public safety. She played a key role in the Baltimore Police Department’s negotiations and implementation teams for structural reforms focusing on how police interact with youth, use of force, stop and frisk, de-escalation, body-worn cameras, and interactions with those suffering from mental and behavioral health crises. If her time with the Baltimore Police Department taught her anything, it was that accountability leads to trust, and trust leads to solutions. It was through this lens that she joined Mark43, a leading public safety solutions generator, where she currently serves as VP of Community Affairs and Public Policy. Mark43 builds the world’s most powerful computer-aided dispatch (CAD), records management system (RMS), analytics, property and evidence, and mobile public safety technology platform while providing industry-leading customer care. In this role, Ganesha uses her ability to translate multiple sides of an issue, quickly overcome distrust, and make way for positive relationship building to achieve lasting solutions for public safety and communities. With an eye towards progress, she encourages stakeholders to meet her in the middle and use effective communication as the bridge to unite opposing groups, diffuse conflict, and foster real human connection. Ganesha strongly believes in the universal human potential for rehabilitation, and that we can bridge any insurmountable divide with the right people at the table.

Andre McGregor is founder of ForceMetrics, a data analytics software platform seeking to transform the way law enforcement and co-responders engage with community by improving data infrastructure and streamlining insights to help everyone make better decision, in the moment, faster. The ForceMetrics flagship product is a digital co-responder for connecting people in crisis with social service agencies and behavioral health professionals
Before starting ForceMetrics, Andre served as an FBI Cyber Special Agent in New York City working threats against nation-states and cyber criminals, before being promoted to Supervisory Special Agent at FBI Headquarters in Washington DC. Additionally, Andre was the FBI Cyber Representative to the United Nations. Before entering the FBI Academy at Quantico, Andre started his career at Goldman Sachs, Cardinal Health and later Chief Security Officer for Namely Inc, and Head of Cybersecurity at Tanium Inc. He is on the Boards of Directors for the City of Denver Parks and Recreation, Community First Foundation, the National Cybersecurity Center and Space ISAC. Additionally, he has served his local community as a volunteer firefighter/medic.

Matt is a technologist dedicated to and passionate about delivering transformative analytic and collaboration technologies to government and public sector. He is also a former US Navy Officer with significant experience in defense, intelligence and law enforcement domains.

Samuel Morris now works to streamline the process of starting a small business by helping entrepreneurs navigate city permitting, zoning, licensing, procurement, certification, and other government mandated requirements to operate a business. His efforts are a small piece of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Kansas City as he hopes to help aspiring and existing small business owners operate and grow in the metro.

Rebecca Moudry is an economic development leader with 20 years of experience in economic development, community development and business investment in both the private and public sectors. Rebecca is the Director of the Department of Economic Initiatives (DEI) for Fairfax County, Virginia. In this role she leads the new Department to foster local economic development and position Fairfax County to be an economically competitive and prosperous community. Rebecca oversees DEI’s divisions including small and local business development, economic innovation and strategy, and catalytic public-private partnerships.
Immediately prior to joining Fairfax County Rebecca served as Vice President at ROI Research on Investment, leading strategic planning, business attraction and retention programs. Rebecca previously served in the U.S. Department of Commerce, including as the Deputy Director for Investment Services at SelectUSA, the federal program to facilitate job-creating business investment into the United States. At the U.S. Economic Development Administration Rebecca structed the first multi-agency challenge program to accelerate regional innovation clusters across the country. Her other expansive experience includes positions at the District of Columbia Office for Planning and Economic Development, the International Economic Development Council and the Inter-American Development Bank.
Rebecca holds a master’s degree in Regional Planning with a focus on Economic Development from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington. A native of Southern Oregon, Rebecca has called Washington, DC home since 2005.

Eta Nahapetian is the Manager for Smart Community Innovation and Strategy in the Department of Economic Initiatives in Fairfax County, spearheading economic innovation opportunities in the county. In this role she develops and manages key programs designed to keep the county in the forefront of the newest technologies and methodologies. She works closely with public, private and nonprofit partners focusing on stimulating research, expanding commercialization, and economic success. Her current projects include:
· The Fairfax Founders Fund, a grant program for local technology founders to support their commercialization goals;
· the Smart Cities Initiative, which is a regional effort to drive innovation, spur entrepreneurship and grow emerging high-growth companies and the technology workforce;
· the connected and autonomous vehicle pilot project, the first state-funded program for driverless shuttles in Virginia public transportation;
· and she’s organized several Pitch events, Hackathons, and Pilot Projects addressing key challenges for the region, including mobility, sustainability, and affordable and accessible housing.
Eta holds a Masters of Business Administration from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, and a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from Tufts University.

Prior to founding Stockbridge Advisors, Mark served as Director of Impact Strategies for a transatlantic law firm, Deputy Director of the Global Innovation Summit, a Senior Policy Advisor at the US Small Business Administration and a Post-Katrina Advisor to the New Orleans City Council.

Andrew Ngui is a visionary systems builder. A strategic innovation catalyst, he engineers radical inclusivity and unity across silos. He spearheads human-centered movements to garden innovation and helps bridge gaps in ecosystems at scale. He works collaboratively with national and regional leaders to build innovation and entrepreneurship capacity: new venture creation, corporate innovation, and community development to improve economic performance in the Greater Peoria region and beyond.

Sara Nicoll is a nonprofit management and partnerships professional passionate about helping governments most effectively serve their citizens. For the past decade, she has worked for organizations with a range of missions from ending world hunger to improving government data and transparency. As a Co-Founder and the Chief Strategy Officer of CivStart, Sarah is excited to help governments innovate by partnering with startups that make the sector more inclusive.

Tara Palacios is the Director of BizLaunch, Arlington’s Small Business and Entrepreneurial Assistance Network in Arlington County, Virginia. Ms. Palacios founded the BizLaunch program in 2002 to help diverse entrepreneurs to successfully launch, grow and expand their businesses in the County. Since its inception the program has outreached to over 75,000 business owners through sponsored workshops, seminars, and one-on-one counseling sessions.
Ms. Palacios has over 30 years of experience in Marketing and Business Development at a variety of for-profit firms: a health maintenance organization, an IT software developer, a financial institution, and a uranium enricher before joining Arlington County in 2001. Ms. Palacios has received numerous awards for her work and dedication to small businesses from the US Small Business Administration, the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, the Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity to name a few.
Ms. Palacios received her undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) and her graduate degree from the Johns Hopkins University. She also is a certified Public Manager through George Washington University.

Jonathan Parham is a career law enforcement officer with nearly 30 years of experience; with 25 of those years being served with the Linden Police Department, where he retired as Chief of Police; the first African American to hold that position.
Following his retirement from the Linden Police Department, Jonathan served as Administrative Undersheriff with the Union County Sheriff’s Office where he provided oversight for the Internal Affairs Unit, the Professional Standards Unit, and the Legal Process Unit. Parham also served as the Director of County-Wide Police Policy, Planning and Training with the Union County Prosecutor’s Office where he worked with the Office of the Attorney General’s Use Of Force Working Group revising the Use Of Force Attorney General Directive. Parham is currently the Police Director for the Rahway Police Department.
Parham holds a Master of Administrative Science degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration from Fairleigh Dickinson University. He is a graduate of the West Point Command and Leadership school and holds a certificate in Public Safety Liability and Mitigation from Richard Stockton University. Parham is a graduate of the Certified Public Manager program at Rutgers University and is currently an Adjunct Professor at Union County College in Cranford, NJ.
Director Parham is the creator of ATLAS; the Assessment Training Liability and Accountability Software, a web-based software that collects supervisory reviews of police body worn camera videos. The data collected in the software is used to improve officer performance by identifying performance trends and use those trends to identify opportunities where the agency can better support officers with training, clarity and effective supervision.

With 20 years of experience in government operations, Marlon was formerly the Director of Procurement for Santa Clara County and the Chief Technology Procurement Officer for the State of California. During his tenure at the State, he modernized procurement and improved project delivery. Marlon’s innovative thinking led to a reduced time to acquire, resulting in numerous successful procurements of critical technology in 3 - 4 months. Leveraging a challenge-based approach to procurement, Marlon led the acquisition of several coronavirus-related solutions. The blueprint for his successes in addressing the technology challenges of the pandemic is now being used for large complex Information Technology projects.

Clay Pearson joined the City of Pearland, Texas as City Manager in March 2014. During his career, Pearson gained a broad overview and understanding for the varied operations of City government and has worked with the Mayor and City Council to outline and deliver a strong vision of what can be accomplished in Pearland’s future. Pearland’s opportunities towards being one of the premier diverse and dynamic cities around metropolitan Houston area being delivered with community not-for-profit/volunteer partners, Brazoria and Harris counties, regional partners, other government agencies and more than 700 employees and volunteers dedicated to Pearland. Pearland is a complex full-service local government.
The City is one of the major employers in the Pearland and financially has net position (2015) position of $694 million, of which $648 million is investments of net capital assets at close of FY 2015. That same year, the City had total governmental activity expenses of $145 million and business-type activity expenses of $41 million. General Fund sales tax revenue was $19 million of $668 million. The City’s general obligation bonds and certificates of obligation debt for governmental activities increased to $295.9 million. The increase is due to new debt issued offset by scheduled principal payments. The City’s debt for business activities increased to $118.7 million, a net increase of $4.0 million from the previous year, which was a result of new debt issued offset by scheduled principal payments. Total outstanding indebtedness was $511 million; taxable value was $7.58 billion. The city’s bond credit rating has been confirmed by Moody’s Investor Service at Aa2, giving the city a stable outlook. Pearson serves Pearland with nearly 25 years’ experience in municipal government. Prior to Pearland, he served the City of Novi, Michigan including as the City Manager for eight years. He had 14 years total in Novi, including six as Assistant City Manager. Prior to Novi, Pearson served the City of Elgin, Illinois for a decade in various capacities, including Assistant City Manager, Budget Officer and Director Code Administration and Neighborhood Affairs. Pearson is active with the association of local government professionals, the International City/County Management Association (ICMA). With ICMA, Clay has most recently been involved with the chairing the International Committee of the Association. The Committee has conducted meetings in Yangzhou, China; Copenhagen, Denmark, and Wellington, New Zealand under his leadership. He has been active with many aspects of sharing and learning best practices and building networking. He has taught a summer class at the Chinese University of Political Science in Law, Beijing, and presented to the New South Wales, Australia Local Government Association and been a part of an ICMA team providing professional training in South Africa. In the Council-Manager form of government which Pearland residents adopted as part of its incorporation as a home rule city in February 1971, the city manager is the administrative and executive officer of the city. The City Council appoints the city manager, city attorney, and municipal court judge. The various operations of the entire city municipal government are accountable to the city manager. Pearson has a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Kansas and a Bachelor’s degree from Gustavus Adolphus College (St. Peter, Minnesota). He serves currently on the Board of the Alliance for Innovation and the Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce of Houston. He has been very involved with the KU public administration program and supporting future generations of public servants. He and his wife, Jennifer live in Pearland.

Rita Reynolds serves as NACo's chief information officer. In this capacity, she oversees the internal technology operations of NACo, and leads NACo’s technology programs and initiatives for counties. She is responsible for the NACo technology blueprint, which includes managing the development and delivery of technology programming on initiatives such as cyber security, technology infrastructure and cloud computing.
Rita brings with her responsibility for serving on multiple boards and workgroups over the years including the PA Digital Advisory Board, the Multi-State Information Sharing & Analysis Center, and the NASCIO Cyber Security Workgroup. Rita also serves as the staff liaison to the NACo Technology Standing Committee and the GIS Subcommittee.
Before joining NACo, Rita served as the CIO for the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania, where she spent 20 years mainly focused on similar initiatives for CCAP and with counties in Pennsylvania. Prior to that Rita was an independent fiscal and computer consultant where she worked with numerous children and youth agencies in Pennsylvania and designed fiscal and data reporting applications, including a statewide AFCARS solution.
Rita holds a B.A. in business administration with a minor in political science from Messiah College in Pennsylvania. Rita has been the recipient of numerous awards over the years, including the Technology Council of Central Pennsylvania’s 2019 Moxie Award, Government Technology’s 2017 Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers, and State Tech’s “30 State and Local Government IT Influencers” for 2020.

Corianne Rice is the Program Director for the City Inclusive Entrepreneurship Program at the National League of Cities. At NLC, Cori oversees operations of the year-long CIE program, which helps city leaders build more inclusive economies with a particular emphasis on racial and gender equity. Prior to joining NLC, Cori worked in financial services, where she developed and delivered bespoke trainings and workshops for client-facing personnel across the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Australia.
She is an executive board member of Africa Innovation Network, which convenes various experts to offer sustainable solutions to complex urbanization problems across the continent. Cori’s startup experience includes leading a fellowship for Hometeam Ventures, where she managed the research, deal flow and diligence processes of early-stage construction startups, as well as advocate relations at Civex, a fintech startup whose mission is to increase shareholder engagement in corporate governance.
Cori has a BA in Psychology from New York University and an MA in Sustainable Cities from King’s College London. Cori authored Disused Urban Cemeteries: Unearthing User Experiences of Abney Park Cemetery as a result of her studies at KCL and lives in Washington D.C.

Josh Rogers is a senior vice president at Advantage Capital. As a member of the investment team, he is responsible for helping to source investments, perform due diligence, structure transactions and manage portfolio companies.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Josh was an equity research associate covering mid and large-cap U.S. banks at ISI Group, now Evercore Partners. He began his career at UBS Investment Bank in New York, where he was an investment banking analyst and an equity research associate director covering financials and healthcare services, as well as IT.
Josh received his MBA with honors from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business and his bachelor’s degree in economics cum laude from Harvard College.

Madeline Salzman is a management and programs analyst in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. She leads efforts to increase access to clean energy technologies through information standards, innovative financing, and workforce initiatives. Madeline manages various DOE programs including Home Energy Score, the Better Buildings Workforce Accelerator, and over a dozen Green Buildings Workforce competitive awards. She also serves on various boards and advisory committees, including as a Panel Leader for Resilient and Sustainable Communities for the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE)’s Summer Study on Buildings. Madeline joined the Building Technologies Office’s Residential Buildings Integration team in 2015 as a Science, Technology, and Policy Fellow through the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE). Prior to joining DOE, Madeline worked on residential access to clean energy in Missouri, Arkansas, and rural India.

Gregory Scott was appointed Director and Chief Technology Officer for Fairfax County Government in September 2019. As Director of the Department of Information Technology and Chief Technology Officer (CTO), he is responsible for the management of all aspects of information technology supporting the County’s operations and service to its constituents. Mr. Scott directs the efforts of over 300 employees in the Department of Information Technology (DIT), including information technology planning, program development, budget & policy development, e-government, IT security and development of enterprise-wide technology architecture and standards. He also is responsible for planning and implementation of the County’s IT investment portfolio.
Mr. Scott has over a 35-year career in information technology the last 26 years with Fairfax County Government. Scott has overseen state-of-the-art solutions in a constantly evolving industry.

Elan Silver Prior to joining GridMatrix, Elan practiced corporate law in the project and infrastructure finance practice group at a global law firm, shifting into a business development function within the same group. Thereafter, he joined a startup that analyzed and consulted financial industry clients on gender pay gaps. Elan found his calling in government affairs at a disruptive consumer goods company, where he worked across global, federal, and state and local verticals to support sustainable business growth. Most recently, Elan worked as a consultant for a firm with a New York state and local practice, supporting government procurement, conflict resolution, and other public affairs objectives. He earned a bachelor's degree from Pomona College and a JD from Tulane University Law School. Elan is a lifelong New Yorker skilled at developing and executing on public affairs strategies.

Jonathan “Jon” Stehle is serving his third term as a Councilmember on City Council. Jon has been a resident of the City of Fairfax since 2007. Jon previously served as the chairman of the City of Fairfax Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. He has also served on the Green Acres Feasibility Study Committee and on the City of Fairfax Branding Advisory Committee. For more on Jon's work as Councilmember see Jon's Councilmember page. For the latest information on the events in the City of Fairfax, including Council Meetings, see the City Calendar page.

Bryce Stirton is co-founder and President at Responder Corp and Program Director for the R2 Network. Responder Corp is a venture capital firm dedicated to supporting life-saving technology for the public safety industry. Responder invests through its Ventures division and builds and manages innovation programs through its Labs division. Responder’s portfolio includes over 50 leading first responder technologies.
In addition to overseeing Responder Corp's venture and lab activities, Bryce is Program Director for the R2 Network, an innovation program built in partnership with the Department of Commerce to support response and resiliency innovation.
Bryce is a recipient of the GovTech Top 25 Doers, Dreamers & Drivers Award, a Team Rubicon volunteer, a graduate of Texas Christian University with degrees in Economics and Finance and will complete his Masters in Finance (ALM) from Harvard University in December ‘22.

Sehar Wahla has been with Carahsoft since 2014 and is the Sr. Manager, Partner Business Development for the AWS business. In this role, she leads a team that is responsible for partner recruitment, onboarding, and overall growth and strategy of the channel-led business of AWS sales. As a senior leader on the cloud team at Carahsoft, Sehar has also had an influential role in developing the overall Carahsoft cloud strategy and program around proactive sales and marketing; business development; billing and operations; partner recruitment and development; and overall revenue growth of the cloud business. In her time at Carahsoft, Sehar has managed hundreds of active reseller partners, building marketing, lead generation, and enablement programs to support the biggest vendor relationships for the company.

Mitch Weiss is the Richard L. Menschel Professor of Management Practice at the Harvard Business School. He created and teaches the school's course on Public Entrepreneurship—on public leaders and private entrepreneurs who invent a difference in the world. He also teaches The Entrepreneurial Manager in the first year of the MBA Program. Prior to joining HBS in 2014, Mitch was Chief of Staff and a partner to Boston’s Mayor Thomas Menino. Mitch helped shape New Urban Mechanics, Boston’s municipal innovation strategy, and make it a model for peer-produced government and change. He is the author of We the Possibility from Harvard Business Review Press (2021). Mitch has been named one of the 100 most influential academics in government.

James Wilkins is a Federal Business Development Executive and Defense Innovator leveraging fifteen years of Military and Industry experience to transform the way the DoD conducts operations. A Special Operations Marine Veteran, James has extensive operational leadership experience having led Intelligence and Targeting activities around the globe.

Alden Wood's expertise covers all rulemaking and policy development processes for Esper. As the lead for Esper's implementation and product delivery, Alden has a deep understanding of our customer's processes and paint points. She has overseen the successful deployment of Esper's platform for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the State of Tennessee.