AGENDA

PRE-CONFERENCE SESSIONS

DIR DISCOVER CONFERENCE AGENDA

Wednesday, October 1, 2025
8:00 AM - 8:30 AM
8:00 AM - 8:30 AM
Registration, Networking, Expo & Refreshments
Hall 1
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8:30 AM - 8:50 AM
8:30 AM - 8:50 AM
Opening Remarks
Hall 2
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Amanda Crawford - Texas Department of Information Resources
8:50 AM - 9:50 AM
8:50 AM - 9:50 AM
Shaping the Future with Quantum Computing and Quantum-Assisted Disease Detection
Hall 2
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Lin Zhou, PhD - Texas Tech University
9:50 AM - 10:30 AM
9:50 AM - 10:30 AM
AM Exhibit Break
Hall 1
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10:30 AM - 11:20 AM
10:30 AM - 11:20 AM
From Good to Great: A Collaborative Roadmap for a Future-Ready WaterDataForTexas.org
Hall 2
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Taylor Christian - Texas Water Development Board
Jess DuVerneay - RESPEC
Sam Marie Hermitte - Texas Water Development Board
Evan Turner - Texas Water Development Board
10:30 AM - 11:20 AM
Data and Integration - Two faces of the Enterprise AI Coin
Meeting Room 1 & 2
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Amberle Carter - Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
Rajesh Shetty - IBM
10:30 AM - 11:20 AM
Efficiency, Community, and Culture: Houston’s Analytics Transformation Story
Meeting Room 3 & 4
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Raphael Louvrier - City of Houston
Shan Gao - City of Houston
10:30 AM - 11:20 AM
Vendor Session from DIR
Meeting Room 5
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11:20 AM - 11:30 AM
11:20 AM - 11:30 AM
Move to Next Breakouts
 
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11:30 AM - 12:00 PM
11:30 AM - 12:00 PM
AI in Texas: The Next Chapter
Hall 2
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David Tucker - Texas Department of Information Resources
11:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Be a Part of Texas-by-Texas: Enhancing the Constituents' Experience
Meeting Room 1 & 2
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Rheda Moseley - Texas Department of Information Resources
11:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Protecting Texan’s Privacy in the Age AI
Meeting Room 3 & 4
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Jennie Hoelscher - Texas Department of Information Resources
11:30 AM - 12:00 PM
The Role of Data Governance in AI Initiatives
Meeting Room 5
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Monica Smoot - Texas Department of Information Resources
12:00 PM - 12:45 PM
12:00 PM - 12:45 PM
Lunch & Exhibits
Hall 1
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12:45 PM - 1:35 PM
12:45 PM - 1:35 PM
Smarter, Safer, Stronger: How Harris County is Using AI and Automation to Transform Public Services
Hall 2
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Joseph Beaulieu - Crowe LLP
Sindhu Menon - Harris County
12:45 PM - 1:35 PM
Modern Application Development with AI: Empowering Makers with Copilot
Meeting Room 1 & 2
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Tim Hanewich - Microsoft
Cassie Jordan - Microsoft
12:45 PM - 1:35 PM
Government Data Modernization: Keeping Quality at Core
Meeting Room 3 & 4
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Natasha Nicolai - Cloudwick Technologies, Inc
12:45 PM - 1:35 PM
Innovation Lab
Meeting Room 5
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1:35 PM - 2:15 PM
1:35 PM - 2:15 PM
PM Exhibit Break
Hall 1
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2:15 PM - 3:00 PM
2:15 PM - 3:00 PM
AI Factory: Data First Edition
Hall 2
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Tony Davis - Dell
David Wilcoxen - Dell
2:15 PM - 3:00 PM
Moving from Features to Solutions: Application Development as a Strategic Driver
Meeting Room 1 & 2
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Ryan Meyers - The University of Texas at Dallas
2:15 PM - 3:00 PM
Approachable and Impactful Data Governance
Meeting Room 3 & 4
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Sid Atkinson - Applied Curiosity
Renee Veloz - Applied Curiosity
2:15 PM - 3:00 PM
Innovation Lab
Meeting Room 5
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3:00 PM - 3:10 PM
3:00 PM - 3:10 PM
Transition Break
 
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3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Exhibits Tear Down
Hall 1
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3:10 PM - 4:00 PM
3:10 PM - 4:00 PM
Leading in the Age of Agentic AI
Hall 2
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Rob Cohan - Accenture
3:10 PM - 4:00 PM
AI-Built, Internally Driven: How We Developed TFC-ARMOR to Modernize Assets Access with Intelligence and Automation
Meeting Room 1 & 2
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Mariana Hernandez - Texas Facilities Commission
Aquiles Mata - Texas Facilities Commission
3:10 PM - 4:00 PM
Beyond the Buzzword: Practical Data Quality for TABC's Mission
Meeting Room 3 & 4
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Jan Erik Brusevold - CGI
Rick Santerre - TABC
3:10 PM - 4:00 PM
Innovation Lab
Meeting Room 5
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