Fadi is a seasoned IT executive with 20+ years track record of digital transformation, business strategy, and partnership building in Government. Fadi served as the CIO of the City of Minneapolis as well as the CIO of Minneapolis Public Schools, and Director of St. Paul School IT Services. He also served as the Lead Technology Architect and Liaison between the US Army and the new Iraqi government in Baghdad, Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom II 2003-2005. Fadi offers a unique combination of strategic vision and wealth of knowledge and experience in cybersecurity, and IT operations. Today, Fadi is Field Technology Officer for Palo Alto Networks empowering organization and government effectively protect our digital way of life.

Erica Ford

Ernst & Young

Erica is a Principal with EY’s Government and Public Sector focused on human-centered civil service transformation and creating resiliency in organizations. She helps government clients leverage technology and innovation for future workforce planning, workplace strategies, learning transformation and dynamic experiences.  Erica has over 18 years of experience designing and implementing large organizational transformations for federal, state, and local governments.  She is a proven subject-matter resource in human capital strategy and strategic communications with experience designing high-impact, measurable programs.

Tim Roemer

ThriveDX

In January of 2023 after 18 years of government service, Tim Roemer joined ThriveDX as the President and General Manager of the Public Sector. At ThriveDX he leads the build out of the organization’s U.S. and public sector business, as well as collaboration efforts with private sector cyber companies.

Prior to joining ThriveDX, he most recently served as the Director of the Arizona Department of Homeland Security and Chief Information Security Officer for the State of Arizona – the first and only person in the country to serve both as the Director of Homeland Security and State CISO. During his time with the State of Arizona, Tim worked with Governor Ducey to create the nation's first State Cyber Command Center located within the Department of Homeland Security to protect the state from evolving cyber attacks and create a culture of cybersecurity awareness where cybersecurity is a top homeland security priority.

Before his eight years of service to the State of Arizona, Tim served ten years in the Central Intelligence Agency, including two years assigned to the White House Situation Room, where he provided critical national security updates to the President, Vice President, and National Security Council. In this role, he briefed senior U.S. policymakers on a diverse range of national security-related issues.

Jon Rogers

Director, Strategic Workforce Planning, Indiana Office of Technology

Jon Rogers is the Director of Strategic Workforce Planning for the Indiana Office of Technology (IOT) – the state’s enterprise provider of IT services and resources. Jon has served in several roles at the local, state, and federal levels, including over ten years split between the United States Senate and Intelligence Community. In his current role, he has the privilege of augmenting IOT’s organization through his passion for hiring, recruiting, and developing public-service talent. Of note, he launched the first agency-based State Earn and Learn (SEAL) IT program in coordination with the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. Since March 2020, the award-winning SEAL IT program has hired over fifty individuals, and SEAL IT graduates continue to fill meaningful information technology/security staff roles with the State. Jon enjoys finding solutions through coaching and mentoring; he was honored by the Indiana Office of Work-Based Learning and Apprenticeship as a Work-Based Learning Ambassador, and he was twice nominated for the Director/Central Intelligence Agency Mentor of the Year award.  

Jamie Grant currently serves as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the State of Florida and is responsible for leading the Florida Digital Service (“FL[DS]”). FL[DS] was created by the Florida Legislature to propose innovative solutions that securely modernize state government, to achieve value through digital transformation and interoperability, and to fully support Florida’s cloud-first policy. The Digital Service has subsequently been designated as the acting lead entity on cybersecurity and been made responsible for establishing state government’s first enterprise-wide cybersecurity operation.

Prior to being appointed as the State CIO, Grant spent more than a decade in the private sector launching and scaling innovative technology solutions with a focus on data interoperability and the healthcare industry. He has co-founded multiple ventures, one of which raised more than $70 million of institutional capital and scaled internationally. Grant also served in the Florida House of Representatives from 2010-2014 and 2015-2020, chairing numerous legislative committees and carrying significant policy reforms which were passed into law.

Born and raised in Tampa, FL, Grant is a third-generation Floridian and recovering lawyer. He earned his Bachelor of Science in business administration with a minor in political science from Auburn University and his Juris Doctorate from Stetson University College of Law.  

James Grant

Chief Information Officer, State of Florida