CompTIA Sharkbytes

Season 2: Episode 19, July 28: Transformation and Innovation – It’s not the Difference but the Outcomes that Matter. A conversation with Behzad Zamanian, Chief Information Officer at Washoe County, NV. In this episode we discuss the difficulties and opportunities in navigating digital transformation and the various operational definitions. Behzad further describes the many challenges he faces including the constant search for talent and at the same time making sure he has the right incentives to keep the talent he already has.Before coming to the second largest county in Nevada, Behzad served as Chief Information Officer, City of Huntington Beach for over 17 years. Behzad is a technology executive/leader with a demonstrated history of working in government administration, private sector, Fortune 500, and higher education industries with expertise in strategic planning, business partnership, project management, IT governance, technology infrastructure, enterprise applications, regional multi-agency initiatives, and public safety systems.

Recently CBS, NBC, CNN covered the significance of cities hiring “Chief Heat Officers”. The first in the Nation was Phoenix. Prior to all the national attention we had a chance to interview David Hondula for this podcast. Weather is an awe-inspiring phenomenon that captures the attention of everyone at some point in their lives, but it’s also powerful and can be deadly as well. When we think of life-threatening weather, hurricanes, severe storms, and flooding come to mind first, but did you know extreme heat is one of the leading killers when it comes to weather-related fatalities? The city of Phoenix, Arizona is keenly aware of this, ranking near the top for hottest cities in the United States. This is also one of the reasons why the city became the first in the nation to have a publicly funded office for heat response and mitigation.

A conversation with Scott Conn, Chief Information Officer, City of Modesto, CA. In this episode, Scott shares his passion for public service and improving the citizen experience. For many years Scott has volunteered as a coach and we explore how his background has helped him when it comes to team-building in tech. As he well states, tech is still about people. Scott is viewed as a collaborative leader with 30+ years of experience in global information technology operations. He has always kept a sharp focus on customer needs and excels at IT strategy. Scott utilizes integrity, optimism, innovation, empathy, and adaptability to align IT resources with business strategy. He has extensive experience operating in a leadership capacity at the C-level, President, Vice President, and Director levels within start-ups, government, and established private/public entities. Scott is a graduate of the CompTIA PTI CGCIO leadership program.

A conversation with Kevin Wilkins, CIO, Fort Collins, CO. Arriving at the City of Fort Collins just before the pandemic struck and having spent some dozen-plus years as a senior executive in the insurance industry Kevin describes his journey in public sector service and his quest for digital transformation. He has been described as a visionary, dynamic, and innovation-driven executive leader with proven success in delivering optimal outcomes in organizations undergoing significant change and transformation. Kevin has demonstrated success in delivering large-scale, cross-functional strategic initiatives in digital transformation, customer experience, cultural transformation, business process optimization, and digital enablement. This down-to-earth discussion both inspires and informs.

A conversation with Chuck Brooks one of the nation’s foremost cybersecurity thought leaders. Chuck Brooks is a globally recognized thought leader and evangelist for Cybersecurity and Emerging Technologies. LinkedIn named Chuck as one of “The Top 5 Tech People to Follow on LinkedIn”. He was named by Thompson Reuters as a “Top 50 Global Influencer in Risk, Compliance,” and by IFSEC as the “#2 Global Cybersecurity Influencer” in 2018. He is also a Cybersecurity Expert for “The Network” at the Washington Post, Visiting Editor at Homeland Security Today, and a Contributor to FORBES. He is President of Brooks Consulting International. He is also Adjunct Faculty at Georgetown University’s Applied Intelligence Program and graduate Cybersecurity Programs where he teaches courses on risk management, homeland security, and cybersecurity. Finally, Chuck served as chair for CompTIA’s Emerging tech Council.

A conversation with Jamie Ward, Cybersecurity Solutions Manager, MultiState Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) who also serves as Mayor of Mayfield NY, and Eugene Kipniss, Stakeholder Maturity, MS-ISAC. MS-ISAC is an integral part of the Center for Internet Security (CIS) a nonprofit funded by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Within this episode, we explore how MS-ISAC continues to serve as a state and local government partner for all things cybersecurity. In particular, Jamie and Eugene will share and explain some of the latest tools added to their offerings including the all-powerful Falcon suite.

A conversation with Dr. Oliver Schwabe, Risk Partner at Roll Royce Civil Aerospace, Cybersecurity Manager for Major Cities of Europe IT Association, and chair and principal web weaver, Open European Network for Enterprise Innovation. Oliver is a writer and consummate learner and is now engaged in helping kindergarten students embrace STEM. Oliver lives and works outside of Frankfurt Germany and shares some fascinating insights that prove once again our profound commonality with our European local government partners.

A conversation with Ian Sharping, Chief Academic Officer, CompTIA Tech Careers Academy (CTCA). Learn how the CTCA trains and prepares adults for certification and success in IT jobs to address an industry shortage of skilled IT professionals. Ian shares his goals and challenges in helping CTCA grow in size and scope as it strives to help students unlock their potential by helping them launch and grow their careers in information technology. With college admissions dropping, CTCA fills a very practical and cost-effective gap.

Live from CompTIA's CCF Conference in Chicago, IL: A conversation with Amy Kardel, senior vice president of strategic workforce relations. Apprenticeships are often forgotten and today they may be one of IT’s best recruitment tools that create a truly win-win scenario. Amy has more than two decades of experience as a founder, investor, and advisor to technology organizations. An attorney by training, Amy served on CompTIA’s board of directors for more than six years, including three as its chairperson. Today, she works to expand the reach of Creating IT Futures and CompTIA which are a set of initiatives designed to propel the industry forward by creating more IT workforce solutions across America.

A conversation with Jeff Frazier, VP, Head of Global Public Sector at Snowflake. Listen as Jeff discusses his passion for public sector applications and how data sharing can make a significant difference. Before coming to Snowflake, Jeff was involved with numerous start-ups in emerging tech focusing on AI and cybersecurity. Earlier Jeff had served some 13 years as Cisco’s Managing Director for their Global Public Sector. Jeff started out in law enforcement which ultimately led him to become an FBI agent for some 4+ years serving in total over 11 years in law enforcement before going to Cisco. Jeff is a Senior Executive Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School as well as an Eisenhower Fellow.