Amy and Matt talk with Texas Department of Information Resources Executive Director and state CIO, Mandy Crawford about a whole of state approach to cybersecurity, the Texas ransomware attack, digital services, the pandemic, the future of work, and her best parenting advice as the mom of triplets!

Amy and Matt talk with Norm Farley, the Chief of Public Safety Communications at the Maryland Department of Information Technology about their NASCIO award winning project, the Maryland First Responder Radio System Team.

Learn more about the project here: https://www.nascio.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Maryland-FiRST-NASCIO-Submission.pdf

Maryland FiRST Website: https://doit.maryland.gov/support/Pages/Maryland-FiRST.aspx

Matt and Amy talk with Connecticut state CIO Mark Raymond who just passed the 10-year mark in his role. We discuss technology changes over the last decade (and last 30 years), initiatives he is proud of, challenges in cybersecurity, the future of IT in Connecticut and why DIY isn't always the best idea when it comes to home repairs.

Amy and Matt talk with NASCIO Program and Brand Director Emily Lane about what to expect from the 2021 NASCIO Midyear Conference.

Amy and Matt talk with Arizona's state CIO and CISO, JR Sloan and Tim Roemer all about the election, StateRamp, their careers, the American Rescue Plan Act and of course the pandemic!

What steps should state governments take to integrate cybersecurity into the acquisition process? Matt and Amy talk with NASCIO Director of Policy and Research, Meredith Ward, about a new joint NASCIO publication (along with the National Association of State Procurement Officials and the Center for Internet Security). Meredith talks about how the report came about, key take-aways and the current state of acquisition in state government. You can find the report on NASCIO's website here: https://www.nascio.org/resource-center/resources/buyer-be-aware-integrating-cybersecurity-into-the-acquisition-process/

Imagine being able to drive your car, board a plane and show that you are over 21 at a restaurant all with only your smart phone.  This is becoming a reality in Colorado. Amy and Matt talk with Russell Castagnaro, Director of Digital Transformation at the Colorado Governor’s Office of Information Technology about the MyColorado app, the digital ID component and plans for expanding the capabilities of the app.

Learn more here: https://mycolorado.gov/
NASCIO Award Submission:  https://www.nascio.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/FINAL-2020-NASCIO-Award-Submission-myColorado.pdf

Amy and Matt talk with Lisa Kissler, Director of the Paid Family and Medical Leave Division for the Washington State Employment Security Department about their program which was the nation's first built-from-scratch state paid family and medical leave program. The program won an award from NASCIO in 2020. 

https://paidleave.wa.gov/
https://www.nascio.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Bill-to-Benefits-in-30-months_PMFL_State-CIO.pdf

Matt and Amy talk with Vermont Secretary of Digital Services and state CIO John Quinn about his unique role in both the policy and technology side of Vermont's vaccine distribution efforts, how the role of state IT has been elevated, pandemic silver linings and we find out his favorite flavor of Ben & Jerry's ice cream. 

See Vermont's vaccination dashboard here: https://www.healthvermont.gov/covid-19/vaccine/covid-19-vaccine-dashboard

StateRAMP executive director, Leah McGrath joins us to talk all about this new program to verify the cybersecurity of cloud service providers for state and local governments. Leah discusses the timeline, how it works and how StateRAMP can benefit providers, governments and procurement officials.