The Public Sector Show by TechTables

Let's kick off with Aaron Judy, Chief of Innovation and AI at Maricopa County, Clerk of the Superior Court.

Sponsor: SentinelOne

And before we jump into today’s episode, this podcast is sponsored by SentinelOne.

SentinelOne redefines cybersecurity by pushing the boundaries of autonomous technology —with its singularity XDR platform— SentinelOne is the leader in endpoint protection and beyond. Simply put, they stop the bad guys.

To learn more about SentinelOne, check out

https://www.sentinelone.com

Podcast Questions

Let’s start with RPA (Robotic Process Automation). I recorded a great podcast episode with Krishna Edathil, Head of AI & Cloud at the State of Texas - where we dived into what the State of Texas is working on with its Cloud and AI CoEs - that’s episode 40.

Before we jump into the three big AI initiatives you’re working on - can you give us a baseline difference between RPA and AI - how are they different, and then how does AI supercharge RPA?

Why do you think there’s fear regarding technologies like RPA, AI, ML, you name it. Why do humans close themselves off to the “Art of the Possible?”

Now Aaron - walk us through the big AI initiatives - Conversational AI, AI System Reliability, and Computer Vision & RPA you’re working on.

What innovations have the most promise from what you’re seeing in the govtech world?

What excites you the most?

What ideas do you have that aren’t prototypes but could have promise in the future?

This next question is from Shauna Rodgers, Chief Digital & Data Officer (CDO) at the Texas Attorney General’s office. I asked her in Austin a few weeks back when I caught up with her - what she’d like to ask you - since I know you guys are friends.

Shauna asks, “How do you measure adoption and relevance in technology to your constituency.” How do you measure what’s working and what’s not, Aaron?

Aaron, let’s wrap up with the future of digital humans.

First, what’s a digital human, and second, what are the business applications of a digital human - it doesn’t necessarily have to be with the superior court.

Lastly, tell the audience about your PoC with Cleo.

Featuring

Jim Weaver, CIO, State of North Carolina & Mandy Crawford, CIO, State of Texas

Diamond Sponsor: SentinelOne

And before we jump into today’s episode, this podcast is sponsored by SentinelOne.

SentinelOne redefines cybersecurity by pushing the boundaries of autonomous technology —with its singularity XDR platform— SentinelOne is the leader in endpoint protection and beyond. Simply put, they stop the bad guys.

To learn more about SentinelOne, check out https://www.sentinelone.com.

Podcast Questions

* Jim - we’re in your home state - so let’s start with you. You’ve had the privilege of serving as state CIO on two coasts - Washington State and North Carolina - not to mention CTO for the State of Pennsylvania.

According to Robert Half, burnout, or work fatigue rates, are rising across the US - north of 40% of workers say they are burned out this year.

North Carolina is often viewed as a top 10 state across technology and people. What’s your secret to helping people across your teams who might be battling work fatigue?

* Mandy - What’s your secret?

* Jim - People may not know this about you, but you’re an active North Carolina Army National Guard member with the motto “Always ready, always there.”

So you are serving as Secretary for IT & State CIO for the State of North Carolina, but you’re also serving in the North Carolina Army National Guard.

Where have you experienced crossover? In other words, what tools are in your belt as a result of serving in both these capacities?

* Mandy - let’s go back to our very first podcast. You mentioned, "The IT systems can be automated, but not the culture." Could you share some of the wins that you’ve had in driving connection and community and creating a stronger team culture in the State of Texas?

* Jim - I was just at a conference where they talked about the relationship revolution. And what struck me was that we have come to a place where we’ve traded connection for convenience.

Would you agree? Disagree? And what are 2-3 tips for working to build relationships within your teams?

* Mandy - any diamonds we can mine from you?

Want to dive deeper? Check out my episode on TechTables -

https://www.techtables.com/

And if you're a CIO or technology leader interested in coming on TechTables, shoot me an email at [email protected]

Thank you for supporting Levity Media LLC ❤️, a small business growing private and public sector technology communities through fun and engaging conversations with top technology leaders.

See what episodes I'm creating at https://www.techtables.com

Hi Friends -After taking a small break to build out TechTables+ (advanced early access to podcast episodes), we are back to releasing weekly episodes on TechTables. This week we’re kicking off with Aaron Judy, Chief of Innovation and AI at Maricopa County, Clerk of the Superior Court.Podcast Questions* Let’s start with RPA (Robotic Process Automation). I recorded a great podcast episode with Krishna Edathil, Head of AI & Cloud at the State of Texas - where we dived into what the State of Texas is working on with its Cloud and AI CoEs - that’s episode 40.Before we jump into the three big AI initiatives you’re working on - can you give us a baseline difference between RPA and AI - how are they different, and then how does AI supercharge RPA?* Why do you think there’s fear regarding technologies like RPA, AI, ML, you name it. Why do humans close themselves off to the “Art of the Possible?”* Now Aaron - walk us through the big AI initiatives - Conversational AI, AI System Reliability, and Computer Vision & RPA you’re working on.* What innovations have the most promise from what you’re seeing in the govtech world?* What excites you the most?* What ideas do you have that aren’t prototypes but could have promise in the future?* This next question is from Shauna Rodgers, Chief Digital & Data Officer (CDO) at the Texas Attorney General’s office. I asked her in Austin a few weeks back when I caught up with her - what she’d like to ask you - since I know you guys are friends.Shauna asks, “How do you measure adoption and relevance in technology to your constituency.” How do you measure what’s working and what’s not, Aaron?* Aaron, let’s wrap up with the future of digital humans.* First, what’s a digital human, and second, what are the business applications of a digital human - it doesn’t necessarily have to be with the superior court.* Lastly, tell the audience about your PoC with Cleo.… For more like this, make sure to sign up for TechTables+ below:TechTables+ helps you start connecting now across the public sector. To receive new posts each week, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.TechTables+ includes:* Early Access to never before released episodes* Early access to this week’s 3 Interesting Learnings… This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit techtables.substack.com/subscribe

Featuring Joe Toste, Host of TechTablesConnect w/ Joe: LinkedIn and TwitterSponsor: TASSCC Annual ConferencePartnering to advance education and networking among professionals supporting information technology for Texas public sector and higher education.----------------------Want to dive deeper? Check out my episode on TechTables - https://www.techtables.com/And if you're a CIO or technology leader interested in coming on TechTables, shoot me an email at [email protected] you for supporting Levity Media LLC ❤️, a small business growing private and public sector technology communities through fun and engaging conversations with top technology leaders.Learn more about Joe Toste (me) at https://www.techtables.com/about/See what episodes I'm creating at https://www.techtables.com/ This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit techtables.substack.com/subscribe

Featuring Bill Zielinski, CIO, City of DallasConnect w/ Bill: LinkedInSponsor: Nagarro Public SectorAnd a huge thank you to Nagarro Public Sector. This live podcast would not be possible without the support of Nagarro. Nagarro Public Sector excels at helping senior technology leaders in digital disruption from Cloud, AI, Big Data, and digital product engineering to system integration work across platforms. To learn more about Nagarro, check out nagarro.comSponsor: The TechTables Live Podcast TourJoin us for these small, intimate live podcast conversations across the U.S.Stay in contact with the latest events on https://www.techtables.com/Show Notes:[2:42] "What you really need to do is focus on two areas: one, individual development, and then figuring out, as you develop them as individuals, how you bring the best out of each of those players and incorporate them into a team. And I think that's exactly the case when you're talking about managing an organization."[4:28] "There are things that each of us bring to the table in our profession, in our job, that can affect us or impact us on an individual level; our individual performance and how we navigate the world can be impacted and affected by those things that are happening in our environment. But those things can then also affect the team. Conversely, those things that are occurring with the team and the orbit of the broader team can affect the individual."[5:08] "I think we can focus very much on kind of the technical skills that are needed within an organization, but we ignore those human dynamics that are needed to ensure that you have the cohesion on the team and that, and that you understand how to work with each other towards best effect."[7:44] I like to put my team through a discussion where we really stop step back and we ask ourselves the questions, "Who are we? What do we do? Why is it important? and What do we need to do to be successful?" Because there are times that as we keep layering on or organically grow the sets of functions or the things that we do, we start doing things because it's on our list of things to do. And if we really sit back and peel that back and ask for each of those things that we're doing are they simply tasks that we're performing, or can we connect those to the purpose that we serve? And that becomes very powerful- helping to connect people back to the purpose that they serve. So that becomes their north star in the actions that they take and the decisions that they make"[10:59] "If you think about those classic service delivery models, they're often about a resident or somebody from the business community coming to a physical brick and mortar location and informing the city that they have a need for a city service. It's a very reactive form of government: "Hey, we can do all these things in government. You just need to tell us that you need us to do that." Where we are today with these technologies is we are transforming this to a much more proactive manner in which we are delivering services."[11:33] If you think about those classic service delivery models, They're often about a resident or somebody from the business community coming to a physical brick and mortar location and informing the city that they have a need for a city service. It's a very reactive form of government. Hey, we can do all these things in government. You just need to tell us that you need us to do that. Where we are today with these technologies is we are transforming this to a much more proactive manner in which we are delivering services.[14:31] So given a choice of going to some place where everything is just running smoothly and beautifully. And Hey Bill, what we really need you to do is just make sure. Make sure everything stays on track and keeps where it needs to go. Wow. I would run FROM that right? To me, the idea that you're going someplace and just being the storekeeper...it doesn't give me that opportunity to help an organization grow and

Featuring Wendy Barron, CIO, Texas DMVConnect w/ Wendy: LinkedInSponsor: Nagarro Public SectorAnd a huge thank you to Nagarro Public Sector. This live podcast would not be possible without the support of Nagarro. Nagarro Public Sector excels at helping senior technology leaders in digital disruption from Cloud, AI, Big Data, and digital product engineering to system integration work across platforms. To learn more about Nagarro, check out nagarro.comSponsor: The TechTables Live Podcast TourJoin us for these small, intimate live podcast conversations across the U.S.Stay in contact with the latest events on https://www.techtables.com/.Show Notes:[2:37] "With state law, with growth in population, there's always some kind of change or modification that happens every session. And so keeping up with that and adapting and adjusting is just getting more and more challenging with the 30 year old system that's not agile. We can't be as responsive as quickly as we would like to be. And so that presents our challenges."[4:16] "I gotta think that somebody else has done something to modernize their systems. And so we want to look outward and talk to other other states- find out what's out there and what's available. And then identify the best solution for the DMV and move that."[7:13] "And we now have a mobile app In Texas for vehicle registration and renewal, which is something that internally we just wouldn't have been able to get there without partnering with the Department of Information Resources, their vendor Deloitte, and entering into this agreement and joining into this application."[10:32] "Our tax assessor collector partners had their annual conference, and our executive director mentioned that we were looking to replace RTS; it was a standing ovation from all our tax assessor collectors because they know the system and how painful it is."[17:28] "For example, if that vehicle gets stolen, you can flip it to where that license plate will, flash that this vehicle is stolen. I think that's just really great. And technologies like that- it's really exciting that the innovations and things coming out around transforming the physical to the digital"[20:54] "And so having that conversation of 'it's not a no, it's just a not right now' that was key in helping convince leadership and our business partners... And then, focusing those dollars on what would help us get further down the road to our end goal."[22:06] "It's really tough to fill my positions, especially my developer positions. I think having a 30 year old system doesn't help. I've got older technology and it's just not exciting ,and it's not something that's going to help somebody build their career and learn and grow. So that's tough."[25:18] "But, the magic wand I would say is something that I've talked to a lot with other CIOs is that we've got tol be realistic about salaries across the board. And the reality is that we are just not competitive at all. I think it's going to take some collaboration amongst all the agencies and with DIR to communicate that and try to get these salary schedules up"[29:29] "When it's a problem that everybody has, I think it's a problem for everybody to solve."   ----------------------Want to dive deeper? Check out my episode on TechTables - https://www.techtables.com/And if you're a CIO or technology leader interested in coming on TechTables, shoot me an email at [email protected] you for supporting Levity Media LLC ❤️, a small business growing private and public sector technology communities through fun and engaging conversations with top technology leaders. Learn more about Joe Toste (me) at https://www.techtables.com/about/See what episodes I'm creating at https://www.techtables.com/ This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit techtables.substack.com/subscribe

Featuring Krishna Edathil, Director of Enterprise Solution Services (Cloud/AI) at the State of Texas & Shauna Rodgers, Chief Digital & Data Officer at the Texas Attorney General’s OfficeConnect w/ Krishna: LinkedInConnect w/ Shauna: LinkedInSponsor: The TechTables Live Podcast TourJoin us for these small, intimate live podcast conversations across the U.S.Stay in contact with the latest events on https://www.techtables.com/.Show Notes:[13:30] What are some of your bleeding edges you are currently working on in AI?[16:30] With the passing of SB 475, what are some of the projects your are most excited about?[18:40] How has the Pandemic changed your overall technology and AI strategy? How are you moving forward?[22:00] What non-traditional strategies have you found successful for recruiting and rounding out your teams?  ----------------------Want to dive deeper? Check out my episode on TechTables - https://www.techtables.com/And if you're a CIO or technology leader interested in coming on TechTables, shoot me an email at [email protected] you for supporting Levity Media LLC ❤️, a small business growing private and public sector technology communities through fun and engaging conversations with top technology leaders. Learn more about Joe Toste (me) at https://www.techtables.com/about/See what episodes I'm creating at https://www.techtables.com/ This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit techtables.substack.com/subscribe

Featuring - Cory Wilburn, CIO at the Texas General Land Office (GLO)Rheda Moseley, CIO at Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC)Connect w/ Cory: LinkedIn , Twitter Connect w/ Rheda: LinkedIn , Twitter Sponsor: The TechTables Live Podcast TourJoin us for these small, intimate live podcast conversations across the U.S.September 23rd in Sacramento, CaliforniaOctober 14th in Tallahassee, FloridaShow Notes:[6:00 - 6:29] The more you can give away the power (it’s about the team and giving away the power).[8:15-9:20] Enough conflict to make it better in IT, and it’s so little about technology. A little conflict - as long as you have the relationship and mutual respect[12:40-14:22] Pay it forward[14:22] Grace for the failuresQ&AAmanda "Mandy" Crawford Question - Cory’s answer (15:50)Summer Xiao, PMP Question - Rheda’s response (18:40)Claudia V Escobar, SentinelOne - Cory’s response (21:18)----------------------Want to dive deeper? Check out my episode on TechTables - https://www.techtables.com/And if you're a CIO or technology leader interested in coming on TechTables, shoot me an email at [email protected] you for supporting Levity Media LLC ❤️, a small business growing private and public sector technology communities through fun and engaging conversations with top technology leaders. Learn more about Joe Toste (me) at https://www.techtables.com/about/See what episodes I'm creating at https://www.techtables.com/ This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit techtables.substack.com/subscribe

FeaturingRick Blanco, CIO, Texas Health & Human ServicesConnect w/ Rick: LinkedIn Sponsor: The TechTables Live Podcast TourJoin us for these small, intimate live podcast conversations across the U.S.July 22nd in Raleigh, North Carolina [This Friday!]September 23rd in Sacramento, CaliforniaOctober 14th in Tallahassee, FloridaShow Notes:Mission-driven recruitment: How leveraging Veterans transformed the Pandemic into the best recruitment season at HSS: 01:06- 2:34“During the Pandemic, we had a lot of people transitioning from Afghanistan/Iraq/overseas, and they needed another mission. And we provided that.” 01:49Value-added: how Veterans provided guidance, vision, and long term-minded Mission-driven talent recruitment at HHS 02:45- 6:06The evolution of Mission from the Pandemic to now: 6:07- 7:30“We probably know the difficulties and the challenges they face in providing those Direct Care services. I want them to focus on that care; I don’t want them to focus on “Wi-fi is down,” “my laptop doesn’t work,” or “I have an unstable network.” That’s our role and responsibility…and we want to make sure that we continually serve that.” 07:03How Rick’s motto “Do not turn down opportunity” drove his journey from Networking Admin to HHS CIO: 07:31 - 11:31“Do not turn down opportunities…” 08:10“I’ve got five kids. Nothing scares me.” 09:41“Keep your say-to-do ratio high; if you say you’re going to do something, do it… People remember that.” 12:37-12:53The art of crafting a good story : How to make relatable asks that get projects funded: 13:47 - 18:30Q & A:Summer on hiring Veterans: 18:49“Sometimes people during chaos want to gravitate towards the people that make them feel good and secure.” 21:30Cory: Key insights from career? 21:55Krishna: 23:30 Favorite activities to decompress?  ----------------------Want to dive deeper? Check out my episode on TechTables - https://www.techtables.com/And if you're a CIO or technology leader interested in coming on TechTables, shoot me an email at [email protected] you for supporting Levity Media LLC ❤️, a small business growing private and public sector technology communities through fun and engaging conversations with top technology leaders. Learn more about Joe Toste (me) at https://www.techtables.com/about/See what episodes I'm creating at https://www.techtables.com/ This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit techtables.substack.com/subscribe

FeaturingMandy Crawford, CIO, State of TexasKevin Gilbertson, CIO, State of MontanaConnect w/ Mandy: LinkedIn, Twitter Connect w/ Kevin: LinkedIn, Twitter Sponsor: The TechTables Live Podcast TourJoin us for these small, intimate live podcast conversations across the U.S.July 22nd in Raleigh, North CarolinaSeptember 23rd in Sacramento, CaliforniaOctober 14th in Tallahassee, FloridaShow Notes:It all comes back to people. AG legal problems wrapped up as people problems (2:40)Leveraging relationship (3:30) - understanding, money people, reaching out to legislative members in their districts, people and money resources - 4:50Digital means process. / business type analytics roles / 6:50 - largest learning about collaboration 7:15 / 8:00 finish upReward with management - and no longer get to do the thing you love (8:40-10:00)Growing relationships 11:35 -Meet with all employees on a rotating basis - where they’re going in five years - not just the agency -15:32-16: pull in the same direction and together - setting inspiring goals / give them an opportunity to say noScaled Agile framework - 17:15 / weight shortest job first - business value divided by the effortMandy - balloon of possibility 18:00 - love that - everything19:20 - burnout21:30 - challengingWhy does it matter to them?What do they care about?23:00-24:00 - opening comments on burnoutCory’s question - 24:35 - Mandy’s response 26:00Rheda’s question - 28:15 responsesJim is inspiring in North Carolina 30:55 - 31:00Vendors take care of your CIOs because we’re talking to each other 33:20      ----------------------Want to dive deeper? Check out my episode on TechTables - https://www.techtables.com/And if you're a CIO or technology leader interested in coming on TechTables, shoot me an email at [email protected] you for supporting Levity Media LLC ❤️, a small business growing private and public sector technology communities through fun and engaging conversations with top technology leaders. Learn more about Joe Toste (me) at https://www.techtables.com/about/See what episodes I'm creating at https://www.techtables.com/ This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit techtables.substack.com/subscribe