CompTIA Sharkbytes: Recent Episodes
Alan Shark
Listen in to Dr. Alan Shark’s interviews with city and county technology leaders from across the nation. The focus of the series is on technology leadership from emergency response, the ever-evolving role of 5G networks, digital service delivery, citizen-facing communications, emerging tech, as well as future professional development requirements.
Season 3: Episode 11: The Last Episode??
Final thoughts as CompTIA Sharkbytes ends and Sharkbytes continues as Sharkbytes.Net. Host and moderator Alan Shark explains.
Season 3: Episode 10, May 18
A conversation with Eric Skomra, State & Local Government Chief Technology & Innovation Strategist Central US and Canada, for Dell EMC.
Eric has a unique view of the state and local technology having served as the CIO for a city, a county, a hospital, as well as CIO for the largest county in Ohio at Franklin County Data Center. He also was the state CIO for the State of Ohio Medicaid Agency. Add to all his public sector experience he has spend some time in the private sector as well.
A conversation with Kerry Goode, Chief Information Officer, and DeWayne Kendall, Chief Technology Officer, for the City of Durham, North Carolina
Kerry and DeWayne share how they perfected a working model that initially was designed to address key IT staff shortages and has grown to much more. Originally a presentation at PTI’s recent Local Government CIO & Tech Leader Summit, this presentation was so interesting it was converted into a Sharkbytes.Net podcast. What they did for the City of Durham can serve as a dynamic model for all local governments to emulate.
A conversation with Dr. David Bray, Distinguished Fellow at the non-partisan Stimson Center as well as non-resident Distinguished fellow, Business Executives for National Security, and former CIO of the Federal Communications Commission.
Dr. Bray served as the Chief Information Officer for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for 5 years where he witnessed first-hand the problems of disinformation and the rise of botnets and “cyborgs” – hybrid human and AI posters of disinformation that was deployed to negatively impact public policymaking. His work today continues to address tackling disinformation online, especially given he has provided great insight to the federal government through numerous high-level engagements on how innovative approaches to AI and algorithms could improve organizational adaptability and agility. He is a proven collaborator, writer, speaker, and thought/action leader.
A Conversation with Joe Morrisroe, Deputy Commissioner and Executive Director, NYC311, Office of Technology and Innovation - City of New York.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of the launch of New York City's 311 service, the platform that provides New Yorkers seeking information and assistance from the city agencies direct answers and support to their needs. Since it launched in March 2003, 311 has received more than 525 million contacts — through phone calls, texts, social media posts, website submissions, chat support, and a mobile app. Joe Morrisroe has provided the leadership and vision and is responsible for the growth and evolution of the 311 Center for nearly 17 years.
This might be one of the first – podcast interviews with AI. This episode takes a unique approach as host Alan Shark chats with both AI powered platforms, Alexa and ChatGPT. Topics explored are the differences between Alexa and ChatGPT, defining generative AI, some noted short-cummings, future directions with AI, tips for improved communications with AI machines, and a discussion on applications for state and local government. Hear firsthand as this might be a first podcast between man and machine.
Small nonprofits have their own challenges when it comes to safeguarding their enterprise. Eddie Dinkins operates a small managed service provider company called Silicon Beach Computer Services and Coastal Eddie Technical Services. He served as Network Manager at the University of California San Diego, and later moved on as a systems consultant to many firms and individuals in the greater San Diego, specializing in the financial services industry. He also has served as a marketing consultant, helping clients build websites aimed towards driving traffic, converting customers, and helping businesses grow.
Jonathan is a multiple-award-winning technology and business leader whose career has spanned both the private and public sectors. He’s been a senior software engineering manager, a director of technology innovation, and has served as chief information officer at both O’Reilly Media and the City of Palo Alto, California. Reichental is currently the founder of advisory, investment, and education firm, Human Future, and also creates online education for LinkedIn Learning. He has written three books on the future of cities: Smart Cities for Dummies, Exploring Smart Cities Activity Book for Kids, and Exploring Cities Bedtime Rhymes. His latest book, Data Governance for Dummies is available now.
A conversation with Doug Robinson, Executive Director and Alan Shark, Executive Director, CompTIA Public Technology Institute.
Now in its twelfth year, this webcast attracted over 500 registrations. The audio portion is offered here as a podcast and this episode focuses on local government and general Q&A. Learn what these thought leaders see in the year ahead for state and local government tech.
A conversation with Doug Robinson, Executive Director and Alan Shark, Executive Director, CompTIA Public Technology Institute.
Now in its twelfth year, this webcast attracted over 500 registrations. The audio portion is offered here as a podcast and this episode focuses on state trends. Learn what these thought leaders see in the year ahead for state and local government tech.
A conversation with Darryl Polk, Chief Technology Officer, County of Riverside, CA and CGCIO graduate.
Darryl, once a public safety dispatcher and having spent many years as the Director of Innovation & Technology (CIO) at the City of Rancho Cucamonga is now with the County of Riverside where he has uncovered an unsettling situation regarding ownership of cloud data and the ability to move to another vendor if need be. How good are cloud managed contracts and beyond the “happy talk” what perils lie beneath the surface? Darryl does a masterful job explaining what to look out for.
A year-end summary with host Alan Shark, CompTIA Vice President, Public Sector and Executive Director for the Public Technology Institute.
A conversation with Ruth Buckley, Director Cork City Council and CIO.
Ruth Buckley has been with the City of Cork Ireland. As a member of senior management team for over 20 years she has led an ambitious digital transformation program, the delivery of a Digital strategy for the city and is a founder of the Cork Smart Gateway. As of founder member of I Wish, Ruth fully supports women in technology and diversity in the workplace.
Ruth holds two internationally recognized project management certifications PMP and IPMA and has managed complex business transformation projects for over 20 years in both the private and public sectors.
A conversation with Nadira Hussain, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Martin Ferguson, Policy and Research Director, Society for Innovation, Technology and Modernization (SOCITIM), United Kingdom.
Formed in 1986, SOCITIM focuses on how technologies and data can be harnessed to reset the collective mindset to ensure adherence to ethical principles, respecting social foundations and ecological constraints locally and globally and to reform public services by embracing innovation and modernization. Both Nadira and Martin share their passions for excellence in tech leadership – especially helping woman excel.
A conversation with Steve Emmanuel, Partner and Director, Consulting Services, State and Local Government, CGI.
Now back in the private sector, Steve has not strayed from his roots or his passion for public service. Few have the employment portfolio that comes close to Steve’s. He has been the CIO of Amtrak before going full-blown into the public sector. He was State CIO of New Jersey, CIO of Montgomery County, MD; CIO City of Newark, NJ. And he made many lasting improvements in every position. His passion for public service remains as he continues his career assisting other and apply his vast knowledge
A conversation with James E. Pacanowski, CGCIO – Network Administrator, Ventnor City, NJ
Jim is all too typical of most local government CIOs who have little to no staff. While Jim’s official title is “Network Administrator” he is a one-person operation serving as CIO, CTO, CISO, and much more. Jim has been with the City of Ventnor. A graduate of Syracuse University Jim majored in civil and aerospace engineering, Jim was hired by the City of Ventnor, NJ in 2003 as Network Administrator and has been with the city for over 19 years. Jim also serves as President of the Ventnor City Board of Education. Anyone who has ever played the game of Monopoly may recall the name Ventnor was made famous with as one of its properties.
Jim has worked hard through the years keeping up with fast changing world of IT. As a result, he holds a number of certifications. These include: CGCIO – Certified Government Chief Information Officer from Rutgers and CompTIA PTI, MCP – Microsoft Certified Professional, MOS – Microsoft Office Certified Master Instructor, A+ Certified Network Technician, and Security + Certificate.
A conversation with Maria Thompson, CISSP, CRISC, SLG Leader, Cybersecurity Amazon Web Services (AWS). Maria has a passion for public service and in particular, cybersecurity awareness and readiness. Maria served as North Carolina’s top cybersecurity official, after six-and-a-half years as its chief risk officer where she often advocated for a “whole-of-state” mentality in protecting securing IT and infrastructural assets, an approach that resulted in closer collaboration not just between agencies in Raleigh, but with local governments and the education and private sectors. Before state government, Maria had a 20-year career in the Marine Corps, during which she was among the branch’s first group of cybersecurity personnel, ultimately retiring as its first cybersecurity and information assurance chief. We discuss the need to bring greater diversity into public service – and in particular tech.
A conversation with Giselle Mota, Creator of NFTY Collective and Founder of Versd, and Deborah Schildkraut, CompTIA’s Vice President for Global Community Engagement. Giselle Mota is highly regarded as a leading futurist and thought leader focused on enabling an inclusive future of work, web3, and the metaverse. She has been named as a Top 100 Future of Work Thought Leader. NFTY Collective focuses on bringing disability inclusion into web3 and metaverse, and Versd is an inclusive innovation and strategic ventures group. Giselle is a global speaker and has been featured on TED Talks, Forbes, Yahoo News, Cheddar News, and Chief Learning Officer Magazine.
A conversation with Giselle Mota, Creator of NFTY Collective and Founder of Versd, and Deborah Schildkraut, CompTIA’s Vice President for Global Community Engagement. Giselle Mota is highly regarded as a leading futurist and thought leader focused on enabling an inclusive future of work, web3, and the metaverse. She has been named as a Top 100 Future of Work Thought Leader. NFTY Collective focuses on bringing disability inclusion into web3 and metaverse, and Versd is an inclusive innovation and strategic ventures group. Giselle is a global speaker and has been featured on TED Talks, Forbes, Yahoo News, Cheddar News, and Chief Learning Officer Magazine.
A conversation with Lena Geraghty, Director, Sustainability & innovation Center for City Solutions, National League of Cities. Lena will share in some of the basic themes found in NLC’s recent publication, Cities and the Metaverse. This publication serves as an excellent guide towards better understanding the possibilities of how cities can use this wide-ranging technology. Access the publication HERE. Before coming to NLC, Lena served as Director of Innovation and Performance Management for the City of Portland, Maine; and prior worked as Senior Implementation Advisor for the Center for Government Excellence at Johns Hopkins University.
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.
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.
A conversation with Paul Hopingardner, County Executive, Technology & Operations at Travis County, TX, and prior was its CIO. Prior to that Paul was with the City of Austin for nearly 18 years working his way up to deputy CIO and then Deputy Director. Working with his county commissioners, Harris County has embarked on a new study to explore telework and remote workforce to see what policies and procedures should be adopted or modified. The study includes the possibility of re-thinking office facilities. In this interview, Paul shares just how the study is progressing.
A conversation with Bill Greeves, who is currently with SAP as their State & Local Government and Education Industry Advisor. For the past 20+ years, Bill has been a public sector champion and thought-and action leader. Prior to joining SAP Bill was, Deputy County Manager/Chief Information & Innovation Officer, Wake County, NC for just over 8. 5 years. Bill was and continues to be a pioneer within the public sector and was one of the founders of MuniGov 2.0 that served as a virtual metaverse experimental meeting place – over a decade ago! Today the concept of virtual reality is just now experiencing a re-birth of interest with many exciting possibilities and applications. Learn what was behind Bill’s choice of a wolf as his avatar (you might be surprised) and then we look ahead to the near future as Bill shares his views as to what we might expect in public sector tech.
A conversation with Jennifer Chang, Head of U.S. State and Local Government, Zoom
Jennifer shares her views regarding how state and local governments have turned to video communications for internal and external communications. Zoom has become a household name that has become an essential tool for all levels of government, virtual family gatherings, as well as the cliche “Zoom Happy Hour”. Jennifer was named Most Powerful Salespeople 2019: who was then working for Cisco Systems by ColoradoBiz. And she was recognized years earlier when she received Most Influential Young Professionals award designation in 2010. At Cisco Jennifer served as Director of Sales, US Public Sector SLED West by Midwest and previously headed the Federal Civilian Scientific team at Cisco Systems.
A conversation with Rita Reynolds, CIO of the National Association of Counties (NACo)
Rita Reynolds is viewed as a well-recognized thought and action leader. She was instrumental in the formation of PTI’s highly successful Certified Government CIO program and offered her CCAP group as a pilot. As a result, she is also a recognized CGCIO.
Rita has been with NACo as its CIO for nearly three years, providing her with a national perspective in how counties are faring during the pandemic. Prior to coming to NACo, Rita served as CIO for the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania (CCAP) for nearly 21 years. Prior to CCAP she was a tech consultant serving the public sector for over 10 years.
A Conversation with Robert Ferdan, IT Director, Alameda County Mosquito District.
Few realize that there are over 700 mosquito abatement districts (MADs) across the US – most with an critical IT component. These quasi-governmental organizations play a vital role in controlling the world’s most deadly disease-carrying insect. The Alameda County (CA) Mosquito Abatement District long ago secured the unique address www.mosquitoes.org which simply adds to the cleverness of this fascinating world we take for granted. Listen as IT Director Robert Ferdan talks about his stellar IT career and more about tech and MADs. Robert is a true IT pro with vision, tenacity, and just the right amount of curiosity to make a tremendous difference in his district.
A conversation with City of Dallas CIO, Bill Zielinski. Bill came to Dallas in June 2020 as the pandemic was spreading throughout the country. After some 30 years of federal government service, he decided to apply his leadership and knowledge skills in a city environment. He held some very senior positions at the federal levels including GSA – Assistant commissioner for IT category and before that Deputy Assistant Commissioner for Category Management; OMB -Branch Chief for Agency Oversight; Social Security Administration, CIO; and OPM, Associate for Retirement Services. Learn through this fascinating conversation what it is like to move from the federal side to local government – the opportunities and the downsides.
A conversation with Mark Wheeler, Chief Information Officer, City of Philadelphia. Mark has been CIO for nearly 4 years where he oversees and sets the vision for the City’s IT and innovation department, with annual budgets: $112M operating, $35M grants, $28M capital. He has been an outspoke champion for smart cities. Mark has been an urban planner and chief geographic officer.