Remove the Barriers to Citizen Engagement

In the wake of COVID-19, state and local government contact centers are handling an unprecedented volume of citizen interactions. A recent survey by NICE inContact, a provider of innovative contact center software, found more than 90 percent of public sector contact centers saw traffic increases as citizens sought information and vital government services related to the pandemic. Now, contact center traffic is poised to grow even further as communities implement contact tracing initiatives designed to contain the virus.

In this environment, it’s more important than ever for government contact centers to offer digital channels like text, email and web chat. Join us July 28 at 10 a.m. Pacific / 1 p.m. Eastern to hear how these new channels enable call center staff to handle more interactions, while increasing citizen engagement and satisfaction.

Our expert panel will explain how these game-changing digital engagement options can:

-- Help existing contact center staff accommodate growing workloads and streamline issue resolution
-- Enable citizens to connect with you how and when they want
-- Provide your agency with new data that can be used to continually improve service

Speaker and Presenter Information

Dewand Neely

Senior Fellow, Center for Digital Government

Dewand is the Chief Operating Officer for Eleven Fifty Academy. He spends every day helping the Academy to realize its mission which is to transform the lives of individuals and communities through the discovery of purpose, development of values, immersive relevant 21st century skill training and thoughtful community programs. Previously, Neely spent 15 years serving in State Government, with the last 4 years of his state tenure as Director of the Indiana Office of Technology and the State Chief Information Officer. A role he was appointed to by both Governor Mike Pence and Governor Eric Holcomb. He has held executive committee and director roles on the board for the National Association of State Chief Information Officers and served as an external advisory board member for the Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security. He is currently a foundation board member for Goodwill. Neely received his undergraduate degree from Purdue University’s School of Technology and his MBA from Indiana Wesleyan University.

Brian Mistretta

Director of Product Marketing, NICE inContact

Brian Mistretta is NICE inContact’s Director of Product Marketing and leads the company’s Federal State and Local Government Marketing efforts. Mistretta has spent his career marketing both business to business and business to consumer technology solutions and brings a strong focus on delivering exceptional experience between agencies and their constituents.

Bill Ryan — Moderator

Senior Fellow, Center for Digital Government

Former Chief Information Officer, Anne Arundel County, Maryland
Adjunct Professor, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, University of Maryland University College, Howard Community College
Key Areas of Expertise:

IT Strategic Planning
IT Infrastructure and Broadband
ERP Planning and Implementation
Business Process Transformation

With over 40 years of a wide variety of experience in Technology and Management, Bill Ryan has dedicated his career to the Anne Arundel County, MD. Most recently, as Chief Information Officer, Bill was responsible for all operational and strategic Information Technology functions for the County, providing services to County, Library, School Board and Community College employees at over 300 facilities. One of Bill’s primary, and highly visible tasks was ensuring that all County government entities and its citizens received the full benefits of a multi-year, robust fiber optic network - owned and operated by the County.

Joining Anne Arundel in 1981 as a Programmer, he rose through the ranks to become Chief Information Officer. In addition to his County service, Bill is also an Adjunct Professor providing higher education to students in Management, Technology and Research areas.
He has received several Digital Counties “top 10” awards during his tenure.
Bill holds degrees from the University of Maryland University College and Central Michigan University.