Government Innovation California

This event qualifies for 10 CPD Group

California continues to lead the nation in digital government, investing heavily in modern infrastructure, data programs, and cyber resilience. Yet agencies still face persistent challenges—from legacy systems and siloed decision-making to workforce skill gaps, fragmented data governance, and increasing pressures around cybersecurity, AI governance, and public trust. Addressing these complex issues requires shared learning, practical upskilling, and stronger interagency collaboration.

Government Innovation California is designed to meet those needs. The event creates a pressure-free learning environment where public sector professionals can gain practical knowledge, explore solutions with industry experts without sales pitches, and collaborate with peers to address the state’s most urgent modernization priorities. Unlike typical exhibitor-focused conferences, it offers a more intimate, conversation-driven setting that makes it easier to connect, ask questions, engage in meaningful roundtables, and build strong cross-agency relationships.

Attendees will:

Learn from real transformation stories across California
Explore practical approaches to overcoming legacy systems, data-sharing barriers, and interoperability limitations
Build skills in AI, data literacy, cybersecurity, and human-centered digital service design
Participate in roundtables focused on modernization, cyber resilience, and service redesign
Strengthen interagency collaboration through intentional, small-scale networking
Gain insights into emerging governance needs around AI, privacy, equity, and public trust

Whether you're a senior leader, an IT or data modernization professional, a digital-services or customer-experience manager, a cybersecurity specialist, or part of a service-delivery team navigating workforce transformation, this event is built for you.

Join us in 2026 to learn from peers, connect meaningfully across agencies, and return with actionable strategies that accelerate your modernization journey and strengthen service delivery across California.

Speaker and Presenter Information

Current Speakers include:

Sarah Soto-Taylor, Deputy Secretary of Strategic Development, California Government Operations Agency
Chris Given, Deputy Secretary for Technology and Innovation, California Government Operations Agency
Angela Shell, Chief Procurement Officer, Department of General Services (DGS)
Chris Rouse, Chief Technology Officer (CTO), California Department of Human Resources (CalHR)
Fredrick Gomez, Agency Chief Information Officer, Director of Information Technology Services, California Department of Food and Drug Agriculture
Serenity Thompson, Deputy Director, Digital Services Division, California Department of Motor Vehicles
Adam German, CISO, California Health and Human Agency
Douglas Leone, Chief Information Security Officer, Employment Development Department
Bradley Ponce, Chief Information Security Officer, Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation
Gregory Nelson, Chief Information Security and Privacy Officer, California Department of Social Services
Thomas Boon, Chief Information Officer, CA Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development
Albert Lam, Agency Deputy Chief Information Security Office, California Health and Human Services
Melissa Stone, Chief Deputy Director, California Child Support Services
Steve Nash, Chief Information Officer, California Department of Child Support Services
Joseph Taylor, Department Chair, Information Systems and Business Analytics, California State University-Sacramento
Wallace Sermons II, Chief Procurement Officer, Office of State Procurement, Department of General Services, Maryland

Expected Number of Attendees

300

Relevant Government Agencies

Dept of Agriculture, Dept of Commerce, Dept of Education, Dept of Energy, Dept of Health & Human Services, Dept of Homeland Security, Dept of Housing & Urban Development, Dept of the Interior, Dept of Justice, Dept of Labor, Dept of State, Dept of Transportation, Dept of Treasury, Dept of Veterans Affairs, EPA, USPS, State Government, County Government, City Government, EEOC, State & Local Government