State IT Innovation of the Year The AI Accelerator was established by Gov. Josh Stein’s Executive Order on AI, signed in September 2025. Located within the N.C.…

State Leadership of the Year Chris Wooten has led the technical team for the Virginia Office of Data Governance and Analytics for several projects benefiting the Commonwealth.…

State Leadership of the Year Darin Westby is the director for the Wyoming Department of Transportation. As a leader, Westby helped spearhead the agency’ MAX Project to…

State Leadership of the Year Vitaliy Panych, state CISO of California,  is responsible for the security of more than 140 state departments and protecting upwards of 400…

State Leadership of the Year Arijit Sarkar, Chief Information Officer for the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE), has played a pivotal role in advancing the state’s K-12…

State Leadership of the Year Tim Marczewski, the chief of AI for the State of Missouri, has ushered and progressed the use of AI into the state…

State Leadership of the Year Ricki Koinig, CIO of the Department of Natural Resources in Wisconsin, has fostered strengthening security, reduced technical debt, and aligned technical investments…

State Leadership of the Year Troy Horton is a transformative technology leader who bridges advanced data science with frontline government operations. As Group CIO for Health and…

State Leadership of the Year Since joining the North Carolina 911 Board in 2018, L.V. “Pokey” Harris has helped complete a $99M NG911 upgrade, creating a data-driven…

State Leadership of the Year Jenel Farrell was the connective tissue behind Minnesota’s Paid Leave technology launch — the person who made sure the right people were…