Creativity and collaboration can overcome constraints on public-sector technology and accelerate real-world results to better serve North Carolinians.
That was the main message for higher-education, local and state government tech professionals, along with vendors attending the N.C. Digital Government Summit at the Raleigh Convention Center on Aug. 19.
N.C. Department of Information Technology Secretary Nate Denny said technology is critical to achieving Governor Stein's "simple and serious" vision of "a safer, stronger North Carolina and delivering meaningful opportunities for every North Carolinian."
Denny laid out NCDIT's priorities: enhancing cybersecurity, improving procurement, equipping the state for responsible AI use, and expanding affordable high-speed internet access.
"At NCDIT, we are talking constantly about customer service and stewardship of the taxpayer dollars. Those are the things that have to drive every decision we make," he said.
Keynote speaker and artist Phil Hansen urged attendees to treat what constrains their work as an opportunity to innovate. "Embracing a limitation can drive creativity," he said.
NCDIT Innovation Director Raymond Thomas said that approach is vital when the multidisciplinary teams he leads encounter obstacles.
"My best advice for turning challenges into opportunities is collaboration," Thomas said. "Bring more people to the table; introduce more perspectives. Once you get enough smart people in the room, you will be able to find the answer that you're looking for."
Collaboration was also on display as NCDIT experts led sessions on AI, cybersecurity, data, procurement and 911.
N.C. 911 Board Executive Director Pokey Harris and State Geographic Information Officer Matthew McLamb described how partnerships among 911 call centers kept them operating during Hurricane Helene in 2024. State Chief Information Security Officer Bernice Russell-Bond discussed preparing state agencies for the day quantum computing can break current encryption.
Other sessions covered data governance, fraud prevention, public safety technology, and workforce development, with NCDIT leaders Azhar Rahman, Keith Briggs, Jennifer Fix, Mick DiGrazia, and Karen Lee among the panelists.
Innovation Director Raymond Thomas, Deputy Director of Statewide IT Procurement James Tanzosch, and N.C. Department of Transportation Chief Information Officer Mike Ware led a session on modernizing how government builds and buys technology. Tanzosch said his office is working to get involved with agencies earlier in the procurement process.
"By getting us involved early in the process, we are able to be innovative in helping them," Tanzosch said.
Deputy Secretary for AI and Policy I-Sah Hsieh described partnering with state government to figure out how AI can work for them.
"The benefit we have as public servants is that we're able to share, and we're willing to share," Hsieh said. "Let's seize this opportunity."
View more photos from the event in our Flickr album.