Vision 2024: Getting in a New York (IT) State of Mind | Webinar | FedInsider (2024)

Deputy Commissioner of Shared Services

Moses Kamya is the Deputy Commissioner of Shared Services. In that role, he oversees a program portfolio that includes Procurement Services, Business Service Center, and Project Management Office. He provides executive direction on strategic agency technology initiatives in partnership with ITS. Moses joined OGS from the NYS Office of the Attorney General, where he served as Chief Information Officer. In that role, he oversaw IT modernization and transformation initiatives and ushered the office through the emergency remote work transition during the COVID crisis. Moses also served as CIO of the Administrative and General Services portfolio at ITS; CIO at GOER and Director of SLMS; Director of the Unemployment Insurance Systems Modernization at the NYS Department of Labor; Enterprise Information Architect at the Office of the State Comptroller (OSC) and Project Director of the Public Authority Reporting Information System. Moses was recognized by NY City & State NY as one of the 50 most influential leaders in government technology. He was inducted into the New York IT Leadership Hall of Fame to recognize his contributions to New York State.

Moses received a Ph.D., MA, and BA from the University at Albany. He has held teaching positions at the RPI Lally School of Management and Technology and the Nelson Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, University at Albany.

Deputy Commissioner of Shared Services

Francine Byrne became the Director of Information Technology August 2020. She has over two decades of successful experience in the Information Technology industry where her philosophy has been that a strong sense of teamwork, user attentiveness, and a security-focused department are key to the success of the Authority’s IT department.

Ms. Byrne is a lifelong resident of the great state of New York where she lives in the Hudson Valley with her husband, children, and grandchildren.

Deputy Executive Director

Thomas is an experienced election professional with a background spanning multiple areas of election administration, policy development, and technical innovation. With a career dedicated to improving the integrity and accessibility of elections, he has demonstrated his dedication toward driving innovation in voter communications and outreach, operational process improvement, and policy development.

A champion of technical innovation, Thomas has played a pivotal role in enhancing election administration through the increased use of technology. He has worked tirelessly towards establishing standards for various technology systems used in elections, including voter registration systems, electronic poll books, voting systems, and online voter portals. By promoting accessibility and availability of election information, Thomas has strived to empower voters and streamline the electoral process.

After the designation of elections as critical infrastructure in 2017, Thomas has been instrumental in strengthening the cybersecurity posture of elections across New York State. Recognizing the evolving threat landscape, Thomas has facilitated the procurement of security tools for use by counties, developed grant programs to support their cybersecurity efforts, and fostered relationships between boards of elections and various state and local partners. Through these actions and others, Thomas has bolstered the integrity and security of elections at both state and local levels.

Thomas’s unwavering commitment to innovation and security in election administration underscores his leadership in advancing the integrity and resilience of the electoral process.

Director, Cyber Incident Response Team

Meghan Cook is Director of the Cyber Incident Response Team (CIRT) at the NYS Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (NYS DHSES). The CIRT provides cyber preparedness services and incident response cyber services to local governments, non-executive State agencies, and State authorities. For 25 years, Meghan was the Program Director for the Center for Technology in Government (CTG), a globally renowned research institute at University at Albany/SUNY as well as Adjunct Professor at Nelson A. Rockefeller College. Meghan also served as the Advisor to the NYS Local Government IT Directors Association for 15 years. Meghan is considered an expert in local government digital transformation and a sought after speaker and facilitator organizing and leading over 300 workshops, panels, and keynotes. Meghan holds a Master of Public Administration and a Master of Science in Education both from the University at Albany, State University of New York.

Senior Solutions Engineer

With 8 years of experience in the cybersecurity industry, Jeremey Benedict serves as a Senior Solutions Engineer, focusing his efforts on security and identity. Jeremey’s expertise extends across a spectrum of enterprises with a particular emphasis on public sector organizations. He has helped some of the largest organizations to protect against security threats and data breaches. Jeremey also guides organizations in embracing identity as the new security perimeter.

Executive Strategist

Deborah Blyth, Executive Strategist, is part of the Executive Strategist Team at CrowdStrike, where she provides strategic advisory services related to enterprise cybersecurity solutions for all industry verticals including Government, Education and Healthcare.

Prior to joining CrowdStrike, Deborah Blyth spent 7 years as Colorado’s Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). During her tenure she was successful at doubling the cybersecurity budget, recovering from a large-scale ransomware attack, and measurably reducing risk across the state. Deborah has over 25 years technology background and 15 years leading information security programs. Before joining the state of Colorado, Deborah led the Information Technology Security and Compliance programs at TTEC (5 years) and Travelport (3 years). Deborah is a Colorado native, and graduated Summa cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree from Regis University.

Contributing Editor

Jane Norris a contributing editor to FedInsider, is committed to advancing government communications and putting people first in every regard.

Jane brings a lifetime career in media and government to her role. She has held senior roles at the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). As a consultant and public relations lead, she worked to execute priority issues for two powerhouse government contracting firms creating successful communications strategies for issues like, technology modernization, AI, data analytics, cybersecurity, customer experience, human centered design, health and economic policy, the government workforce and employee engagement.

Jane’s private sector career also includes on-air work with multiple radio and television stations, most recently as a daily drive-time host on Federal News Radio/WTOP in Washington DC.