The Public Sector Show by TechTables

Joe Toste

Where Public Sector CIOs Become Better Leaders. TechTables helps public sector CIOs and their teams become better leaders through real conversations, relationships, and trusted insights.

  1. 5d ago

    Stop Testing Your Recovery for Success — University of Wyoming, Grand Valley State & Commvault

    A recovery test that only checks for success can’t prove much. Neither can a leader who only says “trust me.” The University of Wyoming is rolling out an AI platform for faculty, staff, and students, and owned up when one of the trainings went too fast. Grand Valley State’s IT team runs on values that spell ACT, and Miloš Topić is now on record to finish his leadership book sometime in 2027. And Commvault’s Jared Whitehurst thinks a lot of recovery tests are checking for the wrong thing. I sat down with Amy McLaughlin, Miloš, and Jared at EDUCAUSE 2026 in Denver to talk about all of it. And yes, we also get into ResOps, the minimal viable campus, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, why the network comes first, and my first time wearing a cowboy hat on camera (courtesy of Jared). Timestamps 0:00 A cowboy hat for the home of the Cowboys 3:55 Why the University of Wyoming told everyone AI was coming before picking a tool 7:55 "I have now four witnesses": Miloš goes on record about his book 10:25 Who has the authority to say "we're recovering"? 13:15 Have the hard conversations before the emergency, not after 16:10 What happened right before that play? A car-ride lesson in accountability 20:10 Your backups are green. "But can you prove that it's clean?" 22:40 Why being nice isn't enough if you don't deliver 23:55 The AI training went too fast. Amy's going back to say so 26:50 Why GVSU’s IT values spell ACT: accountability, collaboration, trust 29:45 Practice vs. perform: why Jared says teams should rehearse their recoveries Connect with the Guests 💼 Amy McLaughlin, Vice President of IT & CIO, University of Wyoming: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amymcl/ 💼 Miloš Topić, Vice President for IT & Chief Digital Officer, Grand Valley State: https://www.linkedin.com/in/topicm/ 💼 Jared Whitehurst, Director of Sales, Commvault: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jared-whitehurst/ Connect with Me 📬 Newsletter: https://techtables.com/ 🎙️ Podcast: https://www.techtables.com/episodes/ 😃 Guests: https://www.techtables.com/guests/ 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jtoste/ 💼 Powered by Info-Tech Research Group, Verizon, Carahsoft, & NinjaOne 💜 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-public-sector-show-by-techtables/id1661752549 🟢 Leave a rating on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/0bFQBsDwKJkdNk2qENkhNL?si=0436c0c2ebca488e

    Stop Testing Your Recovery for Success — University of Wyoming, Grand Valley State & Commvault

  2. Oct 20

    Government Doesn’t Have to Be Slow and Risk-Averse — Ramsey County, MN

    For the past decade, Ramsey County’s CIO, Chetan Ganatra, has been trying to prove that government doesn’t have to be slow and risk-averse, first at the state and now at the county. It started with a 2017 Star Tribune series on abuse complaints in senior care and his parents living alone in India. When he arrived at the county four and a half years ago, at least 7 to 10 escalations hit his inbox every day. The systems are about the same today. The inbox isn’t. I talked with Chetan about all of it. And yes, we also get into the first team, why the state felt like a vaccine lab, what he gets out of the GOVIT Leadership Summit & Symposium, and more! Timestamps 0:00 Government doesn't have to be slow 5:20 Why Chetan joined government 9:30 State lab vs. county front line 12:15 Breaking down IT silos 13:30 Minnesotans and hard conversations 15:20 Service teams, not tech teams 16:20 Measuring the culture shift 20:20 Accountability isn’t a dirty word 21:10 Air cover and psychological safety 22:50 Numbers only tell part of the story 24:30 Why go to GOVIT? Connect with the Guests 💼 Chetan's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ganatrachetan/ Connect with Me 📬 Newsletter: https://techtables.com/ 🎙️ Podcast: https://www.techtables.com/episodes/ 😃 Guests: https://www.techtables.com/guests/ 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jtoste/ 💼 Powered By Info-Tech Research Group, Verizon, Carahsoft, & NinjaOne 💜 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-public-sector-show-by-techtables/id1661752549 🟢 Leave a rating on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/0bFQBsDwKJkdNk2qENkhNL?si=0436c0c2ebca488e

    Government Doesn’t Have to Be Slow and Risk-Averse — Ramsey County, MN

  3. Oct 5

    John O'Brien (CEO of EDUCAUSE) on AI slop, the future of the CIO, and skipping the messy middle

    Recorded on-site at EDUCAUSE 2026 in Denver, inside the Info-Tech Research Group booth, this episode brings together John O'Brien (President & CEO, EDUCAUSE) and Mark Roman (Managing Partner, Education, Info-Tech Research Group). John has led EDUCAUSE since 2015, and Mark was a CIO for a long time before working with colleges and universities around the world. John and Mark dig into where people still matter when the answers come from machines. John raises a question that could reshape higher ed: if human connection becomes the premium experience, who gets access to it, and who is left with only automated alternatives? Mark makes the case that a CIO who sees across the whole institution could rise to COO, and the conversation lands on the messy middle of learning that AI lets students skip. Timestamps (00:00) Intro to John O'Brien and Mark Roman (02:55) College Isn't About the Knowledge (05:50) Moving Up Bloom's Taxonomy (10:40) Earning a Seat at the Table (11:40) Skipping the Messy Middle (14:20) The Future of the CIO (17:05) The AI Slop Divide (18:50) What John Is Proudest Of (21:00) From Young Professional to Board Chair (25:30) An Appeal to Kindness (25:45) Promoted, Still Doing the Old Job (26:35) Start With Values Connect with the Guests 💼 John's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnobrienphd/ 💼 Mark's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markromanlinkedin/ Connect with Me 🌐 Full episode & transcript: https://podcast.techtables.com/educause-john-obrien-ai-slop/ 📬 Newsletter: https://techtables.com/ 🎙️ Podcast: https://podcast.techtables.com/ 🤝 Community: https://techtables.com/communities-local-government 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jtoste/ 💼 Powered By Info-Tech Research Group, Verizon, Carahsoft, & NinjaOne https://podcast.techtables.com/sponsors/ 💜 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-public-sector-show-by-techtables/id1661752549 🟢 Leave a rating on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/0bFQBsDwKJkdNk2qENkhNL?si=0436c0c2ebca488e

    John O'Brien (CEO of EDUCAUSE) on AI slop, the future of the CIO, and skipping the messy middle

  4. Sep 28

    #244: Orange County, NC — The AI Idea That Built a Tax Calculator in 1 Day

    In this episode, Rob Reynolds (CIO, Orange County, North Carolina) talks about coming from a big Navy family. His dad served in Underwater Demolition Teams (UDTs), the unit Rob calls the first Navy SEALs, and in the '60s his team was first out to the space capsules to get the astronauts out. Rob followed his dad into the Navy, then spent about 30 years in IT, including 2 turns as a CISO. Rob shares what happens when you give people the tools, from the AI sandbox behind a staffer's tax calculator idea, to users trained to flag the message that looks like it came from Rob, to a $10M ARPA broadband buildout that has people calling Rob to say thank you. Orange County also placed #8 in its population category (150,000–249,999) in the 2026 Digital Counties Survey from the Center for Digital Government and NACo, recognition Rob credits to his team's work modernizing county services. Timestamps 0:00 A Commodore VIC-20 at age 12, then 2x CISO, now county CIO 1:24 His dad's UDT team got astronauts out of Gemini-era capsules 11:36 An OpenAI Teams subscription, branded as the county's AI Innovation Lab 13:44 Copilot Chat for every county user, and learning circles next 17:04 The AI tax calculator: a former tax staffer's idea, live in 1 day 25:33 When "Rob" asks for gift cards, users know to raise their hand 26:36 An annual cyber survey, timed to October, sets the quarterly training 28:19 Even when AI is battling AI, it all goes back to people 31:31 Short training, no jargon, and CISA lunch-and-learns for staff 32:29 The $10M ARPA broadband buildout reaching about 6,000 unserved homes 33:52 The calls Rob gets from families whose kids can now do classes online 36:52 Why Rob still remembers the names of people who pulled him up Connect with the Guests 💼 Rob's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robreyn/ Connect with Me 🌐 Episode page: https://podcast.techtables.com/orange-county-nc-the-ai-idea-that-built-a-tax-calculator-in-1-day/ 📬 Newsletter: https://techtables.com/ 🎙️ Podcast: https://podcast.techtables.com/ 🤝 Community: https://techtables.com/communities-local-government 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jtoste/ 💼 Powered By Info-Tech Research Group, Verizon, Carahsoft, & NinjaOne https://podcast.techtables.com/sponsors/ 💜 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-public-sector-show-by-techtables/id1661752549 🟢 Leave a rating on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/0bFQBsDwKJkdNk2qENkhNL?si=0436c0c2ebca488e

    #244: Orange County, NC — The AI Idea That Built a Tax Calculator in 1 Day

  5. Sep 24

    #243: CalSTRS & California DMV - Your Risk Is My Risk

    Recorded on-site at CalSTRS in West Sacramento, this episode brings together Ashish Jain (Chief Technology Officer, CalSTRS), Prashant Mittal (Chief Information Officer, California Department of Motor Vehicles), and Hillory Courtney (Managing Partner, Info-Tech Research Group). Ashish and Prashant go back to 1999. Prashant once reported to Ashish, and Ashish attended Prashant's wedding in India, although Prashant jokingly questions if that really happened. Together with Hillory, the three share about how trust shapes every call they make, from DMV changing course on its modernization, to CalSTRS keeping AI out of decisions, to how Info-Tech helped them both turn ideas into action. Guests: Ashish Jain, Chief Technology Officer, CalSTRS Prashant Mittal, Chief Information Officer, California Department of Motor Vehicles Hillory Courtney, Managing Partner, Info-Tech Research Group Timestamps: 0:00 Back at CalSTRS: the trust Prashant says bonded IT and business 2:25 Friends since 1999, and why that trust mattered when Prashant joined CalSTRS 9:09 "Your issues and your risk are my issue and my risk" 16:01 Wait for the business to ask, or act first? Prashant's five-minute pitch 26:03 Six weeks, 200-plus new hires, and the moment Prashant changed course 30:00 "I can't buy a tool and drop it on the table" 33:00 "AI is not making a decision for us" 51:20 Trust took years to build: why CalSTRS won't go all-AI with members 55:17 Different missions, 60 to 70% of the same problems: why agencies compare notes 57:09 "The idea is great, but now you have to operationalize it"

    #243: CalSTRS & California DMV - Your Risk Is My Risk

  6. Aug 24

    #242: We Thought We Had Playbooks - Organizational Will and Disaster Recovery | Phoenix, Boise, ITRG

    Earlier this year I sat down at the inaugural WRITA spring conference with Chuck Boyer (Assistant CIO, City of Phoenix, and WRITA Conference Chair), Nick Phillips (CISO, City of Boise), and Scott Magerfleisch (Executive Counselor, Info-Tech Research Group, former CIO, City of Greeley, CO). A backup can be healthy. A recovery can still fail. Boise's infrastructure team brought in Info-Tech to build a real disaster recovery plan — not because anything had gone wrong, but because "we know what to do" was living in people's heads instead of on paper. 3.5 days in a room with IT staff only, no business units. They worked through 15 applications. The city has more than 200. What Nick took away wasn't about storage. It was watching application owners and managers realize that the thing they'd been calling a playbook couldn't be handed to someone else and executed. Chuck has a phrase for why the necessary changes stall out anyway: organizational will. Scott's version of the same idea, applied to AI, is that you have to name the problem before you name the tool. We also talked about: Why every ERP conversation turns into "while we're in here, let's redo the chart of accounts"Business relationship managers (BRMs), and getting to a department before they've already bought the productPublic works asked the cyber team to come teach. So did the library. Lessons Learned.Timestamps  01:48 "Hire for fit, train for skill"  04:58 Culture change dies the moment a leader asks the team to go first  10:22 Why Boise brought in Info-Tech to build a real disaster recovery plan anyway  12:25 200+ server-based apps. They got through 15.  13:04 "We thought we had playbooks. I don't think we truly did."  16:16 Technical debt, aging servers, and the organizational will it takes to touch them  20:24 "We can't do AI for the sake of AI"  22:46 The messy, ugly side of AI nobody's posting about on LinkedIn  25:44 Phoenix's plan: council meetings, agendas, minutes and resolutions, all in an LLM  30:05 Boise's BRMs  32:46 Public works asked the cyber team to come teach. So did the library. Lessons Learned.  36:21 A Colorado city sent over a million dollars to an attacker after a contractor's email was compromised  40:24 "You're not competing with your neighbor"

    #242: We Thought We Had Playbooks - Organizational Will and Disaster Recovery | Phoenix, Boise, ITRG

  7. Aug 20

    #241: Pilots De-Risk AI — They Don't Scale It | City of Avondale & Polimorphic

    Earlier this year I sat down at the inaugural WRITA spring conference with Jeff Scheetz (CIO, City of Avondale) and Zach Duguid (AI Engineering Manager, Polimorphic).   Jeff's answer to what he'd put in front of a room of local government CIOs isn't a success story.   It's the horror stories — the scary stuff nobody puts in the press release.   Most of this episode is the unglamorous work that prevents it. Zach walked through what Polimorphic does before an agent ever answers a resident: a Knowledge Base Health Check that seeds up to 500 questions against a city's own content, then reruns them weekly or monthly to confirm what the agent answers and which sources it pulled from.   We also talked about: Why pilots de-risk AI and then stall before they scale across departmentsSingle sign-on inside the city, four or five logins outside itJeff's next 18 months: consolidate, standardize, clean up after the growthTimestamps 01:55 "I just got a new dog. How do I register him?" — the AI answers, then files the form 03:43 "We're not selling services. There's no checkout cart." So what is a city website for? 04:55 The caller doesn't know the address. They know the coffee shop. The map does the rest. 07:24 A water outage in Utah, live on the phone line the moment staff post it 09:14 Single sign-on inside the city. 4-5 logins outside it. Nobody's solved this. 10:22 30-40 departments, each with its own process — and the war against too many toggles 11:47 19 years in: how much security pain can you inflict before staff route around you? 12:56 "We had to move very quickly for years. Now we finally get to go clean it up." 14:14 Your chatbot is quoting agenda minutes from a decade ago — the check that catches it first 16:30 A 20-year employee retires. Where does the knowledge go, and can AI hold it? 18:18 Pilots de-risk AI. They don't scale it. Why Zach wants it treated as infrastructure. 19:28 Jeff's ask for the roundtable: not the AI wins, the horror stories

    #241: Pilots De-Risk AI — They Don't Scale It | City of Avondale & Polimorphic

  8. Jul 23

    #240: Cut 2% Now — or 15% Later: How Local Government CIOs Win Funding

    Recorded at the inaugural WRITA spring conference, this episode brings together Scott Conn (CIO, City of Mesa and WRITA chair), Mary Wynne (CEO, Fusion Learning Partners/PTI), and returning guest Chris Stewart (CRO, Freeit Data Solutions, former City of Austin CIO). They unpack how WRITA was built as an all-hands regional alternative to CIO-only clubs, and how leaders are handling local government IT budget cuts — through tools-first strategy, real partnerships over transactional vendors, transparent communication, and continued investment in professional development. Guests Scott Conn, Chief Information Officer, City of Mesa, Arizona; Founder, WRITAMary Wynne CEO, Fusion Learning Partners (Public Technology Institute)Chris Stewart Chief Revenue Officer, Freeit Data Solutions (former CIO, City of Austin) Timestamps (05:45) Scott’s problem with “CIOs-only clubs”—and the idea that became WRITA (09:17) Four sponsors, one rule: bring an implementation—not a sales pitch (15:36) Flat budgets, higher quotes—and why doing the same with less is now hard (17:05) Tools first, people second: Mesa’s strategy for keeping services moving (18:00) Two sentences. Fifteen minutes. Why only two vendors in ten earn the full meeting (19:24) Before you buy another tool, are you using the one you already own? (26:23) The rumor mill starts before the decision does (27:00) Mesa’s budget glide path: 2% now instead of a drastic 15% later (35:00) Accountability overcorrected—and then trust caught up (37:23) “The best leaders are the best learners” (42:07) The budget line Mary says leaders should think twice before cutting

    #240: Cut 2% Now — or 15% Later: How Local Government CIOs Win Funding
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Where Public Sector CIOs Become Better Leaders. TechTables helps public sector CIOs and their teams become better leaders through real conversations, relationships, and trusted insights.

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