The Public Sector Show by TechTables
The Podcast & Community for Public Sector CIOs & CISOs. Welcome to the The Public Sector Show by TechTables, featuring human-centric stories from C-level technology leaders. Hosted by Joe Toste, you'll gain valuable insights on current issues and challenges faced by top leaders. Through interviews, speaking engagements, and live podcast tour events, we unite public sector CIOs, CTOs, CISOs, and technology leaders in fostering collaboration and meaningful connections in the ever-evolving technology landscape.
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Connecting Public Sector Leaders in Technology
The Public Sector Show by TechTables
The Public Sector Show by TechTables explores the dynamic intersection of government and technology through engaging conversations with public sector CIOs and CISOs, offering insights into their challenges and successes.
Recent Episodes
245
Oct. 5, 2026
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 hig
244
Sept. 28, 2026
#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 calcula
243
Sept. 24, 2026
#243: CalSTRS & California DMV — Your Risk Is My Risk with Info-Tech Research Group
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 sha
242
Aug. 24, 2026
#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
241
Aug. 20, 2026
#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 Kn
240
July 23, 2026
#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, transp
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