#209: Teena Piccione, J.R. Sloan, Mark Wittenberg, Jonathan Feldman & Joe Durante

#209: Teena Piccione, J.R. Sloan, Mark Wittenberg, Jonathan Feldman & Joe Durante [Better Together Series]

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Featuring:

Teena Piccione, Secretary and State CIO, North Carolina

J.R. Sloan, State CIO, Arizona

Mark Wittenburg, CIO, City of Raleigh

Jonathan Feldman, CIO, Wake County

Joe Durante, Chief Technology and Innovation Strategist, Dell Technologies

What You’ll Learn:

How North Carolina's State CIO (from Google, AT&T, Fidelity, and more!) attracted world-class talent by selling the "most insane job" with the biggest data set and playground they'd ever see

Why shifting from "customers" to "colleagues and partners" eliminated IT roadblocks and built trust with departments like public safety

How to slash state procurement timelines from 9+ months to 45 days using proactive vendor negotiations and continuous pipeline management that saves agencies money to spend elsewhere

Arizona's AI governance framework that approved 15+ use cases saving employees 2.5 hours per week while protecting data through questionnaires and sandbox environments across 130+ agencies

Why city councils care more about AI's environmental impact than security risks, and how CIOs are building sustainability requirements into procurement policies

Timestamps

(01:00) Meet the Powerhouse Pod: State CIOs from NC & AZ + City & County Leaders + Dell

(06:00) The "Most Insane Job" Pitch: How to Recruit World-Class Talent

(11:00) Building Your Network Before You Need It: Relationship-Based Recruiting

(15:00) Screening for Heart: Finding Candidates Who Care About Mission Over Money

(19:00) Language That Transforms: From "Customers" to "Colleagues and Partners"

(22:00) Procurement Revolution: Slashing 9-Month Timelines to 45 Days

(26:00) Arizona's GenAI Use Cases: 15+ Approved Use Cases Saving 2.5 Hours Per Week

(33:00) AI in Action: Predictive Policing and Real-Time Crime Centers

(36:00) Surprising City Council Reaction: Environmental Impact Over Security Fears

(40:00) Legacy Modernization Strategy: Leading with Pain Points and Value

(46:00) Leadership Philosophy: The Power of Leading to Give vs. Get

(50:00) Building Teams That Last: Developing People Before Processes

(53:00) True Collaboration: Staying Curious, Connected, and Innovative

Connect

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3. 🤝 The Better Together Series: The narrative-driven series bringing together industry partners and public sector CXOs. Discover the compelling stories that unfold when we stop working in silos and start building together. Email me at joe@techtables.com

🎥 Upcoming Live Podcast Tours

1. 2026 IGNITE Powered by Info-Tech LIVE - Austin, TX - Sept. 17th-18th

If you’re an IT leader in Austin, Houston, or nearby, Info-Tech’s got complimentary tickets with your name on them (just DM me I’ll be there). IGNITE is getting past the AI hype and into the real questions CIOs are wrestling with: how to get your people actually using AI, what the shift from “employee in the loop” to “employee on the loop” looks like, and how to budget when the costs keep moving up.

→ Ready to join the conversation in person? Email joe@techtables.com

Whenever you’re ready, there are 3 ways you can connect with TechTables:

1. 📬 The TechTables Newsletter

Thanks for reading TechTables! Get early access to new episodes, insights, upcoming events, and more — straight to your inbox.

Join now: https://www.techtables.com/

2. 🤝 Are you a local government CIO who wants to become a better leader?

Check out our high-trust, vendor-free peer group built for local government CIOs tackling real challenges, honest conversations, and an authentic desire to become a better leader — our next retreat is November 4th-6th in Austin, TX!

Learn more → https://techtables.com/communities-local-government

3. 🤝 The Better Together Series

The narrative-driven series bringing together industry partners and public sector CXOs. Discover the compelling stories that unfold when we stop working in silos and start building together.

»»» Email joe@techtables.com to learn more.