All Things Midyear (and Our New Team Member)!

Amy and Alex talk with our newest team member Kalea-Young Gibson, policy analyst, about her background and why she is excited to work with NASCIO. Then we are joined by NASCIO's director of experience and engagement, Emily Lane to talk all things Midyear Conference. Find out what's new, what's changing, what to get excited about and what to wear.

Transcript

SPEAKERS

Emily Lane, Amy Glasscock, Alex Whitaker, Kalea Young-Gibson

Amy Glasscock  00:05

Hi, and welcome to NASCIO voices where we talk all things state IT. I'm Amy Glasscock in Lexington, Kentucky.

Alex Whitaker  00:11

I'm Alex Whitaker in Washington DC. It's late April. That means it's time for another conference preview episode and NASCIO's own director of experience and engagement Emily Lane. 

Amy Glasscock  00:21

But first, we're excited to introduce you to our newest NASCIO team member Kalea Young-Gibson, who is our newest policy analyst, and she is stopping by for a few minutes to talk with us. Kalea, welcome to the team. And thanks for joining us.

Kalea Young-Gibson  00:33

Hi. Hi, Amy. Hi, Alex. So happy to be here. Thank you for having me.

Alex Whitaker  00:38

Yeah, well, we're all so excited that you've joined. But tell us about your background and how you came to NASCIO. 

Kalea Young-Gibson  00:44

Yeah, so my background is a little all over the place, but you can kind of string line it into two major parts. The first part being policy, the next part being people, these two things complement each other. For me, especially I do believe that in order to create and implement effective policies, you have to understand the people who will be affected by it. And that includes and emphasizes the understanding that every individual who interacts with or is affected by certain policy will have a uniquely different outcome than the next person. And that's just solely based on lived experiences. As a researcher, data and Policy Analyst keeping people front and center of every research project, everything I do, and knowing people themselves is very, very paramount. With this in mind. I double majored in psychology and Political Science and undergrad at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina. After that, I pursued my Master's in Public Administration from The Ohio State University. In addition to pursuing research methods and policy work, I supplemented those things with that emphasis of keeping people front and center by working as a diversity, equity and inclusion facilitator. Just to deepen my understanding of people and how to communicate and advocate for people in that policy space, knowing just how diverse all of our lived experiences are, also have prior experience as a policy and data analyst on Capitol Hill, implementing reentry services and policy at a correctional facility and research presentation and data visualization. I came to NASCIO because I do feel like the next step in my career is to now help organizations who helped others better help others. I hope that makes sense.

Alex Whitaker  02:27

It does. And it's really interesting and really exciting. And I know we're we're we think you've got a great background, obviously, and I can't wait to learn more about it. 

Amy Glasscock  02:36

Yeah, everyone can see why she was hired.

Alex Whitaker  02:40

Exactly. So what kind of specifically attracted you to the role? And what do you hope to accomplish?

Kalea Young-Gibson  02:46

So what specifically attracted me to the role and NASCIO as a whole was that a CIO really strives to ensure government uses technology and uses innovation to serve all of its constituents, and the most effective and efficient ways possible, also doing this while remaining nonpartisan, ensuring ethical approaches to research and policy creation implementation. And also, in turn, with all of that doing that effectively, also restores the public's trust in government itself. I know over the last few years, we've seen a lot of disarray, when it comes to how much the public actually trust in government, but NASCIO's mission and its principles and how they go about that really, really does help restore that trust. Overall, it's a very people first approach that I resonate with, not only as a policy analyst, but as a person who has had to navigate such things with my own unique lived experience, I always had help always had people to rely on in both of those aspects. And I want to return that and pay it forward in any way I can. So I hope to just continue driving NASCIO's missions forward by using my unique skill set to provide insights and recommendations on policy that maximizes efficiency and effectiveness. And really helping people understand policy getting through some of that ivory tower jargon language. My mom used to tell me when I was a kid that I would talk to a wall and get the wall to talk back. So really hoping, really hoping I'm able to use my ability to connect with different people from all walks of life, plus my research background and just continue pushing that NASCIO mission forward.

Alex Whitaker  04:24

Yeah, that's a common thing at NASCIO to I'll say, being able to talk to anyone, so yeah,

Amy Glasscock  04:30

yeah. And it's interesting to how you know, all of our lived experiences, you know, can't help but be part of the way that we view the work that we do. And, you know, everyone involved in NASCIO from our team here and our members, we're all also citizens of our state and have to interact with the state in different ways and have throughout our lives. So you know, we take the those experiences to the work as well. So, yeah, it's great, great viewpoint. So I know you've only been on the job a couple of days now, you may not know what your portfolio is going to look like. But based on what you've seen so far, are there any specific issues that you hope you get to focus on? 

Kalea Young-Gibson  05:11

Yes. So AI is definitely the talk of the town, state, the nation, the world. And I've noticed a lot of that focus is on how do we best regulate it. That is important. But I think something else that I'd like to focus on regarding AI that is also important to me is on its accessibility. Just like with any new technology, AI can do a lot of good for a lot of people. But that's only if everyone can access it in the way that they need to in order to, you know, use it to make their lives better. The nature of AI itself creates a lot of potential to meet people where they are, and we're already seeing that anybody who has a laptop or a phone has been on ChatGPT. But I'd also just like to focus on how can we explore that and expand that and move it forward?

Amy Glasscock  05:58

Yeah, that's great. And we can definitely use some help around AI. As we will be talking about later on this podcast, we have a day at conference where there are multiple AI sessions going on at once, and I cannot be in all of them. Everybody's going to be helping out with AI, I think, a lot of different facets to consider as well. So what are you most excited about as you start your NASCIO career?

Kalea Young-Gibson  06:21

So I'm excited about so much. It's already been such a great time. And my first week, a great group of people, I think the thing that I'm most excited about is being able to network, I've been fortunate enough to have gained a lot of hands on experience so soon and so early in my career, but there's absolutely nothing better than learning from the people who are well established in their careers who are versed in their fields. And like connecting with and being mentored by people who are sitting in the place and operating the positions where you want to be one day is an opportunity that I will never pass on. So definitely looking forward to the conferences and being able to network that way and continue to just grow in my career, my skill set from other people.

Amy Glasscock  07:05

That's great. Well, you definitely have the opportunity with upcoming conference and just in the world of Zoom that we live in here. Oh, yeah. All right. So we can't let you go without a segment that we call the lightning round where we get to learn a little about your life outside of work. Are you ready? 

Kalea Young-Gibson  07:26

Yeah, I am ready.

Alex Whitaker  07:28

All right. So Amy, and I already know the answer to this, but we really wanted to share it with the listeners. So can you tell us what did you want to be when you were little and you grew up?

Kalea Young-Gibson  07:37

I certainly can. My very first career aspiration was to be a WWE superstar. I've been a wrestling fan my entire life. The showmanship, the storytelling, I'm still in all of it. To this day. That's really how I continue to connect with my inner child. So my very first career dream was to be a WWE superstar. 

Alex Whitaker  07:59

Alright, well, I when we when I see you, I need to ask you about what you thought about Wrestlemania. 

Kalea Young-Gibson  08:02

So well, what's in it, make sure you set aside about two hours.

Amy Glasscock  08:08

You know, maybe it's not too late. We can all have a side hustle. All right, do you have a favorite band or musical artist.

Kalea Young-Gibson  08:16

So I do have a favorite band. And it's actually Neon Trees. I know everybody is familiar with like the big hits. So Everybody Talks an Animal. But all of their albums like there isn't. You can play a Neon Trees album for me. And there are no skips on all of their music. It's just really, really well thought out from the chords, the melodies to the actual lyrics. I was also a band kid and studied music theory at one point. So they really they really do a good job and making you feel, which is what music is supposed to do. So most definitely Neon Trees. 

Amy Glasscock  08:47

Alright. I'll have to check them out. 

Alex Whitaker  08:49

Yeah. And finally, any fun summer plans.

Kalea Young-Gibson  08:53

So back in the WWE vein, I went to my very first WWE Show in January. And there is another one in the summer that we are planning to travel to go to. So looking forward to that. And I am also going to Canada at some point in the summer, just for a vacation. That will be my second time ever out of the country. So looking forward to both of those things. 

Alex Whitaker  09:17

Awesome.

Amy Glasscock  09:18

Where was the first?

Kalea Young-Gibson  09:19

So the first is actually in two weeks, I will be going to Guatemala. 

Amy Glasscock  09:23

Oh, amazing. 

Alex Whitaker  09:25

Cool. 

Kalea Young-Gibson  09:26

Yeah. Super excited. 

Amy Glasscock  09:27

Well, I can't wait to talk more about that offline. 

Alex Whitaker  09:29

Alright. Well, thanks so much. Kalea. We've really loved getting a chance to talk to you and I know we all look forward to working with you.

Kalea Young-Gibson  09:37

Thank you so much for having me. And I'm looking forward to working with you all as well.

Amy Glasscock  09:41

All right, thanks.

Alex Whitaker  09:43

Next up is our interview with Emily to give us the rundown for the Midyear Conference. Emily, how's it going?

Emily Lane  09:49

I'm doing well. Busy but well,

Alex Whitaker  09:51

I bet you are. So remind us when and where the NASCIO 2024 Midyear conference is and who can attend.

Emily Lane  09:58

The Midyear Conference will take take place later this month in National Harbor, Maryland. So April 28, through May 1, all NASCIO conferences are members-only events. And by the time this podcast airs registration will be closed. We do not accept on-site registration. But we do accept on site substitutions. So, if your colleague is unable to attend last minute, that registration spot can be transferred to someone within the same company and can be completed on site. And then if you are a state member and are interested sort of last minute and attending, just reach out to us at registrations@nascio.org, and we'll work with ya. 

Alex Whitaker  10:43

Got it. Thanks. So, how does NASCIO decide on conference programming? And how far ahead do you have the agenda set? I know that sometimes we will ask about being on a panel or sponsorship opportunities for sessions. 

Emily Lane  10:54

Yeah, so we start building out the agenda about four months prior to conference. Unlike a lot of associations, NASCIO does not issue a formal call for proposals or call for speakers. So our Programs Committee, which is a group of around 20 members kind of split between state and corporate members. They identify topics for the agenda. And then once those are finalized, we work to find the best speaker or case study for that topic area. So deciding on session topics is a bit maybe like playing Tetris. You know, we take a lot of things into consideration to find the right topic for the right spot. And to do that, we look at past event evaluations and what folks said they'd like to hear about, we host something we call an idea round up, which is where our members can tell us what they want out of conferences. We look at the state CIO survey and the state CIO top 10 priorities which are to you know, big guideposts for everything NASCIO really does in a year, we also look at the current landscape. So maybe there's a topic that isn't on that top 10 priorities, but is a pressing topic that we really need to talk about, you know, in person, we also take into account conversations that are happening on our forum calls and in the community, and then balance all of that with what has been on the agenda at recent conferences. So once I sort of distill all of that get input from the rest of the NASCIO team, I present recommendations to the programs committee, we do a bit of work shopping, and we get to a final agenda. 

Amy Glasscock  12:43

That's great. So how far ahead of a conference, would you say the agenda is finalized?

Emily Lane  12:49

Well... 

Amy Glasscock  12:49

Ideally.

Emily Lane  12:50

Yeah. Well, as I said, we start working on the agenda about four months prior. So we have a really good idea of where we're going. But then within those topics, again, since we don't do that formal proposal of like here is this that session. It's a little ebb and flow of we have the idea and then just as we work through who's available, that good stuff, those will fine tune themselves. Probably have all the fine tuning done two months before. Yeah, it's all my preference, but sometimes doesn't work out that way. 

Amy Glasscock  13:29

Yeah, people drop out and replacements need to be made and all of that. Yeah, like so I always look forward to our keynote sessions. They're entertaining, inspirational, interesting, sometimes they even shed a tear. Who do we have on deck for the keynote sessions? 

Emily Lane  13:43

So on Monday, we will kick off the conference with Theresa Payton. She's a former CIO and the first female CIO, for the White House, very well known for her cybersecurity expertise. And she will be doing a keynote that focuses on ethics around artificial intelligence, and the frameworks that we can use to help make those ethical decisions. When we had our speaker prep call you know, I always joke that I just want to record those and use them. It was just fascinating to sit back and listen to her. So very excited about that one. Also very excited about Tuesday morning, we'll hear from Paula Davis on building resilient teams. So she'll highlight some very specific intangible models and strategies that leaders can use in their work to help create a culture of resiliency. And that is resiliency to immediate stressors and to immediate challenges, as well as working in and working through times of uncertainty, which I think probably we're all in just as we keep talking about Gen AI and there's lots of predictions for what that means. And while it hasn't happened yet. There's, you know, some uncertainty around that. So that'll be a really interesting, useful applicable keynote.

Amy Glasscock  15:07

Yeah, both of those sound very timely and should be quite interesting as well. So I know we have other sessions that take place in the big ballroom. So our general sessions, what can we expect from those?

Emily Lane  15:21

Yeah, so outside of the keynotes, we have three general sessions. Monday afternoon, we'll have a panel that will discuss citizen identity management. Tuesday morning, right after that keynote, we have a fireside chat with a few members of the NASCIO executive committee and they are going to be talking about NASCIO's recent mission change. Rather than having that be focused really on the mission itself. It's more of a conversation about what the greater context was. That, you know, led to them thinking there needed to be a change in the mission statement, and then what that means, generally for state it, and for NASCIO, membership. And then Tuesday afternoon, our closing session will be a look at third party cybersecurity risk management.

Amy Glasscock  16:12

Cool. Sounds great. And for the second one that you mentioned about our mission change. And it's really interesting, because it's like, we don't usually do conference sessions on decisions that the executive committee makes. But this one's really important for everyone there to kind of understand, you know, who NASCIO is and what we do and why so very cool. 

Emily Lane  16:30

Yeah, absolutely. 

Alex Whitaker  16:32

Yeah, for sure. So I know that a lot of people also look forward to the learning lounges. So what are the topics for these this year?

Emily Lane  16:38

Yeah, so we're doing something a little different this year. Each day, the learning lounges have a broad theme. So on Monday, we have four concurrent sessions. And those all relate to generative AI. So we're going to talk about generative AI and its alignment with privacy. Essentially, are your data and your privacy laws ready for GenAI? We're going to look at a recent study about GenAI its implications on the state IT workforce. Another session, we'll tackle current and potential use cases and considerations of using GenAI in digital services. And then we'll we'll kind of foundational there's another session on how states are implementing guardrails and guidelines in the use of generative AI. And then on Tuesday afternoon, there are three concurrent sessions and all of those relate to data. So one session will present some recent findings on a study on data quality and data management. Another session will have Texas provide a case study on their data literacy program. And then the third session is the District of Columbia is presenting on Open Data DC, which has a lot of visualization tools and dashboards and recently launched an AI assistant. So those will be very interesting. I will say Tuesday morning, we have a series of interactive breakouts, which have a very different focus than the learning lounges. So these sessions, they're 30 minutes, they're only held once. And they have been designed to get attendees, heavily collaborating with one another. So they're very discussion interaction based. And those topics are hybrid workforce, change management, and public and private solutioning. So the format and sort of what will be expected of you in that room can all be found in the agenda, which is online, and of course, in the conference app.

Alex Whitaker  18:48

Awesome. It's great. Well, of course, we can't go without talking about AI. But I do love how NASCIO has been tackling that topic recently. So I'm sure they're all be interesting sessions. So is there a state meet and greet again this time? And if so, is it going to be different from the past,

Emily Lane  19:02

There is the state meet and greet again, it will look overall very similar to past years, in that each state and attendance is stationed at a table for the duration of the session. And then corporate members are able to mingle through, you know and talk to states of their choosing. So as a reminder, the meet and greet is intended for quick introductory conversations. So a chime will ring every 90 seconds to keep those conversations moving along. And the change to this meet and greet comes in that instead of having all attendees enter at one time, this year, there will be three groups. So those groups are limited to 250 corporate member attendees, and each group has 30 minutes to network with the states. We were hearing that while this session is incredibly valuable, just the crowd size made it kind of noisy, hard to hear through some space congestion. So we hope that this will help address those concerns. Corporate members selected the networking group that they wanted to be in during registration. That will be printed on name badges. And then we'll have signage and information in the app, where, you know, we'll let you know where to be and when. And then just a reminder, due to the complexities on site, you may only enter with your selected group and you cannot change groups. So, you know, look for your info on your badge. And then the where to be and when on signage in the app. Of course, if you're not sure, ask NASCIO team members, and we'll we'll get you where you need to be.

Alex Whitaker  20:50

Yeah, always feel free to ask a NASCIO team member we're a nice punch and always happy to help. 

Amy Glasscock  20:55

Yeah. And glad that I am doing this podcast. So I know that people can look at their name badges. That's really smart idea.

Emily Lane  21:02

Yeah. We try to make it easy. 

Amy Glasscock  21:04

Yeah, that's great. So I know that at our conferences, as we've mentioned before on this podcast, we have a giveback partner and organization that we raise money for during the event. Tell us about our gift back partner for this Midyear Conference

Emily Lane  21:20

Yeah, so NASCIO has been in National Harbor since 2019, for our Midyear Conference, and we've gotten to know three organizations throughout that time. So this will be our last year, at least for a while in National Harbor. Midyear is going to start moving around a little bit. So the programs committee decided to honor all three of those groups that sort of a farewell and a thank you. And those are Byte Back, City Gate and STEM for Her. Representatives from each group will be on site during the high traffic times of the conference. And then there's information on our website and in the app about their missions, links to their website. And of course, the link to donate if you'd like to do so. 

Alex Whitaker  22:06

Great. So what is the dress code for the event? And most importantly, what if we get hungry between meals?

Emily Lane  22:13

So the dress code is business casual, you'll see all interpretations of that. Jeans, slacks skirts with nice tops, polos, collared shirts, all the way to suit and tie. The whatever you want to wear though I do suggest comfy shoes for all the walking and standing and layers you know as hard as we try. Some rooms are cold. Some rooms are stuffy. So just the the way of a hotel conference rooms, and then if you're hungry between meals, you might not be paying attention. Because we feed people we feed people a lot. So each morning we have a hot buffet breakfast, there's a plated lunch. And then we always have afternoon snacks. Along with our giveback program, we have a premium or, you know, fancy coffee bar all day long. I will say if you're not a give back donor and you want to partake in a fancy beverage, we just ask that you donate at least the cost of a typical latte. So lots of food opportunities. However, if you are still hungry, the MGM has lots of options on site. 

Alex Whitaker  23:21

Yeah, I've never gone hungry at a NASCIO event, particularly this one, because there's a lot.

Amy Glasscock  23:26

Usually it's more like the other way around, like oh, are we eating again? Okay. And don't mind if I do. Alright, Emily? Well, that is the end of our questions about Midyear. But you know the drill, we're going to ask you three fun questions about your life outside of work and our segment that we call the lightning round. Are you ready? 

Emily Lane  23:47

I am. 

Amy Glasscock  23:48

All right. All right. So I know from your various Zoom backgrounds over the last few months that you recently went through a big home remodel project. Any lessons learned?

Emily Lane  23:59

Ooh, probably lots of lessons. But I think the big one is that even the best laid plans, you know, have hiccups. So yeah, a little grace, a little humor, and a lot of gratitude will serve you well. 

Amy Glasscock  24:12

I like that.

Emily Lane  24:12

Relationships and for yourself. 

Amy Glasscock  24:14

Yes!

Alex Whitaker  24:15

That might also apply to the conference planning too, I think. 

Emily Lane  24:18

Yeah, absolutely. 

Alex Whitaker  24:20

So what is a good book or TV series that you've read or seen recently?

Emily Lane  24:26

Oh, so I can't do short answer. So I'll give to a book I'm currently reading is Luna Out of Order. A woman every New Year's Day jumps to a different year in her life. So she's not living it chronologically. Probably a quarter of the way in so interesting concept. 

Alex Whitaker  24:45

Yeah, that's cool!

Emily Lane  24:47

And then Palm Royal on Apple TV.

Alex Whitaker  24:50

Yeah. We did the first episode the other day.

Amy Glasscock  24:53

Yeah, I've been watching that too. It's really good. And also I'm like, How are all these actors in their 50s because they look like they're in their 30s including, Ricky Martin, who's playing a pool boy, literally,

Alex Whitaker  25:03

Ricky Martin was crazy. I could not--it looks like he hasn't aged a day. I

Emily Lane  25:07

Even looked younger. 

Amy Glasscock  25:09

I know I said to my husband, this guy looks like Ricky Martin. But that can't be him because I don't think he's that young. And then it was. All right. And last question. Do you have any fun travel plan as the weather warms up?

Emily Lane  25:21

Yes. So the beginning of July, we will spend about two weeks in Sicily. So I'm looking forward to that.

Alex Whitaker  25:32

Yeah, all right, Emily. Well, you might have the record for the number of Lightning Rounds up. Amy's got our official stats. 

Amy Glasscock  25:39

I'm always thinking, what else can I ask Emily about?

Alex Whitaker  25:42

But as always, thanks again for taking time to do this. We are really looking forward to the event, as well as having our whole team together again. So thanks so much, Emily.

Emily Lane  25:51

Yeah, thank you all for having me.

Amy Glasscock  25:53

Thanks. Thanks again for listening to NASCIO voices. NASCIO voices is a production of the National Association of State chief information officers or NASCIO. Learn more at nascio.org

Alex Whitaker  26:06

And we have a new report out with McKinsey on how generative AI will affect the state government IT workforce. Check it out on our website.

Amy Glasscock  26:13

And don't forget to rate review and subscribe to the podcast. See you at National Harbor.