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Season 3: Episode 10, May 18 A conversation with Eric Skomra, State & Local Government Chief Technology & Innovation Strategist Central US and Canada, for Dell EMC.  Eric has a unique view of the state and local technology having served as the CIO for a city, a county, a hospital, as well as CIO for the largest county in Ohio at Franklin County Data Center. He also was the state CIO for the State of Ohio Medicaid Agency. Add to all his public sector experience he has spend some time in the private sector as well. 

A conversation with Kerry Goode, Chief Information Officer, and DeWayne Kendall, Chief Technology Officer, for the City of Durham, North Carolina Kerry and DeWayne share how they perfected a working model that initially was designed to address key IT staff shortages and has grown to much more. Originally a presentation at PTI’s recent Local Government CIO & Tech Leader Summit, this presentation was so interesting it was converted into a Sharkbytes.Net podcast. What they did for the City of Durham can serve as a dynamic model for all local governments to emulate. 

A conversation with Dr. David Bray, Distinguished Fellow at the non-partisan Stimson Center as well as non-resident Distinguished fellow, Business Executives for National Security, and former CIO of the Federal Communications Commission.  Dr. Bray served as the Chief Information Officer for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for 4+ years where he witnessed first-hand the problems of disinformation and the rise of botnets and “cyborgs” – hybrid human and AI posters of disinformation that was deployed to negatively impact public policymaking. His work today continues to address tackling disinformation online, especially given he has provided great insight to the federal government through numerous high-level engagements on how innovative approaches to AI and algorithms could improve organizational adaptability and agility. He is a proven collaborator, writer, speaker, and thought/action leader.

A Conversation with Joe Morrisroe, Deputy Commissioner and Executive Director, NYC311, Office of Technology and Innovation - City of New York. New York City Mayor Eric Adams recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of the launch of New York City's 311 service, the platform that provides New Yorkers seeking information and assistance from the city agencies direct answers and support to their needs. Since it launched in March 2003, 311 has received more than 525 million contacts — through phone calls, texts, social media posts, website submissions, chat support, and a mobile app. Joe Morrisroe has provided the leadership and vision and is responsible for the growth and evolution of the 311 Center for nearly 17 years. 

This might be one of the first – podcast interviews with AI. This episode takes a unique approach as host Alan Shark chats with both AI powered platforms, Alexa and ChatGPT. Topics explored are the differences between Alexa and ChatGPT, defining generative AI, some noted shortcomings, future directions with AI, tips for improved communications with AI machines, and a discussion on applications for state and local government. Hear firsthand as this might be a first podcast between man and machine.