Overview

March 17
11AM PT, 2PM ET

Register

From HHS to transportation to workforce programs, state and local government leaders are striving to expand access to essential services and improve outcomes in rural communities.

Whether it’s to address cybersecurity risks or improve network infrastructure, agencies must build the operational and technological foundation necessary for long-term success in rural environments.

Join us for an insightful and solution-oriented conversation on how state and local governments can improve service delivery, strengthen cybersecurity and scale operations more effectively in rural settings. We will explore how improved data access and automation can empower resource-constrained teams, support mission-critical systems and ensure sensitive programs remain resilient and secure.

You’ll learn:

  • What it truly takes to scale digital services in rural government environments
  • How cybersecurity tools and automation are helping reduce risk without overwhelming limited staff resources
  • How collaboration between state-level support, local agencies and community organizations can drive more equitable outcomes

Speakers

Tina Carkhuff, Ph.D. headshot

Tina Carkhuff, Ph.D.

Industry Advisor, Splunk

Tina Carkhuff is an Industry Advisor with Splunk and brings over 25 years of experience in Information Technology, working in healthcare, higher education, and government. Before joining Splunk, she worked as a Vice President leading Gartner’s Executive Programs for Education and Healthcare. Tina is a doctoral candidate studying for her Ph.D. in Organization and Management at Liberty University in Virginia. Her studies focus on using data analytics to inform decisions within an organization. Tina’s dissertation topic is “The Role of Data Analytics in Detecting Unemployment Insurance Fraud: A Case Study of State Governments in the United States.”

Tina is passionate about helping IT executives transform their organizations through the effective use of data. She has led and consulted on digital transformations for many organizations. She has served as the CIO for the City of Houston, served in the US Army, and is a retired law enforcement officer. Tina lives in Houston with her husband of 25 years and two boys, ages 19 and 21, and has three dogs. Her older son is an entrepreneur and her younger son is a non-verbal autistic boy. Tina and her family donate time to their school district to help special education teachers learn how to use augmentative and alternative communications technology with families to help find after-school care for families with special needs kids

Elizbeth Thompson headshot

Elizbeth Thompson

Industry Advisor, Splunk

Elizabeth Thompson is the Industry Advisor for Higher Education. She joined Splunk in June 2021. An accomplished higher education technology executive with over 40 years' experience helping colleges and universities identify, develop, and deploy applications and business practices that strengthen the institution and improve outcomes for students, administrators, faculty, and researchers.

Before joining Splunk, Elizabeth held leadership positions with several research universities and consulting firms providing services for Workday, Oracle, Salesforce, and Amazon Web Services. Elizabeth co-founded a women-owned technology firm where she developed a relationship-centered approach to leadership and C-suite partnerships.

John Quinn headshot

John Quinn

Field Chief Technology Officer, Splunk

John Quinn is Field CTO at Splunk. Prior to this role, John held leadership roles as a Field CIO with Presidio, VP of National Technology Strategy with Government Sourcing, and spent 21 years in VT Government, 5.5 years of the State of Vermont CIO and Secretary of the Agency of Digital Services. John has over 25 years of experience in the State and Local space holding multiple elected and appointed positions. He resides in Vermont with his wife (Shelby) and kids (Kennedy 12, Calvin 10).

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