Overview

January 22

The Center for Digital Government’s Digital Counties Survey provides the opportunity for county information technology organizations to highlight the great work being done, benchmark with their peers and identify trends for the future. This year’s survey will reflect the technology landscape, both currently and in preparation for the future.

On this webcast, Executive Director John Matelski and Surveys and Awards Director Janet Grenslitt will walk you through this year’s survey – the overall structure, what’s new and approaches you can use to fill it out. We are happy to announce that we have planned regularly scheduled touch points where you can check in with us with any survey questions throughout the entire process. The webinar will also cover:

• The objectives and intent of the survey
• The newly revised, streamlined/reduced 2025 survey!
• How to navigate the survey tool
• Next steps and timing for survey submissions
• Any questions

Speakers

John Matelski

Executive Director, Center for Digital Government

Prior to joining the Center, Matelski served for 25 years as an Information Technology & Security executive for municipal (City of Orlando, FL) and county government (Gwinnett County, GA), most recently retiring from DeKalb County, GA after 12 years of service. John’s duties included executive management of all information technology and security resources and systems that support operations and drive innovation throughout the County enterprise. As DeKalb County CIO, he oversaw more than 100 employees serving ~800 million residents. John has won numerous awards including Government Technology’s Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers, State of Georgia CIO ORBIE Award Finalist, and the Computerworld/Smithsonian Laureate Award for Information Technology. During his tenure with DeKalb County, Matelski was also very active in technology leadership roles with the National Association of Counties (NACo), having served as Chair of the IT Standing Committee, Vice Chair of the Telecommunication & Technology Committee, and Vice Chair of the County Technology Advisory Council.

Janet Grenslitt

Surveys and Awards Director, Center for Digital Government

Janet Grenslitt is the Center for Digital Government’s director of Surveys and Awards. She manages the Center’s flagship surveys and awards programs for state and local government. Working with subject matter experts, she created the Digital Cities and Digital Counties surveys more than 15 years ago. Prior to joining e.Republic, Janet managed programs for state and local government in Florida, North Carolina and California. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Duke University, with a certificate in Social Administration from Hull University in England, and her Master’s degree from University of California at Berkeley.

Teri Takai

Senior Vice President, Center for Digital Government

Teri Takai is the Senior Vice President of the Center for Digital Government, a national research and advisory institute on information technology policies and best practices in state and local government. She worked for Ford Motor Company for 30 years in global application development and information technology strategic planning. From Ford, she moved to EDS in support of General Motors. A long-time interest in public service led her to the government sector, first as CIO of the State of Michigan, then as CIO of the State of California, and subsequently the CIO of the U.S. Department of Defense, the first woman appointed to this role. She then served as the CIO for Meridian Health Plan. She is a member of several industry advisory boards. Teri has won numerous awards including Governing Magazine’s Public Official of the Year, CIO Magazine’s CIO Hall of Fame, Government Technology Magazine’s Top 25 Doers, Dreamers & Drivers, the Women in Defense Excellence in Leadership Award, and the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service.

Menaka Indrani

Technical Services Director, Alameda County, CA

Menaka Indrani is an Engineering Executive Leader with experience in management, system development, and modernization, specializing in strategic planning, program evaluation, cost analysis, vendor management, and governance. For the past 15 years, she has led several large IT projects at Alameda County, spearheading system development and procurement, and supporting county agencies. Known for her leadership in building high-performing teams, she collaborates with management to align strategic initiatives with day-to-day operations, ensuring smooth execution and progress toward the county's goals. Menaka’s award-winning in-house systems have earned recognition from prestigious organizations, showcasing her expertise in IT strategy, enterprise systems, innovation, and AI-driven solutions, with a focus on leveraging low-code technologies to drive efficiency and automation.

Stephen Pereira

Chief Information Officer, Calvert County, MD

Stephen Pereira is the Chief Information Officer of Calvert County, Maryland, with over two decades of experience in business strategy and technology implementation. Originally from the world of e-commerce, Stephen started a business straight out of business school in Taiwan and successfully expanded it across 14 European countries and into the supermarket shelves of Europe. Recognized with the State Scoop’s Local Government Executive of the Year award, Stephen’s work has also led Calvert County to win the NACo Digital County of the Year award back-to-back in 2023 and 2024. Stephen is a big fan of these webinars and is chuffed to be a part of the conversation!

Webinar

Introducing the 2025 Digital Counties Survey!