It is an incredible honor to serve as your President for the upcoming year. I want to begin by expressing my sincere gratitude to our past President, Shane McDaniel, and the TAGITM Board for their outstanding leadership and dedication. TAGITM continues to thrive because of the collective passion, professionalism, and innovation each of you brings to our community.

We are living in a time of rapid technological evolution; one where public sector IT leaders must not only keep pace with change but often lead it. Whether it’s navigating cybersecurity challenges, deploying smart infrastructure, or building resilient digital services for our communities, the work you do matters deeply.

James O’Brien
Director of Information Security
Port Houston

Years ago, I set out simply wanting to make a difference in the organizations and communities I serve. This week was one of those highlights of my career with being elected President of TAGITM and receiving the HoustonCISO ORBIE Award for CISO of the Year in the corporate division. Both are such huge and incredible milestones along this journey.

Thank you to the members of TAGITM for entrusting me with leading this amazing organization. TAGITM has given so much to me over the years, and it’s a true privilege to give back and serve a community I deeply believe in.

A special thank you to Meg Toups for nominating me for the CISO of the Year award. Your belief in me means more than I can put into words.

TAGITM recognized the following individuals and projects at the 2025 Annual Conference in April.

TAGITM has created a 501c3 Education Foundation that will provide for the Beth Ann Unger Women in Technology Scholarship Program. The TAGITM Board of Directors could not be more excited to honor Beth Ann and to help young people reach their goals in this way. In remembrance of Beth Ann, TAGITM awarded four women with the technology scholarships this year.

President
James O’Brien, Port Houston

Vice President
Fay Young, City of Port Arthur

Past President
Shane McDaniel, City of Seguin

Secretary/Treasurer
Kevin Cameron, City of Allen

TML Affiliate Representative
Chris Lee, City of Lewisville

Education Committee Chair
Angela Wright, City of Beaumont

Conference Committee Chair
Lana Spiess, Comal County

Membership Committee Chair
Shannon Mejia, City of Denton

Marketing Committee Chair
Jose Mendez, Town of Flower Mound

Cyber Security Committee Chair
Leigh Johnson, Town of Prosper

Communications Committee Chair
Kari (Kat) Thompson, City of McKinney

GIS Committee Chair
Alicin McCloud, Denton County

Congratulations to the 2025 – 2026 TAGITM Board of Directors!

American City & County
As they continue to implement new artificial intelligence technologies, organizations and chief data officers need to identify and standardize data integrity throughout the extraction process to ensure that AI can properly analyze it.

StateTech
State and local governments are in a prime position to hire former federal employees who were laid off as part of the job and spending cuts at the federal level.

FedTech
The government sector continues to lead in cybersecurity tool adoption even as more areas become vulnerable to attacks by cybercriminals.

CIO
IT leaders are looking to AI and modernized infrastructure to mitigate risks, combating emerging issues and transform IT to accelerate change.

Government Technology
The Internet Crime Complaint Center reports that there has been a significant increase in cybercriminals impersonating government agencies in attempts to scam citizens.

StateScoop
SAS Institute published a study showing that government agencies are increasingly vulnerable to fraud, but they can use advanced technologies like artificial intelligence to combat those rising threats.

American City & County
Municipalities are struggling in forecasting maintenance needs, managing vehicle life cycles and optimizing asset usage due to the lack of access to modern platforms.

State Tech
State and local agencies should assess their enterprises holistically to improve citizen services.

Congratulations Travis on Making the ELGL top 25 influencers list!

The recognition honors people who make a difference in their communities and the larger local gov network, and who demonstrate ELGL values of joy, creativity, connection, dependability, and equity through their work and public activities.