Major sessions focus on veterans, tech

Technology Innovation Summit

On the day Office of Personnel Management Director Katherine Archuleta resigned following two data breaches in which 22.1 mil­lion federal employees’ personal information was compromised, the Technology Innovation Sum­mit kicked off with a primer on cybersecurity.

Todd Sander, vice president of research and executive director of the Center for Digital Govern­ment at e.Republic, put the trend in context, pointing out that 2014 saw a 27 percent increase in data breaches over 2013, with govern­ment representing the third largest sector hit by cyber attacks.

“Business was number one and health care was number two,” he said. “A lot of counties conduct business and provide health care, so they’re part of those statistics, too.”

He compared cybersecurity measures to traditional assets coun­ties maintain, including transporta­tion infrastructure,

Peter McDonald, public health sector leader at Experian Informa­tion Systems, said medical records were more valuable than financial records.

Steve Hurst, director of security services and technology at AT&T, said most organizations allocated their cybersecurity budgets like this:

• 80 percent for prevention
• 15 percent for detection
• 5 percent for response

“That really should be closer to one-third for each,” he said. “Detection really should get more attention.”

Several panelists hammered home that people should use a variety of passwords — rather than the average five per person — and they should not be stored online.

Dan Pelino, general manager, IBM Public Sector, was the keynote speaker during the summit’s lun­cheon. He noted that an “historic transformation” is playing out on the world stage, and counties must be ready to take advantage of it.

He said we’re now in the fourth generation of the Industrial Revolu­tion, one in which data is becoming a natural resource.

“We’re in a new era of cognitive computing,” he said, where artifi­cial intelligence will increasingly be applied to solving problems. An example of cognitive computing is IBM’s Watson, which competed against humans on the game show Jeopardy.

The education sector will be the next to be “disrupted,” often through public-private partnerships (P3). As an example, he noted that Western Kentucky University has added a brewing and distilling program to its curriculum — in a P3 with Lexington-based Alltech Inc. The company is leasing space at the university’s Center for Research and De­velopment to start a craft beer brewing operation. Alltech will develop a lab where students can gain hands-on experience and conduct research in the industry.

Since the 1950s, he said, the world has changed from largely rural to increasingly urban, and by 2050, two-thirds to three-fourths of the world’s population will live in cities. This will challenge traditional boundaries, “We’re seeing more consolidations; we’re seeing centers of excellence emerge,” Pelino said.

Opening General Session

Secretary of Defense Ash Carter emphasized the role that counties can play in supporting the armed forces in his keynote address.

To that end, he praised NACo’s involvement in Vets’ Community Connections, a community-based initiative to engage more civilians in veteran reintegration efforts. He said it’s increasingly important for com­munities to con­nect with returning veterans, military families and survi­vors, because fewer people today have a direct connection to the military.

“For my generation and my parents’ generation three out of four had a family member who served,” he said. “But for our kids generation, it’s only one in three,” a trend that’s likely to continue. He added that such connections “significantly influence” whether a person decides to serve.

“You and your communities are a source of our military’s enduring strength,” he said, because it’s lo­cal communities that educate and prepare them. And counties benefit from what service members and their families give back to their communities.

According to one recent study, he said, veterans are 20 percent more likely to give to charity; vol­unteer 30 percent more hours a year, and are three times more likely to join a service or civic organization.

He noted that increasingly the military depends on new technolo­gies, and the “force of the future” needs to have a solid grounding in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) disciplines. Local communities, he added, play a key role in educating and preparing those who will serve in this environment.

“We’re pushing to be attractive to this generation, to be more geographically diverse,” he added, “making on-ramps and off-ramps to give our people more choices...”

Military service members, veterans and their families are an important part of virtually every community in America, he said. They include National Guard members and reservists, with whom county leaders and employees may work side-by-side, when they’re not called to active duty. These are the same men and women who respond to local disasters — storms, earthquakes, tornadoes — by placing sandbags, providing security, and search and rescue operations.

“Frequently, their local issues are your local issues,” Carter said. “They visit the same parks and museums as you do. Their kids go to school with your kids. They’re our neighbors, our community leaders, and most of all, our friends.”

In conclusion, he encour­aged county leaders to seek out residents who have served their country. “Harness the invaluable experience, global perspective and extraordinary talent they bring to the table, talent you invested in and helped develop. Because when you grab hold of our people, you’ll never forget it and you’ll never regret it.”

Brad Daugherty

Former NBA player Brad Daugherty regaled the Opening General Session audience with yarns from his time playing for Dean Smith at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and explaining how the lessons learned on the basketball court have influenced his business career.

Following 10 years playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers, he maintains business interests in commercial real estate, car dealer­ships, waste management and a NASCAR team.

“To have an impact, you have to be able to challenge and motivate people,” he said, noting that finding the right role for them was crucial. “It’s easy to put people into a box, but I don’t think that’s the appropri­ate way to lead.”

He urged county leaders to avoid thinking of their employees as commodities, and to recognize employees’ strengths and talents and put them in the best place to use them.

“Leadership is all about the impacts you have on people, how you do it and the measures you take to help people get the very best out of themselves,” he said. “You want people to realize that you believe in them more than they believe in themselves; that’s what coach did for me.”