California State Chief Information Officer and the Department of Technology Director Chris Given will sit down for a fireside chat at the fourth annual Emerging Technologies Forum on October 15 in Sacramento.  CCGI co-founder and former Secretary of Health and Human Services Michael Wilkening will moderate the discussion. 

The session will cover recent initiatives at CDT, including the department’s work on legacy technology, digital identity, shared services, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity. This summer, CDT established the Statewide IT Shared Services (SITeS) contracting vehicle to reduce costs and create an enterprise marketplace for business tools. In July, the department launched the Poppy AI assistant and announced Cal-Secure 2.0, the state’s updated cybersecurity strategy.

This spring, Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Given to lead CDT. Before that, he served as deputy secretary for technology and innovation at the California Government Operations Agency beginning in 2025. He previously led the IRS Direct File product from 2024 to 2025 and has served in the federal government across 10 federal agencies including Social Security Administration(SSA), IRS and Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services(CMS) and other assignments throughout his distinguished career.

Hosted by the California Center for Government Innovation (CCGI) and TechCA, the Emerging Technologies Forum will feature keynote addresses, fireside chats, panel discussions and lightning talks from government and industry participants.

The forum will be held at Aggie Square on the UC Davis Sacramento campus and begins at 9 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 15.