ACT-IAC Customer Experience COI April 2026

Welcome Remarks

• Mike Treff, CEO, Code and Theory
• Lee Becker, SVP Public Sector & Healthcare, Medallia; CX COI Industry Chair
• Dominic Sale, Managing Director, Government Experience, Code and Theory; CX COI Program Chair

Panel 1: Case Study: Making Government Work Better in New York State

• Craig Elimeliah, Chief Creative Officer, Code and Theory (Moderator)
• Abbey Kos, Deputy Chief Customer Experience Officer, New York State Executive Chamber
• Jessica Houle, Director, New York State Digital Service
• Kristin DeChiro, Experience Designer, New York State Office of IT Services

In 2023, New York established the nation’s first governor-appointed Office of Customer Experience and introduced a statewide strategy to fundamentally change how services are delivered. What started as individual efforts across agencies has grown into a coordinated model, known as the New York Experience, or NYX,  that is reaching millions of New Yorkers. This panel goes inside that journey: how the team moved from fragmented improvements to a unified approach grounded in human-centered design, consistent measurement, and a culture of service that spans agencies.

Panel 2:  Identity, Digital Credentials & the DMV

• Frank Nestore, VP, Mathtech, Inc. (Moderator)
• Kristen Twyman, Account Executive Director, Public Sector, Socure (Moderator)
• Lauren Phillips, Director of Driver Services, SC Dept. of Motor Vehicles
• Devyn Paros, Chief Digital Officer, Commonwealth of Massachusetts
• Ajay Gupta, Chief Digital Transformation Officer, State of California
• Tim Roufa, Portfolio Director, Identity Credentialing, AAMVA

State DMVs are among the most-visited government agencies in the country, and among the first to confront the realities of digital identity at scale. Leaders from Indiana, South Carolina, Massachusetts, and California discuss how states are approaching digital credentials, mobile driver’s licenses, and identity verification. Pre-recorded to include leaders from across the country, with live Q&A for the audience.

Panel 3: Reimagining Resident Experience: Modernizing State Services with Trust, Data, and Responsible Innovation

• Chris Bobbitt, President, Technical Assent (Introduction)
• Sylvie Williams, Director, Solutions Delivery, CGI Federal (Moderator)
• Kristin Mateo, Acting Director, UI Modernization Office, NJ Dept. of Labor
• Mark Vander Linden, Director of Research & Responsible Gaming, MA Gaming Commission
• Ruthie Nachmany, Product Lead, Platform & AI, NJ Office of Innovation

From unemployment insurance to gaming regulation to AI-powered government tools, this panel examines how states are modernizing critical services while maintaining public trust. The speakers bring perspectives from agencies where the stakes are high, where technology decisions directly affect people’s livelihoods and well-being.

Fireside Chat: States Innovating & Building Trust, Fireside Chat

• Dominic Sale, Managing Director, Government Experience, Code and Theory (CX COI Program Chair) (Moderator)
• Marcy Jacobs, Chief Digital Experience Officer & Deputy Secretary for IT, State of Maryland

Maryland’s first Chief Digital Experience Officer closes the program with a conversation about building and sustaining digital trust in state government. Jacobs leads the Maryland Digital Service and is overseeing a complete redesign of the state’s web presence.

Networking Reception (hosted by Code and Theory)

Fireside Chat Speaker

Marcy Jacobs, Chief Digital Experience Officer & Deputy Secretary for IT, State of Maryland
Marcy Jacobs is Maryland's first Chief Digital Experience Officer and Deputy Secretary for IT, leading the Maryland Digital Service. She previously led McKinsey's public sector CX practice and served four years with the U.S. Digital Service at the White House, including as Design Director and lead of the Digital Service at Veterans Affairs, where her team won a 2018 Service to America Medal.

Panel 1 Speakers: Making Government Work Better in New York State

Abbey Kos, Deputy Chief Customer Experience Officer, New York State Executive Chamber 
Abbey Kos is the Deputy Chief Customer Experience Officer for the State of New York. As part of the nation's first governor-appointed CX team, she shapes how residents interact with New York State government via user-centered policy design, technology innovation, and operational improvement. Prior to joining the Executive Chamber she founded Amazon Web Services' state and local government digital services portfolio and served as the Director of Strategy for 18F.

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Jessica Houle, Digital Service Director, New York State 
Jessica Houle is the Digital Service Director for New York State, leading a team of strategists, product managers, and technologists working with agencies to modernize and streamline digital services statewide. With over 15 years in New York State government, she has led strategic initiatives to understand customer needs and provide the vision and support to create a faster and simpler government.

Kristin DeChiro, Experience Designer, New York State Office of Information Technology Services
Kristin DeChiro leads the user research and design practice for New York State's Office of Information Technology Services. Her mission is to scale human-centered design practices across the organization, cultivating a collaborative culture focused on serving people, not just platforms and business processes.

Panel 2 Speakers: Identity, Digital Credentials & the DMV

Lauren Phillips, Director of Driver Services, South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles
Lauren Phillips is the Director of Driver Services at the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles, where she oversees driver licensing and identity credential operations. She brings a practitioner's perspective on how a Southern state is navigating digital identity, mobile ID programs, and DMV modernization.

Devyn Paros, Chief Digital Officer, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Executive Office of Technology Services and Security (EOTSS) 
Devyn Paros is the Chief Digital Officer for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, leading the award-winning Commonwealth Digital Roadmap and the Massachusetts Digital Service within the Executive Office of Technology Services and Security. Under her leadership, Massachusetts won both the NASCIO and Center for Digital Government GovX awards for digital government experience. She holds a Master of Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School.

Ajay Gupta, Chief Digital Transformation Officer - CA Dept of Motor Vehicles 
Ajay Gupta was appointed Chief Digital Transformation Officer in February 2020. Gupta leads business and technology transformation efforts to for the DMV to become a modern enterprise. Gupta has served as a special advisor to the DMV Director since 2019. 

Before joining state service, Gupta worked as a managing director at KPMG, where he led the delivery of legacy transformation, technology innovation, and managed services for State departments nationally. Gupta brings more than 27 years of public sector experience to the DMV. He served state departments in California, Texas and Hawaii while working for CGI Inc., Visionary Integration Professional Inc., Deloitte LLP, and Tata Consulting Services.

Gupta has a B.E. in Electrical Engineering from Delhi College of Engineering and an MBA in Marketing and Information Technology from UC Davis. Gupta is also certified as a PMP, CSPO, Cloud Practitioner, and Enterprise Architect.

Frank Nestore, Vice President, Mathtech, Inc. (Co-Moderator) 
Frank Nestore is Vice President at Mathtech, Inc., where he leads the state, local, and education (SLED) practice. He has deep relationships with state DMV agencies across the country, particularly in the Midwest and Southeast, and brings practitioner-level knowledge of the customer experience challenges facing motor vehicle agencies in the digital identity era.

Kristen Twyman, Account Executive Director, Public Sector, Socure (Co-Moderator) 
Kristen Twyman is an Account Executive Director at Socure, partnering with public sector organizations to modernize identity verification and fraud prevention. She helps government agencies deliver secure, inclusive digital services by leveraging advanced analytics and machine learning to improve access, reduce fraud, and ensure every legitimate identity is trusted in real time. 

Panel 3 Speakers: Reimagining Resident Experience: Modernizing State Services with Trust, Data, and Responsible Innovation

Kristin Mateo, Acting Director, Unemployment Insurance Modernization Office, NJ Department of Labor & Workforce Development 
Kristin Mateo is an attorney specializing in employment and compliance law, policy, and strategic operations. She currently serves as Acting Director of the Unemployment Insurance Modernization Office at the New Jersey Department of Labor, where she leads system modernization efforts and innovative AI initiatives. Prior to government, she spent 10 years in corporate pharmaceutical compliance, most recently serving as Executive Director, Marketing Operations & Innovation.

Mark Vander Linden, Massachusetts Gaming Commission 
Since 2013, Mark Vander Linden has served as Director of Research and Responsible Gaming for the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC).  In this role, he manages an extensive research agenda to advance an understanding of responsible gaming, gambling disorders, and the social and economic impacts of sports wagering and casino gambling in Massachusetts. Additionally, he collaborates with gaming operators, advocates, and other stakeholders on a range of initiatives to build a sustainable, socially responsible casino and sports wagering industry in the state.  Prior to joining MGC, Mark served as the Executive Officer of the Office of Problem Gambling Treatment and Prevention at the Iowa Department of Public Health.  Mark serves on the Board of Directors of the International Center for Responsible Gaming.  He received his Masters in Social Welfare from the University of California, Berkeley. 

Ruthie Nachmany, Product Lead, Platform & AI, New Jersey Office of Innovation 
Ruthie Nachmany is a Product Lead at the New Jersey Office of Innovation, where she leads the state's AI Assistant platform and has driven measurable improvements in benefits delivery for over one million residents. She previously led the Resident Experience Initiative focused on unemployment insurance, pioneering some of the first uses of generative AI in state government.

Sylvie Williams, Director, Solutions Delivery, CGI Federal (Moderator)
Sylvie Williams is a Director of Solutions Delivery at CGI Federal with deep experience in state-level labor and human services programs. She has been instrumental in recruiting speakers from New Jersey and other states, and brings practitioner knowledge of unemployment insurance systems, workforce development, and the intersection of technology and social services.

Chris Bobbitt, President, Technical Assent (Introducing session)
Chris is a founding member of Technical Assent and is responsible for building sustainable service offerings around Technical Assent's core capabilities and ensuring employees are well-equipped to address the real-world challenges faced by Technical Assent's clients. 

To do this, Chris draws on 20 years of experience working on critical, public-sector transformations and global defense initiatives. Chris is the recipient of the Secretary of Defense's Global War on Terrorism Medal in recognition of his service in Iraq. In addition to the Department of Defense, his federal government experience spans Intelligence, Homeland Security, Veterans Affairs, and other agencies.

Chris holds a B.A. from Georgetown University in economics and in history where he was a member of the prestigious George F. Baker Scholars Program and has served as a trustee. Chris has professional certifications in human-centered design, project management (PMP), and Lean Six Sigma. He is a dad of two rowdy boys and lives with his wife and their dogs in Washington, D.C.

Venue

Stagwell Commons, 63rd Floor
One World Trade Center, 285 Fulton Street, New York, NY 10007

Attending In Person?

Please plan to arrive by 1:30 PM to allow time for building security screening. The program begins promptly at 2:00 PM. The venue space is not accessible before 1:00 PM.

Joining Virtually?

A ZoomGov link will be provided upon registration. The virtual program covers all keynote and panel sessions from 2:00–5:00 PM.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to be an ACT-IAC member to attend?

Yes, you need to be an ACT-IAC member to attend. This event is free for government. If you do not already have an ACT-IAC account, you will be prompted to create one during the registration process. Creating an account is free and takes less than two minutes. If you are a non-member, reach out to Nancy Delanoche.

Is there a cost to attend?

No. This event is complimentary. Registration is required for both in-person and virtual attendance.

Is in-person space still available?

In-person capacity is limited. We encourage you to register early to secure your spot. If in-person seats are full, virtual attendance remains available.

What is included for in-person attendees?

In-person attendees will enjoy the full program, coffee and refreshments upon arrival, and a networking reception from 5:00–6:00 PM featuring wine, beer, and hors d’oeuvres.

What will the virtual experience include?

Virtual attendees will have access to all keynote and panel sessions via ZoomGov, including the ability to submit questions during live Q&A segments. The networking reception is in-person only.

Where exactly is the event?

The event is held at Stagwell Commons on the 63rd floor of One World Trade Center (285 Fulton Street, New York, NY 10007). This is Code and Theory’s space within the Stagwell building.

What time should I arrive if attending in person?

Please arrive by 1:30 PM. One World Trade Center has building security that requires check-in, and we want to ensure everyone is settled before the 2:00 PM start.

Are all sessions live?

Most sessions are live and in-person. Panel 2 (“Identity, Digital Credentials & the DMV”) is pre-recorded with a live Q&A at the end. This format allows us to include state leaders from across the country who could not attend in person.

Will sessions be recorded and available after the event?

Yes. This event will be recorded and made available on our YouTube channel afterward.

Who can I contact with questions?

TBD