The NYX Summit

Tonya Webster

Tonya Webster was appointed by Governor Kathy Hochul in September 2023 as New York State’s first Chief Customer Experience Officer—the first governor-appointed role of its kind in the nation. With over 20 years of executive leadership in government and the private sector, she leads efforts to make state services more accessible, efficient, and responsive.

Since her appointment, Chief Webster has advanced initiatives to improve WIC services, expand childcare assistance, accelerate access to tax credits, launch a free tax filing tool, and modernize communication across agencies. She has also grown the state’s user research, design, and digital teams to ensure online services are userfriendly, accessible, and equitable.

Previously, she served as Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and led customer experience at Comcast. She holds degrees from the University of Texas and Our Lady of the Lake University.

Sharon Bautista

Sharon Bautista is the Director of Qualitative Research at Code for America. Her most meaningful research experiences prior to joining Code for America include program evaluation for early childhood education as an AmeriCorps VISTA and product research to support online privacy at Mozilla.

Sharon has B.A. and M.S. degrees from Northwestern University and lives in Chicago, where she enjoys teaching yoga, discovering the work of emerging visual artists, and doing anything along Lake Michigan.

Amira Choueiki Boland

Amira Choueiki Boland is the Chief of Staff at the New Practice Lab. Prior to the Lab, Amira was the first-ever lead for Federal Customer Experience (CX) at the Office of Management and Budget in the Executive Office of the President. She received the 2024 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Award for Management Excellence, the premier award recognizing Federal civil servants, for her work pioneering policies of theUnited States to improve customer experience and public service delivery. She was the chief architect of President Biden's Executive Order on Customer Experience, and established the team responsible for driving Federal CX efforts, including designing a cross-agency "Life Experience" framework that has been built upon by other OECD countries.

Amira joined the Federal government in 2015 as a founding member of the White House Social and Behavioral Sciences Team. Following the Obama Administration, she worked to institutionalize the Office of Evaluation Sciences, a team that works across government to build capacity to embed evaluations, and randomized controlled trials when possible, into program delivery. Prior to government, Amira worked on financial and insurance product design. She teaches at the McCourt School of Public Policy, is a Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School, serves on the Stanford Impact Lab’s Investment Council, and is a proud mom of two.

Luke T. Charde

Luke Charde has spent nearly two decades working to make government technology more humane, intuitive, and accessible. As Director of Digital Experience at the New York State Office of Information Technology Services, he leads efforts to ensure that tools and systems meet the real needs of New Yorkers.

A passionate advocate for user-centered design, he often reminds colleagues: “If someone cannot understand how to use it, it doesn’t work.

Maggie Fuller

As Director of Digital Measurement & Operations on the New York State Digital Service team, Maggie Fuller leads initiatives that harness data and turn them into actionable insights to improve digital services.

With 15 years of digital experience across both the private and public sectors, Maggie has been a proud New York State employee since 2016. She began her career in the private sector, where she built expertise in performance measurement and digital strategy. Transitioning to public service, she brought these skills to state government, applying them to uncover hidden stories in data that drive real-world impact. Maggie is passionate about using data to make government more transparent, responsive, and equitable—work she sees as essential to serving the people of New York.

George Gegelia

George Gegelia is the Deputy Chief Procurement Officer at New York State’s Office of General Services (OGS) Procurement Services, where he helps lead one of the largest public procurement organizations in the country. In this role, he oversees the development and administration of the State’s centralized contracts, guiding strategy, compliance, and efficiency across more than 1,500 agreements valued at approximately $34 billion that serve state agencies, municipalities, educational institutions, and nonprofit organizations. George works closely with the Chief Procurement Officer to shape procurement policies, advance strategic sourcing initiatives, and ensure fair, transparent, and cost-effective contracting that delivers value to New Yorkers.

Before joining OGS, George built a distinguished career with the United Nations World Food Programme, directing multi-billion-dollar global procurement operations across more than 80 countries. He spearheaded procurement transformation initiatives, integrated advanced digital systems, and led emergency response operations in some of the world’s most challenging humanitarian contexts. Recognized for his ability to bridge strategy, innovation, and execution, George brings to OGS a unique blend of international expertise and public service commitment, driving forward procurement practices that are both resilient and impactful.

Doris González

Doris González joined HESC as the Executive Vice President in August 2023. Serving as the Executive Vice President, Doris provides administrative oversight and management of HESC operations and activities and is responsible for the development, administration, and execution of all New York State financial aid programs.

Prior to joining HESC, Doris served as the Director of Delivery Management with Kyndryl Holdings, Inc., a multinational information technology infrastructure services provider. Prior to her work with Kyndryl, Doris served for 25 years in numerous leadership roles with IBM Corporation. Coupled with her notable private sector experience, Doris has also served in leadership roles with the New York City Board of Education, NYC School Construction Authority, and NYS Metropolitan Transportation Authority. She says that being at HESC brings her full circle to the public sector, where she first started her career.

Doris was born in the Dominican Republic and attended public schools in New York City. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Baruch College, City University of New York.

Timothy R. Hogues

Timothy R. Hogues serves as Commissioner of the New York State Department of Civil Service and President of the Civil Service Commission. Appointed by Governor Kathy Hochul in April 2022 and unanimously confirmed by the Senate, he is leading a statewide modernization effort to strengthen and retain New York’s public workforce. In addition to his role at the Department of Civil Service, Governor Hochul appointed Commissioner Hogues to serve on the New York State Community Commission on Reparations Remedies.

Under his leadership, the Department has launched the NY HELPS program, expanded the Governor’s Program to Hire Individuals with Disabilities, waived civil service exam fees through 2025, and introduced computer-based testing, career hubs, and outreach campaigns to connect more New Yorkers to public service careers.

Previously, Commissioner Hogues served as Erie County Personnel Commissioner, Commissioner of Senior Services, and in the Erie County Legislature, with prior management roles in the private sector. He also serves on community boards and is a licensed minister. He holds a B.A. in Business Administration and Management from the University at Buffalo.

Jessica Houle

Jessica Houle is the Digital Service Director for New York State. The New York State Digital Service is a team of strategists, product manager and technologists working with agencies to streamline and improve the digital experience across New York State.

Jessica as more than 15 years of experience leading digital strategy in state government. Before focusing on statewide digital work, in 2009 Jessica joined the Department of Labor helping reimagine their online experience and using social media to engage and communicate important programs. She began her career at the CBS affiliate in Albany first as a producer of morning and evening newscasts and and stood up the station’s first digital program.

She has a passion for bringing people together to help humanize government and make meaningful change.

Christian Jackstadt

Christian Jackstadt was appointed Executive Deputy Commissioner in March of 2022 and feels privileged to help lead an agency that serves all New Yorkers. Mr. Jackstadt works closely with the DMV Commissioner and is responsible for facilitating the agency’s mission to deliver essential motor vehicle and driver related services while administering motor vehicle laws enacted to promote safety and protect consumers. Executive Deputy Commissioner Jackstadt also works with the DMV’s leadership team to achieve the agency’s vision to shatter perceptions of DMV by providing simplified, effective and responsive government services.

Before coming to DMV, Executive Deputy Commissioner Jackstadt served as the Deputy Director of State Operations for the Executive Chamber. In this role, he oversaw and managed the daily operations of all state agencies, authorities and public benefit corporations. He strategized ways to streamline, improve and transform New York State operations to better serve the public— a task he continues at the DMV. As Deputy Director of State Operations, he was also integral in the COVID-19 response effort. He served as the lead for all state-run vaccination and testing operations and activities during the pandemic, and he assisted with key recovery efforts such as the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, Child Care Stabilization Grant Program, and the Excluded Workers Fund.

He previously served in multiple roles for the NYS Office of General Services managing projects, overseeing state real estate, risk assessment, and cybersecurity. Prior to his work in government, Executive Deputy Commissioner Jackstadt worked for seven years in the insurance industry. He uses his experience from his previous roles in the public and private sectors to be a steward for New Yorkers.

Executive Deputy Commissioner Jackstadt has a bachelor’s degree in economics from Syracuse University.

Abbey Kos

Abbey Kos was appointed Deputy Chief Customer Experience Officer by Governor Kathy Hochul in March 2025. A trained user researcher and content strategist, she has more than 15 years of experience leading digital transformations for federal, state, and local governments across the United States and the United Kingdom.

Abbey joins the Executive Chamber from Amazon Web Services, where she managed Amazon’s digital experience portfolio for state and local governments nationwide. Prior to that she served as Director of Strategy at 18F, the White House’s “gold standard” of government transformation. While at 18F, she founded the agency’s service design team and led content for the first government-wide response to COVID-19.

Before her work in and for the state of New York, Abbey spent five years in London leading content for FutureGov and Doteveryone, as well as 10 years leading public affairs campaigns in Washington, DC. Abbey holds degrees from Hiram College in Ohio and the London School of Economics and Political Science. She lives in Brooklyn.

V Lee

V Lee is a communications designer focused on developing visual languages and information visualizations that translate complexity into simple, high-impact narratives. V pulls from an array of backgrounds across museum programming, queer community organizing, BIPOC outdoor recreation, EdTech, marketing, and audience research. Using the variety of these experiences, V strives to create content that connects people across differences and sparks unexpected curiosities. V holds a BA in Economics and Philosophy (University of Vermont), an MS in Museum Studies (University of Oregon), an MFA in Transdisciplinary Design (Parsons School of Design).

Angela Liotta

Angela Liotta is the Public Information Officer and Communications Director at the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC), where she leads strategic communication and outreach initiatives for state-administered financial aid programs, supporting over 300,000 college students annually. She also oversees call center operations that assist more than 100,000 students each year.

During her tenure at HESC, Angela has spearheaded the launch of impactful financial aid programs such as the NYS Vaccinate, Educate, Graduate Vaccine Incentive Scholarship, the Nurses for Our Future Scholarship, and the Healthcare Workers for Our Future program.

Previously, Angela held leadership roles in the Office of Information Technology Services, including Public Information Officer and Communications Director, where she led communications initiatives like launching a new website and developing the agency’s first social media strategy. Angela also served as Deputy Director of the New York State Broadband Office, advancing broadband access throughout New York State. Her career includes public relations consulting and communication and marketing roles in the private sector, showcasing her extensive expertise in strategic communications and program management.

Chelsea Mauldin

Chelsea Mauldin is the Executive Director at the Public Policy Lab. She is a social scientist and designer with a focus on government innovation. She is the Executive Director of the Public Policy Lab, a nonprofit organization that designs better public policy with low-income and marginalized Americans.

The Public Policy Lab partners with government agencies and NGOs to develop more satisfying and effective policies and service delivery through ethnographic research, human-centered design, rapid prototyping, and formative evaluation. Find out more on PPL's website.

Chelsea is an adjunct professor at Columbia University's School of International & Public Affairs and a frequent keynote speaker and panelist. Previously, she consulted to municipal and federal agencies, directed a community-development organization, led government partnerships at a public-space advocacy nonprofit, and served as an editor for publishing, arts, and digital media organizations. She is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and the London School of Economics.

Scott B. Melvin

Scott B. Melvin serves as Executive Deputy Commissioner of the New York State Department of Labor, bringing nearly 30 years of leadership in government and the private sector. He oversees core departmental operations and drives strategic initiatives to strengthen service delivery for millions of New Yorkers.

A champion for modernization, Scott leads the overhaul of the state’s 50-year-old unemployment insurance system, spearheading technology innovations that improve efficiency and accessibility. Previously, as Chief of Staff, he helped shape the Department’s policy agenda and launched the early phase of its technology transformation.

Scott is also dedicated to workforce reintegration, advancing programs to support formerly incarcerated individuals and building strong partnerships with community organizations. Known for fostering collaboration across teams, he has cultivated a culture of innovation and accountability.

Scott lives in the downstate area with his husband.

Johanne E. Morne, MS

Johanne E. Morne, MS (she/her/hers), serves as Executive Deputy Commissioner of the New York State Department of Health. Appointed to the Department’s Cabinet in 2022, she leads statewide health equity and human rights planning, policy, and programming.

Previously, she directed the Department’s Office of Health Equity and Human Rights and spent 15 years at the Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) Institute, including six as Director. Her leadership advanced New York’s Ending the AIDS Epidemic and Hepatitis C Elimination initiatives, expanded harm reduction programs, and improved access to prevention, treatment, and care for Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), viral hepatitis, and LGBTQ+ communities.

Nationally, Ms. Morne served as Chair of the Board of the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors and as a member of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)/ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Advisory Committee on HIV, Viral Hepatitis, and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Earlier in her career, she held leadership roles in public health, domestic violence, substance use, and organizational development.

John Payne

As Head of Design at Public Policy Lab, John Payne leads the organization's efforts to improve government services through strategic design. John spent much of his career in the private sector, initially co-founding Moment, one of the first human-centered digital product design firms on the east coast. After 15+ years as an independent consultancy, in April 2018, Moment was acquired by Verizon, and John served as Verizon’s first Head of Service Design.

In addition, John has taught graduate-level design research and methodology courses at the Institute of Design and NYU and lectured at Harvard, SCAD, Pratt, and Princeton. In 2023, he was appointed Assistant Professor of Strategic Design and Management at Parsons School of Design.

Dru Rai

Governor Kathy Hochul appointed Dru Rai as New York State Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Director of the Office of Information Technology Services (ITS) in October 2023.

In this position, Dru is responsible for leading New York’s ongoing digital transformation, enhancing the state’s cyber posture to defend New York against evolving cyberthreats, and working with Executive Branch agencies to create digital interactions between state government and residents that are simple, seamless and straightforward.

A highly skilled leader with more than 30 years of experience in Digital Product Management, Information Technology and eCommerce, Dru most recently served as Chief Digital and Information Officer of Quaker Houghton Company. He previously served as Global CIO for the Ball Corporation, DuPont Coatings and GE Advanced Material (a Division of GE) and began his career at Ernst & Young.

Dru also led and volunteered as CIO for Goodwill Industries International and the American Cancer Society, helping each organization set and execute their digital strategies, and make significant technology operational improvements. Dru earned an MBA from the University of Connecticut and a Bachelor of Technology from GB Pant University in India.

Jason Reid

Jason Reid is the Head of State and Local Government at Qualtrics. Known as an expert in customer experience solutions and design, Jason has helped multiple States build customer and employee listening programs.

With 15 years of experience in the public sector and 10 years in experience design, he has helped build many award-winning programs. Qualtrics is the leader in Experience Management, and more simply put it is a software data management solution that empowers organizations to collect data, analyze, and ultimately act on customer experiences.

Jesse Roberts

Jesse Roberts is an AWS Principal Solutions Architect with 28 years’ experience as an engineer, analyst, architect, and executive. At Amazon Web Services, Jesse serves as the Lead Solutions Architect for their State, Local Government and Education business in the eastern United States where he is enthusiastic about leveraging cloud technology to help address some of the biggest challenges of government and education.

Prior to AWS, he worked for 21 years at Boeing and General Electric in various system and data architecture leadership roles after which he joined Maximus becoming their Vice President of IT Architecture. Jesse has a passion for leveraging technology and design thinking to help solve complex problems. Outside of IT, Jesse is a co-founder of the Rensselaer Repair Café and serves on the Board of Trustees for both Woodland Hill Montessori School and the Arts Center of the Capital Region. He mentors formerly incarcerated students in coding and technology as well as lectures on various topics through the Justice Through Code project at Columbia University.

Jaime Stock

Jaime Stock is a design strategist and researcher. She has a background in financial technology and spent six years designing systems and building teams to support customer experience and revenue generation goals in a startup environment. More recently, she served as an Economic Development Fellow with Bloomberg Associates supporting mayors and their teams in North America, Europe, and Australia.

Jaime holds a BComm in finance from McGill University and a MSc in strategic design and management from the Parsons School of Design.

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