In this episode of Catalyst, Tammy is joined by Beth Howen, Head of State, Local Government and Education at NTT DATA. Beth brings over 30 years of experience working in and for government, starting as one of the youngest female CIOs in state government and building from there. She and Tammy cover the realities of modernizing government technology, listening first when you’re solving problems and the promise and limits of AI in the public sector.

Highlights from the episode include:

• Respect the rules, know when to break them. Beth started as an application developer for the state of Indiana and quickly proved her grit. When an executive asked for data that would have taken three months to retrieve through proper channels, Beth devised a workaround and delivered it in five days. That attitude helped catapult her to her first CIO role at age 28.
• Unify citizen data behind the scenes, then apply AI. Most state governments are made up of 30 to 60 agencies that function like separate companies. Citizens have to re-authenticate at every door because there’s no shared data behind the scenes. Governments must modernize first to make scaled AI adoption possible 12 to 24 months from now.
• AI can reach people the government never could before. Beth described a digital companion device in development for rural residents. It can provide medication reminders, monitor movement, take vitals and offer conversation. For someone living alone in a rural area, it's care and companionship that simply wasn't available before.

Check out the full episode to hear more about Beth’s upbringing and how it impacts her leadership style. Plus, why selling sneakers is cool, but bringing critical services to citizens is even more satisfying.

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Please note that the views expressed in this episode may not necessarily be those of NTT DATA.