Midyear Philly's Back Again: A Conference Preview with Emily Lane

It's time for the 2026 NASCIO Midyear Conference! Our own director of experience and engagement, Emily Lane is back on the podcast with a rundown of programming, networking opportunities and what to expect for first timers. 

Transcript

Amy Glasscock 0:05

Hi, and welcome to NASCIO Voices, where we talk all things state IT. I'm Amy Glasscock in Lexington, Kentucky.

Alex Whitaker 0:11

And I'm Alex Whitaker in Washington, D.C. And yes, it is that time again. At NASCIO, we're packing our bags and collecting our slide decks to gear up for a Midyear Conference in Philadelphia next week. Our director of experience and engagement, Emily Lane, is back to give us the inside scoop.

Amy Glasscock 0:26

Whether you are a NASCIO veteran or it's your first event, there's always something new to learn. And this episode will help you make the most of your time with us next week. Emily, welcome back to NASCIO Voices and thanks for joining us again. Thank you all for having me. Sure. All right, so as usual, let's start with the basics. Tell us when and where the NASCIO midyear conference is this year.

Emily Lane 0:47

Yeah, so we are back in uh Philadelphia and we will be there Sunday, April 26th through Wednesday, April 29th. Great.

Amy Glasscock 0:56

So we're in mid- we were in Philadelphia last year and we're gonna be there again this year. Is that something we're gonna be doing every year from here on out?

Emily Lane 1:03

Uh that is not the plan. We uh will likely be rotating Midyear conferences uh just like we do with the annual conference. So next year we'll actually be in Salt Lake City and then it is TBD after that. Okay. All right. So changes to come.

Amy Glasscock 1:17

Great. So we have heard that there are some new formats and styles of sessions for this conference. What can attendees expect that's different? And maybe there's some things that are still going to be the same too.

Emily Lane 1:30

Uh based on member feedback, uh, we have designed a new breakout session this year called Table Talks. So the concept here is to have a few brief presentations at the start of the session to anchor a big overarching topic, and then have attendees split into small groups for more nuanced conversations of this big topic. So there'll be uh three concurrent table talks on Monday afternoon, and those big topics are AI, cybersecurity, and budget and innovation. So the feedback that we were receiving was that folks really wanted time to talk in small groups of their colleagues about a really granular issue. And so these sessions are an hour and 15 minutes. The first 30-ish minutes are for those quick presentations to get everybody thinking about an issue from a couple of different lenses. And then the rest of the time is for those small discussions. So there'll be um tables in the rooms uh with table tents, and it'll be a mix of predetermined topics, and then a handful of tables are reserved where attendees can come up uh with their own topic, just sort of crowdsource that live in the moment about what they uh want to talk about.

Amy Glasscock 2:49

Very cool.

Emily Lane 2:50

Yeah. So then on Tuesday, we'll have two other types of breakout sessions. So these formats are a bit more traditional in that the room setup um is like you've often seen before at NASCIO conferences where it's the theater style seating. Uh, but the focus of each breakout session um is different. So in the morning of Tuesday, we'll have deep dive sessions. Those are an hour in length. And the purpose here is to explore an issue, to dive deeply into the issue, if you will. So we'll be looking at it, you know, from various different lenses, uh, looking at theory, trends, predictions. Um, and there'll be four concurrent sessions there. Then Tuesday afternoon, we'll sort of move from uh theory and context around issues to application. So we'll have our learning lounges, which are 45 minutes in length. These you've seen on the agenda before. And the purpose here is to really showcase what states are doing around specific topics. So it's a peek into the programs and initiatives that states um are actually implementing. So kind of a nice balance of uh, you know, talking big concepts on Monday, diving a little more deeply Tuesday morning, and then getting to kind of um, you know, where states are implementing these issues in real case studies Tuesday afternoon.

Amy Glasscock 4:17

That's great. I think, you know, it's cool that we have the size of conference that we do. You know, we're under a thousand people, pretty getting close to a thousand, but we know we're not like five thousand people where we can't be creative and and try these different things out. Um, we have a good number for for trying some different formats and things. So it should be really interesting.

Emily Lane 4:37

Yeah, and I'll uh add a little note. Um, after you saying that, it jogged my uh memory that I should mention that one of the learning lounge sessions is going to be an UN session. So um it will be kind of crowdsourced live in the moment. Um, our NASCIO VP, who also serves as the program's chair, Alan Fuller, um, has attended an UN conference. And so we are bringing that to a session. So that'll be cool. Um, you know, I like that we're kind of trying different stuff and just sort of seeing uh what works. Yeah, awesome.

Alex Whitaker 5:10

All right. So what else is on the schedule when it comes to programming? And what are some of the highlights that attendees should be aware of?

Emily Lane 5:16

Yeah, so we'll start um each day, uh Monday morning and then Tuesday morning uh with a keynote. And so our opening keynote on Monday is Stephen Wilkes, uh, who is a photographer, and he'll be sharing his work from the past five decades that really honor the uh people, places, and moments that define America, uh, especially celebrating America's resilience and innovative spirit. So this is a bit different than what you uh might often see at an ASEO conference. But in working with the programs committee to decide on our keynote speakers, we thought it would be really nice to lean into the 250th anniversary of America's signing of the Declaration of Independence, especially when we are in the historic city of Philadelphia. So I think that'll be a really interesting talk. And then Tuesday morning, um the keynote is Andrea Hollingsworth, and her talk is on compassionate agility. So how leaders can maintain an empathetic connection while guiding people through new, complex, unpopular, or just sort of otherwise stressful circumstances. So really balancing um care and change. And then Monday afternoon, we'll have a general session on the results of the NASCIO Deloitte cybersecurity study. Uh, folks might remember this one. This is a study that we do every other year, and it offers a peek into what's top of mind for uh the state chief information security officers and kind of what the outlook is on cybersecurity from the state perspective.

Amy Glasscock 7:00

Yeah, and as I recall, this is the first time that it's been released in the spring. Usually it was released in October, and we talked about it at an annual conference, but we're we shifted things to give it a little more of a spotlight. Correct. Correct, correct.

Alex Whitaker 7:13

Yeah. Well, so anyone who's listening, if you have not seen it, speaking of the 250th anniversary, the Liberty Bell is cool to see, and you will be in Philadelphia. So highly recommending seeing that outside of NASCIO programming, of course. Yeah. Um, but you know, also one of the biggest reasons that people come to Midyear is, of course, the networking. So tell us about the opportunities that attendees will have to connect and collaborate and see what's going on with everyone else and their peers.

Emily Lane 7:37

Yeah, so um, the Midyear conference does have state meet and greet on the agenda for Monday. Uh, this will be uh from 10 to noon, and there are three rounds of networking that happen during that time frame. So this is where states are stationed at tables and corporate attendees kind of a mingle through and meet with the states of their choosing. The purpose is to have quick conversations. So it's a time to say hello, make an introduction, maybe set up a meeting for later on, uh, be that during a conference or when people are back in the office. So we have a lot of great resources on the NASCIO community that corporate attendees can use to prepare and plan for this session. So you can uh figure out kind of where state needs align with your expertise. That'll also be in the conference app. In addition to the state meet and greet, there are lots of opportunities for networking. The sessions, you know, that I've just mentioned are great resources to network while talking about, you know, very specific uh issues. All of those sessions are uh interactive uh at some level. So great networking there in the sessions. Uh, take advantage of those. And then there's lots of white space in the conference. We have meals, uh, kind of extended breaks between sessions so people can meet new folks, see old friends, all that good stuff.

Amy Glasscock 9:05

Yeah. So I know during the conference, it's always great to learn about a nonprofit organization in the area that we are having the conference in and learn about what they're doing. And so in our give back program, NASCIO supports an organization like that. And so would love to hear about uh what group we're working with for the give back program this year.

Emily Lane 9:28

Yeah, so um you set that up very well. But in case folks aren't familiar with GiveBack, uh that program is just a way for the NASCIO community to thank the conference host city for their kind of hospitality. Uh, and so we do that by providing exposure and then monetary support to a local nonprofit. And that group is selected by the programs committee and aligns with the priorities of NASCIO membership. So we're excited to have Level Up Philly back again this year. They are a holistic mentoring and violence prevention um initiative for youth in Philadelphia. Um, and they focus a lot on STEM skills for future employment, which is uh obviously where there's a lot of overlap with um uh NASCIO membership um interest and you know what they're doing. I will point out that there was a really great article in the New York Times just a couple weekends ago about organizations in Philadelphia that are helping uh teenagers use music as an anti-violence tool. Um, and Level Up Philly is one of those that are highlighted. So great article. I encourage folks to go check that out. Um, I know we also have a lot of musicians in the NASCIO community, so that might be an interesting connection with the organization for them uh as well. And then uh I should mention that the students from Level Up will be uh on site showing off some of their technology-related projects.

Amy Glasscock 10:56

So cool. Yeah, that'll be great. And uh always look forward to learning about them. All right, and so for anybody that will be attending a NASTEO event for the first time, what advice would you give to help them to get the most out of the experience?

Emily Lane 11:11

Yeah, well, first I'll say watch your email. We send a what to know before you go email that has lots of good info in it. Part of that information will be about downloading uh the conference app. Um, that's always a great resource for people. And then just jump in, you know, attend the sessions, attend the meals, just get to know people. It's a friendly, fun group. Um, and if you aren't sure exactly how to make the most of your time, uh, when you get on site, come talk to anyone on the NASCIO team, especially the team members that will be at the Welcome Center. Uh, you know, we're here to help and answer questions.

Amy Glasscock 11:48

Yeah, absolutely. And I'll also add that uh Georgia State CIO Shanzia Thomas has requested that people wear yellow on Monday if they want to. So I believe it's in support of lots of things, uh, women in tech, whatever you want it to be in support of. Uh any other advice on what folks should wear?

Emily Lane 12:07

Well, I will say dress in layers. Yeah. Um, it is hard to control those big rooms sometimes. So some people will be um very hot, uh, and some of us, myself included, are often shivering. Uh so dress in layers, but business casual. You'll see everything, uh, you know, from jeans and a polo uh to suits. So just kind of whatever you're comfortable in.

Amy Glasscock 12:28

Yeah, absolutely. Comfortable shoes doesn't hurt either.

Emily Lane 12:30

Yes.

Alex Whitaker 12:31

For a second, Emily, I thought you were gonna say NASCIO doesn't control the weather, which I don't I don't know if I agree with. I feel as though sometimes we do.

Amy Glasscock 12:38

It's usually raining and cold, I feel like, during Midyear. So I wish that we did.

Alex Whitaker 12:43

Um so finally, though, where can attendees go to find the full agenda and session details? And for anyone listening and thinking, this all sounds great, I should go. Is it too late to register?

Emily Lane 12:53

Yeah, so attendees can download the NASCIO conferences app or access the web version. Um, you'll get that in your what to know email that I just mentioned. Um, or you can go to nasio.org, click on the Midyear banner on the homepage, um and then you'll find all that info on how to get connected. If you are interested in attending, a registration has closed. It closed end of day, Monday, April 20th. We do not accept on-site registration. However, we do accept on-site substitutions. So if you're registered and then are for some reason unable to attend, you can transfer your registration to somebody else within your organization.

Alex Whitaker 13:33

Got it. All right. Well, Emily, thank you so much for giving us this overview. But for our loyal listeners, and yes, we're still talking about you, President J.R. Sloan, they know what time it is. And that is time for the Lightning Round, which is three quick questions about your life outside of work. Are you ready?

Amy Glasscock 13:52

I am ready. All right. First question What is one hill you will die on that really doesn't matter?

Emily Lane 14:00

I was recently having this conversation, so it's top of mind, but a properly made bed includes a flat sheet or a top sheet. Call it what you want, but you need the top sheet.

Amy Glasscock 14:11

Yep. Team flat sheet, top sheet myself. Yep.

Alex Whitaker 14:15

Uh take out or cook at home?

Emily Lane 14:19

A mix of both. Whatever time and energy is allowing for at the moment.

Alex Whitaker 14:24

Where does reheating leftovers come? Is that which that's the best? Yeah, that's the best. That's what I'm on.

Amy Glasscock 14:31

Yeah. Uh we don't usually have a lot of leftovers at our house. So uh, you know, husband, growing kid, just yeah. Anyway, I just need to cook more. Like I have a bigger family. That would I need to cook like I've got like four or five kids. Then we'd have lots of leftovers. All right. Uh okay, last question. If you could have a second home anywhere, where would it be and what would the style be?

Emily Lane 14:52

Oh, I mean, anywhere. I can think of so many things, but my first thought is Palm Springs. Just because I love the city, I love the aesthetic, the mid-century, kind of clean lines, the bright colors, indoor-outdoor living, breeze blocks, quirky vintage stuff. I I just love the vibe. So I love that. Go Palm Springs. Yeah. Nice.

Alex Whitaker 15:13

Well, all right, Emily. Thank you so much for taking time out of one of your busiest seasons to join us. We really appreciate it, and I know we're looking forward to it.

Emily Lane 15:20

Thank you all. Smooth travels, everybody, and we'll we'll see you in Philly.

Amy Glasscock 15:23

Yeah, absolutely. Thanks, Emily. Thank you. Thanks again for listening to NASCIO Voices. NASCIO Voices is a production of the National Association of State Chief Information Officers, or NASCIO. Learn more at NASCIO.org.

Alex Whitaker 15:37

And we'll be back in two weeks with Brian Kane, Executive Director of the National Association of Attorneys General.

Amy Glasscock 15:43

But until then, we'll see you at Midyear Philly's Back Again....