October 2 | Halifax, NS | Hybrid | 9:30 a.m.–Noon ADT
TECHNATION convenes Canadian public sector leaders to drive meaningful change. At our upcoming Executive Briefing, we’re spotlighting bold leaders from the Atlantic Region to explore critical issues and identify opportunities for digital transformation across government services. This curated dialogue is more than just a discussion — it’s a forum for strategic collaboration, transparent value exchange between industry and government and insight-driven action.
Key Themes and Topics:
- Cybersecurity priorities and key updates
- Responsible AI adoption in government, including key projects and priorities
Location: Volta – 1800 Argyle St Unit 801, Halifax, NS B3J 3N8
Member In-person Ticket – $90.00
Non Member In-Person – $110.00
Members Virtual Ticket – $40.00
Non-Member Virtual Ticket – $60.00
Government Employees Complimentary
Not in Atlantic Canada? Join us virtually!
If you are interested in sponsorship opportunities, please contact Charlotte Macaulay.
Confirmed Speakers:
- Jennifer LaPlante, Deputy Minister, Cyber Security & Digital Solutions, Government of Nova Scotia
- Tracy Fiander Trask, Associate Deputy Minister and Chief Technology Officer, Government of Nova Scotia
- Arlene Williams, Associate Deputy Minister / Chief Digital Officer – Department of Cyber Security and Digital Solutions, Government of Nova Scotia
- Clay Bates, Executive Director of Digital Practices and Technology with the Department of Cyber Security and Digital Solutions (CSDS) with the Province of Nova Scotia.
- Valerie Kelly, Director of Digital Transformation, Government of New Brunswick
- Olesia Kazantseva, Sr. Technical Advisor, Artificial Intelligence Program, Artificial Intelligence Program and AI Centre of Excellence, Shared Services Canada
Network with influential government and industry leaders, and engage in thoughtful conversation as we collaborate to drive digital transformation and procurement modernization.
Speaker Bios
Jennifer LaPlante
Deputy Minister of the Department of Cyber Security and Digital Solutions
Government of Nova Scotia
Jennifer LaPlante joined the Government of Nova Scotia after working more than two decades in digital transformation, data governance and artificial intelligence. Much of her work has focused on the intersection of technology, innovation, and public impact.
She is passionate about harnessing technology to drive meaningful changes, especially in data-driven decision-making and secure and scalable solutions.
Jennifer holds an MBA and an MSc in Computing and Data Analytics. Prior to joining government, she served as the Chief Growth and Investment Officer for Canada’s Ocean Supercluster, where she helped companies innovate and make forward-thinking investments in their technology strategies. She also served as Executive Director of DeepSense, where she worked with hundreds of companies to increase their understanding of AI and unlock its full potential to drive growth and innovation, helping to boost economic development in Canada’s ocean sector.
Jennifer’s contributions to AI and innovation earned her recognition as one of DataIQ’s Top 100 Influential People in AI for 2021. 
Tracy Fiander Trask
Associate Deputy Minister and Chief Technology Officer with the Department of Cyber Security and Digital Solutions (CSDS)
Province of Nova Scotia.
Tracy is passionate about delivering digital services to Nova Scotians, solving wicked problems, and creating a vision and strategy to protect the Province’s digital assets against cyber security threats. Tracy is a founding member of the executive team for the CSDS and is committed to servant leadership. She is fortunate to lead a team of 300+ talented digital and technical leaders who work everyday to ensuregovernment services meet the needs of users within government departments, the healthcare system and ultimately the citizens of Nova Scotia. She has presented locally, nationally, and internationally on topics related to digital government, IT Service Management and program evaluation.
Arlene Pino Williams
Associate Deputy Minister and Chief Digital Officer with the Department of Cyber Security and Digital Solutions (CSDS)Province of Nova Scotia.
She is passionate about designing and delivering simpler, better, more secure services for Nova Scotians and has 20+ years of experience in large scale digital and IT program transformation. She is a founding member of the executive team for the CSDS, where she focuses on leading 350+ professionals that deliver re-usable digital platforms, digital products and services, and transforming the novascotia.ca website for all programs in Government that touch the lives of Nova Scotians every day. Some of her notable achievements include supporting the Province’s COVID-19 response and delivering over 20 products for Nova Scotians and public servants. She also provided emergency response support for Fiona relief programs and established the provincial Digital Trust and Credentials platform and program. Additionally, she led program transformations in collaboration with Justice, Labour, Public Works, and core data registries.
Clay Bates
Executive Director of Digital Practices and Technology with the Department of Cyber Security and Digital Solutions (CSDS)
Province of Nova Scotia.
Clay brings more than 20 years of leadership in government digital service delivery and development, with a strong commitment to creating user-focused, accessible government services. His division, Digital Practices and Technology, is responsible for providing secure and reliable technology infrastructure to support government and healthcare’s digital operations. The division champions and enables Internet-era ways of working through product management, human-centred service design and development, cloud computing and DevSecOps.
Olesia Kazantseva
Sr. Technical Advisor, Artificial Intelligence Program, Artificial Intelligence Program and AI Centre of Excellence
Shared Services Canada.
Has been with the with the Federal Public Service for past 17 years. Throughout her public service career, Olesia worked in several government departments including Treasury Board Secretariat, Public Services and Procurement Canada and Shared Services Canada. In her tenure with the Canada Public Service Olesia held various technical and leadership roles including as a network administration, cyber and IT security analyst, and incident responder.
Today, Olesia works in the Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Program under the Chief Technology Officer Branch. Olesia is currently responsible for Business Intake and Client Engagement, and development of strategic artifacts that strengthen the foundation upon which AI solutions can be deliver value in an ethical and responsible manner.
Valerie Kelly
Director of Digital Transformation, Government of New Brunswick
Bio to come
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