COVITS 2026 brings leaders together to shape the future of government technology

Nearly 600 government technology professionals gathered in Richmond for the 2026 Commonwealth of Virginia Innovative Technology Symposium (COVITS), spending two full days connecting with peers, exploring emerging tools and trends and gaining new insight into the future of technology across the Commonwealth.

Hosted by GovTech in partnership with VITA, this year's symposium brought together voices statewide and participants got the opportunity to hear from experts for meaningful discussions and learning sessions that highlighted today's challenges while examining the opportunities shaping tomorrow's digital government.

General session key speakers

Secretary of Administration, Traci J. Deshazor, kicked things off by emphasizing the importance of deploying innovation responsibly to meet resident expectations, build trust and balance bold experimentation with caution to shape the government future generations will inherit.
Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the Commonwealth, Mike Watson, welcomed attendees and highlighted Virginia's continued focus on cloud evolution, cybersecurity resilience and the responsible adoption of AI across the enterprise.
Keynote speaker Noelle Russell, Founder and Chief AI Officer at the AI Leadership Institute, provided an actionable framework for scaling AI responsibly while protecting ethics, privacy and long-term public trust.
Artist and Innovator, Phil Hansen, encouraged attendees to view constraints as catalysts for creativity, illustrating how embracing limitations can spark innovation.
Daniel Gohl, Chief Technology and Strategy Officer for US SLED at HP, discussed how Edge Artificial Intelligence, AI combined with edge computing, will expand government capabilities by enabling faster, more secure and locally driven services.
Director of Data Governance, Chris Burroughs, highlighted how data classification and quality reduce risk and fuel accurate analytics and AI capabilities.
Joe Burke, Distinguished Engineer at Broadcom, examined real‑world examples of chatbots malfunctioning and outlined the governance and safeguards needed to prevent similar issues in public‑sector deployments.
Chief Information Officers Roderick Burton of Albemarle County, Steve Hawkes of the City of Charlottesville and Tim Wyatt of York County discussed the cybersecurity challenges smaller localities face and highlighted how collaboration can help strengthen security across the Commonwealth.
Commonwealth Chief Transformation Officer, David Wilkinson, and Virginia Digital Service Director, Andrea Fletcher, explored the future of digital services in Virginia, emphasizing modern service delivery and cross‑agency coordination to improve resident experiences across the Commonwealth.

Concurrent breakout sessions

Leaders from across the commonwealth, including experts from VITA, shared knowledge to help agencies and local governments strengthen services and expand understanding of emerging technologies. Session topics included:

AI adoption and workforce readiness

Modernizing agency operations with integrated, AI-enabled platforms
Strengthening cybersecurity fundamentals and managing third‑party risks
Data classification, FOIA alignment and building trustworthy data foundations
Digital accessibility, human‑centered design and improving the resident experience
AI governance, guardrails and ensuring meaningful human oversight
Data architecture, stewardship and secure information‑sharing practices
Aligning AI strategies with strong data governance and security
Upskilling the workforce for the AI era and preparing future‑ready teams
Using AI and identity proofing to detect fraud and protect public programs
Implementing whole‑of‑state cybersecurity approaches to reduce risk across jurisdictions

Commonwealth Technology Awards

COVITS 2026 also recognized innovative teams from across Virginia whose forward‑looking projects are strengthening cybersecurity, improving operations and elevating the services residents rely on every day. Fifteen projects were honored in this year's Commonwealth Technology Awards, highlighting the ingenuity and collaboration driving technology progress in the Commonwealth. Congratulations to the winning projects and teams

Category: IT in Serving the Customer and Business – State

Winners:

Department of Motor Vehicles – Virginia Mobile ID
Department of Health, Division of Pharmacy Services – Pharmacy Partner Hub

Category: IT in Serving the Customer and Business – Local

Winners:

Prince William County – Build-Out Analysis Dashboard
City of Fredericksburg – FOIA Portal (NextRequest)

Category: Innovative Use of Technology – State

Winner:

Office of the Executive Secretary, Virginia Courts and Department of State Police – Criminal Record Sealing Initiative

Category: Innovative Use of Technology – Local

Winners:

Price William County – 311 Digital Experience
City of Roanoke – Operations and Crime Control Center
Fairfax County – Digital Infrastructure Modernization Initiative

Category: Innovative Use of Data, Analytics and AI – State

Winner:

Department of Judicial Services – Modernization of Court Data Reporting

Category: Innovative Use of Data, Analytics and AI – Local

Winners:

Fairfax County – AI Adoption Initiatives
Stafford County – InsightAI Initiative
City of Virginia Beach – Unified Emergency Management Platform and GIS CAD Modernization

Category: Cybersecurity and Privacy Initiatives - State

Winner:

Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia – Virginia Deed Alert System

Category: Cybersecurity and Privacy Initiatives - Local

Winner:

Stafford County – Responsible AI and Acceptable Use Governance Initiative

COVITS 2026 closed with strong momentum and renewed energy. Leaders from across the state left better connected, inspired by new ideas and ready to push forward the next phase of Virginia's digital transformation. The symposium reflected what VITA sees across the Commonwealth—public‑sector professionals embracing innovation with purpose and delivering technology that builds trust, improves experiences and moves Virginia forward.

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