“We Got This” – Building Resilience at the May IPMA Forum
On May 13, nearly 100 public sector leaders, technology professionals, and industry partners gathered at Saint Martin’s University in Olympia for the 2025 IPMA Forum. This year’s event – "Resilience Through Collaboration and Innovation" – provided a look at the work ahead and a reminder of the shared commitment to getting it done together.
State CIO and WaTech Director Bill Kehoe delivered a keynote that set the tone for the day, declaring, "this is going to be a great day, so stay energized, be open to new ways of thinking, and doing things, and get uncomfortable," Bill said noting he wanted attendees to get outside their comfort zone and interact with each other. Bill spoke about the challenges facing government IT, from tight budgets to increasing complexity, and the need to break away from business as usual.
The forum emphasized action over talk, with attendees diving into interactive breakout sessions designed to move the needle on pressing challenges. Among the highlights were two workshops led by State Chief Technology Officer Nick Stowe, where public servants and private-sector experts joined forces to co-create solutions across key challenge areas including: agency collaboration & information sharing, process improvement and automation, and customer engagement and experience. The forum served as a powerful platform for collaboration—echoing Bill Kehoe’s message that “if we come together around solving problems, we can do anything.”