#182: Frank Sweeney & Beth Neeley – From 46 DCS System Deployments to $500K Tech Debt Savings – Transforming Arizona Through Authentic Leadership

Check out the full episode on https://www.techtables.com/podcast/182/frank-sweeney-beth-neeley

Featuring:

- Frank Sweeney, CIO, Arizona Department of Child Safety
- Beth Neeley, CIO, Arizona Department of Education

In this episode, you'll learn:

- How Frank Sweeney transformed DCS's Guardian system from 2 releases to 46 successful deployments in 10 months

- Why the Arizona Department of Education's $9M school finance payment system succeeded through strategic stakeholder collaboration

- How the Department of Education achieved unprecedented financial transparency and reduced technology debt by $500,000

- The power of authentic leadership and being present in driving organizational transformation

- Why strategic team placement and a culture of gratitude are critical success factors in public sector IT

Timestamps:

(00:00) Welcome and Introductions

(01:41) Frank's transition strategy: People, process, and culture at DCS

(04:52) Beth's journey: Leading the Department of Education transformation

(09:06) Building a culture of gratitude and breaking down bureaucratic barriers

(14:07) Success story: Department of Education's $9M payment system overhaul

(18:54) DCS transformation: From Guardian system challenges to 46 deployments

(22:42) Leadership insights: EOS framework and strategic team placement

(25:37) Key leadership lessons: The power of being present and authentic

• Frank Sweeney: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frank-sweeney-iot/
• Beth Neeley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-neeley-687099222/

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