The NDA-Protected Leadership Community for Public Sector CIOs
It's lonely at the top. It doesn't have to be.
Join a vetted, vendor-free room where CIOs from local government, state agencies, and higher education talk off the mic with peers who get it, from AI governance and modernization to strained budgets, workforce, and the unique pressure (and politics) of being a public sector CIO.
Built for leaders accountable to the public
No vendors. No consultants. No resellers "just here to listen." TechTables is exclusively for the top technology leader at a city, county, state agency, or public college or university with an IT budget of $5M or more.
Meet your cohort face-to-face in member cities—not conference centers.
Deep dialogue, real relationships, vendor-free conversations. Vendors sponsor meals only—never in the room.
This has become one of the most requested parts of our retreats: connect with peers who actually understand the pressure you're under.
How often are you in a room where you can talk openly about what you're really dealing with? When your deputy gets fired, your city manager gets fired, and you're trying to avoid collateral damage. The cybersecurity theater. The council politics. The legacy ERP disaster that's years behind and millions over budget.
What happens in TechTables stays in TechTables. No public record. No vendors listening. No career consequences.
Small-group sessions designed to help you trade war stories, get unstuck on political landmines, and remember you're not the only one holding impossible situations together on a government budget.
Plus it just feels good to talk to people who get what you do for a living.
Expert-facilitated roundtables (by Joe Toste)—not webinars where you're talked at. Ask the questions you actually have about cybersecurity, AI strategy, budget battles, and governance.
This entire experience is designed to connect you with peers you'll keep in your circle long after it's over. The kind of CIOs you can text mid-crisis for a sanity check, call to talk strategy, or grab dinner with next time you're in their city.
The CIOs you meet here are the ones who'll help you solve your next big problem, land your next role, or just remind you you're not doing this alone.
Investment for Membership
As a member of the TechTables Communities for Local Government, you'll get access to...
Annual Membership
Designed for CIOs who value trust, candor, and real peer accountability — not vendor-funded programming.
Applications are reviewed to ensure you're a good fit.
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Two Annual In-Person Retreats (2-night hotel stay included)
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Four Quarterly Virtual Roundtables (Strategy sessions with your 'board of advisors')
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CIO Therapy Breakout Sessions (Off-the-record dialogue about council politics, budget battles, and legacy disasters)
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Peer-Led Workshops (Expert roundtables on cybersecurity, AI strategy, and governance—no vendor partners)
Questions & Answers
About Me
What started as The Public Sector Show by TechTables grew into something CIOs kept asking for: a place to talk honestly, without vendors listening.
Today, Joe builds private, NDA-protected communities where CIOs from local government, state agencies, and higher education have off-the-record conversations about council politics, security theater, AI slop, and whatever's actually keeping them up at night.
TechTables Communities brings together cohorts for in-person retreats and curated peer conversations nationally.
When he's not with CIOs, Joe coaches boys' basketball at Dos Pueblos High School. He lives in Santa Barbara, California, with his wife Jamie and their kids, Anabelle and Jack.
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