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Lea Deesing - City of Riverside. Riverside, CA, US

Lea Deesing

Assistant City Manager, former CIO | City of Riverside

Riverside, CA, UNITED STATES

Motivate staff and spark innovation. Encourage kids to pursue STEM fields. Increase government transparency and improve cyber security.

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Biography

Lea Deesing was the first in her family to go to college, became a self-made tech geek, and has risen to the top ranks of municipal government. For the past five years, Lea served as the Chief Innovation Officer for the City of Riverside leading a national-award-winning department and publishing various technical articles on topics ranging from social media use in government to cybersecurity. She has spoken both internationally and nationally about technology and leadership topics including smart city technologies, social media, project management, technology policies, cyber security, leadership, and “sparking” innovative thinking.

In Lea’s breakthrough inspirational speech, “Finding Light at the End of a Math Formula: A Tech Geek’s Guide to Career Success”, she will describe her formula for success and share with you in a very real and honest presentation her professional trials and tribulations, including several failures she experienced along the way and how she overcame them. She will delve into several of her key fork-in-the-road decisions, which made a life-changing difference her career and she will discuss the professional and personal traits needed to set oneself apart from others.

In her heartfelt speech, Lea will entice you to ponder how innovative thinking can change your trajectory, she will describe how one key ingredient in life will help you realize the authentic version of yourself you are destined to become, and she will present to you a working copy of an actual formula you can take away and apply to your own life to foster years of career success in your own life.

Biography:
Lea’s experience includes 31 years in the IT field with 20 years specific to local government. She holds a Master of Public Administration degree from California State University, Dominguez Hills, and a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems degree from the University of Redlands. Lea also holds a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.

Prior to moving into her executive leadership role as Assistant City Manager, Lea’s background was in computer programming. Her love for programming originated from her fascination with codes and ciphers, known as cryptology. She cracked the Tiger Beat Magazine’s fan club secret code when she was just nine years old. When she was sixteen, Lea started programming computers. Lea regularly speaks to young students, hoping her story will inspire them to become interested in the computer science field.

Industry Expertise (3)

Computer/Network Security

Government Administration

Information Technology and Services

Areas of Expertise (7)

Leadership

STEM Education

Government

Open Government

Cybersecurity

Information Technology

Innovation

Accomplishments (1)

Published (professional)

2013-11-26

See my Linkedin Account for a list of articles I have either written or contributed to. www.linkedin.com/in/leadeesing/

Education (3)

California State University-Dominguez Hills: MPA, Public Administration 2010

3.96 GPA

University of Redlands: BSIS, Information Systems 2003

Activities and Societies: Member of Whitehead Leadership Society. Graduated with a 4.0 GPA, Summa Cum Laude.

PMI: PMP Certificate, Project Management 2013

Affiliations (2)

  • MISAC
  • Whitehead Leadership Society

Languages (1)

  • English

Event Appearances (61)

Applying Innovation To Do More With Less - Panel

2019 League of CA Cities Mayors & Council Members Executive Forum  Newport Beach

2019-06-19

Finding Light at the End of a Math Formula (30 Minute Motivational Keynote)

Annual Riverside County Women's Leadership Conference  Riverside, CA

2018-09-13

Cybersecurity Panelist on Plenary Stage

Midmarket CIO Forum  Savannah, GA

2018-04-10

Digital Transformation Panelist on Plenary Stage

Public CIO Forum  ESRI Corportate Office, Redlands, CA

2018-04-05

"Narrowing the Digital Divide and Ensuring Equity" Speaker

Leadership Riverside Education Day  Riverside, CA

2018-03-02

The Future of IT and Smart Cities Speaker

CSMFO Annual Conference 2018  Riverside Convention Center, Riverside, CA

2018-02-21

Women in Tech Panel

Laserfiche Empower 2018 Conference  Long Beach, California

2018-01-10

Speaking Tech Talk: How to Partner with IT to Drive Innovative Change, A Four-Hour Interactive Session

International Institute of Municipal Clerks Meeting  Cal Poly, Pomona

2017-10-06

Panelists for "28 Conversations to Transform The Way Government Works"

Government Technology Los Angeles Digital Government Summit  Los Angeles LA Hotel and Convention Center

Women in Leadership Panel (Plenary Session)

Government Technology's Los Angeles Digital Government Summit  Los Angeles LA Hotel and Convention Center

2017-08-30

Organizational Behavior Guest Lecturer

Cal State Fullerton  Fullerton, California

2017-04-27

Co-Speaker on "Balancing Responsiveness & Resource Management"

National Webcast for Viewpoint  Online

2017-03-23

Speaker on "Narrowing the Digital Divide Through Technology and Education"

Leadership Riverside Education Day  Riverside, California

2017-03-03

Speaker on "Entrepreneurship Thinking - Organizational Development"

ERepublic Magazine's Califiornia Public Sector CIO Academy  Sacramento, California

2017-03-01

Keynote Speaker on Coding and STEM

Inland CS For All Summit  Riverside, CA

2016-12-07

Inspire Her Mind

Keynote Address for Inspire Her Mind (240 High School Girls)  Riverside, CA

2016-11-17

Organizational Behavior Guest Lecturer

Cal State Fullerton  Fullerton, CA

2016-11-02

Technology & Your Community Panelist

Latina Empowerment Day  Riverside, CA

2016-10-14

CIO and City Manager Panel on Innovation

Municipal Information Systems Association of California (MISAC) San Diego, CA  San Diego, CA

2016-10-12

The Pros and Cons of Outsourcing

Municipal Information Systems Association of California (MISAC)  San Diego, CA

2016-10-11

Innovation Panelist

Local Government Commission 7th Annual Statewide Energy Efficiency Forum  Riverside, CA

2016-06-16

Narrowing the Digital Divide Through Technology and Education

Leadership Riverside Education Day  Riverside, California

2016-03-04

IT Policies: What is At Risk?

GFOA Annual International Conference  Toronoto, Canada Convention Centre

2016-05-23

Panelist during the closing plenary session

7th Annual Statewide Energy Efficiency Forum  Riverside Convention Center

2016-06-16

Keynote speaker and emcee for 375 high school girls interested in nontraditional careers

Nontraditional Employment for Women (NEW) Day  Riverside Community College Campus

2015-12-04

Reinventing your Agency for a Digital Age: Presentation & Panelist

Municipal Management Association of Southern California  Indian Wells, California

2015-10-30

Spark Your Innovation: A Four-Hour Interactive Session

International Institute of Municipal Clerks Meeting  Cal Poly, Pomona

2015-10-16

Boosting Your Smart City Credentials: Speaker & Panelist

IEDC Annual Conference  Anchorage, Alaska

2015-10-05

Chief Innovation Officer Panelist

Harvard University 2015 Strategic Innovation Summit  Cambridge, Massachusetts

2015-09-26

Spark Your Innovation: A Two-Hour Interactive Session

PMI California Inland Empire Dinner Meeting  Rancho Cucamonga, California

2015-09-15

Spark Your Innovation: A Two-Hour Interactive Session

International Institute of Municipal Clerks 2015 Annual Conference  Hartford, Connecticut

2015-05-19

The Pitfalls of Information Technology Purchases

Association of Government Accountants Local Meeting  San Bernardino, California

2015-04-22

SmartRiverside Program Update

California Emerging Technology Fund Local Government Officials Roundtable  Mission Inn

2015-04-02

Panelist for "Innovative Solutions for Changing Communities"

Local Government Commission Conference for Local Policymakers  Yosemite, California

2015-03-20

Digital Inclusion and E-waste Recycling

US/Mexico Sister Cities Association 52nd Annual Conference  Riverside Convention Center, Riverside, California

2015-02-27

Panelist for "Daily Work: Data-Driven"

Governing Magazine's Summit on Government Performance & Innovation  Louisville, Kentucky

2015-02-12

Cyber Security Panelist

Cal State University Cyber Security Summit  San Bernardino, CA

2015-01-20

Panelist to Encourage 8th Grade Girls to Enter STEM Field

American Association of University Women STEM Conference   San Jacinto, CA

2015-01-08

Information Management and the Challenge of Technology

League of California Cities City Clerks New Law & Elections Conference  Monterey, CA

2014-12-03

Open Data Panelist

The UCR Child Wellbeing Conference   University of California, Riverside

2014-10-31

Government Transparency and Open Data

ICF Connections Online International Webinar  Online Web Cast

2014-10-30

Keynote speaker and emcee for 200 high school girls interested in nontraditional careers

Nontraditional Employment for Women (NEW) Day  Riverside Community College Campus

2014-10-17

The Hive: Project Management Portal

MISAC Annual Conference  Garden Grove, California

2014-10-06

Avoiding the Pitfalls of IT Purchases

CAPPO Riverside County Purchasing Seminar   Crestmore Manor in Riverside, California

2014-09-24

Innovation at the Local Level

CSMFO Channel Counties Chapter Meeting  Thousand Oaks, California

2014-09-11

Transparency, Open Data, and Innovation for Financial Information

CSMFO & MISAC Webinar  Online

2014-09-10

Innovation at the Local Level

California Forward Summit on Data  UC Center, Sacramento, California

2014-03-20

The Trends in Transparency, Innovation, Open Data & Constituent Reporting Initiatives

California Society of Municipal Finance Officers (CSMFO) Annual Conference  Renaissance Hotel Conference Center, Palm Springs, California

2014-02-21

Cryptology and Logic: In Everyday Life and in the Field of Computer Programming

ABLE/STEM Day   Mesa View Middle School, Calimesa, California

2014-02-14

Cryptology and Logic: In Everyday Life and in the Field of Computer Programming

STEM Speaker Day  Riverside Stem Academy, Riverside, California

2014-02-12

Government E-Transparency

MMASC Annual Conference  Rancho Bernardo, CA

2014-11-13

Panelist on Open Data

University of Riverside Child Well Being Conference  Riverside, CA

2014-10-31

Innovation and Mobility: Sparking Innovation Within Your Organization

Midmarket CIO Conference  JW Mariott Hotel, Tucson, AZ

2013-10-27

Women in Information Technology

8th Grade Girls Math and Science Conference  San Jacinto, CA

2013-01-09

Effective Use of Social Media

California Municipal Utilities Association’s (CMUA) Energy Services and Marketing Committee Annual Conference  Riverside, CA

2012-10-01

Cities Using Social Media

League of California Cities 2012 Annual Conference  San Diego Convention Center

2012-09-06

Mobile Applications

Municipal Management Association of California Annual Conference  Rancho Mirage, CA

2012-05-11

Social Networking Made Easy for Government Agencies

MISAC Meeting  Marina Del Rey, CA

2011-07-01

Time Management

Municipal Management Association of California Annual Conference  Santa Barbara, CA

2010-05-26

Microsoft Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Microsoft CIO Summit  Microsoft Corporate, Redmond, Washington

2007-02-01

Live Demonstration and Presentation of Application I wrote

JD Edwards/Peoplesoft International Users Conference  Denver, Colorado

2001-07-01

Style

Availability

  • Keynote
  • Moderator
  • Panelist
  • Workshop Leader
  • Corporate Training

Fees

0 to 3500 *Will consider certain engagements for no fee