Shared Services

Nicholas Martinelli

Chief Administrative Officer

Nick Martinelli joined ITS in 2014 and has more than 20 years of service in New York State government. Nick began his state career with the NYS Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA), gaining critical expertise in many Human Resources (HR) capacities before moving into ITS HR Management roles, where he served as the Director of Personnel and the Director of Human Resources. Nick has led many major organizational change efforts over the years, including the implementation of the Business Services Center (BSC) functions at ITS and the reorganization/reestablishment efforts of the HR function as it returned from the Office of General Services (OGS) in 2022. Nick is a graduate of the State University of New York (SUNY) Albany, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in mathematics with a minor in business administration.

Tito Panicker

Chief Technology Officer

Tito T. Panicker was named the Chief Technology Officer of ITS in July 2026, after initially joining the agency as Deputy Chief Technology Officer in February of 2026. Tito is a visionary executive leader with more than 23 years of experience in setting the strategic direction for technology departments, aligning complex goals with broader business objectives to foster innovation and growth. He possesses extensive expertise in leading cloud migration and digital transformation initiatives to modernize technology infrastructure and enable enhanced organizational agility. During his tenure as Deputy CTO, he spearheaded the architectural and operational design of a brand-new, enterprise-scale cloud bureau from scratch, establishing its core mission, functional charters and RACI matrices for statewide impact.

Prior to his leadership roles at ITS, he held leadership positions at major technology and media brands, including Amazon Web Services and HBO. His career accomplishments include launching major global streaming platforms such as HBOGo, Discovery+ and HBO Max, securing multi-billion-dollar deals and significantly improving operational efficiency. Tito received his Bachelor of Engineering in Information Technology from Madurai Kamaraj University.

Marcy Stevens

General Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer

Marcy S. Stevens has served as Chief General Counsel to NYS ITS since January 2020. In this role, she is the chief legal and policy officer for the agency and is responsible for all legal matters pertaining to and affecting NYS ITS, as well as in its capacity as a statewide service provider. Marcy has been with the agency since 2016, previously serving as ITS Deputy Counsel and Director of Litigation & eDiscovery.

Marcy has more than a decade of legal experience in the public and private sector. Prior to joining NYS, Marcy worked as a civil litigation attorney, most recently at a national law firm in the commercial and liability defense litigation practice, where she served as a member of the national eDiscovery triage team and represented corporate clients in high-exposure tort claims and employment matters.

Marcy is a key member of the NYS ITS leadership team, as well as a respected resource across the state for her ability to bridge the gap between complicated legal and policy matters and their intersection with technology tools, information security and data privacy issues.

Marcy holds a Juris Doctor (JD) and Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Western New England University Schools of Law and Business, as well as a bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University where she graduated cum laude. A native of the capital region, Marcy lives in Loudonville with her husband and two young children, where she enjoys spending quality time with her people. 

Chris DeSain

Chief Information Security Officer

Chris DeSain has served as New York's Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) since June 2022. In this position, Chris and his team are responsible for monitoring and maintaining the security of the state's information systems and data from cyber intrusion and attack.

Chris brings 24 years of valuable experience in the cybersecurity field to the role, including nearly 20 years in leadership positions across New York State government. He recently served as the Director for the Office of Counter Terrorism Cyber Incident Response team under the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES).

Earlier in his career, he helped build the New York State Police (NYSP) cyber program, crafted the FBI Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) regulations, and became the first civilian CJIS Information Security Officer in the nation.

During a previous tenure as Director of NYS ITS Cyber Command, Chris formed the "Red Team" and established proactive threat response to ensure timely remediation of potential threats and vulnerabilities. 

Chris has earned his GIAC Security Essentials Certification (GSEC), a professional certification for those seeking to demonstrate technical proficiency in the field of cybersecurity. He was awarded a "Best of New York" award from the Center for Digital Government in 2013 and received the Cyber Security Champion Award from NYS in 2017.

Scott Reif

Chief Communications Officer

Scott Reif has served as Chief Communications Officer for NYS ITS since February 2020. In this role, he is responsible for all internal and external communications for the agency, as well as providing critical support to more than 50 client agencies. As a member of the Executive Team, he works directly with the agency's Chief Information Officer (CIO), Deputy CIO, General Counsel and others to operate an agency with more than 3000 employees.

Prior to arriving at ITS, Scott served as Press Secretary and Chief Spokesperson for the New York State Senate Majority, before assuming the duties of Communications Director. For more than 12 years, Scott played a key role in the Senate in the development and execution of the chamber's legislative agenda, budget priorities and overall messaging. He handled media inquiries from local, state and national reporters, and he advised Senate members preparing for television interviews and floor debates.

From 2002-07, Scott served as the Public Information Officer for the New York State Division of the Budget for five full budget cycles, overseeing open public leaders' meetings to enhance transparency and promote on-time budgets.

Scott is a Central New York native and graduate of the State University of New York (SUNY) at Oswego, where he received a bachelor's degree in communications. He lives just outside of Albany.

Kelly Morrissey

Chief Financial Officer

Kelly Morrissey was appointed Acting Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for NYS ITS in 2024. In this role, Kelly is responsible for leading the Budget, Accounts Receivable and Rate Setting offices, as well as the Financial Administration and Information Management teams, within ITS.

Kelly first joined ITS in January 2020 as the Director of Financial Administration, providing strong leadership through the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. She began her extensive career in New York State government in 2005 and has served in a number of key agency finance roles, including the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS), the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS), the Office of Medicaid Inspector General (OMIG) and, most recently, the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD). In these positions, Kelly provided oversight and strategic direction for the expenditures of state and other funds, ranging from $50 million to as much as $5 billion annually.

Kelly has both a bachelor's degree in mathematics and a master's degree in education from the College of Saint Rose in Albany, NY, and currently resides in her hometown of Troy, NY.

Eleonore Fournier-Tombs

Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer

Dr. Fournier-Tombs brings more than 15 years of global AI, data governance, technology innovation and digital transformation experience to this important role. Most recently, she served as Head of Anticipatory Action and Innovation and Senior Researcher for United Nations University, where she founded and led the UN’s first AI policy research lab and directed governance and lifecycle management of predictive analytics and AI systems to support crisis forecasting.

Chief Digital Officer

Stephen Graham was named the Chief Digital Officer of ITS in January of 2026. Prior to this role, he was Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of AnonTech, a software engineering and data technology company, as well as the Chief Information Officer of Applied AI Technologies, a Schenectady-based software engineering company focused on building AI solutions to solve real business problems. Stephen is a graduate of Siena College and received his master’s degree in computer science and artificial intelligence from East Carolina University.

Melcher Mack

Chief Strategy Officer
Melcher Mack was named the Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) for ITS in July 2026. He is responsible for leading strategic initiatives to expand ITS’s services and partnerships beyond executive agencies. He focuses on identifying and shaping opportunities for shared services, and works to build and strengthen relationships with state, local government stakeholders across New York State. Melcher is dedicated to advancing technology strategies that support efficient, secure and responsive government services by aligning ITS capabilities with broader state needs.

Bringing more than 25 years of strategic technology leadership and executive experience in technology strategy, digital transformation and organizational growth, Melcher's career includes leading the emerging technology strategy for a major international engineering consultancy, and he has founded and scaled multiple technology companies focused on innovation, SaaS product development and strategic partnerships. Melcher's expertise spans digital transformation, SaaS solutions and large-scale technology portfolio management, and he has successfully negotiated and delivered complex initiatives for a diverse range of clients. Throughout his career, he has consistently built high-performing, cross-cultural teams; driven innovation and led organizational transformations that effectively connect people, process and technology, helping organizations align business goals with technology execution.