PBN: It’s been about a year since there was an administrative shakeup at the Tech Collective. What has the past year wrought?

HEBERT: In the last year we’ve really refocused our efforts and energy. We’re growing our membership – we’re over 200 members now; we’ve really changed the focus. … The sessions that we’re starting to put together are more high-quality educational events. We’ve had phenomenal events where IT leadership could come together to learn how to become a better IT leader...

PBN: What is Rhode Island doing well to grow its IT sector, and what more could it do?

HEBERT: ...If you look, the average IT-industry job in Rhode Island pays about $69,000 a year...So it’s a very high-wage job that has a healthy, long-term upside, and they’ve done a very good job of increasing that awareness, from the governor on down. …

The second area that they’ve done a fairly good job with is being able to help, through funding programs with the U.S. Department of Labor, to do things like get training dollars for re-educating your team...I think that education in the IT sector is a place where a lot more money can be invested, and would reap unbelievable results for the state.