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SoTeC has built a reputation over the past nine years for providing an environment for knowledgeable and interesting speakers to share their ideas and experience. The SoTeC 2009 Speaker Committee is dedicated to finding speakers who can cover a variety of technical, personal and leadership topics in an interactive and entertaining manner. Below you will find more information on the speakers and topics already confirmed for SoTeC 2009. Check back often as the speaker slate continues to grow!
Past year's attendees rave about the learning opportunities provided by SoTeC's interactive Panel Discussions! The SoTeC Speaker Committee is proud to present two exciting and relevant Panel Discussions as part of the SoTeC 2009 program. All Panel Discussions will be moderated and provide an opportunity for conference attendees not only to hear from the panelists, but also to interact with both the panelists and their fellow attendees to maximize the sharing of information and experience.
SoTeC's 2009 Panel Discussions include:
What are the overriding issues and challenges when developing, implementing and rolling out enterprise systems and what are the keys to success? Hear how three senior level IT professionals from the three different industries have successfully accomplished the task. Our panelists will share stories of their success and discuss how they have weathered storms to completion or shut down. Learn what you must do and what you must avoid from a panel of experts who have some battle scars to prove it.
Landing your dream job is all about standing out from the crowd! Learn from the experts how to use technology tools and resources to position yourself favorably in any type of job market. This panel will discuss ways that you can differentiate yourself and get noticed using current technology and internet resources. Learn how to better create and manage your career and professional image and online profile and standout in a sea of competing job candidates. If you don't do it, your competition will!
Blair Baker
MBA
Associate
CIO Services: Executive Advisory
Project Management: Moving from the Technical Suite to the Executive Suite
ABSTRACT
Sure, you can Project Management with the best of them, but are the skills that made you a successful PM, sufficient to get you to the next level?
In this interactive one-hour session, you will get a very brief review of Project Management (specifically, one rule of thumb for level setting purposes). We will then dive into the success factors that you can apply directly to your career today. This session is appropriate for all levels of IT or PM professionals who are interested in career advancement and the perspective of executive management
BIO:
As a hands-on technology executive and business leader, Blair began his career in Civil Engineering performing both the IT function – to keep the systems running – and the business function of Civil Engineering and Design. Blair moved into management through the Project Management role in Civil Engineering where as he says, “Planning, scheduling, or design mistakes are corrected with a Bulldozer!”
Since his engineering days, Blair has created robust IT architectures, processes, and infrastructures for multi-billion dollar organizations looking to automate and streamline their businesses. Prior to joining CUSTOMatrix, Blair held Senior Executive Information Technology positions with firms such as LPL Financial and AIG SunAmerica, as well as Senior Management and Consulting positions with Accenture.
Blair holds an MBA in Corporate Finance from the University of Texas at Austin and a BA in Management from St. Mary’s College of California.
Jeff Duncombe
CEO
D4Media, Inc.
The Pursuit of The Future of Media
ABSTRACT:
Looking into the future is always a tricky business, and the future of media in particular has some of the largest companies in the world making big bets on what's next. Come along on the journey of trying to figure this puzzle and looking at the clues provided by the products of yesterday and today. Attendees should have interests in media or trying to tackle big problems from many perspectives.
BIO:
With a varied history from consulting to retail software management to teacher, Jeff has had many opportunities to solve problems in many ways. He developed an inventory stock balancing system for a Fortune 500 company, a A/R system for a billing company and several mission-critical web applications. He started his first company in 1992 and by 1999 had a chance to work for a dot-com (but he's not holding his breath on those stock options). He has four patents granted in the media technology space and continues to seek the holy grail of the future of media. Jeff is currently CEO and founder of D4Media.
Diane Estrada
Chief Executive Officer
HowCanIHelpYou.com
Building Valuable Connections: Lessons Learned from a Reluctant Schoomzer
ABSTRACT:
There is an old Chinese proverb that says, “May you live in interesting times.” These “interesting times” have turned our world and economy upside down. And with all the media hype and attention on gloom and doom it is no wonder we sometimes feel helpless and anxious about our future. Gone are the days of lifelong employment with one employer. Most now change jobs every 2-3 years. It is no secret that successful networking is one of the most important aspects of successful career management and job hunting. But do you cringe at the word “networking” because it connotes social climbing and forced conversations? I did until I realized you can actually start to like networking by crafting your own authentic process. Join me in a fun, interactive hour where we will explore some “best practices” for finding a job and building valuable connections in your field.
BIO:
Diane Estrada, Chief Executive Officer, HowCanIHelpYou.com, brings over 25 years senior executive and general management experience in high growth, information technology and start up operations. An entrepreneurial leader, skilled communicator and team builder, Diane has a proven ability to analyze products, services and launch new markets, introducing strategic and tactical solutions that improve competitive performance while increasing revenues, market share and profits.
Ms. Estrada serves on the boards of Tias Arms, a non-profit that provides hospice care for children in South Africa and Nea Matia, a company whose mission is to develop and supply products and services that encourage women and girls to build healthy self- esteem through uncovering their innate wisdom. Diane holds a B.A. in Business Management from Antioch University, a certificate in Managerial Policy from USC Graduate School of Business and a certificate from Columbia Executive MBA School of Business
Erin Griffin
Chief Information Officer
Screen Actors Guild
A CIO Perspective: From My Desk to Yours
ABSTRACT:
What does life look like from the CIO’s perspective? How can you help your CIO achieve success and be noticed for it? Erin Griffin will discuss what issues are on the CIO’s desk and how her team can help her or hinder her on the road to achieving IT success and excellence. Along the way, Erin will share some tips on how to advance or derail your career from the CIO’s perspective.
BIO:
Erin Griffin serves as the Chief Information Officer for the Screen Actors Guild, the nation’s largest labor union representing working actors. Ms. Griffin is a results-driven CIO with a strong background in all aspects of global IT operations. She has consistently applied her focus on technology innovation and best-practice operational structures to contribute significant value and ROI in key leadership roles within global, non-profit organizations.
Ms. Griffin’s career is marked by both technology innovation and transformation. This is evident in her current role at Screen Actors Guild, where she serves on the strategic senior management team as well as overseeing the Guild’s technology-related operations. From 2004 – 2007 Erin served as Vice President of IT and CIO for Loyola Marymount University. In this role she led several major turnaround projects that took IT operations from an under-performing outsourced division to an award-winning technical support team and strategic partner with business. Ms. Griffin has delivered the same stellar results for St. John’s College and the US Naval Academy as well as for US Naval Hospitals both in the US and abroad - the driving force behind numerous mission-critical IT developments, deployment, and reengineering projects.
Ms. Griffin’s career is underscored by several prestigious awards and recognition, including the CIO 100 Award and CIO Decisions Leadership Awards, board and executive committee involvement, numerous speaking engagements and published articles. She also brings to the table a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from UCLA, an MBA from Loyola Marymount University, multi-lingual skills, and 10 years of overseas experience in diplomatic assignments.
Galen Gruman
Executive Editor
InfoWorld
Where IT Jobs Are Headed
ABSTRACT:
We thought the last few years were tough, what with off shoring, greater user self-management, and the emerging shift towards automated IT such as through cloud computing. Then came the recession, which has put a multiyear damper on many companies’ budgets and thus their technology plans. That means pressure on wages, fewer jobs, and a scramble to be more valuable to your employer. Galen surveys the effects on salary and job trends, and looks at the forces and the effects on core IT jobs, to help IT professionals guide their careers to the best options under today’s extraordinary circumstances.
BIO:
Galen Gruman is Executive Editor for news and features at the IT-oriented Web site InfoWorld.com. He has covered technology and business issues for more than 20 years as a writer and editor for IEEE Software, Macworld, CIO, M-Business, Computerworld, and InfoWorld.
Karen Hansen
President
Hansen Publications
Mind Mapping - Organizing a Brain Dump
ABSTRACT:
Mind mapping is an external manifestation of the complete creative thinking process. Maybe it is a business plan or all the convoluted thoughts of what the plan should include, but there is no order. It’s all in your mind and now you have to get it out and give it some order. When you map the thoughts, you have a visual image of these random ideas and now can sort through them and put them into reasonable chunks, or categories. Soon this will develop into a clear process or sequence of events. Mind mapping helps us organize random thoughts and create actionable knowledge. Problem solving and memory are all served well with the methodology involved in mind mapping. Once the brain dump becomes visual, you can then use it to manage your project, assign tasks and action plans.
Traditional project management tools and approaches like MS Project, Suretrack and P3 can often be overkill and not allow intuitive and creative thinking flow. How do you think?
BIO:
Karen Hansen has been part of the IT industry for many years. Samplings of her clients are Toyota, Honda, DirecTV, Nestlé’s, and Disney. As a technical writer and business analyst for over twenty-five years, Karen has often used mind mapping to capture her client’s ideas and projects planned and completed.
Karen owns Hansen Publications Interchange, LLC. which provides communications consulting and business writing services for a variety of industries. She is also a published author with three fictional novels in print.
Joseph Hurley IV
Sr. Principal Consultant
CA, Inc
Enabling ITIL through a Role-Based CMDB
ABSTRACT:
Understanding ITIL is critical to establishing a Service Focused IT Organization. As a unifying framework, ITIL provides the framework against which all the benefits of Service Management are delivered… and the heart of that foundation is the CMDB.
In this session, we will explore the fundamental aspects of the discipline of Configuration Management and how it defines the CMDB (or CMS). We will also cover what separates the CMDB from the PMDB (Performance Management Database) and the critical reasons for distinction of these datasets. Finally, we will drive into the various use-cases supported by a role-based CMDB.
BIO:
Joseph Hurley has over 15 years experience in IT. He has spent the last 10 years focused primarily on the areas of service management and asset management. A software developer by training, he has worked closely with a wide variety of companies ranging from small startups to the Fortune 500. He operates ITBPL.org, a website devoted to expanding public exposure to IT Best Practices. He has presented at itSMF events, holds certifications in ITIL and ITAM, and is currently a Sr. Principal Consultant for CA, Inc.
Harout Katerjian
CTO
Do’s and Don’ts of SharePoint
ABSTRACT:
As enterprises continue their deployment of SharePoint services across departments the nuances and quarks of SharePoint implementation become more obvious and painful.
In this presentation we’ll cover some of the most common challenges and best practices learned from the tranches of implementing and managing SharePoint. We’ll cover issues related to governance, security, information management, topology and expansion/development o SharePoint.
BIO:
Harout Katerjian is an experienced IT expert serving in roles from Chief Architect to Chief Technology Officer across government, education and finance industries. Harout has spearheaded the development of industry game-changing solutions which shifted focus from customer data management to customer lifecycle management. He is also an expert consultant to Fortune 1000 companies and state governments in implementing enterprise-wide collaboration and content management systems utilizing SharePoint and other platforms. In addition to his technical expertise he poses deep competencies in the deployment and management of off-shore/on-shore development centers with emphasis on improved deliverable quality and reduced risks associated with distributed development teams. In his capacity as an experienced speaker Harout has presented at various conference venues on topics ranging from "MOSS 2007 Application Development" at Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference to a speaking engagements at private and public executive technology events. He is also the author of various white papers on adoption of technology in industry.
Mark Kennaley
President/Principal Consultant
Fourth Medium Consulting Inc
SDLC 3.0 – Post-Agile Pragmatism for Lean IT Value Delivery
ABSTRACT:
“More for less” is now as important as being “agile” within Enterprise IT. And with Agile being stuck in Gartner’s Trough of Disillusionment for a few years now, a natural evolution of software engineering approaches has started to gain momentum. Leveraging Lean Thinking is becoming more the norm in every industry, with IT being ironically a laggard. This presentation describes SDLC 3.0, which represents the next generation of IT delivery principles and practices that yields a holistic, integrated, inclusive and pragmatic approach to Lean Enterprise IT Transformation.
BIO:
Mark Kennaley is President and Principal Consultant with Fourth Medium Consulting Inc., which provides services focused on improving the Enterprise IT Value-Stream. With over 20 years experience within the Information Technology industry, Mark has served clients as a trusted advisor on numerous engagements. Most engagements have been some of the largest software developments within the industry, with headcount in the 1000's, worldwide geographical distribution, cultural diversity and extremely large financial scope. Some notable examples include the re-engineering of the Japanese Banking System and the re-engineering of the Personnel and Payroll systems for the entire United States Department of Defense. He has pragmatically leveraged many bodies of knowledge and a wide range of technologies in delivering innovative solutions to business problems. Mark holds a degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of British Columbia, and leverages his profession and its rigor to deepen industry norms and challenge popular views. Through his experience, lateral vision and analytical abilities, he is uniquely positioned to help enterprises enhance business efficiency and effectiveness.
Jack Molisani
President
ProSpring Technical Staffing
www.ProspringStaffing.com
The Top 10 Mistakes PMs Make When Looking for Work
ABSTRACT:
Have you ever submitted a resume for a position but weren't called for an interview? Or interviewed for a position you wanted but didn't get? Chances are you made one or more mistakes that scuttled your chance of landing the job.
In this session, professional recruiter Jack Molisani will discuss the top 10 mistakes PMs make when looking for work (whether contract, permanent or outsource), with proactive tips on how to avoid these pitfalls and increase your chances of landing that next job or contract.
Want (or need) a new job? Don’t miss this session!
BIO:
Jack Molisani started his career as project officer in the Space Division of the US Air Force and is currently the president of ProSpring Technical Staffing, an employment agency specializing in engineers and project managers: www.ProspringStaffing.com .
Jack also produces The LavaCon Conference on Professional Development. The seventh annual LavaCon will be held October 25–27, 2009 in New Orleans in partnership with the Greater New Orleans PMI Chapter: www.lavacon.org
Jack will be raffling a free entrance to LavaCon at the end of the session, so be sure to bring your business card for the drawing!
Chris Paskach
National Partner-in-Charge
Forensic Technology Services
KPMG LLP
Corporate Risk Management – Opportunities for Improvement
ABSTRACT:
Governmental investigations and civil litigation have cost corporations billions of dollars for processes related to the reactive management of electronically stored information (ESI). Many of these companies have decided that it is in their best interest to be proactive in this regard, thereby cutting down the amount of ESI that would be subject to an investigation or litigation. Mr. Paskach will discuss how corporations are using external service providers or assigning internal resources to put in place and manage programs to effectively manage risk related to corporate electronically stored information.
BIO:
Chris Paskach is a Partner in KPMG LLP’s Forensic Services practice and is the US Partner-In-Charge of the Forensic Technology Services group. Mr. Paskach has more than 30 years experience in computer auditing and in performing analyses of corporate data in complex litigation. He has served on the California Society of CPA’s Litigation Sections and formerly led the computer audit function for a major office of an internationally recognized accounting firm. Mr. Paskach has testified on electronic discovery issues in federal courts and made numerous presentations on the topic of discovery of electronic data and effectively using technology in litigation to audiences throughout the U.S., U.K. and Australia. He is a participant in The Sedona Conference Working Group 1 and RFP+ Vendor Panel and a member of the EDRM Advisory Council.
Paul Reilly
VP of Service Management
Bank of America
ITIL - it's importance and value to an organization's success and how it affects your career path
ABSTRACT:
What is IT Service Management and why should I care? It’s a question that I hear from IT Leaders who have yet to understand its benefits. ITSM and ITIL are becoming more widely used today and are critical to your success as an IT Leader and/or Project Manager. I invite you to spend an hour with me learning what ITIL is and how it can help you become more valuable and build transferable skills others do not have.
BIO:
Since 1998 Paul has worked for both the Telecom and Financial Services industry where he has directed an IT PMO, IT Operations, and Account Management. In addition he has managed Incident Management (Help Desk) and Problem Management.. His current position is Vice President of Service Management at Bank of America where he manages Service Level Management and assists with acquisition transition. Paul has been successful at building organizations, driving cost out of the business, improving the value of IT and its services, and increasing customer satisfaction.
Paul is the Vice President of the IT Service Management Forum (ITSMF) for both the San Fernando Valley and Ventura County areas and has spoken at many ITSMF engagements. He holds both an ITIL and Cisco CCNP certification along with a Bachelors degree in business from Pepperdine University and a combined IT and Business Masters degree from California Lutheran University.
Talent Management Across the Generations: Strategies for the IT Industry
ABSTRACT:
40% of Baby Boomers say they are seeking job opportunities in other organizations or looking for a major career change. Over 30% of Generation Xers would rather go to the dentist than attend their company’s orientation program. Retention among Millennials (the youngest generation in the workforce) is an increasingly serious problem among U.S. employers. As turn-over related costs continue to rise, organizations must revamp talent management strategies with an intergenerational focus.
-- What are the different generational markers and motivations for work?
-- How will demographic shifts in the US labor market impact the IT industry?
-- What can IT executives do to increase retention across generations?
-- How can technology companies tailor recruitment strategies to attract target populations?
Join Amy Hirsh Robinson, Principal of the Interchange Group, as she discusses the unique challenges generational differences bring to the workforce and what professionals in the IT industry can do to create a competitive advantage.
BIO:
Amy Robinson, M.B.A., is the Founder and Principal of the Interchange Consulting Group, a Los Angeles based workplace consultancy. She is a professional business speaker, executive coach and organizational development consultant specializing in the impact of demographic shifts in the workplace. Her work has helped professional services firms, Fortune 500 corporations, business owners, and non-profit agencies to attract and manage talent to meet the demands of a competitive marketplace.
Prior to founding the Interchange Consulting Group, Amy held a variety of consulting and managerial positions in Strategy, Change Management, Human Resources, Marketing and Customer Service in the United States and Europe. She has presented at many prestigious associations over the years and is the author or several white papers on the topic of generational diversity.
Amy received her MBA in Strategy and Organizational Development from the Anderson School at UCLA and her BA in International Relations from Vassar College. She is also a qualified administrator of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, DiSC and several other interpersonal and professional development assessment tools.
Steve Romeo
Vice President Of IT
Breg/Orthofix
LEADERSHIP - Delivering exceptional results through collaboration, passion, and courage!
ABSTRACT:
We’ve all worked for leaders that inspire us, give us direction, and drive at results. The best leaders achieve goals through empowering teams and help "point the compass" towards success. Leadership is about creating momentum and direction towards a goal; however, it is so much more. Successful leaders must have the courage, passion, and collaborative skills to create the vision to achieve a goal.
In his presentation, Steve will share his experiences as a technology leader and how he has transformed IT into a Strategic Advisor for BREG through leadership and vision. He will share some of his most powerful project management experiences and the challenges he faced helping make BREG a leader in the medical device world.
Steve will also share personal insights on how collaboration, passion, and courage have shaped him as a leader… and how your values shape you and your career! This won’t be your "run of the mill" meeting. It will be infused with passion and courage as Steve collaborates with you on how to energize your future!!
BIO:
Steve Romeo is an IT leader with a passion for blending technology with business opportunity to achieve exceptional results. Steve’s experience ranges from manufacturing IT leadership to defense information systems management. In his current role, Steve is the Vice President of IT for Breg/Orthofix, a medical device manufacturer located in San Diego. Steve is involved in a number of professional organizations, including the CIO Roundtable of San Diego, the Oracle Application User Group, and the Association of IT Professionals. Steve was recognized as one of the first Oracle ACE Directors in 2007, a San Diego Technology Executive of the year in 2008, a Computerworld Premier 100 IT Leader in 2009, and acted as a judge for the San Diego Business Journal’s 2009 IT Exec of the Year awards.
He was appointed to the San Diego Data Processing Corporation Board of Directors on September 10, 2009
Kimberly Roush
Founder and CEO
All-Star Executive Coaching
http://www.allstarexecutivecoaching.com
“Step away from the computer and step in front of your team” - going from being a manager to being a leader
ABSTRACT:
Rising through the ranks in any organization usually involves moving away from managing the technical aspects of a job to leading people. Many find it difficult to leave the comforts of their strengths and push themselves beyond their comfort zone to learn new skills. After all, the technical knowledge or ability to dive in and get the job done has contributed to their success to date. But being a leader means moving from ‘doing things right’ to ‘doing the right things’ and getting others to do the same. Learn the importance of listening, understanding and influencing others to drive success and be recognized as a leader.
BIO:
Kimberly Roush is the Founder of All-Star Executive Coaching which helps executives achieve professional excellence, fun and fulfillment in work and in life. She is a former ‘Big 4’ partner having worked in both the financial audit and IT security and controls practices and brings 24 year of business experience to her coaching. Her experience working with clients and advising C-Level executives and Boards’ of Directors spans from small business executives to those in Global enterprises and from personal and professional development issues to leadership, communications, teamwork, work-life balance, accounting and auditing issues, IT issues, and quality initiatives.
Kimberly is a Certified Co-Active Professional Coach and holds a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Commerce with an emphasis in accounting from Rider University. She is also a California CPA. She is a member of
-- The International Coach Federation,
-- The Professional Coaches and Mentor’s Association
-- The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants,
-- Cal CPA,
-- The Association for Corporate Growth
-- The Board of Trustees of the Pacific Southwest Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and former Treasurer
-- She also serves as a Member of the Advisory Committee and Mentor for the University of California Irvine, Paul Merage School of Business Executive-to-Executive MBA Mentor Program.
Kimberly resides in Villa Park, California with her husband and canine child. Her hobbies include running marathons, hiking, and biking.
Dr. Don Saracco
Principal, Organizational Development
Craft Strategies, LLC.
Organization 3.0
ABSTRACT:
In this presentation the disturbing and exciting truth about where organization design is inevitably headed in a world disenchanted with too much hierarchy and too little accountability, as well as the constant need for speed, accuracy, delighted customers, empowered people and continuous improvement. Dr. Saracco will discuss existing and new forms of organization and management that are being brought into being by changes happening now and soon to affect everyone in some way. These changes include our current economic situation as well as trends begun two minutes, two years, and two decades ago or more. Professionals in management roles will be exposed to the challenges and opportunities inherent in their future environment. This discussion reveals the next waves in the set that includes “The Third Wave” and other prophetic writings.
BIO:
More than thirty years ago, Don Saracco made a life commitment to the development of human potential. This commitment led him to study education, individual psychology, and organizational development formally and in the context of his employment as a functional manager, a personal counselor, a corporate training and development professional and corporate executive. His education culminated in an earned doctorate in Human Performance at Work from the University of Southern California (and yes, UCLA is also a very fine school).
After serving in the United States Air Force as a commissioned officer, Dr. Saracco moved into the private sector for direct experience in leading and managing in a nationwide NGO; a large HMO System; a Fortune 500 manufacturer and marketer of consumer goods; and the executive team of a services holding company. His first twenty years of work life urged him to choose a role thereafter as an external rather than internal consultant and he has been doing that and teaching at the graduate level ever since. Don’s greatest satisfaction as a person comes when a client reaches a new level of joy associated with realizing personal or organizational potential.
Dr. Saracco lives in Brea, CA with his wife, Melanie and their cat, Oso Gato, as well as the occasional friend or relative.
Kat Shepherd
Owner/Consultant
The Ultimate Professional
Social Networking to Advance Your Career
ABSTRACT:
Social networking’s online community sites bring millions of people of various origins and interests together. This huge number of people put together in a community is exactly the reason why social networking sites are good avenues to promote your career. Find out how from an expert.
BIO:
Kat Shepherd is a dynamic and powerful speaker that incorporates an energetic unique style to engage her audience in an array of business topics including practices and how to perfect them. Both veterans and those new to business take away something valuable when listening to her speak. Kat is able to do this by speaking from a profound place of experience in the business world. From a start-up company to a multi-million dollar enterprise, she has maneuvered through economic instability, common pitfalls in the business world and those not so common. In speaking on any topic, Kat infuses comical anecdotes, and true life instances to highlight key points.
Martin Stenkilde
Test Manager
IBM
Staying Ahead of the Hackers
ABSTRACT:
Web site security should be a top priority for organizations intent on protecting sensitive company, customer, and employee data, on meeting regulatory and corporate compliance requirements, and on defending against the high cost of a data breach. Web sites and their applications are high-focus targets for hackers as they provide a direct route to corporate or personal data.
The security landscape is changing - and at a rapid pace. More than ever it is relevant for Quality Assurance professionals to be aware and equipped to deal with emerging security threats.
In this presentation we will cover the most up to date trends on the kind of attacks we are constantly bombarded with, including details on how they work as well as strategies on how to deal with them.
BIO:
Martin Stenkilde, a native of Denmark, started his professional career in quality management while working for Rational software's European Headquarters in Amsterdam.
After a short stint in the media industry he became a performance and security testing consultant with Zyntax - a premier IBM business partner where he functioned as the primary consultant for 5 years before joining the IBM Rational team in Southern California.
Martin is an certified IBM Test Manager, WebSphere Solution sales professional, ISEB professional, CISSP and holds a master certification from the Open group.
Thomas Stilling
Executive Director
Promotion and Product Management for Home Entertainment
Fox Filmed Entertainment Group
Art vs. Science: Harnessing the Conflicting Core Values of Marketing and IT
ABSTRACT:
There has been, and probably always will be, a divide between the organizational missions of those teams who value creative intuition and those that value process and controlled structure. The IT Manager strives for infrastructure stability, data integrity, security, and standardization while the Marketing manager aims for creative differentiation, agility, a unique brand experience, and disruptive innovation. Previously, Marketing and IT often functioned happily isolated from each other - with today’s challenging business environment and the rise in social networking, digital assets / marketing and strict data-driven decision making, IT has a unique opportunity to expand its portfolio into the creative realm and add compelling strategic value. Mr. Stilling will discuss the challenges, opportunities, and roadmap for building successful Marketing / IT alliances.
BIO:
Thomas is an Executive Director with the Fox Filmed Entertainment group overseeing Promotion and Product Management for Home Entertainment; a role that encompasses Sales & Communications, Operational Strategy, product Quality Assurance, and related IT initiatives. Previously a member of Fox’s Worldwide Home Entertainment IT Business Process Improvement team, Thomas has lead diverse IT and BPI project teams relating to Y2K, European Monetary Union, Marketing Planning, and E Learning system and process implementations. As a consultant with KPMG and BearingPoint for 10 years, Thomas was a founding member of E Learning and Marketing Planning focused practices – at a time when the divide between Marketing and IT was even greater – and lead international project teams, bridging the gap between conflicting organizational and cultural dynamics. A facilitator and speaker who has worked with a diverse range of financial, commercial services, and entertainment organizations, Thomas’s efforts to improve organizational process and build collaboration are on-going in his current operational role at Fox.
Pattie Vargas
Principal and Founder
The Vargas Group
EXTREME Project Management Makeover!
ABSTRACT:
It’s a new game with new job requirements - the job description for a project manager sounds more like an organizational leader. To compete in today’s ever-changing environment, project managers need an Extreme Makeover!
The extreme project manager must …
• Assume a leadership role
• Invest in team development
• Effectively manage conflict
• Balance Accountability with Empowerment
Participants will learn strategies for building strong teams while managing individuals, pick up tips for managing and using conflict to improve team relationships, and discover new methods and activities for building team camaraderie.
BIO:
Pattie Vargas, Principal and founder of The Vargas Group, brings a strong background in business management, project management, and practical experience challenging and motivating organizations and individuals to develop self-motivated, high-performing work teams. Her success lies in inspiring peak performance and outstanding achievements, despite the typical organizational constraints related to budget, time or resources. Her focus on the importance of developing strong interpersonal skills and relationships is instrumental to achieving success.
Pattie has a bachelor’s degree in Business Management, a Master's Degree in Organizational Management and PMP certification from Project Management Institute. She has been published in ISSIG Bits, a PMI publication specific to Information Technology projects, BizSanDiego, ASTD Training Trends, PM Connection and Women in Technology International. Her team-building techniques have been featured in PM Network magazine. She is a frequent national conference speaker on the topics of Leadership, Team-building, and Performance Improvement. The American Business Women’s Association named Pattie one of the 2007 Top 10 Business Women and she was nominated to the 2008 Women Who Mean Business List by the San Diego Business Journal. Her book, EXTREME Project Manager Makeover, was released in 2008.
Greg Wood
President
TheHireRoad, LLC
Broadcast Your Value, Not Your Resume
ABSTRACT:
If you’re currently in transition, or contemplating a job change, you’ve most likely discovered a traditional system of finding employment that is no longer effective. In order to succeed you must be creative in order to differentiate yourself from all others in today’s highly competitive job market.
This presentation addresses the need for a strategic versus traditional approach to job search. No longer can you rely on a sparkling resume and cover letter to get you in front of the hiring manager. Learn the strategies and techniques that help you effectively market yourself by focusing focus on your value, not your resume. Expand your professional network and tap into the hidden job market by working smarter, not harder. This approach gives you the opportunity to conduct strategic interviews that will clearly separate you from your competition and shorten your time in transition.
BIO:
Gregory Wood, President of TheHireRoad, LLC brings a wealth of expertise to the field of career counseling. Mr. Wood’s background includes more than 30 years of business experience, primarily in sales and marketing, where he has held senior management positions with mid-size as well as major Fortune 500 corporations including News Corporation, Corning, Inc. and Quest Diagnostics.
Several times during his career in the corporate world Mr. Wood experienced firsthand the challenges and anxiety of being unemployed. His frustration with an ineffective, traditional system of finding employment led him to the field of career counseling, which reflects his true passion for helping people succeed in their careers. Since then he has worked with hundreds of professionals in transition, both individually and in group outplacement environments, leading him to become a Certified Career Management Professional. Following the suggestion of many of his clients, Mr. Wood created TheHireRoad to provide others with his radically new approach to transition, thereby empowering them to find the right job in the least amount of time.
Mr. Wood is actively involved in volunteer work at the University of California – Irvine, and is a frequent speaker at career transition groups and other professional networking organizations in the Southern California area. He holds a Bachelors degree in Business Administration from the University of Portland in Oregon.
Omar Yakar
Founder
Advisage
An Introduction to Cloud Computing
ABSTRACT
Cloud Computing sounds like the coming wave in IT innovation. With companies like Amazon, Microsoft, Dell and others racing to gain market share, this seminar explores what they offer or plan to offer the marketplace. Cloud computing advocates see it as the answer to challenges of expandability, availability and cost containment. Corporate IT departments and the system integration community see it as a potential threat. The concepts and realities of cloud computing are discussed as well as the components that organizations can develop into their own private cloud environments.
BIO:
Omar Yakar is an Information Technology industry thought leader and articulate speaker with over 17 years of experience in the computer and technology industry built on a career of solid technical consulting, business operations and management, with a proven track record in providing technology solutions to business challenges. Omar also has a strong foundation as a specialist in business continuity and disaster recovery; cloud computing, virtualization and application delivery infrastructure deriving from experience in the design, build-out and management of data facilities for companies ranging from entrepreneurial start-ups to Fortune 1000 corporations.
Omar Yakar founded Advisage in June 2007 with a belief in the benefits of working with high end IT and management resources, only as needed and at fixed fees. Advisage works through your favorite solution partner providing fixed fee Strategic Advisory Services in the arenas of Business Continuity/Disaster Recovery; Business & IT Alignment; Strategic IT roadmaps; Cloud Computing; Virtualization; Application Delivery Infrastructure and Virtual C-level Officers on a part-time, fixed fee basis. From 2001-2007, as CEO and Principal Founder of Agile360, Inc., Omar was responsible for growing the company from $280k in 2001 revenues to $12.5 million in revenues in 2006, making #244 on the prestigious 2006 Inc. 500 Fastest Growing Companies in America list. During his tenure, Agile360 rose from a start up to achieving Citrix Platinum, VMware Premiere & Market Maker of the Americas award 2005, Microsoft Gold & 1 of only 2 managed Gold partners in Orange County to be invited into the Virtual TSP program w/advanced infrastructure competency; PlateSpin Western Region Partner of the Year and numerous other awards. Omar wrote articles for Smart Business Magazine's Technology Insights edition in Orange & LA County.
At the turn of the century, Omar was a strategic director at FutureLink, an early Application Service Provider and founder of the ASP consortium. Omar led the teams responsible for the design and management of 5 hosting facilities worldwide, the security teams, service delivery, help desk, NOC and R&D teams. Prior to FutureLink, Omar held several Director level positions of increasing responsibility from Director of Professional Services to Western
Region P&L responsibility for an annual $18mm business.
Subject Matter Expertise:
Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery planning and infrastructure; Virtualization architecture; Citrix application delivery infrastructure; Microsoft CoreIO and advanced infrastructure; collocation and networking architecture; IT Operations; Application Service Provider architecture; remote management; Justified and Optimized IT implementation.
Omar is an articulate thought leader in the concept of service oriented infrastructure and frequently called upon for speaking engagements by major technology manufacturers and has written several articles published in Smart Business Magazine.
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