Georgia CIO Leadership Association Archives

Frank Bell, Founder of Inspire CIO visits Booth 61 with Ricky Steele

November 30, 2018 by Ricky Steele

Booth 61 with Ricky Steele

Frank Bell, Founder of Inspire CIO visits Booth 61 with Ricky Steele

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On the 20th Anniversary of the Georgia CIO of the Year award, Booth 61 was honored to host the Founder of Intellinet, and The Georgia CIO Leadership Forum, now known as Inspire CIO, Mr. Frank Bell. I first met Frank in the mid-1990’s through the High Tech Prayer Ministries. Frank is a visionary leader in our community and I am honored to call him a friend. Join us as Frank shares what he and his team have accomplished over the past 20 years and where the future is headed for Inspire CIO.

Dave Barnes given the 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award by the Georgia CIO Leadership Association

December 19, 2017 by angishields

Booth 61 with Ricky Steele

Dave Barnes given the 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award by the Georgia CIO Leadership Association

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Booth 61 with Ricky Steele had the honor of hosting Dave Barnes on November 15^th shortly after Dave was awarded the Life Time Achievement Award you see in the photo. Dave is the former CIO of UPS after starting his career as a loader/packer. Dave is not only a great business success but he is one of Atlanta’s most giving community servants by giving his time and resources to the United Way of Atlanta, TechBridge and the Georgia CIO Leadership Association.

Having hosted many episodes over the past 7 years, this interview with Dave is in the top 3 of all time. In just15 minutes, Dave Barnes teaches an MBA course on life. Dave is genuine, articulate, kind, loving, and transparent. I found myself laughing, nodding in agreement and even shedding a tear or two listening to Dave share from his heart. Dave Barnes is The Real Deal, my friends. I believe this interview should be heard by most everyone in the technology industry especially those under the age of 30. Dave shares life lessons that will help you become the person you would like to become.

Ben Hendrick, Managing Director, Global Delivery – Enterprise Systems & Networking for the Dell Corporation

November 18, 2015 by Ricky

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Booth 61 with Ricky Steele

Ben Hendrick, Managing Director, Global Delivery - Enterprise Systems & Networking for the Dell Corporation

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As always it was an honor and privilege to have Ben Hendrick join me in Booth 61 at the GCLA 2015 CIO of the Year breakfast. I met Ben in 2006 or 2007 while he was earning his MBA at Kennesaw State University. Ben and I became more than friends. Many call us Brothers from different Mothers. 🙂

I am in awe of what Ben has accomplished since joining Dell in 2009. Everyone knows who Michael Dell is and the great success of his company. In 2009, I did not know anyone who worked at Dell nor did I ever see anyone from Dell at industry events. Within a year of Ben joining the company he became the Face of Dell in Atlanta. There were not 10 CIO’s in Atlanta who could have given you the name of their sales executive from Dell in 2009. Today there is not a CIO in Atlanta who does not know and respect Ben Hendrick. Ben is the Face at TAG, TechBridge, WIT and so many other organizations in our community. The Dell After-Party at the annual Techbridge Digital Ball is legendary.

If you don’t know Ben Hendrick, I hope you will listen to this short interview and then connect with Ben on LinkedIn or other social media. You will connect with one of the greats!

James Dallas, Life Time Achievement Recipient at GCLA’s 2015 CIO of the Year Awards

November 15, 2015 by Ricky

Booth 61 with Ricky Steele

James Dallas, Life Time Achievement Recipient at GCLA's 2015 CIO of the Year Awards

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It was an incredible honor to have as my first guest on Booth 61 with Ricky Steele on Friday, November 13th, 2015, Mr. James Dallas. James is the 2015 Life Time Achievement Award winner from the Georgia CIO Leadership Association.

I have had the privilege of knowing James for about 10 years. He is the Real Deal. Not only a successful CIO who started as a junior accountant but also as an engaging public speaker and author of “Mastering the Challenges of Leading Change.” In addition, but just as important to James, he is a role model husband, father, grandfather, friend and mentor to many. I know you will enjoy this interview with my friend and the 2015 Life Time Achievement Award Winner, Mr. James Dallas.

Women In Technology (WIT) Special Episode

November 12, 2015 by ryanredhawk

Atlanta Tech Leaders

Women In Technology (WIT) Special Episode

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The work of Women in Technology has an incredible impact.

Since 1992, Women in Technology has had a mission dedicated to promoting the advancement of women in Georgia’s technology community. Through the WIT COMMUNITY, WIT Also educates and encourages girls and young women to pursue careers in STEM.

Sandy Welfare, Janet Barnard, Jackie Breiter

Sandy Welfare / WIT

Women in Technology (WIT) today announced the appointment of Sandy Welfare as its Interim Executive Director. Sandy will lead WIT, the Atlanta-based non-profit organization dedicated to supporting women and girls in STEM careers – through a transition from an association management firm to a more independent model.

“Given Sandy’s international business and systems background, as well as her multiple years’ experience leading a non-profit, she was an excellent choice for WIT as we assimilate our operations back in-house,” said Tricia Dempsey, WIT Inc. Board President.

Prior to joining WIT, Sandy was the Executive Director of Cool Girls, Inc., an award-winning early intervention after-school program dedicated to the empowerment of low-income girls. “Sandy has a clear passion for the empowerment of girls, a valuable contribution to our continued growth,” added Denise Reese, WIT Foundation Board President.

Sandy’s career began in 1989 in Greenwich, Connecticut where she joined Rand Insurance as the operations controller. Six years later, she accepted a position with Lucent Technologies, an international telecommunications leader, holding a number of positions from 1994-2000, including serving as accounting and treasury manager in Singapore and then as senior operations manager in Australia and New Zealand. Sandy returned to Atlanta in 2002 as senior manager of global financial services.

In 2003, Sandy accepted a position as director of operations for Xchanging, a business processing outsourcing company. In 2006, her career took her to London, England, as managing director for professional services, where she managed global business processing services for bank financial transactions, insurance and retail. Two years later, Sandy returned to the Atlanta area and was asked to chair the Cool Girls’ Board of Directors. In 2009, Sandy was offered the Executive Director position, which she accepted and led the organization until stepping down in October 2014.

Sandy received her undergraduate degree from St. John’s University in New York, and a Master of Business Administration from Sacred Heart University in Connecticut.

Welfare will be based at the new WIT Executive Offices, effective December 2014.

Janet Barnard/Manheim North America Cox Automotive

President

Janet Barnard is president of Manheim North America. In this role, she acts as a member of Cox Automotive’s leadership team and directs several groups at Manheim engaged in transforming the company’s core auction business with its 79 operating locations into one that incorporates an expanding digital and mobile strategy. Groups that report to Barnard include Sales, Inventory Services and Customer Experience. Barnard most recently served as executive vice president and chief operating officer at Manheim. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Cox Enterprises.

Prior to joining Manheim, Barnard served as senior vice president and general manager for Cox Communications’ (CCI) Central Region. Her responsibilities included growing the $1.2 billion region’s voice, data and video services across its residential and commercial base of more than 700,000 customers. Prior to that role, Barnard was senior vice president and general manager for other Cox Communications regional business areas including Northern Virginia, Middle America and Omaha.

Recognized by Women in Technology (WIT) as one of Georgia’s top women leaders, she was the winner of the 2014 Woman of the Year in Technology Award in the Large/Enterprise Organization category. In 2010, Barnard was named as a Betsy Magness Leadership Institute Fellow, which honors the most successful female leaders in the cable and telecommunications industry. She was also selected by CableFAX as a Top 25 Regional Player and as one of the Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Cable.

Barnard gives back to her community by representing Cox Enterprises on the Board of Governors of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and through her role as the Executive Sponsor for Cox Automotive’s Go Green Council which implements best practices designed to reduce the company’s environmental footprint. In addition, she supports and participates in the Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America (KPCRAA) to raise funds and awareness for Victory Junction and other charities supporting chronically ill children.

She resides in Atlanta with her husband Bryan, and has two children and three grandchildren. She enjoys golf, travel and motorcycling.

Jackie Breiter/Emory Goizueta Business School

COO and CIO

Jackie Breiter drives the strategic direction and management for all aspects of technology relating to teaching, faculty research, students,

and administration for the Goizueta Business School at Emory University. She is a recognized leader that combines technological knowledge with strong strategy and communication skills. Her particular expertise is in aligning organizational objectives with real-world solutions and a “get it done” approach.

Prior to joining Goizueta, Jackie built and led teams in various industries including telecommunications, software, and health care. Jackie served for nearly four years as vice president of global customer success for CA Technologies, an IT management software and solutions company. At CA she led a global team responsible for increasing customer loyalty among the firm’s top CIO clients. She previously served for nearly three years as vice president of technical services at PharMerica Inc., where she was responsible for setting the technical vision and managing the operations of PharMerica’s IT services. Jackie started her career at AT&T, where she worked for 12 years in logistics management and automation, as well as in almost every functional area within IT. It was at AT&T where she built the foundation for her leadership and technology expertise.

Special Edition: Georgia CIO Leadership Association

June 4, 2015 by rhondachale

Atlanta Tech Leaders

Special Edition: Georgia CIO Leadership Association

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Karen Renner / Novelis

Karen Renner is Vice President and Chief Information Officer with Novelis, Inc. in Atlanta, GA.

Karen was born in Camp Zama, Japan. She attended Auburn University in Auburn, AL and graduated with a B.S. Degree and M.S Degree – both in Industrial Engineering. She began her career with Lockheed Martin in engineering. While at Lockheed, Karen attended Georgia State University where she received a MBA in Finance. After three years in Atlanta, she moved to Nashville, TN as an Industrial Engineer with Northern Telecom. In Nashville, she transferred to Emerson Electric for three years as Operations Manager in the temperature controls division. In Nashville, Karen also worked as a part-time instructor in Financial Accounting at Cumberland University. She joined General Electric in 1992 in the GE Capital division. She held a variety of positions in engineering, call center management, technology, operations, e-business, IT and Six Sigma. In 1999, she was appointed quality leader TMS and in 2000, CIO for IT Solutions Products division. Karen joined GE Energy in October 2001 in Atlanta, GA to lead Acquisition Integration. In September 2005, she became the CIO GE Security in Bradenton, Florida. In 2010 she was named CIO, GE Digital Energy. Karen was appointed Vice President and CIO, Novelis in October 2010. As head of Novelis’ IT group and member of the company’s Executive Committee, Ms. Renner is responsible for the development and execution of the company’s global information technology and business information strategy. Additionally, she is the executive sponsor or the company’s business process transformation, which is currently under way across its worldwide operations.

Active in her profession, Ms. Renner is a member of the advisory board of Georgia CIO Leadership Association (GCLA.)Ms. Renner was the 2013 Global CIO of Year Award winner. She also serves on the Board of Directors for TechBridge, an Atlanta-based nonprofit organization that provides IT consulting, hosting and outsourcing services to other nonprofit organizations and has served as a volunteer judge for the 2012 and 2013 TechBridge Technology Innovative Awards. She served as the co-host for the 2014 TechBridge Digital Ball.

Throughout her career, Ms. Renner has been active with various IT-related and women in technology groups and has served in IT advisory roles for nonprofit organizations, including the United Way of Greater Atlanta.

Karen is married to Jim and they have a son and daughter. She enjoys golf, tennis, running and football.

Special Edition: Georgia CIO Leadership Association

March 5, 2015 by rhondachale

Atlanta Tech Leaders

Special Edition: Georgia CIO Leadership Association

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Kelly Harris / Georgia CIO Leadership Association

The GCLA is Georgia’s preeminent professional association for senior technology leaders. The GCLA exists to provide a forum to share ideas, best practices and experiences relevant to CIOs. It is committed to creating opportunities for Georgia CIOs to engage in substantive, issues-based discussion related to their industries and profession. The organization promotes industry growth and professional development by hosting luncheons, round tables and executive events that facilitate valuable interaction among senior-level experts as well as the Georgia CIO of the Year® Awards community-wide annual event.

Kenny Coleman / Southern Company

A 15-year veteran of Southern Company, Kenny has held leadership positions of increasing importance in Wholesale and Retail Marketing, External Affairs, Customer Operations and IT. He has been CIO for the past 3.5 years and leads a team of more than 1,100 employees across the Southern Company footprint that develops and supports more than 800 applications; manages more than 4 zetabytes of data; leads our efforts on cyber security; and manages a telecom network that spans more than 120,000 square miles.

Kenny has been very involved in his community serving in leadership capacities for the 100 Black Men of Atlanta, University of New Haven Business School advisory board; Georgia CIO Leadership Association; and YearUp.

Michael Long CIO Georgia Department Of Revenue

November 7, 2014 by rhondachale

Atlanta Tech Leaders

Michael Long CIO Georgia Department Of Revenue

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Michael Long / Georgia Department of Revenue

Michael is currently Chief Information Officer for the Georgia Department of Revenue and was 2013 Georgia CIO of the year. Michael is responsible for enterprise wide information technology; infrastructure, operations, applications development, networking, support, IT governance, security and business development in support of the following revenue divisions:- Alcohol & Tobacco, Compliance, Special Investigation, Local Government Services, Motor Vehicle, Taxpayer Services, Tax Policy, Processing Center, Finance and Human Resources.

Prior to the Department of Revenue, he was Chief Information Officer and Vice President, Information Technology at USTravel, a large corporate and leisure Travel Company based in Atlanta, Georgia. Michael developed an overall corporate information vision and strategy, introduced a new CRM system and created a competitive business advantage through the use of leading-edge technology.

Prior to that, he was Vice President of Global IT Infrastructure & Operations at Knowledge Learning Corporation. In this role, Michael was responsible for the strategy, planning, direction and coordination of all activities associated with delivering reliable computer infrastructure, applications and networking services throughout the company. This includes voice and data networks, Windows systems, Computing Services, Change management and customer service, including Data Center Operations, Capacity Planning and Disaster Recovery.

Prior to that, he was Interim Vice President of Information Technology Service at WellPoint, a $40 billion healthcare insurance provider. There, he was responsible for the enterprise-wide IT and networking systems, from which he drove a total restructuring of the IT infrastructure and implemented a framework for financial reporting. Prior to WellPoint, he was SVP Information Systems for TCIM Services, there he managed 14 call centers with over 4,500 seats in the US and Canada, established strong relationships with vendors and maintained a 24-hour, 7-day a week call center. Prior to TCIM he was Chief Information Officer and Senior Vice President of Group 4 Securicor, Plc where he designed and implemented a passenger tracking system for Delta and United Airlines and negotiated and implemented a new managed network service offering from a leading network vendor. Michael has also held key IT positions with Galileo International, one of the world’s largest providers of electronic global distribution services, connecting 44,000 travel agencies across the world and Carlson Wagonlit Travel, a $22 billion company with a network of more than 3,000 locations in 150 countries.

Jay Ferro / American Cancer Society

Jay is currently Chief Information Officer for the American Cancer Society (ACS), a nationwide, community-based voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, the American Cancer Society has more than 900 local offices nationwide and a presence in more than 5,100 communities. Jay is responsible for the people, strategy and operations of the Global Information Technology organization.

Prior to joining ACS in 2012, Jay served as Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer for AdCare Health Systems, a rapidly growing and recognized innovator in health care facility management. Jay spent the previous 7 years at AIG (American International Group), most recently as VP and CIO for AIG Aerospace, a leading global aerospace insurer. At AIG, Jay implemented numerous improvements that have delivered substantial value to the organization while managing significant organizational change in a turbulent market environment. In addition to his role as AVP of Information Technology with AIG Personal Lines, Jay was selected as CFO for Operations and Systems in 2006 and led multiple global IT Finance and Governance Standards initiatives that resulted in millions of dollars in savings for the organization.

Jay continues to be a thought leader in the Information Technology arena and is a frequent guest speaker and panelist, both in Atlanta and Nationwide. In recognition of his accomplishments, Jay was selected as Georgia CIO of the Year in 2011, and is currently serving as Chair for the Georgia CIO Leadership Association.

His commitment and dedication to community involvement is evidenced by the time and energy he contributes. In 2007, he founded the non-profit group, Priscilla’s Promise, in honor of his late wife, which raises funds for cervical cancer education and research, and currently serves as its Executive Director. In 2011 he was elected to the Board of Directors for TechBridge, an Atlanta-based nonprofit organization which helps other nonprofits use technology to improve their capability to serve the community, and in 2013 was named Board Chair.

Jay earned both his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and his Masters of Business Administration from The University of Georgia. Jay continues to be involved with his alma mater, both as a mentor for young alumni and as a member of the Alumni Board of Directors for the Terry College of Business.

Jay lives in the Metro Atlanta Area with his 3 sons: Trey, Connor and Alex.

Special Edition: Georgia CIO Leadership Association

August 7, 2014 by rhondachale

Atlanta Tech Leaders

Special Edition: Georgia CIO Leadership Association

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Curt Carver / Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia

Curtis A. Carver Jr., Ph.D., is the vice chancellor and chief information officer for the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia (USG). In this capacity, he oversees a statewide educational infrastructure and service organization with more than 250 innovators and an annual investment in higher education of more than $70 million. He also provides technical oversight for the USG Shared Services Center.

With a mix of military and academic experience, Carver has led the transformation of USG Information Technology Services by partnering with USG business owners, institutions, and other state agencies. The introduction of private cloud services, entrepreneurial offerings, new learning management system, new data systems, social media, unified communications, strategic partner engagement, and a focused and aligned financial model has been well received in Georgia and around the nation.

Through his leadership, he’s garnered national recognition for the University System of Georgia including the 2012 Global CIO Break Away Leader Award, 2012 and 2013 Georgia State Technology Innovation Award, 2013 InformationWeek500 Top Innovative Organizations (ranked in the top 10), 2013 InformationWeek 20 Best Ideas to Steal, 2013 N2N Champions of Innovation, 2013 Atlanta Telecommunications Professional Leadership Impact Award, 2013 InformationWeek Chiefs of the Year, the 2014 ComputerWorld Premiere100 IT Leaders, and the 2014 InformationWeek Elite 100.

Prior to the USG, Dr. Carver served at the U.S. Military Academy – West Point in a number of positions including interim vice dean of education, vice dean for resources, associate dean for academic computing, and IT program director. Carver led efforts that were successful in more than doubling student participation in international experiences and substantially expanded programs addressing the needs of at-risk students. In addition, he coordinated significant revisions to the curriculum, facilitated the completion of the construction of a $72 million library and learning center, secured funding for a $182 million renovation of the science building, and supported efforts to accredit the institution regionally.

Carver’s 27-year military career includes appointments as platoon leader, senior signal officer, company commander, battalion operations officer, division deputy G6, and military mentor. He lived in Korea and Italy, and was deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq, where he served as a strategic mentor to build their respective national military academies.

Throughout his career, Carver has been engaged in the active leadership of military, academic, research, and service organizations. He has served as a member of a number of governing bodies or executive boards including the Computer Science Accreditation Board, Computer Accreditation Commission, multiple CIO Executive Summits, and the Federal Information Assurance Conference. He is a senior-level member in the Association for Computing Machinery and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers professional societies and continues to play an active role in shaping the national agenda in technology, education, and the interaction between the two.

Carver has authored many journal articles and conference papers, as well as hundreds of plenary presentations, and is a frequent keynote presenter. He has received numerous national and international honors and awards for military, teaching, and research excellence throughout his career.

Jay Ferro / American Cancer Society

Jay lives in the Metro Atlanta Area with his 3 sons: Trey, Connor and Alex.