Topic: Culture

Seminar Topics

[1 CPE] CIO: Chief Insanity Officer – Thriving in the Role Without Losing Your Mind

  Presented by Megan Clarke • Chief Information Officer, King County WA

Over the past few decades, technological advances have progressed at a level we couldn’t have predicted. Cloud storage, Internet of Things, Bring Your Own Device, remote working, and now Artificial Intelligence have altered the landscape of what it means to be a Chief Information Officer. The resiliency needed to succeed as a CIO can compromise your time rapidly. We are all attempting to balance work and life, this is no different for IT leaders of all types.

Given the demands of cybersecurity and high productivity, today’s CIO must exhibit strong leadership, good decision-making, and a keen financial awareness. Building an IT staff can help you achieve all these objectives, provided you have the right mix of skills, experience, ambition, and diversity. Join Megan Clarke, CIO for King County, Washington, for a discussion about today’s modern-day CIO. Success looks different today, and the definition will only continue to evolve. Megan will share tips about using mental strength and determination as key tools to meet expectations.

Megan K. Clarke, Chief Information Officer (CIO) for King County WA, is a highly experienced, successful, and well-regarded business leader and CIO. She comes to King County from the City of Burbank, where she served as the Assistant Chief Information Officer. Megan brings 19 years of experience in the CIO field and has also previously been in the role of CIO with Stanford University, University of Southern California, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (The Oscars), and The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (The GRAMMYs).

[1 CPE] IT Leadership: How to Grow to Next Level and Be a Better Leader

  Presented by Phillip Abeyta, CEO of TEC34 and Board Member • New Mexico Technology Council

You stare at multiple screens each day monitoring logs and looking for irregularities in data. Later today, you will spend thirty minutes helping someone access their email and reset a password. Many IT professionals can feel isolated from a company mission as they go through their daily tasks. Especially with remote working, bonding with your team and exhibiting leadership can be a challenge.

Having strong leaders in your organization is a vital element of success. Inspiration can come in many forms, and a strong leader always looks to get the most out of any task. As you consider your own career ambitions, how successful are you at being a leader each day? Join Phillip Abeyta, Chief Executive Officer of TEC 34, for a comprehensive approach to exhibiting leadership in IT. As an expert in the technology that runs your business, people rely on you to display the efficiencies that come from embracing technology and its processes. CIOs and Engineers alike will walk away with several strategies they can use to improve their own leadership approach.

With over 15 years of experience in the IT sector and a passion for empowering businesses, Phil is at the helm of TEC34, guiding it to offer tailored consulting and professional services to help organizations tackle technical challenges head-on.

His leadership extends beyond the boardroom as he serves on community boards, including the New Mexico Tech Council since 2017. He will also start his Core Program with Leadership New Mexico in September, where he will undoubtedly continue to enhance his skills as he will work alongside great leaders across the State of New Mexico. Phil’s educational background in Electronics and Computer Engineering, combined with Business Administration and an ongoing MBA, showcases his dedication to continuous learning and growth.

[1 CPE] Views from the Porch: Tackling the Enablement of a Cybersecurity Workforce

  Presented by Ed Vasko • CISSP, Founder and CEO of s3ntry Corp

Ed Vasko has spent over 30 years leading cybersecurity companies that provide critical services and platforms to clients around the world. Now he is deeply involved in solving the national crisis of not having an effective supply of cybersecurity workers to meet our national needs. In this keynote, he will share a career perspective of how this crisis developed and methods both educators and employers can take to begin solving our needs regionally and nationally. Come be a part of this “porch conversation” and join the discussion.

Ed Vasko, CISSP, is the Founder and CEO of s3ntry Corp. Prior to founding s3ntry corp, he was the director of Boise State University’s Institute of Pervasive Cybersecurity. He is a cybersecurity leader and entrepreneur with over 33 years of experience protecting organizations from cyber adversaries. Before joining Boise State University, Edward established and was a Senior Vice President at Avertium, a leading national managed security and consulting provider. He was the co-Founder and CEO of one of the nation’s largest providers of cybersecurity advisory and managed security services, with over 2,000 active clients around the world.

Edward’s other passion is tackling the challenge of cyber workforce development. He has served on over 20 education advisory boards providing expertise around cybersecurity industry needs. He has been appointed by multiple governors to tackle statewide cybersecurity workforce issues. Most importantly though, Edward is a proud father and husband.

[1 CPE] Building a Strong Team Culture in a Remote Working World

  Presented by INTERFACE Advisory Council

Building a good team culture presents a multitude of challenges for any manager to navigate in the traditional office work environment. Different personalities can impact many elements of the day-to-day dynamic and bring both positive and negative changes to your culture. Some team members welcome praise for a job well done, while others prefer to not be recognized publicly. These hurdles were all in place well before remote working became prevalent.

With so many IT departments dealing with hybrid or fully remote workforces, how do you build bonds among your team members today? Has your company’s vision been set? Are expectations clear? Answering some of these basic questions can help build a good culture. However, more is needed to have a truly effective team.

Join the INTERFACE Montana Advisory Council for an open discussion about how to improve communication in your company. We will offer advice on what has worked well and what didn’t go as expected. We welcome your questions on how to create a positive work environment, no matter where your team members work from each day.

Speakers:

  • Jason Emery, Director of Cyber Security Advisory Services, Center for Internet Security
  • Ryan Knutson, Chief Information Officer, VP, IT, Montana State University
  • Peter Martinson, Strategic IT Managing Director, Montana State University
  • Andy Metroka, Chief Information Officer, Kampgrounds of America, Inc.

[1 CPE] AI and Social Engineering: The New Frontier of Cybersecurity

  Presented by Sherri Davidoff • Chief Executive Officer, LMG Security

Artificial intelligence is transforming the cyber battlefield. Hackers now use voice cloning, deep fakes, and AI-generated phishing attacks to steal funds, infiltrate cloud systems, and deploy malware. Join us in this cutting-edge keynote to witness the latest attack trends, including:

  • Voice Cloning: See a live demo and discover how scammers manipulate this technology.
  • Dark Web AI: View the latest AI hacker tools up for sale.
  • Text and QR Code Attacks: Learn how mobile threats can slip past traditional security.

Cybersecurity is all about people. We’ll wrap up with top strategies for cybersecurity training and staffing, showing you how to create a “human firewall” to safeguard your organization against these evolving threats.

Sherri Davidoff is the CEO of LMG Security and the author of three books, including “Ransomware and Cyber Extortion” and “Data Breaches: Crisis and Opportunity.” As a recognized expert in cybersecurity, she has been called a “security badass” by The New York Times. Sherri is a GIAC-certified forensic analyst (GCFA) and penetration tester (GPEN) and received her degree in computer science and electrical engineering from MIT.

[1 CPE] Meaningful Compliance: More than Just Checking Off Boxes

  Presented by Mark Fitzgerald • Chief Compliance Officer, Brigham Young University Hawaii

A key to creating a culture of compliance is to make it meaningful for all who are involved. Too often compliance is seen as a restriction rather than a series of best practices that can keep all of us safe and enhance user experiences. By adopting practices learned from your help desk –– knowledge management, continual improvement, setting expectations, and practice communications –– you can transform compliance into a tool to help users trust in what IT is delivering to them.

Mark Fitzgerald is BYU Hawaii’s Chief Compliance Officer in the Office of Compliance & Ethics and oversees the Purchasing Department. In this position, Fitzgerald manages programs and activities for establishing standards and implementing procedures to help leaders and managers ensure the university’s compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

Fitzgerald has worked in higher education information technology for over 25 years. Most recently, he worked as the Chief Information Security Officer at Boise State University where he had responsibility for IT compliance. He has also held positions as Executive Director for the Office of Information Technology and Director of Customer Care and Academic Technologies. He taught in the Master of Business Administration program at Boise State University. He also spent some of the early years of his career at BYU in Provo, Utah.

Fitzgerald has a Master of Business Administration in Information Technology from Boise State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing Communications from Brigham Young University in Provo. He has several certifications and associations, including being a Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt. He also had the privilege of teaching in the Boise State University MBA and Master of Cybersecurity programs.

[1 CPE] Fireside Chat for IT Leaders

  Presented by INTERFACE Advisory Council

Is your network secure? Have you tested your backups? Are there any third-party risk issues? These are all basic questions thrown at IT leaders every day. The challenges continue to grow as you need to keep a staff intact, remain on operating budget, and keep your company secure.

Join the INTERFACE Advisory Council for an open discussion on all the challenges that IT Directors and Managers face. This peer-to-peer session is designed to share ideas on how to be a better leader while managing your own work-life balance properly. We will host an open discussion to try and share success stories, and maybe some failures as well. Come network with others that face the same challenges you do.

Speakers:

  • Chris Letterman, Chief Information Officer, Bartlett Regional Hospital
  • Bronn Salmon, Chief Information Officer, Sunshine Community Health Center

[1 CPE] Next Era of Corporate Leadership: The Transformative Role of CIOs

  Presented by Lutz Beck • Chief Information Officer, Daimler Truck North America

In an era where technology underpins every facet of business operations, Chief Information Officers (CIOs) are no longer mere managers of IT infrastructure but pivotal figures leading the change in redefining the organizational landscape. This keynote highlights the evolving role of CIOs as architects of innovation, who through the lens of process re-imaging and strategic foresight, are setting new precedents in business leadership and revenue. By embracing end-to-end process transformation, the next generation of CIOs are not just enhancing operational efficiencies but are at the forefront of driving revenue growth and fostering a culture of holistic strategic thinking.

Lutz Beck, Chief Information Officer at Daimler Truck North America (DTNA), is shaping the future of IT. By directing cultural change through digital activation, his visionary IT strategy, “Building the Intelligent Company,” guides digital transformation at DTNA, positioning the organization at the cutting edge of technology. Lutz champions IT Leadership, disruptive ideas, and innovation by re-imagining the way business is done.

Before becoming the CIO at DTNA, Lutz was the CIO at Daimler Truck Asia (Mitsubishi Fuso in Japan and Bharat Benz in India). As CIO, Lutz was responsible for the overarching IT technology strategy, ConnectX. Under his leadership, connectivity and big data analytics for DA were initiated, developed, and successfully established.

Before DTA, Lutz held various management positions at Daimler in Germany.

[1 CPE] Panel: Retaining Your IT Staff in Seattle, How it Can Be Done!

  Presented by INTERFACE Advisory Council

“The other company is offering higher wages. I get to work remotely as much as I want and get a four-day workweek. Sorry, but I must take it.” Have you heard this just a few times? So many IT hiring managers are having to find creative ways to keep staff members in-house. While budgets and major company overhauls can’t always be achieved, some methods can help. 

Join the INTERFACE Advisory Council for an open conversation on how to keep your local IT staff intact. This panel features local IT hiring managers and leaders dealing with these challenges in their shops. Bring your questions as there will be an opportunity to get advice on your specific needs. 

Moderator: Tony North, Sr Manager of IT Services, King County, Washington

Panelists:

  • Yasmin Karimli, Vice President, Strategic Transformation, T-Mobile
  • Brian Moore, Director, Information Technology, Tacoma-Pierce County Health Dept
  • Tony Sheehan, Director, Information Services, Seattle Convention Center
  • Artem Zakharchenko, Senior Vice President, Robert Half

[1 CPE] Retaining Your IT Staff in Nebraska, Can it Be Done?

  Presented by INTERFACE Advisory Council

“The other company is offering higher wages. I get to work remotely as much as I want and get a four-day workweek. Sorry, but I must take it.” Have you heard this just a few times? So many IT hiring managers are having to find creative ways to keep staff members in-house. While budgets and major company overhauls can’t always be achieved, some methods can help.

Companies throughout Nebraska have challenges in retaining IT staff. Join the INTERFACE Advisory Council for an open conversation on how to keep your local IT staff intact. This panel features local IT hiring managers and leaders dealing with these challenges in their shops. Bring your questions as there will be an opportunity to get advice on your specific needs.

Moderator: Ron Woerner, Professor, Bellevue University

Panelists:

  • Samantha Harvey-Fleeman, Account Director, LinkedIn
  • Rob LaMagna-Reiter, Chief information Security Officer, Hudl
  • Lisa McKee, President, ISACA Omaha