Topic: Strategic Management

Seminar Topics

[1 CPE] From Disruption to Enablement: Rethinking IT After 25 Years of Change

  Presented by Scott Taylor • Vice President for Information Technology & CIO, Creighton University

Over the past 25 years, IT organizations have navigated an extraordinary series of disruptions from enterprise systems and consumerization to cloud, cybersecurity, the pandemic, and now, artificial intelligence. Each wave has reshaped not only the technology we manage, but how people work, how organizations operate, and what they expect from IT.

Through it all, IT has adapted. We’ve modernized infrastructure, embraced new delivery models, protected increasingly complex environments, and helped our organizations navigate enormous change. But as technology becomes more distributed, accessible, intelligent, and embedded in nearly everything our organizations do, we face a bigger question: Is adapting our technology enough or is it time to rethink the role of IT itself?

From Disruption to Enablement looks back at 25 years of change to consider where IT goes next. It challenges us to move beyond defining ourselves by the technology we manage and instead consider a broader purpose: enabling our organizations and our people to accomplish more through technology. And as the pace of disruption continues to accelerate, it asks us to consider how we build IT organizations that are not simply prepared for the next wave of change, but are designed to continuously learn, adapt, and enable what comes next.

Scott A. Taylor is Vice President for Information Technology & CIO at Creighton University, where he leads the university’s technology strategy, operations, cybersecurity, enterprise applications, infrastructure, and digital transformation initiatives. He oversees a broad portfolio of services that support teaching, learning, research, and administrative operations across the university.

With nearly 30 years of leadership experience across higher education and healthcare, Scott has held technology leadership roles at institutions including Creighton University, Washington University in St. Louis, the University of Michigan, Boise State University, and others. Throughout his career, he has led transformational initiatives focused on technology governance, cybersecurity, service management, organizational design, digital modernization, and strategic planning.

Scott is recognized for helping organizations move beyond traditional IT support models and into strategic enablement, aligning technology investments, services, and talent with institutional priorities. His work has included building governance frameworks, advancing enterprise service management capabilities, strengthening cybersecurity programs, modernizing technology operations, and developing high-performing teams equipped to lead through change.

A passionate advocate for servant leadership, Scott’s leadership philosophy is shaped by nearly 30 years of experience leading organizational and technology transformation. He focuses on building healthy organizations, developing leaders, and creating cultures of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Scott believes that successful transformation is ultimately about people, culture, and leadership, with technology serving as a powerful catalyst for organizational success.

[1 CPE] The Next Voice Outage Is Not a Matter of If, But When

  Presented by Mark Vogl • Director of Microsoft Engineering Services, Cerium Networks

As legacy phone systems age and workforces become increasingly distributed, IT teams face a growing challenge: how do you deliver secure, compliant, and always-available communications when users can be anywhere, and infrastructure failures are inevitable?

Join us for a practical, real-world discussion on modernizing voice and collaboration services for today’s hybrid workplace. We’ll explore the lessons learned from organizations moving beyond traditional telephony, the compliance risks many IT teams overlook, and the architectural decisions that separate resilient environments from those that fail when they are needed most.

You’ll walk away with actionable strategies for:

  • Cloud voice migration planning
  • E911 and dynamic location compliance
  • High availability and geographic resiliency
  • Business continuity and failover design
  • Supporting a distributed workforce without increasing operational burden

If you’re responsible for collaboration platforms, infrastructure, networking, security, or business continuity, this session will help you identify risks, avoid costly mistakes, and build a communications platform prepared for the next decade.

Mark Vogl is a collaboration and cloud calling expert with more than 20 years of experience helping organizations navigate the changing world of enterprise communications. As a Senior Collaboration Engineer at Cerium Networks, Mark specializes in Collaboration Systems, with experience spanning Microsoft 365, Teams, AudioCodes, Cisco Webex, Zoom, Avaya, various contact center platforms, and other related collaboration technologies.

A Microsoft Certified Solutions Master (MCSM), Mark combines technical expertise with a practical understanding of the business challenges organizations face when modernizing communications. Since joining Cerium in 2005, he has experienced firsthand the evolution of the modern workplace and has worked with organizations on the transition from traditional voice systems to cloud-based calling and collaboration.

Mark brings a real-world perspective to the opportunities and challenges of modern workplace communications, helping audiences understand not just what the technology can do, but how to put it to work effectively.

[1 CPE] Building Trust for What’s Next: PKI Modernization & Quantum Readiness

  Presented by Doug Knight, RVP, Solutions Engineer • DigiCert

Certificate lifetimes are shrinking. Browser requirements are evolving. Machine identities are growing exponentially. At the same time, organizations are beginning to plan for post-quantum cryptography while supporting new AI-driven systems that depend on trusted digital interactions.

These changes are transforming PKI from a traditional security function into the operational trust layer for modern business.

This session provides a practical roadmap for modernizing PKI, improving visibility into machine identities, automating certificate lifecycle management, and building crypto-agility for future cryptographic transitions. Attendees will leave with actionable steps to reduce operational risk today while preparing for post-quantum security and the next generation of digital trust.

[1 CPE] Technology Leading the Way in Spokane Wildfire Relief Efforts

  Presented by Dan Wordell, Chief Information Security Officer & Kevin Freibott, Sr Planner • City of Spokane

Join Dan Wordell and Kevin Freibott from the City of Spokane as they share how the City leveraged Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to power the response and recovery effort following this summer’s devastating wildfires. They’ll offer an inside look at how technology helped ensure that both response and recovery were driven by accurate, up-to-date information — and highlight the constellation of data sources and tools deployed by the City, the County, and the region during a fast-moving emergency where good information helped save homes and rebuild lives.

This past August, the Spokane region battled the fastest-spreading wildland fire in state history — a blaze that outpaced every effort to contain it. The Old Trails Fire tore through the City in a single day, destroying more than 500 homes and countless other structures across the City and surrounding County. New technologies proved critical both as the fire spread and throughout the recovery phase once the fires were under control.

Spokane has since announced a coordinated set of ordinances to ease the recovery process, including permit fee waivers, like-for-like rebuilding permissions, General Facilities Charge waivers, and more. The City also launched a new damage assessment and recovery dashboard, giving residents, staff, and partners across the City and County timely, accurate insight into structural damage.

These efforts were driven by cutting-edge assessment and analysis technologies — near-real-time imagery capture, satellite hotspot mapping, up-to-the-minute burn area data, and AI-assisted Pictometry and terrain comparisons that flagged likely damage before City staff could physically reenter burned areas. Just two days after the fire began, the City stood up a custom mobile application for on-site staff, enabling live damage assessment collection with built-in accuracy checks and multi-source confirmation. These efforts will be discussed and explored further during this session.

[1 CPE] Retaining Your IT Staff: A Panel Discussion on What Works

  Presented by INTERFACE Advisory Council

Many IT professionals will bounce around from different positions for salary increases that may not be as beneficial as they seem. With a robust IT industry in northern Utah, there is not a shortage of opportunities. This makes it a real challenge to maintain your current staff. Are there methods available to hold on to IT talent, even when a salary can’t be matched? How can the IT staffer make the right decisions and not create unforeseen career challenges?

Join the INTERFACE Advisory Council for an open discussion on IT staffing challenges. Hear from peers who have experience recruiting, retaining, and developing IT talent, as well as managing teams through staffing shortages and changing workforce expectations.

We’ll explore practical strategies for identifying and cultivating local tech talent, developing existing employees, and building stronger IT teams from within. Join us for an open and practical conversation about real solutions to Salt Lake City IT workforce challenges.

Panelists:

  • James Duckett, Assistant Operations Director, Technology Division, City of St. George
  • Dan Harmuth, Chief Information Officer, Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions
  • Greg Pugh, Manager, COMSEC, Space Dynamics Laboratory
  • Dan Sitton, Chief Information Officer, CC Bank

[1 CPE] Building Trust for What’s Next: PKI Modernization & Quantum Readiness

  Presented by Bryan Pitts, Solutions Engineer  • DigiCert

Certificate lifetimes are shrinking. Browser requirements are evolving. Machine identities are growing exponentially. At the same time, organizations are beginning to plan for post-quantum cryptography while supporting new AI-driven systems that depend on trusted digital interactions.

These changes are transforming PKI from a traditional security function into the operational trust layer for modern business.

This session provides a practical roadmap for modernizing PKI, improving visibility into machine identities, automating certificate lifecycle management, and building crypto-agility for future cryptographic transitions. Attendees will leave with actionable steps to reduce operational risk today while preparing for post-quantum security and the next generation of digital trust.

[1 CPE] Building and Retaining Your IT Staff: How to Find Success Amid Challenge

  Presented by INTERFACE Advisory Council

Identifying the correct candidates to fill IT vacancies is not as simple as posting a job description. This process is often time consuming, tedious, and challenging. An IT leader has a specific set of qualifications for a position, and the candidate pool may not align as hoped. How do you handle this dynamic?

Join the INTERFACE Wyoming Advisory Council for an open panel discussion about finding the right person for your job openings. We will discuss the challenges of limited candidate pools, geography, applicant expectations, and more. The Cheyenne and Fort Collins regions face a different IT hiring landscape than larger cities, but there are encouraging opportunities to build and grow a strong local technology workforce.

Our speakers will share their experiences in hiring and what changes they have made to improve their approach. They will cover strategies for retaining IT staff to ensure long-term cohesion and success. For the IT professional that is looking to advance, join this discussion to hear from hiring managers and gain insight to help you achieve your career goals. Bring your questions for this open discussion with your peers.

Panelists:

  • Jesse Ballard, Deputy CIO, University of Wyoming
  • Devrim Goktan, Sr Digital Cloud Solution Architect, Microsoft
  • Kristie Twitchell, Chief Information Officer, Trihydro
  • Timothy Walsh, Wyoming Cybersecurity State Coordinator, CISA

[1 CPE] Building Trust for What’s Next: PKI Modernization & Quantum Readiness

  Presented by Jared Mensinger, Sr Solutions Engineer  • DigiCert

Certificate lifetimes are shrinking. Browser requirements are evolving. Machine identities are growing exponentially. At the same time, organizations are beginning to plan for post-quantum cryptography while supporting new AI-driven systems that depend on trusted digital interactions.

These changes are transforming PKI from a traditional security function into the operational trust layer for modern business.

This session provides a practical roadmap for modernizing PKI, improving visibility into machine identities, automating certificate lifecycle management, and building crypto-agility for future cryptographic transitions. Attendees will leave with actionable steps to reduce operational risk today while preparing for post-quantum security and the next generation of digital trust.

[1 CPE] Beyond Cybersecurity: Assembling Resiliency for the Inevitable Breach

  Presented by BJ Deonarain, Global Quantum and Classic Cyber Security Director • Hitachi Vantara

The Imperative for Resiliency, 100% cyber security is unachievable; breaches are inevitable, where modern threats demand a shift from reactive defense to proactive resilience. Resilience requires mindset and culture change, not just new technology, while focus can sustain operations and limit damage when security fails.

Assembling the resiliency strategic pillars and actions:

  • Risk Assessment: continuous evaluation of assets and vulnerabilities
  • Incident Response: develop, test, and update comprehensive crisis plans
  • Employee Training: ongoing education to make staff the first line of defense
  • Systems Testing: regular audits, penetration tests, and vulnerability scans
  • Partnerships: collaborate with industry experts for knowledge sharing
  • Culture: embed resiliency throughout the organization at every level

BJ Deonarain is a globally focused cybersecurity executive responsible for driving cyber security and cyber resiliency strategy at Hitachi Vantara. With a career spanning technical innovation, client solutions, and cross-functional leadership, BJ combines deep technical expertise with a client-centric approach to mitigate risk and elevate organizational security postures.

[1 CPE] Three Wins to Chase, Three Disasters to Dodge

  Presented by Amy McLaughlin • Chief Information Officer, University of Wyoming

Amy McLaughlin cuts through the noise surrounding artificial intelligence and focuses on what leaders should actually be doing today. Drawing on real-world experience, she will walk through three high-impact ways AI is already delivering value and three common missteps that are creating unnecessary risk, wasted effort, and loss of trust. Rather than chasing tools or trends, Amy will talk about how to make better decisions: where to lean in, where to slow down, and how to approach AI as a leadership and governance challenge, not just a technology one.

Amy McLaughlin is the Vice President of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer at the University of Wyoming, the state’s flagship and only public university, where she leads the technology organization responsible for enabling teaching, learning, research, and statewide outreach.

A nationally recognized technology and cybersecurity leader with more than two decades of experience, Amy is known for driving practical innovation, modernizing complex environments, and building high-performing teams across higher education and government. Her career spans leadership roles in enterprise IT, cybersecurity, and network services, including senior positions at Oregon State University and the State of Oregon, where she led large-scale transformation efforts, strengthened infrastructure resilience, and advanced security programs. Amy brings a strategic, people-centered approach to technology leadership, grounded in deep operational experience and a strong commitment to mission-driven outcomes.