The Data Center Leaders SummitSM
Since 2003, Executive Alliance has focused on creating a national network of IT executives across the U.S. through its portfolio of invitation-only regional and national Summits, roundtables, and custom programs. These programs are attended by the most senior level technology executives from Fortune 500 and 1000 companies, government and education, and offer access and insight into the people leading these organizations. Executive Alliance's flagship programs include the Security Leaders Summits, the Data Center Leaders Summit, and the new Leadership Symposiums.
In 2010, Executive Alliance launched a publishing arm of the company with the goal to promote the successes of technology executives across different industries. With content provided by leaders in information security from organizations such as DuPont, Unum, Hospital Corporation of America, LexisNexis Group, The Coca-Cola Company and Estee Lauder, two leadership books were released; "There's a New Sheriff in Town" and "Secure." In addition, the leadership book “Data Center Insights," was published with content provided by heads of IT from companies such as Delta Air Lines, Global Payments, Equifax, and Travelport and released in the fall of 2010. A new leadership book will be published in the Spring of 2012.
Visit www.execalliance.com to learn more.
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In order to operate our site and provide you with information on products and services that may be of interest to you, we may collect contact information (i.e., information that could be used to contact you such as full name, postal address, phone number and email address).
Executive Alliance collects information to process registration and tickets for events and programs. No information is shared outside the company, other than to a few select sponsors of our events. Internally in our company, your information is only used in accordance with providing services to you for the events you attend (i.e., nametags) or with information on products and services that may be of interest to you.
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In the rare event that a program is cancelled or postponed by, please contact us for more information on receiving a refund. If the event is moved or rescheduled, we have the right to set refund limitations.
Chief Information Officer, Georgia Department of Behavioral Health
Kevin Baker is the Chief Information Officer for the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD), where he focuses on providing innovative Technology Healthcare Solutions to meet State Government and Community needs for Behavioral Health Services. Kevin is in charge of all security and IT related issues for the agency. DBHDD is the 2nd largest agency in the state with over 8,000 employees in several offices and six hospitals across the state serving approximately 9,000 Georgians every year.
Prior to joining DBHDD, Kevin held security executive/leadership positions at other government agencies such as the Georgia Department of Human Services, and the Georgia Technology Authority where he was responsible for establishing the agency's FISMA, HIPAA and other federally mandated programs that provided services throughout the State of Georgia.
Kevin earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Electronics Engineering with a concentration in Computer Electronics from ITT Technical Institute. An avid learner and golfer, Kevin is married and resides in Atlanta, GA.
Chief Information Officer, AirMed International
A 20 year IT veteran, George Brockman serves as Director of Information Technology for AirMed International, the leading air medical company in North America. Managing the IT department for a medium size business with a world-wide footprint, George is responsible for the network, software and communications for both on and off site locations. These duties also include the security constraints for HIPAA, PCI, and FAA, the logistical issues of a highly mobile staff of pilots and medical staff, and the sales efforts for retail online membership and wholesale membership. A native of Birmingham, he has a background in software development and architecture, as well as in project management, process improvement and maximizing small team performance.
Vice President of IT, ProAssurance
Willie Clemons is a Vice President of Information Systems at ProAssurance Corporation, a specialty writer of professional liability insurance, and the fourth largest writer of medical professional liability insurance in America. Willie joined ProAssurance in 1998 and is responsible for the management of the technical infrastructure. He has over twenty years of technical experience and recently helped implement a corporate retention policy for the company. Willie previously worked for Drummond Company, a privately held coal company with operations in Colombia, South America. He is a member of SIM (Society for Information Management) and a graduate of Auburn University with a bachelor's degree in Computer Science.
Senior Vice President and CTO, LexisNexis
Armando Escalante is Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for LexisNexis® Risk Solutions, and head of HPCC Systems, an open source Big Data analytics processing platform.
In this position, Escalante is responsible for technology development, R&D, information systems, security and operations, and general management of HPCC Systems. Previously, Mr. Escalante was Chief Operating Officer for Seisint, which was acquired by LexisNexis in 2004. In this position, he was responsible for Technology, Development and Operations. Prior to 2001, Mr. Escalante served as Vice President of Engineering and Operations for Diveo Broadband Networks, where he led world-class data centers located in the U.S. and Latin America. Before Diveo Broadband Networks, Mr. Escalante was VP and General Manager for one of the fastest growing divisions of Vignette Corporation, an eBusiness software leader. He also worked for Unisys Corporation, EPSON America and Bell Labs.
Mr. Escalante is a frequent speaker at industry events and has been often quoted in publications such as GigaOm, Network World, Computerworld, ReadWriteWeb, SD Times, and Database Trends and Applications.
Mr. Escalante is a member of the Board of Advisors at Florida Atlantic University. He has a degree in Electronics Engineering from Universidad Simon Bolivar, a Master of Science in Computer Science from Stevens Institute of Technology and an MBA from West Coast University.
VP Enterprise Operations, Global Technology, InterContinental Hotels Group
Over his 24 year career, Joel Hasfjord has held multiple technology positions from Application Development, Project Management, Asset Management and heading up Engineering. Joel's current responsibilities include Facilities Management, Disaster Recovery/Business Recovery, Change and Problem Management, and 1st and 2nd Level Operations for IHG's Production Systems. Joel has been a speaker on a broad range of topics from Green IT to his experience on sourcing a variety of IT services.
CEO, Executive Alliance
As CEO of Executive Alliance, Mary Lou Heastings has responsibility for guiding the continued expansion of the company’s portfolio of technology related executive summits, roundtables, and custom programs across the country. To promote the success of technology executives across different industries, Ms. Heastings launched the publishing arm of Executive Alliance in 2010. With content provided by industry executives, three books have been released on IT leadership by Executive Alliance, with a fourth book to be published in the Spring 2012.
Previous to Executive Alliance, Ms. Heastings had over 20 years of software experience in online business and global reservations systems for the travel industry with responsibilities for developing strategies and technologies in the business information environment. She lead a staff of financial and technical professionals at Worldspan with responsibilities for implementing corporate business applications in the United States and 28 countries around the globe. In addition, Ms. Heastings has previous experience in strategic planning, finance, business development, and software development with companies such as Delta Air Lines and Holiday Inn.
Ms. Heastings is a co-recipient of the ATHENA Award for women business leaders having an impact on the workplace. She has been recognized in “Who's Who in Technology;” in the Atlanta Business Chronicle, on the cover of Georgia Trend Magazine as an executive leading change, and featured in the Atlanta Journal and Constitution for her leadership role in developing online strategies. An avid boater, Ms. Heastings has her Captain’s license.
Senior Research Analyst, Nemertes Research
Senior Research Analyst Ted Ritter with Nemertes Research will share insights from data gathered from companies across the country. A frequent speaker at major technology events in the U.S. and abroad and expert on cloud computing, virtualization, Internet infrastructure, efficient data centers and Green IT, Ted will discuss what is top of mind for C-level executives.
Summit Emcee
Kimberley Kennedy is an Emmy award winning journalist who's spent the majority of her career in the Atlanta market as a news reporter, anchor, writer, and producer. For the past eight years she hosted, produced, and wrote the weekly syndicated news and entertainment show Hot Topics.
Highlights of Kimberley's career in television include hosting her own daily talk show during the 1996 summer Olympic Games, covering the International Special Olympics, traveling with the Flying Doctors of America, and interviewing celebrities from television and film.
Kimberley grew up in the tiny town of The Rock, Georgia (population 89) and is a graduate of Agnes Scott College with a double major in English and Political Science. She is from a family of broadcasters: her sister Kathleen was a longtime CNN anchor and her brother Arch is a meteorologist in Nashville.
Director of Product Marketing, Palo Alto Networks
Chris King is director of product marketing for Palo Alto Networks. Previously, Mr. King held strategic and product marketing roles at Blue Coat Systems, including responsibility for marketing and strategy for MACH5, Blue Coat's application acceleration solution - which he launched and helped grow to a $160 million/year business. Prior to joining Blue Coat in June of 2004, Mr. King spent over 8 years as an information technology analyst for META Group. An internationally recognized expert on information security, Mr. King has consulted with hundreds of large IT organizations, spoken before a variety of audiences, and is often quoted in trade and business press. Before META Group, Mr. King managed an international network for Securities Registration Depository, and was employed by Ernst & Young. Mr. King holds a B.A. from George Mason University.
Assistant Professor, Hankamer School of Business, Baylor University
Dr. Kobelsky conducts research investigating the drivers of IT investment, IT's impact on performance and factors that moderate this impact. His PhD is from the University of California, Irvine, and he has published in The Accounting Review, the Journal of Information Systems, the International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, CPA Journal and other journals. He obtained his PhD at the University of California, Irvine and has been on the faculty at the University of Southern California and Baylor University. Prior to academe, he was a public accountant with Ernst & Young and worked in industry with Canadian Tire Corporation.
Senior Vice President, Enterprise Operations, Fiserv
Bernard "Bernie" Mamon joined Fiserv, Inc. in 2009 as senior vice president of Enterprise Operations. Headquartered in Brookfield, Wis. Fiserv is the leading global provider of information management and electronic commerce systems for the financial services industry, driving innovation that transforms experiences for financial institutions and their customers.
Mamon leads the global deployment, development and operation of the Enterprise Operations organization within Fiserv Enterprise Technology. He is responsible for over 700 associates across 30 world-wide locations and manages 17 data centers.
Under Mamon's leadership, the Enterprise Operations team works in partnership with regional leaders to continuously improve operational efficiency through the application of ITIL industry standard framework for Service Delivery and Service Support services.
Mamon provides a unique blend of hands-on operational success with technical and process expertise. In his previous role as vice president of Enterprise Service Management (ESM), Remote Management Center (RMC) and Global Service Desk (GSD) with EDS, he led the development and operations of ESM, an innovative framework for information technology modernization, transformation and multi-supplier governance. Mamon was recognized by clients and EDS for designing and delivering end-to-end strategic programs with measurable return on investment.
Mamon is certified in Information and Communications Technology Infrastructure Management (ICTIM) and holds an ITIL Infrastructure Management Certification with Distinction. He has memberships in the Information Technology Service Management Form (itSMF) Great Lakes Chapter and itSMF USA and is a frequent presenter at their events.
Bernie Mamon received a bachelor's degree in business administration with an emphasis in management and computing from Lewis University and completed graduate leadership programs at Indiana University and Darden University. Active in the community, he serves many nonprofit organizations including Oakland Family Services, Detroit Junior Achievement, United Way, the Boy Scouts of America and the Cranbook Educational Community.
Vice President, Technical Operations, Travelport
As vice president - Services Management, Global Technical Operations for Travelport, Terri Nichols has responsibility for the 24/7 operations of the Travelport systems, managing customer interfaces, and the physical security and maintenance of Travelport's global Data Center. Nichols also oversees project, change, problem and asset management for Global Technical Operations. Nichols was promoted to her current position in January 2003. From 2000 through 2002, she served as director - Computer and Network Operations, with oversight of the Data Center and all operations supporting mainframe, network and e-commerce systems used by Worldspan's airline and Internet customers.
Among her significant achievements at Travelport, Nichols directed the implementation of the company's original scheduling and change management tools, and remains a driver in promotion of best practices with focus on automation. She supported the move of Worldspan's global database from Kansas City to Atlanta by process of electronic transfer, a first-of-its-kind operation by a GDS company and was project lead for system consolidation.. In 2008, she led the operations team as the Galileo and Worldspan GDS systems were integrated into the Atlanta data center, including the move of United Airline systems from Denver. She was responsible for transitioning daily operations to a 24/7 Technical Service Desk, oversaw the Data Center's move from manual tape operations to virtual, and led her team to improving service performance levels from 97 percent to 99.99 percent.
Nichols joined Worldspan in 1993 from the PARS Service Partnership (PSP), a combined computerized reservations system serving Northwest Airlines and Trans World Airlines, where she was an automation programmer. During her tenure with PSP, Nichols served as a supervisor over the production control area and was also a Support Systems project manager. She began her career in travel technology in 1976 with TWA.
In 1997, Nichols was selected for the Georgia 100 list and served as a mentor in the program. Recognized as visionary, she was awarded the Southeast Region Quality Leadership Executive of the Year in 2006. In 2010, she was selected to participate in and completed the WIT Executive Coaching program.. A native of Hutchinson, Kansas, Nichols studied at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas, and Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas. She has four children and currently resides in Peachtree City, Georgia.
Head of Data Center Operations, Technology Revitalization, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd
Nick Pietrocarlo is a strategic thinker who is an expert at managing technology and business processes to help drive the way a company pursues their business goals. He has a knack for strategic planning and pointing out opportunities to utilize IT more effectively in sales, customer service, and other key areas. Nick breaks down complex ideas into terms that people from clerical to senior management understand and buy into. He has experience both in-sourcing and out-sourcing operations and working with and developing teams across both domestic and international locations. Nick provides senior level leadership at the departmental and project levels consistently coaching, and developing his teams to achieve knowledgeable cost reductions and savings. Nick is able to quickly assess the needs of all users, stakeholders, and vendors, establishing trust and building strong relationships leading to improved success rates.
Based on Nick's program management accomplishments, he has been selected by the Project Management Institute, www.pmi.org, as a key contributor to the new global standard for Program Management and is also an active writer and test question reviewer for their certification exams.
In addition to Nick's career in travel he is also an avid networker with ties across the globe in finance, technology, and the arts. Nick spends much of his free time helping others develop their professional careers and locate new opportunities. He is currently co-chairperson of the South Florida chapter of the Technology Executive Networking Groups, theteng.org, and is also actively involved in community service with the City of Miami Beach Police and Fire Departments.
Some of Nick's accomplishments include leading the IT transition for a $60M company acquisition, developing and deploying the world's largest Interactive TV system to the cruise industry, and coaching and mentoring his team to deliver consistent year over year cost center and projects savings averaging 30%.
Vice President of Technology Infrastructure and Broadcast Transmissions, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc
James Robertson is Vice President of Technology Infrastructure and Broadcast Transmissions for Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. In this capacity, Robertson leads the team responsible for providing agile technology solutions for the company across both back office operations and broadcast arenas.
Named to this position in 2003, Robertson holds global responsibility for data networks and voice systems, IT security posturing and enforcement, as well as technology and content risk and compliance services. He also oversees project management and broadcast transmissions which include all satellite and fiber-based video services used by Turner Broadcasting's entertainment and CNN news properties.
Robertson serves as chair of the Time Warner Security Committee, chartered with setting and enforcing the security stance across Time Warner's family of companies that includes HBO, Warner Brothers, Time Inc. and Time Warner corporate along with Turner Broadcasting. He also chairs the Network Architecture Committee across Time Warner, which provides network design validation and architecture planning for the company at large. In addition, Robertson sits on a number of industry advisory boards and has spoken and keynoted at numerous technology and media industry events including the 2010 Network World conference and 2010 Computer World conference.
Robertson joined Turner Broadcasting in 1998 to form the first IT security team and was promoted to Manager of Network and Security Groups in 1999. In 2001, he was named Director of Technology Operations. Prior to joining Turner Broadcasting, Robertson was Vice President of Technology and Chief Information Officer for Georgia Military College.
Robertson holds a bachelors degree with honors in Computer Science from DeMontfort University and a masters degree in Computer Science from American Institute for Computer Sciences.
