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May 16th Newsletter

  

Welcome to the SIMCAC Weekly Newsletter....
....Where each week, we'll share SIMCAC announcements, member spotlights, local/national industry news, upcoming events, and recaps of past ones! 

May SIMCAC Event Recap - "The Human CIO in the Digital Age"

      On Tuesday, May 14th, current and prospective SIMCAC members convened to network over drinks, share dinner, and hear from Kristen Lamoreaux as she explained how successful CIOs should focus on the human side of their roles in order to stay relevant in the digital age.  According to Kristen, relevance is the one true currency of the digital age.
 
      Relevance to our customers:  Kristen walked the audience through multiple stories about what it means to be relevant to our customers, and how most (if not all) of them are now digital literate.  This has raised the bar on what users consider to be a positive experience.  According to Kristen, positive customer experiences result in exponential ROI, and negative customer experiences result in exponential ROI….just in the other direction.  As a result, it is more important than ever to create and utilize pathways of information between customers and our companies.
 
      Relevance to our employees:  We are all in a war for technology talent, so our companies need to resonate with our employees more than ever before.  To illustrate the problem, Kristen shared that Data Scientists with only 2 years of experience are already demanding $180k in the DC market, a rate that is hard to reach for many of us.  Kristen suggested that companies can offer many things beyond salary to attract and retain the talent we need, and shared many stories about how companies have successfully done just that, including:

  •  How a company successfully leveraged an existing culture of philanthropy as a key part of their recruitment strategy, allowing a new CIO to include a charity of their choice in the list of charities the company would support.
 
  • How NASA has developed an entire technical curriculum that could be leveraged in lieu of college.  Kristen joked that young adults can now get a kick-a$$ job…then go to college.  


      According to Kristen, leaders set the tone for our organizations.  As such, our personal ability to weather a storm is a clear indicator of the health of our organizations.  Kristen recommended that we focus on being vulnerable, and even took the opportunity to prove the power of doing so by sharing a very personal story about a loss she endured.  As all attendees will attest, that was a powerful moment that more than proved her point.  Kristen also stated that a culture of vulnerability deepens connections within teams, which can significantly impact productivity.
 
      As the event wrapped up, when asked for book recommendation (keeping with her message of the evening), Kristen pointed the audience to a book by Greg Hiebert titled You Can’t Give What You Don’t Have: Creating The Seven Habits That Make a Remarkable Life.
 
Kristen was amazing and we are grateful that she chose to spend time with us.  See everyone in June!






SIMCAC Members at SIM Connect Live 2019 Taking Place This Week in Orlando

From left to right: Nanci Schimizzi, Mike Huthwaite, Joe Malfesi, and Derrick Butts 


June SIMCAC Event - The Impact of STEM Programs on the Workforce

      Think today’s war for technology talent is tough? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in computer occupations is projected to increase 12.5% by 2024 relative to 2014 levels, so it’s only going to get worse.

      Many government programs and non-profit organizations are focused on addressing these labor shortages through programs that inspire our youth to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. In fact, past and current administrations have made this a top priority, securing both public and private funding to improve STEM education and prepare teachers. And SIM, the nation’s largest professional association of senior technology leaders, has a long-standing tradition of supporting these programs through contributions of time and money.

      But, are these programs working? What else can we do to help?

      SIMCAC invites current and eligible prospective members to join us for a conversation with STEM leaders representing the public, private, and non-profit sectors as we take the pulse and discuss the future of our nation’s technology workforce. A cocktail reception with heavy appetizers will follow the program.

      Event underwritten by Randstad. Thank you Enterprise Knowledge for hosting us. 

Register Now!

Our Moderator:

Joe Malfesi - Joe is now semi-retired in a part-time role as Vice President, Operations at Transaction Network Services, Inc. (TNS), a global provider of data communications and interoperability solutions. While he now focuses on managing M&A transitions, in his previous role as Vice President, Global Infrastructure Services, Mr. Malfesi utilized his extensive experience in both information technology and business line management to ensure non-stop availability of the infrastructure for TNS which has a presence in over 60 countries. Prior to joining TNS, Mr. Malfesi was the Chief Technology Operations Officer at Amtrak where he was named by the Maryland/D.C. Technology Council as the 2011 IT Executive of the Year-Government for his management of a major infrastructure improvement program relocating data centers and changing network providers while supporting the concurrent rollout of “Big Bang” SAP and the introduction of eTicketing.

       In 1989 Mr. Malfesi joined Hughes Network Systems (HNS) as the senior information technology officer where he blueprinted the system architecture that supported a 600% revenue growth. His last role at HNS was as Chief Technology Officer, focusing on evaluating emerging technologies, developing roadmaps, reducing infrastructure costs and leading the development for business continuity and information security strategies. Mr. Malfesi has also held senior IT management positions at a computer manufacturer, a health care services company, and a major appliance distributor.                                                                                                 

      Mr. Malfesi graduated from Fordham University with a B.S. in Marketing Management. He also holds an M.B.A. from New York University with concentrations in Computer Applications and Accounting. He is board Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM) and was named to the International Who’s Who of Information Technology in 1998. Mr. Malfesi has been an active member of the Society for Information Management (SIM) for nearly 30 years and has served as the Chairman of the Capital Area Chapter (SIMCAC) and a member of the Advanced Practices Council. He currently is the STEM Outreach Chairman for SIMCAC. He has been a guest speaker at the Robert H. Smith School of Business CIO Forum, SAP Admin & Infrastructure Conference, HMG Strategy CIO Executive Leadership Forums and a judge at the annual American University Kogod Case Competition since 2005.

Our Panel:

      Ruthe Farmer has focused on inclusion in technology since 2001 and is Chief Evangelist at CSforAll. She served as Senior Policy Advisor for Tech Inclusion at the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy focusing on President Obama’s call to action for Computer Science for All, and previously strategy and K-12 programs at the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT). She has launched multiple national inclusion programs including Aspirations in Computing, TECHNOLOchicas, the AspireIT outreach program, Lego Robotics for Girl Scouts and more. She served as 2012 Chair of CSEDWeek, was named a White House Champion of Change for Technology Inclusion in 2013, received the Anita Borg Institute Award for Social Impact in 2014, and the UK Alumni Award for Social Impact in 2015. Ruthe holds a BA from Lewis & Clark College and an MBA in Social Entrepreneurship from the University of Oxford.

Register Now
Register Now to Reserve Your Spot 
The Inaugural SIMCAC Charity Golf Outing Will Take Place on September 27th, 2019!



We welcome IT leaders to join us for a day of networking, golfing and giving back to the community. As IT leaders, it is our duty to give back to STEM and encourage others to join alongside us. We look forward to sharing this exciting golf outing with you. Learn more about the golf outing here.
Register Now
What a fantastic talk by Kristen Lameraeux at this week's event!
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Attention SIMCAC members! Since our members are the lifeblood of this great chapter, the success of this newsletter depends on our ability to share the happenings within it! So we're going to ask for your help in making this newsletter the best it can be. If you or fellow SIMCAC members have announcements, articles, pictures, videos, or any other content you'd like to share (and please do!), email to jamesparks@simcac.org 

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