SESSION ONE | INDUSTRY
MODERATOR
TONJIA COVERDALE
AVP, Finance Technology
Nationwide
Dr. Tonjia Coverdale is a technology executive and scholar with 25 years of career and academic immersion in the field who has cultivated her unique perspective of the field through the combination of strategic focus, industry practices, academic theories, and applied research. Bold, vibrant, and passionate, she is an executive strategist who leverages emerging technologies within a people-centered context.
Tonjia is currently Associate Vice President, Finance Technology at Nationwide where she leads the technology initiatives encompassing the Office of the Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining Nationwide, Tonjia served as Vice President for Information Technology and Academic Innovation at Central State University (Wilberforce, Ohio) and led the university’s digital transformation as their Chief Information Officer. She also served as President of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of the (U.S.) Virgin Islands Next Generation Network, a $118M federally funded initiative where she completed the construction of one of the first 100% fiber-optic broadband networks to service an entire State or Territory and developed its mission to improve quality of life through broadband access. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy and Bachelor of Science both in Information Science and Systems from Morgan State University (Baltimore, Maryland) and an MBA in Computer Information Systems from Georgia State University.
A native of Brooklyn, New York, Tonjia currently resides in Galena, Ohio with her two children, Benjamin and Anna Caroline and their two rescue “coconut terriers” from St. Thomas, U.S.V.I., Champagne and Kamikaze. She holds a 500-hour yoga teaching certification and enjoys her daily practice, Ayurveda, and mindfulness. She also enjoys all forms of rhythmic dance and cycling along Ohio’s beautiful trails.
Dr. Tonjia Coverdale is a technology executive and scholar with 25 years of career and academic immersion in the field who has cultivated her unique perspective of the field through the combination of strategic focus, industry practices, academic theories, and applied research. Bold, vibrant, and passionate, she is an executive strategist who leverages emerging technologies within a people-centered context.
Tonjia is currently Associate Vice President, Finance Technology at Nationwide where she leads the technology initiatives encompassing the Office of the Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining Nationwide, Tonjia served as Vice President for Information Technology and Academic Innovation at Central State University (Wilberforce, Ohio) and led the university’s digital transformation as their Chief Information Officer. She also served as President of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of the (U.S.) Virgin Islands Next Generation Network, a $118M federally funded initiative where she completed the construction of one of the first 100% fiber-optic broadband networks to service an entire State or Territory and developed its mission to improve quality of life through broadband access. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy and Bachelor of Science both in Information Science and Systems from Morgan State University (Baltimore, Maryland) and an MBA in Computer Information Systems from Georgia State University.
A native of Brooklyn, New York, Tonjia currently resides in Galena, Ohio with her two children, Benjamin and Anna Caroline and their two rescue “coconut terriers” from St. Thomas, U.S.V.I., Champagne and Kamikaze. She holds a 500-hour yoga teaching certification and enjoys her daily practice, Ayurveda, and mindfulness. She also enjoys all forms of rhythmic dance and cycling along Ohio’s beautiful trails.
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