CIO TOMORROW

2021 COVID SAFETY PROTOCOLS

CIO Tomorrow will be following safety protocols based on CDC and local guidance.

For the safety of all attendees, masks or face-coverings will be required.

Additionally, the Columbus Business First staff will not be in attendance if they have tested positive for Covid-19, do not feel well, or have been exposed to anyone who has Covid or Covid-like symptoms within the past 14 days, and expect all event attendees to do the same.

In your attendance, you acknowledge that you are aware of the risks involved with attending this event during the COVID-19 pandemic and acknowledge that you are choosing to do so voluntarily.

Furthermore, you agree to waive and release Columbus Business First, American City Business Journals, Inc. or the Hyatt Regency Columbus from liability for any claim, including any claim related to Covid-19.

When you arrive at the conference, CIO Tomorrow will provide one of the following badge labels to show/share your preference for physical greetings with other conference attendees.

RED – No Contact – 6 feet apart. No exceptions

YELLOW – Elbows Only – Still being cautious

GREEN – Hi-Fives & Handshakes – Frequent Handwashing

SESSION TWO | TECHNOLOGY

PANELIST

DAVID CROFT

Attorney
Meyers, Roman, Friedberg & Lewis

As a former General Counsel and Chief Operating Officer, David Croft, a Partner with Meyers, Roman, Friedberg & Lewis in Cleveland, Ohio, offers a unique perspective on business law and understanding the needs of his clients. Chair of the Blockchain/Cryptocurrency practice group, David directs the firm’s multidisciplinary approach to representing clients in all aspects of cybersecurity, data privacy, blockchain technology, and cryptocurrency, including smart contracts, tokenized security offerings, government regulation, NFTs, DAOs, inventions, trademarks, brand protection, trade secrets, copyrights, commercialization, mining, energy procurement and licensing.

David is a prolific speaker on emerging trends in cybersecurity, data privacy, and blockchain/cryptocurrency. Besides addressing these topics at a number of firm-sponsored events, he has given seminars at the University of Dayton School of Law, Employers Resource Council (ERC), the Northeast Ohio Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network (MAGNET), the Blockland Solutions Conference in Cleveland, and as a speaker and panelist at many events and on multiple webinars.

David frequently works collaboratively with leaders from other law firms, clients and the broader community to advance these industries, as well as to anticipate and address regulatory concerns.

David received his undergraduate degree from the University of Toledo, his master’s degree in Taxation from the University of Akron College of Business Administration, and his Law degree from the University of Akron School of Law.

SESSION TWO | TECHNOLOGY

PANELIST

MITCHELL KEMPER

Director
StateAuto Labs

Mitchell Kemper is the Director of State Auto Labs, a leading CVC with a double-digit portfolio.  He works to not only provide startups with capital, but with valuable insights into the insurance industry so they're better able to grow and navigate through the complex world of insurance.

He started his career with State Auto Insurance as a front lines auto claims adjuster. He was quickly drawn into the technology side of insurance and the possibilities to improve existing technologies or seek out new technologies.

He now works with InsurTechs to help improve their businesses, but also the business practices across State Auto Insurance. 

SESSION TWO | TECHNOLOGY

PANELIST

DOUG McCOLLOUGH

CIO
City of Dublin

As CIO of the City of Dublin, Ohio, Doug McCollough has embraced the rich community of innovation that is Central Ohio. Through collaborations and partnerships he has worked to connect people to opportunities, remove barriers, and promote change in initiatives ranging from Smart and Connected Cities, IT Workforce Development, expanding broadband access, Connected and Autonomous Vehicles, and Blockchain in Government. He has spoken as a Subject Matter Expert and advocate on technical subjects, diversity and inclusion, and using technology for community development. Doug is also CEO of Color Coded Labs, which targets underserved, underrepresented, and marginalized communities, seeking gritty working adults to present new, transformative career pathways in the technology industry.

Prior to his current work, Doug held positions within the State of Ohio Departments of Public Safety, Commerce, Industrial Commission, and Medicaid. He served as the Director of Information Technology for the City of Richmond, Virginia, and as CIO for the City of Dublin, Ohio. He is on the boards of Per Scholas Columbus, TECH CORPS, and Jewish Family Services of Columbus, is a cofounder of Black Tech Columbus, and a Trustee for the Central Ohio Transit Authority.

SESSION TWO | TECHNOLOGY

PANELIST

CHARLES OKOCHU

Snr Business Development Manager/ WW GTM Spec - Amazon Managed Blockchain & QLD
Amazon Web Services

Charles Okochu is the Global Business Development Manager for Amazon Managed Blockchain and Amazon Quantum Ledger Database (QLDB). He is based out of New York City and has a background in Financial Services, Blockchain, Digital Assets and is passionate about how blockchain technologies can transform the technology landscape.

In his spare time, Charles enjoys running, playing and coaching soccer, and spending time with friends and family.

SESSION TWO | TECHNOLOGY

PANELIST

RON ROCK

Senior Director Insurance / Insurtech
JobsOhio

Ron Rock is a leader in the financial services sector at JobsOhio focusing specifically on insurance and Insurtech. His role is to create and oversee the strategy for growing existing Ohio businesses and attracting new businesses to the State.

With over 20 years of financial services experience, Ron brings a deep knowledge of the industry and is constantly exploring new opportunities to create or support strategic alliances. JobsOhio is Ohio’s private economic development corporation and works outside – but alongside – state government principally making loans and grants to support business attraction, expansion, and retention efforts within the state.

“The insurance industry is going through exciting changes. Witnessing the adoption of tech driven solutions to innovate is certainly energizing. With a strong incumbent presence, availability of venture capital funds, and robust tech talent, Ohio is the place to be.”

SESSION TWO | TECHNOLOGY

PANELIST

JOSH THOMPSON

Chief Claims and Risk Engineering Officer
StateAuto

Josh Thompson has 20+ years’ experience in the insurance industry.  Josh began his career at Allstate Insurance as a Casualty Claim Adjuster.  He also worked at American Family Insurance as a Claim Analyst.  Josh was a Training Specialist and Claims Supervisor at Encova Insurance. 

Josh joined State Auto in 2011 spending time building the Claims Training Program and then leading the Auto and Total Loss Claims Organizations. After serving as Vice President Auto and Property Claims for 4 years, Josh was named SVP/Chief Claims and Risk Engineering Officer in 2022 and is primarily responsible leading the Claims and Risk Engineering Organization’s efforts to serve its customers and pursue innovation opportunities.

Josh completed his CPCU designation in 2010 and M.B.A. in 2006.

SESSION TWO | TECHNOLOGY

MODERATOR

DIANE DAGEFOERDE

former CTO
The Ohio State University

Diane Dagefoerde is a transformative IT leader with a record of success leading enterprise information systems, security, data, and analytics, in support of leading-edge research, education, and community engagement missions. She is a recognized change champion who transforms business processes through technology innovation.

For the past 25+ years, Diane held key IT leadership roles at The Ohio State University. From 2014 to 2022 she served as Chief Technical Officer and Deputy Chief Information Officer where she oversaw enterprise-wide technology services offered by the Office of the Chief Information Officer. Her portfolio included enterprise applications, data and analytics, infrastructure, architecture, end user support, and Managed IT Services. She also partnered with the State of Ohio Department of Higher Education to serve as fiscal agent for OH-TECH, which includes OhioLINK, OARnet and the Ohio Supercomputer Center.

Between October 2020 and September 2021, Diane was appointed Interim Vice President and Chief Information Officer for Ohio State. As Interim CIO, she led the Office of the CIO, including vision, planning, alignment, budgeting, implementation, and operation of information systems in support of the university's strategies and objectives. She also led the Office of Distance Education and E-learning (ODEE) with responsibility for distance education and eLearning efforts such as online degree offerings, credit courses, non-credit certificates, and hybrid course delivery models.

Diane is actively engaged in IT communities such as the Central Ohio CIO Forum and the APLU/AAU Open Data Initiative. She is a member of Women United (United Way) and mentors women in the Educate, Empower, Elevate (E3) program, a partnership between the Center for New Directions and Godman Guild. Finally, Diane mentors startup CEOs/founders as part of the Grow to Scale program at Rev1 Ventures.

SESSION TWO | INDUSTRY

PANELIST

TRACIE CLEVELAND THOMAS, MBA

SVP, Service Digitization
KeyBank

Tracie has over 20 years of experience as an Information Technology Leader spanning multiple industries such as financial services, insurance, automotive and government industries.

Prior to joining KeyBank, Tracie was Head of IPM Production Engineering Management at JPMorgan Chase, supporting Consumer Banking, Business Banking & Core Banking Technology (CBC). In this role, Tracie provided strategic direction and executive oversight for production management support using Agile, SRE (Site Reliability Engineering) and DevOps software engineering practices.

Prior to joining JPMorgan Chase, Tracie spent 10 years at Nationwide Insurance. During her tenure, she held several executive roles leading Software Development, Production Support and Application Services (Agile/Scrum) teams across various lines of businesses. Her expertise is in driving large scale transformation within software application development and implementing standard processes streaming operational support for companies such as General Motors (OnStar), Alliance Data and Genesys Telecommunications. Tracie is a driven and highly versatile leader priding herself in leading initiatives to drive cost-effective, value-add business results while developing and maintaining an engaged workforce.

Tracie has a background in engineering with a dual degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from The Ohio State University. She was also a collegiate athlete in Track & Field as a sprinter. Tracie also received her Master’s Degree in Computer Information Systems/MIS from Baker College. Her accomplishments include being a Certified Genesys Engineer, an ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) Practitioner, NW INSIGHT Leader Program and a recent grad from The Ohio State Fisher College of Business, Executive Lean Leader Program. Most recently, Tracie was a finalist for the Outstanding Women in Technology award from the Central Ohio Tech Power Players.

An important aspect of Tracie’s life is her 18-year-old son, Cameron, who is a senior at Bishop Hartley High School. As a single Mom, work-life balance is important to Tracie as well as giving back to the community. She is a member of National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), Women in Technology International (WITI), a member of AALA (African American Leadership Academy), United Way Key Club and National Black MBA. In Tracie’s spare time, she enjoys running, movies, volunteering at her church and spending time with friends.

Tracie's Favorite Quote: “You may not always end up where you THOUGHT you were going, but you will always end up where you are MEANT to be”

SESSION TWO | INDUSTRY

PANELIST

PAULA O'REILLY

Sr Mng Director and US Midwest Financial Services Client Group Lead
Accenture

Paula is a Managing Director at Accenture responsible for leading the financial services business in the Midwest, overseeing insurance, banking, and capital markets clients. Paula is also is Office Managing Director for the Columbus Office. Most recently, she was responsible for leading strategic and transformational initiatives at one of our principal and global financial services clients.

In the course of her career, she has consulted with many of our insurance, banking and capital markets clients. These initiatives included strategy development, large scale system implementation, acquisition and merger integration, front office and omni channel experience, and overall account management. Most recently, Paula has worked with clients on workforce transformation, including transition to agile, product based teams to support the use of modern technologies like cloud, AI, and blockchain.

In addition to client work, Paula is a frequent industry speaker, author, and board member of the Money20/20 Rise Up Academy, empowering women to leadership roles in financial services. Paula also serves as the Executive Sponsor for the US Women’s Employee Resource group at Accenture. She is passionate about giving back to the community, serving on the Board of Directors for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) – Buckeye chapter. She also supports and participates in Pelotonia, Girl Scouts, and Girls on the Run.

SESSION TWO | INDUSTRY

PANELIST

JIM STRUNTZ

COO
Bold Penguin

As a proven technology leader delivering transformational change for Fortune 500 organizations across the globe, I have had the privilege of collaborating with leading capital markets, banking and insurance organizations on some of their most strategic programs to improve the way they serve their customers and stakeholders.

SESSION TWO | INDUSTRY

MODERATOR

TONJIA COVERDALE

AVP, Technology Data Management
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, Technology Data Management 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.

SESSION ONE | INDUSTRY

PANELIST

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SESSION ONE | INDUSTRY

MODERATOR

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SESSION TWO | PEOPLE

PANELIST

LARRY ENGLISH

President & Co-Founder
Centric Consulting

Larry is a remote work expert and author of Office Optional: How to Build a Connected Culture With Virtual Teams, a roadmap to virtual work success. The book draws on his insights as cofounder and president of Centric Consulting, an award-winning business and technology consulting firm that has been virtual-first since its founding more than two decades ago.

Before Centric, Larry worked for a large international consulting firm out of college until he got burned out at 25. He and his newlywed wife backpacked around the world as he tried to find his path in life—and he did. Shortly after returning home, he and his like-minded pals founded Centric with a focus on changing how consulting was done by building a remote company with a mission to create a culture of employee and client happiness.

Today, Centric is a 1,100-plus person company with offices in 12 US cities and India. Larry is father to four boys and husband to an adventurous wife. They reside in Columbus, Ohio. Larry is donating a portion of the royalties he receives from Office Optional to charity.

SESSION TWO | PEOPLE

PANELIST

BRIAN ZUERCHER

Co-Founder & CEO
Align

Brian is the CoFounder and CEO of Align. At Align we equip organizations with data to redesign their full work experience — from office environments to remote policies— because the future of work is personal.

Brian has spent his career building new products, services and teams. Prior to starting Hopewell Brian CoFounded SEEN a marketing and media data and analytics firm which was acquired by ICX Media in 2018.

Brian is passionate about helping entrepreneurship and has led and volunteered organizations and efforts like Wakeup Startup, Startup Week and Startup Weekend. If you can’t find him he’s probably somewhere running on the trails.

Brian holds an undergraduate degree from Butler University and an MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic University.

SESSION TWO | PEOPLE

PANELIST

MARCIE MERRIMAN

Americas Cultural Insights
& Customer Strategy Leader
Ernst & Young

Marcie Merriman, of Ernst & Young, is an internationally recognized leader in brand strategy and cultural anthropology. Marcie has spent over two decades working with boards, CEOs and their teams to anticipate disruption and propel growth through human-led strategies.

She speaks globally on topics related to millennials, Gen Z, changing consumer behaviors and corporate strategic response. Her work has been featured on CNBC, BBC, and Bloomberg TV, and in publications like The New York Times, Forbes, Wall Street Journal and The Economist.

SESSION TWO | PEOPLE

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BIO

SESSION TWO | PEOPLE

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BIO

SESSION TWO | PEOPLE

MODERATOR

TROY GIBSON

CTO
Improving Interviews

Troy is a transformative thought leader offering 20+ years of experience, which includes a position as a C-Suite executive at a $5B Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary.

He has expertise innovating and reengineering technology and business environments, developing and launching product and service offerings, establishing best practices-based processes and systems, and pursuing and closing multimillion-dollar key accounts. He is passionate about creating new opportunities with products and services as well as leveraging technology to enhance business processes.

Troy is also an accomplished speaker that has been asked to engage at events such as Dreamforce, Ohio CIO Executive Summit, Executive CIO Roundtable, and Think Mobile.