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 THREE | TECHNOLOGY

SPEAKER

PETE SHEARER

CTO
RxBridge

Pete has spent the last 20+ years as a technologist working on projects large and small for organizations of all sizes. He has a passion for technology and more specifically, for finding the right technology solutions to fit the needs of the businesses he works with. He began his career as a developer, then moved on through Senior Developer, Team Lead, Enterprise Architectural, and now CTO roles.

Pete has become extremely well-rounded throughout his career by always striving to understand the "bigger picture". Due to that drive, he has end-to-end architectural and development skills and demonstrable experience that range from the UI to the Business Tier, Services Layer, Database, Reporting, and ETL Processes. Pete has architected and developed solutions for many industries including finance, insurance, healthcare, software product companies, and higher education.

Pete has created solutions for such companies as American Express, Ohio State University Medical Center, Optum, JPMorgan Chase, and Weight Watchers. He has architected the solutions on these projects for Mobile, Web, Desktop, Services, Database, ETL, Data Warehousing, and Reporting, resulting in gains in efficiency or productivity and translating to tangible financial gains for those companies.

Currently, he is CTO at RxBridge, a technology company in the Workers' Compensation PBM space whose mission is to bring best-in-class software and technology to an overlooked industry.

When he isn't working, Pete can be found umpiring fastpitch softball games, cheering on the Buckeyes and the Steelers, or reading a good book.

SESSION THREE | INDUSTRY

PANELIST

CHARLES ASH

CIO
Ohio Department of Transportation

Charles Ash accepted the position of CIO with The Ohio Department of Transportation in May of 2018, after 7 years working with ODOT.

He is a visionary thinker who pushes boundaries and questions the status quo to ensure that the DOT will remain prepared for current and future technology demands and drives IT to improve and optimize its operations in order to become a more lean and efficient organization.

Charles has led enterprise IT teams toward a more business-focused strategy so that they could become more closely aligned with ODOT’s core business objectives and continues to encourage collaboration and communication between ODOT’s business units and IT resources.

Charles believes the future of technology is here. He approaches new challenges with infectious excitement, tempered by careful forethought and planning, and has inspired ODOT IT to become one of the most innovative technology organizations in the state.

SESSION THREE | INDUSTRY

PANELIST

NICK HEGEMIER

Managing Director Infrastructure
DriveOhio (OhioDOT)

Nick Hegemier is currently the Managing Director of Infrastructure for DriveOhio, a center formed within OhioDOT to focus on Smart Mobility. His current duties include the development of standards for connected and automated vehicles to be deployed in the state.

He is currently involved in many national CAV efforts, including leading the AV Pooled Fund Study and is a Board member for the OmniAir Consortium, a global certification entity for technologies, including connected vehicles.

He received his degree in Electrical Engineering from The Ohio State University and has over 20 years of Intelligent Transportation System experience.

SESSION THREE | INDUSTRY

PANELIST

JOHN MacADAM

Freelancer
MacAdam Consulting

John MacAdam helps people deliver and understand technology solutions.

As a professional engineer, John has a reputation for delivering innovative solutions for transportation and mobility problems. Through 16 years at the Ohio Dept. of Transportation, John garnered a reputation for pushing the envelope with technology, communicating through change, and implementing practical solutions.

As a mobile app developer & web developer, John has a reputation for delivering a high quality mobile experience and growing a mobile audience. He frequently combines technical skills with his softer skills to help clients reach their ultimate goals.

SESSION THREE | INDUSTRY

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 THREE | INDUSTRY

MODERATOR

DARLENE MAGOLD

CEO
Etch, LTD

Darlene Magold is the CEO of Etch, LTD, Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE), SBA Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB) Women Business Enterprise (WBE).

She has a BS in Environmental Geology from the University of Dayton and a MA in Geography (GIS) from The Ohio State University. She is also a Certified Geographic Information Systems Professional.

Darlene has over 20 years of professional GIS experience, including managing projects of all scales and helping with the design of sophisticated applications. Her firm specializes in program development, GIS planning and design, asset management and data conversion and delivery, all with a unique focus on Open Source and GIS technology.

SESSION THREE | INDUSTRY

MODERATOR

NAME

TITLE
COMPANY

BIO

SESSION THREE | PEOPLE

SPEAKER

BRITTANEY CARTER

CTO
City of Atlanta

Brittaney Carter has dedicated her career to the on-time, full scope delivery of real business solutions to her constituents using enabling technologies. Her ability to ideate transformative opportunities has afforded her internal and external customers the ability to grow and extend their own capabilities. 

In her current role as Chief Technology Officer for the City of Atlanta, Brittaney leads Innovation, Enterprise Applications, Data Management & Analytics, as well as Infrastructure. Brittaney has instituted innovation, human development, people leadership and team building to the organization as fundamental building blocks to success.

In her “spare time” Brittaney enjoys her family and working out be it cycling or CrossFit. She is an advocate for the human trafficking crisis, has served on multiple boards, and maintains a vision for helping those who need it the most.

SESSION THREE | PEOPLE

SPEAKER

V. VANDHANA VEERNI

CIO
Columbus City Schools

Vandhana Veerni is a results oriented technology industry leader, motivating an award winning IT team, pioneering and managing complex IT solutions design and delivery. She leverages her proven expertise of IT 360 and experience to drive business development and customer focused success. She is the ComSpark Technology Executive of the Year for Central Ohio. She provides leadership vision enterprise wide via decisive and insightful leadership, guiding daily global operations and policy implementation through strategic thinking and decision-making. Known as a bridge builder for seamlessly collaborating with internal organizations and third-party partners, she builds and leads high performance teams to manage, implement and streamline complex IT solutions.

She currently serves as the CIO for Columbus City Schools. Columbus City Schools, established in 1845, is Ohio’s largest school district, serving the needs of more than 50,000 students in 113 schools. At Columbus City Schools, as the CIO, Vandhana and her team serve the best interests of these 50000 students so that "Each student is highly-educated, prepared for leadership and service, and empowered for success as a citizen in a global community." They take their sense of purpose seriously and are striving to build a world class model IT services organization for urban school districts. Embracing a culture of agility, the IT team adapts to business needs and continuously innovates.

She has a Master’s degree in Computer Applications from the University of Madras, Chennai, India and has over 25 years of IT experience. She lives in Galena, Ohio with her husband and 2 kids.