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 | LEADERSHIP

SPEAKER

DWIGHT SMITH

Founder, President and CEO
Sophisticated Systems, Inc.

With over forty years of experience in the IT industry, Dwight Smith is the Founder, President and CEO of Sophisticated Systems, Inc. in Columbus. Sophisticated Systems provides businesses with a comprehensive set of information technology solutions to drive results, from project staffing, assessments to fully outsourced managed services.

Sophisticated Systems has experienced national recognition in being named as one of Inc. Magazine’s 500 Fastest Growing Companies in the country. SSI has also been recognized as a 2015 & 2017 Corporate Caring Award finalist in addition to previously winning the award in 2001. Other recognitions include the Top Cat Tech Innovation Award for technology leadership and one of the fastest growing Central Ohio businesses for seven years by Columbus Fast 50.

Mr. Smith is very active in the Columbus community and believes that it is an honor to be in a position to contribute to the community. In 1998, Mr. Smith established a non-profit foundation, TBTG (Thanks Be To God) to provide assistance to children in our community and around the world. In 2015, two additional donor advised funds were established, The Rubye Irene Smith Youth Initiative Donor Advised Fund to support efforts in his hometown of Springfield, Ohio and My Special Word, inspiring children with the power of positive words. In 2020, Sophisticated Systems established the SSI Caring Fund at the Columbus Foundation to support local community organization. In addition, he has served as an Adjunct Professor in the MBA Program at Franklin University and has been a guest lecturer at The Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University. Mr. Smith is an active angel investor in a number of high potential start ups. Dwight serves on a number of corporate and community boards.

SESSION THREE | LEADERSHIP

MODERATOR

SEAN GRANT

Chief Administrative Officer
The Columbus Partnership

As Chief Administrative Officer for One Columbus and The Columbus Partnership, Sean is responsible for providing executive oversight of the accounting and budget, HR, insurance, real estate, IT and investor relations operations.

Sean has a significant financial and accounting background. He spent the first half of his career in the world of banking and finance. Working for some of the largest financial institutions in the country, Sean honed his skills in providing lending and financial services to businesses large and small. His broad experience includes traditional commercial banking with middle market and multinational corporations, as well as structured financing for mergers and acquisitions and real estate ventures. Lastly, Sean worked with entrepreneurs and small business owners in providing access to capital and utilizing products and services to help them manage cash and cash flow.

He has spent his last ten years leading both private and non-profit concerns tasked with maintaining the fiscal health and overall well-being of the organizations, by providing both business insight and management of operational issues.

Prior to joining The Columbus Partnership and the One Columbus team, Sean’s previous position was as the Senior Manager of Operations for PharmaForce, Inc., a multi-facility specialty pharmaceutical company founded in Columbus, Ohio, in which his duties combined CFO/COO related duties He assisted the two entrepreneur founders in growing their business, becoming vertically integrated, and participated in the eventual multi-million dollar sale of the business to an international-based conglomerate.

He has been involved in several community and civic organizations, and serves as a Board Member, Treasurer for the Workforce Development Board of Central Ohio, Advisory Board Member for Per Scholas Columbus, and Board Member for The Columbus Chamber of Commerce and Advisory Board member for the United Way of Central Ohio.

Lastly, Sean is committed to be an inclusive ecosystem builder in Columbus, working to ensure that under-tapped communities have equitable access to the multi-generational wealth creation opportunities afforded in the innovation economy as definitive paths to reducing poverty and the racial wealth gap. He serves as an advisor to many entrepreneurs and start-ups looking to get funding and connected, while also working with groups like Blk_Hack and The Franklin County Business Growth and Equity Alliance in efforts to expose people of color to careers and opportunities in tech.

Sean received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Management / Marketing from Simpson College.

He and his wife Maureen have four children and reside in Pickerington.

SESSION THREE | STRATEGY

PANELIST

DENNIS HIRSCH

Professor of Law
The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law

Dennis Hirsch is a Professor of Law at The Ohio State University Michael E. Moritz College of Law where he directs the Program on Data and Governance, a non-partisan research center that focuses on emerging technologies, privacy and fairness. He is also Professor of Law at Capital University Law School.

Professor Hirsch's research interests include privacy governance, the law and policy of emerging technologies such as big data analytics and artificial intelligence, European data protection law, and the lessons that environmental law and policy can provide for privacy regulation. He teaches courses on Information Privacy Law, Big Data Law and Policy, and Environmental Law.

In 2010, Professor Hirsch served as a Fulbright Senior Professor at the University of Amsterdam where he produced a leading study on collaborative Dutch data protection regulation. He returns each summer to co-lead and teach in the University of Amsterdam Summer Course on Privacy Law and Policy. Previously, Professor Hirsch served as the Reporter for the Uniform Law Commission Drafting Committee on Employee and Student Online Privacy, and as the Chair of the American Association of Law Schools Section on Defamation and Privacy. He is a member of the Scientific Committee for the Computers, Privacy, and Data Protection conference which is held annually in Brussels.

A graduate of Columbia University and the Yale Law School, Professor Hirsch has served as Articles Editor for the Yale Law Journal, as Law Clerk to the Hon. John M. Walker, Jr. of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, as an Associate at Sidley Austin LLP.

SESSION THREE | STRATEGY

PANELIST

BRIAN SAMPSEL

Vice President, AI & Automation
Covail

Brian is an AI and analytics strategy consultant who partners with clients to demonstrate how technologies like artificial intelligence, analytics and automation can help organizations meet their strategic objectives and optimize their business processes. He possesses a wide breadth of experience across a variety of organizations, having worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers, dunnhumby / 84.51, Express and Covail in addition to consulting with leading organizations such as The Home Depot and Nationwide Insurance.

SESSION THREE | STRATEGY

MODERATOR

JODIE BARE

Chief Innovation Officer
Columbus Regional Airport Authority

Jodie is the Chief Innovation Officer for the Columbus Regional Airport Authority which operates John Glenn International, Rickenbacker International and Bolton Field airports in Columbus, Ohio, USA.

Jodie oversees CRAA’s Technology Services division and provides the strategic direction for implementing the organization’s goals as she works with the team to focus on developing new ideas around emergent technologies that will help advance CRAA. While establishing and growing innovative capabilities, she also drives innovation internally and externally to propel CRAA forward in technology, development, culture, service and business. Using an endorsed strategy, she guides the organization as it seeks to stand out to customers and the community as a visionary leader in the industry.

An experienced profit-driven operations executive who can leverage data, technology and analytics to deliver real-time impacts, Jodie has overseen various departments in an array of organizations including IT, professional services, service delivery, customer support, sales, finance, human resources, project management and manufacturing. Prior to joining CRAA, most recently Jodie was the Director of Data and Innovation for the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada and was previously part of the Smart Columbus program management team.

SESSION THREE | TECHNOLOGY

SPEAKER

RICHARD SEAR

Senior Partner, SVP & Chief Solution Architect
Frost & Sullivan

As a Senior Partner, Senior Vice President & Chief Solutions Officer for Frost & Sullivan Richard Sear oversees the Visionary Innovation and Technology practice that focuses on creating long term sustained growth strategies & technologies. Richard leads a team of global trends and technology professionals that are driven to understand how future transformative developments will impact education, companies, cities and governments and the people they serve.

His approach is grounded in research in the field, taking key developing indicators to more credibly assess what the future will bring us and how to act on that information. Richard’s project work has helped to influence and drive growth in a wide variety of spaces giving him a truly rounded perspective on the forces at play that will shape the future. Taking an innovative approach to macroeconomics, his team uncovers global views on topics such as geo political chaos, new business model disruptions, technology developments, value chain compression and more.

In his 25 year career Richard has worked with more than 250 of the world’s leading CEO’s and World Leaders at entities such as GE, Intel, FedEx, VW, Panasonic, ExxonMobil, Mexico City, UK Government, and facebook.

A globally recognized award winner for his thought leadership and speaking, Richard has worked in more than 70 countries, consulting and researching with people from all walks of life. Authoring hundreds of thought pieces, and with regular media appearances, Richard is able to provide a perspective few can bring.