Mentors - Quest Oracle Community

Mentor Profile: Rod McDonald

Rod McDonald

Executive Director of Digital and Information Systems,
Cantex Inc.

Education, Leadership & Affiliations

BS in Business, Computer Information Systems, DeVry University
Associate of Applied Science in Computer Science, DeVry University
Certifications: ITIL Foundation – Cert. Number: GR750011244RM | Certified JD Edwards Trainer | PDA Leadership

Industry Experience

Hospitality • Finance • Manufacturing • Logistics • Retail • Real Estate • Technology • Consulting

Professional Biography

Rod is a strategic and growth-centric Business Executive, with verifiable experience leading the evaluation, implementation, integration, and maintenance of various systems and applications. Rod is experienced at developing relationships at the President or C-level and demonstrates strong communication and leadership skills. In Addition, Rod has propelled next-level success by designing and implementing complex ERP software and managing all aspects as the subject matter expert.

Stakeholder-centric executive noted for enabling unsurpassed value and best-in-class lean quality products. Adept at taking calculated risks, inspiring innovation, and building workplace culture from the top down. Rod provides leadership combined with the technical aptitude required to deliver projects on time and within budget without production application disruptions.

Rod is a transformational and turnaround leader who increases efficiency and effectiveness of Cloud, Web and enterprise solutions. He also pioneered the use of new technology with Robotics, Analytics and AI to deliver advanced applications for business reporting in the US and European Markets. Rod excels in project management, including planning, budgeting, resource allocation, and delivering deliverables. He is an expert in acquisitions, legacy system conversions, implementations, and systems development to ERP system conversions. Rod has experience in retail, manufacturing, distribution, communications, investments, and real estate industries.

Rod’s executive strengths include business strategy, investment and operations budgeting, policy and procedure development, personnel management, technical and data analysis, enterprise project management, risk assessments, mergers and acquisitions, and governance and compliance.

Rod serves on the Quest Oracle User Community’s board of directors and in his spare time enjoys producing music and playing the drums with Kindred Jazz band.

Mentor Profile: Wendy Plante

Wendy Plante

Associate Vice President, Finance & Employee Systems and Services
New York University

Education, Leadership & Affiliations

Binghamton University (SUNY) – BS, Accounting
Mount St. Mary College – MBA
New York University – post graduate and continuing education studies

Professional Biography

Wendy Plante is a proactive, results-oriented strategic leader with 25 years of extensive experience in driving technology-enabled organizational transformation. As the AVP, Finance & Employee Systems and Service at NYU and previously in leadership roles at IBM and NYU Langone Health, she demonstrates exceptional strategic thinking and has a proven track record of managing multiple projects encompassing operating model changes, process optimization, and re/upskilling teams. Her expertise includes ERP Implementations, Finance Transformation Strategy, and organizational design, consistently applying Lean Six Sigma principles to achieve efficient, effective, and measurable outcomes. Wendy’s significant contributions within the Oracle ecosystem are a cornerstone of her profile, highlighted by her prior roles as an Oracle Public Sector Practice Leader and Sales Leader, and her leadership as Past Chairman of the Quest Oracle Community Executive Committee and an Executive Strategy Council Member for the Healthcare Industry User Group (HIUG). She further contributed by providing valuable “real world” insight as an Oracle Customer Advisory Board Member and authored a publication titled “Continuously Upgrade?!? Are they crazy?!? NO, IT’S ACTUALLY QUITE CLEVER” which Oracle leaders used to encourage customers to operationalize their own ongoing upgrade programs. As a strong team builder with demonstrated success in staff development and mentoring, Wendy is an ideal guide for aspiring technology leaders aiming to master complex transformations and spearhead strategic change.

Mentor Profile: Steve McDowell

Steve McDowell

Facilitator
RLF (Rising Leader Forums)

Education, Leadership & Affiliations

BS, Computer Systems, City University (BD)

Professional Biography

Steve McDowell has been in IT Management for more than 30 years. He has worked in a wide range of industries. From Property Management to Healthcare, Hospitality to Transportation and Government. He is a thought leader who combines strong business acumen with a deep understanding of advancing organizations through appropriate technology. Steve is recognized for his focus on mission and strengthening an organization’s financial foundation. He is known as an executive who fosters loyalty among staff members through a positive corporate culture—he drives a service-oriented team that delivers exemplary customer education, troubleshooting, and issue resolution with expertise and professionalism.

Mentor Profile: Liz Smith

Liz Smith

Deputy CIO,
J. Paul Getty Trust

Education, Leadership & Affiliations

BA in Psychology, Business, University of California Los Angelos (UCLA)
Practitioner in Business Analysis – University of Colorado
Project Management Professional, PMP

Professional Biography

Liz Smith is the Deputy Chief Information Officer at Getty Digital, part of the J. Paul Getty Trust, where she brings extensive leadership experience in managing complex digital initiatives that align with organizational goals and client needs. A certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and skilled practitioner in business analysis, Liz combines strategic insight with technical expertise to deliver impactful digital solutions. She excels in building high-performing teams and leading cross-functional projects that drive digital transformation. Known for fostering strategic partnerships and adapting to emerging technologies, she ensures optimal digital asset utilization across business units. Liz also serves on the Quest Oracle Community Board, contributing her expertise to the advancement of enterprise technology leadership.

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Mentor Profile: Fred Pond

Fred Pond

Director of Engagement and Delivery
Society for Information Management (SIM)

Education, Leadership & Affiliations

Degree in Business with major in Accounting, minor in Finance, University of Idaho
Past Board Participation: Society for Information Management (SIM), the CIO Forum of the Technology Association of Oregon (TAO), Quest JD Edwards Global User Group, the Operations and Technology major at the Pamplin School of Business at the University of Portland and been on local company boards SourcePanel, Gear Up Sports and IGNW
Current Board Participation: Shelter Products and a not-for-profit vacation property the Sawtelle Club.
Volunteer with Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Providence Cancer Center, Meals on Wheels for Kids, and The University of Idaho.
Honored as one of ComputerWorld’s Premier 100 IT Leaders for 2003.

Professional Biography

Fred Pond is a semi-retired former business executive and CIO. He currently works part time as a CIO consultant and advisor; as a Board of Directors member for companies and non-profits; and facilitates a leadership development program (RLF), a large cap CIO group (APC), and an Executive Coaching program for the Society for Information Management (SIM).

Fred retired (February 2017) from his Vice President and Chief Information Officer role at Columbia Sportswear Company, the Oregon based designer, developer, distributor and retailer of apparel and footwear for the outdoor and active consumer with revenues of more than $3B, 6,000 employees, and operations and product sales in more than 100 countries across the globe. In this role, Fred was responsible for Global Information Services (GIS) and Technology for the company with a team of over 300 people spread across more than a dozen countries, and a capital and operating budget of more than $75M annually.

Before Columbia, Fred worked from 2006 to 2010 as Chief Information Officer of North Pacific Group (NPG) a $1.3B Portland based distributor of lumber, building materials, and food products. In his role at NPG, he led a successful and complete rebuilding of the company’s technology organization and infrastructure.

Prior to NPG, Fred worked from 1997 to 2005 leading the Information Systems and Technology organization for the Schnitzer Group of Companies; a Portland, Oregon based group of six independent but related companies made up of: Schnitzer Steel Industries (self-service auto parts, recycled metals and steel manufacturing), Schnitzer Investment Co. & Schnitzer Northwest (real estate development and management), Lasco Shipping & Liberty Maritime (ocean shipping and freighter owner and operators), and Island Equipment Company (real estate and gas products manufacturing & distribution). These diverse businesses comprised approximately $1.2B in annual revenues and $1.8B in assets. In his role he and his staff completely replaced the majority of all technology infrastructure, hardware, networking, and application software & systems throughout these six businesses.

Prior to the Schnitzer Group, Fred worked from 1990 to 1997 in various roles including Leading the Information Systems and Technology Organization for Stevedoring Services of America (SSA), now SSA Marine/Tideworks Technology. SSA is one of the largest shipping terminal operating, cargo logistics companies and technology providers in the U.S. and also have significant operations in ports in more than 40 locations globally. In his role at SSA, he was responsible for significant improvements in technology infrastructure and development of complex custom cargo management and cargo logistics systems that gave SSA major competitive advantage, and to this day continues to differentiate their business from their competitors under the Tideworks Technology brand.

Prior to his 27 years of IT management in industry, Fred worked as an accountant and consultant with the Arthur Andersen & Co. and then Andersen Consulting for more than 7 years. His roles there included progressive responsibilities from staff accountant and consultant to consulting manager with responsibility for multiple clients and engagements mostly in the manufacturing and distribution industry sectors.

Fred has been married to Cherie for 36 years, they have two grown children Natalie and Allison. They all love travel, sports, outdoors and getting together with family.

Mentor Profile: Cullin J. Wible

Cullin Wible

Managing Director,
The Conti Group

Education, Leadership & Affiliations

Many Corporate Boards and Executive Management Positions; Founder of Several Companies; Past Chair, Quest Oracle Community; President Oceanport Board of Education

Industry Experience

Software • Construction • IoT • Renewable Energy • Real Estate • Automotive • Finance

Professional Biography

Cullin is an executive entrepreneur and technology expert who has decades of experience founding, managing, growing and advising businesses of all types and stages of growth. This diverse experience allows Cullin to effectively lead across broad functional areas spanning leadership and governance, strategy, finance and venture capital, team building and recruiting, international operations, sales and business development, software and product development, and infrastructure.

Cullin currently serves as a Managing Director at The Conti Group, a family office holding company that spans construction, global infrastructure, renewable energy, biotechnology, energy, finance, insurance, software and IoT. In his role as Managing Director, Cullin takes a hands-on, technology centric approach to building and managing organizations, ensuring that they are at the forefront of their industries. Prior to his role as Managing Director, Culin served as the Conti Group’s Chief Information officer, where he led the expansion and upgrade of the company’s global technology platform. Cullin was also the Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer at eDataSource, an industry leading email deliverability and data analytics company, where he also designed and developed the software and analytics platform, raised the first round of venture capital and launched the company.

Outside of the office, Cullin enjoys sailboat racing and cruising with his family. He believes in public service and is actively involved in local government, where he’s served in both appointed and elected capacities. For a brief period, he was also a volunteer EMT and once assisted the US Coast Guard with a rescue at sea.

Mentor Profile: Denise Evans Grills

Denise Evans Grills

Chief Executive Officer,
Denise Grills Consulting

Education, Leadership & Affiliations

Degree in Business Administration, University of Montana
Master of Business Administration, Southern Methodist University
Served on the Alumni Association Board of Directors and was an Advisor and Coach to the Women’s Leadership Initiative at the University of Montana
Certified by the Co-Active Training Institute and the International Coaches Foundation

Industry Experience

Developer • Operations • Business Analyst • Logistics

Professional Biography

Denise Grills is a proven leader and champion for organizational and individual growth. She has worked in Information Technology for 35 years as a developer, trainer, business analyst, IBM Sales Representative, product manager and communications leader. During 25 years with the JD Edwards / Oracle brand, she led teams in content and communications, product strategy and product marketing. Denise retired as a Vice President of Product Development in January 2020.

Through her career, Denise found her passion in managing highly effective individuals and teams to achieve organizational goals while coaching them to find fulfillment and balance in their lives and careers. Denise launched her practice to assist organizations and emerging leaders find clarity, ask for what they want, and have the skills to succeed. She utilizes the Co-Active Coaching Method and is certified in the practice and with the International Coaches Federation. She trained with the founder of “Power Camp” to enable women and men for success in the workplace.

She lives in Greenwood Village, Colorado and has two adult daughters who work in San Francisco based technology companies.

Mentor Profile: Elizabeth Schriefer

Elizabeth Schriefer

President,
ILearnERP

Education, Leadership & Affiliations

MED Organizational Change & Development, Colorado State University
BA in Education, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
Prosci Certified Change Practitioner

Industry Experience

Consulting • Manufacturing • Education • Technology • Management

Professional Biography

Elizabeth Schriefer is a relationship-builder with strong training, change, communications, sales, and leadership experience. Specializing in systems initiatives incorporating project management, change leadership, user development and business intelligence with digital transformation components, she is confident working with teams and individuals at all levels of an organization across many industries. Elizabeth co-founded and is current owner and President of iLearnERP, a boutique change, training and communication company focused on the Oracle applications space. Direct management of operations for day-to-day activity, this includes financial planning, staffing, back office, marketing and contractor resources for an extended team of across the globe. Elizabeth continuously strives to advance every client’s learning culture and programming to empower employees with knowledge and growth mindsets.

Mentor Profile: Emily Crow

Emily Crow

IT Director, Enterprise Services,
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

Education, Leadership & Affiliations

BBA in International Business – Texas Tech University
MBA – Texas Woman’s University
Serves on Quest ERP and HCM Advisory Boards and the Board of Directors for Denison Sister Cities

Industry Experience

Financial Services • Government • Tribal Nations (Government, Commerce, Healthcare) • Technology • Marketing

Professional Biography

Emily Crow is an accomplished IT professional with a distinguished career spanning leadership roles in both marketing and technology. Currently specializing in Oracle Cloud transformation, Emily has been instrumental in enhancing system functionality and fostering productive vendor and team relationships to support the organization’s strategic direction. With over two decades of experience in driving innovation through technology, Emily has consistently demonstrated her ability to drive organizational success through visionary thinking and effective implementation.

With a background as Marketing Director at Texoma Educators Federal Credit Union, Emily honed her skills in brand management, strategic planning, and community engagement. She led a successful rebranding effort, implemented innovative marketing campaigns, and oversaw corporate events, demonstrating her ability to foster brand consistency and enhance market positioning.

In her current role at the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Emily leads the Hoshonti (Oracle Cloud) product support team, overseeing ERP, HCM, and SCM systems. Her leadership ensures optimal system performance through effective team management, technical expertise, and a deep commitment to aligning technology with cultural values and strategic goals. Emily’s approach integrates technical proficiency with strong leadership and interpersonal skills, ensuring effective collaboration with vendors, team members, and stakeholders.

Emily holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Texas Tech University and has furthered her education with a Performance Leadership Certificate from Cornell University and an MBA from Texas Woman’s University. She is actively involved in her community, serving on the Denison Sister Cities Board of Directors. She is also passionate about contributing to the Oracle user community as evidenced by her participation in the Quest ERP and HCM Advisory boards and speaking at industry events such as Blueprint 4D and Oracle CloudWorld.

Mentor Profile: Jesse Carrillo

Jesse Carrillo

Former CIO
Carrillo Advisors LLC

Education, Leadership & Affiliations

BS in Computer Science, Trinity University
Master of Business Administration, University of Texas at San Antonio
Previously served on the Advisory Boards of Realcomm International, Quest Oracle Community, and the Houstin Baptist University College of Science Engineering (COSE), Cyberhouston.org
Past President of the Houston Chapter of Society for Information Management (SIM)

Professional Biography

Jesse Carrillo is founder and principal at Carrillo Advisors LLC where he provides strategic advisory and fractional CIO/CTO services. Jesse brings 25+ years of real estate experience having served as Chief Innovation Officer for The Howard Hughes Corporation where he led the strategy and operation of the company’s innovation and technology platforms across HHC’s national portfolio of large-scale master planned communities (MPCs) and mixed-use properties. Prior to joining HHC, Mr. Carrillo served as Chief Information Officer of Hines, directing all corporate technology, strategy, and standards for the global real estate firm worldwide. He joined the Hines in 1994 and served in various technology roles before becoming the company’s Chief Technology Officer in 2007 and then its Chief Information Officer in 2009. A strong supporter of providing opportunities for young professionals from underserved communities and diversity/inclusion initiatives, he serves on the board of Genesys Works – Houston and GlobalMindED. Jesse has been recognized for his achievements by being named a Premier 100 recipient in 2016 by Computerworld Magazine, the Julie Devine Digital Impact Award presented at the 2017 Realcomm Conference, the Realcomm Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018, recognized as one of the Top 50 CIOs by the National Diversity Council in 2020, Houston CIO of the Year ORBIE Award – Enterprise Category in 2021, and HMG Global Institute Leadership Award in 2021.

Mentor Profile: Kristen Arner

Kristen Arner

Vice President: Workforce Systems & Analytics,
Penske Transportation Solutions
Oracle HCM User
Oracle FDI User

Education, Leadership & Affiliations

BS in Management Information Systems, Penn State University
Six Sigma Black Belt Certification, GE Corporation
Strategic Workforce Planning Certification, Human Capital Institute
Oracle Cloud World Speaker 2022, 2023

Industry Experience

Transportation • Logistics • Insurance

Professional Biography

Kristen Arner is the Vice President of Workforce Systems and Analytics for Penske Transportation Solutions. She is an experienced leader specializing in operations, business process analysis, experience design, digital transformation, change management and analytics. Kristen leads with a practical, associate experience centered approach to the work.

Kristen led the HR Digital Transformation efforts at Penske, adopting the Oracle HCM platform for over 40,000 associates across two divisions with operations in the US, Canada, and Mexico. This August 2023 implementation spanned several workstreams including Recruiting, Onboarding, Workforce Administration, Total Rewards, Talent, Learning, HR Help Desk and Analytics retiring nine disparate systems. This effort was recognized by Oracle as a finalist for the 2024 Oracle Excellence Award for Employee Experience.

Post implementation Kristen continues to lead the evolution of the Oracle HCM platform at Penske with focus on people analytics, enabling new use cases and being an early adopter of new capabilities.

During her 25+ year career with Penske, Kristen has held multiple roles across logistics, account management, operational excellence and human resources.
Kristen has a bachelor’s degree in management information systems from Penn State University and is a six sigma certified Master Black Belt. She is a founding member of the Penske Analytics Network, an internal community driving data insights within the organization. She has presented on topics around people analytics and the HR Digital Transformation journey at IHRIM and Oracle Cloud World.

Kristen resides in Sinking Spring, Pa., with her husband, Matt, and their three daughters.

Mentor Profile: Mike Whitmer

Mike Whitmer

Global Risk & Compliance Officer & EMT (Board) Member,
RGF Staffing

Education, Leadership & Affiliations

BS in Computer Science, University of West Georgia
Telecommunications Management Program (Master Level work), University of Colorado – Boulder
Executive Sponsor for the Global Digital Talent Mentor Me Program – RGF Staffing
World Employment Confederation Digitalization Taskforce Chairman
Past Board Member of Quest

Industry Experience

Staffing • Broadcasting • Telecom • Software Startup/IPO • Consulting

Professional Biography

Mike Whitmer is a globally experienced C-level executive leader who ensures protection and minimizes risk throughout global enterprises. As well, Mike is a “technologist for business strategy sake” ensuring that the organization leverages technology to create value and be a market differentiator. He has experience with the strategy, execution and delivery of Enterprise Digital/IT across 10 separate and distinct organizations totaling $12B in revenue and leading a team of 500+ employees. Mike leads via a collaborative management style, focused upon building strong relationships internally and externally, while delivering technology for the purpose of creating business growth with a distinct ROI.

Mike has been a member of the Executive Management Team (Board) of RGF Staffing since 1 April 2019 and he is currently the Global Chief Risk and Compliance Officer since July 1, 2024. Prior to that, he was the Global Chief Digital Officer since 1 January 2018, responsible for the Digital and IT domains. Whitmer holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from University of West Georgia. He’s been with Recruit Holdings since 1 July 2012 as operational CIO for Staffmark Group/Advantage Group UK, which he held until 1 January 2019.

Mike is an executive leader with deep technical knowledge and business experience leading and executing strategy while embracing and driving change. He is a proven technology professional with a strong technical aptitude and background including architecture, enterprise applications, infrastructure analytics, transformational change and PMO. His technical knowledge includes ERP, CRM and BI software (i.e. Oracle, SAP, PeopleSoft, Salesforce, Cognos, Tableau, and others) delivered via traditional and leading-edge methods. As well, Mike is experienced in technical and application architecture research, selection, design, and implementation of custom web-based, client/server and legacy applications. Mike has a patent for the “Method and system for improving enterprise performance” and he is a published author “Data Warehousing Unleased”, SAMS, 1997. He was fortunate to have the experience leading a team through an Initial Public Offering (IPO) performing due-diligence, documentation preparation, and patent review for the IPO of Witness Systems Inc. in Feb. 2000.

He started his career as a software engineer and has worked in technology for over 39 years, 21 of those years in staffing. For the past 20 years, he gained a strong business acumen while holding numerous roles managing Information Technology internationally. Mike lives in Atlanta, GA, has a 32-year-old son and attended the University of West Georgia where he played on the Golf Team. In his spare time, Mike loves to spend time with family, play golf and exercise.

Mentor Profile: Melanie Trudell

Melanie Trudell

Director – HR Technology,
The Wendy’s Company

Education, Leadership & Affiliations

BS in Industrial & Organizational Psychology and Business
Quest Board member, Employee Resource Group Leader, PTO Board Leader, Volunteer for Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption
Program Mentor for Wendy’s Mentorship program
2 Time Wendy’s Employee of the Year (2018 & 2023)
Ally of the Year, National Diversity Council (2023)

Industry Experience

Retail • Quick Service • Finance Services • HR • Technology • Consulting

Professional Biography

Melanie Trudell is a seasoned HR and technology leader with over two decades of experience driving strategic initiatives and transformation in human resources and technology. Currently, she serves as the Director of HR Technology & HR Analytics at The Wendy’s Company, where she leads HR tech transformations and solutions. Most recently Melanie has supported her organization through a multi-year ERP Transformation with both IT and HR leadership roles.

Melanie’s previous roles at Wendy’s include Director of Enterprise Technology Product Management, Director of Business Intelligence & Analytics, and HR Manager for People, Processes, and Analytics. Her expertise extends to HR transformation consulting from her tenure at Aasonn and Bersin by Deloitte (Bersin & Associates), where she specialized in change management, talent strategy, HR & Learning technology strategies and organizational development across multiple industries. Earlier in her career, Melanie honed her skills in recruitment and HR strategy at AmTrust Bank and KeyBank, significantly impacting talent acquisition and operational effectiveness. She holds a reputation for delivering innovative solutions, enhancing business growth, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

This is Melanie’s first year serving on the Quest Board and she’s excited to leverage her passion around leadership development and mentoring to the Quest’s Emerging Leaders programs. She also participates in multiple employee resource groups at Wendy’s and served 4 years on the board of WeQual, Wendy’s ERG focused on supporting the LBGTQIA+ community at Wendy’s. In addition Melanie serves on the board of her daughter’s middle school PTO and supports the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption as a volunteer. Melanie has invested time as a mentor in many capacities over the years included Wendy’s formal mentor program and her alma mater’s mentorship program for students entering the workforce.

Melanie lives in Columbus, Ohio with her husband, daughter and 2 dogs. While not a work she enjoys meeting her fitness goals, enjoying time outdoors bike riding and hikes with the dogs, reading, yoga and traveling to new places.

Mentor Profile: Venkat Maganti

Venkat Maganti

Senior Director of IT
MDC Holdings

Education, Leadership & Affiliations

Manages ERP Technical Operations, Application Development, Integrations, BI and Data Warehouse, web development teams.
Results-driven and people first senior IT Director with 25+ years hands-on experience on JD Edwards EOne, Oracle Middleware, BI, Data Warehouse, Integrations, Technology Operations, Databases, VM Ware, Cloud, SaaS.

Professional Biography

Venkat Maganti is a Senior Director of IT managing diverse set of teams for top 5 Home Builder.
He is an excellent manager and communicator who possesses a strong work ethic and extensive experience in ERP Systems implementation, program management, systems analysis, design, development and enhancements. He is passionate about solving complex business problems using innovation and application of technology. Venkat has worked extensively in ERP Operations, Product Support, IT Operations, Development, Process Automation, Performance Tuning, Quality Testing, Licensing Management and Auditing. He has extensive experience with integrations and using 3rd party systems and SaaS applications. He is passionate about solving complex business problems with simple technology solutions and delivering excellence through service leadership. He is a focused and engaging leader with strengths in mentoring, motivating talented teams, thought leadership, collaboration, innovation, knowledge sharing and productivity. Also, he has experience in budget management, partner/vendor management and contracts. Venkat is a leader with communication, decision-making and problem-solving skills and drives projects to successful completion while exceeding customer expectations.

Mentor Profile: Kristina Hanson

Kristina Hanson

CIO,
Fred Hutch

Education, Leadership & Affiliations

BA in Business, Western Washington University
MS in Organizational Leadership, Eastern Washington University
Certifications in IT Service Management and Banking
Actively involved in volunteering efforts aimed at promoting STEM education and financial literacy among students

Professional Biography

Kristina ‘Kris’ Hanson is a seasoned Chief Information Officer (CIO) renowned for her visionary leadership and transformative impact on organizations across diverse industries. With over two decades of experience, Kris has consistently demonstrated her ability to shape and execute robust technology and information strategies that drive innovation, enhance efficiency, and align with business objectives. As the Director of Financial Management Information Systems at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Kris was handpicked by senior leadership to lead a transformative overhaul of the department. By modernizing operational processes and implementing cutting-edge technologies, Kris empowered decision-making and enhanced user experience across scientific and administrative divisions.

Prior to her role at Fred Hutchinson, Kris served as the Vice President of Information Technology at Inspirus Credit Union. Here, she architected the IT organization from the ground up, driving growth and digital transformation while nurturing a culture of innovation and collaboration. Kris’s strategic partnerships with third-party vendors and business partners led to the timely implementation of technologies that enriched member experiences and propelled business processes to surpass expected outcomes. Kris is renowned for her servant leadership approach, where she prioritizes the development and empowerment of her teams to achieve technology objectives while fostering a positive work environment. Her hands-on and engaging executive style, combined with her strong analytical skills, enable her to analyze complex problems, identify opportunities, and develop effective solutions. Kris excels in bridging communication gaps between technical complexities and executive discussions, fostering collaboration with diverse business units to achieve strategic goals. Her exceptional skills in leveraging data analytics and business intelligence tools have been instrumental in driving strategic initiatives and delivering measurable results.

With each challenge surmounted and every innovation introduced, Kris has not only shaped the trajectory of the organizations she has served but has also left an indelible mark on the landscape of information technology and strategic management. Her journey, defined by resilience, adaptability, and visionary leadership, continues to inspire and influence the realms of technology and business strategy. As a transformative leader in technology and innovation, Kris Hanson continues to make a lasting impact on organizations and communities alike. With her strategic vision, analytical prowess, and commitment to excellence, Kris is poised to drive positive change and achieve shared success in the ever-evolving landscape of technology and business.

Mentor Profile: Ken Piddington

Ken Piddington

CIO
US Silica

Education, Leadership & Affiliations

BS in Business, Management & Leadership, Northeastern University
Serves on multiple boards, including Energy Institute High School and the Quest Oracle User Community
Program Mentor, Columbia University Masters Technology Management
2022 Houston CIO of the Year Orbie award winner

Professional Biography

Ken Piddington is a transformational, global business technology executive who creates a strategic vision and mission, positioning to scale, and driving initiatives that enable high business growth. Strategist who builds deep trust within IT organization, fostering collaborative, open, and trusting environment focused on problem-solving, innovation, and continuous improvement. Ken is an innovative change agent and CEO partner with a strong legacy in all business cycles, including high growth, business transformation, mergers and acquisitions integration, and an entrepreneurial spirit. He is a strategic business partner who leverages emerging technology solutions across multi-industry verticals – logistics, retail, manufacturing, oil and gas, and consulting to accelerate the pace of bottom-line results. As an award-winning thought leader and published author, he is respected for game changing industry contributions, and his passion for talent development and customer satisfaction.

Currently, Ken leads as the Vice President and CIO at U.S. Silica. He is responsible for defining and executing its business technology strategy and leading its digital transformation initiatives.

Ken previously served as CIO for Global Partners LP, SGR Energy, and MRE Consulting. At each company, he contributed to tremendous growth and transformation. He actively participated in Global Partners’ revenue growth from $6 billion to $20 billion in four years. SGR Energy had 1700% revenue growth, and the company was named Houston’s fastest-growing privately held company by the Houston Business Journal. While at MRE, Ken turned an internal project into a marketable, adding a new revenue stream for the company.

Ken serves on the Quest Oracle User Community’s board of directors and is a board member with the Friends of Energy Institute, supporting the Energy Institute High School. Ken is also an Advisory Board member for the CIO Executive Council and a mentor in their leadership development program.

In 2022 Ken received the Houston CIO of the Year Orbie award. He has been named a Computerworld Premier 100 Technology leader, is a CIO100 award winner, and has twice been recognized as an InformationWeek 500 Top Technology Innovator. Ken is recognized as an industry thought leader, a regular speaker at business and association conferences, and featured in multiple media publications.

Ken holds a Bachelor of Science in Management & Leadership from Northeastern University and attended Graceland College, where he played football and baseball. Today, Ken makes Houston, Texas, his home.

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