Helen Norris is the Chief Information Officer at Chapman University. She has almost 30 years’ experience working in IT including several years in the private sector in a variety of industries including advertising and consumer products. Most recently, however, Helen's experience has been in higher education IT, where Helen has a proven track record of successful project delivery and a demonstrated ability to effect change. Helen has a unique blend of senior operational management skills and technology vision used to develop and implement organizational IT strategy, and prides herself on her collaborative and communication skills. Originally from Ireland, Helen has earned a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics from Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland, and a Master's degree in Computer Resource Management and Business Administration from Webster University in St. Louis. Helen holds a project management certification (PMP) from Project Management International (pmi.org) and is a fellow of the Educause Leading Change Institute. She servesas a board member of the Southern California Society of Information Management (scsim.org) and a trustee of the National Endowment for Financial Education (nefe.org). She also previously served as the Director of the Sacrament Women in Technology International network (witi.com). Less   View all posts

Dr. Samuel Sudhakar serves as the Chief Information Officer and Vice President for Information Technology Services at California State University, San Bernardino where he provides leadership to nine department heads, orchestrating academic technologies & innovation, institutional research & analytics, digital transformation, administrative computing and business intelligence, technology operations & customer support, information security, compliance, & emerging technologies, and strategic technology initiatives. Under his leadership, CSUSB was awarded University Business Magazine’s “Models of Excellence” honors for the Vital and Expanded Technologies Initiative (VETI), and continues to enjoy high visibility across the system for innovative technologies for student learning and success to include, Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning, Immersive Learning Technologies, and Infrastructure to support faculty led innovation and research. Since joining CSUSB in 2013, Sudhakar has turned IT Services into a proactive, customer-centric division with priority on providing world-class customer services to students, faculty and staff and improving operational efficiency in all areas of university operations. Dr. Sudhakar serves on the Board of the Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California (CENIC), where he serves as the Chair of the Governance and Board Development Committee. Prior to joining CSUSB in 2013, Dr. Sudhakar served as the Vice President of Administrative Services and CIO at Carl Sandburg College in Galesburg, Illinois. Under his leadership, Carl Sandburg College was ranked No. 1 in the nation for digital technology, by ther Center for Digital Education, and has been named among the top 10 in that category form 2006-2013. Sudhakar was named among the top 50 educational technology innovators by Converge Magazine. Dr. Sudhakar holds a PhD in Business Administration from Northcentral University, an MBA from St. Joseph’s University and a Bachelor’s degree in Electronics & Communications Engineering from Bharathiar University in India. Less   View all posts

James MacLennan (Jim) is the Chief Information Officer at IDEX Corporation, a global manufacturer selling highly engineered products to a variety of markets. Jim has responsibility for Corporate IT services for IDEX’ portfolio of businesses, and drives innovative thinking through initiatives that leverage Information and Technology as growth drivers for the industrial manufacturing space. Jim has 25+ years of experience in a variety of business models and markets, translating strategic drivers into tactical plans and tangible results. His career spans multiple industries, including real estate / property management, building construction and maintenance services, pharmaceuticals, consumer durables, industrial products, and consumer package goods. Jim started his career at a software development and consulting firm, which gives him unique insight into the role of Digital in creating value. Jim’s book, Don’t Think So Much, lays out his vision for accelerating digital business. He also regularly publishes his observations and insights at MakerTurtle.com. Less   View all posts