Speakers at the IT Portfolio Management Conference

Bill Cason
As CTO, Bill Cason focuses on the technology direction of Troux, providing business-focused oversight of R&D. Bill has more than 25 years experience in the computer industry with broad operational experience, including product development, business development, marketing, and professional services.
 
Jennifer Ciolino
Jennifer Ciolino serves as the IT Portfolio Manager at Grant Thornton LLP where she directly manages the governance process around technology investment decisions. Additionally, she manages the PMO function responsible for project management methodology, tools and templates, as well as the business relationship management team. Jen has expertise and experience in many areas of IT, including IT Strategy, strategic business alignment, project management, vendor management, SDLC, and architecture and design. Jen holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Computer Science and is ITIL v.3 Foundations Certified.
 

Terry Doerscher

Terry Doerscher has over 26 years of experience in program, project, work & resource management, process & PMO development and strategic planning. As the Chief Process Architect for Planview, Terry’s focus is on innovating world-class business management techniques aligned to the to unique challenges of today’s technology-centric, knowledge worker environments. Since joining Planview in 1999, Terry has worked with over a hundred Planview customers worldwide, and has become a trusted advisor in their journey towards business management excellence.  Mr. Doerscher is the primary author of PlanView PRISMS™ Business Processes and Best Practices, a companion product to Planview Enterprise portfolio management software. He also drives the acclaimed ‘PMO 2.0’ series of whitepapers, presentations, leadership forums, the 2008 PMO 2.0 Survey and his entertaining and educational blog, the Enterprise Navigator - all of which are recognized as a catalyst for redefining the role of the PMO in integrating and aligning business management functions for the enterprise.  Terry is a passionate evangelist for integrating business management processes as a proven method of improving organizational performance; he is a frequently cited industry expert and his candid and engaging presentation style makes him a sought after speaker. He is a contributing author to the book, “The Modern PMO – Practical Insights and Case Studies” by Mark Perry (due out in the Spring of 2009), and is currently co-authoring a book on portfolio management (due out in the Summer of 2009). His collective body of work is very influential in positioning Planview as a recognized thought leader within the industry.  Mr. Doerscher is a voracious reader and self-directed learner. He received his formal engineering education in the elite US Navy Nuclear Power Program, has been a member of PMI since 1997, is a member of the PMI PMO SIG, is ITIL v.3 Foundation certified, and is a Certified Process Design Engineer (CPDE).
 
John Fcasni
 John Fcasni has over 20 years of experience in leading and supporting enterprise-wide business system implementations, building and developing effective technology strategies, establishing partnerships with business stakeholders, implementing best practices in project and applications life cycle management and integrating IT organizations. John was with CBS Corporation as Vice President, Application Development where he directed the activities of the Finance and Administrative Systems Product Center, managing an IT staff of 65 plus on-site and offshore contractors and an application portfolio consisting of custom developed, ERP, and packaged components. Major accomplishments included: leading the conversion of a legacy financial system to Oracle Financials providing approximately $4M in annual savings; directed the planning and implementation effort to split applications from Viacom and build the Corporate Technology required to support the newly formed CBS Corporation; integrated IT organizations from CNET, Simon & Schuster, and KingWorld achieving multi-million dollar IT budget savings; building an IT governance structure to support the management of the application portfolio. Prior to CBS, he worked as a consultant, implementing Project Management Methodologies, building PMO structures and managing projects for a variety of clients in the greater NY/NJ area. He also built JMF Associates into a consulting organization that provided training to help companies grow project managers and business analysts. In addition, John completed short-term consulting engagements to assist in implementing Project Management and System Development Methodologies as well as QA methods and techniques. John has both an undergraduate degree and an MBA from Monmouth University in West Long Branch, NJ. He is an avid Salt Water Fisherman and amateur BBQ pitmaster.
 
John F. Filicetti, PMP
John Filicetti is a Sr. Business Process Consultant and Sales Engineer at Instantis, a leading provider of on-demand Enterprise Project Portfolio (EPPM) solutions for industry and government. Previously, he was PMO Director for Seattle Children's Hospital, WaMu Bank and T-Mobile USA. As a PMI member, John has served as vice president and on the Board of Directors for a local chapter. He has been an instructor for the PMI Project Management Professional (PMP) certification course since 1998 
 
Ron Guerrier
Ron Guerrier serves as the Corporate Manager & Divisional Information Officer (DIO) for Toyota Financial Services (TFS). Ron oversee IT service delivery for all business
areas throughout the TFS Western Region which includes the US & Latin America. In his DIO role Ron leads a group of IT Business Relationship Directors and their staff in
providing application support and delivering a technology roadmap that advocates key investments and system renewals. Furthermore Ron leads the department’s innovation agenda which has recently opened an Innovation Lab as the centerpiece in fostering new technologies. The physical space of the iLab is open to both the business and IT encouraging hands-on brainstorming sessions to answer the “what if?” question. This role requires strong collaboration with the business, the technology group, the PMO, and various IT suppliers in leveraging the best technologies in delivering timely solutions allowing TFS to sustain a competitive edge.

Ron joined Toyota at the Chicago Financial Services Branch in 1996 on the business side as an Assistant Customer Account Representative. Since 1998 Ron has held various roles throughout the IT Department from Technology Manager Western Region, National Manager Enterprise Support Services responsible for the Service Desk & Data Center Operations, and Chief Technology Officer. In his free time Ron volunteers for various mentoring programs, raises awareness & donations for his parent’s homeland of Haiti, & enjoys spending time with his wife & two children. Ron earned his Bachelors Degree in Finance & Economics from the University Of Illinois & his Masters Degree in Management from North Park University in Chicago.
 
 
Forrest Held
Forrest Held has been with Wabash National Corporation for six years, the last three as the Vice President and CIO. Headquartered in Lafayette, Ind., Wabash National® Corporation (NYSE: WNC) is one of the leading manufacturers of semi trailers in North America. Established in 1985, the company specializes in the design and production of dry freight vans, refrigerated vans, flatbed trailers, drop deck trailers, and intermodal equipment. Before Wabash National Corporation, he had over 20 years with Great Lakes Chemical Corporation holding many positions including Parent Company Controller of the international Fortune 500 chemical manufacturer. He has done numerous SAP implementations across North America and Europe in the last sixteen years. Forrest holds certifications in six different languages from SAP, IBM, Oracle and Microsoft along with numerous security and forensic certifications including CISSP, CCE, MCSE:Security, and CDRE. His teaching experience includes accounting and programming courses at Purdue’s Krannert School of Business and local state colleges. He has held numerous positions within the Indiana Certified Public Accountant Society including President of the ICPAS Educational Foundation and membership on industry committees. Forrest has a Bachelor of Science degree from Purdue University and a Masters of Business Administration from Butler University.  
 
John Howard
For Judge Consulting Group, John provides project oversight and guidance for all client engagements. John has over 15 years of “real world” IT program/project management experience leading a variety of large-scale application development projects and PMOs. Specific areas of focus include developing project management frameworks for both waterfall and agile software delivery, coaching and mentoring junior project managers and business analysts, coordinating with offshore teams, and implementing project governance processes. He excels at team-building and getting people to work as a cohesive unit. John is a PMI-certified Project Management Professional and a Certified ScrumMaster. He engages all levels of leadership in sponsoring and buying into what IT solutions are intended to deliver. He enjoys the challenge of transforming chaos into clearly defined deliverables that provide tangible business value. John is a graduate of Eastern University and a proud veteran of the US Air Force.
 

David Klauser

David is now with OnX Enterprise Solutions (www.onx.com) providing vendor-neutral guidance and support for Cloud & Managed Services, Professional Services and industry leading Hardware and Software technology solutions. Before joining OnX David was with Oracle’s data storage team after the Oracle / SUN acquisition and was also with Insight Investments for several years contributing to Compellent and NetApp sales for the East United States. David was the Founder and CEO of PRISM Technologies, where David and his team built a $20M data storage solutions integrator. Prior to launching PRISM, David was a VP at Xiotech with management at all levels of direct, channel and alliance leadership. David was one of the original employees at Xiotech during startup mode, exceeding quota at all levels of individual and team performance. David graduated from The University of Minnesota with a BA in Economics. David also holds an AA and an AS degree and has four children.
 
James MacLennan
James P. MacLennan (Jim) is Vice President, Information Technology at Reynolds Services Inc., a privately held producer of foodservice/food packaging and consumer products. Jim has direct responsibility for multiple functional areas within IT, including Supply Chain Systems, Information Management, SAP Application Support, and International IT providing support for three business units (CSI, Reynolds Consumer Products, and Pactiv LLC). Jim also serves as the CIO for Pactiv LLC, and drives the IT Project Management Office.
Jim has over 20 years experience in a progression of roles, translating the strategic drivers of a variety of business models and markets into tactical plans and tangible results. His career spans multiple industries, including real estate / property management, building construction and maintenance services, pharmaceuticals, consumer durables, and consumer package goods, with multiple companies including Culligan International, Monsanto, Searle Pharmaceuticals, and Schindler Elevator. Jim started his career at a software development and consulting firm, which gives him a unique insight to vendor relationships and the role of IT in driving business value.
Jim has a BS degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame, and a Marketing MBA from DePaul University. He also maintains a web site and blog (www.cazh1.com), where he writes on his experience and insights on the intersection of business and technology.
 

Terry Melnik

Terry brings over 20 years of experience from his roles as a management and strategic consultant, operations manager and program manager in the healthcare, government and defense, and manufacturing/retail/distribution industries.  His areas of expertise include Business Planning and Strategy, Promoting Process Improvement, Understanding the Customer, Business Development, Strategic Program Management, Goals Deployment, Mergers and Acquisitions, and Six Sigma.  Terry has worked with some of the world's largest and most admired organizations including the US Army, Navy and Air Force, the UK MOD, UK National Health Services, GE, AT&T, Best Buy and IBM. Terry has presented at a number of conferences in North America and Europe on the topics of Process Excellence, Keys to Successful Deployment of a Program Office and Effective Goals Deployment. Prior to joining PowerSteering, Terry was a Senior Manager with Andersen and before that a Senior with Computer Sciences Corporation.  Terry holds an MBA from Boston College with a concentration in Strategic Management and a BA in Economics from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada.
 
Poornima Narain
Poornima has over 15 years of leadership experience in IT Product Delivery and IT Governance. Her responsibilities have included organization leadership, large project management, people management, vendor management and implementation of strategic business initiatives. She is a subject matter expert and professionally certified in program and project management. She has led the establishment of program governance and PM practices for several large multi-year programs at United Airlines. She also acted as advisor for development of SDLC (Solution Delivery Life Cycle) process & Project Metrics management for IT division and provides related educational development and delivery support.

She is currently heading up establishing Portfolio Management at IT PMO at Sears Holding Corporation.

Poornima's areas of expertise are IT Governance, IT Portfolio Management, Program/ Project Management, Software Product delivery, Souring and organizational design and IT strategic planning.
 
Christopher Peckham
With over 20 years of technology and project management experience in the consulting, investment/banking, internet, distribution and healthcare industries, Mr. Peckham specializes in implementing sustaining project and portfolio management methodologies. His experience includes leading development and infrastructure projects and programs, establishing and leading Project Management Offices, and developing and leading training sessions. By integrating project processes with portfolio management, service delivery frameworks and other operational processes, he exposes opportunities to help improve and maintain a company-wide focus on business objectives.
Mr. Peckham is currently Vice President, Project Standards at The Northern Trust Bank.
 
Myrna Ramos
Myrna is a Manager for UMT, based in Chicago, IL. Her main responsibilities include building relationships with new client and educating customers on the value of Enterprise Project Management. Myrna joined UMT in 2010 from Microsoft where she was a Solution Specialist for Microsoft Project, Project Server and Portfolio Server.
During her 15 year career, she has managed multi-million dollar project and global development teams. At companies such as Philips, Sears, Orbitz.com and Accenture, Myrna managed multi-million dollar projects and teams of developers responsible for Project Server customizations.
Myrna has a proven track record of successful project implementations, as her biggest strength is understanding both business requirements and technical lingo and translating them into a valuable solution.
 
Lisa Snyder
Lisa Snyder is the IT Project Management Office Director at Constellation Brands. She is responsible for project/program management services, program management methodologies including portfolio management and resource management/capacity planning as well as direct project management activities.

When she arrived at Constellation, the IT organization followed no common methodology or processes. During her tenure, Lisa:
- Facilitated development and buy in of a twelve-step process with 41 supporting documents that are used across the global IT organization today.
- Implemented automated Resource and Capacity Planning - first in a de-centralized model that, as the organization matured, was centralized and audited using CA Clarity.
- Established a Portfolio management process which took the IT organization from 200+ unsustainable projects to an annually approved, achievable 50-60.

Lisa is a proven Project/Program Management Leader with twenty years of experience in application development, infrastructure and ERP. She’s has her Project Management Professional (PMP) and her MBA from Northwestern University.
 

Annur Sumar
 Annur Sumar is a Sr. Infrastructure Architect for Duff & Phelps. One of the world’s leading independent financial advisory firms serving client needs in the areas of valuation, investment banking and transaction advice, and dispute consulting. Annur is responsible for planning, designing, engineering and implementing the underlying technology infrastructure for Duff & Phelps ranging from the Datacenter to the Desktop. Prior to joining Duff & Phelps, Annur served as a Senior Consultant for Unified Synergies, LLC a leading Technology Consulting firm in the area of Strategic Infrastructure Design and Technology driven Business Intelligence, positioning and designing strategic technology driven process improvements for clients by aligning IT Services, Engineering best practices, Operations Management, and Helpdesk Support to lower Total Cost of Ownership and raise Return on Investments. Annur’s most recent accomplishments for Q1 of 2009 at Duff & Phelps includes the planning, designing and engineering of a Server Consolidation / Virtualization Architecture and a Unified Infrastructure Strategy based on the (MOF) Microsoft Operations Framework Model.
 
Leigh Ann Thomas
Leigh Ann Thomas has over 15 years of experience in business process reengineering, ERP implementations, and client facing engagements spanning the construction, insurance, and utility industries. Today, Leigh Ann focuses on the design, development and communication of technology methodologies (software development and project governance) for the nation’s largest water utility. Throughout her career, Leigh Ann has specialized in representing the needs of the business and speeding the acceptance and adoption of new IT processes. Her work has involved the recruitment and development of change management, business analyst, communications, and training teams that excel at translating ‘IT speak’ to business-focused solutions. She prides herself on the ability to build teams that understand how to partner with the business from initial requirements gathering through end user training in delivering solutions that meet or exceed client expectations. Leigh Ann has experience with a wide variety of technology projects for organizations such as Accenture, CNA Insurance, Deloitte Consulting, Pulte Homes, Britannica.com and American Water.
 
Jeanine Vincent
Oracle business consultant Jeanine Vincent has more than 20 years of experience delivering business and technology consulting services. She is an expert in the design and implementation of innovation processes and decision support systems, encompassing ideation, phase- and gate-based new product development, project management and portfolio management. Her expertise includes the creation and use of portfolio management applications and executive dashboards for improved decision-making. Jeanine has consulted with global leaders in the chemicals, financial services, food and beverage and consumer packaged goods industries.
 

Randy Wimmer

Randy Wimmer is a Manager at UMT Consulting Group which provides IT Portfolio & Project Management consulting services. Prior to joining UMT Randy was at Allstate Insurance where over the course of ten years he worked in several technology area PMOs implementing portfolio and project management best practices including the Capability Maturity Model-SW. His background also includes a first career of over ten years in Public & Corporate Accounting. Randy holds an undergraduate degree in Accounting and has successfully achieved certifications as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Software Quality Analyst (CSQA).