A VIRTUAL EXPERIENCE
OPEN TO ALL CIOs + IT Leaders
HIGHLIGHTS
INTRODUCTION
Award winning baker + Mompreneur, Shennice Cleckley is a 16-year business owner, author, marriage and business coach. She is the co-founder of Our Marriage Rocks coaching firm and owner of My Dessert Bar Bakery. She is the author of the Mommy and Lewis children's book series. Together with her husband LeBrian, they have 4 kids + 1 grandchild.
Shennice uses her jovial personality and zest for life to encourage others to be an active participant in their life + not a spectator. Shennice wows audiences with her unique ability to stimulate the atmosphere with excitement + motivation which leaves them the lasting feelings of hope + empowerment.
Shennice enjoys speaking on the topics of motherhood, entrepreneurship, publishing, unorthodox faith, blended families, Christian marriage and women's ministry.
Host: Shennice Cleckley
Smart Cookie Coaching
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Shennice Cleckley, Business Strategist and CEO, Smart Cookie Coaching
PANEL DISCUSSION
Alanna Rizzo is a regular contributor to MLB Network’s High Heat with Christopher Russo. Rizzo provides news and commentary on the latest MLB storylines.
Prior to rejoining MLB Network, Rizzo served as an in-game reporter and host for SportsNet LA’s coverage of the Los Angeles Dodgers. As part of the original broadcast team for SportsNet LA’s launch in 2014, Rizzo covered the Dodgers' three trips to the World Series in 2017, 2018 and 2020. For her SportsNet LA work, Rizzo won the 2019 & 2020 Southern California Sports Broadcasters Association’s TV Reporter Award.
Prior to SportsNet LA, Rizzo contributed across MLB Network’s studio and on-site programming, including Intentional Talk, Quick Pitch, the 2012 MLB All-Star Game and the 2013 MLB All-Star Game. Rizzo’s baseball broadcast career began with ROOT Sports Rocky Mountain, where she served as an in-game reporter and host for its coverage of the Colorado Rockies.
Alanna Rizzo
MLB Network
Cynthia Frelund is NFL Media's first analytics expert, and can be seen across a variety of NFL Media shows and platforms. During the week, you can see Cynthia on NFL Fantasy Live and every Friday on NFL GameDay View.
Frelund joined the NFL from ESPN, where she was a Predictive Analytics Analyst for two years.
Prior to that, she served as a business development manager for Disney ABC Television Group, and a finance analyst for the NFL.
Frelund graduated from Boston College with a B.S. in Biology in 2005 before receiving her MBA in Finance, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation and continuing in the MS of Predictive Analytics at Northwestern University.
She is a marathon runner, a former Pilates and group fitness instructor, and is involved with Bright Pink, a national non-profit organization focused on preventing breast and ovarian cancer in young women. Frelund was born and raised in Okemos, Michigan.
Cynthia Frelund
National Football League (NFL)
Kendall Tyson is the Senior Vice President of Finance and Business Intelligence for the Seattle Kraken. She is responsible for overseeing the strategic planning, data management and financial affairs of the Kraken and its affiliates. In her role, Kendall manages the use of data to drive revenue growth, conduct financial analysis, create personalized guest experiences, and facilitate business efficiency with automated reporting.
Prior to joining the Kraken, Kendall lead corporate development at Topgolf, where she evaluated mobile apps, entertainment venues and golf technology for M&A or partnership. Earlier in her career, she advised state and local government agencies on business transformations as a Management Consultant at Accenture.
Kendall holds a B.A. degree from Emory University, a B.S. degree from Georgia Institute of Technology and an M.B.A. from Yale School of Management. She currently resides in Seattle, WA with her husband and two children.
Kendall Tyson
Seattle Kraken
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Moderator: Alanna Rizzo, Sports TV Host + Reporter, MLB Network
Panelist: Cynthia Frelund, On-Air Predictive Analytics Expert, National Football League (NFL)
Panelist: Kendall Tyson, SVP of Finance + Business Intelligence, Seattle Kraken
Today, as Women continue to speak out, set the bar and break gender barriers we want to shine a spotlight on Women who’ve helped increase opportunities and broken down institutional barriers. We continue to see large initiatives from top leaders and brands that are paving the way to more Women becoming heroes of the next generation. Though each of their stories is different, they share one common thread: They’re all changing the game.
In this session, we celebrate three trailblazing women and how they broke the barrier of entry into Major League Sports.
fireside chat
Catherine Szpindor is an experienced executive with demonstrated success in leading. Catherine was sworn in as the Chief Administrative Officer for the U.S. House of Representative on January 3rd, 2021 and is the first woman to hold the position. She is responsible for Member and Staff services, such as Finance, Procurement, Logistics, Information Technology, Food Services, and additional business functions. Most recently, Catherine Szpindor served as the Chief Information Officer for the House of Representatives from December 2015 to December 2020 where she was also the first woman to hold the position
Catherine joined the House in 2011 as the Director of Enterprise Applications and then was promoted to Deputy CIO and “Acting CIO” prior to being named CIO in 2015. During her time at the House, Catherine directed improvements to technology infrastructure and applications, adoption of Cloud technologies and the implementation of collaboration and conferencing tools in support of remote working during the Covid-19 crisis.
She has an extensive career in information technology and management. Prior to working at the House, Szpindor served as Vice President of IT for Thomas Nelson Community College. She also worked for many years as Vice President of Information Technology for Nextel, Sprint, and Sprint/Nextel, now known as T-Mobile.
Szpindor holds a master’s degree in information systems from Mercer University’s Stetson School of Business and Economics and has a certificate in strategy and innovation from the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a certificate in strategic business leadership from Georgetown University.
Ms. Szpindor holds a MS degree in Technology Management from Mercer University and a BA degree in Human Resource Management from Brenau University. She is also certified as a Project Management Professional (PMP).
Catherine Szpindor
U.S. House of Representatives
Sonceria Ann Berry was sworn in as the 34th secretary of the United States Senate on March 1, 2021. Berry is the first African American to serve in this position and the eighth woman to hold the office.
Berry first came to the Senate in 1979, and served 18 years in many positions on Senator Howell Heflin’s staff. After he retired, she worked for Senators Daniel Patrick Moynihan, John Edwards, and Tom Carper. She also led the transition team for Senator Doug Jones, and most recently served as the deputy chief of staff to the Senate president pro tempore, Senator Patrick Leahy, who swore her in as the new secretary.
Berry grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, and attended the University of North Alabama, where she received her bachelor of arts degree in education and participated in the Senior Executive Leadership program at Georgetown University.
Berry is married to Reginald Berry and they have one daughter.
Ann Berry
United States Senate
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Catherine Szpindor, Chief Administrative Officer, U.S. House of Representatives
Ann Berry, Secretary, United States Senate
Catherine Szpindor and Ann Berry are women that have held various roles in technology and management for 45 years. They never thought their story would have a significant impact on other women until their time in The U.S. House of Representatives & Senate. They’ve learned their successes and failures serve as encouragement and valuable lessons for those pursuing success in their careers.
In this session, we’ll discuss with Mrs. Berry & Mrs. Szpindor their experience on ‘change’ to improve an organization using a team approach, how to cope with the highs and lows of one’s career, using the low points as encouragement to those going through similar situations.
PANEL DISCUSSION
Rosana is the Vice President of Business Development at Cybersafe Solutions. She leads a team responsible for developing and cultivating global business development opportunities for Cybersafe and its partner base.
Rosana’s passion for the industry and expertise has allowed her to quickly rise through the ranks with Cybersafe Solutions. Having experience in roles such as Account Management and Strategic Partnerships has allowed Rosana to truly understand what’s important to clients and partner’s alike. Rosana now leverages this unique position to effectively train her team members and partners on how to cultivate strong relationships, identify new cybersecurity opportunities and expand their current book of business.
Prior to joining Cybersafe Solutions, Rosana began her career with IT research and Advisory firm, Gartner, Inc. It was in that role where she truly found her passion for the cybersecurity industry. Supporting the Education Sector, she quickly understood how important a strong cybersecurity program is cross industry.
Rosana has been named one of CRN's 2020 Next-Gen Solution Provider Leaders and currently sits on the advisory board and serves as a mentor for multiple universities. Rosana holds a B.S.B.A in Sales with a Minor in Marketing from the Earl N. Phillis School of Business at High Point University.
Rosana Filingeri
Cybersafe Solutions
has been supporting the mainframe for over 33 years with roles in IBM, HCL and several mainframe customers.
Shawnee Delaney
Vaillance Group
As senior vice president, chief information security officer, Kelli Burns leads a team of information security professionals supporting Accolade's vision to create and maintain a best-in-class information security and privacy posture that supports growth and maintains the trust of our customers and members.
Prior to joining Accolade, Burns also held multiple positions at Symetra Financial including serving as CISO. During this time, she was pivotal in building out the cybersecurity program and enabling the business to make decisions swiftly while protecting the data of customers and employees. Expanding her leadership role beyond her technical capabilities, Burns was also the founding leader and executive sponsor for Symetra’s Diversity and Inclusion Council and developed their IT Emerging Leaders enterprise program. She is well-regarded in the Seattle community for mentoring women in cybersecurity and technology.
Burns holds a B.S. in Management Information Systems from the University of Montana and is currently pursuing an MBA from Penn State University.
Kelli Burns
Accolade, Inc.
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Rosana Filingeri , VP Of Business Development, Cybersafe Solutions
Shawnee Delaney, Decorated Intelligence Officer, Investigator + Insider Threat Subject Matter Expert, Vaillance Group
Kellie Burns, SVP, Chief Information Security Officer, Accolade, Inc.
Security threats are increasing exponentially and as a result the security market is witnessing significant growth opportunities. However, women in Cybersecurity remain underrepresented in that growth at only 24%. (According to ISC2)
The good news, more and more women are entering the Cybersecurity workforce and ultimately gunning for leadership positions. Innovation thrives in diversity of thought as well as background which serves as a driving force of empowerment for women.
In this session, we recognize three astounding women, how they began their careers in Cybersecurity and continue to navigate challenges and biases as leaders in this predominately male space.
Join us as they share with our audience candor as to what’s missing to drive more women into the Cyber Workforce and ways in which they are working hard to empower the next generation.
fireside chat
Rhonda Vetere is a seasoned C-Suite executive and passionate global leader in technology.Recognized as one of Most Powerful Women in Technology and a two-time author, Rhonda continues to be on a mission to empower & inspire others through sport and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math/medical).
A Global C Suite Executive and athlete herself, she applies this mental model in & out of the office, guiding how she leads her life with others around her. Rhonda is an active leader—whether she’s spearheading corporate initiatives around the world, competing in anotherIRONMAN 70.3 mile triathlon, or mentoring students & athletes globally.
Rhonda has worked across industries as a CIO, CTO, global executive, and digital transformation change agent at Herbalife Nutrition, Santander Bank, nThrive / Pamplona CapitalManagement, Estée Lauder Companies, AIG, HP Enterprise Services, Barclays / Lehman, BankOne / JPMorgan Chase, CompuServe, UUNET, MCI, and Worldcom.
From her experience as Chief Technology Officer at Estée Lauder Companies, Rhonda has deep domain expertise in technology and data. Her role included global leadership across 162countries and running the technology & operations team. She spearheaded the transformation of the IT capabilities foundation into a digital environment at record industry pace, without business disruption, around the world–while saving $28 million a year.
Rhonda Vetere
Global Technology Leader + Author
Sarah Foss is the Chief Technology Officer of Audacy. Audacy is a scaled, multi-platform audio content and entertainment company with a leadership position in virtually every segment of the dynamic and growing audio business—including broadcasting, podcasting, digital, network, live events, music, sports and news. Audacy is also the #1 creator of original, premium audio content, engaging over 170 million consumers each month.
As Audacy’s first Chief Technology Officer, Foss spearheads the company’s efforts to innovate and differentiate its products and services via new technological capabilities. She also manages Audacy’s key technology initiatives including: software development, ad tech, business intelligence and analytics, data solutions, and Audacy’s recently acquired live and on-demand audio streaming business, AmperWave.
Foss joined Audacy in 2020 as Chief Information Officer. In this role, Foss provided strategic direction and oversight for the design, development, acquisition, operation and support of the Company’s enterprise technology systems and programs. She also collaborated with cross-functional executives to create a vision for how digital, data and analytics, and new technologies can help create a differentiated experience and drive efficiency in operations.
Foss is a seasoned media technology executive with over 25 years of experience and a comprehensive understanding of the media technology ecosystem. She most recently served as Senior Vice President, Strategic Initiatives for FreeWheel Advertisers, a division of FreeWheel that provides a global media buying and selling platform to more than 1,200 advertising agencies around the world. Prior to that role, she was General Manager, Ad Tech for Imagine Communications, a market leader in advertising optimization and video infrastructure. She has also held various executive positions at global technology companies, including YANGAROO, Inc., Encompass Digital Media, VCI Solutions, and Harris Corporation.
Foss is also a co-founder of Tech Bae, a tech focused organization for women in the media and advertising ecosystem to connect for mentoring, networking, and community. She recently completed a decade of service to the Alliance for Women in Media in multiple board functions and is an honoree of several industry awards, including: PhillyCIO ORBIE Finalist 2022; AdExchanger Top Women in Media Finalist 2022; Cynopsis’ Top Women in Tech 2021; three-time finalist for International Association of Broadcast Manufacturers’ Woman of the Year Award; Individual Leadership Award from the TV of Tomorrow’s Awards for Leadership in Interactive and Multiplatform Television; and Woman of the Year Award – Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations from the American Business Association. She holds a patent in the ad tech space.
Foss earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in broadcast communications from Pacific Lutheran University and a Master of Business Administration degree in management/telecommunications from Ohio University.
Sarah Foss
Audacy, Inc.
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Rhonda Vetere, Global Technology Leader + Author
Sarah Foss, CTO, Audacy, Inc.
Studies have shown, the greater the diversity of talent, the more opportunity for innovation and growth. However, an inherent diverse workforce is only half the equation. Discovering and nurturing the next generation of women is a critical part of the technology workforce.
Join us, for a candid and authentic conversation with two seasoned executives on how they began their journey in technology, what challenges and biases they’ve had (and are continuing to) overcome as a leader in the technology space and what they’re doing to empower more women to choose careers in technology.
Closing Keynote
Kerry Siggins is the CEO of StoneAge, Inc., a global leader in designing and manufacturing high-pressure waterblasting and sewer cleaning tools and equipment used in the industrial cleaning industry. StoneAge sells and supports its products throughout the world and has over 170 dealers in 45 countries. She is also the Vice President of the Waterjet Technology Association (WJTA)
Kerry joined StoneAge in January of 2007 as the Director of Operations. In 2009, she was named CEO by StoneAge’s Board of Directors and has since led the company in building a robust global presence resulting in double-digit growth year over year. She recently acquired Breadware, an Internet of Things (IoT) product development firm based in Reno, NV.
Kerry Siggins
Stone Age, Inc.
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Kerry Siggins, CEO, StoneAge, Inc.
Kerry Siggins, CEO of StoneAge is a visionary and disruptive CEO. Her story changes the way people not only think about leadership but personal and professional development and resiliency in business and life.
In this session, she'll share her journey from rock bottom substance abuse to becoming CEO at the age of 29 and how she's now transforming her company from a traditional manufacturer into a technology company that is disrupting the industry. It will inspire and motivate you to push through your fears and self-limiting beliefs to be the kind of leader people need at all levels of an organization.
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