Speakers

• Allan Frank
  CTO City of Philadelphia
  
  

  Allan Frank brings approximately 40 years of experience in information technology and business leadership to his position as CTO for the City of Philadelphia. His background includes being the co-founder of a publicly-traded consulting and research company, senior partner in a global professional services fi rm, and extensive experience in setting strategy, implementing and operating core business processes, product development, marketing, internal IT management, software development and all facets of building a world-class technology/services organization. He is recognized as an expert in the areas of information delivery, decision support and knowledge management.

  Frank was selected as one of the ‘Top 10 Technology Leaders’ in the region by Philadelphia Tech and was selected as one of the ‘Top 10 Technology Innovators’ in the United States by InformationWeek. He also received Computerworld’s ‘Premier 100’ award in 2001. Frank holds a B.S. in Accounting, M.S. in Computer Science and an M.B.A. in Finance from Lehigh University. He is also a non-practicing Certifi ed Public Accountant.

• George Gunther
  CIO Asplundh Tree Expert Co.
  
  

  George Gunther is CIO for the Asplundh Tree Expert Co., headquartered near Philadelphia. A family-owned and managed corporation, Asplundh employs more than 26,000 vegetation management professionals who help utilities throughout North America, Australia and New Zealand maintain reliable, uninterrupted power. Gunther leads and manages all aspects of the company’s software development, hardware upgrades, online reporting, mobile communications, and technical assistance in the field and corporate office.

  With almost 25 years of experience, Gunther has developed expertise in integrating IT and business strategies for a range of national and international companies in the service and manufacturing sectors. In 1986, Gunther started out at Software Engineering Company, an IBM business partner, where he held CIO and executive-level positions from 1995 – 2007 before joining Asplundh.

  Gunther earned a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Statistics and Mathematics with a minor in Information Systems and Economics from the University of Maryland in Baltimore.

• Thornton May
  Leading IT Futurist CIO Leadership Network
  
  

  Thornton May operationalizes Henry David Thoreau's aphorism, "It's not what you look at, it's what you see." Collecting data from all corners of the technology world, May synthesizes the insights of the top thinkers on the planet seeking to understand where we have been, where we are today and where we are going. He teaches at four business schools, writes for five magazines, researches at three think tanks and keeps in monthly contact with more than 1,000 C-level executives via the CIO Leadership Network.

• Jim Mazarakis
  EVP & CTO Wilmington Savings Bank
  
  

  Jim Mazarakis is an EVP with WSFS Bank headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware. Mazarakis has nearly 30 years of experience in banking, investment management and brokerage services. He served on senior leadership teams, both as CIO for T. Rowe Price, and Managing Director and Divisional CIO at J.P. Morgan Investment Asset Management. He also worked on large scale international projects and merger and acquisition teams at Capital One Financial and Goldman Sachs. His experience includes heading teams in the US, Japan, Hong Kong, India, and living and working in London as an expatriate for Goldman Sachs, where he assisted in building a European client services support organization.

  Mazarakis graduated with a B.S. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Master of Science in Management of Technology from Polytechnic Institute of New York University. He was recognized in 2007 by Information Week as a ‘Top 10 Innovator’ for his work at T. Rowe Price. Mazarakis is the Vice Chairman of the Maryland/DC Audubon Society and serves on the Technology Advisory Board of the United Way of Central Maryland.

• Ron Miller
  IT Business Relationship Manager, IT Intel Corporation
  
  

  Ron Miller is a Business Relationship Manager with Intel’s IT organization. He is responsible for aligning business unit and IT plans to achieve maximum value and effective execution. He is also responsible for effective account management and overall customer satisfaction. Prior roles have included positions in operations and program management.

  Miller joined Intel in 1998 via the acquisition of Dialogic Corporation, where he was Director of IT. Prior to Intel and Dialogic, Miller worked in IT with Unisys, IBM and General Electric/RCA.

  Miller holds a B.S. in Computer and Information Sciences from Temple University and a Master’s of Management from the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

• William Morgan
  SVP Global Human Resources The NASDAQ OMX GROUP, Inc.
  
  

  William Morgan is responsible for the operation of the NASDAQ OMX’s Global HR department and support for NASDAQ OMX employees worldwide. Prior to joining NASDAQ, Morgan was EVP, Technology and Operations and CIO for the Philadelphia Stock Exchange, Inc. (PHLX) with responsibility for Financial Automation, the Exchange’s technology division and exchange market operations supporting the PHLX’s five businesses.

  Morgan has more than 26 years experience providing technology solutions to the securities industry and capital markets. He recently received the Society for Information Management (SIM) ‘Leadership Award’ for development and implementation of the Exchange’s Derivatives Hybrid Electronic Trading System PHLX XL. He has also been a finalist for the Computerworld ‘Smithsonian Award’.

  Morgan serves on multiple boards including the board of directors of Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center, Inc., the SIM board of directors, and Peirce College board of trustees, to name a few.

  Morgan is a graduate of the Securities Industry Institute, sponsored by the SIA at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. He is a Maxima Cum Laude graduate of Peirce College in Philadelphia with a degree in Computer Science.

• Donald J. Rippert
  CTO Accenture
  
  

  As CTO, Don Rippert is responsible for Accenture’s innovation agenda, including the Accenture Technology Labs, where technology solutions are incubated, prototyped and tested before offering them to Accenture’s clients. Rippert is also responsible for all of Accenture’s relationships with software, hardware and services providers, including Microsoft, SAP, Oracle and Cisco, as well as newer providers in emerging technology. In addition, Rippert leads Accenture’s technical architecture and cloud computing groups. He is a member of Accenture’s Executive Leadership Team consisting of leaders from across Accenture’s operating groups, growth platforms, geographies and corporate functions, and is a member of the Board of Directors of Avanade.

  Rippert is proud to have spent his entire 25 year professional career working for Accenture. Before assuming his current role, he was a Managing Partner in Accenture’s Communications and High Technology (C&HT) Operating Group and ran C&HT’s Global Solutions Group (GSG), which has global responsibility for product development, alliances, technology and marketing for C&HT. Prior to becoming the Managing Partner at GSG, he held a number of positions within Accenture, spanning the spectrum of roles, from client group partner to project manager to programmer.

  Rippert graduated from the University of Virginia in 1981.

• Betty Ritts
  VP, IT AlliedBarton Security Services
  
  

  Betty Ritts joined AlliedBarton in 1992 after 18 years with 3M Company where she held various positions of increased responsibility, primarily in the IT arena. Reporting directly to the CFO, Ritts participates in strategic and operational governance processes of the organization as a member of the executive management team. She provides vision and leadership for planning, developing and implementing enterprise IT systems in support of AlliedBarton’s business operations. Ritts is also responsible for the operation of AlliedBarton’s Service Assurance Centers. These call centers provide around the clock assistance to all aspects of the business from the security officers to the clients. Besides technical studies, Ritts has also completed various courses in management and accounting during her 35-year career. She is a member of the Philadelphia CIO Forum.

• Gagan Saxena
  VP, IT Apple Vacations
  
  

  Gagan Saxena serves as VP of IT for Apple Vacations, the largest provider of vacation packages to Mexico, the Caribbean and Hawaii. He is charged with refocusing technology investments to drive business innovation as the industry restructures.

  Saxena has managed project portfolios for Apple Vacations, AMResorts, USA3000 and Amstar. He has also implemented a new phase gate methodology, called Passport, for capital project management with integrated resource management and forecasting. He has managed several rollouts of SAP ERP systems to locations across the U.S. as well as numerous eCommerce and web implementations.

  Throughout his 15 years of experience in technology management, Saxena has had responsibility for organization development, marketing and fi nancial management. He has also consulted on information engineering, information strategy planning and business process reengineering initiatives in healthcare, fi nancial services and telecommunications industries.

  Saxena is a founding member of TOWARD (Tour Operators & Wholesalers Achieving Real-time Distribution) and is actively involved in various travel industry initiatives and panels. An active Tweeter himself, he assists with social media strategy and champions enterprise 2.0 and social CRM constructs.

• Dr. Philip Swan
  Chief Economist IBM
  
  

  Dr. Philip Swan is responsible for developing and interpreting the global economic outlook and its risks, including the implications for the rapidly evolving
  IT industry. He assesses the capital investment environment to measure the impact of economic issues and events of importance to IBM.
  
  Dr. Swan has been at IBM since 1974. Prior to that, he taught at Boston University. He is currently a member of the industry economics panel of the President’s Council of Economic Advisors. Dr. Swan chairs the business and industry economic policy committee of the international Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). He was recently a member of the U.S. Census Advisory Group representing the American Economic Association.
  
  Dr. Swan has a Bachelor’s degree from Bowdoin College and a Master’s degree and Ph.D. from the University of Illinois.

• Angelo Valletta
  SVP & CIO Sun National Bank
  
  

  Angelo J. Valletta currently serves Sun National Bank as SVP, CIO and Chairman of the Bank’s Management Automation Committee, which consists of the most senior level leaders at the bank. In addition, Valletta has responsibility for two revenue generating lines of business; ATMs and merchant services. Valletta has more than 25 years of progressively responsible managerial experience in diverse industries for companies ranging in size from small consulting firms to multi-national Fortune 100 companies. Valletta has a proven track record of developing and building effective internal and outsourced local and distributed teams, and he is a turn-around specialist in operations and customer service. Most recently, Valletta was named to Computerworld’s list of ‘Premier 100 IT Leaders’ for 2010.

  Valletta serves on several civic boards, most notably as lead for the Fidelity IS-Bankway large company synergy group and sits on Paetec and FirstData advisory boards and various finance committees. Also, Valletta is an elected official representing his district to Gloucester County, NJ and has served as Chairman for Sun’s United Way campaign.

• Dr. Michael O. Willis
  SVP & CIO AmeriHealth Mercy Family of Companies
  
  

  Dr. Michael O. Willis has more than 30 years of experience in the healthcare and IT services area. Currently, he serves as SVP and CIO for The Amerihealth Mercy Family of Companies. He is responsible for enterprise wide planning, operations and delivery of IT services for more than 6 million members nationwide. Previously, he held executive management positions with both EDS and IBM where he had global operational responsibility for technology and consulting services for the healthcare and life sciences industries. Dr. Willis also served as EVP of the Franklin Covey Organization where he was responsible for organizational consulting, business development and technology services in 44 countries nationwide.

  Dr. Willis is well grounded in the academic community and is recognized globally for his work in organizational and market development, diffusion and adoption of technology, and the decision sciences. He has been a visiting professor of management and technology at several universities. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration, an M.B.A. and a Doctorate of Philosophy in Applied Management and Business Administration.