A regional forum for CIOs that fosters excellence

in business and information technology.

Forum Members,

This is the Forum Update for March 2024. We have had two Forums and a Board Meeting so far in 2024:

• Our January Forum at TU’s Science Complex was special in several ways. TU hosted us and gave us a tour of their Science Complex. It was quite impressive. The focus of the January CIO Forum was how CIOs are faring with their digital transformations. TU presented on cybersecurity challenges with company transformations. Avaap covered digital transformations tips; and several of our CIO members shared their challenges. We had 32 attendees in person and 7 remote participants.

• At our February Forum, we had 31 in-person and 15 remote participants. The topic was how date management and analytics fit in the digital and business transformations. One of our vendor members detailed how raw data becomes actionable information. A CIO member covered her strategies and directions for her company and the governance required to be successful. Dr. Stella Tomasi showed how data can be put into action and contribute to the bottom-line.

• On January 19th we had a Forum Board meeting. You should know:

• Financially, the Forum is sound. We will award six scholarships this year of $5,000 each. We have funds in the bank now to cover all expenses for this Forum year.

• A decision was made to change our By-Laws to allow members to be billed and pay for membership on a physical or fiscal basis. You can request when you want to be billed; it’s your choice. Please just let Kerri know.

• It was also decided that Board member terms would be increased from two years to three to provide better continuity. Accordingly, there will be no Board election this Forum year.

• You should also know that in January the Forum conducted a vendor partner survey to gauge the perceived value the Forum provides to our vendor members. The feedback obtained highlighted key strengths and areas for improvement. This insight will allow us to increase the value proposition for our vendor partners by better aligning with their needs.

Let’s continue the 2023-2024 Forum Year with:

• More “in-person” ONLY meetings, higher attendance in general, and the ongoing use of CIO roundtables.

• More CIO and Vendor Member involvement in the meetings.

• The moving of more of our meetings to member sites and/or back on the TU campus.

• The celebration of our Twentieth Anniversary!

We will initiate our planning and Forum Program development process in early March. All members should expect emails requesting your thoughts and input on topics, speakers, and focuses for next Forum Year. We will collect topics and ideas through March, including ideas on where we meet (member or TU locations) and when (mornings only, or maybe certain afternoons). Again, more to come in March with the 2024-2025 Forum Program to be finalized in April 2024.

Below we highlight the Forums/events remaining for this Forum Year. Mark your calendars:

On March 21st, we will be hosted by Cisco at their Fulton location. The theme for this Forum is “Cybersecurity – Both Sides Are Getting Better”. AI is clearly a part of this. Cisco will cover the ever-changing threat landscape and the benefits of AI for Cyber Solutions. GuidePoint Security will share the current ransomware picture. And a panel of CISOs will discuss how the growing digital dependency has intensified the cyberthreats and challenges. There will be an SNG meeting following lunch that continues the panel discussion and goes into further detail AI-enabled adversaries and how to counter them. You nor your CISOs should miss this day. Both meetings will be hybrid.

On April 25th, the Forum agenda will be our Vendor Members covering what our CIO members need to know about their companies, services, and products. Vendor members are working with Bill Medley and the Vendor Liaison Team now to put this Forum together in the most effective way. This Forum will be “in-person” ONLY. We strongly encourage all of our CIO members to be there!

On May 16th, we will be hosted by McCormick at their Headquarters. McCormick is a founding member, and we are grateful that we will be visiting with them on our twentieth anniversary year. More to come on this.

And on May 25th, we finish the year at the Annapolis Yacht Club (AYC) with the Wine Coach and spouses/significant others included in a celebration of and special finish to our Twentieth Anniversary Year. You have received advance notice of the AYC event. Please reserve parking now, and if you plan to stay overnight in Annapolis, make your reservations now. Formal invitations will be emailed in April 2024.

Together let’s finish strong! If you have questions or comments on any aspect of the Forum at any time, please do not hesitate to contact Kerri or me, or one of our Board members. We do listen and want to know your comments and thoughts, especially as we plan for the coming year.

Best Regards,
Don Lee and the M-A CIOF Board of Directors

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Mid-Atlantic CIO Forum

The Forum is designed to foster excellence in business and information technology in an environment that promotes educational and networking opportunities for CIOs facing similar challenges and issues. CIOs participate with peers to share information and experiences, and to exchange best practices in peer-to-peer discussion sessions.

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© 2023 Mid-Atlantic CIO Forum. All Rights Reserved.

Website by IMPACT Marketing & Public Relations