Executive Committee - Officers
Executive Committee – Special Appointments
 Scott Burt, President, Integro
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 Frank Daidone, CIO, City and County of Denver
Chair Education
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 Steve Foster, COO, GTRI
Chair C-Level
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 Michael Marcotte, Global CIO, EchoStar Corporation
Special Advisor
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 Tom Melaragno, Founder and CEO, Compri Consulting
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 William (Bill) Mueldener, CMI, Tax Principal, Hein & Associates
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 Bob Ogdon, President and CEO, Swiftpage
Special Advisor and Former Board Chair
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 Nancy Phillips, Co-Founder, COO, and Director, ViaWest
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 Molly Rauzi, Director of Business Advisory Services Practice, Grant Thornton, LLP
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 Kristin Russell, Secretary of Technology and CIO, State of Colorado
2010 Chair Programs and 2010 Co-Chair C-Level @ A Mile High
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 Kirby Slunaker, President & Chief Executive Officer, MetroList
Former Board Chair, Co-Chair CIO Forum
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Other Board Members
 Dave Anderson, SVP and CIO, CH2M HILL |
 Betty Arkell, Partner, Holland & Hart
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 James Braun, Operations Director, Google
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 Tim Brooks, Vice Chancellor & Chief Technology Officer at University of Denver |
 James Cadwell, President, DeVry University Colorado
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 Cody Daniels, Partner, Advisory Practice, KPMG
2011 Chair Apex Awards
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 Jim Deters, Founder/Managing Director, Galvanize |
 Andre Durand, CEO, Ping Identity |
 Carl Fitch, CEO, Statera
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 Mark Grindeland, CMO, TeleTech
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 Teresa Taylor, COO
Co-Chair Economic Development
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 Annette Quintana, CEO, Istonish
Former Board Chair
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 John Oechsle, President, Swiftpage
Former Board Chair
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 Christian Dwyer, Heathgrades
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 Adam Haynes, Managing Director, St. Charles Capital
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 Senator Mike Johnston
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 Mike Jones, CEO, Arrow Holdings
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 John Leonard, Director, Fairfield and Woods, P.C.
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 Michael W. Locatis III, CIO, Department of Energy
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 Bart Lorang, Co-Founder and CEO, Full Contact
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 Catharine Merigold, General Partner, Vista Ventures
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 Erik Mitisek, Next Great Place |
 Kishore Nayak, CIO, Tompkins/Gates |
 Jon Nordmark, CEO, UsingMiles
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 Dave Roberts, CTO, Reed Group
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 Jose Ruiz, VP and CIO, Raytheon Information and Intelligence Systems (IIS) |
 House Majority Leader Amy Stephens
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 Kim Brown-Wilmsen, Vice President Applications & Systems, Arcadis U.S.
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 Michael White, Managing Director, SPA Practice, PricewaterhouseCoopers
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 Brent Wyman, AVP, CenturyLink |
Board Members Emeritus
 Bob Newman, Former Founder, JD Edwards
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 Don McCubbrey, Professor, Daniels School of Business, University of Denver
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Betty Arkell, Partner, Holland & Hart
Betty Carter Arkell is a partner at Holland & Hart and has over 25 years of experience as a corporate and securities attorney. Her clients include venture capital and other private equity funds as well as established and emerging growth companies. Betty Arkell specializes in venture capital investments, mergers, acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, acquisition finance, corporate restructuring of publicly held and privately held companies and general corporate counseling.
Betty's prior employment experience includes ten years in the Venture Capital/Leveraged Buyout Group of Kirkland & Ellis, where she was a partner. Betty was also counsel to the Venture Capital Association of Colorado at the time of its formation. Betty has also served as Chair for the Leadership Council at the Center for Entrepreneurship - University of Colorado at Denver; Past President of the Colorado Bar Association - Business Law Section; Past President of the Colorado Association of Corporate Counsel; Board of Trustees for Graland Country Day School; Board of Directors for OpenWorld Learning and member of the American, Colorado and Denver Bar Association.
Keith Berets, Partner, Cooley, LLP
Keith Berets is a partner in the Technology Transactions and the Trademark, Advertising & Copyright practice groups, and a member of the Cooley Godward Kronish Business Department. He joined the firm in 2000.
Keith focuses on technology and intellectual property transactions, including outsourcing, consulting, licensing, distribution, development and transfer agreements; information technology, electronic commerce, Web and Internet transactions and intellectual property counseling. His practice also includes trademark, internet, false advertising, unfair competition, trade secret and copyright litigation, counseling and prosecution, and advice on brand selection, advertising and promotions, and other proprietary rights.
He represents leading IT firms and Internet companies, software developers and distributors, Internet service providers, information systems, network systems, hardware and communications companies and other technology companies in connection with the commercialization of their technology products and services. He has also been involved in numerous legal actions to protect the trademarks, trade secrets and copyrights of his clients.
Tim Brooks, Vice Chancellor IT, CTO, University of Denver
Mr. Brooks became the Vice Chancellor and Chief Technology Officer on December 1, 2011. He has 25 years of experience in information technology with over 20 years serving higher education institutions. Most recently Mr. Brooks served as the Vice President and Chief Information Officer for Saint Louis University and the Director of Information Systems and Security for Washington University in St. Louis. Mr. Brooks oversees University wide technology planning, integration, and support. He is also responsible for ensuring the strategic alignment of technology related projects, products and services with the overall University vision, mission and goals. Mr. Brooks has earned a bachelor’s degree in information systems and advanced degrees in information management and business administration from Washington University in St. Louis.
Scott Burt, President, Integro
Scott Burt is President and Co-Founder of Integro, Inc., a leading technology consulting company headquartered in Denver, Colorado. The company is IBM's #1 partner for Enterprise Content Management including Records Management and Email Management.
Scott has led Integro since its founding in 1995. The company has been recognized with many awards including recognition on Inc Magazine's Inc500 list of the fastest growing privately held companies in the US. Integro is again growing rapidly after posting 101% growth in 2005 and is poised to grow at a similar rate in 2006. Additionally, Scott is an owner of Vacation Solutions. This start-up company is enjoying astounding success helping clients take better, resort vacations very affordably.
Scott is passionate about philanthropy and community support. Scott serves as a National Trustee for The Foundation Fighting Blindness (FFB) in Maryland. He serves on the Board of Directors and also the Public Policy and Economic Development Committee for CSIA; and is the Chairperson for the Colorado chapter of The FFB. He also hosts one of the largest charity golf tournaments in Colorado, the Microsoft Swing for Sight Golf Tournament. As of 2008, this tournament has raised over $550,000 towards medical research to find cures and treatments for blindness. Additionally, Integro is a strong leader in community helping a variety of local and national charities.
James Cadwell, President, DeVry University Colorado
James O. Caldwell is the President of DeVry University Colorado with responsibility for DeVry’s campuses in Westminster, Greenwood Village and Colorado Springs. As President, James is responsible for DeVry Colorado’s 1,800 Associates, Bachelor’s and Master’s degree students and over 200 full and part time professors, administration and staff. James has served 27 years in various university and academic administration roles culminating in his appointment as President of DeVry University Colorado. Prior to his appointment, James was University Director of Student Finance with responsibility for the compliant administration of Financial Aid and Accounts Receivable programs for DeVry University’s nearly 100 locations and 65,000+ students nationwide. James received a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah and a Master’s degree in Business from National Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri. James is passionate about community service, education and leadership. As a native son of Kentucky, he is commissioned as a Kentucky Colonel, the state’s highest honor for community leadership. James currently sits on the Boards of the Adams County Education Consortium, the Kenya Technology Project and the Colorado Association of Career Colleges and Schools. Previously, he served on the Advisory Boards of key student loan organizations including California’s EdFund Commission, Wachovia and AMEX.
In addition to these activities, James volunteers with the Colorado Alzheimer’s Association, is politically active and serves in various roles with his local church. He is the proud father of four adult children (no grandchildren, yet) and lives in Westminster, Colorado. In his spare time, James enjoys escaping to Colorado’s beautiful mountains where he loves to hike and practice his hobby of photography.
Cody Daniels, Partner, Advisory Practice, KPMG
Cody is a Partner with the Advisory practice for KPMG LLP in Denver, Colorado. She has over 17 years of experience with the evaluation and assessment of business processes and information systems. Her experience includes the audit and assessment of information systems including business application controls, general information technology controls and IT governance. In addition, she has financial audit experience and training in generally accepted accounting principles, transaction flow, internal control, and financial statement reporting and disclosure. This unique combination of skills helps companies to effectively leverage technology and business processes in the achievement of strategic business objectives.
Jim Deters, Galvanize
Jim Deters has dedicated his life to disrupting traditional business practices. A pioneer in the startup ecosystem, Jim is passionate about creating opportunities and a better planet through entrepreneurship and education. No stranger to the startup mentality, Jim has spent the last 14 years immersing himself in building companies on the cutting edge of technology and social enterprise. He has witnessed and embraced the current ‘Entrepreneurial Renaissance’, recognizing that tech savvy and resourceful millennials are the catalysts for social and economic development. Ignited by his passion for innovation and an active lifestyle, Jim has set out to build an energized community for early stage start-up companies at the base of the Rockies in Denver, CO. Envisioning a curated community of entrepreneurs in the video, mobile, and social spheres, Jim founded Galvanize. Housed in a single co-working space, Galvanize provides breakout companies with the tools necessary to succeed: mentorship, seed-funding, and space for innovation. Always on the move, Jim never passes up a chance to enjoy extreme sports and adventure in the Rockies or other corners of the globe. With summers spent mountain biking and winters spent slope-side with his family, it is hard to find a better location than Denver to harness his energy and empower the local community.
Carl Fitch, CEO, Statera
Carl has over 20 years of experience as a leader in the IT consulting industry. Carl joined Statera as CEO in 2002, reuniting the successful management team that founded and grew Raymond James Consulting from a start-up in 1992 to a company earning over $70 million in revenue with 400 employees in a six-state region by 2000. Prior to joining Statera, Carl was a partner with Zurich, Switzerland-based Executive Wealth Management, Lp. (EWM). Before EWM, Carl was the CEO/President of Immedient Corporation (formerly Raymond James Consulting). In addition, Carl demonstrated his leadership skills early in his career with Arthur Andersen & Co.’s Management Information Consulting pision, now known as Accenture. He also served as the Corporate Director of Database Consulting of Cap Gemini America.
An honors graduate from the University of Denver with a B.S. in Chemistry in 1982 and a M.B.A. in Finance in 1983, Carl is a published author on relational database technology and has been quoted in Computer World, Software Magazine, and Enterprise Systems Journal.
Carl’s ability to manage cash flow, monitor expenses and grow organically in turbulent times has ensured Statera’s success from start-up to a $30 million dollar company today. Carl also heads up the delivery side of Statera’s business and was responsible for over 90 successful client engagements in 2007.
Carl is also on the Board of Governors of the Metro Denver Economic Development Corp, the Denver Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America, and was nominated and selected to the board of Boys and Girls Club. Carl is also the Treasurer and an Executive Board member of the Country Club at Castle Pines.
Frank Daidone, CIO, City and County of Denver
Frank Daidone is Chief Information Officer for the City and County of Denver. He manages the City’s Technology Services agency and is responsible for partnering with city departments to deliver world-class customer service.
A Denver resident, Daidone is a seasoned director of information technology with expertise in a diverse range of technologies within multiple industry settings. He has been successful managing networking, security, application design, quality assurance, product development, and data centers. Daidone most recently served as Chipotle Mexican Grill’s Director of IT, starting with the Colorado-based company in 2004 and helping to lead the company through years of rapid growth and change.
Daidone chairs the Colorado Technology Association’s Education Committee and is an advisory board member for Regis University. He created "Project Kick-Off,” which partnered MapQuest, Noodles and Chipotle with Aurora Public Schools to create an industry-to-education mentorship program. He is also an active mentor in Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado.
Daidone holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Central Florida. A Microsoft certified systems engineer and database administrator, Daidone is a frequent publisher of technology articles and speaker at technology forums. Daidone will begin his work at the city on February 4, 2013.
Steve Foster, COO, GTRI
Steve Foster's 25 years of unique and diversified experience combines enterprise risk management expertise, expert knowledge in security and technology and top level consulting & training in employee misconduct matters. Steve Foster is COO of GTRI.
Steve is board certified in Security Management and in Case Management for Internal Investigations by ASIS International and is National Chair of the ASIS Business Practices Council and an ASIS National CPP Review Course Instructor. He is the former President of Colorado Drug-Free Workplace Alliance and the Colorado DARE Officers Association and a current member of the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals and ASIS International. He was also a founding board member of the Denver chapter of Ready to work STRIVE. Steve has received numerous certifications and completed many specialized training programs. Throughout his law enforcement career, Steve Foster received over 20 awards and medals for bravery and heroism.
Steve has spoken throughout the United States on criminal behavior and violence prevention. He is a frequent guest on television and radio making regular public appearances. Steve Foster was a consultant for the ADT University for Alarm and Security Equipment professionals for three years. He has worked with many organizations in the development of corporate ethics and compliance programs, facility security manuals and emergency plans. Steve Foster holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia College and graduated from the US Air Force Security Police Academy and the Colorado Police Academy.
Adam Haynes, Managing Director, St. Charles Capital
Adam has twelve years of corporate finance and investment banking experience, including mergers and acquisitions, strategic advisory work and transactions involving bank, bond and equity placements. Mr. Haynes has completed more than 35 mergers and acquisitions and financing transactions with a total value in excess of $15.0 billion.
As a former member of KeyBanc Capital Markets’ and Piper Jaffray’s Technology investment banking groups, Mr. Haynes has extensive Technology M&A transaction and corporate advisory experience. While at Chase Securities, Mr. Haynes completed bank and bond transactions, including recapitalization, spin-off and acquisition financings for Chase’s Global Syndicated Finance & Consumer persified Industries groups.
Mr. Haynes received his MBA in Finance from New York University’s Stern School of Business and his B.A. in Communications and International Relations from the University of Southern California. Mr. Haynes currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Colorado Technology Association, and is a parent representative of the Collaborative School Committee of Steck Elementary.
Senator Mike Johnston, State of Colorado
Johnston represents Northeast Denver in the Colorado State Senate and serves as a policy advisor to New Leaders for New Schools. Mike first entered education as a high school English teacher in Greenville, Mississippi, an experience that led him to write his acclaimed book, "In the Deep Heart's Core." After leaving the Mississippi Delta, Mike co-founded New Leaders for New Schools, a national non-profit that recruits and trains urban principals. Mike started his own career as a principal leading two alternative high schools serving Colorado students held in state custody or living in group homes and detention centers. Most recently, Mike was the co-founder and principal of MESA (Mapleton Expeditionary School of the Arts), a redesigned urban high school in the Mapleton Public Schools that made Colorado history by becoming the first public high school in which 100 percent of seniors were admitted to four-year colleges.
He has been an adjunct professor of education law at the University of Denver and has served as an advisor to state and federal political campaigns around the country, most recently as a top education advisor to Barack Obama's presidential campaign and transition. Recently named to Time Magazine’s "40 Under 40” and Forbes Magazine’s list of the "7 Most Influential Educators,” Mike holds degrees from Yale College, the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and the Yale Law School. He sits on the board of many local and national organizations including the I Have a Dream Foundation and the Urban League.
Mike Jones, CEO, Arrow Holdings
Mike has been the technology leader for some of the country’s most innovative and dynamic companies. Most recently, Mike was CEO of datAvail and will continue his position as Chairman of the Board. Prior to datAvail, Mike was the CEO of (i)Structure, now a Wipro company that offers a full range of IT outsourcing services to customers around the globe. Prior to his CEO roles, Mike was CIO for Level 3 Communications – a company supplying Fortune 1000 companies with sophisticated, fiber-based IP communication services. His organization was responsible for the worldwide operations of all of Level 3’s information and network management systems, including Corporate and Network Security. Before joining Level 3, Mike was Vice President and CIO for Corporate Express. As part of the executive team, he helped the company go public and successfully complete more than 100 mergers and acquisitions. Mike helped transform Corporate Express from a private, regional office products company, with revenues of less than $300 million, to a $4 billion global corporation, providing essential business products and services to large organizations. Mike started his IT career at Andersen Consulting where he spent 12 years working his way to Associate Partner in Andersen Consulting’s Advanced Technology Group. Mike is a graduate of Southwestern Oklahoma State University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in accounting, with a minor in computer science, and completed his CPA examination in 1984. He is an active leader in the IT community, serving on several Boards of Directors for emerging technology companies. Mike, his wife and two children live in the Boulder area and he likes to golf, ski and fish.
Darin Kreimeyer, Partner, Ernst & Young LLP
Darin currently serves as the Risk Advisory Services Office Leader where he is directly responsible for leading a team of 35 professionals and providing IT and business advisory services for many of Denver’s Fortune 1000 companies. Darin’s career with Ernst & Young has also included leadership roles within the firm’s Technology and Security Risk Services practice in Denver, Boulder, as well as Phoenix, AZ. Throughout his career with E&Y, he has also successfully developed the firm’s methodology for various IT advisory solution sets and was one of only 25 professionals selected to serve on the People Advisory Forum with the Chairman and CEO of Ernst & Young.
Prior to E&Y, Darin was a National Bank Examiner for the Department of Treasury in Sioux Falls, SD. He is a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa where he received his bachelor’s degree in Finance. He is a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and a Certified Information Security Manager (CISM). He is also a member of the Information Systems Audit & Control Association (ISACA) and the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA).
John Leonard, Director, Fairfield and Woods, P.C.
John Leonard has lead Colorado Technology Association's Public Policy/Economic Development Committee for years and is very involved with Colorado Technology Association's lobbying efforts at the state capitol. He is the recipient of the Champion of the Year Apex Award in 2005 that recognizes him for his stewardship on behalf of the technology industry creating the first ever proactive plan to ensure success with Colorado Technology Association legislative initiatives.
John is an attorney with Fairfield and Woods, P.C. and concentrates his legal practice in commercial transactions. His emphasis is on assisting businesses engaged in all aspects of software development and electronic commerce. He has represented a number of technology companies in areas relating to intellectual property, entity formation and governance, mergers and acquisitions, internet operation and secured transactions.
John has written articles and lectured on internet security and liability, HIPAA, UETA, and other state and federal privacy issues. He has also written articles on current copyright and trademark issues and the protection of intellectual property rights. Mr. Leonard is the past president of the San Joaquin Valley International Trade Association and has testified before legislative committees regarding electronic commerce issues.
John graduated with B.S. Finance and Juris Doctor degree at the University of Nebraska and Masters of International Management Studies from the American Graduate School of International Management.
Michael W. Locatis III, Chief Information Officer, United States Department of Energy
Michael Locatis joined the Department of Homeland Security as Assistant Secretary of Cybersecurity and Communications in April 2012.
In his role, he works collaboratively with public, private, and international partners to secure cyberspace and to protect federal and critical infrastructure networks. His team supports a resilient communications system for Federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial governments and critical infrastructure.
Most recently, Locatis served as the Chief Information Officer for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), where he was the principal information management advisor to the Secretary of Energy and the senior Information Technology and cybersecurity official for DOE. He promoted Department-wide innovation and effective operations by engaging stakeholders across the entire DOE complex. Through collaboration with national laboratories, program executives, DOE Federal information management staff and contractors, external agency partners, and strategic industry partners, Locatis established strategy, policy, and a skilled workforce. In recognition of his leadership, Locatis was awarded the 2012 Federal 100 Award, which recognizes his development of the DOE Joint Cybersecurity Coordination Center (JC3).
Locatis also assumed several leadership roles to help drive government-wide transformation. He served on the Federal CIO Council as a member of the Executive Committee and as co-chair of the Management Best Practices Committee. He has also served as a member of the President’s Domestic Policy Council’s Strong Cities Strong Communities (SC2) initiative and the President’s Management Advisory Board (PMAB) IT sub-committee.
Locatis is among the few to have led major transformation initiatives within local, state and federal governments—and he has done so in light of extreme budget constraints. Having served as Deputy Chief Information Officer for the State of California, Chief Information Officer for the State of Colorado, and Chief Information Officer for the City and County of Denver, Mr. Locatis comes to DHS with a comprehensive understanding of information management and cybersecurity within the interconnected government ecosystem. Throughout his public career, he has not only initiated rapid culture shifts, but has also led the successful adoption of statutory reform, cloud consolidation, shared services, workforce reshaping, cybersecurity innovations, and 3-1-1 citizen service implementations.
Bart Lorang, Co-Founder and CEO, Full Contact
Mr. Lorang is a proven entrepreneur, executive and manager in the global technology industry. Mr. Lorang is active in the startup technology community as an angel investor, strategic advisor and occasional speaker at industry events.
Bart serves as Co-Founder & CEO of FullContact. Mr. Lorang is responsible for communicating FullContact's vision and strategy. Mr. Lorang is a visionary technologist with extensive experience conceiving, designing, building, marketing and selling enterprise software solutions on a global scale.
Bart sits on the Advisory Board of Education Funding Partners. Prior to founding FullContact, Mr. Lorang was an owner in Dimension Technology Solutions where he served as President and oversaw all day to day operations, customer engagements, partner relations, product development, sales and marketing functions. Mr. Lorang is recognized for providing solutions that are simple and work reliably. He strongly believes in using technology to solve problems as opposed to using problems to demonstrate technology. Mr. Lorang holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from the University of Colorado and an MBA from the Daniels College of Business at University of Denver.
Michael Marcotte, Global Chief Information Officer, EchoStar Corporation
Michael has full responsibility for the worldwide EchoStar Corporation Information Technology organization. EchoStar has more than 25 years of experience in designing, developing and distributing award-winning advanced television set-top boxes and related products for pay television providers as well as performing satellite operations for corporations and government agencies. EchoStar is focused on creating hardware and service solutions for cable, telco, IPTV and satellite TV companies worldwide. EchoStar also delivers satellite services through 10 owned and leased in-orbit satellites and related FCC licenses, which includes a network of 10 digital broadcast centers and leased fiber optic capacity with points of presence in 210 U.S. TV markets and several countries worldwide. EchoStar is a multi-billion dollar corporation with a global footprint.
Michael is the former Managing Partner of Marcotte and Associates LLC, a Denver based strategic consulting organization that helps large corporations and government solve highly complex information technology, project, organizational, and delivery challenges. He has over 20 years of experience in the technology industry with unique business and technology breadth and depth, with extensive expertise in highly technical information technology leadership roles and experience managing large profit and loss business units for major firms.
Michael has served in special advisor roles to the State of Colorado Governor’s office (Romer Administration), Colorado Secretary of Technology (Owens Administration), Colorado Secretary of Labor (Owens Administration), and as Senior Advisor to the state of Texas on several major business/IT ERP and PMO initiatives. Michael has also worked in senior leadership roles with private sector for firms such as Ball Corporation, DISH Network, Cendant, MCA Universal, Systems Partners, Hyatt, Hilton, and numerous other Fortune 1000 firms. Michael has helped corporations build and implement successful IT organizations, IT governance, program offices, SDLC, and CMMI models within these companies.
Tom Melaragno, Founder and CEO, Compri Consulting
Tom Melaragno is founder and CEO of Compri Consulting, Inc., an information technology professional services firm providing dependable IT project outsourcing and staffing results to companies in Colorado and across the U.S. since 1992. Melaragno is also Vice President and co-founder of Allegiance Consulting, a technology services and solutions provider, serving primarily government clients in 14 states. Melaragno has over 25 years of technology-based professional services consulting and management experience, and was profiled in Inc. Magazine after leading Compri to the ranks of the Top 500 Fastest Growing Private Companies in the U.S. for three consecutive years. Compri has also ranked in the top 25 of the "Top 150 Fastest Growing Private Companies in Colorado" by the Denver Business Journal for three consecutive years.
Prior to founding Compri, Melaragno’s expertise was software engineering and systems design. He delivered a software process modeling training program to engineers at Hewlett-Packard, Schlumberger, Microsoft and Intel . Melaragno’s prior employment and consulting engagements include expertise in IT project management, integrated talent management planning, requirements analysis, software design and development, QA testing, implementation and support.
In addition to serving on the CTA Board, Melaragno serves on the Board of Directors for the College of Business at Colorado State University for Information Technology. Melaragno has served as President, Vice President and Public Relations Chair of the National Association of Computer Consultant Business (NACCB), Colorado Chapter. Melaragno participated in the University of Colorado Leeds "50 for Colorado”, a leadership group focused on understanding and improving Colorado’s diverse economic ecosystem. He has served as an expert witness for the technology services industry in Denver District Court. Melaragno was a recipient of the Denver Business Journal’s Forty under 40 Award, and was nominated for Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year award. Melaragno attended Colorado State University where he earned a B.S. in Business and an M.S. in Computer Information Systems.
Catharine Merigold, General Partner, Vista Ventures
Catharine has worked with communications and information technology companies for twenty years, as an investor, as a board member and advisor, and as an entrepreneur. She started her venture career in 1992 with Centennial Ventures, the largest venture firm in the Rocky Mountain region. She was the founding CEO of a venture-backed company, a vice president at a Fortune 100 telecommunications company, and CEO of UTC, the company that manages all the technology developed at the four University of Colorado campuses. Catharine received her BS in Electrical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis and an MBA from Stanford University.
Erik Mitisek
Entrepreneur.Love building companies.Passion for technology and converting ideas into value.Believe in the power of innovation and creativity.Heart for employees and partners who bring it to life.Co-Founder, Next Great Place.
William (Bill) Mueldener, CMI, Tax Principal, Hein & Associates
William has over 15 years of state tax and incentive consulting experience and is a Tax Principal in the Denver office of Hein & Associates LLP. He provides state and local tax consulting services to both national and international companies and specializes in state income/franchise tax, sales/use tax, transactional/excise taxes, and incentives. He also assists clients with merger and acquisition due diligence, sales/use tax refund studies, state tax planning and organizational restructuring, credit studies, incentive negotiation, and state audit controversy consulting. In addition to tax consulting, William has also served as an expert witness in court cases addressing state and local tax matters, and has lectured on state tax and incentive issues. While addressing state tax matters in a wide range of industries, William has significant experience in the energy, manufacturing, distribution, retail, and healthcare industries.
Kishore Nayak, Tomkins/Gates
Kishore joined Tomkins as CIO in March 2009. Since 2001, Kishore has served as Chief Information Officer and Vice President of Information Technology Trelleborg Automotive in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, a multi-billion-dollar global automotive parts manufacturer headquartered in Sweden. There he directed the company's global IT strategies, and developed and executed key projects in support of the company's operational objectives, including integration of existing IT infrastructure and implementation of new systems, especially ERP. From 1988 to 2000, he worked for global automotive companies such as Chrysler and General Motors Corporation in Detroit, Michigan where he served in various leadership positions in information system organizations. Kishore was responsible for creating a standard enterprise architecture and global content-management system for General Motor's Global Communications department; he also established best-in-class business practices to promote business processes to development teams for both Chrysler and General Motors.
Jon Nordmark, CEO, UsingMiles
Jon founded and was 10-year CEO of eBags.com which pioneered a drop-ship business model (negative cash conversion cycle) involving more than 500 warehouses in the USA and Europe. eBags was also one of the first five e-retailers to gather consumer-generated-content (product ratings and reviews) to sell products, having sourced 1.4 million product reviews between 1999 and 2008. eBags achieved a 34% CAGR over Jon's final eight years as CEO, and the company has been profitable every year since 2001. eBags was funded by Technology Crossover Ventures, Benchmark Capital, Mitsubishi, Amerindo and other sources. Jon was named Ernst & Young's Rocky Mountain Region Entrepreneur of the Year® in 2003.
John Oechsle, Executive Vice President, Product and Strategy, DigitalGlobe
H. John Oechsle joined DigitalGlobe in April 2010 and currently serves as our Executive Vice President, Product and Strategy. Mr. Oechsle also currently serves as a director of aWhere, Inc., a provider of data and location-based predictive analytics, and the Colorado Technology Association. From 2003 until October 2009, Mr. Oechsle served as Senior Vice President of Technology and Content and Chief Information Officer for IHS Inc. Mr. Oeshsle has served as Chief Information Officer and Vice President of Information Management Worldwide, for Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, a Johnson & Johnson company, where he was responsible for all technology and e-business on a worldwide basis. Mr. Oechsle has also served as Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for Land America Financial Group, Inc., and as Director of Global Information Management for Kellogg Company. Mr. Oechsle holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from Rutgers University and is a graduate of the Tuck Executive Program offered by the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.
Bob Ogdon, CEO, Swiftpage
Bob Ogdon is an executive technologies and business professional with more than 27 years of experience in the multimedia market. His background includes expertise in multimedia, telecommunications and computer-based high technology companies.
Bob founded and served as CEO of four companies, the latest being SwiftPage Email, an email marketing company that has helped hundreds of for-profit and non-profit organizations create, send and track the performance of email campaigns. Most recently, SwiftPage Email became the first server-based email management system to be fully integrated into ACT!, the leading contact management system in the world. Prior to SwiftPage Email, Ogdon founded MSHOW.com, a leading web interactive broadcasting company. Prior to MSHOW.com, Ogdon founded Mammoth Micro Productions, a pioneer in CD-ROM multimedia tools, technology and publishing, and Action Graphics, a game design and software development company.
Nancy Phillips, Co-Founder, COO, and Director, ViaWest
Nancy Phillips oversees ViaWest's operations, engineering and technical support positions. Phillips is a recognized business and telecommunications leader with over 15 years of management experience in voice and data communications. Phillips and Roy Dimoff have been business partners for over 14 years, starting with Dimoff's first company, Teleconferencing Systems Canada.
Nancy has also been a principal and executive at numerous successful telecommunications companies and a consultant to international companies such as France Telecom, MCI and Qwest. Prior to ViaWest, Phillips was Vice President of Operations for RMI.net, where she played an integral role in managing the company's network and technical growth. Previously, she was Vice President of Operations for ITC Worldwide, now Genesys Conferencing, and Senior Vice President of Operations for ConferTech International's conferencing business, now owned by Global Crossing.
2002 was the second year in a row in which Phillips was recognized by the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs, as a woman that has raised capital for an entrepreneurial venture. In 2004, Nancy Phillips was the winner of Colorado Technology Association's Technology Business Woman of the Year Apex Award. Phillips was chosen because of her extraordinary leadership abilities and performance within ViaWest and the community. She was also recognized in 2004 by the Denver Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners and the Denver Business Journal, winning the "Outstanding Women in Business Jean Yancey Award." Phillips holds an Honors Bachelor of Economics from Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
Annette Quintana, CEO, Istonish
Annette Quintana is the CEO of Istonish Holding Company, a privately held, Colorado-based professional services company that provides outsourcing, information technology solutions and staffing. As the founder and primary owner of Istonish Holding Company, Annette is involved in managing and directing customer care outsourcing operations, via subsidiary Istonish, Inc. and information technology projects and staffing via subsidiary TeamExcel Technology Solutions.
Istonish Holding Company employs more than 400 people in the United States and Canada, delivers IT services in over 10 states and operates call centers in Denver, Colorado, and Vancouver, British Columbia. Branch offices for supporting the sales and delivery of Information Technology Services are located in Denver, Colorado; Dallas, Texas and Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Outsourcing services include Tier 1 and 2 technical support, customer service, inbound sales and customized interactive voice recognition solutions. Information Technology solutions include data warehousing, web portal development, software quality assurance and testing, and strategic planning and assessments of IT initiatives.
Annette’s current and previous involvement includes 2008 Chairman of the Board and Director for the Denver Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau; Young Presidents Organization; John Hickenlooper Mayoral Transition Team, Information Technology Committee; Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce Board Member; Community First Bankshares Board Member; Appointed by Governor William Owens to the Board of Advisors for The State of Colorado Minority Business Office; Appointed by former Governor Roy Romer to the State of Colorado Assistance Commission; Board of Directors for the Denver Hih2ic Chamber; and Board of Directors for the Latin American Education Foundation.
Molly Rauzi, Director of Business Advisory Services Practice, Grant Thornton, LLP
Molly Rauzi is a Director in the Business Advisory Services Practice in the Denver office of Grant Thornton LLP. She has twenty years of professional experience in leading large complex organizations and technology initiatives. As a Business Advisory Director, Molly will focus on business consulting services that improve business performance, including IT strategy and assessment, solution selection, software as a service, program/project management, and business intelligence and analytics. She also works with the firm’s BAS team to serve companies, state and local governments, and not-for-profit organizations across the region.
As Chief Information Officer, and previously as Deputy Chief Information Officer, Molly established a governance process to support a $25 million technology project portfolio, replaced the city’s sales and use tax system, and designed the technology for Denver’s new Justice Center. Prior to that Molly served as the Director of Technology for Denver International Airport where she authored the first IT Master Plan for the airport and consolidated storage and backup systems to reduce cost and improve availability of resources. Molly has experience in a variety of industries including: government, aviation, aerospace and defense, education, and technology. Molly received a Master of Systems Management from the University of Denver and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Regis University.
Dave Roberts, CTO, Reed Group
David Roberts leads Reed Group's software business. He is responsible for LeavePro product definition and development, client service, implementation, and system operations. Mr. Roberts brings Reed Group and its clients twenty years of enterprise software experience including development, implementation and enterprise-wide change in large private and public sector organizations. Most recently, he was a top advisor to John Hickenlooper as the Chief Services Officer for the City and County of Denver. In this role, he brought private sector management skills to improve the City's customer and business operations. Prior to the City, Mr. Roberts was a Partner with Accenture (formerly Andersen Consulting), where he ran numerous consulting practices and Fortune 500 client engagements for 17 years. Mr. Roberts holds a BA in History from Dartmouth College.
Kristin Russell, Secretary of Technology and Chief Information Officer, State of Colorado
Kristin D. Russell is a dynamic and innovative executive with more than fifteen years experience in operations leadership, IT, and organizational design and development. In February 2011, Kristin was appointed by Governor Hickenlooper to serve as the state’s Secretary of Technology and Chief Information Officer. Kristin is responsible for leading the state’s technology economic development efforts and promoting Colorado as a headquarters location for new and relocating technology companies as well as for increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of government through the use of shared information and technology. She also chairs the Colorado Innovation Network Board of Advisors. Prior to joining the Governor’s Office, she was the Vice President of Global IT Service Operations at Oracle where she was responsible for all data centers and computing operations worldwide. Preceding her affiliation with Oracle, Kristin held various leadership positions at Sun Microsystems, Inc. including serving as Vice President of Global IT Operations. She has also held roles in customer management, statistical process control analysis and employee training and development while at Citigroup and Southern Pacific Transportation Lines.Kristin has a degree in International Affairs from the University of Colorado, and is a graduate of the Colorado Executive Development in Residence program at the University of Colorado at Boulder. She serves on several boards and as a result of her community and professional leadership, Kristin was named one of Computerworld's 2012 Premier 100 IT Leaders. She is also a recipient of the Denver Business Journal's Forty Under 40 award, the 2009 Silicon Valley Tribute to Women in Industry (TWIN) award, and a finalist for the 2011 Colorado Women's Chamber of Commerce Athena Award.
Jose Ruiz, VP and CIO, Raytheon Information and Intelligence Systems (IIS)
Jose Ruiz joined Raytheon's Intelligence and Information Systems as VP and Chief Information Officer. He has also been named Site Executive for the 2500 personnel Aurora Campus.Prior to this position, Jose joined Northrop Grumman Corporation as Information Technology Manager in 2001. Jose quickly assumed increasing responsibility for information services and data management, leading to his being named CIO for the Missile Defense Agency information systems initiatives. Jose led data center, cyber security, and global network improvements that resulted in substantial increase to Northrop Grumman IT market share with the Agency. Due to Jose’s success as CIO, he also assumed responsibility as Director of Programs for Technology Investments for Northrop Grumman Information Systems Business Unit in 2008. Jose’s strategic plans lead future growth and maximize the return on information technology investments. Prior to joining Northrop Grumman Corporation, Jose served as System Engineer and IT Program Manager for L3 Communications, a leader in Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), secure communications, government services, training and simulation and aircraft modernization and maintenance. Jose was responsible for coordinating and directing nationwide information systems to improve Business Intelligence and Collaboration.Jose began his career in the US Air Force. Over the course of his career in defense and aerospace, he assumed increasing responsibility as an Engineer, Logistician, Executive Officer and Program Manager. He managed several successful programs and earned DoD recognition for his ingenuity in resolving system deficiencies during Operation Desert Storm.Jose holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from the United States Air Force Academy and a Master of Science in Information Technology Management from Central Michigan University of Mt. Pleasant in Michigan. He also holds various certifications in management and IT.
Bill Soards, President - Colorado, AT&T
Appointed in April of 2009, Soards is responsible for all external affairs for AT&T in the state which includes state and local government relations, community affairs, regulatory and legislative activities, and initiatives before the Colorado General Assembly and Colorado’s Public Utilities Commission. Prior to becoming state president, Soards was Assistant Vice President of Public Affairs for AT&T’s Midwest region working in Chicago, IL. Coordinating public policy campaigns, managing research, message development, third parties, and foundation activities in five Midwestern states were among his chief responsibilities. Soards began his career in public policy in 1994 as a partner at Livengood Soards & Associates in Indianapolis, IN. In 2000, he joined AT&T (then Ameritech) as Director of Government Relations. In 2006, Soards helped lead the state effort to deregulate the telecom industry and establish a statewide system for cable franchising and video competition. That legislation, The Indiana Telecom Reform Act, was signed into law in March of 2006 by Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels and continues to attract jobs and investment across the state.
Kirby Slunaker, MetroList
Kirby Slunaker was formally Chief Information Officer for Pendum, a $200m a year, private-equity backed field services company with over 2,100 employees in 42 states.
Kirby has over 30 years of experience in the information technology industry in Denver. He has led information technology organizations for small, entrepreneurial, venture-backed, start-up companies such as Plus System, ProCard, and eBags as well as for large Fortune 500 companies such as Visa USA and MDC Holdings.
While Chief Information Officer for Visa USA’s debit processing subsidiary, Kirby led an IT organization that handled over 2 billion transactions a year valued at over $45 billion. In addition, as CIO for Plus System, Inc. he was an integral part of the initial senior management team that founded the first national and international automated teller machine network and grew it into a worldwide service offering eventually doing business in 109 foreign countries.
Kirby has served on the Executive IT Panel for the Metro Denver Economic Development Center’s WIRED development project, as well as the Board of Advisors for the Information Technology and Electronic Commerce (ITEC) department for the University of Denver. Kirby holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in business and is a graduate of the Executive MBA program at the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver.
House Majority Leader Amy Stephens
Colorado House Majority Leader Representative Amy Stephens is from House District 20 – Northern El Paso County and worked hard to repeal HB 10-1192. Majority Leader Stephens has lived in Colorado for 20 years working in public policy for ten years and owning her own consulting business, Fresh Ideas Communication & Consulting. Fresh Ideas helps non-profit, faith-based and businesses build their capacity by providing innovative ideas, coaching, program development and grant writing/development.
Majority Leader Stephens’ leadership experience includes; being an appointed member of the El Paso County Election Commission (Help America Vote), being appointed by Colorado Governor Bill Owens to the Governor’s Task Force on the Welfare of Children, serving as a State Delegate for Colorado to the Republican National Convention (1996, 2004), and participating in Leadership Pikes Peak for future leaders in the Pikes Peak region. She has done interviews and opinion editorials in many of America’s major newspapers such as USA Today, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Times, Washington Post, Denver Post, The Rocky Mountain News as well as interviews on hundreds of radio stations across the nation.
Teresa Taylor, former COO Qwest
Throughout her career Teresa Taylor nurtured and built a legacy of pioneering change, vision and demonstrated leadership that earned her praise by investor media, shareholders, customers and employees. She has a reputation for building and managing cohesive teams, inspiring loyalty, managing through conflict and embracing change. Teresa Taylor is a visionary telecom industry executive who leads by example, finds opportunity for change and strives to consistently create value. Most recently, as Chief Operating Office of Qwest, she was responsible for the strategy and daily operations of the Sales, Product Marketing, Network, and IT organizations. During this time she led 30,000 employees and drove the companies execution of serving customers, the overall Network and IT deployment and represented the company with Investors and Wall Street. Ms. Taylor led the telecom giant through an acquisition, facilitating the $20 billion process and navigating the complexities of a large corporate merger. Previously, Ms. Taylor held numerous executive positions at Qwest including, Executive Vice President of Business Markets, Chief Administrative Officer, Executive Vice President of Wholesale and Executive Vice President of Products. Prior to her 23 years with Qwest she worked with several startup technology companies.
Ms. Taylor resides in Denver, Colorado and is active in the community and public affairs of Colorado. She currently serves on the Global Leadership Council for the Colorado State University – College of Business, The Colorado Technology Association and the Denver Botanic Gardens. Past positions include the Colorado State Technology Institute , appointed by Governor Owens and the Colorado State Job Cabinet, appointed by Governor Ritter. She has also served on the boards of Colorado Children’s Campaign, Colorado Succeeds and Colorado Symphony Orchestra.
Kim Brown-Wilmsen, Vice President Applications & Systems, Arcadis U.S.
Prior to joining Bill Barrett, Kim was Vice President Information Technology at IHS where she was responsible for all Internal Business Applications, Project Management, Compliance, Mergers & Acquisitions for Technology, Web Site Center of Excellence, and Business Intelligence. She is an experienced and accomplished business leader with outstanding achievements in the management and operations of information technology systems that delivered cost savings, increased profitability, on time project management and improved customer satisfaction.
Prior to IHS, Kim was Director Information Technology at Oracle (previously PeopleSoft and JD Edwards). Here Kim led the deployment of ERP solutions to internal colleagues and customer facing organizations, partnered with product development on software design for HCM commercial products, and oversaw the system integrations of acquired colleagues for Oracle and PeopleSoft. Kim was in HR management at Informix Software where she was responsible for global HR systems and compensation for technology groups. Kim holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of Missouri.
Michael White, Managing Director, SPA Practice, PricewaterhouseCoopers
Mike is a Managing Director in the Denver Systems and Process Assurance (SPA) practice. He has over 20 years experience in performing and managing information technology attestation and advisory engagements. Mike has managed numerous internal control, business process, application reviews, and general control reviews and assessments for a variety of clients in the Retail and Consumer, Telecommunications, Financial Services, and Mining sectors. Mike graduated from the University of Denver with a Bachelors and Masters degree in Accounting. Mike is a member of the AICPA and the Colorado Society of CPAs. Mike is also a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA).
Brent Wyman, CenturyLink
Bio coming soon
Andrea Young, CIO and VP of Development, BI Incorporated
Ms. Young has more than 20 years of experience in information technology systems. Presently, Ms. Young is the Chief Information Officer and Vice President of Development at BI Incorporated, a leading provider of location monitoring technology and treatment services for community corrections agencies located in Boulder, CO. Her responsibilities include overseeing BI’s information technology systems and software development team, a key role in BI achieving its enterprise-wide strategic goals.
Prior to BI, Ms. Young was Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President of Information Technology for Janus Capital Group. She managed an annual operating budget of more than $75 million and a staff of more than 200. In addition, Ms. Young has worked for ConferTech – now Polycom, Inc., a manufacturer of audio conference bridge systems and services; McGraw-Hill, Inc., a leading institution in the financial services and education and business information markets; and Kroh Brothers Real Estate.
Ms. Young also serves as Board of Director for New Foundations for Nonviolence Center (NFNC), a Colorado-based Not-for-Profit Corporation dedicated to empowering people within the criminal justice system in Colorado to make positive life changes for the betterment of themselves, their families, and the community at large. Ms. Young is respected for her organizational and management skills. Her ability to strategically plan and organize projects at the department and enterprise levels has saved valuable resources, improving production efficiency and customer relationships. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business and information systems from the University of Phoenix in Denver, and she has completed work toward a Master of Science degree in technology management from the University of Denver.
On the personal side, Ms. Young is a third-generation native to Denver, Colorado. She enjoys spending time with family, volunteering, skiing, golfing, and travel.
Board Members Emeritus
Don McCubbrey, Professor, Daniels School of Business, University of Denver
Donald McCubbrey,Ph.D., is Clinical Professor and Chair of the Management Information Systems Department and Director of the Center for the Study of Electronic Commerce at the Daniels College of Business - University of Denver. Since joining the University of Denver faculty in September of 1984, he has concentrated his teaching in the areas of Strategic Information Systems, Electronic Commerce and Information Systems Management.
Don is a frequent speaker at both academic and business conferences and forums. He is also Co-Founder of both the Colorado Electronic Commerce Roundtable and Colorado Technology Association.
Bob Newman, Former Founder, JD Edwards
Bob Newman is the Founding Chairman of Colorado Technology Association. Bob is the owner of Greenwood Gulch Ventures. He also serves on many boards throughout the hi-tech industry including the University of Denver Business School Advisory Board and the Catalyst Management Advisory Board. Bob is also very involved in the Colorado Community donating time and money to the Colorado Symphony, Cancer League of Colorado and the Denver Center for Performing Arts.
Bob has a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Golden Gate University, an MBA from UCLA, and a Bachelor of Science degree from USC-Berkeley. Bob's success in technology included being one of the original founders of JD Edwards, which was later purchased by PeopleSoft and then Oracle.
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Andrea Young, CIO and VP of Development, BI Incorporated 
Keith Berets, Partner, Cooley, LLP
