Lookman Fazal is a senior IT executive who specializes in building high-performance teams that work together to drive and implement the vision and strategic goals of the business.

Lookman has been responsible for delivering large-scale information technology transformations. He is credited with introducing and successfully overseeing innovative programs such as cloud enablement, B2B and B2C strategies and improvement initiatives, infrastructure modernization, IT and PMO professionalization, and full-scale cybersecurity initiatives, all with a focus on increasing investments and creating fiscal solvency.

With over 25 years of executive management experience, Lookman has consistently driven change by teaming with his business partners to rapidly deploy cutting-edge technology strategies across multiple teams and departments.

Lookman’s dedication to inclusion in leadership has been widely recognized with his being awarded Inclusion Lab’s 2022 Top Inclusive Leader for prioritizing an inclusive and empowering workplace, and additionally being recognized in the 2022 Top 50 Multicultural Leaders in Technology for exemplary leadership in the field of technology.

Lookman firmly believes in technology’s ability to create a positive influence on the world and change lives for the better, and continues to build forward-thinking IT strategies with this goal in mind.

He has a Masters in Management from Stevens Institute of Technology and has 10 certifications and 5 patents.

Prior to joining NJ TRANSIT, Lookman Fazal worked with several Fortune 500 companies in various leadership roles at EmblemHealth, Avaya, Lucent, and Novartis. His last role was serving as the Executive IT Leader and the Global Head of Technology and Security for Argo Turboserve Corporation. In his role at Argo, Lookman managed a multimillion dollar budget, a global staff across 3 continents and 28 locations around the world.

Specialties: Strategic IT Planning, Enterprise Architecture, Information Security, IT Risk Management & Compliance, Application Development, Organization Design & Governance, Leadership Development, Data Center Integration/Consolidation, Portfolio Management, Process Improvement, Specialization in Strategy, endorsed by Harvard Business School

Justin Lahullier joined Delta Dental of New Jersey in early 2000, has held several key positions in areas including Compliance, Product Development, Strategic Planning, and Informatics.  He was previously Assistant Vice President of Strategic Decision Support and Data Services where his focus was on driving value using analytics, data visualization, and storytelling.  He was promoted to Chief Information Officer and Vice President of Information Services in April of 2017.

Justin’s current focus is on driving value from all areas of IT to the business and external partners with a focus on optimizing IT delivery and support. Key successes include partnering with the business to deliver outcomes aligned with corporate strategy while providing leadership and governance to critical strategic and technical initiatives. Current initiatives include Hi-Trust compliance, improving customer experience and leveraging data and analytics with a focus on driving efficiencies, reducing risk and enabling the business.  Justin also has launched the company’s first IT focused 18-month professional development program dubbed “CIO University.”

The mission of Delta Dental of NJ/CT’s IT department is to delivers value by providing innovative, cost-effective technology, security and analytic services that are strategically aligned with business goals and objectives, while delivering excellence in customer service. The IT Motto at Delta Dental of NJ/CT is “Be The Business”

Outside Delta Justin is a 23-year veteran and past Chief of the East Rutherford Fire Department.  A former Chief of the East Rutherford Fire Department, Lahullier also serves as a appointee by the Bergen County Freeholders to a seat on the Public Safety and Communications Advisory Board.

Lahullier holds a master’s in Health Care Administration from Monmouth University and a Post Graduate Certificate from Drexel University in Epidemiology and Biostatistics.

Raymond Lipps has more than 20 years of global IT leadership experience with respect to the developing of people and managing risk in the fields of information technology, information security, data privacy, business resiliency, business continuity, change management, technical training, project management, risk-related metrics programs, vendor management, corporate outsourcing and compliance. He is senior director of global IT security at Celgene Corporation.

Lipps served as a leader in the information security for several international firms such as Celgene Pharmaceuticals, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Roche Pharmaceuticals, Prudential and the State of New Jersey. He has in-depth experience in international risk and has used his business-related experience in challenging environments throughout the pharmaceutical, financial and public sector. He also has experience working globally in Asia, Europe and Latin America.

Additionally, Lipps was selected by ExecRank as a Top Security Executive in 2012, named “Chief Information Security Officer of the Year — 2016” by New Jersey Technology Council and is a member of the Board of Trustees of Geneva College.

Over 25 years of progressive experience managing functions, projects, departments and budgets ? Visionary Senior IT Director using technology to enable the business to do what they do even better. ? Extensive experience in major projects, including data center consolidations, storage and infrastructure upgrades, software refresh, major systems application release, internalization of disaster recovery ? Directed IT technical and infrastructure areas, including service desk, network operations center, data center operations, facilities management, voice/PBX, change and problem management, data and mobile communications ? Management of outsourced services providers ? Strategic vendors relationship management for all areas of information technology including hardware, software, telecommunications and services ? Effectively managed the change and problem management areas, created and updated policies and procedures, oversaw various regulatory and industry audits and assessments ? Performs management with sense of urgency, dependability, and integrity, making the correct decision at a critical juncture in a crisis or critical situation in a timely manner ? Strong communication and interpersonal skills with an outgoing personality, team building and leadership skills that lend themselves to significant interaction within the organizational hierarchy ? Successfully completed Advanced Negotiation Training and Skills, resulting in high levels of vendor service and responsiveness and cost savings ? Build, enhance, and motivate a high performing IT and infrastructure team

Specialties: Infrastructure Management & Strategic Planning, Financial Management and Budgeting, Process Improvement, 7×24 Data Center Operations, Voice, Data, and Mobile Communications, Vendor Relationship Management, Business Continuity, Strategic Sourcing and Procurement, Facilities Services, Service Desk, Help Desk, Project Management, VMware, HP NonStop, PBX systems, , Nimble Storage, Cisco 

John Repko is Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer of AIG. He leads AIG’s global technology and sourcing functions, overseeing core shared infrastructure, applications, technology partnerships, procurement and vendor management. He also works closely with AIG’s leaders in support of technology-enabled cross-business collaboration, process improvement and strategic sourcing to meet the changing needs of clients.

Prior to joining AIG, Mr. Repko was Global Chief Information Officer of Johnson Controls (JCI) since 2016, taking up this position with the merger of JCI and Tyco. He previously served as Senior Vice President, Chief Information Officer and Enterprise Transformation Leader at Tyco from 2012. Mr. Repko also held chief information officer roles at Covance Inc., SES Global and General Electric’s GE Americom division. He began his career as Senior Accountant, CPA, with Ernst & Young.

Mr. Repko currently serves as a member of the Insight Venture Partners CIO Advisory Board and the Lightspeed Venture Partners CIO Innovation Advisory Network. He also is a CIO Mentor for the New Jersey Society for Information Management and the Columbia University Graduate IT Management Program.

Mr. Repko holds an M.B.A. in Systems from Drexel University and a B.S. in Accounting from Villanova University.

Rizwan joined Cartus in the summer of 2018 taking on the role of Senior Vice President of IT with enthusiasm and a keen eye on the future of technology at Cartus. Rizwan was CEO Katrina Helmkamp’s first senior executive hire after she took the reins of Cartus in late spring of 2018.

Before coming to Cartus Rizwan worked as a senior IT Executive for 20+ years with broad and diverse experiences in business focused IT leadership, with 8+ years in Financial Services. Rizwan brings deep technology and business domain expertise in Retail, Business Banking, Commercial Banking, and Digital Banking functions to Cartus.

With extensive leadership experience in creating and supporting business strategies that enable growth and transformation and a solid track record in leading the delivery of large-scale, mission critical complex enterprise initiatives, Rizwan will lead the technology department at Cartus into a new phase.

An accomplished wildlife and nature photographer who also happens to speak 8 languages Rizwan is a most passionate about the track days he spends driving very fast cars. You can find him behind the wheel of some of the world’s most awe inspiring super cars. He has a goal to lap a Bugatti so if anyone has a spare Veyron he could borrow and take to Imola for the weekend he can be reached at extension 8885.

With over 15 years of experience in establishing and maintaining global security strategies, architectures, standards, and compliance, Roota is a recognized industry thought leader. Prior to Amazon, Roota has served as a CISO for Covanta and then for Delta Dental of NJ and CT and held security leadership positions at Merck and Pfizer. She serves on the Board of Advisors at several organizations, sits as a governing body chair, is an SC Magazine awards judge and also moonlights as a Faculty.

Shawn Banerji is the Managing Partner for the Technology, Digital and Data Leaders Practice at Caldwell Partners.  As a trusted advisor to organizations seeking to transform their businesses by unlocking the latent value of their legacy product portfolios, Shawn advises clients on the convergence of talent and innovation across all facets of the evolving digital enterprise. He specializes in the recruitment and assessment of these catalyst leaders who are resetting the value propositions of their organizations and industries through the power of data & analytics, accelerated software engineering, and Cloud. He is a loud advocate for increasing technology representation and diversity on corporate boards. He is also an ex-officio board member of SIM New York and serves on the board of advisors for The Center for Technology Management at Columbia University.  Shawn is co-located in TCP’s New York and  Stamford offices.

Akash is accomplished, award winning executive with 15+ years of global experience shepherding organizations into the modern digital era with the goal to drive margin expansion and growth, create an atmosphere for organizational efficiency, and  provide deep and valuable customer insights to improve customer experience and the customer journey. He’s is passionate about digital transformation, data hygiene, and data-driven decision making.

As Global E-Commerce Leader of SUEZ Water Technologies & Solutions, Akash leads strategic and tactical execution to scale E-Commerce globally.

Prior to this role, Akash was IT Director at GE Water, where he led InSight, an award winning IoT-based Asset Performance Monitoring (APM) and Remote Diagnostics platform, which helps customers to optimize asset utilization and reduce energy consumption.  

Akash holds undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering from India, and MBA from the Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.

Christopher Callahan is the Chief Information Security Officer for Weichert Companies, a family of full-service real estate and financial services companies.   As a Corporate IT/Cyber Security specialist with substantial regulatory experience, he is dedicated to drive strategic information security controls, establish risk and compliance best practices, create visibility with the executive leadership, control Cyber Security spending, and institute Information Security roadmaps in order to meet business objectives.

With deep Cyber Security and risk management experience, Christopher serves as a trusted advisor to executive teams in designing and executing strategies to protect businesses, employees, and customers from Cyber threats in large, enterprise-wide, complex environments.

Knowledgeable about crown jewel assessment and remediation, Christopher has established sound security governance structures and implemented comprehensive IT Security Programs, including policies, guidelines, internal controls, performance monitoring and measuring, and awareness training, to ensure optimal vulnerability management, protection of assets, and compliance with government regulations and industry standards.

With a commitment to value creation and as a leader in Quality Assurance, operational efficiencies, and organizational readiness, he is an expert in streamlining and reengineering business processes that are audit-proofed and low risk.

His previous experience includes technical positions in diverse sectors – management systems & services, software, and banking.  Christopher’s keen business and strategic planning acumen were gleaned as successful owner of a small business services firm.

In addition to his degree in Computer Technology, he holds certificates as a GIAC Information Security Professional [GISP] and Certified Information Systems Security Professional [CISSP].

He currently resides in Mount Olive, New Jersey.

William Compton is senior vice president and chief information officer, responsible for the global information technology function including enterprise applications, technology infrastructure, information security and business analytics.

Mr. Compton has more than 20 years of experience in information systems, systems implementation and business transformation. Prior to joining Integra in February 2013, he was chief information officer and vice president of global shared services at ConvaTec. Earlier, he spent 10 years with Bristol Myers-Squibb and several years consulting on information systems.

Mr. Compton received a B.S. in business administration and M.I.S. from East Carolina University and an M.B.A. from the College of William and Mary.

Richard Entrup is Managing Director and Head of Emerging Solutions, Enterprise Innovation at KPMG in the U.S. In his role, he’s focused on emerging technologies including Generative AI, Quantum computing, Spatial computing/immersive learning, Digital Assets/Blockchain, Space, Robotics, and others, helping clients explore the art of the possible and how to leverage emerging technology for business value.

Richard has significant experience leading digital transformation and innovation, digital marketing, technology operations, cybersecurity, and data/analytics/AI. Prior to joining KPMG, he led global technology operations, digital transformation, and innovation programs at many prominent global brands including Verizon, Christie’s, Disney/ABC, Time Warner, The Museum of Modern Art, Viacom, and Tiffany & Company. He has also served as a CIO, CTO, CDO, and CISO at several health care companies and an international law firm, with documented success aligning technology investments to strategic business objectives.

Richard is also a startup mentor at the Lead Sports Accelerator Program at Lake Nona, a mentor to students in the Executive Masters in Technology Management programs at Northeastern and Columbia University, and a startup and VC advisor, and sometimes investor, focused on GenAI, quantum, spatial/XR, web3/blockchain, digital art, streaming with embedded eCommerce, and quantum-resistant cryptography/PQC.

Michael is an IT Executive with a proven track record of  successfully transforming business processes by implementing highly effective technology solutions within multinational companies. Currently the head of US IT for a global contract logistics organization transforming the IT landscape in order to create a competitive advantage in the marketplace. Past positions at Consumer Packaged Goods and Life Science organizations included leading IT functions to enhance ERP capabilities as well as the creation of digital capabilities to improve and modernize go to market strategies.  Michael prides himself in being proficient at clarifying business requirements, performing analysis between goal and existing procedure/skill sets and designing solutions to increase productivity and reduce costs. He is experienced at developing and leading high performing teams and fostering strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders. Michael holds a Master of Business Administration degree in Information Systems from Pace University and a Bachelor of Science from Syracuse University.

A transformational leader with a successful track record of outstanding results through the application of Information Technology, Innovation, Design Thinking, Agile, Lean Six Sigma, Program & Change Management.    A trusted partner known for asking the right questions, fact-based decision making, innovative problem solving, stakeholder empathy, who creates highly effective, highly collaborative teams.   

Seasoned and self-aware global technology and people leader with a passion for driving business transformation, innovation and impact at pace to achieve incremental successes throughout the transformation journey.  Equally passionate about driving transformation through a high performing, diverse and inclusive team.  Leadership experience spanning the Information Technology function within multiple industries and geographies; covering areas such as pandemic (COVID-19) crisis management and resilience, value generation, data management, process improvement, cyber security, emerging market strategy development, team development/motivation and senior leadership relationship management. Continuously learning and building a network of impactful and results oriented leaders.

As Global CIO of Conair Corporation, Jon Harding holds worldwide responsibility for the company’s IT in support of both day-to-day operations, and future business growth. Harding joined Conair Corporation at the start of 2004 in the new position of Global CIO. A graduate of the University of Sheffield in England, he has 20 years of IT management experience in the consumer products industry. The Conair IT team led by Harding has completed the global rollout of a centralized ERP system that provides one central source of management information to support business growth. Along the way several acquired companies have been integrated into this central IT infrastructure in a 3 to 6 month timeframe. The IT team is customer service focused with the flexibility to meet dynamic business priorities.

Jean Hill is a Managing Director with Alvarez & Marsal’s Corporate Performance Improvement in New York, and is also the National Solution Leader for CPI’s Digital and Technology Services practice. She specializes in leading initiatives that re-imagine enterprise strategy and leverage technology to drive transformative change and results. With more than 25 years of experience, Ms. Hill has provided leadership for complex engagements, delivering actionable plans to ignite change, address leadership gaps and drive value. She has worked across multiple business contexts including mergers and acquisitions (M&A), enterprise transformations and periods of rapid growth.

Currently at A&M, Ms. Hill is working with a $30 billion financial services company to establish new capabilities in an effective and compliant manner, including a multi-business line transformation to improve overall regulatory compliance. She also recently developed and implemented a strategy for a major healthcare provider that entailed a new sourcing model, revamping their technology offerings and restructuring their technology organization that led to $400 million in savings.

Prior to joining A&M, Ms. Hill was the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of First New York Securities, where she built a technology platform that allowed the business to transform from a prop shop into an asset management company. She held a number of senior roles at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Merrill Lynch and DLJ. As a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley, she led both its global wealth and institutional technology services organizations. She created and implemented managed-services models with strategic partners in the service desk and desktop support, among others. These initiatives led to steady service improvements and savings of more than $100 million.

Ms. Hill earned a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and a J.D. from Fordham University. She is admitted to the New York Bar. She is an active Cornell alum and serves on the Cornell Council, the President’s Council of Cornell Women and the Advisory Board for the Cornell undergraduate business program. Ms. Hill also sits on the Board of Directors for Per Scholas, a workforce development non-profit. She is a passionate advocate for diversity in the workplace and frequently speaks and leads panel discussions at diversity forums and events.

Gerard Insall is the Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer for Avis Budget Group, Inc. In this role, Gerard is responsible for the management of all facets of Information Technology for Avis Rent-A-Car, Budget Rent-A-Car and Budget Truck including Enterprise Applications, IT Operations, Networks, Architecture and IT Strategy. Prior to this position, he served as the Vice President of IT Operations for Avis Budget Group, Inc. where he led the IT Operations separation effort for the former Cendant Corporation as Cendant split into four companies.

Gerard has held various management positions over the last 20 years working with Cendant Corporation, Avis Rent A Car, WizCom International LTD, and Resorts Condominium International. His positions have been in the areas of application development, business systems management, project management, relationship management, and IT Operations. Among Gerard’s accomplishments at Avis Budget Group, Gerard has led several strategic negotiations for the company and is highly regarded for his negotiating abilities. Gerard also led the strategic initiative for the Business Process Outsourcing of several areas within the company’s finance and accounting function. Gerard has a strong record of building talent, motivation, and teamwork among his staff and organizations.

Gerard has a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from Saint John’s University in New York. 

Risé Jacobs is the Senior Vice President, Technology at Astoria Bank and is responsible for collaborating with the business leaders to design and deliver IT services to the Bank.   She has been with Astoria since 2001, and has been in Information Technology for over 25 years.   Ms. Jacobs and her team have been awarded the Best Practices award by the Technology Managers Forum and she recently received the Diamond Award from LISTnet for her achievements and leadership in technology.  Ms. Jacobs also received an Individual Performance Award from the Association for Information Technology Professionals (AITP) for contributions to the organization and the technology profession.  She is on the membership committee of the Wall Street Technology Association and the Board of the LI/NYC chapter of the AITP.   She has presented to organizations including the AITP, Technology Managers Forum and InfraGard.  Ms. Jacobs has an MBA from Baruch College and holds several certifications, including Certified in Governance of Enterprise IT (CGEIT), Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC), Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP) and the CISSP.

David has been working on delivering security in the financial services space for over 20 years.  He was the first hire for IntraLinks, one of the first SaaS companies focused on the financial services and helped build them into a leader in their market.  He has built successful teams delivering best in class service as the CTO for Pequot Capital and the CIO for MacAndrews and Forbes.  As a Cybersecurity Solutions Architect with Presidio, he is part of a team that looks for ways help companies operate securely in a multi cloud world, leveraging experience and analytics while focused on service delivery, compliance, and governance.   

Sudhanshu currently serves as the VP of Cybersecurity Governance, Risk, and Compliance and is responsible for security policy management, third party risk assurance, security education and awareness, and IT security compliance.  He has a strong background in security, compliance and internal audit.  Prior to joining Comcast, Sudhanshu worked for Wyndham Worldwide where he held similar leadership roles.  He has also worked for several other companies including IBM, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Deloitte.  Sudhanshu obtained his undergraduate and MBA degrees from Bucknell University and Northeastern University.

I am a futurist, visionary, technology strategist and a digital transformation evangelist with proven ability to define transformative business-focused IT strategies to maximize today’s opportunities while preparing for the future. I successfully defined and executed technology vision and strategy to evolve enterprises as technology organizations, managed global digital transformation programs, developed cost take out strategies and worked on emerging technologies like AI/ML, Blockchain, Robotic Process Automation. I am a recognized thought leader known for innovating fast and reliable solutions

I am a strategic and versatile executive with extensive international and domestic leadership success at both multinationals and start-ups. I believe strongly in integrating core values into business vision, connecting strategy to execution, and inspiring colleagues and teams to achieve their best.

My colleagues view me as a transparent leader with uncompromising integrity and high expectations of performance, as a coach who seeks to challenge and develop staff, and as a mentor who wants to help guide and counsel top performers. Most importantly, I am valued for inspiring colleagues to achieve their best in a collaborative, team-based environment. I am known as a calming force who drives organizational and process change initiatives while maintaining high standards for performance.

My core competencies include P&L Management; Enterprise IT Strategy, IT Development, Technology Implementation, Transformation, Aligning Business & Technology, Risk Management, Strategic Planning & Analysis, Performance Turnarounds, Team Development & Leadership, Client Relationship Management, Cross-Functional Leadership, Emerging Technologies, Product Lifecycle Management, Enterprise Architectures, Public/private/hybrid cloud strategy & execution, organizational design and effectiveness.

New Jersey Transit has hired Bilal Khan as the agency\’s Chief Technology Officer for Infrastructure and Operation (CTO – I&O).

Khan brings more than 17 years of Information Technology experience to NJ Transit. He most recently served as the technology executive of SHI International, where he worked with Fortune 500 companies advising in the areas of Digital Workspace, Cloud Computing and Cyber Security. NJ Transit notes that during his tenure, he helped define computing strategies for some of the world’s largest hotel chains, banks and hospitals along with several state and federal agencies. 

Khan has also worked as a Head of Unified Communication at Argo Turboserve Corporation where he managed network systems based in 28 countries, lead the initiative such as secure communication, protecting customer data and migration of Datacenter in the cloud. 

Khan has a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and holds certifications from Amazon, Microsoft and Cisco Systems.

Senior IT Executive with a proven track record of delivering strategic and transformational initiatives. Deep experience in strategic planning, building cross functional teams, and organizational change management planning. Adept at leveraging leadership, communication skills, and technology experience to partner with executive leaders, program sponsors, key stakeholders, and project teams to deliver on strategic organizational goals.

Andrew Laudato started his career as a computer programmer and quickly realized he was as passionate about business as he is about technology. The intersection of business and technology is where innovation happens and where people and companies succeed.

After spending more than 20 years as a CIO/CTO, Laudato currently serves as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of The Vitamin Shoppe. In this role, he leads operations across digital commerce, information technology, enterprise portfolio management, supply chain, strategic sourcing, and commercialization.

Laudato is a member of the CNBC technology executive council, the New York City CIO executive council, and a founding member of the George Mason University\’s Center for Retail Transformation. In addition, he serves on the board of Lideranca, a private company focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Mr. Laudato shares decades of experience, wisdom, and lessons learned in his recently published book, Fostering Innovation: How to Build an Amazing IT Team, available at local bookstores, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, and on andrewlaudato.com. 

Michael Lederman is Vice President of Information Technology at The Leading Hotels of the World, one of the largest luxury hotel collections in the world comprised of more than 400 hotels in 80 countries.  He is a business technology strategist with a track record of transforming IT operations and driving innovation. His career spans a broad range of industries including higher education, financial services, non-profit and commercial real estate.  Michael earned his BS in Computer Science from Rutgers University and his MBA from Columbia Business School. 

Current role and objective of ELT member at Wiley Aref Matin is Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at John Wiley & Sons, Inc., a global leader in scholarly research and education. He’s led the company’s evolution as a world-class, fully integrated technology organization serving the research and education sectors. Aref is a technology innovator adept at building world-class technology teams, developing products, and modernizing and globalizing technologies and platforms. 

Previous role(s) and achievements Aref has held executive leadership roles in several industries including professional training, publishing, and communications. Prior to joining Wiley, Aref was EVP and CTO at Ascend Learning, an industry-leading provider of career training content. There, he consolidated technologies and organizations and developed a highly successful standardized training platform. Previously, at Pearson Global Education Services, Aref defined the company’s technology and product strategy and led a highly complex global technology and product transformation in partnership with the business.

Education and (optional) any extracurricular activities (board appointments/advocacy groups) Aref earned his Master of Science and Bachelor of Science in Electronic Engineering from Northrop University in California and certification from the Executive Business Leadership Programs at Harvard Business School and Yale University.

Areas of expertise: 

• Technology-led digital transformation
• Harnessing technologies such as machine learning and artificial intelligence
• Utilizing big data to reinvent business
• Creating products for adaptive smart content

John McCaffrey founded Cirrostratus Technologies in 2010, providing broad technology consulting services to municipal governments and educational institutions.  He is a noted speaker on the spectrum of topics in the IT arena, engaged by public sector entities as well as firms seeking to provide services and products to the sector.  He brings over 35 years of breadth and depth of tech knowledge in  assessment , planning, financing, procurement and project management to all clients.  He has been widely recognized for his expertise in the public sector information technology and finance, most recently being  named as a lead government innovator as one of Government Technology Magazine’s Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers.  Mr. McCaffrey was also recently recognized in for Excellence in Cybersecurity in Government at the Smart Cyber Government Symposium. 

Mr. McCaffrey  joined the Department of Information Technology (DoIT) in Westchester County, New York in 2011 as Deputy CIO and in 2012, he was appointed as CIO.  He served as the county’s Records Management Officer and exofficio board member of the Westchester County Historical Society.  As CIO, he was the lead administrator on business process revolution as well as enterprise digital transformation.  Focus areas included governance, budgeting/cost control, tech development and security among, others.  Some of the major projects that McCaffrey initiated included comprehensive security implementations and controls, broad compliance management, consolidation, shared services, 9-1-1 public safety agency coordination and public safety radio systems enhancement.   

Mr. McCaffrey has brought distinction to Westchester as a Top 10 Digital County each year from 2013-2017, most recently in the number one slot.  CIO Magazine recognized Westchester DoIT in 2016 as a CIO 100 award winner. 

From 2005—2012, Mr. McCaffrey was CIO for Orange County, New York.  He was recognized for revitalization of IT, improved service, and cost reductions through staff training and technology programs.  Mr. McCaffrey was also responsible for the creation of Orange County’s security policies and business continuity infrastructure and plan.  He was on Team Orange employee management training committee and Orange County’s business retention committee and served as advisor to the Orange County Business Accelerator. 

From 1999—2005, Mr. McCaffrey was the first director of MIS for the Village of Skokie, Illinois, hired to create and manage the new MIS department.  Prior to that, he served seven years as Deputy Commissioner of Finance in North Hempstead, New York, culminating an 18-year career there in prior positions of system development and technical management. 

Mr. McCaffrey possesses a Masters of Business Administration degree with a focus on IT as well as a degree as Masters in Network and Communication Management.  He also earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Finance and has 3 Masters Certifications in Electronic Commerce, Information Systems Security, and Wireless Networking.  He serves as an advisory board member to a number of IT firms and organizations and is also on the governing body or advisory boards for various CIO and CISO summits. 

Doug McCrea currently serves as the Chief Information Officer for Rider University.  Previously, he was a Senior Director of IT for Rutgers University-New Brunswick and has held other leadership roles across his 20+ years with the organization.  Doug also owns and operates an IT consulting and information security firm which provides comprehensive technology services to small and mid-sized businesses.  He has deep knowledge and expertise in IT leadership, operations, cybersecurity, innovation and transformation across multiple industries.

Accomplished and experienced global business and technology leader with a P&L mindset. World-class IT leadership and strategy consulting experience in companies ranging from startups to Fortune 50. Proven ability to anticipate market and customer needs and define new directions to drive growth through innovation. Builds strong internal and external relationships and leads cross-functional teams to consistently exceed goals. Proven track record of defining and implementing technology vision, strategy, and architecture to align with business and customer needs.

Key competencies:
– Vision and strategy development
– Customer experience evaluation, transformation, and delivery
– Digital marketing, CRM, and e-commerce (multi-channel marketing)
– Business process and organization (re-) design
– Strategic sourcing and partnerships
– Mergers and acquisition integration
– Talent development
– Cloud computing

Rajeev Nair, the CIO, of J Knipper & Co, and KnippeRx, plays two key roles. In addition to the traditional CIO role that is responsible for Knipper’s overall technology strategy, he also fulfills the CTO role, of being responsible for direct IT revenue that amounts to 20% of the enterprise revenue. He has P&L responsibility for service offerings that generate immediate revenue, and a product portfolio that generates future revenue, while ensuring Knipper’s technology supremacy is unparalleled in the market.

Rajeev has more than 25 years of technology leadership experience in a variety of organizations, but most notably in the Life Sciences and Pharmaceutical industries. Prior to leading Knipper’s IT, Rajeev was the Global CIO of Jubilant Pharmaceuticals, a global pharmaceutical company with operations in US, Canada, Europe & Asia.

Al Omari has been the Chief Information Officer and Vice President of DCH Auto Group, an automotive retail company with $2.5 billion in revenue, Mr. Omari led a number of key initiatives, including the digital transformation of customer experience using mobile devices, and innovative business analytics and dashboards. He reported to the President and served as member of its Dealership Operations Board. Prior to that, Al served as Director of Technology and ERP Consulting at Dixon Hughes Goodman, where he founded a startup providing clients with visualizations and dashboards, which reached $1 million in revenue within 12 months.

Al is an active member of the board and the treasurer of the New Jersey chapter of the Society for Information Management (NJSIM.org) and servers on the board of the NJ SIM charity foundation, and a guest speaker at CIO events.

Al has over 20 years of experience in delivering business solutions to large organizations. His experience covers areas such as customer and operational data analytics, warehousing, visualizations and dashboards, acquisitions, ERP and CRM systems, cloud computing, and a wide array of innovative mobile technology solutions. After earning his MBA from University of North Texas, Al started his career with KPMG as consulting manager.

Tamir Peres was named Vice President and CIO of Sunoco Logistics in 2012. He leads the Sunoco Logistics Information Technology group with a mission to foster business growth and to deliver world-class, real-time information and strategic innovations. Tamir developed a multi-year technology road map focused on rationalizing applications, optimizing infrastructure, and innovating technology to drive successful organic growth, mergers, and acquisitions. Tamir led the company through a digital transformation, introducing competencies and capabilities and developing a business-centric approach, enabling EBITDA growth from $573 million to $1.23 billion in five years.
A key component was implementing SAP, mobility and analytics along with supporting the organization in building and adopting best-in-class business processes.

Prior to joining Sunoco Logistics, Tamir served as Director of Corporate Information Technology at Sunoco, Inc., where he was responsible for all strategic and tactical aspects of technology across the Refining and Supply, Retail Marketing, Chemicals, Logistics, and Coke business units. Through a broad portfolio of applications, Tamir managed the delivery of services and innovations to 18,000 internal customers and to millions of Sunoco consumers at convenience stores and gas stations in 26 states.

Tamir holds an MBA in Management Information Systems from Temple University, where he graduated with Honors and received the MIS Academic Excellence Award. He completed Wharton’s Executive Education program and is a CPA.

Mark Sander has over 25 years of industry experience in the Pharmaceutical and Consumer Products industries.  With a proven record of leading business transformation through the use of technology, he is a CIO, board member and digital strategist who builds bridges between IT and the business, transforms IT organizations to align with business operations and uses digital transformation to drive top and bottom line growth.

He has held senior leadership roles at several major pharmaceutical companies (Pfizer, Merck/Schering-Plough) as well as two start-ups, most recently leading Information Technology for Global Quality Operations at Teva Pharmaceuticals, servicing 35,000 users across 130 locations globally. Prior to joining Teva, Mark served as the VP and Global CIO for Church & Dwight, the $3.5B Consumer Products company. 

Mark earned his B.S. double major in Applied Mathematics (Operations Research and Management Science) and Industrial Management (Tepper) from Carnegie Mellon University.  Additionally, he earned an M.B.A. (International Business and Finance) from the Stern School of Business at New York University.

An active member of the New Jersey chapter of the Society for Information Management (SIM), Mark has previously served multiple terms on the Executive Committee (Vice President of Administration & Vice President Communications), been active in the mentoring program, and co-founded the North Jersey CIO Roundtable.  Mark has also held a seat on the Board of Advisors for TenFour, an IT Infrastructure Services company, since 2016. 

Ms. Schiereck has over 25 years of senior IT executive experience leading technology strategy, innovation, development, delivery, infrastructure, operations, and cybersecurity across Medical Device, Pharmaceutical, Aerospace/Defense, Consumer Packaged Goods and Energy/Utilities industries. She is a strategic, forward-thinking digital change agent with the ability to transform IT into a growth engine and has a proven track record of leveraging data, analytics and technology as a competitive advantage to drive top and bottom line growth.

Prior to joining Enovis, Ms. Schiereck was the Chief Information Officer at Ortho Clinical Diagnostics where she led the global IT organization and built the future global footprint to enable seamless digital customer and employee experiences through new digital ecosystems of products, services, and solutions. Prior to Ortho, Ms. Schiereck was the CIO at Brighton Cromwell, a leader in the defense industry in engineering and delivering parts for U.S. Weapon Systems. She led the company’s digital transformation agenda and positioned Brighton Cromwell as a true, data-driven company driving revenue and profit growth. Prior to Brighton Cromwell, Ms. Schiereck served as the SVP IT, CIO for the Commercial Division at inVentiv Health where she modernized legacy applications and infrastructure with cloud-based solutions, delivering new and streamlined sales and customer facing capabilities while decreasing business risk. Prior to inVentiv, she was deputy CIO at Warner Chilcott, a $4B global specialty pharmaceutical company. In earlier roles, Ms. Schiereck was Vice President, Enterprise Applications at Covance, Managing Director of Enabling Technologies at PSEG, and held Divisional CIO roles at Novartis and Pfizer/Pharmacia.

Ms. Schiereck holds a Master of Business Administration from Lehigh University and a Bachelor of Science from New York University, Stern School of Business. She is a member of Chief, Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA), Society of Information Systems (SIM), HMG’s International CIO Advisory Board, Evanta’s CIO Governing Body, SIM Women’s Council, and startup Advisory Boards.

Stephen Spagnuolo is a Director in the Baltimore office and leads cyber, digital security, risk focus areas, and client engagements. He has earned a recognized track record of delivering leadership talent and corporate development solutions with a principal focus on cyber security and operational risk across technology, financial services, and other industry sectors, ranging from early stage/startup to emerging growth to mid and large global corporates, banks and consultancies. In so doing, he leverages his deep and extensive network, particularly across the U.S. National Security and Wall Street communities.

Prior to Stanton Chase, Stephen launched and led the Digital Security Practice for several boutique executive search firms. Earlier he was with Russell Reynolds Associates in New York, as a member of the Global Banking & Markets Practice and then Co-Founder/Head of the Americas for Sheffield Haworth, a London-based global financial services recruitment firm, where in just a few years’ time, the platform and team he established and built earned ‘firm of choice’ recognition amongst their US based Tier 1 bank and corporate clients.

He currently serves as a cybersecurity expert and the on-call cyber security headhunter with RANE (Risk Assistance Network + Exchange), and he is frequently engaged as a moderator and guest panelist on cyber security talent leadership, recruitment, and development for various executive leadership summits and forums, including Security Innovation Network (SINET) and HMG Strategy CIO & CISO Summits, the latter of which he co-established and built as an adjunct to HMG CIO.

A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Stephen served with distinction as a US Marine Corps infantry officer, having deployed to multiple overseas contingencies.

Mr. Spokane has more than 20 years professional experience as a senior IT Manager. In his current role, he has leveraged his infrastructure experse to transform the organization’s data center to utilize virtualization and cloud computing. Mr. Spokane started his career as a developer and worked with various Microsoft-based development and database platforms in a variety of business sengs with an emphasis on healthcare technology. He has extensive experience in database design and architecture in CRM, direct marketing and home-grown ERP Systems. Aer holding several VP positions in IT, he gained extensive experience in infrastructure and operations. He considers himself a “hands-on” executive and has always maintained close es back to his roots in development and infrastructure. Mr. Spokane currently serves as Executive Vice President of the Society for Information Management\’s New Jersey Chapter (SIM-NJ), aer serving three terms as Vice President of Programs. Mr. Spokane earned a BS in Business from Ithaca College. He lives in western New Jersey with his wife, Sandra, and two daughters, Marissa and Olivia, ages 18 and 13, respectively. In his off me, he is an avid classic car fan and enjoys running and camping with his family.