
Minneapolis CIO Community
Executive Summit
December 11, 2024 | Sheraton Bloomington
December 11, 2024
Sheraton Bloomington
Collaborate with your peers
Get together with Minneapolis's top CIOs to tackle shared business challenges and critical priorities facing your role today. Participate in this one-day, local program with peer-driven topics and interactive discussions with your true C-level peers.
Join your peers to discuss the most critical issues impacting CIOs today:
Leading the organization through the adoption of advanced and emerging technologies
Leveraging data to accelerate business growth, innovation, and efficiency
Establishing and illustrating IT as a business value driver
Minneapolis CIO Governing Body
The Governing Body Co-Chairs shape the summit agenda, ensuring that all content is driven By CIOs, For CIOs®.
Governing Body Co-Chairs

Brett Craig
Target
CIO

Tammylynne Jonas
Donaldson
Global CIO

Carissa Rollins
Illumina
CIO

Tarek Tomes
State of Minnesota
CIO & Commissioner
What to Expect
Agenda
7:45am - 8:30am Registration & Breakfast
8:30am - 9:15am Keynote
Playing the Generative AI Long Game

Manjeet Rege
AI and Machine Learning Thought Leader, Educator & Author
University of St. Thomas
As Generative AI passes the peak in its hype cycle, CIOs are uniquely positioned to step back from the buzz and leverage the technology to generate real value for the business. From increasing productivity to understanding its limitations, it is critical to consider the potential for tangible, high-impact use cases.
Join Manjeet Rege, AI & ML Educator, Author and Thought Leader to explore:
- Eliminating the buzz to uncover the potential of AI use cases
- Finding the balance between technology innovation and business needs
- Navigating the future impact of Gen AI on the workforce and talent
9:15am - 9:40am Networking Break
9:40am - 10:25am Breakout Session
Tech Innovation — Success Stories from the State of Minnesota

Tarek Tomes
CIO & Commissioner
State of Minnesota
In today's digital world, technology has an unprecedented impact on people. The State of Minnesota has set a new benchmark in leveraging innovative and inclusive technology to benefit all its residents.
Tarek Tomes, CIO for the State of Minnesota, pulls back the curtain on:
- Harnessing inclusive technology for all users
- Leveraging partnerships to deliver high-quality services
- Exploring emerging technology to improve efficiency
9:40am - 10:25am Executive Boardroom
Keep the Party Going — Strategies to Securely Scale Your Cloud Native Success
Hosted by SUSE

Brent Schroeder
Head of Office of the CTO, CTO Americas
SUSE

Anoop Abraham
Chief Architect
CHS

Ryan Leis
CIO
IDI Distributors
Cloud native computing promises a future of agility, scalability and responsive innovation. Early adopters celebrate its virtues while signaling caution that pitfalls hidden in its complex landscape must be addressed.
Join this session to discuss practical strategies that:
- Accelerate developer adoption and operational scale
- Mitigate the security risks of new attack surfaces and rapid change
- Optimize costs and organizational efficiency
9:40am - 10:25am Executive Boardroom
The CIO Impact on Digital Workforce Culture

Melissa Flicek
CIO
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota

Mark Vaupel
VP, IT Services
Hormel Foods
Culture is often a significant barrier of digital ambitions and outcomes. As CIOs strive to foster an adaptive and agile environment, they must empower the organization’s culture to embrace the digital environment and advance the enterprise vision.
Join this session to discuss:
- Fostering an innovative culture of collaboration and agility within IT and across the enterprise
- Influencing culture change to advance digital adoption and success
- Empowering the workforce to harness technology and innovation for better business outcomes
Executive boardrooms are intimate and interactive sessions designed to foster dynamic dialogue around a specific, strategic topic. These private, closed-door discussions encourage attendee participation and are limited to 15 attendees (seating priority is given to CIOs). To reserve your seat, please contact: Zander Petersen at zander.petersen@evanta.com.
10:25am - 11:05am Networking Break
10:30am - 10:55am Peer-to-Peer Meetings
Peer-to-Peer Meetings
Connect with like-minded peers in a one-on-one setting through Evanta’s Peer-to-Peer Meetings. You will be matched with peers in your community based on your shared interests and priorities.
11:05am - 11:50am Breakout Session
A CIO and Board Imperative ― Mastering Enterprise Technology Complexity
Hosted by IBM

Khwaja Shaik
CTO
IBM
In today's digital economy, enterprise value and risk are increasingly tied to the technology landscape. With the average enterprise managing 1,000 applications across multiple clouds, technology sprawl is a board-level concern. Generative AI is projected to boost developer productivity by 40%, accelerating application proliferation and presenting governance challenges.
Join this session to learn about:
- Achieving real-time visibility across technology systems for risk oversight
- Streamlining tech ecosystems for cost optimization and operational efficiency
- Implementing systematic vulnerability management in an AI-accelerated landscape
11:05am - 11:50am Executive Boardroom
Strategic Harmony — IT & Business Alignment

TK Balaji
CIO
Post Consumer Brands

Derek Shaw
Global Vice President, CIO
H.B. Fuller Company

Chris Schueler Sullivan
CIO
Self Esteem Brands
As IT's role within the business continues to evolve, CIOs must create a clear line of sight between IT strategy and business outcomes and priorities.
Join this boardroom session to discuss:
- Aligning IT strategy with business goals and objectives
- Positioning IT as a value driver for the business
- Shaping a business-driven culture within IT
Executive boardrooms are intimate and interactive sessions designed to foster dynamic dialogue around a specific, strategic topic. These private, closed-door discussions encourage attendee participation and are limited to 15 attendees (seating priority is given to CIOs). To reserve your seat, please contact: Zander Petersen at zander.petersen@evanta.com.
11:05am - 11:50am Executive Boardroom
Is Your Data AI-Ready?

Anandh Asokan
Vice President - Data Engineering, Management and Enablement
Thrivent

Matt Heinrichs
SVP, Technology
Life Time

Rudi Mohamed
CIO
Minnesota Housing Finance Agency
To prepare the enterprise for the successful adoption of AI, CIOs must strengthen core data pillars and practices. From data literacy to governance and ethics, the groundwork must be solid to ensure smooth and profitable AI integration.
Join this peer-led boardroom to discuss:
- Identifying organizational maturity and the 'sweet spot' for AI
- Emphasizing data, platform, security, and governance as a keystone of AI innovation
- Unlocking a competitive edge with AI and collaborating with cross-functional partners for seamless AI integration
Executive boardrooms are intimate and interactive sessions designed to foster dynamic dialogue around a specific, strategic topic. These private, closed-door discussions encourage attendee participation and are limited to 15 attendees (seating priority is given to CIOs). To reserve your seat, please contact: Zander Petersen at zander.petersen@evanta.com.
11:50am - 12:35pm Lunch Service
Apply to Participate
Apply to participate in the Minneapolis CIO Community Executive Summit.
Gartner facilitates exclusive, C-level communities by personally qualifying and understanding the priorities, challenges and interests of each member.
Our selective approach maintains the high quality of the network and ensures top-level discussions with peers from the world’s leading organizations.
Each application will be reviewed, and once your participation is confirmed, you will have access to year-round community programs.
Location
Venue & Accommodation
Sheraton BloomingtonA block of rooms has been reserved at the Sheraton Bloomington at a reduced conference rate. Reservations should be made online or by calling 952-656-5922. Please mention Evanta CIO Executive Summit to ensure the appropriate room rate.
Deadline to book using the discounted room rate of $119 USD (plus tax) is November 18, 2024.
Community Program Manager
For inquiries related to this community, please reach out to your dedicated contact.