Midwest Technology Leaders

Nominate an individual for the Corporate Commitment to Michigan Award!

Amanda — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 20:18:04 +0000

Midwest Technology Leaders is asking for nominations for the 2010 Corporate Commitment to Michigan (2CMICHIGAN) award, honoring corporate individuals who actively participate in community relations, organizations and other philanthropic activities to promote a healthy, highly-functioning Michigan. Nominations must be received no later than April 30, 2010. To nominate an individual for the Corporate Commitment to Michigan Award (2CMICHIGAN), please email: 2cmichigan@midwesttechnologyleaders.com.

Categories include:

Innovation: Those contributing imaginative, cutting-edge solutions and strategies that will help transform and empower our community
Excellence: Persons contributing at the highest level of performance to create a positive impression on the State of Michigan
Action: Individuals who display extraordinary effort to make an impact in the community

The 2009 2CMICHIGAN recipients include: Robert Ficano, Wayne County Executive; Stephen Pickett, Vice Chairman, Oakland Family Services; and Ed Copley, Founder, Kid-Safe Network.

The award will be presented during the Premier Awards and Networking Reception, at the conclusion of the Midwest Technology Leaders 2010 Symposium at the MGM Grand Detroit on May 26, 2010. To learn more about the Corporate Commitment to Michigan Award and view a complete list of past winners, click here.

It’s Not Too Late to Nominate Deserving Business Partnerships for the Midwest Collaboration Award!

Amanda — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 20:06:56 +0000

Midwest Technology Leaders is currently seeking nominations for the 2010 Midwest Collaboration Award (MCA). Started in 2005, the MCA looks to identify, create, support and honor impacting partnerships between Midwest companies and local individuals or groups benefiting the technology community. As the regional economy has become increasingly more reliant upon technology, local communities, organizations and businesses have also come to have a vested interest in the role technology plays within their world. This award recognizes partnerships that have made a recognizable impact on the growth of the technology community. Nominations must be received no later than April 30, 2010 and can be submitted online at www.midwesttechnologyleaders.com/mtl-awards.

Last years’ recipient of the MCA was Detroit Regional Chamber, West Michigan Strategic Alliance Presidents Council, State Universities of Michigan, Digerati, Media Genesis and Issue Media Group partnership. This collaboration was honored for its role in a national initiative to improve workforce conditions in Michigan. Nominations were submitted by the Michigan Business Community and voted on through Midwest Technology Leaders’ Corporate board.

The award will be presented during the Premier Awards and Networking Reception, at the conclusion of the Midwest Technology Leaders 2010 Symposium at the MGM Grand Detroit on May 26, 2010. To learn more about the Midwest Collaboration Award or to download an application form, click here.

2009 CIO Mentor Program Comes to a Close

Amanda — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:35:20 +0000

November 18, 2009 marked the close of the 2009 CIO Mentor Program, Elevate. A graduation ceremony was held at the Beaumont IT building in Sterling Heights, Michigan. Mentors, mentees, and the program’s support staff enjoyed a commencement talk by Paul Peabody, CIO of Beaumont Hospitals as well as hors’ d’oeuvres and “responsible beverages.”

The Elevate program is moving into is junior year and has been extremely successful. Overseen by Business and Executive Coach Barry Demp, of Barry Demp Coaching, the Mentoring Program pairs today’s top IT leaders with the Midwest’s best CIOs. The mentor and mentoree pairs meet one hour per month for a year, supplemented by quarterly best practices meetings (for mentors) and biannual workshops (for mentees). In an initial kickoff meeting, mentees are guided through the process of creating value for themselves throughout the program, identifying goals before the first meeting and are invited to contact their mentor. Mentors have an initial kickoff session as well, and are asked to work with their mentee to create a meeting schedule that works with both parties. Periodic meetings throughout the year give mentors and mentees the opportunity to evaluate their experience and give feedback to program facilitators.

Mentors have quarterly best practices webinars with Barry Demp, where they explore topics such as the various distinctions of mentoring, how to incorporate coaching in the experience and how to become a mentor for life. This year there were 18 participants chosen to participate in the program, nine progressive CIOs and nine aspiring IT leaders from the Michigan technology community.

2009 Mentees included:

Charles Flagg, Oakland Community College
Jeffrey Payne, MGM Grand Detroit
Joseph Richards, R.L. Polk & Co.
Justin Taylor, Continental Automotive
Kayla LeBlanc, Oakland Community College
Mark Blakeslee, John Deere Landscapes
Steven McCue, City of Birmingham
Steven Robert, billhighway.com
Vincent Williams, Awecomm Technologies

2009 Mentors included:

Joe Sawasky, CIO, Wayne State University
David Behen, CIO, Washtenaw County
Ruthanne Largent, CIO, MGM Grand Detroit
Sue McGuire, CIO, Thetford
Roger Rehm, CIO Central Michigan University
Jim House, CIO, GKN
Paul Peabody, CIO, Beaumont Health Systems
Ken Theis, CIO, State of Michigan
Michael Thibideau, CIO, Webasto Roof Systems Inc

Kayla LeBlanc, Director of Academic Technology at Oakland Community College, shared her thoughts on the mentor program. “[The program] helped me gain confidence in myself and my leadership skills. Having a mentor available to coach me through my challenges was so valuable. Not only did I set professional goals for myself, I also achieved personal goals as well. That was a surprising bonus!” Now that the 2009 program has come to a close, applications are now being accepted for the 2010 program which is scheduled to begin in January.

To read more testimonials from the CIO Mentor and mentees and learn more about the CIO Mentor Program, Elevate, visit www.midwesttechnologyleaders.com or www.automationalley.com.