VMworld 2012 VMware Women of Purpose

VMWORLD 2012 VMWARE WOMEN OF PURPOSE FEATURED PANELISTS & SPEAKERS


		Shohreh Abedi, Chief Information Officer, Farmers Insurance Group Shohreh Abedi has held the position of Chief Information Officer at Farmers Insurance Group since 2010. Since joining Farmers in 2007 as Vice President of Claims IT, she has trained and retooled staff on cutting-edge IT delivery methodology and implemented an industry-leading service-oriented architecture that simplifies new business acquisition and adaptation to changing markets. Before joining Farmers, Abedi was Vice President, Financial Services Sector at Cap Gemini, responsible for the financial services portfolio in the western United States. Her IT experience includes more than 25 years in both the private and public sectors.

		Sheh Bertram, Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice Present, Zions Bancorporation Sheh Bertram’s extensive understanding of IT operations, infrastructure, and application development helps her advance Zions Bancorporation’s business through the use of technology. Bertram is responsible for making the IT organization a strategic business partner, producing significant business value in the form of financial performance, customer satisfaction and productivity. Since joining Zions Bancorporation in 1997, she has played a key role in a variety of leadership roles in IT. Bertram holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of California, Los Angeles. She lives with her husband and two daughters in Salt Lake City, Utah.

		Cindy Cortell, Director of Information Technology, Major League Baseball Network Cindy Cortell joined MLB Network in September 2008 as the Director of Information Technology. She architected the build-out of the secure IT network infrastructure that helped launch MLB Network on January 1, 2009 in 50 million homes via cable and satellite. She manages the back-office and broadcast-backbone infrastructure for MLB Network. Cortell has more than 20 years of experience in global financial services, market data, publishing, client services and accounting enterprises. She has expertise in building global datacenters with rapid deployment, and in LAN and WAN, remote access, SAN and tape storage, SQL, server virtualization, network monitoring, wireless, application and network security, and project management. Cortell and her team at MLB Network won the 2009 New Jersey Project of the Year award. Cortell received Outstanding Technical Team—Studio Sports Emmy awards in 2009 and 2011 for her work on MLB Network’s signature studio show “MLB Tonight.” In 2012, her team received the F5 Agility award and the VMware Hero award. Cortell is a member of the advisory board for the Sports Video Group (SVG) and assisted with the startup of SVG’s Women’s Sports Media Initiative.

		Karyl K. Innis, Chief Executive Officer, Author, Keynote Speaker, Executive Coach, The Innis Company Karyl Innis has spent years working with business executives to break through the “barriers” that prevent them from succeeding to the highest corporate levels. Karyl knows why successful people succeed in the business environment and, when they fail, how to help them. In many corporate circles, she has become known as the secret weapon for serious career growth. The Wall Street Journal hails her job search advice as “the best you’ve ever heard.” Karyl is a pioneer in program development for the human side of organizational downsizing and career advancement. She is nationally-known as an expert in executive career success strategies, senior level outplacement, corporate career management, leadership development, team effectiveness, communication strategies, personal branding, talent selection, management and growth. A dynamic and sought after speaker, Karyl regularly addresses business and professional organizations. She has developed programs, presentations and, ultimately, founded The Innis Company to convey these career secrets and success models to her clients. In addition to being a recognized business leader, Karyl has published numerous journal articles, newsletters and books, including, In Search of a Job, Lessons from 10,000 Executives and It Isn’t Easy: The Manager’s Guide to Employee Separations. She has served on the Board of Directors for 3 corporations, and 3 global Leadership Foundations. She holds positions on numerous International Boards, committees and foundations, and was an elected delegate to the White House Conference on Small Business. Karyl has a Bachelors and a Masters degree from Kansas State University. Karyl is a happy traveler and often mixes travel, business engagements, customers and adventure. After her presentation to the All China Women's Federation she shopped for pearls in China. While in South Africa she shared the podium with Nelson Mandela, and has gone to cooking school with customers in Marrakech. Karyl manages an active global client base.

		Marivi Stuchinsky, Assistant Vice President, Enterprise Infrastructure Services, Molina Healthcare Marivi Stuchinsky has more than 25 years of IT experience—5 within the financial sector, 19 with the entertainment industry and now managing the Enterprise Infrastructure team at Molina Healthcare. Stuchinsky graduated with a B.A. in advertising and then pursued an associate degree in computer science. She started as a mainframe system programmer, transitioned to network engineer and continued on to IT management.

		Lynne Wilson, Vice President of Cloud Solutions, Perceptive Software, a Lexmark Company Lynne Wilson oversees Perceptive Software’s software-as-a-service (SaaS) and cloud business unit. Appointed to the position of Vice President of Cloud Solutions in 2011, Wilson is responsible for further developing the company’s cloud infrastructure, accelerating growth, increasing revenues, reducing operating costs and providing customers with excellent service. She has 23 years of management and IT consulting, sales and delivery experience. She joined Perceptive in 2009 as Vice President of Information Technology. Before joining Perceptive Software, she held executive positions with four of the leading global business-management and IT consulting firms—Arthur Andersen LLP, PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting, IBM and CSC—where she worked with executives to identify the right technology solutions to sustain or to gain a leading edge within their industry. Wilson holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Central Missouri.

		JJ DiGeronimo, Global Director, Cloud Solutions, VMware, Inc. Author, The Working Woman’s GPS JJ DiGeronimo drives VMware Cloud Solutions to accelerate our customers’ journey to the cloud and beyond. DiGeronimo is a six-year VMware veteran. Before joining VMware, she immersed herself in leadership positions within emerging technologies in a variety of technical and business roles that leveraged her technical degree. DiGeronimo is also an entrepreneur. In February 2006, Entrepreneur Magazine featured her creation, TechStudents.net, as an instrumental online resource for small business. In October 2007, she received an Innovation Award from Small Business Network. After taking a position with VMware, DiGeronimo launched Tech Savvy Women (500+ members), which fostered the co-creation of Women of Purpose at VMware in 2009. In September 2011, she published The Working Woman’s GPS, When the Plan to Have It All Has Led You Astray, which corresponds to her blog PurposefulWoman.com.

		Sonal Patel, Senior National Partner Manager and Co-founder & Director, Women of Purpose, VMware, Inc. A current project for which Sonal Patel has great commitment and passion is Women of Purpose. As its Co-founder and Director, Patel wanted to create a unique forum for the elite female talent pool in the technology business to further their careers. Women of Purpose focuses on recruiting and retaining highly skilled women in the technology industry and providing educational and networking opportunities that capitalize on skill, strength, commitment and perseverance. Through the project, Patel strives to expand the talent pool, both at VMware and throughout the industry. Patel also belongs to WITI, whose mission is to empower women worldwide to achieve unimagined possibilities and transformations through technology, leadership and economic prosperity. She is an active member of Tech Savvy Women, a Northeast Ohio organization that connects technology women from different backgrounds and companies. In addition, she avidly supports and forwards the mission of the VMware Foundation. Patel is also an active member of the Hudson Montessori Family Connection and enjoys yoga, tennis and travel. She is a graduate of Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio and has an MBA from Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. She lives outside of Cleveland, Ohio with her family.