2021 Conference Speakers
Samaria Chicas (she/her) Technology Analyst - JPMorgan Chase & Co.
The Power of Allyship
Samaria Chicas joined JPMorgan Chase & Co. through the Software Engineering Program in 2017. She leads an application development team in the Corporate Sector.
Her personal passion for Diversity & Inclusion has led to her participation in various internal groups at JPMC including the local Ohio chapter of the LGBT+ Business Resource Group, of which she is currently co-chair.
Samaria earned two degrees at Ball State University in Muncie, IN graduating with her bachelor's degree in 2012 and then returning to complete the Center for Information & Communication Sciences master's program in 2017.
The CICS program allowed her to make a career pivot into technology, creating opportunities to drive diversity and inclusion goals in this space.
She is originally from Houston, TX but happy to now call Columbus, OH home. She lives with her partner Daniel and enjoys visiting aquariums and museums (during non-COVID times).
Christina Zhang Manager, Ethical and Humane Use of Technology, Salesforce
Ethical and Humane Use of Technology
Christina Zhang helped found Salesforce's Office of Ethical and Humane Use of Technology, focusing on ethics and human rights in policy and product development. She is responsible for company-wide policy creation as well as employee engagement and enablement for Ethics by Design initiatives.
Panel Moderator: Anna Stumpf, Online Program Coordinator, Lecturer, Center for Information and Communication Sciences, Ball State University
Working from Home: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Dr. Anna Stumpf joined Ball State University's Center for Information and Communication Sciences as Lecturer and Coordinator for the Online Master's Program. After a decade-long management career with Wal-Mart, she pursued a Master of Arts in Teaching and began an eight-year career as a high school business teacher. Though teaching high school was rewarding, Dr. Stumpf felt that she had more business experience to offer and earned an MBA which allowed her to transition into the collegiate classroom. Dr. Stumpf’s approach to any classroom is simple: “I pride myself on never having a student in any seat in any classroom ever wonder ‘when will I ever use this?’ It is my passion to answer that question before they think of it”. Her current passion is bridging the gap between our connected world where we are losing connectivity. Not only with one another through the advantages of networking. Today, it seems more people were also losing touch with their own value propositions and Dr. Stumpf has a passion for speaking into that.
Jeffrey S. Ton Speaker – Author - Explorer
Amplify Your Job Search
Jeff Ton is a sought-after speaker, author and thought leader, having led powerful teams and built successful Information Technology departments for over 30 years. As a speaker, author, advisor, and coach, Jeff’s mission is to change the face of IT. Saying, “Businesses today are demanding more from their technology and their technology leaders.”
In more than three decades, Jeff has served as Chief Information Officer with Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana and Lauth Property Group, as well as 14 years in various technology roles with Thomson Multimedia (RCA). Later in his career, Jeff “moved to the other side of the desk” by joining the executive team at InterVision Systems. After helping to guide several acquisition integrations, he left to devote his energies to his mission.
Speaking to audiences from 5 to 1,000, Jeff has mastered the art of simplifying complex IT issues and is always looking for opportunities to drive value in organizations now and in the future.
He serves on numerous boards and advisory councils including Forbes Technology Council, Hoosier Environmental Council board of directors Connected World Magazine Board of Advisors, and the Mud Creek Conservancy board of directors. He is also a Fellow Alumni for the Institute of Digital Transformation.
Jeff is the author of Amplify Your Value (2018) and Amplify Your Job Search (2020) and is a frequent keynote speaker on topics related to the evolving IT landscape and the changing role of the CIO. Meet Jeff and learn more at www.JeffreySTon.com.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffton/
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/JTonIndy
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JTonIndy
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/JTonIndy/
Krista Ewing, Senior Learning Systems Professional, Humana
Algorithmic Justice
Have you considered how AI systems are developed? And, who develops them? And, how much agency, we as users have in AI environments? Krista will talk about the impacts of AI biases. And provide resources to help us shift the AI ecosystem towards equitable and accountable AI.