IBIT News

The IBIT Mentoring Program: Matching Students with Top Industry Executives

In 2016-2017, dozens of experienced IT executives served as sounding boards and advisors for MIS capstone projects. IBIT matched 36 industry executives to MIS student projects.

The goal of the IBIT Mentoring Program is to match experienced executives with student projects. The senior executives are usually members of the Fox IT advisory board or employees of IBIT member firms. The role of the mentor is to work with a team of students and provide ideas, feedback, and act as a sounding board for challenges and problems. The mentors also serve as judges for the final project competition, where students semester-long projects are evaluated during final presentations.

The benefit for mentors is the opportunity to engage with outstanding students; the benefit for students is the chance to leverage the experience of senior executives. The IBIT mentoring program is chaired by Bruce Fadem, Chair of the Fox IT advisory board.

In spring 2017, the winning team was “Floating Bridges”, an application that combines 3-D mapping drones, bridge-assessment algorithms and augmented reality to give experts a cost-effective way to assess a bridge’s structural needs. Team members Alexandra Iacovetti, Nicholas Rivera, Bridget Silk and Benjamin Sulaiman were mentored by Fox IT advisory board member Joe Spagnoletti.
The fall 2017 winner was My.Di, a tool for monitoring digital identity. The team, composed of Kimberly Eastlake, Mia Jardine, Noah Mercado, Ryan Pace and Nodir Zakhidov, was mentored by Sondra Barbou, the inaugural recipient of the Fox IT Award for Distinguished Alumni.

IBIT Hosts All-Star Panel on Cyber-Security and International Policy

Last month, Fox School’s Institute for Business and Information Technology (IBIT) welcomed some of the world’s foremost cyber-security experts for an engaging panel on cyber-security’s role in policies and happenings in the country and the world.

IBIT, which is known for integrating cutting-edge industry perspectives with academic research, brought in renowned international attorney Sean Kanuck, along with the Director of Microsoft’s Government Security Policy and Strategy Team, Angela McKay, and Temple Law’s Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and James E. Beasley Professor of Law, Duncan B. Hollis. The trio of panelists touched on everything from managing federal and state cyber regulations to information-sharing to the newly expanded role of IT in protecting vital infrastructures.

Overall, Hollis says, the event was designed to offer insights as to how ongoing political and legal processes in the international arena will affect cyber-security professionals in their work — “whether it’s Microsoft’s push for a new cyber-security treaty, or efforts at the United Nations to identify a set of norms for responsible nation-state behavior in cyberspace.”

Kanuck served as the first National Intelligence Officer for cyber issues from 2011 to 2016, and currently advises governments, businesses and entrepreneurs on the future of information technology. McKay, meanwhile, focuses on driving strategic change both inside Microsoft and more globally to “advance trust in the computing ecosystem.” (She also serves on the Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee, which advises the President of the United States). Hollis specializes in issues of authority in international and foreign law, and has researched international law’s role in regulating cyber threats. He is currently part of an inter-disciplinary team headed by MIT research scientists to study norms and governance in cyberspace.

“It was a privilege for IBIT to host such a distinguished panel of speakers,” says Munir Mandviwalla, IBIT’s Executive Director. “Their ‘from-the-field’ insights will enhance the professional development of Fox School cyber-security students and faculty.”

It’s true, agrees Jason Lindsley, a student in the Fox School’s IT Audit and Cyber-Security Specialized Masters Program. “I really enjoyed the discussion between the panelists and also speaking with them during the social period,” he says. “The most interesting part of the panel to me was the discussion on the Geneva Convention and how it established humanitarian protections for civilians in a war zone. The panelists emphasized that cyber warfare makes it very difficult to enforce these protections because the Internet is completely open to everyone. I thought this was fascinating, and it really emphasized the need for more current international policy.”

Tech leaders Bradshaw, Moore, and Bedi honored at Seventeenth Annual Fox IT awards

Fox IT Awards 2017 Temple University’s Fox School of Business will honor three top technology leaders at its 17^th annual Information Technology Awards.

This premier event, held April 4 at Temple’s Mitten Hall, is organized for Greater Philadelphia’s technology community by the Fox School’s nationally ranked Department of Management Information Systems (MIS) and Temple’s Institute for Business and Information Technology (IBIT). This year, Michael Bradshaw, Ned Moore, and Satbir Bedi will receive awards.

“Michael, Ned, and Satbir are innovators and industry leaders who have contributed to the ongoing digital revolution that is rapidly changing the IT landscape,” said Dr. M. Moshe Porat, Dean of the Fox School. “They join a proud and rich tradition of leadership exhibited by previous Fox IT Award recipients. The IT Award ceremony, now in its 17^th year, continues to recognize the best and brightest role models.”

Michael Bradshaw will receive the Fox IT Leader Award, given annually to a person who demonstrates leadership in the use and development of IT in business.

Bradshaw is Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer of NBCUniversal. He leads the IT organization and oversight of NBCUniversal’s global IT operations, infrastructure, applications, and strategy.

Ned Moore will receive the Fox IT Innovator Award, given annually in recognition of innovation in the application of IT to create business opportunity.

Moore, a lifelong entrepreneur is the co-founder, Chairman, and CEO of Clutch, which provides an advanced integrated customer management platform for business-to-consumer businesses.

Satbir Bedi will receive the Fox IT Award for Distinguished Alumni, given annually to a graduate of the Fox School of Business in recognition of a distinguished career in IT.

Bedi is Chief Technology Officer of Scholastic Corporation, a global children’s publishing, education, and media company. He shapes Scholastic’s technology strategy, software development, and operations.

“The 2017 IT Awards recipients are shining stars for our MIS students, who are learning to lead in the digital economy,” said Dr. Munir Mandviwalla, founding chair of the Fox School’s MIS department.

Recipients are nominated and selected by a committee comprised of senior leadership at Fox, the Fox IT Advisory Board, and previous recipients.

The Institute for Business and Information Technology integrates industry perspectives with academic research expertise to create forums for generating and exchanging best practices.

For more information on the current Fox IT Awards, visit http://ibit.temple.edu/itawards/ and see previous recipients at http://ibit.temple.edu/programs/it-awards/

Contact:
Christopher A. Vito
Temple University
215-204-4115, cvito@temple.edu

Executives Paul Amorello and Todd Sprinkle join Fox IT Advisory Board

Todd Sprinkle, CIO, QVC — **Todd Sprinkle**

Information technology executives Paul Amorello from Campbell Soup Company and Todd Sprinkle from QVC, Inc., have joined the Fox IT Advisory Board.

Amorello serves as Vice President of Global IT Services and Chief Information Officer of Campbell Soup Company. Sprinkle serves as Chief Information Officer of QVC, Inc.

The 17 industry leaders on the Advisory Board guide the Institute in its mission to generate and provide knowledge and connections to sustain excellence in information technology.

“It is a privilege to welcome Paul and Todd to the Board,” said Dr. Munir Mandviwalla, Executive Director of IBIT and Chair of the Fox School’s Management Information Systems (MIS) department. “Technology drives new business strategy and product, and their experience and leadership will support the collective vision and savvy of our IT Advisory Board.”

Amorello and Sprinkle join the 17-member Fox IT Advisory Board that features professionals and executives in the technology, finance, entertainment, healthcare, retail commerce industries, and more.

Amorello, as VP of Global IT Services and CIO, delivers technology solutions that drive sales growth, innovation, and cost savings. He has held various titles with Campbell Soup Company, which he joined in 1997. In 2004, he was selected by Consumer Goods Technology Magazine as one of the industry’s 25 most-influential leaders. Amorello earned his Bachelor of Business Administration degree in finance and his MBA in information systems from Iona College.

Sprinkle, in his role as CIO, oversees QVC’s global IT organization spanning seven nations, and at QVC’s global business services operation in Poland. He has held various leadership positions since joining QVC in 2007. Sprinkle led QVC’s mobile development, including the introduction of iOS and Android apps, and QVC’s responsive design implementation. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in microbiology from the University of Georgia.

Contact:
Christopher A. Vito
Temple University
215-204-4115, cvito@temple.edu

IBIT creates new initiative to engage smaller companies

The Institute for Business and Information Technology (IBIT) at Temple University’s Fox School of Business has launched a new initiative to engage small and innovative companies.

Arcweb Technologies and DecisivEdge, LLC, have been invited as the introductory members of IBIT’s Small Company Membership Program. The new program aims to engage smaller firms with current members of IBIT, and the students and faculty of the Fox School’s Department of Management Information Systems (MIS).

The Small Company Membership Program will create a more diverse, better-rounded membership that comprises businesses of all sizes, and across multiple industries, said Dr. Munir Mandviwalla, Executive Director of IBIT and Chair of the Fox School’s MIS department.

“IBIT is excited to welcome Arcweb Technologies and DecisivEdge, LLC, as its first members of the Small Company Membership Program,” Mandviwalla said. “Both firms will serve as invaluable resources to Fox MIS students, with senior leaders from each firm serving as mentors and guest speakers.”

Additionally, IBIT announces that Chris Cera, Chief Executive Officer of Arcweb Technologies, and Sukumar Narayanan, President of DecisivEdge, will join the Fox IT Advisory Board. Composed of IT industry leaders, the Fox IT Advisory Board guides the Fox School in its mission of strengthening its reputation and curriculum as a nationally ranked provider of integrative business and technology education and research.

Philadelphia-based Arcweb Technologies is a digital product development company focused on the finance and healthcare industries. DecisivEdge, LLC, based in Newark, Del., is a business consulting and technology services company.

Contact:
Christopher A. Vito
Temple University
215-204-4115, cvito@temple.edu