Featured Speaker(s)

ANN FRANKS, TECHNOLOGY PARTNER, TATUM,LLC - MODERATOR

Ann Franks is a Partner of Tatum, LLC in the Atlanta, GA office. She is a business-oriented technology executive with 25+ years of IT and Operational experience including an international portfolio. She is a proven senior executive with strong leadership, interpersonal and communication skills, proficient in cultural adaption and thrives in challenging situations. Her IT leadership contributed directly to business improved productivity, cost effectiveness, operational enhancement and competitive advantage through customer focused leadership. She is known for strong business acumen, integrity, and forward thinking.

Ann has successfully led strategic initiatives in ERP implementations domestically and internationally, introducing and implementing new technologies, data center consolidations, implementing comprehensive security ISO standard across North & South America and successfully turning around problematic projects. Ann successfully led multi-lingual ERP standardization, conversion and implementations across Europe, Canada, Central and South America; European data center consolidation; introduced competitive advantage of product solutions; deployed wireless technology improving customer service and customer call center reductions. Ann has received national recognition as Georgia’s CIO of the Year, 2005 and nationally ranked in top 100 by Infoweek. She is an Advisory Board member of WITI’s Atlanta chapter and has served as an Advisory Board member of GCLA (Georgia CIO Leadership Association) and TAG (Technology Association of Georgia).



CINDY TIERNEY - CIO, BEAZER HOMES
Cindy Tierney’s career encompasses more than 20 years of experience in leading and energizing the key strategic and operational facets of organizations to higher levels of performance. Her executive business vision and strategy paired with Cindy’s knowledge of technology and operations all contribute to make her a unique and valuable executive for today’s organization.

Cindy is currently the CIO and SVP of Beazer Homes headquartered here in Atlanta. She is responsible for assessing the relative impact of emerging technology to strategic business needs and interprets their meaning to the organization’s senior leadership team. In her current role, she participates in overall business technology planning, bringing a current knowledge and future vision of technology and systems as related to the company’s year over year double digit growth or to a downturn industry position. She provides key strategic, people and crisis management while continuing to deliver day-to-day operation execution.

Cindy has served in a number of executive positions. At NSI, she was the CIO responsible for strategic planning, systems and technology. At Comdisco (once the largest disaster recovery company in the world), Cindy was the SVP of Global Strategic Advisory Services. As the Senior Executive Director for Business Systems and Planning at Office Depot, Cindy was instrumental in the growth of the company from 200 stores to over 500 stores. Her leadership as the Chairperson of the Mergers & Acquisitions team resulted in the successful integration of 21 companies and the growth of the successful corporate sales organization. Cindy was instrumental in creating and implementing a successful shift to and integration of the web as a strategic differentiator as well as for the Contact and Delivery Center technology for Office Depot.

Cindy has a Bachelor of Science from Georgia Southern University and is a native of Atlanta, GA. Cindy is happily married to her husband of 14 years and they have two wonderful daughters, Chase and Reese.

Highlights:

- TechLINKS Magazine’s CIO Profile, 2nd Qtr 2006
- Woman of the Year in Technology Enterprise Business Nominee, 2006
- Georgia CIO of the Year Awards Enterprise Finalist, 2006/2008
- Atlanta CIO Executive Summit Best in Practice Speaker, 2006
- Georgia Southern University College 2007 Alumni of the Year
- Georgia State Bergeron Mentor Advisor

Memberships
- Builders Homesite Inc. Board Advisory Council
- GCLA Board Member, Georgia CIO Leadership Advisory
- New Home Technologies, Board Member
- TechBridge, Board Member
- Georgia Southern University College of IT, Board Member


JOAN E. HERBIG, CEO, CONTROLSCAN
Joan Herbig has over 20 years experience in the high-tech world. She has served in many roles throughout her career and has managed her teams to consistently successful outcomes. Named CEO of ControlScan in September 2007, Joan is responsible for business operations and is focused on growing the company's revenues and expanding its position as a leading ecommerce security company in the PCI compliance market.

From January of 2005 until its acquisition by nCircle Network Security in May of 2007, Joan was CEO of Cambia Security, Inc., a leader in the configuration auditing space. Prior to Cambia, Joan was CEO of XcelleNet, Inc., an industry leader in wireless systems management, which was acquired by Sybase in May 2004. Before joining XcelleNet, Joan was with Digital Communications Associates (DCA) from 1987 to 1995, where she served as Senior Product Line Manager responsible for marketing and product management of DCA's software product lines.

Joan is also active in the Georgia technology community. She was named the 2001 Woman of the Year in Technology by the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG). She serves on the Board of Directors for the Technology Association of Georgia, and will serve as its Chairman in 2008. She earned a B.A. in French from the University of Louisville and a M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Kentucky.

AARON R. GWINNER, IT Director, Coca-Cola Company

Aaron Gwinner has 20 years experience in the technology field and has worked in over 50 countries. Since originally joining the company in 1993, Aaron has held a variety of leadership roles in Europe, Asia and North America and is recognized as a leader who drives value for the business and achieves results.

Currently, Aaron serves as the CIO for the Global Customer and Commercial organization and is responsible for all IT business development required to support our largest global customers. From 2006 to 2008, he was based in Moscow, Russia running IT operations and development for 36 counties in Eurasia. Aaron has also managed the Global Technology Planning organization and was directly responsible for leading the technology deployment required to support the first multinational deployment of SAP within the company.

Aaron earned his MBA from Georgia State University, received his Global Business Management Certificate from the European Union and is a graduate of Gartner’s CIO Academy. He is a professionally qualified university instructor through the AACSB, has served on a number of boards and his community involvement includes United Way, MS Society, Habitat for Humanity and the Atlanta Children’s Shelter. Aaron proudly served in the U.S. Army and is a Gulf War Veteran who was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for Meritorious Achievement in Operation Desert Storm.