"Leadership Spotlight" includes interviews with Chapter Presidents, SIM Board members, Management Council members and other SIM leaders. "Leadership Spotlight" will not only highlight SIM’s leadership and chapters, but it will offer insight from our leaders on topics, trends and issues facing the Society, our chapters and the IT industry.
An archive of interviews will be found HERE.
September 2017
Name: Jim Kidd
SIM Role: Central Connecticut Chapter President
Leadership Spotlight: Jim Kidd, Central Connecticut President
1. Please provide an overview of the SIM Central Connecticut chapter.
- Approximately 120 members
- Formed in 1990
- Programs/events include
- 9/19 – Networking and Problem Solving working session
- 10/17 - Enabling Trust, Resiliency, and Security through Micro-Segmentation – Presented by Unisys
- 11/3 – First annual Charity Gala. Supports SIM Scholarship Fund and partners with the charity Random Hacks of Kindness Jr
- 11/15 - O&A Workshop Invitation: New Skills for High Performing IT – Presented by Dan Roberts and Hosted by Aetna
- 2018 Schedule is TBD
2. What are your goals for your term as the President of the SIM Central Connecticut chapter?
- Continue driving our mission around:
- IT leadership networking,
- Continuous learning focused on new technologies, and
- Giving back to the community through IT scholarships and development of the next generation of IT leaders
- Maintain and grow chapter membership and the increased engagement of women and leaders with diverse backgrounds in chapter events and leadership
- Broaden our key event portfolio beyond annual Spring CIO Forum and Summer Golf event. In 2017 we are introducing a Fall Gala event in November 2017
3. What are the hottest trends in the industry?
- Digital Transformation
- AI/Robotics
- Expansion of Dev/Ops and SAFe delivery tools and process
4. What challenges is your chapter currently facing?
- Membership growth and engagement considering the work demands and time limitations faced by IT leaders
- Balancing service to our members with vendor engagement driving new technologic learning and sponsorship
- Delivering events that keep pace with the speed of change across the technology spectrum recognizing our membership is comprised of leaders from organizations with varying positions in terms of business objectives and related technology currency priorities
5. What is the one piece of advice you will give the next President of the SIM Central Connecticut chapter?
- Continue the focus on our three pronged mission and keep the organization relevant through recruiting and maintaining diverse chapter members and vendor partners
An archive of interviews will be found HERE.