Agenda
2024 Agenda & Presenters
Join WiIT Cincy for an exciting day of presentations, mentoring, team challenges, and great prizes! A light breakfast and lunch are included, and transportation assistance is available as needed.
| Start Time | Agenda Item |
|---|---|
| 9:00 AM | Registration & Breakfast |
| 9:40 AM | Event Kickoff |
| 9:45 AM | Student & Mentor Ice Breaker |
| 9:55 AM | Welcome Message from Sheri Thomas, AVP & CIO of Xavier University |
| 10:00 AM | AI and You: Fireside Chat On How Students Navigate AI’s Opportunities & Risks Elisha Herrmann & Alex Henline (Moderated By Sabrina Donley) |
| 10:40 AM | Break |
| 10:50 AM | Tech Challenge & Lunch |
| 12:35 PM | College Student Panel |
| 1:15 PM | Student & Mentor Networking |
| 1:25 PM | Closing Announcements |
| 1:30 PM | Dismissal |
Xavier University Welcome Address
Sheri Thomas graduated from Bowling Green State University with her BS in CS in 1995 and her MBA in 2020.
She has over 25 years of experience working in Information Technology in various industries including transportation, health care and higher education.
She has held the positions of Application Developer, Project Manager, Director and is now the AVP and CIO of Xavier University.
Meet the Keynote Panel!
Elisha Herrmann, Worldwide Cross Industry Solution Manager, Amazon
Elisha’s focus is on growth strategy for companies from seed to large enterprise creating innovation opportunities. She uses decades of experience to understand how technology can be leveraged to solve problems. She was the first person to connect SAP with Irish Customs, conducted LG’s first block chain consortium POC and the first to capture data of bee patterns through IoT and satellite. She has played the role of COO and VP of Innovation Strategy which provides the unique ability to create tangible action plans to accelerate top line goal success. From the set of Shark Tank to the Amazon offices, she’s always looking for ways to improve our personal and customer experience.
Alex Henline, Lead Product Owner, Fifth Third Bank
Alex has worked in various product organizations within Fifth Third Bank for the last 5 years where she has led the transformation of Jeanie, Fifth Third’s virtual assistant. Alex is passionate about making the customer and employee experience with her products to be as seamless as possible.
Experienced AI/ML-focused Digital Product Manager with a proven track record of delivering innovative software solutions to 3 million customers. Adept at brand management for virtual personas, skilled in bridging the gap between business partners, software development and data science teams. Demonstrated leadership in agile methodologies, coupled with deep subject matter expertise.
Sabrina Donley, Practice Leader, Secure AI, CybrCastle Sabrina Donley is a passionate advocate for mid-market organization leaders, focused on helping them accelerate their organization securely through Secure AI.
As CybrCastle’s Practice Leader of Secure AI, Sabrina plays a role in:
Right-sizing AI solutions for the mid-market: Sabrina assists in crafting tailored and responsible AI solutions for mid-market clients. She facilitates rapid ROI through education, use case development, and secure AI implementations. Through listening well, Sabrina helps to pinpoint the most common use cases for Secure AI, ensuring CybrCastle’s solutions are right-sized, competitively priced, and strategically aligned. Drawing from her family business background, Sabrina guides mid-market organizations to make informed decisions aligned with their unique needs.
Balancing Benefits & Risks of AI: Sabrina is a vocal advocate for infusing discernment and wisdom into AI solutions. She explores the necessary tension of security, privacy, accountability, and transparency, as well as benefiting multiple stakeholders (owners, employees, suppliers, families, and communities), while remaining affordable and user-friendly.
Meet the College Student Panel!
Bella Meyerratken is a senior majoring in Business Analytics and Information Systems at the Williams College of Business at Xavier University. Originally from Northern Kentucky, she attended Notre Dame Academy for high school. Surrounded by business throughout her life, Bella developed a keen interest in the field and discovered her love for statistics during her senior year. She believes Business Analytics perfectly combines her passions for both business and statistics. At Xavier, Bella has taken courses that teach her various programs and software, as well as how to interpret and present data. She has also had the privilege of learning from exceptional professors, including several inspiring female educators. After graduation, Bella hopes to pursue a role in analytics, where she can continue to learn about real-world data applications, with the ultimate goal of working in sports analytics.
Sarah Ogden is a student at Northern Kentucky University, where she is double majoring in cybersecurity and data science and serves as president of the Women in Cybersecurity (WiCys) Chapter. She is passionate about the intersection of big data and information security, enjoys scripting in Python, and competes in cybersecurity competitions and CTFs. Sarah began participating in cyber CTFs in high school and is currently a member of the US Women’s Cyber Team.
Hailey Manuel is a student studying Information Systems at the Carl H. Lindner College of Business at the University of Cincinnati. She is originally from Brooklyn, NY. Hailey has been interested in technology forever and attended a STEM middle school and high school, which allowed her to explore different career paths. She got started with the Computing to Career Bridge Program from a company called TechCorps, which included 15 weeks of her senior year and a summer internship after high school. She loves the intersection of people, business, and technology, so she chose Information Systems. Hailey serves as the President of the Information Systems Club and the Development Chair of Neo Initiative, a student-run data analytics consulting organization. She has internship experience with several different companies in roles such as analytics and learning and technology adoption.
Mia Bowles is a junior at Miami University, majoring in both Computer Science and Entrepreneurship. As a Myaamia student, she has the privilege of learning about her culture and sharing the unique connection between the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma and Miami University. She has taken on leadership roles as the Director of Leadership for Pi Beta Phi and the DEI Chair for Theta Tau, a professional engineering fraternity, where she focuses on fostering inclusive environments and building strong relationships through team-building and event planning. Additionally, she served as a Campus Tour Guide, helping prospective students and families navigate the college admissions process. Mia aspires to pursue a career in product management and cybersecurity, with a focus on improving the connection between technology and its users to make tech more intuitive and accessible for everyone.