1. Class of 2014 Yearbook: The Honorees
Karen Sullivan
CIO and Chief Security Officer
EMPLOYER: Publix Employees Federal CreditUnion
LOCATION: Lakeland,Fla.
HOW ARE YOU TURNING YOUR IT DEPARTMENT INTO A SERVICES ORGANIZATION? I created an
advisory committee ofvarious knowledge workers throughoutthe organization to participate in the selection ofnew
products and services I have suggested.Ialso transferred two persons from the business side to assistthe IT
departmentin understanding the business challenges faced bythe staff. This allowed our departmentto be involved
in all facets of the business and allows us to provide the business with the services needed to perform their jobs more
effectively.
COOLEST CURRENT PROJECT: Writing a new HR application thatnot only streamlines the entire HR function
but also ties into several other business and ITapplications.
QUICK ROI PROJECT: We became a beta tester for our core processor for a new multihostfailover solution and
saved $100,000.This took less than one month.
How the 2014 Computerworld Premier 100 IT
Leaders were chosen
By Ellen Fanning, Mari Keefe
February 24, 2014 06:30 AM ET
Computerworld - Each year, Computerworld accepts nominations from across the
industry -- from vendors, IT users, public relations and marketing professionals,
Computerworld readers and past Premier 100 IT Leaders honorees. Eligible nominees
include CIOs, CTOs, senior vice presidents, vice presidents, IT directors and managers
from a cross-section of user and vendor companies and their IT divisions, including but
not limited to professionals in network management, database management, Web
management, help desk operations, application development, project management,
contract management and procurement.
2. Nominations for the 2014 list were collected from February through September 2013,
and more than 1,000 were submitted. Our editors then invited the nominees to
complete a comprehensive management/leadership questionnaire online from July
through October. The candidates were asked about a range of topics, including their
backgrounds, work experiences, special accomplishments, leadership styles,
technology priorities and strategies, and other details about the IT environments they
have fostered at their organizations. We received more than 200 complete, qualified
questionnaires.
Nominated individuals were asked to provide three references each: one from a direct
manager, one from a direct report and one from a professional acquaintance.
Computerworld's editors contacted the references for each finalist, and the references'
responses were incorporated into the evaluations of the nominees.
Using Computerworld's IT Leader Index, which measures how closely an individual
matches our definition of an IT leader, a panel of Computerworld editors and outside
judges evaluated the completed questionnaires. Judges reviewed only those nominees
who work in industries other than their own.
We define an IT leader as someone who guides the effective use of information
technology to improve his organization's business performance. Our definition of an IT
leader also includes the following characteristics:
• Promotes an IT vision that supports the company strategy.
• Identifies strategic opportunities provided by IT.
• Thinks beyond short-term tactical needs to long-term strategic goals.
• Understands business needs and profit/loss responsibilities beyond the IT
department.
• Ties technology and innovation to specific business needs and goals.
• Uses technology to help his organization gain an advantage over its competitors.
• Takes calculated risks but has contingency plans in place.
• Learns from failure and uses such experiences to improve IT processes and products.
• Hires inquisitive people who like to explore and are innovative.
3. • Creates work environments that are positive and rewarding to employees both inside
and outside of work.
• Encourages staffers to be innovative and come up with ideas.
• Motivates with recognition and opportunities, not just money.
• Compares best practices with those of peer organizations.
• Leverages technology vendors as partners.
• Develops the leadership skills of employees in the IT organization.
• Is viewed as a leader by other executives and by the IT staff.
The honorees appear here in alphabetical order, with information that was provided in
their questionnaires. Click here to read more about the program or make a nomination
for the 2014 awards.
The Judges
Special thanks go to our 10 judges, all of them past Premier 100 IT Leader honorees,
who helped evaluate this year's candidates.
Judith L. Batenburg, vice president, IT infrastructure and operations, Starz
Entertainment (2013)
Brandon W. Brown, CIO, Trident Marketing (2013)
Andy H.W. Chun, CIO, City University of Hong Kong (2013)
Blake K. Holman, senior vice president and CIO, Ryan LLC (2013)
Warren Kudman, vice president and CIO, Sealed Air Corp. (2013)
Marco S. Orellana, CIO and chief security officer, Codelco (2013)
Brian S. Rice, senior vice president and CIO, Kellogg Co. (2013)
Kathleen M. Scheirman, senior vice president, IT, corporate services business
information officer, Kaiser Permanente (2013)
Pradip Sitaram, senior vice president and CIO, Enterprise Community Partners (2013)
4. Michael J. Sylvester II, assistant director and department CIO, Los Angeles County
Department of Public Social Services (2013)