Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Websites
Certifications And Memberships
Leadership Experience
Affiliations
Accomplishments
Timeline
Generic

DEBORAH BENNETT

Boca Raton,FL

Summary

Poised IT Executive accomplished at forming external business relationships and fostering positive working environments. Dedicated to advocating for brand initiatives with third-party providers. Robust background owning primary responsibility for company-wide technical wellbeing and high-level business relationships. Skilled at identifying and implementing process improvements to drive efficiency and productivity. Motivating leader with proven success managing cross-functional teams.

Overview

32
32
years of professional experience

Work History

Founder/CEO

ORCA Golf
Boca Raton, FL
01.2017 - Current
  • ORCA Golf is a bespoke manufacturer of custom-designed golf bags and accessories.
  • Developed and implemented a comprehensive business plan to launch the company.
  • Create and manage the company's financial budgeting, forecasting, and reporting systems.
  • Optimized supply chain to reduce materials costs and improve distribution.
  • Oversee all aspects of operations including product development, marketing, sales, customer service and finance.
  • Recruit, hire and train staff members to ensure that operational goals ware met.
  • Negotiated contracts with vendors and suppliers for optimal pricing structure.
  • Identify potential partnerships to expand the reach of the business.
  • Build relationships with key stakeholders in industry associations to promote brand visibility.
  • Developed strategic initiatives to increase market share and revenue growth.
  • Established policies and procedures for efficient workflow management.
  • Monitor performance metrics to ensure quality standards were maintained.
  • Analyze consumer trends data to inform product offerings and services.
  • Evaluate new technologies for potential application in the organization's processes.
  • Developed long-range plans for business growth, resulting in 150% increase in annual sales.

Chief Information Officer

Ferrilli
Boca Raton, FL
01.2016 - 12.2023
  • Current Contracts include Interim CIO roles with two Community Colleges on the West Coast, and in the North East, (Technology Assessments, and Compensation Studies)
  • Provided leadership in the development of integrated information systems and technology solutions.
  • Managed IT staff resources to ensure that projects were completed on time and within budget.
  • Created a comprehensive system of policies and procedures for the use of information technology throughout the organization.
  • Ensured compliance with applicable laws and regulations related to IT infrastructure, security, privacy, and data protection.
  • Collaborated with other departments to identify new ways to leverage existing technologies or develop innovative solutions for business objectives.
  • Evaluated potential vendors for software and hardware acquisitions to determine best fit for organizational needs.
  • Negotiated contracts with vendors to secure competitive pricing on hardware and software purchases while ensuring service level agreements were met.
  • Conducted regular reviews of the IT infrastructure architecture in order to recommend improvements and upgrades as needed.
  • Monitored industry trends in order to stay abreast of emerging technologies that could benefit the organization.
  • Maintained awareness of cyber security threats and implemented appropriate measures to protect against such threats.
  • Established an enterprise-wide disaster recovery plan including backup processes, system redundancy plans, and protocols for restoring services after outages.
  • Reviewed performance metrics regularly in order to track progress towards desired outcomes for IT projects or initiatives.
  • Audited internal systems periodically to identify areas where efficiency can be improved or costs reduced.
  • Served as a liaison between technical teams, executive leadership, outside vendors, customers, partners, and other stakeholders.
  • Resolved complex technical issues quickly by providing creative solutions based on industry best practices.
  • Designed training programs for end users regarding proper use of hardware and software tools available within the organization.
  • Coordinated cross-functional teams from various departments during large scale projects involving multiple stakeholders.
  • Actively sought feedback from all levels of employees in order to improve customer service levels associated with IT support functions.
  • Provided guidance on strategic decisions related to technology investments that would maximize return on investment.
  • Consistently tested and developed strategies to improve information flow throughout organization.
  • Oversaw various IT staff, personalizing oversight to create positive working relationships and effective management structures.
  • Collaborated with and mentored technology staff, promoting synergetic partnerships, credibility and teamwork.
  • Coordinated, managed and prepared RFPs and RFQs for purchasing department, recommending software and hardware specifications.
  • Streamlined mobile and cloud-based computing through blend of efficient and effective applications with ongoing reliability testing.
  • Designed standardized employee development processes to expedite onboarding and verify skills and competencies among new personnel.
  • Orchestrated high-level IT vendor relationships, selecting voice, data and other providers in addition to verifying and maintaining advantageous service level agreements.
  • Directed global network infrastructure strategy, guiding network installations in multiple locations and connecting facilities.
  • Provided organizational leadership and collaborated with executive partners to establish long-term goals, strategies and company policies.
  • Executed on-time, under-budget project management to adhere to project road map.
  • Oversaw technological improvements, successfully reducing waste and eliminating business bottlenecks.
  • Fostered collaboration and development of new practices by business leaders.

Assistant Vice President and Chief Information Officer

Aurora University
Aurora, IL
01.2013 - 01.2016
  • Developed and implemented strategies for effective information management systems.
  • Analyzed data to identify trends, problems, and opportunities for improvement in IT operations.
  • Provided leadership in the development of integrated information systems and technology solutions.
  • Managed IT staff resources to ensure that projects were completed on time and within budget.
  • Ensured compliance with applicable laws and regulations related to IT infrastructure, security, privacy, and data protection.
  • Created a comprehensive system of policies and procedures for the use of information technology throughout the organization.
  • Collaborated with other departments to identify new ways to leverage existing technologies or develop innovative solutions for business objectives.
  • Evaluated potential vendors for software and hardware acquisitions to determine best fit for organizational needs.
  • Negotiated contracts with vendors to secure competitive pricing on hardware and software purchases while ensuring service level agreements were met.
  • Maintained awareness of cyber security threats and implemented appropriate measures to protect against such threats.
  • Established an enterprise-wide disaster recovery plan including backup processes, system redundancy plans, and protocols for restoring services after outages.
  • Audited internal systems periodically to identify areas where efficiency can be improved or costs reduced.
  • Provided guidance on strategic decisions related to technology investments that would maximize return on investment.
  • Oversaw IT staff and general system maintenance.
  • Analyzed financial data, developed budget and managed expenditures for technology services.

Senior Director, Global Education Technologies and Innovations

DeVry Education Group
Oak Brook, IL
01.2005 - 01.2013
  • Provided leadership for the overall creation and development of Global Education Technologies and best practices
  • Led delivery of new online-virtual software environment for all students, faculty, and staff; senior level participation in the Architecture Review Board, and leadership and overall assessment and development of core competencies in IT.
  • Seamlessly managed teams of over 300 on-site resources and a capitalized budget of over $8 million for education technologies
  • The expansion of DeVry through merger and acquisitions resulted in a centralized approach to academic technology delivery
  • Managed a team of 40+ for application development in servicing online services and support.
  • Strategically developed and led vendor relationship management, selection and alignment, candidate selection and assessment processes for Global DeVry IT
  • Created organizational effectiveness by mapping out the entire structure featuring, business, IT and vendors
  • Ensured budgetary alignment and accountability in the multi- millions through successful implementation of team communication, coordination and collaboration processes
  • Partnered with CIO, CEO, COO, and legal to review, align & negotiate contracts with all vendors.
  • Supervised and managed technology staff across multiple locations by developing a shared-services model; leading design and installation of data centers, University information systems, workforce management, access control systems, telephony, and IT operations.
  • Presented executive C-level monthly status and presentations to demonstrate continuous improvement, metrics, and quality delivery.
  • Implemented Cloud Services for all student and faculty needs
  • Led all Global Software Licensing for all DeVry Education Group institutions including the Caribbean, Brazil and Europe; student population of 130,000+.
  • Delivered core solutions in technology while establishing organization leadership through application integration and development, change management, executive team performance, organizational effectiveness, talent recruitment and skills transitioning for the IT organization.
  • Managed the Governance Risk and Compliance Group with governance activities internal to the IT department, in support of compliance with internal and external bodies.

Chief Information Officer

Holton-Arms School
Bethesda, MD
01.2002 - 01.2005
  • Served as a member of the senior administration for the school
  • Successfully managed all IT operations and technology encompassing business applications, applications development and academic systems
  • Senior member responsible for providing state-of-the art technology plans for the future of the school
  • Collaborated with the Board of Directors to ensure technology efforts were aligned with the school's strategic plan.
  • Successfully managed, coordinated, and delivered a major construction project with major technology infrastructure enhancements for the $29M Science and Technology Wing in 2003.
  • Created and operationalized a successful student laptop program with 1500+ students and faculty.
  • Coached (Head) JV Basketball, (Head) JV Volleyball and Varsity/JV (Assistant Head) Tennis Coach for the school.

Chief Information Officer

Edelman Financial Services
Fairfax, VA
01.1998 - 01.2002
  • Defined strategic directions, selection and implementation of new technology initiatives.
  • Developed comprehensive a Data Warehouse project to supply critical information for marketing, product development, operations and finance; thus, enabling each business unit to produce reports directly without IT involvement.
  • Created a business plan and led a group to build several proofs of concepts and initial prototypes.
  • Designed and led project team through the successful implementation of critical business system replacements, specifically in managing financial portfolios
  • Project yielded significantly improved quality services for its customers and reduced overall costs by centralizing systems with better reporting for management.
  • Led the Application Development team and served as lead database designer to replace the company's critical CRM system
  • Project resulted in saving $1,500,000 in conversion fees; a direct result of not outsourcing programming and training.
  • Oversight included IT strategic business planning and development; vendor selection and management process, contract negotiations, project management, change management strategies and senior level recruitment; IT operating and capital budget and directed due diligence and procurement of all IT related areas.
  • Developed and implemented strategies for effective information management systems.
  • Ensured compliance with applicable laws and regulations related to IT infrastructure, security, privacy, and data protection.

Chief Information Officer/Director of IT

Henry M. Jackson Foundation
Rockville, MD
01.1997 - 01.1998
  • Successfully led efforts to overhaul corporate infrastructure - budget of $7M, all IT operations at corporate headquarters and fifty additional offsite locations with a staff of 15 direct reports and an additional 55 off-site technology field staff.
  • Advised and participated in the organization's executive management team, ensuring those capital investments in hardware and software are practical, cost-effective and consistent with company technology standards
  • Responsible for onsite data center and company-wide telecommunications systems (PBX)
  • Served as Lead Project Manager for the project to evaluate, select and implement an ERP (PeopleSoft) System to initially replace two legacy systems
  • The project was designed, managed and implemented successfully within the project timeline and under budget.
  • Served as Project Manager for Year 2000 Project
  • Directed and supervised a team of 17 consultants; dedicated to the Y2K project
  • Project was designed, managed and implemented successfully within the project timeline and under budget.

Director of Information Systems

ULI - The Urban Land Institute
Washington, DC
01.1992 - 01.1997
  • Successfully moved entire company from mainframe with terminals to Personal Desktops with Windows
  • Installed productivity improving applications such as email and shared scheduling.
  • Responsible for all operations of the IS Department, including strategic planning; staff management; business requirements analysis; project management support; risk management; disaster recovery planning; independent computer security and software compliance reviews; deployment of technology standards, policies and procedures; technical writing and other professional services.
  • Developed and maintained comprehensive information technology standards and information systems policies and procedures
  • Advised the organization's executive management and staff groups, ensuring that capital investments in hardware and software were practical, cost-effective and consistent with company technology standards.
  • Successfully implemented a private online system and led design and implementation of website in cooperation with the Marketing Department; providing member access to electronic publications and services.

Education

Master of Public Administration - Finance/Organizational Development

West Virginia University

Bachelor of Arts - Business Administration

Fairmont State University

Skills

  • Software Development
  • Infrastructure Management
  • Software: ERP (Microsoft Dynamics 365, ORACLE NetSuite, and SAP)
  • Software: CRM (Salesforce, Monday, Hubspot, and SharpSpring)
  • Software: DM & BI (Adobe LMS, BlackBoard LMS, ORACLE, and Microsoft BI)
  • Enterprise Architecture
  • Disaster Recovery
  • Data Analytics
  • Infrastructure Planning
  • Data Analysis
  • Data Security
  • Best Practices Implementation
  • System Design
  • Virtualization
  • Information Security
  • Budget Administration
  • Service Delivery Oversight
  • IT service management
  • Information risk management

Certifications And Memberships

  • Most Effective IT Team, 2012 Annual Award, Association of Information Technology Professionals, 2012
  • Certified Professional Coach, HR Certification Program (The Executive Edge, Inc.), 2010
  • Certified SKILLSCOPE Coach (Center for Creative Leadership) 360-Degree Assessment including Executive Dimensions Assessments, 2010
  • Coach for DeVry Catalyst ASPIRE Program - Up and coming leaders (2011 - 2013)
  • Corporate Executive Board - IT Leadership Academy (2010)
  • Published in CRM Magazine - CRM Solutions in Financial Services Organizations (2000)
  • DeVry Inc. Named to 2010/2012 InformationWeek 500/250 List of Top Technology Innovators in America; DeVry's Virtual Lab Environment recognized for delivering an exceptional student learning experience
  • Member of SIM (Society of Information Management), Since 1995
  • Member, (PGTAA) Professional Golf Teaching Association of America, Since 2012
  • Golf Professional, Executive Links - Chicago (2011-Present)
  • Board Member, South Florida Alumni Chapter for West Virginia University (2018-Present)
  • WVU (West Virginia University) Hall of Fame Committee Member (2019)

Leadership Experience

InformationWeekand other professional services. Developed and maintained comprehensive information technology standards and information systems policies and procedures Advised the organization's executive management and staff groups, ensuring that capital investments in hardware and software were practical, cost-effective and consistent with company technology standards. Successfully implemented a private online system and led design and implementation of website in cooperation with the Marketing Department; providing member access to electronic publications and services. Edelman

Affiliations

  • Avid golfer

Accomplishments

  • Recognized for leadership for the successful management of a large global team (300 engineers in 9 countries)
  • Recognized for leadership during several mergers and acquisitions of multiple educational institutions (medical schools)

Timeline

Founder/CEO

ORCA Golf
01.2017 - Current

Chief Information Officer

Ferrilli
01.2016 - 12.2023

Assistant Vice President and Chief Information Officer

Aurora University
01.2013 - 01.2016

Senior Director, Global Education Technologies and Innovations

DeVry Education Group
01.2005 - 01.2013

Chief Information Officer

Holton-Arms School
01.2002 - 01.2005

Chief Information Officer

Edelman Financial Services
01.1998 - 01.2002

Chief Information Officer/Director of IT

Henry M. Jackson Foundation
01.1997 - 01.1998

Director of Information Systems

ULI - The Urban Land Institute
01.1992 - 01.1997

Master of Public Administration - Finance/Organizational Development

West Virginia University

Bachelor of Arts - Business Administration

Fairmont State University

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DEBORAH BENNETT