Former CIO of the FBI to Speak at Annual USU Information Technology Seminar

A former chief information officer for the FBI, who has been called the “father of database management,” will speak at a Utah State University Jon M. Huntsman School of Business Partners in Business seminar set for Jan. 26-27.

Darwin John, who also advised the director of the FBI, will be a keynote speaker at the 27th Annual Partners In Business Information Technology Seminar. John has served in IT leadership positions for several organizations, including General Mills, Honeywell, Inc. and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is now on the Advisory Board to the FBI.

CIO.com called John “a gentlemanly forefather of the CIO profession.” He was inducted into the CIO Hall of Fame where they dubbed him the “Father of Database Management.”

The seminar is open to the public and will be held at the Eccles Conference Center on the Utah State University campus in Logan, Utah. More information about the seminar and registration fees are available at the website (http://partners.usu.edu/).

The Partners In Business program is a student-run, non-profit organization sponsored by the Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University. The Information Technology Seminar gives insight into developing a successful IT career in the constantly evolving world of technology, according to Amy Merritt, the assistant director. The seminar will focus on how to improve core business operations and recent advances in the IT industry.

John will speak at the event on the role of a CIO in today’s job market. His lecture, titled “Leadership: Looking Back and Looking Forward at Information Technology Leaders,” will focus on developing leadership within the IT profession.

“Darwin John was one of the first technology executives to earn the title of CIO,” Merritt said. “He not only has a wealth of experience to share but he’s an excellent speaker. We are excited to have someone of his caliber and experience to come to USU and we are looking forward to his presentation.”

Other keynote speakers at the seminar will include Lutz Ziob, general manager for Microsoft Learning, and Rob Clyde, managing partner for Clyde Consulting LLC and former CTO for Symantec. Ziob will be speaking on “Workforce Readiness For and Through Cloud Computing” and Clyde’s address will be on “Security Threat Landscape and Industry Trends.”

Partners In Business holds a series of professional business seminars each year. In addition to this Information Technology Seminar, a seminar on Ethical Leadership is scheduled for March 23.

The Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University seeks to inspire and equip students to become innovative, ethical leaders with refined analytical skills that will help them understand and succeed in the global marketplace. The Huntsman School of Business is one of eight colleges at USU, located in the beautiful Wasatch Range of northern Utah. More information on the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business may be found at the website.

Contact: Steve Eaton, Jon M. Huntsman School of Business, (435) 797-8640, steve.eaton@usu.edu