Speakers

Brian has spent 30 years in product development and project management helping organizations deliver value increasing from their project investments. Prior to co-founding Aspire Innovation he worked in the defense, aerospace, industrial manufacturing, and start-up sectors in engineering, project management, product management, and PMO leadership roles. He has spent the last 10 years coaching organizations to deliver more value from their projects.

The future involves uncertainty and rapid change. Agile practices offer one way for teams to approach the unknown and complex with control and confidence, but how do you bring Agile practices into a traditional/ linear organization? For many the road to Agile seems just as unclear, uncertain and complex as the future they’re trying to take control of. But this does not have to be the way, the PMO can take charge of the Agile journey by applying best practice from change management. In this session Karin will present a simple framework for how the PMO can approach and lead Agile transformations using best practice from organizational change management. Topics covered; – Recognize the PMO’s role before, during and after Agile practices are implemented – Define your WHY – Identify and meet learning needs across the organization – Understand and manage the impact of change across People, Process, Technology and Culture – Use Agile principles to implement and learn in order to scale Agile

Candice Benson, CEO Benson Consulting Inc., is a certified Change Manager, Project Management Professional and Process Improvement Specialist. Her 25 years of experience in project management and people change management has spanned multiple fields. Candice is certified in Change Intelligence and as a Prosci Change Practitioner/Trainer. She is an experienced PMO Director, Portfolio Manager, Program Manager and Project Manager. She is certified as a Project Management Professional (PMP®) from PMI and is a Six Sigma/Lean certified leader, mentor, PM coach.

Sara has worked across a variety of industries including healthcare, hospitality insurance and management consulting in her 20+ of working in the PMO space. Her experience spans both large, global enterprises (supporting upwards of 400 PMs on multiple continents) and a midsize, rapidly growing private equity-backed company.

Michelle Baker is a Senior Consultant in ISG’s GovernX organization. Her corporate background includes the healthcare, automotive, utility, and advertising industries. She is an experienced PMP credentialed Project Manager, with 20 years of professional experience. She is skilled in both waterfall and Agile project management methodologies.

Uloma Jacob has over 15 years’ experience in consulting and project management to the private and public sectors in information technology and healthcare. She worked on projects in W. Africa and the United States funded by international development agencies (e.g., World Bank), government agencies (e.g., Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services, Department of Commerce), and for-profit organizations. She has managed a combined project portfolio of $45 million and led global teams to execute projects that resulted in organizational growth, improved healthcare delivery, and reduced operational inefficiencies. In various capacities, she provided strategic planning and development services; process improvement advisory; management of software development teams; development of performance management systems; and healthcare practice management. She has also facilitated workshops and training on change management, project management, process improvement, strategic planning, and development. She possesses an MBA in Health Administration from the George Washington University and professional certifications in Project Management, Lean Six Sigma, and Scrum/Agile.

Ellen began life in project management within the third sector on fundraising and awareness campaigns, before moving into PMO management. She created the first Guide Dogs for the Blind PMO in 2015 before moving on to Ella’s Kitchen and setting up their unique ‘Smoothly’ team in 2017.

Priscilla’s professional motto is to simplify & support others in enabling a people-first approach to project management. She supports individuals and organizations to unleash their maximum potential through enabling a shift to Outward Minded Project Management, based on a proven mindset shift program developed by the Arbinger Institute, and coupled with more than a decade in experience as a project professional in various international settings.

Julia Steel is a global thought leader on getting stakeholder buy-in. She works with high-profile organizations and leaders around the world, helping them to translate their strategy and needs into committed execution. She has held senior business transformation, project delivery and PMO positions at major services organizations in both Australia and the UK for two decades and is obsessed with establishing the buy-in, and trust that leaders need to succeed. Julia is an alumnus of Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, has led internationally recognized projects and is a certified practicing Program Director that is all about strategic delivery, not just theory.

Jerry Manas is a best-selling business author and recognized thought leader in organizational project and resource management.