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Cincinnati Execs Align on Governance Impact at CDO Magazine Leadership Dinner
Written by: CDO Magazine Bureau
Updated 7:28 PM UTC, Fri May 16, 2025
CDO Magazine’s Cincinnati Leadership Dinner on May 14 gathered top data, analytics, AI and cybersecurity leaders from Cincinnati and nearby Louisville, Indianapolis and Columbus exchange knowledge and experience on “Aligning Data, AI, and Cybersecurity Governance for Business Impact.”
The event fostered meaningful conversations around data strategy, innovation with collaboration, and data security with industry leaders, highlighting how integrated governance across data, AI, and cybersecurity can accelerate business outcomes and build resilient, future-ready organizations.
CDO Magazine thanks the Co-Chairs of the upcoming CDO Magazine Global Leadership Summits for their outstanding leadership and commitment:
- Christopher Eldredge, MeridianLink VP, Data
- John Georgesen, Concentrix, VP, AI & Advanced Analytics
- Ravi Katyal, Cintas IT Manager, Emerging Technology
- Jake Lorz, Cintas VP & Chief Information Security Officer
- Matt Scheurer, Financial Services Industry VP, Computer Security & Incident Response
- David Sims, Elevance Health Staff Vice President, Security Technology Services
Data, analytics, AI and cybersecurity leaders from enterprises in Cincinnati, Louisville and Indianapolis gather for an engaging evening of networking and exchanging insights and experience at the CDO Magazine Leadership Dinner.
Speaking about the dinner, Bharath Prabhakaran, University of Cincinnati VP & Chief Digital Officer, says “it was a great event as always.” He outlines several takeaways from the discussion:
- AI, data, and security governance is a complex, fast-moving, and evolving area and one that all organizations must focus on.
- Data governance is foundational as good data practices are key to harness AI as well as ensure data protection and security.
- We need to incentivize participation and collaboration in data initiatives to ensure user adoption.
- At UC, we are focused on our Bearcat Insights program to establish an enterprise data strategy, data lake, and data governance.
- We have also set up an AI Community of Practice to focus on use cases, governance, enablement/tools, and policies and guidelines.
- To make a business case and secure funding, security is a good angle as we can highlight the risks and compliance challenges.
- We also need to quantify ROI which can be somewhat challenging.
Eldredge agrees saying, “CDO Magazine events provide a great opportunity to hold thought-provoking conversations with data professionals.We had a very engaging conversation about the differences between the governance of data, AI, and information security.”
Lorz echoes their sentiments saying, “As always, there were many great conversations at the CDO Magazine Cincinnati Leadership Dinner.” His takeaways include:
- Most folks are trying to sync up how they handle data, AI, and security, but it’s still a work in progress.
- Getting the different teams to actually collaborate together and share the load (without causing chaos!) is super important.
- Showing how these projects truly help or advance your organization’s business goals is the secret sauce to getting the green light (and the budget!).
Joe Lammers, Cintas Director, IT Portfolio; Dan Whitacre, UC Adjunct Professor, Retired Kroger; Eddie Hamann, Danis CIO; Emily Morgan, Coterie CISO; Jake Lorz, Cintas VP & CISO; Norman Egan, Presidio VP, PreSales; Ms. Michael Redmond, Redmond Worldwide Consultant; Laurissa Krishock, Presidio Sr. Client Executive; Tim Lange, American Financial Group Divisional SVP; and Robert McInerney, Synchrony Financial SVP, Enterprise Technology Services.
Sims thanks CDO Magazine for “a great evening,” adding, “It is difficult to distill the value of the evening into a few short sentences.”
Sims’ highlights are:
- We had a good-natured and spirited discussion about the first principles of data, where we debated data governance and data security posture management. It was great to share laughs and fresh perspectives with friends old and new.
- Stakeholder engagement came up again and again. When everyone has a seat at the table, data ownership becomes a shared responsibility, not just a checkbox. The best results happen when people feel invested and accountable, not just informed.
- One big challenge we talked about: Organizations often struggle just to recognize what data they have, let alone how to prioritize it. It’s tough to make data-driven decisions when you’re still figuring out what’s in the pantry.
For Dave Zlatic, FC Cincinnati SVP, Digital Strategy & Business Analytics, the CDO Leadership Dinner “provided a great opportunity to connect with other leaders and make worthwhile connections while taking in a beautiful view of the city.”
“It is always a breath of fresh air to have honest conversations regarding the real-world challenges we encounter in our work daily,” Zlatic adds.
Ravi Katyal, Cintas IT Manager, Emerging Technology; Laurissa Krishock, Presidio Sr. Client Executive; Joe Lammers, Cintas Director, IT Portfolio; Brian McCarthy, Norton Healthcare VP & CISO; and Robert Short, Liquid Networx VP, Strategic Services.
Michelle Ziegler, CDO Magazine, Global VP, Partner Development & Events, describes, “It was an incredible evening — Cincinnati’s leadership community truly came together, with both familiar and new faces in the room, for meaningful conversations, great food, and unforgettable rooftop views of the city we’re proud to call home. The energy and excitement in the room were a powerful reminder of the strength of this growing community and the momentum we’re building together.”
Summing up, Norm Egan, Presidio VP, PreSales, says the event featured “thought-provoking discussions with AI leaders on strategy, governance, security, and the crucial step of eliminating silos. Our partnership with forward-thinking CDO Magazine is key to empowering organizations to navigate these challenges.”
Special thanks to Presidio, CoStrategix, Denodo, Fortinet/LiquidNetworx, and SnapLogic for making this event a success.
*Bharath Prabhakaran and Christopher Eldredge are members of the CDO Magazine Global Editorial Board. Jake Lorz and David Sims are part of its Global Security Board.
Executives attending the CDO Magazine Cincinnati Leadership Dinner included:
Heather Ackels, BERPL Technologies VP, Advanced Solutions; Jonathan Adams, Salix Data President; Jeff Boerio, U.S. Bank Director, Incident Response; Brad Cates, BERPL Technologies CEO; Brian Cobb, Cincinnati/Northern KY International Airport Chief Innovation Officer; Larry Cychosz, Cincinnati Incorporated VP, IT; Christopher Eldredge, MeridianLink VP, Data; Adel Elmaghraby, University of Louisville Professor & Director; John Georgesen, Concentrix VP, AI & Advanced Analytics; Matt Godsted, Kroger Cybersecurity Strategy Architect; John Goetz, Cremer Director, IT; Eddie Hamann, Danis CIO; Omari Hitson, JPMorgan Chase VP, Lead Product Designer, Emerging Technologies; Sarah Johnson, Archer Daniels Midland Sr. Data Strategy Analyst; Ricky Kakkar, Liberty Mutual Insurance Sr. Business Analyst, Data Strategy; Prateek Kansal, Paycor Sr. Data Engineer; Ravi Katyal, Cintas IT Manager, Emerging Technology; Matt King, Belcan Chief Security & Data Officer; Joe Lammers, Cintas Director, IT Portfolio; Tim Lange, American Financial Group Divisional SVP; Jake Lorz, Cintas VP & CISO; Akhil Mahajan, Procter & Gamble Technical Director, Data & AI; Michael McCalmont, AtriCure VP, IT; Brian McCarthy, Norton Healthcare VP & CISO; Robert McInerney, Synchrony Financial SVP, Enterprise Technology Services; Arun Kumar Moolchandani, Travelers Sr. Director, Lead Data Engineer; Emily Morgan, Coterie CISO; Narendra Narukulla, JPMorgan Chase Manager; Prakash Pandey, Liberty Mutual Insurance IT Manager; Bharath Prabhakaran, University of Cincinnati VP & Chief Digital Officer; Jason Pridemore, Gray Director, Analytics, AI, Data Governance; Ms. Michael Redmond, Redmond Worldwide Consultant; Shane Rodabaugh, Baptist Health VP, IT; Himanshu Roy, Blue Bridge People Founder & Managing Partner; Shubha Sampath, Federal Home Loan Bank Cincinnati Chief Data Officer; Matt Scheurer, Financial Services Industry VP, Computer Security & Incident Response; Rohit Sharma, Fechheimer Director, Enterprise Apps; David Sims, Elevance Health Staff Vice President, Security Technology Services; Matt Stoklosa, Massive IT Implementation Engineer; Story Viebranz, ICONIQ Portfolio Operations Lead; Hailong Wang, Fifth Third Bank Director, Analytics-MRM; Dan Whitacre, UC Adjunct Professor, Retired Kroger; David Zlatic, FC Cincinnati SVP, Digital Strategy & Business Analytics; Jason Chamness, Presidio Director, Central Sales Team; Terry Dorsey, Denodo Sr. Data Architect, Evangelist North America; Norman Egan, Presidio VP, PreSales; John Haggarty, Fortinet Major Account Manager; Trevor Haworth, Fortinet Channel Account Manager; Laurissa Krishock, Presidio Sr. Client Executive; Ashwin Rao, CoStrategix Business Development Manager; Aaron Rice, SnapLogic Enterprise Account Executive; Mike Sabey, Denodo Enterprise Account Executive; Robert Short, Liquid Networx VP, Strategic Services; Roger Sramkoski, SnapLogic Sr. Solutions Engineer; Matt Wehrman, CoStrategix Head, Data Architecture; Karyl Cunningham, CDO Magazine Global Event Manager; Bill Gannon, CDO Magazine General Manager; Jenna George, CDO Magazine Program Director; Anthony Losanno, CDO Magazine SVP, Sales; Jackie Osborne, CDO Magazine Global Event Manager; Camille Prado, CDO Magazine Global Editor; Lisa Runkle, CDO Magazine Global Event Manager; Carrie Sitarski, CDO Magazine Director, Revenue Operations; Kim Wanamaker, CDO Magazine; Steve Wanamaker, CDO Magazine Founder & Publisher, and Michelle Ziegler, CDO Magazine Global VP, Partner Development & Events.
Join us in Cincinnati for the Global Leadership Summits — October 7: Data, October 8: AI, October 9: Cybersecurity. Explore the agenda and secure your spot today.
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