KNOWLEDGE

Before founding the Silicon Valley Product Group to pursue his interests in helping others create successful products through his writing, speaking, advising and coaching, Marty Cagan served as an executive responsible for defining and building products for some of the most successful companies in the world, including HP Labs, Netscape Communications, and eBay. As part of his work with SVPG, Marty is an invited speaker at major conferences and top companies across the globe. Marty is also the author of the books INSPIRED: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love and EMPOWERED: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Products, and the just released TRANSFORMED: Moving to the Product Operating Model.

Professor Nelson is active in the undergraduate, graduate, and executive education programs at the McIntire School of Commerce. In 2014, he received an All-University Teaching Award from the University of Virginia, and in 2022, the annual Faculty Recognition Award from The Order of Claw & Dagger. He currently serves as the Director of the Center for the Management of Information Technology, a position he has held since the founding of CMIT in 1991. During his tenure at the McIntire School, he has also served as Associate Dean of the Undergraduate Program for five years, as Information Technology Area Coordinator for nine years, and as Director of the M.S. in MIT Program for 10 years.

Theresa Payton is the founder and CEO of Fortalice Solutions, a firm that advises Fortune 150 Boards and the C-suite on secured technology innovation and transformation programs that support businesses in providing seamless and elegant customer service. Fortalice is dedicated to ensuring that every business transformation journey places the customer at the center while delivering a secure and exceptional experience.  Theresa was the recipient of our Center's IT Leadership Award in 2021. Awardees are recognized for their leadership as innovators, pathfinders, and problem solvers in the management of information technology; Payton earned the award for leadership throughout her impressive career since graduating from UVA as part of the inaugural class of McIntire’s M.S. in MIS Program (later renamed as the M.S. in MIT) in 1990.
 

Christopher Porter is the SVP and CISO for Fannie Mae. In this role, he is responsible for maturing and innovating Fannie Mae's defense and response capabilities and communicating the importance of information security across the enterprise. Chris has over 20 years of experience in IT and security industries, his background includes work as an economist, network and system administrator, information security consultant and researcher. Chris has a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Psychology from the University of Virginia. He also earned his master’s degree in Management of Information Technology from the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce. Porter is also a member of the Board of Directors at the FAIR Institute and the Safe Housing Alliance. Porter is a father of three young boys, and a huge fan of UVA sports.

Eric Siegel, Ph.D., is a leading consultant and former Columbia University professor who helps companies deploy machine learning. He is the founder of the long-running Machine Learning Week conference series and its new sister, Generative AI World, the instructor of the acclaimed online course “Machine Learning Leadership and Practice – End-to-End Mastery,” executive editor of The Machine Learning Times, and a frequent keynote speaker. He wrote the bestselling Predictive Analytics: The Power to Predict Who Will Click, Buy, Lie, or Die, which has been used in courses at hundreds of universities, as well as The AI Playbook: Mastering the Rare Art of Machine Learning Deployment. Eric’s interdisciplinary work bridges the stubborn technology/business gap.

Dr. Nick van der Meulen is a Research Scientist at the MIT Sloan Center for Information Systems Research (MIT CISR). He conducts academic research that targets the challenges of senior level executives at MIT CISR's member companies, with a specific interest in how companies need to organize themselves differently in the face of continuous technological change. His work on digital workplaces and the employee experience resulted in a range of academic and industry publications, in outlets such as the Journal of Information Technology, MIS Quarterly Executive, and the European Business Review.