July 2021 Tech Upload

View Archived Newsletters

NEW Digital News

Thank You Alliance Members

The NEW Digital Alliance would like to thank Thrivent for their support as an Executive Level Investor in 2021. We would also like to thank Sadoff for their support as a Strategic Investor.  To learn more about Thrivent and Sadoff, click on their names!


Alliance News:

Happy July! We hope you had a safe and relaxing July 4th weekend.

The beginning of July brings the beginning of a new fiscal year for the NEW Digital Alliance. As with many New Years, the new fiscal year brings new activities and new faces. We welcome aboard Shari Steeno, VP of Enterprise Technology Solutions at Thrivent. Learn more about Shari in the press release below.

The work the NEW Digital Alliance does targets three audience areas: K12, college, and professional. In each of these areas, we collaborate with a variety of organizations to promote the tech health of the region. Recently, Amy Bires, Microsoft TEALS regional coordinator informed us that we had lost three CS teachers in the region impacting the ability of those districts to provide computer science education. We are now working together to facilitate a cohort of teachers through their CS certification training this fall. If you are a teacher interested in preparing for your CS 405/1405 praxis exam, please contact Kim Iversen at Kim@newDigitalAlliance.org. Amy and Kim will also be reaching out to districts in August to fill the 10 cohort seats.

The Alliance is also working with industry leaders to develop several programs designed to help connect companies to talent and rapidly onboard them. Our Onboarding Framework, Ambassador Program, and Getting Things Done initiative task forces are kicking off this week. Task force seats are open to our investor organizations who will help benefit from the teams’ efforts moving forward.

We are also working with a couple of local partners on an exciting launch that will benefit not only the region but the state of Wisconsin as well. Final details are being worked out, but as soon as we have the sign-off on the location, we will be making a BIG announcement and reaching out to partners. In the meantime, we encourage you to look in your cabinets to see if you have any extra LAN cables, computers, switches, etc. that you would be willing to donate to a non-profit.

Upcoming Events

  • July 20, 3:00 – 4:30 Quarterly Meeting. Topic: Back to Work, and Managing a Hybrid Workforce. Investors and community members are welcome to attend.
    • Our panel guests will include
      • Amy Sabourin, VP of HR at J. J. Keller
      • Brian Lindow, CISO at Secura
      • Heather Turner Loth, Practice Leader at Eppstein Uhen Architects
    • The next Quarterly Meeting will be held on October 12. This will be our annual TechTalent Summit where we will share the State of IT in Northeast Wisconsin. Registration for both events is open now on our events page.
  • July 27, 8:00 – 9:30 Upskilling and Reskilling Round Table.

Call for Speakers

UW Green Bay is participating in the Smithsonian Travel Exhibit taking place on Monday, January 17 from noon to 3:00 pm. As part of this face-to-face event, they are looking for a few industry leaders to participate in a panel discussion about Artificial Intelligence (AI) bias. Discussion themes can include: Does AI perpetuate biases in society? How do we reduce the unintentionally infused bias during the development/programming of AI? Etc.

Individuals interested in participating on the panel can contact Kim Iversen at Kim@newDigitalAlliance.org. She will help review credentials and connect potential speakers with the event planners.


Steeno joins the NEW Digital Alliance Executive Committee 

New representation from Thrivent Financial 

NEW NORTH, July 6,  – Shari Steeno, IT Vice President of Enterprise Technology Solutions at Thrivent Financial, has joined the NEW Digital Alliance Executive Committee Kim Iversen, Director of the NEW Digital Alliance, recently announced. 

Steeno has over 20 years of experience in information technology working for Fortune 500 in a variety of industries. In her current role, she provides strategic technology leadership and is responsible for vision, strategy, and operation for solutions that support Thrivent’s customer-facing technologies, customer relationship management capabilities, and corporate functions.   

Steeno has a bachelor’s degree in business and computer information systems from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh. 

Steeno replaces Sarah Jansen, former CIO for Thrivent Financial who recently retired and served on the board for three years. “We are thrilled to have Shari on board,” said Iversen. “She will maintain continuity with Thrivent and brings a passion for engaging with youth and underrepresented populations.” 


Unemployment Updates

Demand for talent continues to remain strong for Wisconsin and the New North region. National demand for tech talent also remains high, with the tech unemployment rate for May (2.4%) and lower than pre-pandemic levels of 3% in January 2020. National unemployment has dropped to 5.5%, with Wisconsin steady at 3.9%, and Northeast Wisconsin data unavailable for May.

Data Sources: CompTia IT Employment Tracker, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and New North IntelTracker

Regional News

UW-Green Bay’s Virtual Technology in Context Summer Series is Here!

Explore digital trends and advancing new technologies every Thursday at noon during UW-Green Bay’s virtual “Technology in Context Summer Series.” The series is hosted by Oliver Buechse, Expert in Residence for Digital Transformation, in the Austin E. Cofrin School of Business. The series is free, open to the public, and organized in two parts. Part 1 covers technology fundamentals, and Part 2 delves deeper into technology in context.

Learn more and register on Eventbrite!

LEARN MORE

Calling All K-12 Educators for a Educator Professional Development Session!

On July 22, from 11:30 am – 1 pm we will be hosting educator professional development on K-12 Water Curriculum and Activities. Join us virtually to:

  • Discover water curriculum, activities, and resources available for your K-12 classroom.
  • Learn about local water degrees and educational options for your students.
  • Hear about a variety of available local water resources.
  • Presenting organizations include MATC, MMSD, the UWM School of Freshwater Sciences, The Water Council & Veolia Milwaukee!
REGISTER TODAY