NEW Digital Leaders Conference
Kickstart Your Digital Transformation Plans
Join us for this exclusive investor only Northeast Wisconsin Digital Leaders Conference! Coordinated by NEW Digital Alliance and Women in Technology Wisconsin and hosted at Kimberly-Clark’s Neenah Conference Center, this conference will bring together top IT professionals and industry leaders to explore cutting-edge strategies and trends driving the digital landscape.
Don’t miss this opportunity to network with fellow leaders and stay ahead of the curve in the ever-evolving world of digital technology!
2026 Conference
ONLINE REGISTRATION CLOSED – WALK-INS ARE WELCOME
Friday, May 15, 2026
8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Kimberly-Clark
Neenah Conference Center
This conference is complimentary and FREE TO ATTEND thanks to our sponsors.
Agenda
| 8:00 – 8:30 a.m. | Check-In & Networking |
| 8:30 – 8:45 a.m. | Welcome & Announcements |
| 8:45 – 9:15 a.m. | Keynote Speaker |
| 9:15 – 9:30 a.m. | Break/Transition |
| 9:30 – 10:00 a.m. | Breakout Session 1 |
| 10:00 – 10:15 a.m. | Break/Transition |
| 10:15 – 10:45 a.m. | Breakout Session 2 |
| 10:45 – 11:00 a.m. | Break/Transition |
| 11:00 – 11:30 a.m. | Breakout Session 3 |
| 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. | Networking/Lunch/Closing |
2026 Breakout Session Descriptions
Leading with GenAI: Building Confidence, Not Fear | |
| Presenter | Jenny Koenig Senior Manager | Kimberly-Clark |
| Description | GenAI is everywhere—but successful adoption depends on leadership, not hype. Using Microsoft 365 Copilot as a real‑world example, this session shares a practical, people‑first approach to GenAI: starting with building strong prompt habits, setting clear expectations, keeping the momentum going, and measuring impact. Attendees will leave with a simple adoption playbook and concrete examples they can apply immediately with their teams. |
| Room # | 1C |
Here for a Good Time, Not a Long Time (Test Environment Edition) | |
| Presenter | David Ehley Staff Software Engineer | Thrivent Allison Donahue Software Engineer | Thrivent |
| Description | On the Product Selection team at Thrivent, we introduced ephemeral deployments as part of our pull request strategy. In this talk, I’ll share where we started, how we implemented ephemeral environments, and the improvements we’ve seen since adopting them, including faster feedback, easier testing, and more confidence in changes before merging. |
| Room # | 4 |
From Intent to Execution: Building Enterprise-Grade AI Agents That Actually Work | |
| Presenter | Saad Ahmad Executive Vice-President | Smart IS |
| Description | As enterprises move beyond experimentation, the challenge is no longer “what can AI do?” but “how do we operationalize it reliably?” This session presents a practical framework for building AI-driven systems using intents, agents, and orchestrated workflows across enterprise platforms. Drawing from real-world patterns, it explores multi-agent design, system integration, and governance – bridging the gap between cutting-edge AI capabilities and scalable, production-ready business solutions. |
| Room # | 2ABC |
Labor Market Insights: Navigating Today’s Talent Landscape | |
| Presenter | Laura Strickland Partner Success Manager – Northeast Wisconsin | Carex Consulting Group Matt Duffy President & CEO | Carex Consulting Group |
| Description | Labor markets are shifting quickly, and IT leaders are feeling the impact firsthand. In this session, Carex will break down today’s workforce trends shaping technology hiring—from talent shortages and evolving candidate expectations to increasing competition for critical skill sets. Carex will connect labor market data to the real challenges IT and HR teams face every day, sharing practical strategies to attract, retain, and plan for the tech workforce of tomorrow. |
| Room # | 3 |
Data Discipline = AI Acceleration: Unleashing Innovation Through Smarter Data Practices | |
| Presenter | Tim Liebl Principal Architect | nvisia |
| Description | Governance and structure are often seen as hurdles to innovation, but in reality, they’re the foundation for it. In this session, an experienced Principal Architect from nvisia will guide us through how disciplined data stewardship enables faster experimentation, minimizes rework, and lays the groundwork for scalable, trustworthy AI. Discover how the right data practices can turn discipline into a competitive advantage. |
| Room # | 5 |
Culture: The Invisible Architecture Behind Every Successful System | |
| Presenter | Chris Blackwelder Senior Director, IT Architecture & Engineering | Kimberly-Clark |
| Description | Technology leaders design resilient systems — but rarely design resilient cultures. This session reframes culture as architecture and mental health as infrastructure, showing how psychological safety, harmony, and belonging directly impact performance, innovation, and reliability. Attendees will learn practical strategies to reduce burnout, strengthen trust, and build high-performing teams where people can thrive — not just deliver. |
| Room # | 2ABC |
Beyond VMware: The Future of Virtualization with OpenShift | |
| Presenter | Kody Burg Managing Consultant – Cloud and Infrastructure | EDCi |
| Description | As organizations look beyond VMware, many are asking: what’s next? This session introduces Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization Engine (OVE) as a modern alternative that unifies virtual machines and containers on a single platform. We’ll break down what OpenShift is, how OVE works, and why it matters for cost, flexibility, and future-ready infrastructure. Whether you’re early in your evaluation or planning a transition, this session will help you understand a practical path forward. |
| Room # | 3 |
How We Completed 20 AI Projects in 2 Years | |
| Presenter | Steve Baumgartner Former CIO Cameron Vetter AI Practice Director/Fractional CTO/Principal AI Developer | New Resources Consulting |
| Description | How do you go from AI ambition to delivering 20 production-ready projects in just two years? In this session, I will share the playbook that enabled our organization to achieve exactly that—moving decisively from strategy to sustained execution. It starts with strong alignment: securing CEO and executive team buy-in, clear prioritization, and dedicated funding to treat AI as a core business capability rather than an IT experiment. We then built a focused AI strategy centered on high-impact use cases. We’ll review the results of 10 impactful projects completed in 2024 and another 10 in 2025. Finally we’ll finish by, looking ahead—what’s next in our journey. Leave with actionable lessons to replicate rapid, value-driven AI delivery in your own organization. |
| Room # | 4 |
Delivering AI Value in Manufacturing: Practical Use Cases, Outcomes, and Trade-offs | |
| Presenter | Suha Alhabaj Founder & Consultant | Alcor Consulting |
| Description | This session highlights real-world AI use cases in manufacturing, including predictive maintenance, quality inspection, and production planning, with a focus on measurable business outcomes and practical trade-offs. It provides a high-level view of common challenges, such as data quality, legacy system integration, and model reliability in production environments. It will also outline realistic strategies for implementation and scaling. Attendees will gain a grounded understanding of where AI delivers value today, along with key limitations and considerations to keep in mind. |
| Room # | 5 |
From Pilots to Enterprise Value: Path to Enterprise-Scale AI Adoption Through Infusion & Diffusion | |
| Presenter | Javad Ahmad Former President/COO | Smart IS |
| Description | Organizations widely experiment with artificial intelligence, yet many struggle to scale adoption beyond isolated pilots. This presentation examines how firms transition from experimentation to enterprise-scale AI adoption through diffusion across organizational units and the infusion of AI into core workflows. Drawing on technology adoption, organizational readiness, and institutional theory, it proposes a conceptual framework and practical playbooks that guide leaders in building capabilities, governance, and trust required to operationalize AI at scale and generate sustained organizational value. |
| Room # | 5 |
From Idea to Impact: Transforming Source-to-Pay Support with AI, Automation, and Change | |
| Presenter | Jing Wang Associate Director, Digital Procurement Implementation & Transformation | Kimberly-Clark |
| Description | Procuree is a procurement chatbot leveraging Generative AI to improve efficiency for both internal users and external suppliers. Could share the journey from a manual, database‑driven process to an AI‑enabled platform that streamlines intake, guides ticketing, and accelerates resolution. Attendees will gain practical lessons on change management, technology evolution, and how AI can deliver measurable efficiency gains and a significantly improved end‑user experience. |
| Room # | 3 |
Tending to Talent | |
| Presenter | Travis Crowe Engineering Manager | Thrivent |
| Description | In this interactive session (using the simile that tending talent is like tending a garden) front-line leaders will learn to assess team strengths and growth areas, nurture skills, and support continuous development. We’ll explore practical ways to identify gaps, cultivate craftsmanship, and build collaboration and ownership. Through real-world examples and discussion, you’ll gain tools to guide your team’s growth and a clear roadmap for creating an environment where people thrive and deliver sustainable, high-quality performance. |
| Room # | 4 |
Beyond the Demo: Proven Copilot and Agentic AI Use Cases in the Real World | |
| Presenter | Jake Beyer Chief Technology Officer | EDCi |
| Description | This session explores real-world deployments of agentic AI and Copilot technologies that are delivering measurable business value today. Moving beyond theory and demos, we’ll examine practical use cases across operations, customer experience, and engineering—what worked, what failed, and the results. Attendees will leave with tangible examples and lessons learned on approaches which they can apply immediately within their own organizations. |
| Room # | 2ABC |
New Leader Meet Up (optional post event)
This pilot session is designed for professionals who are new to people leadership or have recently taken on responsibility for leading a team. Building on the momentum of the day’s programming, this small‑group experience creates space for honest conversation, shared learning, and meaningful peer connection.
Participants will join a facilitated discussion focused on real-world leadership challenges, such as navigating performance conversations, managing inherited teams, and balancing expectations as a new leader. Rather than a traditional presentation, this session emphasizes peer dialogue, shared experience, and practical insight—connecting leaders who are figuring it out at the same stage of their careers.
This pilot is intentionally interactive and relationship‑focused, serving as a test for a potential ongoing NEW Digital Alliance community for emerging leaders across Northeast Wisconsin.
What to expect:
- A small‑group, facilitated discussion with fellow new leaders
- Guided prompts that encourage honest, practical conversation
- A focus on shared leadership experiences, not lectures or training
- An opportunity to help shape future NEWDA leadership programming
What to bring to this Meet Up:
Peer meetups are self-directed sessions. In this pilot session some facilitation will occur but please bring your thoughts, challenges, and questions in leading people to connect and share with a small group of your peers. In this forum you’ll have the opportunity to pick the minds of people in the same career stage as you.
This optional session will take place immediately following the main event (12:30 – 1:30 pm) and is open to attendees who want to deepen their connections and be part of a pilot experience.
ONLINE REGISTRATION CLOSED – WALK-INS ARE WELCOME
Keynote Speaker
Talent Is Everywhere; Opportunity Is Not. The Power of Allyship in Technology Leadership | ||
 | Presenter | Aslinn Merriman Customer Success Lead, EDCi |
| Description | When you’re the only woman in the room, a single ally can change everything. In this talk, Aslinn Merriman shares a personal story about an unexpected male ally who altered the trajectory of her career into technology. Through storytelling and reflection, she explores what good male allyship actually looks like, why many men hesitate due to optics and social norms, and how those barriers can be addressed with clarity and intention. Attendees will leave with a simple, actionable framework for allyship that creates opportunity, builds trust, and helps women thrive in STEM and technology spaces. | |
| Room # | 1ABC | |
Event Sponsors
Lunch Sponsors
Morning Refreshments Sponsor
Printed Materials Sponsor
