You've Been Heard

Christian Scott is the Senior IT Manager at New Directions Behavioral Health. With 25 years of experience in IT, Christian has become well-versed in project management, team building, and change management. He has a Bachelor of Science in Business and Technology Management, plus an MBA in Business Administration and Project Management.

On today’s show, Christian discusses EAP programs and how they have grown in use in the last few years. He also gets into the regulatory obstacles working in healthcare and how understanding people will make you a better project manager.

Christian Haller is the Director of IT at Diamond C Trailers. He started in the automotive industry dealing with blueprints after initially studying architectural technology and construction management before transitioning to an entry-level networking job in 2009 for the Michigan Sugar Company. After working his way up in that role, after 11 years, Christian moved on to become a System Engineer for a short time before landing his current role at Diamond C Trailers.

Listen in to hear Christian’s thoughts on integration and infrastructure, getting ahead of the curve, training, fluidity, and learning from mistakes. We also hear about how the culture at Diamond C allows for easy communication with executives.

Robby Jakovljevic is a Director of IT. After a lengthy application process, he arrived in Canada as a refugee from the civil war in Yugoslavia in the mid-1990s. Having learned English through immersion, he went on to study computer programming in Toronto before making the move to California in 2009.

Today we get to hear Robby talk about his journey from a civil war zone to Canada, how he learned English by immersion, the communication problems that plague IT departments, and how to show value in your job.

David Ftacnik is the Senior IT Manager with Reviver, a company working on providing digital car license plates across the country. David has over 20 years of experience in both large and small companies that have influenced change and compliance. Additionally, he has extensive experience with cloud-based operations and project management, as well as helping communicate the technological needs and necessities of a business to its employees.

Listen in as David discusses the problems that he’s run into surrounding compliance throughout his career, what it was like going from a 6,000-person company to a 35-person startup, and the benefits that can be seen from going serverless.

Praveen Malhotra is the Vice President of Information Technology at TCR2 Therapeutics Inc. He has amassed over 20 years of experience transforming information technology in life sciences and the technology industries. Praveen also served in increasing roles of responsibility focused on enterprise platforms, applications, and global business applications at GlaxoSmithKline (formerly Tesaro Therapeutics), Endurance International Group, Aspen Technologies, and Moster Worldwide. He received an M.S. in Computer Science from New Mexico State University and a B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from C.R. State Engineering, India.

Praveen starts by talking about determining which vendors are useful to scientists at TCR2. Later, he discusses what makes digital transformation unique in the life sciences industry, what it takes to support treatment creation and what he sees coming in the future for technology in the space.

Joe Whalen is the Director of Information Technology at an electronics manufacturer in the DOD sector. With 30 years of experience in the industry, ranging from Radio Shack to his current position, Joe found himself falling into leadership early in his career. Of course, leadership is still a crucial part of what he does in his current role. Joe also hosts several podcasts with his family members in his spare time.

Listen to the episode to hear Joe discuss his rise from working at Radio Shack to becoming Director of IT, the technicalities of mergers, and why you the desire to stay curious is a requirement for continuous growth in this field.

David Meltzer is the IT Director at Hickory Transportation. David joined the military out of college and, while enlisted, gained a wealth of IT and operational experience. After 19 years in the United States Air Force, David began tackling the world of IT head-on and has taken on various roles in various organizations. David has a Bachelor’s in Business Management and an MBA in Technology Management.

How can change be successfully implemented in IT? David will give us the answer is the episode, while also discussing how to effectively project manage, all the components that make up a transition, and coping with a logistics business during a pandemic.

Sam Nafziger is the IT Manager at Gripple USA. Despite his initial interest in technology, Sam ended up studying business administration at college before realizing that there was a gap in the market to bring IT more into the business world and have them exist more cohesively. He has been working in IT and data analysis since 2016.  Sam achieved a Bachelor’s in Business Administration with a focus in Economics from Saint Louis University.

During the discussion, Sam gets into how to drive the value of systems changes to employees, taking it upon yourself to learn new things, and the nuances of ERP and digital transformations.

Timothy Laudell Jackson is the Chief Information Officer at Diamond Offshore. Timothy has 30 years of experience in IT and 18 years of experience in leadership and management positions, having worked in the energy, insurance, and oil sectors just to name but a few. He graduated from Southern Illinois University with a Bachelor’s in Advanced Technical Studies and Computer Information Processing.

In this episode, Timothy explains all about the fluctuating oil business, learning along the way and seeking out new things, along with why it’s so important to understand not only the business you are in, but also where it’s heading.

Carlos Jofre is the Executive Director of IT at BioTissue. Having worked in the industry for 30 years, Carlos is an expert in creating roadmaps for businesses to follow and flourish with. He has worked in everything from communications, to cruise liners, to life sciences, and has a wealth of programming skills that still excite him decades later. He graduated with a degree in Computer Science from Florida State University and an MBA in Business from Warrington College of Business.

Today we get to hear Carlos explain just what it means to be in IT in the life sciences industry, how the projects that BioTissue is working on could help us live longer, and why he still loves to do his own coding and create solutions.