Brew City HDI

STEVE CARTWRIGHT

• Chief Information Officer, We Energies                           

Steve Cartwright was appointed director and chief information officer – IT Services for We Energies in 2005. Cartwright leads the company’s information technology infrastructure initiatives and operations, and is responsible for technology security and corporate center application areas.

Cartwright joined the company in 1982 as a senior project engineer in the Nuclear Power Department. Subsequently, he held several leading positions within the company, including director – Field Operations in Distribution Operations in 2000, director – Infrastructure in Information Technology Services in 2002 and director – Corporate Information Technology Services in 2003.

Prior to joining We Energies, he worked for Bechtel Power Corporation and Houston Lighting and Power Company in the design and construction of nuclear power facilities.

Cartwright is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin – Madison and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Nuclear Engineering. He also holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee.

BRIAN D. BRYLOW

• Chief Technology Officer, Robert W. Baird & Co.

Brian Brylow oversees the Information Technology Department at Robert W. Baird & Co. (Baird). He is the chair of Baird’s Technology Committee and also participates in a number of internal committees and advisory councils.

Brian has over 20 years of information technology experience in service management, systems implementation and development. He has helped develop and manage a number of local technical services organizations. Prior to joining Baird in 1998, Brian was a lead technical consultant with Greenbrier & Russel. 

He is a former chef and graduate of Milwaukee Area Technical College. Brian has been featured in the media, including the Wall Street Journal, and has contributed articles to publications such as Computerworld and eWeek. Brian serves on the Boards of Directors of the Information Technology Association of Wisconsin and New Horizons Unlimited.

MICHAEL J. LEHMAN 

• Chief Information Officer, BatteriesPlus                                                         

Michael Lehman was appointed Chief Information Officer for Batteries Plus in 2005. Lehman provides vision and leadership for developing and implementing information technology initiatives.

Lehman joined the company in 2000 as the IT Director, adding the Vice President of Information Technology title in 2003. 

Prior to joining Batteries Plus, Lehman worked for Ultra Mart, part of the Roundy’s / Pick ‘n Save group, as their Director of Information Systems.  Lehman also previously worked for Johnson Controls as a Project Manager.

Lehman graduated from Carroll College (now Carroll University) with a double major in Business Administration and Computer Science.  He also holds a Masters of Business Administration degree from Marquette University.

STACI WELLENTIN

• Chief Information Officer, Lutheran Social Services

Staci Wellentin is the vice president and chief information officer for Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan.  In her role, Staci oversees all aspects of agency-wide information services planning, operations, delivery, and support services. She oversees a team of 20 IT professionals who are responsible for supporting more than 2000 employees in over 200 different locations throughout the state and the UP of Michigan. Staci and her team are constantly challenged to provide superior IT service and solutions while working within the constraints and fluctuations of the non-profit sector. Staci’s mission within the organization is to drive down support costs while increasing service and quality to the various business areas.

Staci has spent more than 12 years in the information services field.  Having come to LSS from the business and technology consulting industry, Staci brings a unique business perspective to the IT organization.  She possesses a strong background in Project Management, Strategy Development, and Business Process Engineering that will be invaluable to LSS future IT endeavors.  She earned her undergraduate degree in business information systems from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

KATHY J. LANG

• Chief Information Officer, Marquette University

Kathy J. Lang has been a leader in information technology in the higher-education industry for over 20 years. Currently, she is the CIO for Marquette University, which serves more than 11,000 students who learn and grow through nationally admired undergraduate, graduate and professional programs. As Marquette’s CIO, she is responsible for the strategic direction of technology and operational management of technology services, including technology infrastructure, project management, and service management.

Kathy frequently speaks on IT leadership and management topics and is a member of several IT advisory groups. Speaking topics include strategic planning, service management, project management, and IT customer service.

Prior to her position at Marquette, she was the CIO at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and spent over ten years as a director at the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University in Collegeville, MN.  Kathy holds an MBA from St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, MN and a BS from the University of Mary in Bismarck, ND.

SCOTT RANSON

• Chief Information Officer, Brookdale Senior Living

Scott Ranson is the Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Brookdale Senior Living with over 23 years’ experience in IT, 18 at the senior management level.  He oversees all aspects of information technology to include application development and support, infrastructure security and advanced technology planning, telecommunications, and project management.  He has been involved with over 45 mergers and acquisitions, integrating the technology systems to maximize efficiency.   He is a visionary leader with a history of establishing and exceeding short and long-range goals instrumental to overall company growth.  Prior to joining Brookdale, Scott served as VP of Information Technology for Marketing Specialists located in Dallas Texas. 

Scott is a 1987 graduate of Ashland University, he holds B.S. in Business Administration, with a double major in Business Management and Computer Information Systems.

PAUL DWYER 

• Sr. Director of Global IT Operations & Support Services, JohnsonDiversey, Inc.

Paul Dwyer, is the Senior Director of Global Operations/Support Services for JohnsonDiversey Inc.  Prior to joining JohnsonDiversey, Mr. Dwyer was Regional Vice President at Oracle and ran the Midwest Consulting.  Mr. Dwyer also spent several years at SEI where he was President and CEO of Commercial Operations for SEI Information Technology.  His responsibilities at SEI included marketing, business development, account management and strategic product planning activities (2003-2006). From 1995-2002, Mr. Dwyer was a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC, where he was involved in strategic planning, large-scale program management, process engineering, change management and software engineering, ERP, Data Warehouse, BPO and outsourcing implementations and operations. In addition, Mr. Dwyer led PricewaterhouseCoopers’ effort to define its offshore development and outsourcing strategy and managed the Operate and Software Development practice for the central United States, Canada and Mexico. From 1987 to 1999, Mr. Dwyer held various roles at PriceWaterhouse and PricewaterhouseCoopers’ including PeopleSoft Global Technology Practice Leader, project partner, engagement partner and client service partner for clients ranging from mid-market to Global 100 companies.

Mr. Dwyer holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English Literature from Marquette University.  Mr. Dwyer has served on the board of several public and private companies.