TECHNIQUES FOR THE 21ST CENTURY IT LEADER

Session Speakers: Daniel Mroz, Rick Coons

The breadth of responsibility and the skill set of the IT professional and leader are changing rapidly. This presentation will focus on leadership and management techniques that can have a positive impact on technology units regardless of size or scope in the changing landscape. Perspectives from both a centralized and decentralized unit will be presented. The topics to be covered include techniques and practices related to: employee management, organizational communications, customer service techniques, change management, leadership development, employee perspectives, as well as project management and leadership techniques.

The presenters currently work for Penn State, however operate in centralized versus decentralized units. They have collaborated on numerous projects during the past five years and have developed and adapted a number of techniques to assist in the leadership and management of these projects and their respective units. They each hope to share unique perspectives based on their positions within the university and the diverse needs of the customers they serve. In all, they anticipate sharing the techniques and ideas they have developed and spark additional discussion with the hope others can benefit from the successes and failures they have experienced along the way.