We will have a panel of hiring managers from the Des Moines area and will be going through commonly asked questions about how to land that first IT job. We will be taking a few questions from the audience if there is time.
Bio:
Kristi O’Brien Senior Account Executive – Information Technology at Palmer Group. Kristi O’Brien has been providing IT talent solutions to businesses in the Des Moines area for over 17 years. She started her college coursework at DMACC in 1999 and graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in Management Information Systems. After graduation, she started her career with a local, Des Moines company as a computer programmer. Eager to explore the country, she took an opportunity in sales for a national company. In 2007, she learned about a great opportunity to get back into IT at Palmer Group and couldn’t pass it up! She is as passionate about helping people as she is about technology. She provides her clients with IT talent solutions that include staff augmentation, direct hire placement and managed services. Her goal is to connect IT professionals and grow their careers with a mission to make lives better. In her spare time, Kristi enjoys spending time with her family and instructing group fitness classes.
Bill Dotson is a Sr. Recruiting Specialist at Paragon who possesses over 17 years experience of placing IT professionals. Bill excels in Security, Hardware, Networking, Cloud, and Development roles, and is a graduate of St. Ambrose University.
Doug Rants Business Information Security Officer (BISO), is the BISO for Principal’s Benefits and Protection (B&P) business unit. Doug also serves as the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for Principal Securities Inc (PSI) and is a registered representative. Before his role as the B&P BISO, Doug was an active and founding member of Principal’s architecture community – leading a business unit architecture practice and serving on the enterprise architecture group. Doug earned his Computer Science and Mathematics degree from Morningside College in Sioux City, IA.
Megan Soat As the Director of Cybersecurity at HBS, Megan is responsible for leading the HBS’ Cybersecurity teams which include Governance, Risk & Compliance, Incident Response & Penetration Testing, and the Security Operations Center. Prior to her current role, Megan spent several years as an information security consultant providing guidance to organizations toward the various information security compliance regulations and standards.
Andrew Leef is a seasoned cybersecurity professional with over 15 years of experience, specializing in Identity Security. He currently serves on the Board of Directors and Cybersecurity Committee for a privately held company and has firsthand experience navigating major cybersecurity incidents, including WannaCry, NotPetya, LockBit, and Log4J. Before transitioning to the tech world, Andy served as a Combat Engineer in the Army Reserve, where he preferred blowing things up to typing on keyboards. Outside of work, he enjoys chasing after his energetic toddler, experimenting with home automation projects, and contributing to open-source software initiatives.