2022 Knowledge ∞ Continuum

A hybrid educational engagement that spanned the entire calendar year, the 2022 Knowledge ∞ Continuum included two virtual programs, the return of our traditional daylong event at the McIntire School of Commerce on Grounds at UVA in May, and a bonus in-person event in Northern Virginia in December. Patrons (participants) were able to register for the virtual cohort, the in-person cohort, or the “full” cohort to attend all events. CEUs (continuing education credits) were also available.

Friday, March 11, 2022

What’s in Your Digital Wallet? Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) and Verifiable Credentials: A Conversation with Mary Lacity, Blockchain COE, University of Arkansas

During our first virtual program of 2022, Mary Lacity, Director of the Blockchain Center of Excellence at the University of Arkansas, spoke to Patrons about self-sovereign identity (SSI), or “self-sovereign verifiable credentials” more accurately, an emerging decentralized model to allow automated identity verification. An interactive poll early in the session showed that the great majority of the audience was “ready to start learning about SSI.” After giving a primer on SSI principles and the evolution of identity verification and credentialing online, Lacity provided a deeper dive into the process through which verifiable data is managed through the blockchain by sharing a whitepaper on the development and implementation of a staff passport for the UK National Health Service (NHK). From a well-timed pilot in 2019 through the COVID-19 pandemic starting in 2020, the NHS partnered with a number of technology providers to build a digital verifier and passport process through which all employees can securely onboard, share identity documentation, connect with HR, and move through their large and complex staffing system without an overlay of accounts and passwords, or additional online authentication and verification requirements. After her presentation, Patrons joined a breakout room for networking and discussion moderated by McIntire faculty, with one room taking a more technical “look under the hood” of SSI and the other exploring business use cases for SSI.

Friday, May 13, 2022

The McIntire School was thrilled to welcome approximately 50 Patrons back to UVA’s Grounds on Friday, May 13, for the return of our traditional daylong executive residency in Rouss & Robertson Halls. Kicking off the event, Professor Ryan Nelson presented CMIT’s annual IT Leadership Award to Stephanie Mango (McIntire ’94, M.S. in MIS ’95), President of CGI Federal, and the Emerging Leader in IT Award to Emily Kruse (McIntire ’22), incoming MPhil of Development Studies candidate at Trinity College at the University of Cambridge. After the award presentations, keynote speaker Peter High, Founder and President of Metis Strategies and author of Getting to Nimble: How to Transform Your Company into a Digital Leader, gave an overview on digital transformation, High then moderated a panel discussion featuring three C-suite executives from companies spotlighted in his book, including Maureen Jules-Perez, Managing Vice President & Divisional CIO, People Tech, Capital One; Shamim Mohammad, EVP & Chief Information & Chief Technology Officer, CarMax; and Shailesh Prakash, EVP & Chief Information Officer, The Washington Post. After lunch, the audience received an updated cybersecurity briefing from Mike Higgins, CISO of Amazon Healthcare. The day’s program concluded with an incredible presentation from Professor Stefano Grazioli titled “Unlocking the Metaverse,” in which he shared several powerful videos and concepts previewing future developments and directions for the use of AI, virtual and augmented reality, the metaverse, and Maxine.

During the day, McIntire faculty and staff surprised Nelson with the 16th Annual Faculty Recognition Award from The Order of the Claw & Dagger. Associate Dean Ryan Wright presented the award and read aloud from a letter The Order provided.

Check out the 2022 Knowledge Continuum agenda for the May 13 program. Photo highlights from the day are featured below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday, Aug. 19, 2022

^{Patrons gathered on Zoom on Friday, Aug. 19, for the third quarterly installment of the 2022 Knowledge ∞ Continuum session. Center Director Ryan Nelson introduced the topic of the session, “Return to the Office,” a discussion on returning to work, company policies regarding hybrid work, and work-life balance during and following the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants heard three separate talks from researchers who focus on the various approaches and outcomes associated with “Return to the Office” initiatives. Professor Peter Gray kicked off the session with a discussion of his research that resulted in the co-authored article “Optimizing Return-to-Office Strategies with Organizational Network Analysis.” He highlighted the technique of using “organizational network analysis (ONA)” to map employees’ relationships and connections in order to maximize the impact of their time spent in the virtual versus in-person modalities. After Gray’s presentation and brief Q&A with the audience, we turned to Professor Chris Maurer for a conversational interview with Chief Product Officer of WillowTree, Blake Sirach. Maurer, who is developing a case study focused entirely on WillowTree’s return-to-office strategy, took a deep dive with Sirach into the small Charlottesville-based company’s growth strategy and focus on employee health and retention.  The virtual program concluded with an informative presentation by Professor Saonee Sarker of Laud University, who summarized her co-authored book Navigating Work and Life Boundaries: Insights for Distributed Knowledge Professionals.}

Friday, Dec. 9, 2022

At this bonus holiday session of the 2022 Knowledge ∞ Continuum, Patrons joined the M.S. in MIT Class of 2023 at Valo Park in Tysons Corner, VA, for an engaging talk by featured speaker Sanjiv Augustine, Founder and CEO of LitheSpeed, entrepreneur, and author of From PMO to VMO: Managing for Value Delivery. After an introduction from CMIT Director Ryan Nelson, Augustine gave a conversational lecture titled “Three Steps to Leap from Agile Teams to Business Agility” that outlined what enterprise customers need to do to roll out agile methods at scale. With more than 25 years of industry experience, Augustine has trained thousands of practitioners in the art of being nimble and setting up end-to-end value stream teams. He stressed that an Agile VMO uses “CARLA” (compliance, audit, risk, legal, and architecture), pillars that, once integrated into an organization’s architecture, ensure that business agility across the organization is easier to achieve.

After Augustine’s presentation, Knowledge ∞ Continuum Patrons joined students from our M.S. in MIT and M.S. in Business Analytics programs for a holiday reception in the Valo Park atrium.

SAVE THE DATES!  The Center for the Management of IT is excited to announce the 2023 Knowledge ∞ Continuum will be hosted at the UVA McIntire School of Commerce on Friday, May 12, 2023.  We also anticipate hosting another holiday-themed program at Valo Park in December 2023. Keep an eye on this page for more details and to register.