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Curt Carver / Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia  

Curtis A. Carver Jr., Ph.D., is the vice chancellor and chief information officer for the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia (USG). In this capacity, he oversees a statewide educational infrastructure and service organization with more than 250 innovators and an annual investment in higher education of more than $70 million. He also provides technical oversight for the USG Shared Services Center.

With a mix of military and academic experience, Carver has led the transformation of USG Information Technology Services by partnering with USG business owners, institutions, and other state agencies. The introduction of private cloud services, entrepreneurial offerings, new learning management system, new data systems, social media, unified communications, strategic partner engagement, and a focused and aligned financial model has been well received in Georgia and around the nation.

Through his leadership, he’s garnered national recognition for the University System of Georgia including the 2012 Global CIO Break Away Leader Award, 2012 and 2013 Georgia State Technology Innovation Award, 2013 InformationWeek500 Top Innovative Organizations (ranked in the top 10), 2013 InformationWeek 20 Best Ideas to Steal, 2013 N2N Champions of Innovation, 2013 Atlanta Telecommunications Professional Leadership Impact Award, 2013 InformationWeek Chiefs of the Year, the 2014 ComputerWorld Premiere100 IT Leaders, and the 2014 InformationWeek Elite 100.

Prior to the USG, Dr. Carver served at the U.S. Military Academy – West Point in a number of positions including interim vice dean of education, vice dean for resources, associate dean for academic computing, and IT program director. Carver led efforts that were successful in more than doubling student participation in international experiences and substantially expanded programs addressing the needs of at-risk students. In addition, he coordinated significant revisions to the curriculum, facilitated the completion of the construction of a $72 million library and learning center, secured funding for a $182 million renovation of the science building, and supported efforts to accredit the institution regionally.

Carver’s 27-year military career includes appointments as platoon leader, senior signal officer, company commander, battalion operations officer, division deputy G6, and military mentor. He lived in Korea and Italy, and was deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq, where he served as a strategic mentor to build their respective national military academies.

Throughout his career, Carver has been engaged in the active leadership of military, academic, research, and service organizations. He has served as a member of a number of governing bodies or executive boards including the Computer Science Accreditation Board, Computer Accreditation Commission, multiple CIO Executive Summits, and the Federal Information Assurance Conference. He is a senior-level member in the Association for Computing Machinery and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers professional societies and continues to play an active role in shaping the national agenda in technology, education, and the interaction between the two.

Carver has authored many journal articles and conference papers, as well as hundreds of plenary presentations, and is a frequent keynote presenter. He has received numerous national and international honors and awards for military, teaching, and research excellence throughout his career.

Jay Ferro / American Cancer Society

Jay is currently Chief Information Officer for the American Cancer Society (ACS), a nationwide, community-based voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, the American Cancer Society has more than 900 local offices nationwide and a presence in more than 5,100 communities. Jay is responsible for the people, strategy and operations of the Global Information Technology organization.

Prior to joining ACS in 2012, Jay served as Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer for AdCare Health Systems, a rapidly growing and recognized innovator in health care facility management. Jay spent the previous 7 years at AIG (American International Group), most recently as VP and CIO for AIG Aerospace, a leading global aerospace insurer. At AIG, Jay implemented numerous improvements that have delivered substantial value to the organization while managing significant organizational change in a turbulent market environment. In addition to his role as AVP of Information Technology with AIG Personal Lines, Jay was selected as CFO for Operations and Systems in 2006 and led multiple global IT Finance and Governance Standards initiatives that resulted in millions of dollars in savings for the organization.

Jay continues to be a thought leader in the Information Technology arena and is a frequent guest speaker and panelist, both in Atlanta and Nationwide. In recognition of his accomplishments, Jay was selected as Georgia CIO of the Year in 2011, and is currently serving as Chair for the Georgia CIO Leadership Association.

His commitment and dedication to community involvement is evidenced by the time and energy he contributes. In 2007, he founded the non-profit group, Priscilla’s Promise, in honor of his late wife, which raises funds for cervical cancer education and research, and currently serves as its Executive Director. In 2011 he was elected to the Board of Directors for TechBridge, an Atlanta-based nonprofit organization which helps other nonprofits use technology to improve their capability to serve the community, and in 2013 was named Board Chair.

Jay earned both his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and his Masters of Business Administration from The University of Georgia. Jay continues to be involved with his alma mater, both as a mentor for young alumni and as a member of the Alumni Board of Directors for the Terry College of Business.

Jay lives in the Metro Atlanta Area with his 3 sons: Trey, Connor and Alex.