Society for Information Management
 | |
| Motto | Where IT Leaders Connect |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1968 |
| Type | Professional association |
| Headquarters | Mount Laurel, New Jersey |
| Location | |
Membership | 5,000 |
Official language | English |
Chief Executive | Steve Hufford |
| |
| Affiliations | 39 chapters |
| Website | www.simnet.org |
Society for Information Management (SIM) is a professional organization of nearly 5,000[1] senior information technology (IT) executives, Chief Information Officers, prominent academicians, selected consultants, and other IT thought leaders built on the foundation of local chapters, who come together to share and enhance their intellectual capital for the benefit of its members and their organizations.
SIM's vision is to be recognized as the community that is most preferred by IT leaders for delivering vital knowledge that creates business value and enables personal development.[2]
History
The idea of SIM began during a break session at the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) conference held in Las Vegas in August 1968.[3] A conversation between Robert Head with the Software Resource Group and Herb Schwartz with the United States Atomic Energy Commission ensued on how current professional societies did not emphasize the managerial aspects of computing enough nor did they serve as a good communication mechanism between data processing managers and executive managers. That conversation was the basis for the formation of The Society for Management Information Systems (SMIS) which in 1982 became the Society for Information Management.[4]
A founding committee was formed and the first meeting was held on November 22, 1968 at the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission in Washington D.C. The founders included Joseph P. Cunningham, Richard E. Dooley,[5][6] Dr. James C. Emory, Robert B. Forest, Robert V. Head, Dr. Alan J. Rowe, James G. Rude, M.H. Schwartz, Robert G. Stevens, W. Robert Widener and Robert K. Wilmouth.
The first (founding) conference titled "Bridging the Gap Between the Management Function and Information Technology" with 250 attendees was held at the University of Minnesota on September 8–9, 1969.
Current and Past Presidents or Chairs
|
1969 Robert V. Head |
1979 Richard E. Mahin |
1989 John M. Hammitt |
1999 June Drewry[9] |
2009 Peter Whatnell 2016 Kevin More |
Membership
Criteria
Practitioner: A senior-level IT professional in either a public or private sector organization meeting the following criteria:
Corporate/divisional head of a corporate or divisional IS organization: Member of an IS management staff supporting corporate/divisional IS heads with key management roles, as certified by the head of the organization.
Academic: A full-time university or college faculty member making a significant contribution to the IS field.
Consultant: Leaders at the partner/principal level who influence the direction of their own company or their clients’ companies, and who directly contribute to the IS profession.
Other leader: A non-IT executive such as vendor, recruiter or leader from another profession who has a major role in matters impacting strategic IT direction.
SIM adheres to a strict policy against marketing or commercial activity. Sales and marketing representatives are only accepted as members through the SIM Partner Program.
Governance
Organization Leadership
Strategic direction for SIM is provided by the Society’s elected Board of Directors with approval from the Chapter President’s Board.
Programs
Advanced Practices Council
Advanced Practices Council (APC) is a forum for senior IT executives who commission exclusive research and share cross-industry perspectives.[17] APC was founded in 1991 by Warren McFarlan of the Harvard Business School.[18]
Future Potential in IT
In 2005, the Society for Information Management (SIM) published a paper entitled “Trends and Implications for the IT Workforce”.[19] Academics engaged in teaching IT/IS courses all over the country were interviewed to gauge the current and future state of IT workforce development. One of the most startling conclusions, borne out by enrollment statistics at that time which have yet to improve markedly, was that enrollment in Technology programs in U.S. colleges and universities was falling at alarming rates. In some cases enrollment had declined as much as 75%. Some programs then and now have ceased to exist. The implication was that the U.S. was falling behind the rest of the world in developing a Technology workforce and would continue to do so, and has, unless something was done to reverse that trend.
Thus, the Future Potential in IT (FPIT) program was developed within SIM to educate college level students nn the value of pursuing a career in Information Technology. FPIT was originally developed in partnership with Microsoft, but they ceased their funding of the effort about 2007. So, for the last several years, with the encouragement of SIM International, the program has continued to be conducted on a regional basis by SIM chapters at area colleges and universities. As originally envisioned FPIT is a half-day program aimed at college students, conducted on college campuses. Chapters have had the freedom to design their local efforts according to the local situation but a typical program might consist of lunch (e.g. a pizza party), a keynote speaker, such as a CIO of a company which would be recognized by students (e.g. Dunkin Brands), but not necessarily associated by them with technology. The program might include a panel consisting of graduates of that institution that have gone on to successful careers in technology, complete with a “question and answer” period allowing the students the opportunity to quiz the panelists and other senior IT professionals in attendance about their career choices. Where such a program has been conducted it has been well received with students enthusiastically getting involved. At a recent event held at Northeastern University, all the seats were filled, and students filled the windowsills. Post-program, at every institution where a FPIT has been held, enrollments have increased.
While SIM and its Chapters continue to recognize the importance of a program the nature of FPIT they also came to recognize the need to engage students much earlier in their educational and career preparation careers and they began to participate and sponsor STEM initiatives across the K – College level spectrum. This has included multiple Chapter partnerships with YearUp, hundreds of thousands of dollars in college scholarships, and programs such as “IT for Girls”, “icStars”, “NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing”, “CyberGirlz Technology Camp”, and various other Teen Tech/Boot Camps, all designed to attract young people to the profession. Efforts to dispel the myth that all technology jobs have been outsourced and there are no longer viable careers in IT, that tech is for “geeks” or “nerds”, and to demonstrate that technology is not just something you can use, you can actually have a great career, making substantial earnings, in IT.
At its Chapter Leadership Summit, held this year (2012) in St. Louis, and attended by the top leaders from SIM Chapter across the country, a proposal was made and approved to expand the boundaries of the FPIT program to encompass all present STEM related initiatives and to serve as a vehicle to encourage the identification and exploration of such programs at the Chapter level. The goal is that such a collaboration on STEM initiatives will lead to the identification and adoption of STEM initiatives on a national level. Beyond that goal, we seek to involve SIM and its Chapters in both helping teachers to introduce Technology and IT as career choices and to influence the curriculum employed to prepare the next generations of IT workers for employment by SIM members.
While a recent analysis of existing SIM Chapter programs clearly shows that involvement in this effort is central to most Chapter Community Outreach programs, those programs will likely continue to support other philanthropic efforts, but support of STEM initiatives is expected to grow. This “transformed” Future Potential in IT program will help SIM to fulfill a key part of our mission, promotion of careers in IT, and will be in the best interests of our Association, our members and the companies that employ them. For that reason, discussions of STEM initiatives will be featured at SIMposium in Dallas this year, at SIMposium 2013 in Boston and beyond, as well as regional CIO forums.
Leadership Development Roundtable (LDR)
The Leadership Development Roundtable (LDR) is based on the very successful Regional Leadership Forum’s (RLF) learning model, which is highly participative and very open in its nature. It continues to address such items as integrity, leadership and results. Its objective is to provide a continuous learning experience for RLF graduates to pursue the development of their authentic, personal leadership style
SIMposium
SIMposium is SIM's annual practitioner-driven conference designed for and by CIOs. Working nationally with key senior IT executives, CIOs and recognized thought leaders, SIMposium addresses the topics, issues, best practices and trends that will give our audience the technology-related insight necessary to make the right decisions to impact their business strategies and future IT direction. From 1995 to 2002, SIMposium was called SIM Interchange Annual Conference.[20]
Past and Future SIMposium Host Cities
|
1969 Minneapolis, MN |
1979 Minneapolis, MN |
1989 Atlanta, GA[21] |
1999 Atlanta, GA |
2009 Seattle, WA |
- 1995 Hosted by the Boston Chapter at Disney World, Orlando, FL
SIM Women
SIM Women is a network inside the Society for Information Management to promote communication, mentorship and career development amongst the female members.
In January 2007 SIM Women began a phased roll out starting with the New Jersey, NY Metro and Fairfield-Westchester chapters. In April 2007 the ladies of Philadelphia were added, and in February 2008 the ladies of Boston joined SIM Women as well. There was great participation from each new chapter. In May 2008 the ladies from Central CT and the DC/Capital area were added. In August 2008 the ladies of the Toronto and Raleigh chapters joined. In September 2008 the ladies of Tennessee, Central and South Florida chapters were asked to participate, and Atlanta and Alabama joined in October. In December 2008 the Wisconsin, Minnesota, St. Louis, and Northeast Ohio chapters were welcomed. In January 2009 ladies of Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Indianapolis joined the ranks. Chicago and Detroit ladies joined in the Spring of 2009. SIM women continued to add chapters every month and covered every SIMI chapter by June 2009.[25]
To date SIM Women has held monthly conference calls and multiple successful networking events. SIM Women’s conference calls are typically the last Wednesday of the month at 3pm EST. Executive coaches, successful CIOs, and networking gurus are brought in to facilitate the calls and meetings. Topics covered included: Personal Branding, Peer Communication, Defining Your Personal Success, Internal Networking, Personal Accountability, Industry Visibility, and Mentoring Defined. SIM Women also rotates face-to-face networking events around the country.
As of December 2010, there are over 400 SIM members active in SIM Women. All SIM members can share knowledge, request help or brainstorm on issues important to them via our discussion board. Success stories can be shared by all involved. SIM Women is not separate organization, but a way to bring together the men and women of SIM to leverage common interests as well as differences. Founded and run by Kristen Lamoreaux, President of Lamoreaux Search LLC.[26]
Regional Leadership Forum (RLF)
Regional Leadership Forum (RLF) is an intensive, ten-month leadership development program focused on creating authentic leaders. Since 1992 over 3000 graduates and more than 300 sponsors have found RLF the key to developing leadership effectiveness. RLF offers a curriculum of intense reading,[27] open exchanges on leadership practices, and interactive learning focusing on team-building, creative thinking and listening skills.
Founded by Richard Dooley, the first Regional Leadership Forum was held in Chicago in 1992 and was originally called the "SIM Chapter-Hosted Learning Forum".[28]
Local Chapters and Leadership
The strength of the SIM Organization is built around local its local Chapters.[29] There are currently 39 local chapters throughout the United States and Canada:
Alabama Chapter
Alabama Chapter Website Chartered in October 1987.
Albany Chapter
Albany Chapter Website Chartered in December 2014.
Arizona Chapter
Arizona Chapter Website Chartered in March 1986.
Austin Chapter
Austin Chapter Website Chartered in January 2012.
Atlanta Chapter
Atlanta Chapter Website. Chartered in October 1984. The Atlanta Chapter hosted the 2010 SIMposium. The Atlanta Chapter's 2010 Golf Tournament raised over $40,000 to help TechBridge, a nonprofit dedicated to helping other nonprofits use technology to do more and reach more people.[30]
Boston Chapter
Boston Chapter Website. The geographic area of Boston Chapter members consists of Eastern and Central Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and Rhode Island. The Boston Chapter of SIM was formed through the efforts of Dick Harris, John Dacey and Edgar Canty. In the Fall of 1976 Mr. Harris, who was then ClO at Colonial Gas, was at a meeting in Chicago at which SIM National (then called the Society for the Management of Information Systems - SMIS) was encouraging chapter formation. Harris obtained a listing of SIM members in the Boston area, and called Canty and Dacey to arrange an organizing meeting. The organizing meetings were held at Babson College through the Fall of 1976 and into the Spring of 1977 and, in addition to Harris, Canty and Dacey, involved Don Brown, Les Ball, Chris Bullen and Charles Hewitt.
The first Boston SIM meetings began in the Fall of 1977 with the meeting locations alternated between Babson College and the MIT Faculty Club. Dick Harris was the first Chapter Chairman, and Jerry Kanter was the first speaker. The Articles of Organization were submitted to the Massachusetts Secretary of State’s office in May, 1981, signed by Edgar Canty. The officers were Les Ball, President; Dave Callahan, Clerk; and Arthur Sarazini, Treasurer. Chapter Directors were Bill Synnott, John Dacey, Dick Harris and Dave Callahan. The Charter of Incorporation was received from national SMIS on June 18, 1981.
The Boston Chapter's programs include the MIT Sloan School of Management CIO Symposium, The Leadership Development Roundtable, SIM Silver, Sharpen the Leadership Saw, CIO Roundtables in both the Providence, RI and greater Boston areas, a Practitioner's Roundtable, a Consultants Roundtable, a Help Desk Roundtable and two all day CIO Summits/Forums. It currently supports the following Outreach programs: Year Up, Teen Voices, Common Impact and Tech Boston.
Past and Current Presidents (Chair) of the Boston Chapter
| Year | President | Year | President | Year | President | Year | President | Year | President |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Dick Harris | 1985 | Bart Bolton | 1993 | Rick Swanborg | 2001 | Bill Grady | 2009 | Jo Hoppe |
| 1978 | Dick Harris | 1986 | Warren Harkness | 1994 | Stew Stokes | 2002 | Bob Barrett | 2010 | Bill Wellman |
| 1979 | John Dacey | 1987 | Brad Sweet | 1995 | Bill Fallon | 2003 | Dave Brown | 2011 | Kevin More |
| 1980 | Les Ball | 1988 | Irwin Abrams | 1996 | Charles Hewitt | 2004 | Pat Randall | 2012 | Michael Brooks |
| 1981 | Don Brown | 1989 | Jim Slusser | 1997 | Kavin Moody | 2005 | Pat Randall | 2013 | Tom Catalini |
| 1982 | Bill Synnott | 1990 | Paul Palmisciano | 1998 | Jim Fitchett | 2006 | Mike MacKenty | 2014 | Sara Morgan |
| 1983 | Eeve Arkush | 1991 | David Briggs | 1999 | Bill Wellman | 2007 | Mary Meadows | 2015 | Jim Whalen |
| 1984 | Ralph Loftin | 1992 | Rick Swanborg | 2000 | Luke Chilone | 2008 | Jo Hoppe | 2016 | David Jackson |
Capital Area (Washington, D.C.) Chapter
Capital Area Website SIM's first chapter to be Chartered in May 1979.
Central California (Fresno) Chapter
Central California Chapter Website. The geographical scope of the Central California Chapter is primarily within the San Joaquin Valley – from Stockton, CA to Bakersfield, CA.
Central Connecticut Chapter
Central Connecticut Website Chartered in November 1984.
Central Florida Chapter
Central Florida Chapter Website
Charlotte Region Chapter
Chicago Chapter
Chicago Chapter Website Chartered in September 1979.
Colorado Chapter
Colorado Chapter Website Chartered in February 1988.
Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter
Dallas Fort Worth Chapter Website. Chartered in 1983. The IT Executive of the Year Award was created by the Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter in 1998. The DFW SIM Chapter played host chapter for SIMposium in 1986, 2006, and 2012.
Detroit Chapter
Detroit Chapter Website Chartered in October 1987.
Fairfield/Westchester (Connecticut and New York) Chapter
Fairfield/Westchester Chapter Website. Chartered in 2000.[31]
Houston Chapter
Indianapolis Chapter
Indianapolis Chapter Website Chartered in September 1986.
Las Vegas Chapter
Las Vegas Chapter Website Chartered in 2012.
Louisville Chapter
Louisville Chapter Website Chartered October 2014
Memphis Chapter
Memphis Chapter Website Chartered in October 1988.
Minnesota Chapter
The Minnesota Chapter strives to bring all the above benefits close to home. Through meetings and presentations by fellow top practitioners, industry leaders, and recognized experts in technology and management, the Minnesota Chapter strives to offer members an opportunity to establish peer contacts, share critical leadership issues, and discuss common concerns.[32] The result is access to both local and international perspectives, continuing professional development and an elite network of peer resources. Interested CIOs, VP of Information Systems, Directors and other senior level managers of technology are welcome to apply.
In Minnesota SIM, a typical meeting includes an interactive presentation with engaging dialog between members and presenters followed by time for networking with fellow members.
The following are examples of recent program topics:
"Switching Gears: Learn to Successfully Navigate Through Change"
"Everybody Talks but Few Communicate"
"The Essential Architect: Pulling the Thread"
"Practical Advice to Cutting IT Costs" (Panel Discussion)
“End-of-Life IT Asset Disposal Processes: The Road to Mitigating Financial & Legal Risks” (Panel Discussion)
“The Value of Building Your Professional Network”
“Managing, Leading, Coaching - `Can you afford to be ineffective with your people?'”
"Managing Change in Technology to Maximize Operational and Financial Efficiencies"
"How To Build High Performing Teams"
“Turning B Players into A Players”
"Cyber Crime, Past, Present and Future"
"See Yourself as Others Do"
"Effective Employee Management, Mentoring and Retention"
"Ready Thinking During Times of Change"
Nashville Chapter
Nashville Chapter Website Chartered in 2010
New Jersey Chapter
SIM NJ (Society for Information Management - New Jersey Chapter) - Wikipedia site
New Jersey Chapter Website Chartered in October 1984.
New York Metro Chapter
New York Metro Chapter Website. Perry Rotella, current President
Northeast Ohio Chapter
Philadelphia Chapter
Philadelphia Chapter Website Chartered in February 1985.
Portland Chapter
The Portland Chapter of SIM was formed initially in 1996 as a satellite of the Seattle SIM Chapter through the efforts of Bill Harrison, Norm Alexander, Liz Alexander, Bill Henderson and Fred Pond. These RLF leaders and recent graduates had links to the Seattle Chapter. Independent since 1999, the Portland Chapter primarily draws members from the Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington areas but also has many active members from the Salem and Corvallis regions. As of mid-2012, the chapter boasts more than 170 active members. The region is home to 1.3 million people, over 20 colleges and universities, two professional sports teams and is a center for the apparel industry, especially footwear with such names as Nike, Keen, LaCrosse/Danner, and Adidas.
The Chapter has given back to the Oregon and SW Washington community through support of local charities and scholarships to universities in the area. The Chapter has donated over $250,000 since the beginning of our philanthropic program in 2002. The chapter's primary philanthropic activity is an annual fund-raising golf tournament held in September.
Chapter programs are held monthly from September through May of the following year, traditionally on the second Wednesday evening of each month.
Past and Current Presidents of the Portland Chapter
| Year | President |
|---|---|
| 1999 | Joe Pratts |
| 2000-01 | Leslie Rohrs |
| 2002-03 | Jim Battan |
| 2004-05 | Andy Wihtol |
| 2006-07 | Fred Pond |
| 2008-09 | Mark Bryan |
| 2010-11 | Lance Harris |
| 2012- | John Pierce |
Research Triangle Park (RTP) Chapter
Research Triangle Park Website Chartered in October 1988. Formerly known as the North Carolina Chapter.
San Diego Chapter
San Diego Website Chartered in 2011
San Francisco Bay Area Chapter
San Francisco Bay Area Website Chartered in August 2015
Seattle Area Chapter
South Florida Chapter
South Florida Chapter Website Chartered in February 2006.
Southern California Chapter
Southern California Website Chartered in 2011.
St. Louis Chapter
St. Louis Chapter Website The St. Louis Chapter of SIM was formed in 2004 through the efforts of Bob Rouse, Eric Gorham, Judy Winkler, David Kocs, Terry Werner and many RLF graduates. The first meeting was held at Southwestern Bell (now ATT) in May 2004 with Darwin John as the speaker. Geographically, the chapter includes the metropolitan St. Louis region, including surrounding counties in Missouri and Illinois; the region is home to 2.9 million people, 16 colleges and universities, and 9 Fortune 500 companies.
The St. Louis SIM Charter was received at the New York SIMposium in the fall of 2004. Since then many chapter members have served on national SIM boards and committees.
From its beginning the Chapter concentrated on leadership programs at monthly meetings. In 2006 it established the annual Leadership Workshop, a 2.5-day event featuring CIO leaders and networking opportunities. In 2007 Paul Klover organized the first Charity Golf Tournament; it annually provides scholarships for undergraduate students in greater St. Louis. The Chapter is also the primary organizer of a large annual technology conference, Gateway to Innovation, which includes biotech, healthcare, government, and information technology. Drawing 1,400 participants, high-tech start-ups, 50 vendors and leading speakers, the conference provides a forum for the community to meet and highlight progress and developments. The conference also gives back into the local community, donating more than $825,00 since the first year.
The chapter has given back to the community in many ways. The chapter has provided over 20 educational scholarships in recent years. It has helped Edgewood Center and Therapeutic Horsemanship, providing needed development and systems support for information technology to support their services and administration.
Past and Current Presidents of the St. Louis Chapter
| Year | President |
|---|---|
| 2003 | Bob Rouse |
| 2004 | Mark Barry |
| 2005 | Dave Kocs |
| 2006 | Karlos Bledsoe |
| 2007 | Eric Gorham |
| 2008 | Mark White |
| 2009-10 | Jeff Villmer |
| 2011-12 | David Berndt |
| 2013-14 | Lawrence Casey |
| 2015-16 | Jeff Kennedy |
Toronto Chapter
Western New York Chapter
Western New York Chapter Website Chartered in March 2015.
Wichita Chapter
Wichita Chapter Website Chartered in December 2015.
Wisconsin Chapter
Wisconsin Chapter Website. Chartered in 1982. Members are primarily located in southeastern Wisconsin.
Society publications
The organization’s website provides an online library of publications
See also
References
- ↑ About SIM Delivering Business Value through IT Leadership www.simnet.org
- ↑ Luce, Dave, "Message from SIM" MIS Quarterly Executive, Vol. 4 No. 4 / December 2005
- ↑ Thomas Hoffman (14 October 2003). "Q&A: Society for Information Management President Ed Trainor". Computerworld. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
- ↑ Dickson, Gary W (August 1989) "A history of the Society for Information Management: the first 20 years". Published by the Society for Information Management
- ↑ "Dick Dooley". YouTube. 31 December 1969. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
- ↑ Eliot, Lance (1993). "A guided tour of the 1993 SIM annual conference, www.decisionsciences.org
- ↑ "CIO". google.com. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
- ↑ "CIO". google.com. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
- ↑ "Network World". google.com. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
- ↑ "2001 House Committee on Judiciary: Subcommittee on Civil Law". Oregon State Archives. 2001-04-18.
- ↑ (November 18, 2002). "SIM files response to president's national strategy to secure cyberspace". businesswire.com
- ↑ Letter from SIM to the American Bar Association on UCITA, January 27, 2003
- ↑ "A CIO Conversation: SIM President Nancy Markle". techtarget.com. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
- ↑ "Portable Document Format (PDF)". misqe.org. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
- ↑ Bob Brown (19 September 2005). "Q&A: Incoming user group president: Don't believe all those nasty outsourcing rumors". Network World. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
- ↑ Jay Rajani. "Bob Keefe On The State Of SIM". ciozone.com. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
- ↑ Lacity, Mary (September 1998 "An Empirical Investigation of Information Technology Sourcing Practices: Lessons from Experience", MIS Quarterly Vol. 22 No. 3
- ↑ "Portable Document Format (PDF)". misqe.org. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
- ↑ Jim Ericson (28 November 2012). "IT s Workforce Pipeline - Information Management Online Article". Information Management Online. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
- ↑ Luftman and McLean (June 2002). "Key issues for executives" MIS Quarterly Volume 26 Issue 2
- ↑ "CIO". google.com. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
- ↑ "CIO". google.com. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
- ↑ Eliot, Lance (1993) "A guided tour of the 1993 SIM annual conference,". www.decisionsciences.org
- ↑ "SIM: IT and Business Advantage Continue to Thrive". eweek.com. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
- ↑ http://www.simnet.org/?page=SIM_Women
- ↑ "Tech industry searching for girls gone geek". msnbc.com. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
- ↑ Amy Schurr (4 November 2006). "What to read to get ahead". Network World. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
- ↑ Wilson, Linda (June 28, 1993). "Learning to lead". INFORMATIONWEEK page 90.
- ↑ Video: An interview with Peter Whatnell, 2009 SIM President
- ↑ (March 11, 2010) "Atlanta IT leaders hit the links to benefit" tagthink.com
- ↑ www.fwsim.org History and Mission page
- ↑ "About MN SIM". Minnesota SIM. Retrieved 9/7/2011. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help)
External links
- Home page for the Society for Information Management
- Home page for SIMposium 2013
- Home page for the Regional Leadership Forum