MindSurf 2010 Speakers

• Bob Prentiss

  Bob Prentiss, CBAP®, is the Client Solutions Director of Business Analysis at Watermark Learning. Bob is CBAP® certified with 15+ years of Business Analysis experience managing BA Centers of Excellence, and assessing/managing BA maturity and competency. Bob stays involved in giving back to the BA community through mentoring and coaching, providing formal training, developing best practices, speaking at industry conferences on topics such as: CBAP® Certification, Centers of Excellence, Requirements Modeling, BA Competency and BA Careers. Bob is a founding member of the IIBA MSP Chapter wearing several hats on the board, currently serving as the Past President and Executive Counsel.

• Craig Vosper

  Craig Vosper, MCSD, CSPO, CSM, CSP, and Java Certified programmer is an expert on prioritizing work to maximize value. As an officer in the US Army, Craig served as a leader in various positions and also served in logistics and planning roles for large organizations. Now a partner with Clientek, Craig has been leading software development projects for all sizes of organizations for over 12 years. In the last 4 years he has been coaching and mentoring different organizations on how to define, prioritize and deliver value in the most cost efficient manner, with a focus on using Scrum to deliver software. Craig earned his Bachelor of Science in Computer Science in 1991 from the United States Military Academy at West Point NY.

• Crista Spinks

  Crista Spinks is a national speaker, spirited entrepreneur, and Director of Admissions Operations and Procedures for Globe Education Network. Crista graduated from Concordia University and holds a Master of Arts in Management from The College of St. Scholastica. With over 15 years of experience in developing and directing effective profit-driven strategies in competitive environments, Crista believes each person has a unique blend of technical and intrapersonal qualities that fosters success in business. As a past small business owner, college adjunct instructor, and sales trainer, Crista believes in motivating and inspiring others to achieve common goals. Crista’s Midwestern personality of rolling up her sleeves and using a little elbow grease to accomplish great things for others echoes her passion for success. Crista has trained on a variety of topics that include: How to Be Buzzworthy, Features vs. Benefits, Servant Leadership, Exceeding Expectations, Emotionomics, Generation Training, The Sales Person that Could, Overcoming Objections, The Sales Funnel, and Emotional Intelligence.

• Daren Weier

  Daren Weier has been teaching and implementing technology solutions for over fifteen years. During the last several years he has been a consultant in northern Minnesota, working with clients in Healthcare, Government, and non-profit organizations. His SharePoint solutions have ranged from small collaboration sites to large document management and publishing sites for many clients, both large and small. Daren is a Microsoft Certified Trainer and is also certified in Windows server and client operating systems, Microsoft Exchange and SharePoint. He lives in Northern Minnesota with his family, a big white dog and two guinea pigs.

• Dean Hyers

  After directing an independent movie for Warner Bros.,Dean Hyers taught acting to undercover agents, leading to the SagePresence curriculum for professional stage presence under pressure. Dean co-founded SagePresence in 2001, and has directed professionals beyond their fears with techniques from the movie set and spy school, helping teams win multi-million dollar business pitches, leaders gain confidence, and professionals present and network. Dean co-founded the interactive media company, Digital Café (1991), put the first CD-ROM in Rolling Stone Magazine, the first computer game in a cereal box and marketed movies on the internet (company acquired 1997 by Campbell Mithun Advertising).

• Doug Splinter

  CTO of Convergent, Doug Splinter is largely responsible for the company’s leadership in Microsoft Unified communications, which has earned the company national recognition and respect as one of few experts in UC and voice integration. With a depth of experience in IT including a management role with Novell, Doug is a skilled IT leader and problem solver with the ability to bridge business problems with realistic technology applications and solutions.

• Elizabeth Larson

  Elizabeth Larson, CBAP, PMP, is CEO of Watermark Learning. For over 25 years, she has used her real-life experience in both business analysis and project management to help solve real problems. She has presented numerous workshops, seminars, and training classes on 3 different continents. Her speaking history includes repeat appearances at Project Management Institute (PMI) Global Congresses, BA World conferences, and various IIBA chapter meetings. Her numerous published articles have appeared in a variety of professional journals, she has been quoted in PM Network and CIO magazine, has co-written the second edition of the CBAP Certification Study Guide and The Practitioners’ Guide to Requirements Management. Elizabeth was a lead contributor to the Planning and Monitoring chapter of the BABOK® Guide 2.0, as well as one of the lead contributors of the PMBOK® Guide – Fourth Edition, Collect Requirements.

• Eric Raarup

  Eric Raarup develops productivity visions and uncovers untapped business potential for businesses. Eric uses his 14 years of technology experience to accomplish this with Inetium customers. In recent years, Eric has used the Microsoft SharePoint product as the platform for much of his technical and business solution design and development, helping to propel Inetium to a consulting leadership position in the Midwest. Eric was awarded the prestigious MVP designation by Microsoft in 2007 for his technical and thoughtful leadership with Microsoft Office SharePoint Server. Eric has authored several articles and presented keynotes at many events for organizations such as AIIM and Microsoft over the course of his career. He is involved with the Minnesota High Tech Association, developing a portal for an initiative to get more students engaged in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

• Gail Sterr

  Gail Sterr joined Benchmark Learning in 2007 as a Business Software Educator. Before coming to Benchmark Learning, Gail worked in IT with Target Corporation for almost 10 years as a Systems Analyst where she gained experience in Business Analysis and Project Management. She also spent 3.5 years running her own business. Her IT background serves her well at Benchmark Learning. She was quickly able to transfer her IT experience into the Microsoft Office Suite and currently teaches Windows XP, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Project in addition to business skills classes, including Project Management Fundamentals and How to Deliver Exceptional Customer Service amongst others. Gail is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and is ITIL v3 certified in Foundations, Operational Support & Analysis and Service Operations.

• Helen Krone

  Helen Krone is a Senior Educator on the Business Applications team at Benchmark Learning, she has been training students on various business and proprietary applications since 1993. Her training expertise includes delivering education through a wide variety of modalities, including instructor-led training, classroom facilitation, web-based delivery, lecture/seminar presentations and mentoring/consulting. Helen also works with clients on instructional design, curriculum development, and project management. She has developed and written curriculum, both for general use and customized for specific business policies and procedures. In addition to her education and curriculum development capabilities, Helen is skilled at creating custom educational solutions in a variety of modalities to meet clients’ needs and goals. These solutions have included one-time custom needs as well as large migration and upgrade projects.

• Jin Cho

  Jin Cho evangelizes on Business Intelligence capabilities for a suite of Microsoft products. Jin has proven ability to deliver Business intelligence solutions utilizing leading market BI technologies. Prior to becoming a Microsoft employee, Jin spent 11 years at Allina Health System. He managed the Business Intelligence/Data Warehouse team to lead an effort to provide clinical, financial, and operational BI solutions. He was also responsible for implementing reporting and analytic environment for the Epic electronic medical record system. Jin has a bachelor degree in Statistics from the University of Minnesota.

• Jon Buck

  Jon Buck is a Business Skills and Applications Instructor at Benchmark Learning. His education philosophy is centered on using multiple learning styles to make material familiar and relevant to each student. Jon uses his training background in the government and private sectors to deliver effective training in management, human resources, communication, time management, customer service, team building and employee development. Jon is also an Adobe Certified Expert and teaches Captivate, Acrobat, FrameMaker, Photoshop, Dreamweaver and HTML/XHTML/CSS. He also specializes in video and sound editing and curriculum development. Jon's past employers include the United States Air Force, where he trained more than 350 officers and enlisted members in established processes and procedures, and U.S. Bank, where he trained managers and trainers in presentation skills and Adobe technologies.

• Kathy Northamer

  Kathy Northamer is the senior vice president for Robert Half Technology, a leading specialized staffing firm providing information technology (IT) professionals on a project and full-time basis. In this role, she oversees operations in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Northamer has more than 15 years of experience in both IT and staffing. She joined Robert Half in 2001 as a division director for Robert Half Technology and subsequently held several managerial positions, including branch manager and regional vice president. Northamer is an active member of several professional organizations including The Help Desk Institute and The Minnesota High Tech Association. She is also the current membership chair for the Minneapolis/St. Paul Chapter of the International Association of Microsoft Certified Partners (IAMCP).

• Laurel Kelly

  Laurel Kelly came to Benchmark Learning in April 2007. She received her degree in Philosophy from the University of St. Thomas where her experience as a Philosophy tutor first sparked her interest in helping others through education. Laurel worked in recruiting and human resources until she discovered her true passion in training. She currently teaches a variety of Microsoft Office products including Excel, Access, Word, Outlook and PowerPoint, and is continuing to grow her repertoire of classes taught. In her spare time, Laurel enjoys reading, running and spending time at the lake.

• Lonnie Weaver-Johnson

  After obtaining a degree in Speech Communications, Lonnie Weaver-Johnson has had over 20 years in business. Most of that time she has spent time implementing IT projects or managing people using a servant leadership style. Lonnie enjoys transforming people into becoming something better. Whether it be conflict resolution, performance management, or simply imparting knowledge, Lonnie thrives on helping people get from one place to the next. Lonnie began working with Scrum in 2006 and her Scrum training has taken her across the country and to India and Canada to share her knowledge of Scrum. In 2008, Lonnie was selected to speak at the Scrum Gathering in Chicago. Certified at the Certified Scrum Professional (CSP) level, Lonnie has helped numerous teams learn and grow together until they reach that high performance stage. Her candid and patient coaching style helps people understand how to make the necessary behavioral changes to make Scrum work on their teams. Lonnie’s ultimate goal is to get people to understand that when someone suggests that we make an improvement, it is a gift to know there are different (and sometimes better) ways to perform. Currently, Lonnie is a consultant at Clientek, a Minneapolis based consulting firm helping organizations transform the way they do work.

• Mark Slade

  Mark Slade started as an Educator for Benchmark Learning in June of 2005 and teaches a variety of Microsoft classes. He recently became one of two Education Managers for the Benchmark Learning education team. Mark graduated from St. John's University with a degree in education and taught in the Eden Prairie School District for four years. He also started his own carpentry/remodeling business. Mark enjoys carpentry, running, biking, camping and spending time with his family. It is his goal to make learning an enjoyable, meaningful and approachable experience.

• Nick Stillings

  Nick Stillings, is a Business Productivity Specialist for Microsoft, focusing on Microsoft SharePoint Technologies and the Microsoft Office System. Nick has worked for Microsoft in their Minneapolis district office in a variety of sales, management and consulting roles for the past 17 years. He has a Masters in Business Administration from the Carlson School at the University of Minnesota; a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems Technology from Purdue University, and an Associate’s Degree in Computer Programming, also from Purdue.
  

• Pete Machalek

  Pete Machalek is co-founder of SagePresence, a partnership of filmmakers who came together to offer their expertise in message and performance to professionals and organizations. Since 2001, they have delivered presentations, workshops and individual coaching sessions to help their clients generate confident and influential stage presence to win their audiences over, everywhere from the networking floor to the presenter's stage.

• Stephen Shaner

  Stephen Shaner has been entertaining audiences for over 20 years. His enthusiasm and passion for serving others has helped him build a growing professional speaking business. Stephen is currently serving as a District Governor with Toastmasters International, a professional speaking and leadership organization, where he oversees approximately 5,000 members. For the past 9 years he has also served as a facilitator of Stephen Covey's “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.” Stephen incorporates communication and leadership skills to meet professional demands and meet personal goals, and is passionate about helping others be successful.

• Virgil Carroll

  Virgil Carroll grew up as an Alaskan fisherman so he knows that life, like business, can be smooth sailing one minute and stormy seas the next. After graduating from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks with a degree in Sports Medicine, Virgil earned a Masters in Instructional Design from the University of Alabama, Birmingham. As High Monkey's President and Chief Architect, Virgil has been creating SharePoint based solutions since 2003. He has extensive experience as a .NET developer with usability and design expertise thrown in for good measure. Virgil is a certified athletic trainer and the founder and president of Minnesota MILE, a non-profit youth leadership development organization. Virgil is a well known industry leader and speaks all around the world including Microsoft’s SharePoint conference and SharePoint Best Practices Conferences in the US and UK. Virgil also speaks at 8-10 SharePoint Saturdays each year across the United States.

• Wes Preston

  Wes Preston is a SharePoint consultant and Microsoft MVP. He works primarily as a SharePoint product specialist, Solution Designer and IT Pro – helping align business needs with the SharePoint platform and guiding organizations through the use of best practices. Wes has been a developer, consultant and technology evangelist for 15 yrs. Outside of the office Wes spends time with his wife and 2 boys. He is one of the organizers and a frequent speaker at the Minnesota SharePoint User Group and SharePoint Saturday – Twin Cities. Wes maintains a blog at www.idubbs.com/blog.