The Data Warehousing Institute

Dean Abbott is a senior consultant with The Modeling Agency: a data mining training and consulting company for the data-rich, yet information-poor. Mr. Abbott has more than 20 years of experience applying advanced data mining, data preparation, and data visualization methods in real-world data intensive problems. In addition, he has developed and evaluated algorithms for use in commercial data mining and pattern recognition products and has consulted with data mining software companies to provide critiques and assessments of their current features and future enhancements. Mr. Abbott is a seasoned instructor, having taught a wide range of data mining tutorials and seminars for a decade. He possesses a unique talent to explain concepts in language readily understood by a wide range of audiences. Participants’ feedback consistently reinforces how Dean’s energy and enthusiasm for data mining is contagious.

Maureen Clarry has more than 25 years' experience in business, software development, project management, facilitation, and organizational leadership. She is co-founder of CONNECT: The Knowledge Network, specializing in building DW teams since 1992. CONNECT authored Ten Mistakes to Avoid when Building a Data Warehouse Team, Ten Mistakes to Avoid when Choosing a Data Warehousing Consultant, and How to Choose a Data Warehousing Consultant.

Paul Flach, CBIP, is an expert in business intelligence architecture, planning, and design. Mr. Flach has worked with major North American corporations, educating all levels of management on how to build organizational capability that embraces current business intelligence best practices. He has also held senior leadership positions in large Canadian corporations, implementing BI programs in matrix organizations based on effective partnerships and stakeholder management practices. He is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and teaches courses throughout North America on planning, business analytics, design, and construction of business intelligence solutions.

Jonathan Geiger, CBIP, is an executive vice president with Intelligent Solutions, Inc. Jonathan has been involved in many Corporate Information Factory projects in many industries. He presents frequently at national and international conferences, has written more than 30 articles, and is a co-author of three books, Data Stores, Data Warehousing and the Zachman Framework: Managing Enterprise Knowledge, Building the Customer-Centric Enterprise, and Mastering Data Warehouse Design.

Michael L. Gonzales, CBIP, has been a chief architecture and solutions strategist for more than a decade, specializing in business intelligence technologies and techniques. Mr. Gonzales is currently a principal at Claraview, Inc. where he leads the education department, teaching a series of DW/BI courses internationally. He is also a successful author. His latest book is BI Strategy: How to Create and Document.

Steve Hoberman, CBIP, has worked as a business intelligence and data management practitioner and trainer since 1990. He is a certified business intelligence professional (CBIP), having achieved mastery level certification in data analysis and design. He is a popular and frequent presenter at industry conferences, both nationally and internationally. Steve is a columnist and frequent contributor to industry publications, as well as the author of Data Modeler’s Workbench and Data Modeling Made Simple. He is the founder of the Design Challenges group, inventor of the Data Model Scorecard, and a recognized innovator and thought leader in the field of data modeling.

Claudia Imhoff teaches basic and advanced courses about corporate information factory (CIF) architecture, business intelligence (BI), and the development of customer relationship (CRM) applications. Claudia co-authored four books on business intelligence and the CIF. The latest is Building the Customer-Centric Enterprise (May 2001). She has served on the board of advisors for DAMA International, is an advisor and a faculty member for TDWI, and she writes monthly columns for DM Review and e-Business Advisor.

Deanne Larson, CBIP, is the president of Larson & Associates. She has more than 16 years of data warehousing and business intelligence experience. Deanne has launched several successful business intelligence initiatives at large telecoms over the last 10 years and is focused on implementing best practices. She has been instrumental in building award-winning data warehouses, and she lectures nationally and internationally. Deanne is currently pursuing a doctoral degree with a focus on data warehousing and business intelligence.

Lisa Loftis is a SVP for ISI. She is a CRM and BI expert with 22 years of experience. Ms. Loftis has worked with numerous large organizations in North America, South America, Europe, and the UK. She specializes in combining the technology necessary to support true CRM and BI business strategies with the organizational structures, executive leadership, and cultural factors required to migrate organizations toward customer focus. Lisa speaks frequently at national and international conferences, and has co-authored the book Building the Customer-Centric Enterprise.

Arkady Maydanchik is a recognized practitioner, author, and educator in the field of data quality and information integration. Arkady's data quality methodology and breakthrough ARKISTRA technology were used to provide services to numerous organizations. Arkady is an author of Data Quality Assessment for Practitioners, a frequent speaker at various conferences and seminars, and a contributor to many journals and online publications.

Dan Merriman, principal at The Revere Group, helps business and IT organizations work together to maximize business performance using business metric programs and dashboards. For more than 20 years, he has helped his clients realize significant business gains using technologies such as business intelligence/data warehousing, customer relationship management, enterprise resource planning, and e-commerce. Dan has worked with companies in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, and is a frequent speaker for conferences and corporate events.

Larissa Moss is president of Method Focus Inc. She has 28 years of IT experience, with a focus on data warehousing for 20 years. She frequently speaks at conferences worldwide on the topics of data warehousing, business intelligence, project management, development methodologies, data governance, and information quality. She co-authored the books Data Warehouse Project Management, Impossible Data Warehouse Situations, Business Intelligence Roadmap, and Data Strategy. Her articles are frequently published in DM Review, Teradata Magazine, TDWI’s Business Intelligence Journal, and the Cutter IT Journal.

John O’Brien, CBIP, is president and executive architect of Zukeran Technologies, a firm specializing in data warehouse systems architecture and strategy. John’s 18-year career in IT and engineering is comprised of in-depth engagements that provide unique insight into data warehouse evolution. He has extensive hands-on knowledge of all phases of IT projects and architectures, particularly related to the architecture and management of ongoing growth and evolution of large-scale, real-time systems and processes. John holds a BS in engineering and an MBA.

Mark Peco, CBIP, is an experienced consultant, educator, manager, analyst, and team builder. He holds a graduate degree in engineering from the University of Waterloo and has led numerous consulting and software development projects helping clients to adapt to fundamental shifts in business models and requirements. His experience includes strategy development, business intelligence, data warehousing, compliance, analytics, mathematical modeling, and application development. Mark’s industry experience includes the energy, metals, and financial sectors.

Thomas A. (Tony) Rathburn has more than 20 years of experience in the business utilization of predictive analytics technologies. Mr. Rathburn taught MIS and statistics while an instructor in the College of Business at Kent State University. He also served as vice president of applied technologies for NeuralWare, Incorporated, a neural network tools and consulting company. Mr. Rathburn is a senior consultant with The Modeling Agency—a Pennsylvania company providing guidance and results for those who are data-rich, yet information-poor.

Laura L. Reeves, co-author of first edition of The Data Warehouse Lifecycle Toolkit has more than 22 years of experience in end-to-end data warehouse development focused on developing comprehensive project plans, collecting business requirements, developing business dimensional models, database schemas (both star and snowflake designs), and development of enterprise data warehouse strategies. As StarSoft Solutions co-founder, Laura has implemented data warehouses for many business functions for private and public industry.

Lorna Rickard has more than 15 years of experience in organizational development, instructional design, and facilitation. Most recently, she served as director of culture and communications for ING Re. As a member of the senior management team, she was instrumental in changing the culture and market position of ING Re, moving industry ranking, based on revenue, from number four to number one. At CONNECT she assesses and advises client systems on cross-functional collaboration and team and organizational effectiveness.

Jed Summerton is chief solutions architect at CONNECT: The Knowledge Network (CONNECT). Jed has worked with CONNECT for 15 years as an independent consultant and as a client, and has now joined the CONNECT staff to provide senior guidance to CONNECT teams and clients in IT strategy, business intelligence, and data warehousing.

Mr. Summerton has 25 years of experience in information technology, business-process improvement, business management, and IT consulting. In his roles as technical director and senior IT manager, Mr. Summerton has formulated and executed multi-year IT plans with documented returns on investment, implemented e-commerce systems, and built one of the first real-time data warehouses larger than 10 Terabytes (TB). He also pioneered near-line storage and has received numerous industry citations and awards for storage architecture and management practices. As a consultant, Mr. Summerton has guided over 35 data warehouse and business intelligence programs from architecture to implementation for Fortune 1000® clients.

Mr. Summerton has degrees in business administration (finance) and computer science from the University of Delaware.

James Thomann, CBIP, is a principal consultant with DecisionPath Consulting and is a TDWI Fellow. He is widely recognized as a leading authority on data warehousing, object-oriented methods, and business process analysis. Dr. Thomann’s experience in the IT field spans nearly 30 years. He has provided data warehouse consulting and training services to numerous organizations worldwide in the areas of data warehouse organizational readiness, project management, development methodologies, data modeling, tool evaluation, and implementation.

Dave Wells is consultant, mentor, and teacher in the field of business intelligence (BI). He brings to every consulting endeavor a unique and balanced perspective regarding the roles of technology in business. This perspective—refined through a career of more 35 years that blended business and technical roles—helps to align business and information technology in the most effective ways. Dave focuses on strategic and organizational alignment as the keys to building and sustaining valuable and high-impact BI cultures and systems.

Nancy Williams, CBIP, is DecisionPath's vice president of business intelligence (BI) and data warehousing (DW). With more than 20 years of business and technical experience, Nancy has provided BI and DW expertise to leading companies such as Marriott International, Legg Mason, and Stewart Title, as well as public sector organizations such as the U.S. Social Security Administration and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Nancy is a regular speaker at industry events and has authored or co-authored numerous publications in the fields of BI and business performance management, including the recently released the book, The Profit Impact of Business Intelligence. Nancy earned her MBA at the Darden School, University of Virginia; her bachelor's degree is also from the University of Virginia.