Mike Cisek is an analyst in the Midsize Enterprise (MSE) Research team at Gartner focusing on infrastructure and operations and cloud strategy contextualized to meet the needs of midsize organizations. Cisek spent more than 26 years as an IT Leader and technologist and has worked with MSE CIOs and IT leaders as an Analyst for 10 years on strategies and tactics related to infrastructure design, cloud strategy, I&O maturity, cost optimization and IT operations best practices, tailored to organizations their size. Prior to joining Gartner, Cisek held the title of Director of Emerging Infrastructure & Operations Support for a $400 million transportation company. Under his leadership, his team was honored by CIO Magazine and Midsize Enterprise Summit, and was listed twice on the Information Week 500.

Adam Dennison brings more than 20 years of media, events, and technology marketplace experience to his role as VP, Midsize Enterprise Services (MES), at The Channel Company (TCC). In this role, Dennison is responsible for driving the MES strategy and product development across live and digital events, fostering growth within the MES IT Leadership Network, creating engaging midmarket research, and more. Dennison spends his time with midmarket IT leaders and the vendors that serve them, to best understand how MES can support networking, collaboration, and engagement between both parties. Prior to rejoining TCC, Dennison spent 13 years with IDG, most recently as SVP Publisher at CIO, and GM at IDG Events, responsible for the CIO brand and all US events.

Whynde Kuehn is recognized globally as a highly sought-after pioneer and thought leader in business architecture, with a distinguished track record of creating successful strategic business architecture teams worldwide. She has worked with an extensive array of organizations to build their capacity for end-to-end strategy execution, including Fortune 500 and global enterprises, governmental and non-profit organizations, social enterprises, startups, and cross-sector initiatives. Whynde is the creator of Biz Arch Mastery, a dedicated online platform and community that helps professionals master the art and science of business architecture. She is a Fellow with the Institute for Digital Transformation and a member of the Fast Company Executive Board. She is also a co-founder of the Business Architecture Guild® and has helped advance and formalize the discipline across the globe. Whynde is an adjunct professor within the Penn State Smeal College of Business Executive Education program and author of the book Strategy to Reality. Whynde is exceptionally passionate about assisting mission-driven organizations in succeeding and scaling through the application of solid business approaches. Likewise, she routinely inspires corporate entities to use business as a force for good.

Kris Paronto—“Tanto” as he is affectionately known in security contracting circles—is a former Army Ranger from 2nd Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment and private security contractor who has deployed throughout South America, Central America, the Middle East and North Africa. He also worked with the U.S. Government’s Global Response Staff conducting low profile security in high threat environments throughout the world.

Paronto was part of the CIA annex security team that responded to the terrorist attack on the U.S. Special Mission in Benghazi, Libya on September 11, 2012, helping to save over 20 lives while fighting off terrorists for over 13 hours. Paronto’s story is told in the book 13 Hours, written by Mitchell Zuckoff and his five surviving annex security team members, and in the 2016 major motion picture of the same name.

Born in Alamosa, Colorado, Paronto obtained his Bachelor’s Degree from Mesa State College in Grand Junction, Colorado and Master’s Degree from The University of Nebraska at Omaha. He served 4 years in the U.S. Army and an additional 4 years in the U.S. Army National Guard, reaching the rank of Sergeant then becoming a commissioned officer in 2003. He started contracting for Blackwater Security Consulting in 2003 and continued to deploy on various security contracts, to include the Global Response Staff until 2013. He is also the author of the 2017 motivational book The Ranger Way.

For more than 10 years, Paronto has been involved in security operations in hostile environments and his team’s involvement with the September 11, 2012 attack on the U.S. special mission in Benghazi, Libya was paramount in the saving of U.S. lives and assets. He is a proven leader, teammate and friend to those who have deployed with him, and a devout father to a loving wife and two remarkable children.