Financial Services Cyber Security

PROFILE

Strategic, forward-thinking technology executive with 40+ years of experience leading enterprise Agile transformations and delivering impactful, business-aligned technology portfolios. Proven ability to manage complex, multi-million-dollar project portfolios, develop long-term technology roadmaps, and align IT execution with strategic goals across Financial Services, Healthcare, Retail, and Non-Profit sectors. Adept in driving digital transformation, cloud migrations, and enterprise change through cross-functional leadership, metrics-based governance, and collaborative stakeholder engagement. Known for delivering measurable ROI, managing risk, and fostering innovation with empathy, integrity, and professionalism.

CORE COMPETENCIES

Enterprise Portfolio Management Strategic Roadmapping Jira Confluence Tableau Power BI Azure DevOps Salesforce MS Power Platform Artificial Intelligence Cloud Transformation (AWS/Azure) Cyber Security Technology Governance MS Sql Server MS CoPilot Chat GPT Gemini Machine Level Modeling SharePoint

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Discover Financial Services – Chicago, IL 9/2024 - Present

Senior Program Delivery Manager

- Spearheaded the delivery of three enterprise-scale programs within the Payment Services domain, directing six Agile development teams and collaborating closely with Business Technology Product Managers to align delivery with strategic priorities.

- Orchestrated multi-million-dollar innovation portfolios, ensuring all initiatives were executed in alignment with defined KPIs, corporate OKRs, and long-term financial objectives.

- Built and governed centralized JIRA dashboards for cross-program visibility, enabling real-time monitoring of backlog health, sprint velocity, and delivery risks across all teams.

- Partnered with executive stakeholders to drive strategic alignment between technology investments and business value delivery—enhancing transparency, capacity planning, and fiscal accountability.

- Led high-visibility, cross-functional initiatives by applying structured program governance and Agile best practices to accelerate time-to-value and ensure program outcomes met strategic goals.

- Saved 250,000 annual one time cost of operational costs in establishing automated weekly, monthly, and quarterly AI reports.

The OCC – Chicago, IL 11/2022 -9/2024

Senior Scrum Master / Agile Coach

-Championed the digital transformation of core financial systems by leading Agile delivery for a multi-phase rewrite of base applications, modernizing legacy architecture to enable scalable, cloud-ready platforms.

-Facilitated execution of enterprise portfolio initiatives by standardizing Agile ceremonies, embedding governance frameworks, and fostering a cross-functional Community of Practice (CoP) to drive organizational learning.

-Developed and maintained SLA-driven performance dashboards, enabling real-time visibility into sprint throughput, backlog readiness, and team velocity—supporting executive-level decisions on investment and resource allocation.

-Acted as an Agile transformation leader, coaching Product Owners and technical leads on backlog refinement, dependency management, and cross-team synchronization to accelerate delivery of high-value features.

-Partnered with enterprise architects and engineering leads to save over 150K in annual costs by converting stand-alone processes into modular services.

CDK Global – Hoffman Estates, IL 12/2021 – 01/2023

Director of Agile Methodologies & Transformation

- Architected and implemented an enterprise-wide Agile transformation roadmap, increasing delivery predictability and ROI by 35% across business-critical portfolios.

- Oversaw Agile adoption and operational maturity across 14 concurrent programs, managing delivery cadence, KPIs, and budget forecasting aligned to enterprise strategy.

- Introduced standardized Agile governance practices including program increment (PI) planning, value stream mapping, and team-level OKRs to ensure delivery alignment with business objectives.

- Partnered with executive leadership to embed Agile mindset and metrics-driven decision-making into quarterly planning, portfolio prioritization, and technology investment cycles.

- Consolidated Agile toolsets, streamlined release workflows, and optimized resource allocation—achieving $350,000 in annual operational cost savings by eliminating inefficiencies across duplicated delivery functions.

Chicago Executive Consulting – Palatine, IL 03/2013 – 12/2021

Principal / Vice President

-Directed digital transformation and portfolio management initiatives across diverse sectors—including Hotel, Financial Services, Healthcare, Telecommunications, Insurance, Food Manufacturing, and Automotive—delivering scalable solutions that modernized legacy systems, improved customer experience, and aligned technology execution with unique industry regulatory and operational requirements.

-Delivered over $25M in strategic IT programs; led cross-functional collaboration, resource planning, and supplier governance.

-Developed technology portfolios and executive dashboards for Fortune 500 clients to support enterprise decision-making.

BCS Financial Corporation (Blue Cross Subsidiary) – Oakbrook Terrace, IL 08/2007 – 10/2013

Assistant Vice President – Information Services

-Oversaw department-wide technology strategy, aligning a $5M IT budget with enterprise business objectives to drive operational efficiency across finance, claims, and underwriting platforms.

-Led the enterprise shift to Agile governance, implementing cross-functional KPIs and velocity tracking dashboards that improved project predictability and stakeholder satisfaction.

-Championed modernization of legacy applications, (Upgraded Oracle to Version 12), integrating automated workflows (Implemented Salesforce) and real-time reporting tools (Oracle BI) that enhanced compliance, reduced manual processing, and increased data transparency.

-Delivered $250K+ in annual operational savings by streamlining vendor contracts, consolidating redundant systems, and optimizing internal resource utilization through targeted process improvements.

Additional Job Employment History upon request

EDUCATION & CERTIFICATIONS

B.S., Computer Science – Loyola University of Chicago

SAFe 6.2 Certified – Leading Agilist, RTE, Product Owner/Product Manager, Scrum Master

PMP, PMI-ACP, CSPO, ITIL Certified, AI Instructor (Intel Certified)

Cyber Security Forensic Technician Microsoft Certified Trainer

EDUCATIONAL & CIVIC CONTRIBUTIONS

Adjunct Faculty – Harper Community College (Agile, PM, AI, Cybersecurity, SQL, Azure, AWS AI)

Adjunct Faculty – City Colleges of Chicago (Network A+, Cybersecurity, AI Fundamentals)

American Red Cross – Disaster Action Team Volunteer / Senior Dispatcher/Duty Officer Trainer

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