Executive IT Leader: Digital Transformation & AI Strategy

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Ken Collins

Salem, OR ***** • +1-503-***-**** • ***@***-*******.*** • WWW: linkedin.com/in/kencol

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Summary

Results-oriented Executive Leader specializing in digital transformation and strategic planning. Led modernization initiatives that enhanced business-IT alignment and generated new revenue. Expertise in AI and predictive analytics fosters a data-driven culture. Committed to talent development and effective executive communication, driving overall performance.

Experience

VP, Chief Information Officer, 10/2014 - 11/2025

SAIF Corporation - Salem, OR

• Executive leader at Oregon's premier workers compensation carrier with $5.1B in assets, $549M in revenue and 54,000 policyholders. Responsible for all facets of information technology including leading a 170-person team and managing an $85M+ budget.

• Developed and aligned strategic initiatives to the enterprise plan, driving critical innovations that directly increased business value and revenue.

• Modernized core business systems by replacing custom legacy applications with modern vendor platforms, increasing capacity and accelerating solution delivery, improving time to market by an average of six months.

• Implemented Workday solutions in Finance and HR, consolidating disparate systems into a comprehensive platform, reducing cost and ongoing maintenance by 30%.

• Built a cross-functional digital transformation program addressing changing customer expectations with a focus on the small business market, improving customer engagement scores by over 40%.

• Delivered a new direct-purchase acquisition channel targeting small customers and generating new revenues of $1.2M per year.

• Renovated business intelligence functions to inform decisions with AI and analytics, increasing data-driven decisions across the enterprise.

• Developed AI models and chatbots to assess claims complexity and determine adjuster assignment. By leveraging decades of data thus improving critical claims results by months, streamlining adjuster workflows.

• Redesigned organizational application delivery and infrastructure, aligning teams to a product model enhancing agility and employee development.

• Established a new information technology governance process to oversee work from prioritization through execution, increasing executive participation in IT strategic plans.

Skills

• Digital Transformation

• Strategic Planning

• Technology Vision & Strategy

• Business Process Optimization

• Business-IT Alignment

• Modernization of Core Systems

• Analytics & Business

Intelligence

• Artificial Intelligence & Data

Integration

• Cloud Computing Strategy

• Enterprise Architecture

• Data Governance

• Cybersecurity & Compliance

• Governance & Risk

Management

• Vendor Management

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Chief Technology Officer, 01/2011 - 10/2014

SAIF Corporation - Salem, OR

• Developed enterprise technology strategies aligning IT and business direction with emerging technologies, accelerating cloud, mobile, user experience, and security.

• Directed the strategic design, acquisition, management, and implementation of enterprise-wide technology infrastructure increasing up time and reducing costs.

• Migrated email, disaster recovery, and other workloads to cloud, reducing operations costs by $300,000 per year.

• Reduced risks from legacy software and enabled business innovation on modern technology platforms.

• Created a dedicated enterprise security team and function which resulted in increased security training, strengthened infrastructure, and improved operations. Dramatically reduced cyber-risk and security incidents.

• Implemented a corporate mobility initiative to enhance telecommuting and remote work flexibility enabling an overnight employee transition in response to the 2020 pandemic. Additional Technology Leadership Roles, 06/1989 - 01/2011 SAIF Corporation - Salem, OR

• Architected technology solutions that enhanced service delivery and addressed business needs effectively.

• Spearheaded technology change initiatives, managing teams of five to 45 members for strategic alignment with organizational goals.

• Provided decades of leadership to increase technology adoption and improve architectural frameworks.

Education

Bachelor of Science, : Economics, Computer Science Willamette University, Salem, OR

Executive Certificate, Innovation & Technology Management UCLA Anderson School of Management, Los Angeles, CA

• Digital Strategy, Emerging Technologies, Innovation and Leadership

Boards And Associations

• Steering Committee Member, State of Washington Labor & Industry Modernization, participated in monthly steering meetings bringing my expertise in alignment of system modernization roadmaps.

• Member, AASCIF Technology Committee, Contributed to technology strategy education

• Member, City of Salem Revenue Task Force, Member of multi- stakeholder task force reviewing revenue strategies and providing recommendations to the city council.

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Industry Presentations

• Portland Technology Summit, Aligning IT with Business Strategy, Speaker to ~100 technology and business leaders; covered Digital Transformation and Data Analytics; and highlighted cybersecurity implications.

• CIO Portland, Customer Experience, Analytics, and Cybersecurity, Panel speaker to 70 CIOs and IT leaders focused on Customer Experience and Analytics.

• AASCIF 2017, Building an Effective Analytics Program, Presenter to 50 state fund analytics and operations leaders on building analytics capability; provided roadmap for data analytics adoption.

• IASA National CFO Conference, Analytics Maturity: Unlocking the Business Value, Speaker to senior finance leaders on analytics maturity and business value; demonstrated how Data Analytics and Digital Transformation unlocked measurable cost savings and operational visibility.

• Portland CIO Forum, AI, Machine Learning, and White-Collar Employment, Panelist discussing AI and workforce impacts to ~70 CIOs.

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