Prior to this role, Geisler was Senior Manager of Enterprise and Mid-Market Solutions technical marketing organization, responsible for the development and delivery of Cisco Validated Designs inclusive of third party applications to support Cisco's customer's business strategies. A high tech veteran, with over 20 years of experience in both applications and networking, Geisler brings an analytical approach to delivering networking solutions that solve real business issues.
Tore Gillbrand

Gary J. Beach
Publisher Emeritus
CIO Magazine

Gary Beach brings more than 30 years of information technology publishing experience to his role as publisher emeritus of IDG’s CIO magazine. Beach is a highly regarded spokesperson throughout the United States and the global technology industry and he has testified on key issues facing the IT industry before the U.S. House and Senate. From the Oval Office of the White House in 1995, Beach launched an IT non-profit organization called Tech Corps that continues to challenge IT professionals to assist the education tech issues of K-12 schools in America. As an expert on the role of the CIO, IT best practices and future IT predictions, he is frequently quoted by major media organizations such as CNN, CNBC, USA Today, The New York Times, The San Francisco Chronicle and Business Week. From 1998 – 2002 he contributed commentaries on key tech issues to NPR’s “All Things Considered” program. Beach is a frequent guest speaker at many industry conferences as well as user events for firms such as Microsoft, IBM, Dell, EMC and CA. In 2008, Beach developed and moderated CIO magazine’s “How to Sell the CIO” sales development program.

Prior to joining CIO Magazine in 1997, Beach was publisher and president of two IDG publications, Computerworld and Network World. He joined IDG in 1987 after a 10 year career in managerial posts at McGraw-Hill, Inc.

Laura K. Ipsen
Senior Vice President
Global Policy and Government Affairs (GPGA)

Laura K. Ipsen is Senior Vice President of Global Policy and Government Affairs (GPGA) for Cisco. Since 1996, Ipsen has been responsible for developing Cisco’s public policy agenda and managing government affairs activities worldwide. As Senior Vice President, Ipsen leads a global team of government affairs professionals responsible for advancing governmental policies in support of broadband and IP-based technologies; with the goal of becoming trusted advisors to governments worldwide on technology-related issues.

Ipsen also leads Cisco's Women's Advisory Group, which identifies and recommends gender-focused strategies as part of Cisco's Inclusion and Diversity Council. In addition, Ipsen is the co-chair of Cisco's EcoBoard, which leads Cisco's comprehensive “green” strategy related to the use of information technology to achieve a positive impact on the environment and climate change. In 2008, Ipsen received the Women Making History award from US Senator Barbara Boxer for her work on environmental issues.

Ipsen serves on the boards of the European American Business Council, the Public Affairs Council, One Economy Corporation, and the Technology Board for Pacific Research Institute. Ipsen is the past president and chair of the board of the Organization of Women in International Trade (OWIT) and the past chair of the Board of Directors for the Information Technology Industry Council (ITIC).

Prior to Cisco, Ipsen worked in government affairs and international trade for Hitachi Data Systems and Acer Corp. Ipsen began her career in government affairs and international trade with PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Ipsen holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the University of Virginia and studied Arabic at Yarmouk University in Jordan.

Peter Tseronis

Recognized as a well-respected entity that has led innovative and progressive programs resulting in management efficiencies and integrated solutions, Peter Tseronis is known for his ability to orchestrate strategic change, foster a culture of accountability, and explain technical processes and operations to those that may not maintain a technical perspective. Mr. Tseronis’ capacity to build team consensus and coalitions within the public and private sector has produced high-quality results in a continually changing environment.
Mr. Tseronis, as the Director, currently leads the Network Services for the U.S. Department of Education. His leadership and customer centric approach has reduced operational costs, increased organizational flexibility, optimized workforce productivity, and improved organizational communications capabilities. Having assumed a multi-million dollar budget to transform the Department’s divergent voice, video, and data communications into an enterprise-level converged solution, Mr. Tseronis achieved tangible results. As a consequence, financial resources are now allocated more efficiently with improved outcomes due to the effectiveness of Mr. Tseronis’ approach.
Currently, Mr. Tseronis is engaged in key government-wide leadership, including serving as Co-Chairman of the OMB/CIO Council Federal IPv6 Working Group, a voting member on the Interagency Management Council for Federal Telecommunications, a board member of the Independent Telecommunications Pioneer Association, a government advisory panel member for the American Council for Technology/Industry Advisory Council’s Networks and Telecommunications special interest group, and vice-president in charge of Programs for the Association for Federal Information Resources Management
Having started his federal career more than 16 years ago as a management analyst at the Pentagon for the U.S. Army, Mr. Tseronis’ leadership skills were rapidly recognized as he continued his career in financial systems modernization, procurement system management, and security oversight related to program management, among many other notable responsibilities.
Mr. Tseronis received his B.A. in Communications from Villanova University and earned his M.S. in Information and Telecommunication Systems from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD.

Gary J. Beach
Publisher Emeritus
CIO Magazine

Gary Beach brings more than 30 years of information technology publishing experience to his role as publisher emeritus of IDG’s CIO magazine. Beach is a highly regarded spokesperson throughout the United States and the global technology industry and he has testified on key issues facing the IT industry before the U.S. House and Senate. From the Oval Office of the White House in 1995, Beach launched an IT non-profit organization called Tech Corps that continues to challenge IT professionals to assist the education tech issues of K-12 schools in America. As an expert on the role of the CIO, IT best practices and future IT predictions, he is frequently quoted by major media organizations such as CNN, CNBC, USA Today, The New York Times, The San Francisco Chronicle and Business Week. From 1998 – 2002 he contributed commentaries on key tech issues to NPR’s “All Things Considered” program. Beach is a frequent guest speaker at many industry conferences as well as user events for firms such as Microsoft, IBM, Dell, EMC and CA. In 2008, Beach developed and moderated CIO magazine’s “How to Sell the CIO” sales development program.

Prior to joining CIO Magazine in 1997, Beach was publisher and president of two IDG publications, Computerworld and Network World. He joined IDG in 1987 after a 10 year career in managerial posts at McGraw-Hill, Inc.

Nick Earle
Senior Vice President, Cisco Services, European Markets
Cisco Systems, Inc.

As the leader for Cisco Services across the 20 countries that comprise the European Markets, Earle is
responsible for developing innovative services-led strategies to help accelerate customer success and partner
profitability with Cisco network technology and applications. Specifically, Earle focuses on how services can help
customers utilize the network as a platform for business differentiation. Cisco Services is a growing part of Cisco's
overall business, with revenues in excess of US$5 billion annually.

With over 27 years IT industry experience, Earle has held a number of senior management positions. Prior to
joining Cisco, he served as CEO at StreamServe Inc., one of Europe’s largest privately held software companies
and President of EMEA Operations at Ariba, a leading e-procurement company.

Previously, Earle spent 18 years at Hewlett Packard, where he held several high profile roles in Europe and the
US—eventually rising to Chief Marketing Officer for HP’s US$35 billion enterprise computing business. He also
served as President of HP’s Internet business, one of only two pan-HP business units.
Earle is a recognised expert in emerging business models and the role collaboration and e-business plays in
delivering value and profit. He has co-authored two business books—
Mesh Collaboration: Creating New Business Value in the Network of Everything released in 2008 and From
Dot.com to Dot.profit published in 2000.

Earle has a honorary doctorate in computing science and is a honorary visiting fellow at Bradford University. He is
married with two daughters and lives in Surrey, England.

David Sherry, CISSP CISM
Chief Information Security officer
Brown University

As CISO at Brown, David Sherry has institutional responsibilities to provide proactive security expertise, engineer robust security architecture, drive identity strategy and policy, and enhance the culture of security awareness.  As the university spokesman for information security, Sherry also plays a key role in the record management program, business continuity planning, research protection, and copyright compliance.  Prior to moving to higher education he spent several years in financial services, with responsibilities for enterprise security governance and regulatory compliance, access controls and operations, identity management, and the security awareness program.  During his tenure Sherry managed his InfoSec teams to unprecedented service level and regulatory accomplishments, and recognized best-practice security processes.  Mr. Sherry is a frequent conference speaker on emerging security topics and best practices, presents several times per month on social networking to community and parent groups, and is a guest-lecturer throughout the academic year at several New England institutions.

David Kirkpatrick
Senior Editor, Internet & Technology
Fortune Magazine

David Kirkpatrick, senior editor for internet and technology at FORTUNE, specializes in the computer and technology industries, as well as in the impact of the Internet on business and society. He is currently on leave writing a book entitled The Facebook Effect, on the history and impact of the social networking collosus.

Kirkpatrick joined FORTUNE in 1983 and in 1991 began writing fulltime about computing and technology. This past June he published "Microsoft After Gates," a definitive account of Microsoft's prospects and challenges as its founder steps away. Other recent Fortune features have examined Facebook, MySpace, Second Life, and Microsoft in China. Known especially for his weekly "Fast Forward" column on a wide range of tech topics, Kirkpatrick is regularly ranked one of the world’s top technology journalists.

He is the creator of Fortune's Brainstorm conference series and this year was program director for Brainstorm Tech, a multi-disciplinary event in Half Moon Bay, California inJuly.

Kirkpatrick appears frequently as a technology industry expert on TV, radio, and Net video.

In October 2006 Kirkpatrick was named to the World Economic Forum’s International Media Council, consisting of 100 of global media leaders. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Padmasree Warrior
Chief Technology Officer
Cisco

Padmasree Warrior is Cisco Systems’ Chief Technology Officer. As CTO, she is responsible for helping drive the
company’s technological innovations and strategy, and works closely with its senior executive team and board of
directors to align these efforts with Cisco’s corporate goals. As an evangelist for what’s possible, she pushes the
organization to stretch beyond its current capabilities – not just in technology, but also in its strategic partnerships
and new business models.

Warrior joined Cisco in 2007. Prior to that, she was the CTO at Motorola, where she led a team of 26,000
engineers and directed Motorola Labs, with an annual R&D budget of $3.7 billion. Over the course of her 23 years
at that company, she served in a broad range of roles, including as Corporate Vice President and General
Manager of Motorola’s Energy Systems Group, and as Corporate Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for
its Semiconductor Products Sector.

Warrior’s energetic, approachable and pragmatic leadership style integrates ideas from diverse sources, which
include engineers, sociologists, technologists, marketers, policy experts and others. Throughout her career, she
has earned a reputation for establishing processes that tap a rich diversity of technical, business and
entrepreneurial IQ to nurture disruptive and breakthrough innovations, speed development time to market, and
improve the way people work, live, play and learn.

Under Warrior’s leadership, Motorola was awarded the 2004 National Medal of Technology by the President of
the United States, the first time the company had received this honor. Recently, the Economic Times ranked her
as the 11th Most Influential Global Indian, and the United States Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce
recognized her with its prestigious Excellence Award.

Warrior is also a strong and vocal advocate for women and minorities in math, science and engineering. In 2007,
she was inducted into the Women in Information Technology International Hall of Fame, and received the YWCA
Metropolitan Chicago Outstanding Woman of Achievement Award. She has been recognized as a role model by
many organizations, including the Girl Scouts Illinois Crossroads Council, Notre Dame Girls High School, the
South Asian Women Leadership Forum and as a Science Spectrum Trailblazer. In 2001 she was one of six
women nationwide selected to receive the "Women Elevating Science and Technology" award from Working
Woman magazine.

Warrior is also a committed community leader. She has served on the boards of Chicago’s Joffrey Ballet and
Museum of Science and Industry, the Singapore Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR), the
Chicago Mayor’s Technology Council, Cornell University Engineering Council and advisory council of Indian
Institute of Technology. She previously served on the Texas Governor's Council for Digital Economy, the White
House Fellowships Selection Board, and the Technology Advisory Council for the FCC and on the Advisory
Committee for the Computing and Information Science and Engineering of the National Science Foundation
(NSF).

Warrior holds a M.S. degree in chemical engineering from Cornell University and a B.S. degree in chemical
engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in New Delhi, India. In 2007 she was awarded an
honorary Doctorate of Engineering from New York's Polytechnic University. In addition, Warrior serves on
numerous governmental, industry and charitable boards and panels. She is married, and the proud mother of one
son.

Robert Willett
CIO
Best Buy

Robert A. Willett became Best Buy Co., Inc's CIO - Best Buy International in February 2006. He previously served as executive VP - Operations since April 2004. In April 2002, we engaged Willett as a consultant and special advisor to our Board on matters relating to operational efficiency and excellence. Prior to that, he was the global managing partner for the retail practice at Accenture LLP, a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, and was also a member of its Executive Committee. Willett began his career in store management at Marks & Spencer P.L.C., a British department store chain, and has held executive positions at F.W. Woolworth & Co., a department store chain, as well as several other retailers in the United Kingdom. He is a member of the CIO Hall of Fame.

Quentin Hardy
National Editor
ForbesMagazine

Quentin Hardy is National Editor of Forbes Magazine. He joined the magazine in March 1999, and has written cover stories on Google, Hewlett Packard, telecommunications, philanthropy, and technology in Africa, among others.

He is a regular on Forbes on Fox, a weekly show on the Fox Cable News Network, and a frequent guest on CNBC’s Kudlow and Company. He speaks at over twenty events a year.

Prior to Forbes, Mr. Hardy spent eight years at The Wall Street Journal, covering the Japanese financial meltdown in Tokyo and the late-nineties boom in the Silicon Valley.

A recipient of a Knight-Bagehot Fellowship in Business Journalism and an Overseas Press Club award, he also teaches at the Information School of the University of California, Berkeley.

Rebecca J. Jacoby
Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer
Cisco

Chief Information Officer Rebecca Jacoby has more than 14 years of experience at Cisco in a variety of
operations and IT leadership roles. Her extensive understanding of business operations helps her advance
Cisco’s business through the use of Cisco technology. Jacoby is responsible for making the Cisco IT group a
strategic business partner and for producing significant business value for Cisco in the form of financial
performance, customer satisfaction and loyalty, market share, and productivity. Her strong commitment to
operational excellence, innovative approach to business problems, and aptitude for partnering cross-functionally
are reshaping and elevating the role of IT at Cisco.
Previously at Cisco, Jacoby was Vice President for Customer Service and Operational Systems and played a key
leadership role on the Business Process Operations Council, which governs the transformation agenda at Cisco.
Before that she was director of manufacturing for the Access business unit prior to establishing the central
manufacturing planning function in 1997 and assuming responsibility for manufacturing IT in 1999. Jacoby joined
Cisco as senior manufacturing operations manager. In 1996, she was recognized with the YWCA Tribute to
Women and Industry (TWIN) award.
Prior to joining Cisco, Jacoby held a variety of planning and operations positions at UB Networks, Inc. and
Amdahl Corporation.
Jacoby has a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of the Pacific and a masters in business
administration from Santa Clara University.

Bob Melk
Group Publisher, CIO & Network World
CXO Media/Network World Inc.

Bob Melk brings more than 20 years’ media and technology experience to his role as Group Publisher of CIO and Network World. In this role Melk has sales and marketing responsibilities for the full CIO and Network World media product lines including the award-winning websites (www.CIO.com and www.networkworld.com), magazines and executive event portfolios as well as oversight for CIO’s editorial strategy. He possesses in-depth knowledge of print and online publishing, sales, sales training, and is recognized as a business development leader with a proven track record and extensive contacts in the technology industry.

A popular speaker at industry events, Melk possesses an in-depth and intimate knowledge of the pain points and opportunities facing today's enterprise IT organizations and how to market to IT decision-makers. Melk has recently spoken several user-group conferences and webcasts for companies including Computer Associates, SAS and WebEx.

Prior to joining CXO Media/Network World, Melk held a variety of executive management positions at several media companies including CMP Media and Miller Freeman. Bob joined CXO Media in 2004 as Vice President Sales & Integrated Solutions for CIO and quickly moved up through the sales organization to Publisher. He has led the field sales, marketing, and editorial teams for the CIO brand during its evolution to a web-centric media company. He added sales and marketing responsibilities for the Network World brand portfolio to his role in January 2009 when he was named Group Publisher.

Melk is a graduate of the State University of New York at Oswego with a B.A. in Broadcasting.

John Chambers is Chairman and CEO of Cisco. Since January 1995, when he assumed the role of CEO, Chambers has grown the company from US$1.2 billion in annual revenues to its current run-rate of approximately US$35 billion. In November 2006, he was named Chairman of the Board, in addition to his CEO role.

Chambers has been lauded by government leaders and countless publications worldwide for his visionary strategy, his ability to drive an entrepreneurial culture, and his warm-hearted, straight-talking approach.

Karyn Scott
Cisco Marketing
Karyn Scott heads Cisco’s global CIO Marketing program.  A six- year Cisco veteran, Scott’s professional career started in journalism working for CNN and Fox News.  She then began a 22 year journey in technology marketing which includes Director of Channel Marketing at Macromedia, Director of Corporate Marketing at Latitude Communications and Senior Manager, Worldwide Marketing for the Desktop Media Group at Autodesk.  Scott also co-founded and ran a multimedia development start-up.  She lives with her family and 2-year old Golden Retriever in Marin County, CA.