KC Tech Workforce Summit 2023

Join us on August 29th to unlock the potential of Kansas City's tech workforce through KC Tech Council's Workforce Summit.

This event is designed for employers, HR professionals, recruiters, educators and individuals who are keen on keeping up with the latest developments in Kansas City's tech workforce. Propel your organization to new levels of success and help revolutionize Kansas City's tech landscape by embracing data, sparking innovation, and championing diversity.

Interested in sponsoring the KC Tech Workforce Summit? Contact Zach Gredlics.

During the half-day summit you will:

• Discover the latest workforce data and gain valuable insights into the tech industry through the latest KC Tech Specs v6 report.
• Meet with pipeline providers to understand how your workforce needs can be fulfilled through both traditional and innovative means.
• Learn how diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives can revolutionize recruitment, hiring, and retention practices.
• Explore how to attract early career professionals, or those transitioning into tech roles from other career fields, to fill your workforce talent needs.

Event Timeline:

• 11:15 a.m. | Check-in Opens

• 11:30 a.m. | Lunch Begins

• 11:45 a.m. | Welcome and Opening Remarks

• 12:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. | Using Data to Make Strategic Workforce Decisions

  • Join KC Tech Council’s CEO, Kara Lowe, and Pomerol Partner's Director of CIO Advisory Services, Kanon Cozad, as they delve into the transformative power of data in driving strategic change within your organization. Discover how to harness data to make a compelling case for adopting innovative strategies. In addition, KC Tech Council will provide valuable insights into the newly released KC Tech Specs v6 report, highlighting how you can leverage insights to foster regional and industry growth.

  • Speakers:

    • Kara Lowe | President & CEO | KC Tech Council

    • Kanon Cozad | Director of CIO Advisory Services | Pomerol Partners

• 1:15 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. | Pipeline Connections - An Interactive Introduction to Key Workforce Partners

  • ​Broaden your perspective of the tech talent pipeline by embarking on an interactive tour that sheds light on the various organizations involved in staffing, outsourcing, education, training and more. Discover the diverse range of entities playing a vital role in supporting the growth of Kansas City's tech industry.

• ​​2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. | From Information To Implementation - Integrating Your DEI Workforce Strategies  

  • Join Adam Miller, Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at American Century Investments, in a reflective session where we discuss key learnings and insights from previous sessions, focusing on diversifying hiring practices. Gain valuable strategies for garnering support for new initiatives and learn to navigate challenges with a seasoned expert in DEI.

• 3:30 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. | Fireside Chat with H&R Block 

  • ​Speakers: 

    • Laura Klopatek | VP, Corporate People & Culture | H&R Block

    • Kirstin Slepicka Bormann | VP, Corporate Systems & Tech Enablement | H&R Block

• 4:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. | Closing Remarks

• 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. | Networking

• Capstone IT | Presenting Sponsor  
• Pomerol Partners | Happy Hour Sponsor
• Ascend Learning | Industry Sponsor
• Caliber Financial Services | Industry Sponsor
• ECCO Select | Industry Sponsor
• SnapIT Solutions | Industry Sponsor
• Cboe Global Markets | Partner Sponsor
• JCCC Workforce Development & CE | Partner Sponsor
• KU Edwards | Partner Sponsor​​

About the Speakers:

Adam Miller
Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
American Century Investments 
 

Adam Miller is the head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion for the global offices of American Century Investments, where we safeguards the unique experiences of 1400 employees within the firm. Additionally, he develops and implements diverse pipeline programs and retention strategies to ensure that representation supports the human and business imperatives of the enterprise. 

An educator by trade, Miller parlayed his five-year tenure at Teach For America into a purposeful career that address the systemic inequities within the public and private sectors. His impact in the private sector began in 2020 when he served as inaugural Director of Diversity and Inclusion for Barkley, an advertising agency, where he counseled rural and urban brands on inclusion efforts. For those contributions, Miller was awarded with the 2021 Add Good Award, given to one individual in the company who edifies the culture to new heights. In terms of civic engagement, Miller serves on the board of directors for Ronald McDonald House Kansas City and the board of directors for Visit KC. In April 2023, he was assigned as an at-large commissioner to the Charter Review Commission for the City of Kansas City.

Kirstin Slepicka Bormann
VP Technology - Corporate Systems, Tech Enablement, International
H&R Block

Kirstin is a leader with a proven track record of delivering successful organization and technology transformations throughout her career in consulting at Accenture and her time at H&R Block. In her current role, Kirstin leads the team responsible for corporate systems, primarily partnering with major technology platforms. She is the technology sponsor for the H&R Block devops/squad transformation, led by her technology enablement team. Kirstin also provides a connection and leadership to the global technology teams in Canada, Ireland, India, and Australia.

Kara Lowe
President & CEO
KC Tech Council 

Kara Lowe serves as President & CEO of KC Tech Council, a member-driven organization that serves as the shared voice of Kansas City's tech industry. With nearly 200 member companies spanning from startup to enterprise, KC Tech Council advocates for public policy that helps the tech industry grow, champions meaningful workforce development programs to create a competitive tech talent pipeline, and brings the leaders of the tech industry together to achieve its mission of creating the Midwest?s most competitive tech hub.
 
Before being named President & CEO in May of 2022, she served for five and a half years as the organization's COO. Her career prior to KCTC focused on leading marketing and promotions efforts for some of Kansas City's treasured assets and events, like the Country Club Plaza. Kara currently serves on the Workforce Development board for KU Edwards Campus and is a Public Director for the board of the American Institute of Architects. She was named a member of the NextGen Leaders class of 2021 by the Kansas City Business Journal and is a 2015 graduate of the KC Chamber's Centurions Leadership Program.  

Kanon Cozad
Director of CIO Advisory Services
Pomerol Partners

Kanon is an accomplished executive leader and strategic thinker with more than 30 years of diverse technology experience. In addition to his role at Pomerol, Kanon is also the Managing Principal of Pianosa Technology Partners, a technology management consultancy focused on offering virtual-CIO and Business Intelligence & Analytics services to business around the globe. Prior to starting Pianosa, Kanon spent several decades in various technical and senior management roles in a number of industries and locations. Previous roles include serving as Chief Information Officer for TranSystems Corporation and SVP of Technology Architecture for UMB Financial Corporation, and Director of Data Warehousing & Information Architecture for Applebee's International.

Kanon has extensive experience in large-scale data management, software development, business intelligence, project management, information and enterprise architecture, and organizational change management. He has worked in industries as diverse as healthcare, hospitality, financial services, AEC (Architecture, Engineering & Construction), and general consulting.

Kanon is a regular speaker at conferences on various industry and technology topics. He is also active in numerous civic organizations focused primarily on the arts community, and serves on multiple non-profit boards; additionally, he's a partner in several arts-related businesses. Kanon holds BA degrees in English Literature and Philosophy from William Jewell College and studied Philosophy at the graduate level at The University of Kansas. He has also completed post-graduate education at both the Harvard School of Business and MIT. He lives in Kansas City, Missouri.