Community of Interest: Workforce/Education

Dr. Bonnesen is the Director/Principal of Summit Technology Academy (STA) at The Missouri Innovation Campus, a national model for preparing high school juniors and seniors for college and for the high wage, high-demand professional workforce. STA serves students from 30 public and private high schools in the KC area.  STA has progressive programs that attract top talent and streamline their accent into key workforce sectors.  Dr. Bonnesen has over 24 years of experience in education.  He has received numerous awards and recognitions within the educational and civic spheres.  He holds a doctorate and specialist’s degree in educational leadership from Saint Louis University. In addition, he also has earned a master’s degree in school counseling and a bachelor’s degree in English education from the University of Central Missouri.

Aaron Alwell joined the DataBank management team as a consultant in the closing months of 2011. His immediate focus was on enhancing the company's brand image and awareness. Now in his permanent role, Alwell's impact can be felt throughout every facet of DataBank's branding, presence, and messaging. Aaron is a Marketing veteran with proven success in establishing brand identities in emerging markets. With over a decade and a half of experience in marketing both consumer and business technology solutions, Aaron’s specialties encompass both traditional and online marketing, ranging from hands-on advertising and design to website design, social media and SEO/SEM. Prior to DataBank, Alwell was the Vice President of Marketing for USAFact, one of the leading corporate background screening agencies. He has also held management-level marketing positions with a number of technology companies, including ViaWest, Dataside, and Internet America.

Tedrick Housh leads the Global Cybersecurity, Privacy & Data Protection practice at Lathrop GPM.  For about half of his nearly thirty years as an attorney, Tedrick has helped clients address data security and privacy concerns through GDPR and CCPA compliance, adoption of information security and privacy policies, implementation of upstream and downstream vendor contracts, attention to privacy due diligence in corporate transactions, response to regulatory scrutiny and the handling of cyber- and privacy-related litigation. A frequent speaker on privacy and security, he is an IAPP Certified Information Privacy Professional/United States & Europe (CIPP/US & CIPP/E). 

I am the Vice President Innovation. My role is to implement the Innovation Hub consisting of an Exploration Zone, Strategy Activation, Innovation Central, The Idea Factory, What-if Machine and Percolator Sessions. I drive innovation thinking and tools into organizations.

Tom became Executive Director of PCs for People Kansas City on June 1, 2020, after successfully negotiating the asset contribution of the nonprofit previously known as Connecting For Good.  As the nation’s largest nonprofit recycler and refurbisher of computers for low income communities, PCs for People KC is demonstrating how nonprofits can scale to increase community impact as well as financial sustainability.  Secure e-waste recycling supports the distribution of reliable and affordable computers and internet to low income households throughout the country.  Through Tom's guidance, PCs for People Kansas City now employs 20 people, distributes over 5000 computers per year, and connects over 1000 people per year to affordable internet for the first time in their lives

 

A dynamic & versatile senior level IT leader with 25 years of diverse professional experience both domestically and abroad. A critical thinker who is uniquely versed in IT management, enterprise architecture, operational analysis, strategic thinking and IT innovation. Known to employ both traditional and innovative mechanisms in order to ensure the best possible outcomes for employers, colleagues, clients, and the community. A master of building, and maintaining, a sustainable and productive culture.
 

I've served many business and tech leaders in the Kansas City Metro and Heartland for over 30 years, providing consulting and solutions in every area of the tech stack, to remove complexity, while empowering their vision and business goals.  I appreciate meeting and connecting with people, developing long term relationships, tackling new challenges, am an eternal learner, and love applying new ideas to amplify and accelerate results.  I thoroughly enjoy spending time with my family and friends, working on personal passion projects and enjoying scenic locations.