What’s it like to take part inThe Technology Leadership Experience? Participants are immersed in an in-depth leadership development journey — comprised of workshops, one-on-one mentoring, peer problem-solving, networking, and self-awareness — where they build the skills and confidence to step up to tomorrow’s C-level roles. 

Over the course of the program, these emerging IT leaders develop strong bonds with their colleagues and become part of a community of leaders that will continue to support and learn from each other as they prepare for the next stage in their careers. At the graduation ceremonies for a recent St. Louis TechLX cohort, participants Andrea Gazzoli (MiTek), Jennifer Walton (St. Louis Zoo), Lisa Spahr (Maritz), Ron Borror (Alberici Group), and Cid Cardoz (St. Louis University) presented a powerful video with highlights from their journey, which you can watch below.

As they share, “We know this journey may have ended; however, a new one is beginning as we take on new roles and responsibilities, mentor the next group of cohorts, and increase the ranks of the technology leadership community. Thank you for empowering us with the needed tools and bringing this awesome program to the St. Louis region.”

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Awards Presentation, CIO Panel Among Highlights as 60 Emerging IT Leaders Graduate from The Technology Leadership Experience, St. Louis

At the graduation program for The Technology Leadership Experience (The TechLX) in St. Louis on December 9, 2019, four emerging IT leaders and three businesses were recognized for their commitment to the growth of technology leadership in the St. Louis area.
 
Ouellette & Associates, the company behind The TechLX, along with local partner Technology Partners, presented the following individual awards, as selected by the TechLX participants:

• John Heartlein of St. Louis University, Leader Amongst Leaders Award
• Mike Luebbers of Vi-Jon, Leader Amongst Leaders Award
• Tushar Shelar of Murphy, Mentoring Excellence Award
• Steve Schmidt of MiTek, Mentoring Excellence Award

 
The Leader Amongst Leaders Awards are given to the TechLX participants who best personify the leadership qualities covered in program. The Mentoring Excellence Awards are presented to TechLX mentors who best exemplify the ideal image of a mentor.
 
Ouellette & Associates also presented Community Leadership Awards to MiTek, Panera Bread, and Technology Partners for going above and beyond to contribute the program’s success and demonstrate a passion and commitment to nurturing and developing the IT leadership community.
 
“The goal of The TechLX is to put high-potential IT professionals on the fast-track to leadership,” says Dan Roberts, CEO of Ouellette & Associates. “Thanks to the outstanding contributions of these individuals and organizations, it’s also helping to strengthen the technology leadership community in St. Louis and establish it as ‘the place to be in IT.’”
 
The graduation program was the culmination of a 22-week in-depth leadership development experience for 60 emerging technology leaders from organizations throughout the St. Louis area. These leaders participated in leadership development workshops to increase their strategic business acumen as well as networking, peer problem-solving, and one-on-one mentoring with local CIOs and senior IT leaders.
 
As part of the graduation event, a CIO panel of IT executives, including Jeff Schuchart, VP IT of Enterprise Fleet Management, David Hackanson, CIO of St. Louis University, and Mike Prusaczyk, VP Enterprise Architecture and IT Strategy for Panera, discussed how to fulfill the need for strategic IT representation in local C-suites.
 
“In the digital era, the spotlight is on IT leaders,” says Roberts. “They have to be more than just technical experts and solution providers. They need to be strategic business partners and ‘innovative anticipators’ who can drive the business forward. The organizations taking part in The TechLX are leading the way by prioritizing the core skills, networking, and mentorship opportunities that are vital for preparing today’s emerging leaders to step up to tomorrow’s C-level roles.”
 
The December 9th graduation, held at St. Louis University, honored participants from the first two TechLX cohorts to launch in St. Louis. Three additional cohorts are currently underway or coming soon to the area. TechLX cohorts are also being launched over the next six months in Kansas City, Mo.; Sydney, Australia; Raleigh, N.C.; Phoenix; Philadelphia; Atlanta; Southern California; Denver; and Pittsburgh.
 
About The Technology Leadership Experience
 
Presented by Ouellette & Associates, The Technology Leadership Experience (The TechLX) provides an in-depth learning journey for a cohort of mid-level technology leaders within a single city. Through a combination of classroom workshops, peer networking, problem-solving, and mentoring, the program does more than build the next generation of technology leaders; it creates a powerful technology leadership community. For more information, visit thetechlx.com.
 
About Ouellette & Associates
 
Over the past 35 years, more than 3,500 organizations worldwide in business, education, and government have relied on Ouellette & Associates (O&A) to fuel their transformation. O&A is the only professional development firm focusing exclusively on developing the human side of technology to unleash the power of IT. Through IT talent development workshops, The Technology Leadership Experience, and IT Skill Builder — a cloud-based assessment, personal development and workforce analytics platform — O&A equips IT organizations, leaders and teams for success in an ever-changing business environment. Learn more at ouellette-online.com.