TAI Welcomes New Technology Leaders to the 2024 Board of Directors
DES MOINES, Iowa (January 31, 2024) – The Technology Association of Iowa (TAI) is proud to announce the addition of new technology leaders to the 2024 Board of Directors:
– David Corbin, Vermeer Corporation
– Collin Ellis, Musco Lighting
– Scott Hany, John Deere
– Kim Huffman, Workiva
– Zachary Pratt, Fredrikson & Byron, P.A.
– Jim Sixta, UHY
– Shawn Swaner, Athene
“We are thrilled to welcome our new board members, who bring a diverse range of expertise from key industries including manufacturing, agriculture, legal, accounting, and insurance,” said Brian Waller, President of the Technology Association of Iowa. “Each member’s collective experience and unique perspective are valuable assets, further strengthening Iowa’s position as a leader in technology and innovation.”
The complete list of TAI board members is available here.
Vice President, Environmental, Health & Safety and Continuous Improvement Chief Information Officer
Dave Corbin is Vice President of Environmental, Health and Safety, Continuous Improvement and Chief Information Officer at Vermeer Corporation, a global manufacturer that delivers a real impact on the way important work gets done through the manufacture of high-quality industrial and agricultural equipment backed by localized service and support.
Dave joined Vermeer in 1998 as a plant manager after starting his career at Dynamics Corporation and Ford New Holland. Since joining Vermeer, he has held numerous leadership positions in manufacturing, corporate engineering, continuous improvement and business segment management before taking his current role in 2013. Dave also manages the facilities department at Vermeer.
During his time at Vermeer, Dave also has provided his leadership to subsidiary organizations through board roles at Vermeer Freeman and Lely Vermeer Maschinenfabrik.
Dave serves on Iowa State University’s IMSE Industrial Advisory Council and is also involved in the Iowa Advanced Manufacturing Council, Rotary International, the Institute of Industrial Engineers and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers.
He is a native of Cherry Hill, New Jersey and graduated from Iowa State University with a Bachelor of Science in industrial engineering. Dave and his wife, Joan, have eight children including three boys and five girls.
Collin Ellis is the director of Information Technology at Musco Lighting. He’s responsible for IT operations and business systems. Collin joined Musco in 2022 and has 25 years of experience. Prior to Musco, he was with Summit Midstream Partners and Spectra Energy, both based in Texas.
Collin is on the board of directors of the Technology Association of Iowa, and volunteers as a youth soccer coach with Iowa Rush South Soccer Club. He earned a Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences from the University of North Texas and completed his technical training and certification at Southern Methodist University’s School of Engineering.
Musco Lighting employs more than 1,700 team members with locations across Iowa, the U.S., and world. Musco’s solutions are in more than 125 countries and in neighborhood fields, major stadiums and arenas, international airports, the Olympic Games, iconic landmarks, and in the largest ports. Visit www.musco.com to learn more.
Scott Hany brings over 20 years of experience to his role as the leader of the IT organization for John Deere Financial globally. Scott is responsible for leading and executing the IT Strategy across all John Deere Financial business lines and units, managing a portfolio of over $60 billion across more than 50 countries.
Scott began his career at John Deere in 2001 as a software engineer and has held numerous roles in software engineering and architecture before attaining IT leadership positions in Product Engineering, Manufacturing, and John Deere Financial. Prior to his current role, Scott served as Group Engineering Manager, Manufacturing Operations, where he was instrumental in the product delivery, implementation, and support for various Enterprise Resource Planning platform teams enabling John Deere global factory operations.
Scott has a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science and Mathematics from Clarke University and an MBA from the University of Iowa. He is a TOGAF-certified architect and participates as a board member for the Technology Association of Iowa and Empeople Credit Union.
As SVP, Chief Information Officer (CIO) at Workiva, Kim Huffman ensures that Workiva technology capabilities empower employees to deliver world-class products and services to our customers and partners. She oversees all aspects of Workiva’s Business Technology organization, including Business Systems, PMO, Architecture, Data & Integrations, Operations & Support.
Kim’s experience building and scaling technology organizations and leading business transformation spans over 20 years. She has a strong track record of delivering value through technology and process changes to enable companies to grow and scale. During her career, she has held several technical leadership roles at pre-IPO and public tech companies, including SAP, Adobe, Health Equity and Elastic. Kim joins Workiva from Navan (formerly TripActions), an innovative SaaS platform for corporate travel and expense solutions where she served as CIO with responsibility for Business Technology, Data & Integrations and Security.
Kim received her Bachelor of Science in Finance & Business Administration from the University of Southern California and her MBA in International Management from Thunderbird School of Global Management. She is also a founding member of firstboard.io, an organization focused on increasing the representation of women on boards.
Zachary Pratt works in the Des Moines office of Fredrikson & Byron and is a member of the Patents, Intellectual Property, Artificial Intelligence, Technology & Data and Trade Secrets groups. He primarily focuses on the prosecution and litigation of software, mechanical and medical device patents in addition to trademark registration. He assists technology-driven clients with developing effective strategies to maximize the protection that intellectual property can provide to companies both large and small.
Prior to joining Fredrikson, Zach gained experience at a law firm in Woodbury, MN, where he drafted and prosecuted patent applications for a wide variety of companies, including multiple Fortune 100 companies, defense contractors, social media companies, large video coding companies and research institutions. Zach worked with solo inventors and smaller companies as a summer associate in Boston, MA. Additionally, Zach worked closely with Jason Rantanen, the author of one of the patent industry’s most renowned blogs, at the University of Iowa as a research assistant while in law school.
Jim Sixta brings over 12 years of experience in information security and technology to his role as Senior Manager in the Audit and Assurance Department of UHY in Iowa. Before joining UHY, he held positions as Virtual Chief Information Security Officer, Senior Information Security Consultant, and Information Security Department Manager in the Des Moines metro area. Jim has a passion for keeping companies secure with an emphasis on System and Organization Controls (SOC) Readiness and Audits, risk management, Data Loss Prevention (DLP), Identity and Access Management (IdAM), security awareness, compliance, and privacy.
Jim has a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Iowa and attended graduate school at Iowa State University for Computer Security and Engineering. He is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Certified Data Privacy Solutions Engineer (CDPSE), security nerd, and volleyball aficionado!
Shawn Swaner is a veteran technology leader and Athene’s Chief Technology Officer. Since joining Athene in 2015, Shawn has focused on building technology to support Athene’s producers and customers. In addition, Shawn led transformational projects to modernize data center infrastructure, upgrade policy administration, introduce cloud-based technology, and drive adoption of Generative AI. Shawn is responsible for technology architecture, actuarial support systems, digital technology, and infrastructure at Athene.
Shawn enjoys living in Waukee, Iowa with his family. In his spare time, he competes in cycling races around the country and volunteers with the American Red Cross.
About the Technology Association of Iowa (TAI)
Founded in 1997, The Technology Association of Iowa is a statewide, member-based organization focused on building and uniting Iowa’s technology community. TAI advances the tech industry through engaging programming, premier events, talent development, driving public policy, and fostering a culture of diversity and inclusion to lead Iowa forward.
Get involved at www.technologyiowa.org and follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter, and on LinkedIn.
Media Contact:
Nick Donovan, Vice President of Marketing and Communications
Technology Association of Iowa
nick@technologyiowa.org
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