2023 Great Lakes Data & Analytics Summit

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Erik is the President & CEO of Sandler a EAM Consulting Group. Clients and partners typically describe Erik as a sales process guru who believes in repeatable, proven systems that deliver hard results. He has established a strong brand in the professional development space and is incredibly grateful for the opportunity to bring dynamic engagement to live audiences and establish a global presence through virtual facilitation.

Selling Inside the Four Walls: How to Get the Sale Within Your Own Company

Many robust professional development programs exist to learn how to sell anything to anyone anywhere. However, a relatively small segment of those resources speaks to the all-important “sale before the sale” – namely, before a product is developed, a need is fulfilled, or a decision is made, there is an internal sale that must be executed. This could be lateral between departments, up the chain of command to an ultimate decision-maker, or downward to get buy-in from the team tasked with executing the vision.

Unfortunately, sometimes we don’t think of the people we work alongside as “customers” who have issues and challenges just like our external customers. But the reality is that everyone is looking for a solution to something—so how do we leverage that reality to sell successfully behind our own doors?

In this tactical, hands-on session, sales veteran and process guru Erik Meier brings his wealth of experience to bear on that crucial process of “selling inside the four walls.” Attendees will learn the secret sauce of motivation that drives compelling action from leaders and coworkers, identify roadblocks to success, and brainstorm innovative and customized systems to navigate the internal sale with conviction and confidence.

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Alberto Cairo is the Knight Chair in Visual Journalism at the University of Miami. He’s also the director of the visualization program at UM’s Center for Computational Science.

He’s the author of the upcoming book The Art of Insight: How Great Visualization Designers Think (2023), and others such as How Charts Lie: Getting Smarter About Visual Information (2019), The Truthful Art: Data, Charts, and Maps for Communication (2016), and The Functional Art: An Introduction to Information Graphics and Visualization (2012).

The Language (and Dialects) of Data Visualization

This session proposes a small shift in the way we think about data visualization. Visualization is a language made of symbols and grammar. As such, it can be adopted by anyone and be used for multiple purposes: analysis, exploration, communication, poetry, and even satire or comedy. The language of visualization has several dialects that coexist in an uneasy conversation with one another. This presentation draws from Cairo’s new book, “The Art of Insight: How Great Visualization Designers Think” that set to be released later in 2023.

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Data strategy and governance leaders often struggle to effectively gain leadership buy-in for their initiatives and face issues with getting participation. This can be associated with our inability to speak the language of business and align what we're trying to do to tangible business value. How does what we do help the business with its goals and objectives? In this session, we'll walk through methods to align strategy and governance initiatives to business value.

Presented by: Aaron Wilkerson, Carhartt

Aaron has over 15 years of experience in data & analytics, having worked in various industries. He has specialized in building and driving data strategies that help companies leverage their data assets. He also has experience in building and leading teams to implement data solutions that enable data-driven problem solving. These experiences have provided measurable business value to the companies that have leveraged these solutions.

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This talk describes common sources of bias and how to develop study designs to measure and minimize it. Analysis of disparate impact is used to quantify bias in existing and new applications. The new open-source python package Fairlearn for measuring and mitigating bias is described with examples.

Presented by: David Corliss, OnStar Insurance-GM Financial

With a PhD in statistical astrophysics, David J. Corliss is a Data Science leader in the automotive industry with a focus on emerging technology and building high-performing analytic teams. He leads a team of data scientists at OnStar Insurance, part of General Motors Financial. Dr. Corliss is also the founder of Peace-Work, a volunteer cooperative of statisticians and data scientists applying statistical methods to support community service organizations and data-driven advocacy.

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Machine learning is rapidly transforming various industries by enabling computers to learn from large datasets, recognize patterns, and make predictions. As a result, the potential for machine learning to contribute to society's advancement is enormous. However, with great power comes great responsibility, and it is vital to understand and align our aspirations for machine learning with its ethical implications.

This interactive session will explore the aspirations of machine learning and its potential for creating a positive impact on enterprise. It will discuss the strategic considerations that need to be taken into account when designing and implementing machine learning solutions.

This session will include:

• Overview of machine learning and fundamental concepts

• Challenges and opportunities of machine learning

• Ethical considerations of machine learning

• How machine learning can improve business outcomes and solutions

Presented by: Robert Gray III, Daimler

Robert Gray III is a Detroit native who studied Information Systems at the University of Detroit Mercy and Applied Data Science at MIT. Robert has been at the forefront of the digital transformation, automation, and future planning initiative for the last 3 years. Robert’s specializations lie in technical product and delivery management and is currently engaging the strategic planning of Machine Leaning solutions for logistics and manufacturing at the crux of technical application and program management.

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Mike and Chris share their experiences on what differentiates next-generation thinking around data management and AI in the cloud. We will touch on what makes a cloud data infrastructure successful, how data in the cloud impacts AI, and the key importance of data governance.

Presented by: Chris Bawden, Michael Boggs & Pete Cooney, Jackson National Life Insurance

Chris Bawden is the Product Owner of the Data Science and Artificial Intelligence teams at Jackson. He was exposed to a wide variety of data early in his career at a few small technology firms in Lansing. For the past 15 years he has worked with data across many business disciplines including sales, marketing, web analytics, customer engagement, user experience, resourcing, process efficiency and more.

Michael Boggs, Jackson National Life Insurance

Mike Boggs is Director for Architecture and Governance for Jackson Financial. In this capacity, he has led the architecture efforts for data in the cloud for Jackson. Previously, he served as Vice President of Business Architecture for Wells Fargo and Company. Professionally, he is a data and business architecture leader with extensive experience working with large and small organizations helping them to define and realize their respective goals. Mike has been involved in all aspects of business, having started four companies and been involved in merger and acquisition activity.

Pete Cooney, Jackson National Life Insurance

Pete Cooney is an experienced technology professional with over 20 years’ experience in data, data integration, application integration, business architecture, process engineering and enterprise architecture. He is currently the manager of the Enterprise Data Architecture team at Jackson National Life, a leading provider of annuities and other insurance-related investment vehicles.

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In Summer 2021, Herman Miller merged with another iconic design company, Knoll, to form MillerKnoll, a company with 19 brands and a global presence in over 100 countries. One of the key goals of the merger was to gain cost savings and efficiencies through a combined supply chain EXCEPT this merger happened to occur during a pandemic that was also a leading cause of major supply chain disruptions. In this session, we will explore how a business-embedded data analytics team was able to navigate these challenges, build an integrated data pipeline, and pave the path for savings and efficiency wins through the Alteryx, Snowflake, Tableau analytics stack.

Presented by: Allison Lucas, MillerKnoll

Allison Lucas manages the Business Intelligence team for Global Operations for MillerKnoll, a collective of dynamic design brands, including Herman Miller, Knoll, HAY, Design Within Reach, and Holly Hunt. Prior to joining MillerKnoll in 2016, she spent 10 years at Goldman Sachs as a Technology Vice President. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and a Master’s degree in Information Systems. In her personal life, she enjoys watercolor painting and being the best mom she can be to her two children.

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In this session, learn about DTE’s journey to improve the lines of communication between DTE and its customers during power outage events, and how data and analytics support those processes. Topics will include an overview of the customer communications reengineering initiative currently underway at DTE, internal systems that drive customer outcomes, and data sources that need to be pulled together to provide a comprehensive view of leading and lagging indicators that require analysis in real time. We’ll discuss the impact of poor customer data quality and the successful effort to help improve the quality to improve the customer outage experience.

Presented by: John Vichinsky, DTE Energy

John is a senior leader with over 25 years with extensive experience across all corporate lines of business. Provided solutions ranging from large scale product and system implementations, client relations & portfolio account management, enterprise strategy and development of staffing and talent management across the country and internationally.

John has been at DTE Energy for past two years of the implementation of the integration from back-end systems to enable outage communications thru a variety of customer channels including Web, IVR, Outage Map, Notifications and Customer Service Representative applications.

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Oakland University’s Master of Science in Business Analytics program includes community-based projects as part of the coursework, which means students gain valuable experience using the business knowledge and technical skills they are learning on real-world projects immediately.

In this session, you will learn how these master’s students provided relevant business-related insights to the nonprofit organization. They worked with Secondhand Hounds, a nonprofit that rescues animals, temporarily places them in foster care and finds adopters. The students took the organizations current and historical data and used Python, Power BI and Google Colab for the metrics, charts, and predictive analytics models.

Presented by: Andrei Jula, Vasudha Gulati & Shalini Sarathy Komandur Chakravarthy

Andrei Jula - Master's in Business Analytics, working as a business analyst in Product Development at Stellantis. I have 17 years experience in database design & architecture and application development in Mutual Funds / Financial and Vehicle Program Cost Control / Automotive industries.

Vasudha Gulati - Business Analytics graduate student with over 6 years of experience as Siebel CRM Technology Analyst.

Shalini Sarathy Komandur Chakravarthy - Master's in Business Analytics, working as a software engineer at Asset Health. 6yrs experience working in frontend and backend applications.

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What are journalists looking for in data? What are (typically non-data) people hoping to see from dashboards and studies? How do reporters prioritize their news stories? This session aims to be a bridge between data experts and journalists -- and a peek into how the newsroom conducts their investigations.

Presented by: Nisa Khan, Michigan Radio

Nisa Khan is a data reporter with Michigan Radio. She reports on data driven news stories as well as working with the station’s Amplify & Longform Reporting team and other news staff to acquire and analyze data in support of their journalism. Among the stories she has reported on include a detailed examination of Michigan’s congressional districts following the changes proposed by the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission, and the large number of inmates locked up in Wayne County jail for 18 or more months without trial. Prior to joining Michigan Radio, Nisa worked as a data intern at the Detroit Free Press analyzing COVID-19 data. Additionally, she was a digital intern at Michigan Radio and worked for Michigan Radio’s Peabody Award winning Believed podcast team. Nisa is a University of Michigan graduate in Information and has a master’s degree in journalism from Stanford, where she focused on data and multimedia. She was a City University of New York (CUNY) Journalism Fellow at ProPublica, where she helped with research. 

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In the Fall of 2022, the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) and the Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network (DWIHN) launched an online, public dashboard that is updated daily and provides general information about the current inmate population in Wayne County Jails. The creation of the data systems and cross-organizational integration required to bring the dashboard to the public was made possible by a unique collaboration between WCSO, DWIHN, and WIT Inc., and was funded by a grant from Hudson-Webber Foundation.

The Jail Dashboard is an interactive tool that shows current information and statistics, updated every day, from the Wayne County Jail’s Management System. It provides general information about the current population of jail-supervised people, including both those housed at a facility and those on tethers. The information includes demographic makeup, mental health designations, length of stay in supervised care, level of charges, types of bookings, which originating agency is connected with inmate charges, inmate housing statistics, and the number of releases.

Presented by: Chief Robert Dunlap, Wayne County Sheriff’s Office & Greg Parrish, WIT

Chief Robert Dunlap is a law enforcement executive with more than 30 years of law enforcement experience. He currently serves at Chief of the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office in Detroit, Michigan, where he is responsible for the day-to-day operations and management of more than 1000 employees spread across five division which includes jails, courts and patrol operations. Prior to his appointment to the rank of Chief in September of 2015, Dunlap held several other key positions within the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office which includes, Director of Jail Classification and Lead Project Consultant for the New Consolidated Wayne County Jail Project.

Greg Parrish, WIT

Gregory Parrish joined WIT in 2018 as an Analytics Manager. He is working with clients on dashboards and data implementations. Prior to joining WIT Inc, Greg worked for nonprofits, governments, and universities. He enjoys data, tech, planning, hockey, and wonky indicator discussions. Greg grew up in Detroit, Michigan, and attended Cass Tech, Michigan State University, University of Michigan, and Wayne State University. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, a Master of Public Administration degree, and an all-but-dissertation in Public Policy, Public Administration, and American Government.

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In this session, we are going to talk about how Cummins-Meritor derived business value through analytics for their aftermarket operations by:

• Increasing efficiency in operations

• Better visibility of the data for operation team leads and managers

• Decision making using the data

We are also going to talk about the process of building these analytics and the adoption strategy for these effective Qlik dashboards.

Presented by: Elizabeth Cornelison and Khuzema Tikiwala, Cummins-Meritor

Elizabeth is a Senior Business Analyst with Cummins-Meritor in the Aftermarket division. She has a M.S. in Economics from the University of Utah and a B.A. in Economics & Management from Wells College. She has 10 years’ experience in business analytics across multiple industries including companies such as Itron, Omnicare, Ale-8-One, and Cummins-Meritor. Her focus is on connecting people with their data in meaningful ways.

Khuzema Tikiwala, Cummins-Meritor

Khuzema is currently working as Data and Analytics Solutions Services Leader at Cummins Inc. He did his BS in Mechanical Engineering and MBA in Finance. During his 27 years of professional career, he has worked in various capacities as Manager, Technical Leader, Solution Architect and Developer. His areas of expertise include Data & Analytics, Business Intelligence, Data Warehouse, Data Integration, Data Governance, and Application Development (Web & Mobile) across various verticals. He is always looking for community service opportunities and is associated with various non-profit organizations as a volunteer.

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Modern data ecosystems rely on the availability of trusted data and quality metadata in order to run smoothly. Too often, data governance teams do not have the people or the technology to keep pace with data engineering demands. In this session, Susannah Barnes will talk about how American Family Insurance built automated governance processes by incorporating data governance into the engineering pipelines by design.

Presented by: Susannah Barnes, Alation

Susannah is Alation’s Data Intelligence Program Lead and a former Data Governance Senior Specialist at American Family Insurance. Her background is in metadata management, data governance, data cataloging, and taxonomy development. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee (UWM) School of Information Studies where she received a Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) degree with a specialization in Information Organization. She still works closely with UWM and other universities through her work with Alation’s Data Intelligence Project.

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In this session, we will explore the benefits of using Neo4j, a native graph database, to manage supply chain networks. We will delve into the challenges that arise when dealing with disconnected and incomplete supply chain datasets, and how leveraging the power of Neo4j can bridge these gaps to create a connected structure that can aid in risk mitigation. With its ability to provide a unified view of data, Neo4j can enable analysts and application users to tackle complex supply chain issues, such as part shortages, alternate sourcing, network optimization, and predictive analytics. Attendees will gain a clear understanding of how Neo4j can help streamline and optimize their supply chain processes, and the added value that a graph database brings to their business.

Presented by, Sammy Dagher, Neo4j

 Sammy is a solution engineer for Neo4j who has worked with many clients across several industries including automotive, utilities, and finance. His background includes a computer science degree from the University of Michigan and has worked professionally as a software developer and solution architect within the industries of automotive, supply chain optimization, and cloud digital transformation.

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The rise of the Modern Data Stack is attributed to the explosion of data generated by producers and consumers. The increasing importance of data-driven decision-making and the availability of cloud-based technologies are making it easier and more cost-effective to manage data at scale. But does modern = easy?

Join Ohad Yehudai, Principal Solutions Architect, from SnapLogic, as he discusses why modernization doesn’t mean easier. He’ll share practical tips and tricks for overcoming tool sprawl in your modern data stack.

In this session, you’ll learn how to:

• Simply automate end-to-end processes

• Enable your team(s) to be faster

• Centralize and manage your data more easily

Presented by: Ohad Yehudai, SnapLogic

Ohad Yehudai has over two decades of experience in technology and software working with a multitude of platforms across many industries. He spent many years involved in hands-on software development and architecture and nearly a decade in strategic enterprise software sales as a solutions architect focusing on the integration space. He has been with SnapLogic for over five years.

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Ever had your CEO look at a report and say the numbers look “way off?” Has a customer called out incorrect data in one of your product dashboards? If this sounds familiar, data observability should be a cornerstone of your data strategy. In this talk, Ethan Post, Solutions Engineer at Monte Carlo, will introduce the concept of data observability and highlight how leading data teams at companies like JetBlue, Seatgeek, and Vimeo apply these principles at scale to increase ROI on their data analytics initiatives. He’ll also walk through a demo of how to leverage data observability to reduce time to detection and resolution of critical data incidents, and in the process increasing time to reliable insights for the business.

Presented by: Ethan Post, Monte Carlo

 Ethan Post is a Founding Solutions Engineer at Monte Carlo, a data reliability company, where he helps data teams achieve more trustworthy data with end-to-end data observability. Ethan began his career as BI implementation consultant, building end-to-end data solutions for some of the most recognizable brands in the world. Most recently, he led the PreSales Center of Enablement for an analytics startup where he witnessed firsthand the true cost of poor data quality and observability. He received his MS in Information Systems from Indiana University. In his spare time, he loves cooking, woodworking, and spending time with his wife and two young children.

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Your one-stop-shop for better understanding of data governance is here. Join Bobbi Caggianelli, Manager, Sales Engineering, at Collibra, as she outlines the need for data governance, how you can get started, and shares her first-hand experiences building a data governance program from scratch at a leading financial firm.

She'll cover:

• The need for Data Governance

• Where to start

• Culture change

• Helpful resources

Presented by: Bobbi Caggianelli, Collibra

Prior to joining Collibra, Bobbi Caggianelli spent four years building a data governance and quality practice from scratch at a multi-billion dollar life and annuity company. She joined Colliba after working with Collibra's toolset, in part to share her experience with others. Her goal is to help companies build a successful governance practice and show them how Collibra enables that maturation journey. Bobbi has an MS in Business Analytics and is a Master Black Belt in Six Sigma.