We’re pleased to welcome R.C. Woodson as a keynote speaker for SCIO’26. R.C. brings deep, real-world experience as a senior technology executive leading complex organizations through modernization, cybersecurity risk, and enterprise transformation. His perspective is practical and grounded, shaped by years of operating where strategy, governance, and execution must align to deliver real outcomes.

Captain Barrington Irving is widely recognized as the youngest person to fly solo around the world, completing his historic journey at age 23. But beyond aviation, his lasting impact has been in education and community engagement. Through the Experience Aviation and The Flying Classroom programs, and related STEM initiatives, he has worked to inspire and equip young people—particularly in underserved communities—to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

As CIO of FEAM Aero and President of the CIO Council of South Florida, Joe Hernandez is deeply committed to strengthening both enterprise performance and the region’s technology leadership community. At FEAM Aero, he leads technology strategy in a highly operational, mission-critical environment. Through the CIO Council, he champions collaboration, mentorship, and the development of future IT leaders—helping connect strategy with service and access with impact.

Henry Fleches, CEO of UDT, is a Hispanic business leader distinguished for achieving success by balancing traditional values of client-first service with forward-thinking innovation. Always at the leading edge of the trends shaping his industry, he has charted the path for UDT to become what it is today: the nation’s trusted, go-to enabler of secure digital transformation. Henry’s commitment to excellence spans three key pillars: Entrepreneurship, Transformation, and Innovation.

Nimmi Arunachalam is an academic and technology leader dedicated to advancing inclusive pathways into tech careers. At Florida International University, she plays a key role in shaping experiential learning opportunities that connect computing students with industry, real-world problem solving, and high-impact career preparation. Through her leadership with Break Through Tech’s Sprinternship program, she works to expand access to computing, data science, and AI for all students, helping bridge the gap between academia and industry. Her work focuses on mentorship, applied learning, and building sustainable pipelines of diverse technology talent.

Sharon Milz is a seasoned technology executive with more than two decades of leadership experience driving digital transformation, operational excellence, and innovation in enterprise IT. She currently serves as Chief Information Officer at TIME, where she leads technology strategy, modernizes infrastructure, and shepherds digital initiatives that enhance audience engagement and organizational performance.

Tricia Ferreira is a technology and business leader with more than 25 years of experience driving digital innovation, enterprise transformation, and product strategy across Fortune 150 organizations, including General Electric and World Kinect Corporation. She serves as Senior Vice President of Technology Product Management at World Kinect, acting as the company’s Chief Product Officer and leading its commercial and enterprise technology portfolio in partnership with the Program Management Office.

Shawna Cartwright is Business Information Officer and SVP of Enterprise Technology at Cushman & Wakefield. In this role, she leads the strategic alignment and execution of enterprise applications, data analytics, and AI initiatives across Finance, Legal, Health & Safety, Marketing, Procurement, and People functions. Shawna also oversees the Technology Program Management Office (PMO) and Intelligent Automation, driving integrated delivery, governance, and scalable innovation. She partners closely with the C-Suite and senior business leaders to deliver technology capabilities that create measurable business value, improve operational efficiency, and support the firm’s long-term growth strategy.

Milestones:

In the past 10 years alone:

• More than 110 Scholarships were awarded across Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties
• Attended by over 4000 I.T. Decision Makers
• More than 400 local and regional companies represented