Meet the Mavens
FEATURED MAVENS
Christine Kiefer
STREET CRED:
20+ years leading business transformation and technology enablement, helping clients modernize their operations across cloud, infrastructure and digital platforms. Expert in strategy development, M&A integration and global team leadership. Former COO, Atos. Formerly Manpower Group, Fifth Third Bank.
David Linthicum
STREET CRED:
30+ years in enterprise technology leadership, driving business transformation and competitive advantage through AI innovation and cloud strategy. Internationally recognized author, thought leader and influencer in AI, cloud computing and cybersecurity. Formerly Deloitte, Cloud Technology Partners (a HPE company), IBM.
Steven Perva
STREET CRED:
15+ year mainframe expert leveraging deep experience in z/OS, CICS, Python and other technologies to create, test and deploy modernization solutions for z/OS systems. Dedicated to making z/OS more accessible, agile and integrated. Founder of the System Z enthusiasts Discord. IBM Champion 2022-2025. Formerly IBM.
Chuck Schmitt
STREET CRED:
30-year steel industry veteran, driving growth and innovation across various leadership and executive roles. Fourth-generation steelmaker. Board member, Metals Service Center Institute. 2024 Association for Iron & Steel Technology Steelmaker of the Year.
Don Barlow
STREET CRED:
25+ years in executive roles across product development, management, engineering and global operations, driving client satisfaction and bottom-line revenue growth while building engaged and empowered teams. Former COO, Ntirety. Formerly ATG, OpSource and Qwest.
Erin Brooker Lozott
STREET CRED:
27+ years in autism spectrum disorder leadership, scholarship and advocacy. Board-certified behavior analyst and licensed speech-language pathologist. Internationally recognized author and presenter on ASD issues. Advisor to national and global autism organizations.
Marlene Sotelo
STREET CRED:
30+ years leading and managing cutting-edge research, educational programs and services for individuals on the autism spectrum. Globally recognized ASD scholar, author and speaker. Prominent advocate in local, national and international autism advocacy communities.
Linda Sterling
STREET CRED:
20+ year IT specialist, architecting, implementing and managing transformative technology solutions across varied client estates to improve and optimize application stacks with a focus on automation. Deep expertise in Windows, Linux and VMware environments.
The report
CURRENT ISSUE: ISSUE 9
The Modernization Issue
PLUS: Christine Kiefer on turning your apps into assets. David Linthicum on evaluating AI infrastructure options. Steven Perva on modernizing the mainframe. Chuck Schmitt on SSAB’s journey to fossil freedom. Don Barlow on how to soar with a modern MSP. Erin Brooker Lozott and Marlene Sotelo on driving cultural modernization through autism inclusion. Linda Sterling on making a private cloud pitstop. And insights from the IBM Institute for Business Value on the risks of quantum.
DO YOU HAVE THE MAKINGS OF A MAVEN?
If you have a story, service, or strong point of view that supports The Maven Report mission, we want to hear about it—because we think our readers might too!
Tell us who you are, what you do, and how you’d like to contribute. Our editorial staff will schedule a 30-minute call to dig into your idea to determine if it’s a good fit for an upcoming issue.