Atlanta Tech Leaders

Special Edition: Georgia CIO Leadership Association

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Bryson Koehler / The Weather Company  

Bryson is a firm believer in IT as a Service – the concept where IT “gets out of the way” and openly arms every product developer with the tools they need to crank out an endless supply of innovations. As a member of the executive committee and self-proclaimed weather geek, Bryson plays a key role in the overall business strategy for The Weather Company. As head of the technology group, Bryson oversees the strategic vision, technical direction, execution and operations of all technology initiatives, systems and platforms across all of the company’s four divisions – TV, digital, professional and international.

His team oversees the architecture, global infrastructure, weather forecasting and big data platforms, broadcast engineering and TV localization systems, all of the company’s internal systems as well as overall quality assurance for all products and platforms. The technical platform his team has built provides all frameworks, data, tools and processes necessary to build, deploy and operate globally scalable B2B, B2C and B2B2C products and services. Through the design, implementation and global operations of industry leading cloud-based computing capabilities, large scale big data systems, the company’s internal and external APIs, live and digital video personalization technology for web, cable, satellite and telecommunication distributors, The Weather Company has transformed itself into a leading technology powerhouse.

Bryson brings a passion for change and innovation by sitting at the strategy table for both business and technology groups within large and small enterprises. He uses his 20+ years of experience to help companies transform their business capabilities and utilize elegantly simple solutions that are always focused on maximizing the business goals of the company. Bryson has and is serving on many customer advisory boards, including Verizon Business, Genesys, Revinate, Microsoft, Google, Akamai & HCL. He was selected by the Executive Alliance as the Quality Leadership Executive of the Year in 2007, and in 2010 Bryson was recognized by CIO magazine as One to Watch with an additional standout award for innovation. Bryson lead IHG to become ranked #2 on InformationWeek’s Top 500 innovative technology companies for the development of patent-pending inventory management systems his team developed. In 2013 Bryson was given the ATP Innovation of the Year award. In 2014 Bryson lead The Weather Company to be named as a top 10-technology company in the state of Georgia and has been nominated as CIO of the Year by the Georgia CIO Leadership Association.

Bryson earned his double bachelor’s degrees in political science and communications from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has lived in the Atlanta area for 15 years, is married and has five children. He is active in his community and has served as the co-captain for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), executive sponsor of the Women In Technology (WIT) program in Atlanta, and is the chief of his son’s Indian Guides program with the YMCA. Bryson also is on the Board of Directors for Atlanta Habitat for Humanity, The Technology Association of Georgia and San Francisco-based Revinate.

Jay Ferro / American Cancer Society

Jay is currently Chief Information Officer for the American Cancer Society (ACS), a nationwide, community-based voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, the American Cancer Society has more than 900 local offices nationwide and a presence in more than 5,100 communities. Jay is responsible for the people, strategy and operations of the Global Information Technology organization.

Prior to joining ACS in 2012, Jay served as Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer for AdCare Health Systems, a rapidly growing and recognized innovator in health care facility management. Jay spent the previous 7 years at AIG (American International Group), most recently as VP and CIO for AIG Aerospace, a leading global aerospace insurer. At AIG, Jay implemented numerous improvements that have delivered substantial value to the organization while managing significant organizational change in a turbulent market environment. In addition to his role as AVP of Information Technology with AIG Personal Lines, Jay was selected as CFO for Operations and Systems in 2006 and led multiple global IT Finance and Governance Standards initiatives that resulted in millions of dollars in savings for the organization.

Jay continues to be a thought leader in the Information Technology arena and is a frequent guest speaker and panelist, both in Atlanta and Nationwide. In recognition of his accomplishments, Jay was selected as Georgia CIO of the Year in 2011, and is currently serving as Chair for the Georgia CIO Leadership Association.

His commitment and dedication to community involvement is evidenced by the time and energy he contributes. In 2007, he founded the non-profit group, Priscilla’s Promise, in honor of his late wife, which raises funds for cervical cancer education and research, and currently serves as its Executive Director. In 2011 he was elected to the Board of Directors for TechBridge, an Atlanta-based nonprofit organization which helps other nonprofits use technology to improve their capability to serve the community, and in 2013 was named Board Chair.

Jay earned both his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and his Masters of Business Administration from The University of Georgia. Jay continues to be involved with his alma mater, both as a mentor for young alumni and as a member of the Alumni Board of Directors for the Terry College of Business.

Jay lives in the Metro Atlanta Area with his 3 sons: Trey, Connor and Alex.