New Members!

Our numbers for 2012 membership are phenomenal.  We are now 81 strong and growing.

Linda Goodspeed, CIO, Service Master

Linda joined The ServiceMaster Company as Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, in October 2011.

Prior to Service Master Linda served as Vice President, Information Systems and Chief Information Officer for Franklin, Tennessee-based Nissan North America, Inc., and a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Nissan Motor Company.  Before rejoining Nissan in 2008, Goodspeed spent seven years at Lennox International, Inc., a leading global manufacturer of air conditioning, heating and commercial refrigeration equipment. While at Lennox, she introduced Lean manufacturing and Six Sigma into the organization and created a global centralized strategic sourcing organization.

Earlier in her career, Linda spent seven years at Lennox International, a leading global manufacturer of air conditioning, heating and commercial refrigeration equipment.  Before that, she worked as President and Chief Operating officer at PartMiner, Inc., a privately held online marketplace for electronic components and for General Electric's appliances division, serving as general manager of cooking products and product development manager at the company's Louisville, Ky., location. While at GE, she was one of the original members of the influential GE Women's Network, formed in 1997 to help share information, best practices, education and experience and accelerate the advancement of women working at GE.  Linda began her career at Ford Motor Company, spending five years in a variety of design, development and engineering roles.

Linda was named to CIO Magazine's 2011 list of 25 "Ones to Watch."  Before moving to Memphis, Linda was one of the founding board members of the Nashville chapter of SIM and has also been an active member of the Dallas chapter.

We are also pleased to welcome Linda's executive team:

Teresa Cheek, VP Risk, Compliance, Security

Rich Valerga, CIO, Memphis City Schools

Following Hurricane Katrina, his unique combination of experience and education took him to the city of New Orleans, LA, where he accepted the role of Chief Operating and Technology Officer. He was the key player in rebuilding both the schools and the infrastructure from the ground up. Mr. Valerga oversaw strategy, planning, and management of operations and technology. Rich then accepted the position of Director of Information Technology for Saint Paul Public Schools.  Since joining Memphis City Schools in December, 2010, Rich has implemented a number of cost saving efficiencies that have led to enhanced customer service, better resource allocation and maximum utilization of staff. Rich also serves on the Advisory Board of School CIO publications, where he contributes a monthly column, and the Management Information Systems Advisory Board for the University of Memphis. Rich is also a Member of Leadership Memphis and a Certified Government Chief Information Officer.

Allen has been with AOC for 17 years, serving in various leadership positions in IT Support, Infrastructure,  and on-shore/off-shore Software Development;  currently leading all IT staff in these areas.  Allen has been directly involved with an Oracle ERP implementation and major upgrades, global disaster recovery planning and implementation, construction and technology within AOC's new WHQ and a data center re-location.  He holds a BBA in MIS and MBA in Mgmt from the University of Memphis and is currently enrolled in Vanderbilt's Executive Development Program.