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Meet NC's CIO of the Year, Jo Abernathy! A Virtual Keynote, Demo, and Panel with Blue Cross NC's Women IT Leaders and Allies

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Meet NC's CIO of the Year, Jo Abernathy! A Virtual Keynote, Demo, and Panel with Blue Cross NC's Women IT Leaders and Allies
59 minutes
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Get a behind-the-scenes look at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina during our virtual networking event.

We invite you to meet several women leaders, hear their perspective on working at Blue Cross NC, and decide if it’s the right fit for you.

Sneak peek? Blue Cross NC is a not-for-profit company that provides health care to 3.8 million members.

Their workforce is 72% female, including a leadership team that’s 58% female. No, that’s no typo.

Blue Cross NC’s workforce has been recognized numerous times, including 12 years listed on Working Mother’s 100 Best Companies, Forbes’ Best Companies for Diversity, and Computerworld’s Top 100 Places to Work in IT for the past 4 years.

This event took place online Tuesday, March 16th from 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM ET (10:00 AM - 11:30 AM MT).

Agenda:

  • 12:00 PM ET / 10:00 AM MT - PowerToFly Kickoff
  • 12:05 PM ET / 10:05 AM MT - Welcome & Keynote Address from Jo Abernathy, Chief Information Officer
  • 12:15 PM ET / 10:15 AM MT - Tech Talk from Alexis Smith, Information Technology Architecture Manager
  • 12:25 PM ET / 10:25 AM MT - Panel Discussion & Audience Q+A Featuring:
    • Jo Abernathy, Chief Information Officer
    • Rick Chilton, Vice President, Chief Information Security Officer
    • Susan Horton, Senior ITIL Change/Release Manager
    • Alexis Smith, Information Technology Architecture Manager
  • 12:55 PM ET / 10:55 AM MT - Closing Remarks from PowerToFly
  • 1:00 PM ET / 11:00 AM MT - Breakout Sessions
  • 1:30 PM ET / 11:30 AM MT - Event Concludes

About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina: Blue Cross NC is a not-for-profit with headquarters in Durham and major operations in Winston-Salem and Fayetteville. In all, they serve more than 3.7 million customers. It's an exciting time to work at Blue Cross NC. Health care is changing, and they’re leading the way. They offer more than health insurance their customers can count on. They’re committed to better health and better health care − in their communities and beyond. Their employees bring energy and creativity to the workplace, and it shows in their innovative approach to improving the health and well-being of North Carolinians.

About PowerToFly: PowerToFly is a women-run startup that connects professionals with companies that value diversity and inclusion. Over the past few years, we’ve produced 1,000+ events across the world with brands like American Express, Microsoft, Deloitte, and Slack, which have resulted in countless hires.

About PowerToFly’s Events: All RSVP’d attendees are welcome, regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, or age. If you require assistance to fully participate in this event, please email hi@powertofly.com, and we will contact you to discuss your specific needs.

Meet The Speakers

Jo Abernathy
Jo Abernathy
Chief Information Officer

Jo Abernathy is the Chief Information Officer for Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina. She is responsible for technology strategy and operations. Jo has 30 years of leadership experience in various technology areas, including service & support, infrastructure management, data center operations, data warehousing, and application development. She has led many large, complex initiatives under challenging circumstances in a highly regulated environment. Under Jo’s leadership, the IT organization at Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina has received numerous awards for innovative uses of technology along with the prestigious ComputerWorld’s 100 Best Places to Work in IT award in 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2020.

Alexis Smith
Alexis Smith
Information Technology Architecture Manager

Alexis Smith is an Information Technology Architecture Manager at Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina. She has 25+ years of experience and expertise in a diverse range of technologies, including administering and maintaining networks, client/servers, databases, securities, and business/ data analysis. Alexis joined Blue Cross NC in July of 2020.

Susan Horton
Susan Horton
Senior ITIL Change/Release Manager

Susan Horton is a Senior ITIL Change/Release Manager at Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina. She’s been with the company for over six years and has 15+ years IT experience in the insurance and banking industries. Susan has also been an adjunct college instructor for 10 years and currently teaches part-time for Campbell University’s Cybersecurity program.

Rick Chilton
Rick Chilton
Vice President, Chief Information Security Officer

Rick Chilton is the Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer at Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina. He defines and maintains an enterprise-wide, cost-effective information security program—ensuring that all information assets are adequately protected. Rick joined Blue Cross NC over 20 years ago as a Senior Information Security Analyst before moving into the role of Information Security Manager and now his current leadership position.