Annual Tech Conference 2025: WTA.i

12:30p – Conference Kick Off & Keynote

• Generative AI Unleashed: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love our Robot Overlords – Sam Hilgendorf, CIO at Fox World Travel

1:55p – Break Out 1 & 2 

•      Talk Title TBD –  Adnan Ramji, VP of Infrastructure Engineering, & Mark Luther, Enterprise Architect, at Northwestern Mutual
•     Mastering Vendor Management and Risk: Strategies for Success – John Twardowski, IT Security and Infrastructure Manager DCI Marketing, & Michael Kahler, VP of Information Security at Tri City National Bank

2:50p – Break Out 3 & 4 (Topics : Cyber in Government / Powered PMO)

•     Man and the Machine, and the SOC – Shane Sax, Director of Security at Racine County
•     Talk Title TBD – Steve Seroogy, IT Director PMO at Mayville Engineering Company Inc

4p – Leadership Panel: AI in Manufacturing

• Moderator: Steve Magnuson, VP of Corporate IT, Regal Rexnord
  Panelist: Tim Dickson, CDIO, Regal Rexnord
  Amanda Jack, CIO, Manpower Group
  Chad Steighner, CDIO, Clarios

KEYNOTE BIO:
Sam Hilgendorf, Chief Information Officer, Fox World Travel

Sam Hilgendorf has served as the chief information officer (CIO) at Fox World Travel since 2018. He
is responsible for the vision and execution of Fox’s technology portfolio, which includes IT,
business intelligence, product development, and project management.
Under Sam’s stewardship, Fox has integrated groundbreaking solutions in travel, including a
cutting-edge customer contact center, an enterprise data management platform, and Colby AI, an
AI personal assistant for Fox associates and customers. These pioneering strides have garnered
widespread acclaim within the travel industry, consistently acknowledged through prestigious
accolades.
Under Sam’s direction, Fox has been awarded multiple Magellan awards from Travel Weekly for
innovation and has also been recognized as a Distinguished Partner from SAP Concur for custom
integration work with the Concur Travel platform. He’s also contributed on multiple occurrences to
industry thought leadership on topics such as AI, blockchain, and other technology and leadership
topics.
Recently honored with the Orbie award as Wisconsin’s CIO of the Year for Large corporations, Sam
exemplifies a passion for leveraging technology to catalyze positive change. He firmly believes in
harnessing technology’s potential to unleash the latent talents of his team members, propelling
them toward unparalleled achievements. Sam’s dedication extends to enriching customer
experiences, fostering peak performance, and nurturing excellence.
Sam has been happily married for 20 years and is a proud parent of a wonderful pre-teen daughter.
When it comes to hobbies, he describes his family as “a real-life version of the TV show The Big
Bang Theory.” They love playing Dungeons and Dragons and other tabletop board games, reading
comic books, dressing up for Renaissance fairs, and indulging in just about every other nerdy
hobby imaginable. These quirky interests bring them joy, excitement, and a whole lot of stories to
tell!