speakers

Keynote Speaker - Dr. Ed Lindoo, Associate Professor of Information Science, Computer Science and Information Systems, Regis University

Teaching in the Age of AI:  Preparing Students for the World They Will Actually Enter

Artificial intelligence is already changing how professionals research, analyze information, solve problems, communicate, and make decisions. Yet higher education is still wrestling with a fundamental question: should students be allowed to use AI? This keynote argues that we are asking the wrong question. AI will be part of the professional environment our students enter, and universities have a responsibility to teach students how to use it effectively, critically, ethically, and responsibly.

Drawing on more than two decades of university teaching, extensive industry IT leadership, and recent work integrating generative AI throughout the curriculum, Dr. Lindoo will discuss a practical approach to moving from AI avoidance to AI literacy. Rather than treating AI as a shortcut or replacement for learning, faculty can design assignments in which AI becomes an object of inquiry, an analytical assistant, and even an imperfect collaborator whose work students must question and verify. Dr. Lindoo will share examples from a recently redesigned Regis University course that incorporates AI assignments every week, as well as lessons emerging from his development of a new textbook on business intelligence and AI.

This keynote challenges faculty across disciplines to reconsider what students need to know in an environment where producing an answer is increasingly easy. The educational value shifts toward asking better questions, evaluating evidence, recognizing errors and bias, improving AI-generated work, and exercising human judgment. The objective is not to teach students to let AI think for them. It is to teach them how to think better because AI is available to them.

Dr. Ed Lindoo is the program coordinator for the BS in Computer Information Systems program in the Anderson College of Business and Computing. Dr. Lindoo earned a Ph.D. in Management Information Systems from Nova Southeastern University, as well as a Masters of Computer Science and an MBA. Previously, he worked in a fortune 500 company as Sr. Director of Enterprise Networks and Telecommunications. He has taught at Regis since 2003, becoming full-time in 2016. His current research focus is in two areas, “Ethics in Analytics and Social media” as well as “Supply Chain Management/ERP”. 

Banquet Speaker - David McGann, Chief Application Architect, Effectual

From Mainframe to Cloud: Lessons from Real-World Software Engineering

What happens when a 40-year-old mainframe system, decades of institutional knowledge, undocumented business logic, retiring subject matter experts, evolving requirements, and a closing datacenter all collide? This presentation shares lessons learned from a five-year effort to modernize a large enterprise legacy system and transition it to the AWS cloud, from initial discovery and architecture, through development, testing, pilot deployment, and final cutover.

The project revealed challenges that went far beyond technology, including undocumented applications, missing test cases, changing requirements, organizational resistance, performance limitations, and the difficulty of moving systems and knowledge that had evolved over decades. At the same time, it demonstrated the value of disciplined discovery, repeatable modernization patterns, automation, cloud-native architecture, and strong collaboration between technical teams and their clients.

For computer science students and educators, this presentation provides a real-world perspective on the skills that matter beyond programming languages and algorithms. The presentation will explore the importance of learning unfamiliar systems, working with incomplete information, communicating across technical and organizational boundaries, adapting to change, and continually learning as technology evolves.

David McGann is a seasoned technologist specializing in Cloud and DevOps Architecture with extensive experience with migrating and modernizing applications and workloads from on-premise environments to the cloud. With deep expertise in AWS technologies and a focus on security and automation, David has become a resident expert on every project he’s supported. Known for his collaborative approach, David has built strong, transparent relationships with both internal and external teams. His track record speaks for itself—consistently developing and implementing technical visions that adapt to ever-changing client requirements. A creative problem-solver, he has successfully navigated numerous projects through complex technical, budgetary, and political challenges. David currently resides with Effectual, an AWS Premier Partner, as the Chief Application Architect on an enterprise mainframe to cloud migration and modernization project.