Features Region: Midwest

Jack Kufahl hadn’t been chief information security officer for Michigan Medicine for very long when he was confronted with a computer problem in a radiology imaging lab. The lab staff knew its computer was aging. Its software had been patched and pieced together over the years. It was past upgrading and because of the cost, […]

He doesn’t intend to be a prophet of doom, but John Jorgensen has his concerns about critical infrastructure. He and his colleagues at Black Hills Energy take any threats seriously and encourage industry peers to do likewise. “It’s one of the hottest areas to defend,” he tells Toggle in September from headquarters in Rapid City, […]

Ryan Lee says his IT career has been built on “goal setting with ruthless execution to get there.” However, the affable IT director for KLJ Engineering isn’t the type to trample over people to achieve success. Rather, he’s always identified the skills he needs and found ways to get them. “I always wanted to go […]

If there’s one regret Sharon Noffze has about working at Ervin Industries, it’s that she never met founder John F. Ervin.  “He was one of the first recyclers, in my opinion,” Noffze says.  Ervin opened his first foundry in 1920, specializing in melting steel scrap and converting it into shot and grit that’s used for […]

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indiana Department of Health would process 100,000 lab results each month. Within the first few months of the pandemic, that number jumped to 1.5 million. Unprepared to handle such volume, its system became overloaded and couldn’t perform as expected. “Things may have been operating perfectly before COVID, but everything […]

While Ashok Chennuru earned his degrees in computer science and engineering, he’s been more fascinated by how to apply the information underlying the technology. “I have a passion for data and turning it into insights to drive positive impacts and outcomes,” he says. As chief data and insights officer for Elevance Health Inc., formerly Anthem […]

Jericho Simmons is not among the doctors, CRNAs, advanced practice providers or nurses Sound Physicians provides to health care networks throughout the U.S. for acute care services. However, as chief information security officer, Simmons manages the company’s security, ensuring that sensitive data such as personal health information is protected. Founded in 2001, Sound Physicians is […]

Consider it a new way of applying the adage “time is money.” Members of Magnifi Financial, a credit union serving central Minnesota as well as portions of Wisconsin and North Dakota, can now use iWatches and mobile phones for their banking. Whether transferring money, depositing checks, activating credit or debit cards or tracking credit scores, […]

Jeff Gautney was drawn to Rush University System for Health for its structure. Based in Chicago, the organization consists of a clinically integrated network of hospitals, an extensive medical group and a university. Gautney, the vice president and chief information officer, says this makes his work more interesting and complex. “When you add a thousand […]

Tom McClain had an epiphany early in his career. A programmer at the time, he was developing on a mainframe computer and coding in COBOL, which was popular in the 1980s. After a couple years, he realized something was missing. “You know, I really enjoyed technology, but I enjoyed the people side as well,” he […]