The Next Chapter of ITSMF: What Changes Now—and Why It Matters
For 30 years, ITSMF has built a powerful, undeniable legacy of transforming and supporting technology executives. Together, we have claimed spaces, broken barriers, and cultivated an excellent ecosystem of brilliance—a sanctuary where talent is recognized; excellence is realized, and leaders of color have safe places to develop mind, body and soul.
But the strategy that has built this organization for the last three decades will not sustain it for the next three decades.
The pace of change across technology, corporate leadership, and the global economy have accelerated. The expectations around value, impact, and tangible outcomes have never been higher. Organizations worldwide are being forced to do more, prove more, and deliver more—faster.
We are no different.
This defining moment requires executive clarity, absolute focus, and deliberate evolution. We are not just protecting a legacy; we are positioning ITSMF to lead the future.
The Reality of Our Landscape: Why the Network is Vital
We are operating in an environment where corporate landscapes are shifting rapidly, and the stakes for underrepresented leaders have been fundamentally raised. As macroeconomic pressures mount, we are seeing a quiet but distinct rollback of formal structured initiatives that ensure that everyone has a fair opportunity to complete. These changes, across major sectors, make powerful networks like ITSMF a non-negotiable lifeline for survival and growth.
Consider the hard data defining our current environment:
- The Executive Ceiling: Across the tech sector, white workers occupy roughly 82% of all executive roles. Black tech professionals hold only about 7% of overall roles, and that representation shrinks dramatically the closer you get to the top.
- The Leadership Gap: Men still hold nearly 80% of all executive-level positions in technology. Women make up only about 30% of the tech workforce, and they cite a severe lack of mentorship and female role models as the primary barrier to their advancement.
- The job has gotten heavier, not just differentA 2026 KPMG Adaptability Pulse survey of over 1,100 C-suite executives found that technology leaders are being squeezed from three directions at once: 67% feel pressure to improve customer experience, 64% to accelerate innovation, and 63% to cut operating costs — all simultaneously, all from the same desk. That’s not a talent problem or a strategy problem. It’s a structural reality of the modern technology leadership role: you’re now expected to be the growth engine, the cost center steward, and the risk officer, all in the same meeting.
Reality: Underrepresented tech leaders can no longer look exclusively at internal corporate sponsored programs to pave their path to the top, navigate change and uncertainty, and prepare them for success. When internal corporate structures recede, external networks must expand.
To navigate an environment where executive advancement is fiercely competitive, and corporate investment is under hyper-scrutiny; leaders must rely on an ultra-powerful external ecosystem that does not waver with politics, market trends or budget pressures. Our core mission remains absolute: To prepare and support excellent leaders at the highest levels of technology leadership, ensuring our leaders are prepared to perform, influence, and excel.
To deliver on this promise today, we must evolve how we operate, how we engage, and how we deliver value to you.
Our Strategic Shift: Three Core Priorities
We are moving forward with a disciplined, focused approach built on three pillars of organizational excellence.
1. Sharpening Our Executive Focus
We are concentrating our primary efforts on technology leaders at—and directly below—the C-suite and business owners. By aligning our programming, community, and resources to this critical tier, we maximize our ability to influence enterprise outcomes and rapidly accelerate representation where it matters most.
2. Strengthening Our Financial & Operational Foundation
Long-term sustainability requires a robust, resilient economic model. We are actively executing an intentional financial strategy to build deep reserves and withstand external market conditions:
- The Thrive Campaign: Expanding individual contributions to build a legacy of self-sustainability.
- Strategic Partnerships: Enhancing revenue through high-value corporate sponsorships and targeted B2B offerings.
- Programmatic Discipline: Streamlining our portfolio to focus exclusively on programs that deliver the highest qualitative impact and quantifiable return.
3. Elevating the Member Experience
Your investment in ITSMF must yield undeniable value, deep connection, and actionable insights for your career trajectory. We are investing heavily in a modernized ecosystem:
- ITSMF Connect: A fully refreshed digital platform to streamline peer-to-peer engagement.
- Premium Executive Coaching: Targeted, top-tier learning experiences designed for current and aspiring C-suite leaders.
- High-Impact Regional Engagement: Increasing the number of member-focused and member-led regional events to foster powerful, localized networking.
- Amplified Storytelling: Elevating the visibility of our members’ successes to cement our collective influence in the tech industry.
What This Means for You: An Invitation to Lead
This is not a passive moment for our community. The strength, relevance, and ultimate success of this next era will be co-authored by the engagement, insight, and participation of you—our members.
As we roll out the ITSMF Reimagined strategic initiative over the coming months, we need your voice:
- The Member Survey: You have received by email a comprehensive survey designed to capture critical insights into your unique executive needs and expectations. Please prioritize it.
- Focus Listening Sessions: A selection of members, partners, and stakeholders have been invited to participate in deep-dive focus groups to help shape our future curriculum and offerings.
Your input will directly inform how we refine our operational model, prioritize our strategic investments, and define organizational success.
Designing Our Future—Together
We are doing more than simply celebrating a 30-year milestone. We are making the hard, necessary decisions that will define the next era of ITSMF—how we grow, how we sustain, and how we lead.
Our vision is clear: To build a stronger, more focused, and more impactful organization. One that relentlessly moves leaders into positions of true corporate influence and power, while delivering measurable value to everyone who invests in us.
Thank you for your continued commitment to this community, to our shared legacy, and to the bold future we are building together.
Onward,I look forward to absorbing your feedback and keeping you informed of our progress.
Johanna JonesPresident & CEO
About Information Technology Senior Management Forum
Since 1996, Information Technology Senior Management Forum (ITSMF) has been dedicated to prepare professionals for executive roles in technology, to impact organizational innovation and growth. We do this by developing and nurturing these dynamic leaders through enrichment of the mind, body and soul. With a half-million new computer-related jobs expected by 2028, ITSMF is committed to increasing the number of qualified professionals for these positions. For more information about ITSMF, visit itsmfleaders.org.
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