ITSMF President's Message September 2026

Thirty Years Strong: Reflections on S2 and a Gala for the Ages

ITSMF! I’m still feeling the energy and momentum of 30 years of Excellence!

If you were in the room with us for our S2-26 Symposium and the Technology Leaders Awards Gala, you know exactly what I mean. If you were not, I want to bring you into it, because what happened over those few days wasn’t just another symposium. It was a declaration!

Thirty Years, Celebrated the Right Way

This organization turned thirty this year, and we did not let that anniversary pass quietly. We celebrated it the way three decades of excellence deserves — prolifically, unapologetically, and together. The energy in that ballroom was the kind you feel in your chest before you can even put words to it. Three decades of leaders who refused to wait for permission. Three decades of a family that kept showing up for each other, long before “belonging” became a strategy slide.

And at the center of it all: 21 Technology Leadership Awardees — twenty-one leaders whose work, influence, and impact represent exactly why this organization exists. Watching them walk across that stage, watching their teams and families stand and cheer, reminded me why we do this work in the first place. That gala was not a formality. It was proof.

Why the Energy Mattered

The energy was palpable. You could feel it in the standing ovations, in the hallway conversations that ran long past their scheduled end times, in the number of people who told me, unprompted, that this was the ITSMF they remembered falling in love with — and the ITSMF they were excited to fall in love with again.

That energy is not an accident. It is the direct result of a year most organizations would have spent playing defense. We spent it listening, building, and getting honest with ourselves about what comes next. Which is exactly what I opened S2-26 talking about.

What I Shared in My Opening Remarks

For those who want the headline version of where we’re headed, here it is.

This past year, we moved — fast and with intention. We launched an AI Academy, so our members would help write the rules of AI leadership, not read them after the fact. We built a Members-in-Transition ecosystem, so no one has to walk through a career disruption alone. We launched Glue Up, our new digital home for the community. And we launched Thrive, our reserves campaign. We have raised $201,000 toward a $200,000 goal by December 31, because a stronger ITSMF needs a stronger foundation.

Then, for nine months, we listened. Every stakeholder group — members, lapsed members, corporate partners, GIPD participants and alumni, founders, fellows, board members, strategic alliance partners — sat down with us in focus groups and answered a survey that told us the truth.

Here’s what you told us: ITSMF changes careers. Fifty-nine percent of you say we expanded your leadership. Fifty-five percent earned a promotion. Half of you saw real compensation growth. You also told us we’ve been too quiet about it, that you’re hungry for a clearer path from your first step with us to the boardroom, that AI readiness is now a top priority for 56% of you, and that you want us more local, more connected, and more vocal in advocating for you. You reminded us that we have over a thousand Academy alumni who built their leadership here and haven’t come home yet as members.

That’s the roadmap behind ITSMF Elevated: activate this community now, build an integrated leadership ecosystem over the next two years, and scale ITSMF into a nationally recognized authority on enterprise leadership for a technology-driven economy over the next five years. We’re evolving from developing technology executives to developing enterprise leaders — the CIO and CTO, yes, but also the business owner, and the leader in strategy, operations, product, finance, and governance whose work is shaped by technology every day. We’re building a more cohesive opportunity pipeline, modernizing every academy with AI and cybersecurity built into the spine, and going local with regional ambassadors and more member led meet ups and gatherings. And to our corporate partners: the deal is simple. You identify high-potential talent. We turn that potential into visible, enterprise-ready leadership.

Now It’s Your Move

S2-26 and TLA Gala gave us the moment. What we do with it is up to all of us.

If you haven’t yet, join ITSMF Connect, our digital membership community and start connecting. If you know a GIPD alum who hasn’t become a member, go sponsor them. If you’ve been away, come back — your dues, your voice, and your seat are waiting. If you’re not yet a member, the link is one click away. And if you want to go further, sponsor a Vanguard Dinner, show up to a regional networking event, or bring your own story of what ITSMF did for your career back to your leadership team.

Thirty years ago, our founders built a pathway so executive leaders could support each other and keep access to opportunity. This year, we protected that pathway. We listened to it. And starting now, together, we elevate it.

Let’s move our energy!

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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