Dr. Daniel Connolly is dean of the College of Business and Public Administration at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa and a recognized global thought leader in the area of hospitality information technology. His teaching, research, and consulting interests focus on the strategic application of information technology and electronic commerce for business advantage. He frequently presents his work at academic and industry conferences around the world and has authored or co-authored numerous publications. His book Technology Strategies for the Hospitality Industry (now in its second edition) is the industry’s first book on technology strategy. Prior to joining Drake, Daniel served as dean of the School of Business Administration at Portland State University and on the faculties of several major universities including the University of Denver, Michigan State University, and Virginia Tech, where he taught graduate and undergraduate courses in information technology, strategic management, finance, and hospitality administration. Before joining academia, Daniel spent nearly 8 years working at Marriott International’s corporate headquarters as an information systems analyst. In addition, he has consulted with numerous organizations in the hospitality, health care and technology sectors, and has more than 10 years of experience in hotel and restaurant operations.

Brian Kirkland is chief technology officer for Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH), one of the world’s largest hotel companies. In this role, he oversees the company’s information technology organization, and is responsible for leading overall IT strategy, infrastructure, development, all aligning with Choice’s business objectives. Brian joined Choice Hotels in 2015 as vice president of engineering, where he led engineering development and operations at the company’s Phoenix-based technology headquarters. Recently, Brian notably guided Choice’s efforts to sucecssfully design and launch the industry’s first new global reservation system in 30 years, choiceEDGE. Prior to joining Choice Hotels, Brian held key leadership positions at leading technology companies, GoDaddy and Media Temple (accquired by GoDaddy in 2013), most recently serving as vice president of engineering. There, Brian helped integrate the company’s IT structure as well as directed engineering. Earlier in his career, he held various software development positions at Hewlett-Packard and Intel. Brian earned his bachelor’s degree in computer science and a master’s degree in business administration from Arizona State University. He is currently a member of Arizona’s Information Technology Authorization Committee (ITAC) and Arizona State University’s Executive Council for the Department of Information Systems.

Jason Stead is vice president, enterprise security and privacy for Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH), one of the world’s largest hotel franchisors. In this position, Mr. Stead establishes and oversees the company’s enterprise security and privacy program, IT compliance and risk management, service management, systems performance management, and corporate IT. Jason has 17 years of experience in IT risk management and information security. Previously he served as vice president of information security for First National Bank of Arizona, now known as Mutual of Omaha Bank, a regionally focused, nationally chartered bank. Earlier in his career he held senior information security roles with Nationwide Insurance and management consultant and risk management roles with Ernst & Young. He received his MBA from the W. P. Carey School of Business, Arizona State University, and BS from Iowa State University. Jason holds CISSP, CISM, and CISA security certifications.

Rohan Jani serves as the Associate Vice President of Technology at Hyatt Hotels Corporation. In this capacity, he is responsible for overseeing the company-wide vision, strategy, and execution of various business-critical hotel technologies. He also provides guidance on technology capital planning, advises on potential hotel acquisitions, and leads Hyatt's product strategy and loyalty development. Furthermore, Rohan actively participates in hospitality technology organizations such as the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) and Hospitality Technology Next Generation (HTNG), providing strategic direction and serving on advisory boards of several hotel technology providers. With over 18 years of global experience gained while working in the Americas, EMEA, and ASPAC regions, Rohan has built and managed world-class teams and overseen various enterprise functions. Notably, he has developed and implemented Hyatt’s global hotel technology standards and managed several hundred hotel openings, with technology budgets exceeding $500 million. As a senior executive, Rohan provides internal guidance to cross-functional departments such as digital, analytics, software development, cybersecurity, network & infrastructure operations, finance, marketing, and legal. He also advises senior real estate development teams on potential hotel acquisition opportunities. A key initiative led by Rohan at Hyatt has been the deployment of Apple Wallet key technology. He predicts that guests will soon use their mobile devices, rather than plastic key cards, to access their rooms, and has partnered with Apple to integrate room keys into Apple Wallet through NFC technology. See Apple Wallet digital key in action at Hyatt hotels | AppleInsider Furthermore, Rohan's team has enabled guests to stream their own content on guestroom television screens using Google’s Chromecast solution embedded in LG TVs, enhancing guest satisfaction and driving repeat visits. Hyatt and LG develop hotel TVs with built-in Google Cast (yahoo.com) In addition to driving technological advancements, Rohan is committed to environmental sustainability and has introduced the Digital Compendium product, which leverages QR codes to provide up-to-date hotel information via guest smartphones. This solution has been deployed in over 1000 properties and used by more than 3 million guests in the past year, bringing about significant cost savings for hotels and environmental benefits. Uniguest to launch Hyatt’s Digital Guest Compendium Rohan and Hyatt were also selected as the 2024 winner of AHLA Tech Acceleration Awards, celebrating innovation and excellence in technology adoption within the hospitality sector.

Dayna Kully is the co-founder of 5thGenWireless, LLC. Dayna has over 35 years of experience in sales, channel development, marketing and senior level management, specializing in technology for the hospitality market. Early in her career, Dayna successfully managed sales, technical and operations teams at GE/RCA and Williams Communications, later joining Nortel Networks’ emerging optical and access group. Dayna later went on to lead successful broadband divisions as VP of Hospitality at both Everest Broadband and Mitel Networks. Prior to this, Dayna co-founded Brautovich/Kully, a product marketing firm offering expertise in the strategic marketing of telecommunications products. Dayna is actively engaged in HTNG, currently serves as an executive advisor to the Board of Governors, co-chairs the Modernizing Infrastructure Strategic Pillar and has helped spawn multiple workgroups on topics such as Central Authentication, Scalable Cellular Solutions and Fiber to the Room.

Resilience expert Deborah Gilboa, MD (aka “Dr. G”) works with families, organizations, and businesses to identify the mindset and strategies to turn stress to an advantage. Renowned for her contagious humor, Dr. G works with groups across multiple generations, to rewire their attitudes and beliefs, and create resilience through personal accountability and a completely different approach to adversity. She is a leading media personality seen regularly on TODAY, Good Morning America and The Doctors. She is also featured frequently in the Washington Post, The New York Times, Authority Magazine, and countless other digital and print outlets. Dr. G is board certified attending family physician and is fluent in American Sign Language. She lives in Pittsburgh with her four sons.

Dan Kornick is the chief information officer at Loews Hotels & Co in New York City, where he is responsible for all aspects of Information Technology including strategy, systems development, infrastructure, IT operations, internal customer support and working across the organization on the evolution of IT. He is a global digital and global technology leader with vast experience in multiple industries including Hospitality & Travel, Telecom and Financial services. Prior to Loews, he has held CIO roles with TracFone Wireless, Wyndham Hotel Group and Cendant’s Vacation Rental Group in Europe. He has successfully led multiple business, technology and digital transformations focusing on the customer and team experience, while leveraging the investment in technology to achieve the overall objectives for the organizations. A graduate of Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science and Mathematics, Dan previously served on the Board of Governors for Hotel Technology Next Generation (HTNG), and currently sits on Board of Trustees for the New Jersey Youth Chorus.

Richard Sheinis is a partner of Hall Booth Smith, P.C., a Southeastern law firm with 14 offices in 6 states. He is the leader of the firm’s Data Privacy and Security group. He is certified as a privacy professional (CIPP-US) by the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), which is the largest privacy and security industry association in the world. As a member of the IAPP, Richard serves as the KnowledgeNet Co-Chair for the Charlotte region. Richard works with companies to respond to security incidents and data breaches, develop enterprise data privacy and security programs, which includes HIPAA, COPPA, GDPR, mobility, cloud technology, PCI DSS, cross border data transfer, privacy compliance, data inventory assessments, and data breach response plans. Richard’s litigation background places him in a unique position to lead data breach investigations and limit potential exposure.