Society for Information Management

History

The idea of SIM began during a break session at the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) conference held in Las Vegas in August 1968. A conversation between Robert Head with the Software Resource Group and Herb Schwartz with the United States Atomic Energy Commission ensued on how current professional societies did not emphasize the managerial aspects of computing enough nor did they serve as a good communication mechanism between data processing managers and executive managers. That conversation was the basis for the formation of The Society for Management Information Systems (SMIS) which in 1982 became the Society for Information Management.

A founding committee was formed and the first meeting was held on November 22, 1968 at the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission in Washington D.C. The founders included Joseph P. Cunningham, Richard E. Dooley, Dr. James C. Emory, Robert B. Forest, Robert V. Head, Dr. Alan J. Rowe, James G. Rude, M.H. Schwartz, Robert G. Stevens, W. Robert Widener and Robert K. Wilmouth.

The first (founding) conference titled "Bridging the Gap Between the Management Function and Information Technology" with 250 attendees was held at the University of Minnesota on September 8–9, 1969.

Criteria

Practitioner: A senior-level IT professional in either a public or private sector organization meeting the following criteria:

Corporate/divisional head of a corporate or divisional IS organization: Member of an IS management staff supporting corporate/divisional IS heads with key management roles, as certified by the head of the organization.

Academic: A full-time university or college faculty member making a significant contribution to the IS field.

Consultant: Leaders at the partner/principal level who influence the direction of their own company or their clients’ companies, and who directly contribute to the IS profession.

Other leader: A non-IT executive such as vendor, recruiter or leader from another profession who has a major role in matters impacting strategic IT direction.

SIM adheres to a strict policy against marketing or commercial activity. Sales and marketing representatives are only accepted as members through the SIM Partner Program.

Organization Leadership

Strategic direction for SIM is provided by the Society’s elected Board of Directors with approval from the Chapter President’s Board.

Advanced Practices Council

Advanced Practices Council (APC) is a forum for senior IT executives who commission exclusive research and share cross-industry perspectives. APC was founded in 1991 by Warren McFarlan of the Harvard Business School.

Future Potential in IT

In 2005, the Society for Information Management (SIM) published a paper entitled “Trends and Implications for the IT Workforce”. Academics engaged in teaching IT/IS courses all over the country were interviewed to gauge the current and future state of IT workforce development. One of the most startling conclusions, borne out by enrollment statistics at that time which have yet to improve markedly, was that enrollment in Technology programs in U.S. colleges and universities was falling at alarming rates. In some cases enrollment had declined as much as 75%. Some programs then and now have ceased to exist. The implication was that the U.S. was falling behind the rest of the world in developing a Technology workforce and would continue to do so, and has, unless something was done to reverse that trend.

Thus, the Future Potential in IT (FPIT) program was developed within SIM to educate college level students nn the value of pursuing a career in Information Technology. FPIT was originally developed in partnership with Microsoft, but they ceased their funding of the effort about 2007. So, for the last several years, with the encouragement of SIM International, the program has continued to be conducted on a regional basis by SIM chapters at area colleges and universities. As originally envisioned FPIT is a half-day program aimed at college students, conducted on college campuses. Chapters have had the freedom to design their local efforts according to the local situation but a typical program might consist of lunch (e.g. a pizza party), a keynote speaker, such as a CIO of a company which would be recognized by students (e.g. Dunkin Brands), but not necessarily associated by them with technology. The program might include a panel consisting of graduates of that institution that have gone on to successful careers in technology, complete with a “question and answer” period allowing the students the opportunity to quiz the panelists and other senior IT professionals in attendance about their career choices. Where such a program has been conducted it has been well received with students enthusiastically getting involved. At a recent event held at Northeastern University, all the seats were filled, and students filled the windowsills. Post-program, at every institution where a FPIT has been held, enrollments have increased.

While SIM and its Chapters continue to recognize the importance of a program the nature of FPIT they also came to recognize the need to engage students much earlier in their educational and career preparation careers and they began to participate and sponsor STEM initiatives across the K – College level spectrum. This has included multiple Chapter partnerships with YearUp, hundreds of thousands of dollars in college scholarships, and programs such as “IT for Girls”, “icStars”, “NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing”, “CyberGirlz Technology Camp”, and various other Teen Tech/Boot Camps, all designed to attract young people to the profession. Efforts to dispel the myth that all technology jobs have been outsourced and there are no longer viable careers in IT, that tech is for “geeks” or “nerds”, and to demonstrate that technology is not just something you can use, you can actually have a great career, making substantial earnings, in IT.

Past and Future SIMposium Host Cities

SIMposium is SIM's annual practitioner-driven conference designed for and by CIOs. Working nationally with key senior IT executives, CIOs and recognized thought leaders, SIMposium addresses the topics, issues, best practices and trends that will give our audience the technology-related insight necessary to make the right decisions to impact their business strategies and future IT direction. From 1995 to 2002, SIMposium was called SIM Interchange Annual Conference.

SIM Women

SIM Women is a network inside the Society for Information Management to promote communication, mentorship and career development amongst the female members.

In January 2007 SIM Women began a phased roll out starting with the New Jersey, NY Metro and Fairfield-Westchester chapters. In April 2007 the ladies of Philadelphia were added, and in February 2008 the ladies of Boston joined SIM Women as well. There was great participation from each new chapter. In May 2008 the ladies from Central CT and the DC/Capital area were added. In August 2008 the ladies of the Toronto and Raleigh chapters joined. In September 2008 the ladies of Tennessee, Central and South Florida chapters were asked to participate, and Atlanta and Alabama joined in October. In December 2008 the Wisconsin, Minnesota, St. Louis, and Northeast Ohio chapters were welcomed. In January 2009 ladies of Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Indianapolis joined the ranks. Chicago and Detroit ladies joined in the Spring of 2009. SIM women continued to add chapters every month and covered every SIMI chapter by June 2009.

To date SIM Women has held monthly conference calls and multiple successful networking events. SIM Women’s conference calls are typically the last Wednesday of the month at 3pm EST. Executive coaches, successful CIOs, and networking gurus are brought in to facilitate the calls and meetings. Topics covered included: Personal Branding, Peer Communication, Defining Your Personal Success, Internal Networking, Personal Accountability, Industry Visibility, and Mentoring Defined. SIM Women also rotates face-to-face networking events around the country.

Regional Leadership Forum (RLF)

Regional Leadership Forum (RLF) is an intensive, ten-month leadership development program focused on creating authentic leaders. Since 1992 over 3000 graduates and more than 300 sponsors have found RLF the key to developing leadership effectiveness. RLF offers a curriculum of intense reading, open exchanges on leadership practices, and interactive learning focusing on team-building, creative thinking and listening skills.

Founded by Richard Dooley, the first Regional Leadership Forum was held in Chicago in 1992 and was originally called the "SIM Chapter-Hosted Learning Forum".

Local Chapters and Leadership

The strength of the SIM Organization is built around local its local Chapters. There are currently 39 local chapters throughout the United States and Canada:

Alabama Chapter

Alabama Chapter Website Chartered in October 1987.

Albany Chapter

Albany Chapter Website Chartered in December 2014.

Arizona Chapter

Arizona Chapter Website Chartered in March 1986.

Austin Chapter

Austin Chapter Website Chartered in January 2012.

Atlanta Chapter

Atlanta Chapter Website. Chartered in October 1984. The Atlanta Chapter hosted the 2010 SIMposium. The Atlanta Chapter's 2010 Golf Tournament raised over $40,000 to help TechBridge, a nonprofit dedicated to helping other nonprofits use technology to do more and reach more people.

Boston Chapter

Boston Chapter Website. The geographic area of Boston Chapter members consists of Eastern and Central Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and Rhode Island. The Boston Chapter of SIM was formed through the efforts of Dick Harris, John Dacey and Edgar Canty. In the Fall of 1976 Mr. Harris, who was then ClO at Colonial Gas, was at a meeting in Chicago at which SIM National (then called the Society for the Management of Information Systems - SMIS) was encouraging chapter formation. Harris obtained a listing of SIM members in the Boston area, and called Canty and Dacey to arrange an organizing meeting. The organizing meetings were held at Babson College through the Fall of 1976 and into the Spring of 1977 and, in addition to Harris, Canty and Dacey, involved Don Brown, Les Ball, Chris Bullen and Charles Hewitt.

The first Boston SIM meetings began in the Fall of 1977 with the meeting locations alternated between Babson College and the MIT Faculty Club. Dick Harris was the first Chapter Chairman, and Jerry Kanter was the first speaker. The Articles of Organization were submitted to the Massachusetts Secretary of State’s office in May, 1981, signed by Edgar Canty. The officers were Les Ball, President; Dave Callahan, Clerk; and Arthur Sarazini, Treasurer. Chapter Directors were Bill Synnott, John Dacey, Dick Harris and Dave Callahan. The Charter of Incorporation was received from national SMIS on June 18, 1981.

The Boston Chapter's programs include the MIT Sloan School of Management CIO Symposium, The Leadership Development Roundtable, SIM Silver, Sharpen the Leadership Saw, CIO Roundtables in both the Providence, RI and greater Boston areas, a Practitioner's Roundtable, a Consultants Roundtable, a Help Desk Roundtable and two all day CIO Summits/Forums. It currently supports the following Outreach programs: Year Up, Teen Voices, Common Impact and Tech Boston.

Capital Area (Washington, D.C.) Chapter

Capital Area Website SIM's first chapter to be Chartered in May 1979.

Central California (Fresno) Chapter

Central California Chapter Website. The geographical scope of the Central California Chapter is primarily within the San Joaquin Valley – from Stockton, CA to Bakersfield, CA.

Central Connecticut Chapter

Central Connecticut Website Chartered in November 1989.

Central Florida Chapter

Central Florida Chapter Website

Charlotte Region Chapter

Charlotte Region Website

Chicago Chapter

Chicago Chapter Website Chartered in September 1979.

Colorado Chapter

Colorado Chapter Website Chartered in February 1988.

Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter

Dallas Fort Worth Chapter Website. Chartered in 1983. The IT Executive of the Year Award was created by the Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter in 1998. The DFW SIM Chapter played host chapter for SIMposium in 1986, 2006, and 2012.

Detroit Chapter

Detroit Chapter Website Chartered in October 1987.

Fairfield/Westchester (Connecticut and New York) Chapter

Fairfield/Westchester Chapter Website. Chartered in 2000.

Houston Chapter

Houston Chapter Website

Indianapolis Chapter

Indianapolis Chapter Website Chartered in September 1986.

Las Vegas Chapter

Las Vegas Chapter Website Chartered in 2012.

Louisville Chapter

Louisville Chapter Website Chartered October 2014

Memphis Chapter

Memphis Chapter Website Chartered in October 1988.

Minnesota Chapter

Minnesota Chapter Website

Nashville Chapter

Nashville Chapter Website Chartered in 2010

New Jersey Chapter

SIM NJ (Society for Information Management - New Jersey Chapter) - Wikipedia site
New Jersey Chapter Website Chartered in October 1984.

New York Metro Chapter

New York Metro Chapter Website.

Northeast Ohio Chapter

Northeast Ohio Website

Philadelphia Chapter

Philadelphia Chapter Website Chartered in February 1985.

Portland Chapter

Portland Chapter Website

The Portland Chapter of SIM was initially formed as a satellite of the Seattle SIM Chapter in 1996 through the efforts of Bill Harrison, Norm Alexander, Liz Alexander, Bill Henderson and Fred Pond. Independent since 1999, the Portland Chapter primarily draws members from the Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington areas but also has many active members from the Salem and Corvallis regions. As of mid-2012, the chapter boasts more than 170 active members. The region is home to 1.3 million people, over 20 colleges and universities, two professional sports teams and is a center for the apparel industry, especially footwear with such names as Nike, Keen, LaCrosse/Danner, and Adidas.

The Chapter has given back to the Oregon and SW Washington community through support of local charities and scholarships to universities in the area. Some of the highlights of SIM Portland’s community outreach and philanthropy includes:

Chapter programs are held monthly from September through May of the following year, traditionally on the second Wednesday evening of each month.

Research Triangle Park (RTP) Chapter

Research Triangle Park Website Chartered in October 1988. Formerly known as the North Carolina Chapter.

San Diego Chapter

San Diego Website Chartered in 2011

San Francisco Bay Area Chapter

San Francisco Bay Area Website Chartered in August 2015

Seattle Area Chapter

Seattle Chapter Website

South Florida Chapter

South Florida Chapter Website Chartered in February 2006.

Southern California Chapter

Southern California Website Chartered in 2011.

St. Louis Chapter

St. Louis Chapter Website The St. Louis Chapter of SIM was formed in 2004 through the efforts of Bob Rouse, Eric Gorham, Judy Winkler, David Kocs, Terry Werner and many RLF graduates. The first meeting was held at Southwestern Bell (now ATT) in May 2004 with Darwin John as the speaker. Geographically, the chapter includes the metropolitan St. Louis region, including surrounding counties in Missouri and Illinois; the region is home to 2.9 million people, 16 colleges and universities, and 9 Fortune 500 companies.

The St. Louis SIM Charter was received at the New York SIMposium in the fall of 2004. Since then many chapter members have served on national SIM boards and committees.

From its beginning the Chapter concentrated on leadership programs at monthly meetings. In 2006 it established the annual Leadership Workshop, a 2.5-day event featuring CIO leaders and networking opportunities. In 2007 Paul Klover organized the first Charity Golf Tournament; it annually provides scholarships for undergraduate students in greater St. Louis. The Chapter is also the primary organizer of a large annual technology conference, Gateway to Innovation, which includes biotech, healthcare, government, and information technology. Drawing 1,400 participants, high-tech start-ups, 50 vendors and leading speakers, the conference provides a forum for the community to meet and highlight progress and developments. The conference also gives back into the local community, donating more than $825,00 since the first year.

The chapter has given back to the community in many ways. The chapter has provided over 20 educational scholarships in recent years. It has helped Edgewood Center and Therapeutic Horsemanship, providing needed development and systems support for information technology to support their services and administration.

Toronto Chapter

Toronto Chapter Website

Western New York Chapter

Western New York Chapter Website Chartered in March 2015.

Wichita Chapter

Wichita Chapter Website Chartered in December 2015.

Wisconsin Chapter

Wisconsin Chapter Website. Chartered in 1982. Members are primarily located in southeastern Wisconsin.

Society publications

The organization’s website provides an online library of publications

MIS Quarterly Executive