AITP Chicago - Executive Panel on AI ROI

AITP Chicago Invites You to an Executive Panel on AI ROI

This is an exclusive event - all 4 panelists are from Teams that were finalists in the 2026 Most Effective Technology Team Awards.   Hear from the best.

Topic: AI, Where's the Beef - where AI seems to be generating ROI above expectations and where it is falling short.

Event Host: Alden Hutchison, CYBER | Principal. RSM US LLP

Location:  RSM US LLP, 30 South Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL 60606, 33rd Floor

Click Here to Register

Seating will be limited so only register if you will attend

Moderator:  Lance Fortnow, Former Professor of Computer Science at IIT

Panelists:

  Tom Cesario, Vice President of US Operations & IT, The Radio Flyer Company

  KD Mohanty, Sr. Vice President, Chief Technology Officer, Sargent & Lundy

  Lee Roberson, Director of Technology, DePaul University

  Brent Maher, Vice President of information Technology, First Student

Event Agenda:  5:30-8:00 PM

  5:30 - 6:00 PM, Registration and Networking

  6:00 - 7:00 PM, Panel Discussion "AI, Where's the Beef (ROI)"

  7:00 - 8:00 PM, Pizza and Networking

BIOs:

Lance Fortnow is a computer scientist specializing in computational complexity, most recently developing a theory to understand why AI works as well as it does. He was a professor in Computer Science at the Illinois Institute of Technology, where he served as the founding dean of the College of Computing from 2019 to 2025.

Before joining Illinois Tech, he was chair of the School of Computer Science at the Georgia Institute of Technology and previously a professor at Northwestern University and the University of Chicago following a PhD in Applied Mathematics from MIT. He was a 

Fulbright Scholar to the Netherlands in 1996-97 and a visiting fellow at Magdalen College, Oxford, in Hilary Term 2026.

Fortnow founded and co-authors the Computational Complexity weblog, the first major theoretical computer science blog, which has run continuously since 2002, and wrote a popular science book, The Golden Ticket: P, NP and the Search for the Impossible. 

Tom Cesario joined Radio Flyer in 2008. Home of the iconic Little Red Wagon, Radio Flyer has been creating tricycles and other ride-on toys for generations. As Vice President of U.S. Operations & IT, Tom develops and leads the company’s technology and operations strategy, with responsibility for IT, domestic operations, and customer service. He is also a member of Radio Flyer’s Executive Leadership Team. During his tenure, Tom has led significant business and technology transformations spanning ERP, cloud computing, eCommerce, data and analytics, warehouse technology, and digital customer engagement. More recently, he has focused on advancing the practical application of artificial intelligence across the organization to improve productivity, decision-making, and the customer experience. Tom is particularly interested in moving AI beyond experimentation and embedding it into everyday business processes where it can deliver measurable value.

Brent Maher is Vice President of Information Technology at First Student, where he leads enterprise IT strategy, cybersecurity, and technology operations supporting one of North America’s largest student transportation providers. Maher brings more than two decades of experience in technology leadership, with deep expertise in cybersecurity, infrastructure, and digital transformation. Prior to joining First Student, he spent over 15 years at Johnson Financial Group, where he held multiple executive roles including Chief Technology Officer and Chief Information Security Officer. In those roles, he built and scaled enterprise security programs, modernized IT operations, and led strategic technology initiatives across the organization.