ITSC Agenda: SIM TechExec 2025

SIM TechExec & TechServe Executive Summit Opening Keynote

Leading from the Epicenter

DeMaurice Smith - Former Executive Director, National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) & Author of Turf Wars: The Fight for the Soul of America's Game

DeMaurice Smith, the longtime Executive Director of the NFL Players Association, brings a masterclass in leadership to the stage. With a track record that includes orchestrating landmark collective bargaining agreements, championing health and safety reforms, and boosting player benefits across the board, Smith shares the strategies that guided him through the toughest negotiations in sports. His narrative isn’t just about deals—it’s about courageous, inclusive leadership in high-pressure environments.

In this talk, Smith blends personal storytelling with strategic insights, offering audiences concrete tools to navigate complexity with integrity and vision. Whether you're leading teams through disruption or forging meaningful change across industries, Smith’s talk empowers leaders to stand firm on values while adapting with agility. Expect to walk away motivated—armed with fresh perspectives on resilient leadership, stakeholder alignment, and the power of advocacy to spur progress and trust.

SIM TechExec Poker Run: Build Your Best Hand While Discovering Our Sponsors

Join us for a fast-paced, high-energy networking experience where everyone’s a winner. Executives will have the chance to build their best 5-card poker hand by visiting sponsor tables, making connections, and having fun along the way!

As you move between bistro tables, you’ll not only collect cards but also learn about the innovative products, services, and solutions our Summit and TechExec Sponsors offer. The more connections you make, the stronger your hand… and the greater your chances to win big!

Don’t miss this lively, interactive event that combines networking, sponsor insights, and a little friendly competition.

Technology Executive Leaders Women's Lunch

Join us for the 17th Annual Technology Executive Women’s Luncheon, co-hosted by TechServe Alliance and SIM. This premier event unites two powerhouse organizations in technology and staffing with a shared mission: advancing women in leadership. In a world where innovation and leadership are inseparable, we’re creating pathways for women to rise, thrive, and lead at the highest levels.

Sponsored by ClearEdge

TechExec & TechServe Executive Summit Networking Roundtable Lunch

Networking Lunch
Connect with SIM colleagues, TechServe friends and subject matter experts in an engaging lunchtime setting. Gain fresh insights, exchange ideas, and walk away with clear takeaways and actionable strategies to strengthen your business.

SIM TechExec & TechServe Executive Summit Keynote

Presented by: Vijay Gurbaxani - Taco Bell Endowed Chair of Technology Management; Professor of Information Systems Director, Center for Digital Transformation, University of California, Irvine

We are entering a new era where artificial intelligence is rewriting the rules of business. AI is not just another technology—it is a force that will redefine industries, reshape work, and recast the role of leadership itself. In this talk, Vijay Gurbaxani explores the opportunities and risks of this transformation, drawing on striking examples of how AI is already reshaping companies and society. He challenges leaders to think differently about value, competitiveness, and the choices that will determine whether their organizations thrive or fall behind. This is a moment of extraordinary promise—and peril. The decisions executives make today will shape the future.

Joint TechServe and SIM Panel Discussion

The IT Workforce of 2026 and Beyond: Meeting the Needs of Enterprise Amid the AI Revolution

Technology is undergoing a seismic shift. Enterprises, fueled by the rapid adoption of AI, automation, and cloud technologies, are rethinking their workforce strategies and the skills required to move their businesses forward. Industry data underscores this transformation: demand is soaring for AI and machine learning specialists, prompt engineers, cloud architects, DevSecOps professionals, cybersecurity experts, and data storytellers who can translate complex analytics into actionable business insights.

Big questions remain: Where will the talent come from? How should IT teams be structured and staffed? And how critical will human-centric capabilities—emotional intelligence, creativity, critical thinking, adaptability—be to the IT professional of the future? Join a panel of IT leaders and solution providers who will share their perspective on the roles, competencies, and staffing models enterprises will need next.