🎙️ Episode 24: Purpose, Possibility & the Power of Mentorship - Disha Patel, Digital Technology & Innovation Lead at AmgenIn this heartfelt and empowering episode of Silicon Heartland Sessions, we sit down with Disha Patel, the Digital Technology & Innovation Site Lead at Amgen Ohio, to explore how purpose-driven leadership, resilience, and mentorship are transforming the tech landscape - especially in healthcare and biotech.Disha’s personal journey - from global career pivots to leading a greenfield digital initiative in Ohio - highlights what it truly means to lead with authenticity and courage in a fast-paced world.💡 Key Takeaways:✅ How to align your career with your gifts and passions - and why purpose is your most powerful compass.✅ The importance of saying no and setting boundaries in order to say yes to what really matters.✅ What it means to lead collaboratively and build a culture where others feel safe to take risks.✅ How Amgen is leveraging technology and AI to reshape biotech - and save lives.✅ Why mentorship matters more than ever, and how reverse mentorship is creating meaningful transformation.✅ Disha’s personal habits for staying grounded, centered, and fully present in both work and life.💬 "You're never too late to find your purpose in life... but it takes reflection, curiosity, and a willingness to step out of your comfort zone." - Disha PatelWhether you're navigating imposter syndrome, seeking balance in a high-stakes role, or just looking for inspiration from a powerful leader in tech, this episode offers the kind of wisdom that sticks with you.🎧 Listen now and discover why Disha is one of the most inspiring voices in Ohio’s technology and healthcare community.🙏 Special thanks to our amazing sponsors for supporting this episode:🙌 Rackspace Technology - We advise, design, build, and manage solutions across multicloud, applications, data, and security.🙌 Varonis - The leader in data security and insider threat detection.🙌 Trace3 - AI to help your business run, grow, and transform.🙌 Sigma Computing - Business intelligence built for the cloud. Live, collaborative analytics for data-driven teams.

🎙️ Episode 23: Michael Farrar – Running Down a Dream in the Public SectorIn this episode, we sit down with Michael Farrar, CIO for the City of Westerville, who shares an incredibly human and inspiring journey of leadership, resilience, and transformation in the public sector.In this powerful conversation, Michael shares what it means to lead with heart and humility while navigating rapid technological change in the public sector. You’ll hear how a childhood theme song (“Running Down a Dream” by Tom Petty) became a lifelong anthem for chasing goals, pushing through challenges, and never giving up.💡 What You’ll Learn:✅ How Michael built a successful career by saying “yes” to the jobs no one wanted✅ The discipline it takes to lead a tech organization while being present as a father, husband, and community mentor✅ How the City of Westerville is innovating with AI and smart city tech - without sacrificing trust or ethical responsibility✅ Why building relationships and community is the true legacy of a great leaderHis insights are authentic, unfiltered, and deeply human - and his advice is just as relevant for CTOs and software engineers as it is for city managers and startup founders.🎧 Tune in for a conversation that blends technology, leadership, and a bold reminder to “stay curious” and “keep moving forward” - no matter what.🙏 Huge thanks to our 2025 sponsors who make this podcast possible:🙌 Rackspace Technology – We advise, design, build, and manage solutions across the multicloud, applications, data, and security.🙌 Varonis – A pioneer in data security and analytics, providing a platform to manage, analyze, and secure enterprise data against insider threats and cyberattacks.🙌 Trace3 – AI to help your business run, grow, and transform.🙌 Sigma Computing – Next-generation cloud analytics and BI with a spreadsheet interface, enabling teams to analyze live data at scale.🎧 Tune in now: https://www.cloudnirvana.org/podcast

🎙 Episode 22 – Generative AI Adoption & Roadmaps: Insights from Cloud Nirvana ColumbusThis special episode of Silicon Heartland Sessions features the incredible speakers from the December 2024 Cloud Nirvana Columbus conference. These thought leaders are at the forefront of enterprise AI and came together to share how they’re adopting generative AI across industries—turning strategy into execution at scale.

You’ll hear insights from:✅ Murali Sundararajan, EVP/CIO, Victoria’s Secret✅ Swathi Jillella, Generative AI Technology Enablement Lead, Nationwide Insurance✅ Cam Avent, Senior Director of Analytics, Union Square Hospitality✅ Michael Chorey, Senior Product Manager of AI & Innovation, Wendy’sTogether, we explore real-world enterprise adoption of generative AI; from hyper-personalization and associate enablement to agent-driven automation, governance frameworks, and the evolving build vs. buy landscape!What You’ll Learn:💡 How hyper-personalization delivers value without compromising trust💡 Why AI agents are reshaping the customer experience in insurance, retail, and hospitality💡 Lessons from building “Fresh AI” in-house at Wendy’s💡 Nationwide’s approach to human-in-the-loop AI💡 The role of data quality, analytics storytelling, and governance in scaling AI💡 How to get started with AI - boldly, responsibly, and with measurable impact💡 Why rational innovation, collaboration, and curiosity are key to long-term successWhether you’re an enterprise leader, data scientist, or simply curious about what’s next in tech, this episode is filled with authentic insights, bold ideas, an`d practical lessons from those building the future of AI today.🎙️ A huge THANK YOU to our sponsors for making this episode possible!🙌 Rackspace Technology – We advise, design, build, and manage solutions across the multicloud, applications, data, and security.🙌 Varonis – A pioneer in data security and analytics, providing a platform to manage, analyze, and secure enterprise data against insider threats and cyberattacks.🙌 Trace3 – AI to help your business run, grow, and transform.🙌 Sigma Computing – Next-generation cloud analytics and business intelligence with a spreadsheet interface, enabling teams to analyze live data at scale.🎧 Tune in now to hear where enterprise AI is headed - from the leaders driving the movement.