The Network of IT Professionals developing Minds and Technology!
AITP provides a local, regional and national forum for obtaining information about the field of Information Technology, learning about educational and career opportunities, developing technology and business skills, and staying connected with other professionals who have similar interests.
AITP has over 7000 members in 140 professional chapters and 250 student chapters. Our commitment to education is supported through our educational foundation, special interest groups, and certification programs.
We understand the evolution and direction of the IT industry and the needs of its professionals. AITP is committed to ensuring that our members remain global experts in IT innovation.
AITP is a professional association comprised of career minded individuals who seek to expand their potential -- employers, employees, managers, programmers, and many others. We seek to provide avenues for all members to be teachers as well as students and to make contacts with other members in the IT field in an effort to become more marketable in the rapidly changing world of technology.
By investing your time in AITP you will:
- Exchange experiences and knowledge with peers
- Participate in seminars, workshops and conferences
- Meet and interact with leaders in the industry
- Keep current with emerging technologies
- Develop a resource base of people you can call
- Develop leadership and managerial skills
- Provide a voice for the future
THE NORTHWEST CHAPTER OF AITP
The Northwest Chapter of AITP is a not-for-profit professional association comprised of professionals in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota facing the issues of designing, developing and implementing Information Technology. The Norwest Chapter is affiliated with the national Association of Information Technology Professionals organization headquartered near Chicago, Illinois. ( www.aitp.org ).
The Northwest Chapter is dedicated to promoting awareness of solutions to today's issues by facilitating the sharing IT knowledge and experience. It supports its members through the promotion of professionalism and education, and offers member support in the form of conferences expositions, publications, and idea exchange with peers at monthly meetings.
Monthly meetings are held on the first Wednesday morning of each month, September through May. See UPCOMING EVENTS for planned activities and specific dates.
The Northwest Chapter currently includes over 60 members and is led by a volunteer Board of Directors. If you would like to participate as a Board or Committee member, contact any Board member listed in the BOARD MEMBERS section below.
The Northwest Chapter in the Twin Cities maintains a strong local presence in the information technology community, even though its name has changed several times. The Chapter started in 1946 as the Association of Tabulating Supervisors (ATS). It was also know as Remington Association of Tabulating Supervisors, or RATS. In 1951 ATS/RATS became the National Machinists Accounting Association (NMAA) and changed its name to Data Processing Management Association (DPMA) in 1961 with national affiliation. In 1997, the organization changed to its current name, the Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP), to better reflect its broad membership. Take a look at the AITP National Web site to learn more about the beginnings of AITP and its progression over the last four decades.
If you would like more information regarding the Northwest Chapter of AITP, please contact us at info@nwaitp.org
NWAITP Board Members
Troy Nelson
President
Troy is the Director of Information Technology at The Burchfield Group, a pharmacy benefits consultancy in West St. Paul. Prior to Burchfield, Troy worked as a technical consultant for various local firms, specializing in Customer Relationship Management systems and mobile technology. He completed his Master of Science in the Management of Technology at the University of Minnesota in 2006. He also holds a degree in Journalism from the University of St. Thomas. Troy is also an adjunct instructor at ITT Technical Institute.
Contact Troy at pres@nwaitp.org
Jim Clark
Past President
Jim is President and CEO of Interim CIOs - offering interim CIO services to companies in transition. Mr. Clark has been a member of DPMA/AITP since 1979, and President of the Northwest Chapter from 2001 to 2008.
Contact Jim at pastpres@nwaitp.org
Gary Peterson
Secretary
Gary has extensive experience supporting business applications in the financial services and distribution sectors. His specializations include database conversions, cross-platform interfaces, CRM/Single View of Customer, Data Quality, and Postal Service products. Gary is a utility player serving in diverse roles from technical team lead to tier II support for distributed end-user applications. He enjoys fishing, motorcycling, camping, and serves as a captain of a financial team at his church.
Contact Gary at sec@nwaitp.org
Richard Aman
Treasurer
Richard is Chair of the IT School at the ITT Technical Institute in Eden Prairie and Woodbury.
Contact Richard at treas@nwaitp.org
Michael Janes, (CISSP®)
Membership Chair
A consultant with 40 years in IT experience. The last 10 years as President of Cyber Guard Dog. Mike specializes in Information Security for Small Businesses. He protects Small businesses for Cyber Criminals. Mike has been a member of the Northwest Chapter of Association of Information Technology Professionals since 2003. He has been a member of the Minnesota chapter of the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA) since 2003. The last 2 years serving on the election committee. Mike has been a member of Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) since 2009. December of 2004, the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium, Inc(ISC)²® awarded him the title of Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP®).
Contact Mike at members@nwaitp.org
Nicholas Kriz
Program Chair
Nick is a recent graduate from Dunwoody College of Technology's Computer Networking program. Prior to accepting the Program Chair position with NWAITP, he served as President of the student chapter of AITP at Dunwoody, which helped earn him a finalist position for the Dunwoody Student Leadership award. Nick is currently working as a technician for One Adam Claude servicing the IT needs of individuals and small businesses, and is looking forward to returning to Dunwoody this fall as an adjunct instructor.
Contact Nick at prog@nwaitp.org
Tim Plas
Student Chapter Liaison
Tim is a Principal Consultant at Virteva, in the Managed Services group. His current focus areas are operational-DBA services, storage, server virtualization, and cloud computing, as well as providing level-3 escalation support for IT managed services. Previous specialties in his 25+ years in the IT field have included Citrix/Terminal Services (app hosting), LAN's / WAN's / network security, systems analysis and design, DB architecture, app development, systems-level programming, and various IT management roles, including CTO and partner in an IT service firm.
Contact Tim at stu@nwaitp.org
Bob Arko
Communications Chair
Bob has been a Network Administrator with Civil Engineering companies for 16 years, where he supported Windows, Novell, Exchange, MS SQL Server, IIS, Voice over IP, remote offices, and VPN. Bob has a Bachelor’s degree, and is a Licensed Professional Geologist with a background in Environmental Remediation. Bob also serves as the Newsletter Editor for the Twin Cities Aero Historians, a group of aviation enthusiasts.
Contact Bob at comm@nwaitp.org
