8 Students Awarded $50K In Scholarships By The Mid-Atlantic CIO Forum

From Towson University:

February 22, 2020

Mid-Atlantic CIO Forum Scholarship liaison Tom Lonegro, third from right, with spring
2020 honorees Georgia Coleman, Samun Shrestha, Ryan Pickrel, Leilani Mason and Katya
Doersam at Unitas Stadium’s Minnegan Room on February 20, 2020.

The Mid-Atlantic CIO Forum has awarded eight Towson University students a total of $50,000 for the 2019-2020 academic year.

At its gathering at the Minnegan Room at Unitas Stadium on Thursday, February 20,
the CIO Forum celebrated its spring 2020 scholarship honorees, Towson University students
Georgia Coleman, Katya Doersam, Leilani Mason, Ryan Pickrel and Samun Shrestha. The
fall 2019 honorees were Megan Clark, Wesley Dingman, Katya Doersam, Jarod Torney and
Ryan Pickrel. “We had another excellent group of candidates again this year. It was very difficult
to select a top five,” says Tom Lonegro, a CIO Forum member and the coordinator for
the scholarship selection committee.

Senior computer science student Ryan Pickrel ’20, who received the scholarship in fall 2019 and spring 2020, says the opportunity to meet and learn from professionals in his field has been the
most valuable part of the experience. The son of a Navy veteran, Pickrel hopes to
serve his country by working with the government, and has already made connections
that could lead to future internships.

“I think that’s sort of the most important part of college in a way, building connections
with people,” Pickrel says. “Not just your classmates and professors, but also professionals
in your field.”

Towson University students network with professionals before the Mid-Atlantic CIO
Forum event on February 20, 2020.

Brian Seymour, CIO Forum board member and chief information officer at Keller Group,
a global geotechnical specialist contractor, notes the scholarships offer “a chance
for professionals to move the field forward and give back to the next generation.
It gives us a chance to directly impact students.”

“I think it’s unique,” Seymour adds. “We cross the bridge between technology and business.
That’s something that technology-oriented folks don’t always understand, how important
it is to actually know the business, because we’re really there to solve business
problems.”

Sophomore information technology student and scholarship honoree Leilani Mason ’22 has already found the experience valuable. “I benefit by hearing the skills that they want, so that way I can prepare before I graduate,” says Mason, who works in the university’s Office of Technology Services and plans to pursue a career in digital accessibility. “But it's also great just being able to network.”

The Mid-Atlantic CIO Forum was formed in 2003, when a group of information technology
executives in the region approached TU with a proposal for hosting the forum. The
forum’s goal is to foster excellence in information technology and business in an
environment that promotes educational and networking opportunities for CIOs facing
similar challenges and issues. CIOs participate with peers to share information and
experiences, and to exchange best practices in peer-to-peer discussion sessions. The
forum has offered scholarships since spring 2006.

“For 12 years now, the CIO Forum has been providing generous awards and unique networking
opportunities to some of our most talented students. We truly value and appreciate
our partnership and look forward to continuing it in the years ahead,” says Vice Provost for Academic Affairs S. Maggie Reitz.

This press release was produced by Towson University. The views expressed here are the author’s own.