Valerian Val Thomas
CIO | CTO | Board Director | Technology Turnarounds & Enterprise AI | Building High-Performance Cyber Secure IT Organizations That Drive Revenue
- Role
- Board Member at Society For Information Management Sim - New Jersey Chapter
- Location
- Warren, NJ, US
- LinkedIn followers
- 500 followers
About Valerian Val Thomas
I bring strategic judgment and a governance perspective to organizations and boards navigating technology-enabled transformation, AI adoption, and enterprise risk.With over two decades as CIO across public companies, private enterprises, and startups in education, travel, pharmaceuticals, media, and technology, I\'ve seen what works and what doesn\'t. That experience helps boards evaluate whether management\'s technology strategy will create defensible advantage, whether transformation initiatives address the right constraints, and where cybersecurity and data protection risks sit relative to enterprise objectives.At Lincoln Educational Services (publicly traded), I advised the board on AI governance, cybersecurity posture, and capital allocation while leading enterprise technology strategy. At Liberty Travel (multi-billion dollar private company), I positioned technology for successful acquisition, working directly with ownership through the transaction. As CIO/CTO at Overpeer, I partnered with the board and venture investors on scalability and acquisition readiness, supporting a successful exit.I serve as Treasurer of the Society for Information Management (NJ Chapter), previously served as President leading governance reforms, and hold the International Board Director Competency Designation (IBDC.D).I\'m most valuable to boards overseeing AI adoption, cybersecurity risk, digital transformation, or M&A technology readiness. I also work with executive teams and PE firms as advisor or fractional CIO.If you\'re looking for board-level technology counsel or strategic advisory work, let\'s talk.
Experience
Board Member
Society For Information Management Sim - New Jersey Chapter
Jul 2018 — Present · NJ, US
Board member serving as Treasurer, leading Finance and Audit Committees with responsibility for financial operations and budget oversight. Previously served as President/Executive Director, Executive Vice President, and VP and Chair of Communications Committee. As President, led board governance reforms that stabilized membership and created sustainable funding model.
Education
New Jersey Institute of Technology
BS, Computer Informational Science
Indiana University - Kelley School of Business
Master's Degree, Business Analytics
Skills
- Digital Business Development
- IT Strategy
- Data Center
- Information Technology
- IT Management
- Security
- Business Intelligence
- Enterprise Software
- Infrastructure
- Leadership
- Cloud Computing
- Higher Education
- Process Improvement
- Start-Ups
- Entrepreneurship
- Consulting
- Change Management
- Management
- Itil
- Strategic Planning
- Virtualization
- Oracle
- Contract Negotiation
- Program Management
- Networking
- IT Transformation
- Telecommunications
- Disaster Recovery
- CIO
- Peoplesoft
- Project Management
- Sharepoint
- Sdlc
- Business Analysis
- Expert
- Executive
- IT
- Turn Around
- Startup
- Travel
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