Class of 2009 Yearbook: The Honorees

Employer: Marshfield Clinic

LOCATION: Marshfield, Wis.

First job: Fast-food cook

Most valuable career advice: "Perceptions matter just as much, whether or not they are true."

What do you love about IT? "Its ability to be a real game-changer."

Favorite gadget: "The Archos 506 Wi-Fi (a handheld for movies, games, Internet and music)."

Passion outside of work: Geocaching

Your recreational best: "Top five finish in a bike race in Ashland, Wis."

Favorite book: The Power of Now, by Ekhart Tolle

Favorite movie: City Hall, with Al Pacino and John Cusack

Leadership philosophy in a nutshell: "The best leaders resist the urge to solve the problem. Instead, they work to better equip their subordinates and make them more effective -- both in current and future roles."

Best project: "When I took this division CIO role about three years ago, it was clear that the organization needed real project and portfolio management. With more than 100 IT projects under way at any given time, the leadership team simply couldn't keeps tabs on them all. This led us to establish a new IT governance process and create a project management office. We now have a team of project managers who use Project Management Institute processes. The result has been dramatically improved prioritization, expectations management and overall satisfaction with IT project delivery."