IKNS Video Library

IKNS Video Library of Past Events

Each academic year, Columbia University's M.S. in Information & Knowledge Strategy (IKNS) program hosts a variety of co-curricular events designed to bring the thinkers and doers of the IKNS community together with a broad audience of experts and curious minds across the globe. Through the fruitful exchange of ideas and the sharing of knowledge by industry experts, distinguished academics, and thought innovators at the leading edge of their fields, we hope to ignite further discussion and action leading to positive change in organizations and communities. Following is a collection of select events that we have recorded and made available to view on-demand.

In this seminar, Columbia alum Betty Cremmins shares insights from her 20-year career at the intersection of companies, NGOs, and governments, showcasing how data can drive innovative action on decarbonization and climate resilience.  Betty explores the growing demand for climate disclosure among major institutions, the push for standardization and accountability, and the opportunities created for professionals across industries. Her seminar highlights how data-empowered professionals are driving strategic investments, regulatory compliance, and innovation to decarbonize systems and supply chains.

As a part of the IKNS Conversations that Matter series, Shannon Adkins (Global Change Solutions Lead, Managing Director, Accenture) shares practical examples and firsthand experiences of leading transformative initiatives. Shannon talks about how organizations navigate change amidst technological shifts and operational restructuring while bringing the organization and its people along the transformation journey, prioritizing the human impact of these changes. During the discussion, Shannon also touches on topics such as AI implementation, remote work adoption, integration of technology systems, and the digitization of customer interactions.  This discussion was moderated by IKNS Alum Naureen Aziz (Associate Director, Data & AI, Accenture).

As a part of the IKNS Conversations that Matter series, IKNS Lecturer Dr. Nara Altmann and author, keynote speaker, and IKNS Alumna Sharon Gai discuss the meaning of cultural fluidity, how to use cultural fluidity to build bridges across our increasingly polarized society, how it can be deployed in business strategy to better serve customers, and how AI impacts cultural dynamics.  

Generative AI has taken the world by storm. In this seminar, Lecturer of AI in Columbia University’s IKNS degree and AI Services Manager at Google Cloud, Ben Royce, will walk you through the wild history, impact, and current issues in Generative AI. He will demonstrate how far we have come in a few short years, how companies and other entities can best leverage Generative AI, and what to expect from this transformative technology in the future.

Dr. Edward J. Hoffman, IKNS Lecturer and former CKO of NASA, and Dr. Laurence Prusak, recently retired IKNS Lecturer, present inside stories based on their firsthand experience of working at NASA and other leading organizations, across industries and around the globe: How do successful organizations leverage knowledge-based cultures to execute successful projects at micro, macro and global scales?

In this IKNS Seminar, Joel E. Ruffin, Sr. discusses modern and actionable frameworks for understanding cybersecurity as building a sustainable and effective immune system for organizations. Joel provides an overview of the basic principles of cybersecurity, the current threat landscape, and mitigating controls. Taking a multidisciplinary approach, Joel examines how information security, human resources, IT management, analytics, knowledge management, compliance and conflict resolution work together in practice to protect and promote an organization's strategic assets and competitive advantage.

As a part of the IKNS Conversations that Matter series, this panel discussion focuses on leaders implementing cultural shifts in their organizations aimed at gender parity, racial equity, work-life balance, multi-disciplinary & multi-cultural collaboration, and sustainability. Panelists discuss achieving cultural change in their organizations through intentional commitments to fostering courageous conversations, reflection, and action. 

Panelists

Julie Langford, '16SPS, Director, Nike North America Marketing Technology; Co-founder of Global Tech DEI Accelerator, Nike

Beatrice Opoku-Asare, Senior Director, Global Talent Management, Inclusion and Diversity, Newmont Corporation

Carla Renfield-Miller, Senior Vice President, Business Connectivity & Diversity, Citi

Moderator

Nara Altmann, PhD,'16SPS, Lecturer, M.S. in Information & Knowledge Strategy; Youth Health Coalition

As a part of the Agility 2.0 series this panel discussion focuses on vital and complex initiatives, from a global collaboration of government agencies to launch the James Webb Space Telescope, to working with corporate partners and families to improve early childhood health, to teaming up with power utilities to provide greener living in New York. Panelists from NASA, Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority, and Sidewalk Labs discuss leadership in the age of knowledge, learning, and agility. What does it take to design global missions? How do you get started on a complex and uncertain program, where there are no clear answers, yet pressure for results? How do you measure and manage success amongst multiple stakeholders and outcomes? And finally, how are these complex programs engines of societal learning and knowledge?

Panelists

Aseel Buhaji, '20SPS, Head of Global Knowledge Transfer, Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority

Gregory Robinson, Program Director, NASA James Webb Space Telescope

Tameka Vasquez, '16SPS, Head of Marketing, Sidewalk Labs (an Alphabet Company) 

Moderator

Ed Hoffman, Ph.D., Lecturer, M.S. in Information & Knowledge Strategy; CEO, Learning Strategies LLC; Former Chief Knowledge Officer, NASA

As a part of the IKNS Conversations that Matter series, renowned author and thought leader Tom Stewart and Knowledge Management expert Nancy Dixon, Ph.D., connect for an intimate discussion between long-time colleagues. Through conversation, the two explore how Knowledge Management has changed over the last decade and where they see it headed in the future.

As a part of the IKNS Conversations that Matter series, long-time colleagues Laurence Prusak, PhD, and Nancy Dixon, PhD, discuss the major changes in Knowledge Management (KM) over the last 10 years. During the conversation, the two renowned KM thought-leaders reflect on who the major influencers and contributors to the discipline have been, how their thinking brought us to where we are today, and they share their visions of where KM is heading now and what is needed to get there.

The challenges faced by business leaders to make wise decisions under pressure are enormous. The global pandemic has caused economic, human capital, and supply chain disruptions; opportunities and increased competition alike are emerging from technological innovations in 5G, AI, and automation; and the widespread demand for enhanced social justice is giving rise to enormous change as well as new opportunities.

In this conversation, practitioners, faculty, and alumni from two SPS programs compare notes and share insights on what conditions, structures, and strategies can be employed to foster smart, productive, successful decisions: be it through logistics, planning, and foresight; through a better understanding of psychology and biases; or through rational analysis of near- and long-term costs and benefits at a time of unprecedented uncertainty.   

Panelists: 

Moses Adoko, Ph.D., Chief Knowledge Officer, Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA; Lecturer, M.S. in Information & Knowledge Strategy

Diane Gherson, Former Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, IBM 

Ben Royce,’13SPS; Lecturer, M.S. in Information & Knowledge Strategy; Business Development, Cloud AI Services, Google 

Steve Safier, Ph.D., Program Director and Lecturer in the Discipline of Human Capital Management, M.S. in Human Capital Management

Jordon Sims, Lecturer, M.S. in Information & Knowledge Strategy; Founding Partner, Imperium Global Advisors 

Moderated by: 

Beth Semaya, Ph.D. Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Interim Program Director, M.S. Information & Knowledge Strategy

As a part of the IKNS Conversation That Matters series Arno Boersma, Founder of Island Impact, and Former Director of the COE for Small Island Developing States of the UNDP, speaks with IKNS Lecturer Katrina Pugh, Ph.D., sharing his experiences in creating networks of island nations as they tackle challenges in economic development, sustainability, and plastic pollution.

As a part of the IKNS Seminar series, Lara Caimi, Chief Strategy Officer, and Russ Elmer, General Counsel at the U.S. enterprise operations software company ServiceNow, explore the changing nature of work, provide insights for better understanding disruption, and develop strategies for successfully navigating this new world. The conversation is led by IKNS lecturers Edward Hoffman, Ph.D., and Jordon Sims.

"How the Most Successful Organizations Create Cultures of Excellence through People and Knowledge Management"

The world of work has changed. There are heightened expectations for organizations and teams to respond with efficiency, agility, and innovation. The most important factor in success is the capability of people to work within a culture of rapid learning, access to solutions, and deep knowledge. Such a culture does not simply occur. It is the result of committed leadership at all levels with a focus on strategies and tactics that elevate the importance of collaboration, conversation, relevant technologies, and workforce engagement. In this presentation, IKNS Lecturer Ed Hoffman, Ph.D. offers both current research and actual examples for how organizations build cultures of learning and knowledge capability.

For over thirty years, Ed Hoffman has been responsible for designing, developing and implementing an integrated system of learning, engagement and building expertise for NASA. He was appointed shortly after the Challenger disaster to design the NASA Academy, which would focus on performance strategies for individual development, project team performance, and designing a federated knowledge management program. This session will focus on teaching leaders’ principles for a competitive advantage in the knowledge economy.

This event was co-sponsored by the MIT Club of Washington, D.C. and the Columbia University School of Professional Studies.

As a part of the IKNS Distinguished Speaker Series, John Sviokla, Ph.D. discussed the concept of "the bionic company" with IKNS lecturer Ed Hoffman, Ph.D.  The two explore topics such as the news forms of capital driving that are driving a shifting economy, the increasing role that intangibles that play in organization's success, and the new job opportunities that will be created by the bionic companies of the future.

About the Speaker

John Sviokla, Ph.D. is an author and a principal and US Advisory Innovation Leader with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). He also serves on PwC’s Advisory Leadership Group, the Global Thought Leadership Council, and leads The Exchange — an ongoing think tank for PwC clients and business leaders. Previously, he served as Vice Chairman of the Board and Chief Innovation Officer at Diamond Management Consultants

As a part of the IKNS Distinguished Speaker Series, IKNS Alumna Mary Palmieri '15SPS discusses her journey as an entrepreneur transitioning from New York City beauty blogger to founder of a Silicon Valley tech start-up.

About the Speaker

Mary Palmieri is an experienced e-commerce/marketplace entrepreneur, an established leader in the online CPG/retail industry, and a management consultant in the areas of Digital Transformation/Knowledge/Content Management to improve the Customer Experience and Business Operations. Palmieri created the first B2B beauty industry blog and digital consulting firm, Honest Beauty, in 2009, which ran for seven years before having a 2016 exit. A graduate of Fashion Institute of Technology, and Columbia University where she obtained a M.S. in Information and Knowledge Strategy and facilitates the Digital Product Innovation course in which she developed another startup: The Beauty Marketplace (TBM) - the world's first AI-driven personalized marketplace that matches brands and consumers.TBM also helps companies develop next-level personalized online shopping experiences using industry-leading technology.

Whatever the sector you are in, good design is more important than ever. Instilling your organization with a design-driven culture that puts the customer first may provide not only real, measurable results but also a distinct competitive advantage. Design Thinking is a large part of a new approach towards innovation, as it allows people, teams, and organizations to have a human-centered perspective, and yet a scientific approach, towards solving a problem.

Learn how you can use design thinking to tackle strategic issues facing large and small companies at the next edition of the IKNS  Distinguished Speaker Series, hosted by the Master of Science in Information & Knowledge Strategy (IKNS) program at Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies.

About the Speaker

Carley Jacobson is a Strategy Designer at Business Models Inc., where she supports organizations with strategy, business model generation and validation, and value proposition design. For six years prior, Jacobson helped grow Autodesk’s maker community, Instructables. With over 115 DIY tutorials, she has gained over 13 million pageviews and recognition from major publications, including The Huffington Post, GQ, and Popular Mechanics. She uses her experience in online community building, hackathons, content creation, and customer development to build new innovative strategies.

Jacobson holds a degree in Computer Science and Visual Art from Union College and an MBA in Design Strategy from California College of the Arts.