HIMSS 2017: Boehner & Rendell lead list of big-name keynote speakers
It’s time once again for HIMSS to host hospital management engineers, administrators and other industry professionals at its 2017 annual meeting. HIMSS17—which runs Feb. 19-23 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando—is scheduled to include a variety of networking events and educational sessions, headlined by four highly acclaimed keynote speakers.
“We have a distinguished group of keynote speakers at HIMSS17 who will offer our more than 40,000 attendees their insights and expertise on business, health IT, and leadership,” says Karen Malone, vice president of meeting services and sales, HIMSS North America. “What makes these keynote presentations stand out are both the caliber of the speakers, who are leaders in their respective areas, and the opportunity for all of us to see them in-person and learn from their remarks.”
John Boehner and Ed Rendell, will deliver their keynote presentation Thursday, Feb. 23, at 8:30 a.m. Boehner is a former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives with a resume that includes working as a small businessman. Rendell is the 45th Governer of Pennsylvania and an NBC News Political Analyst.
Boehner was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1990, entering politics because of his frustration with taxes and red tape. He voiced opposition to pork barrel spending as a member of the “Gang of Seven,” a group that exposed a House banking scandal. In 2011, Boehner became the Speaker of the House for the 112th Congress. He focused primarily on things such as removing government barriers to private-sector job creation, economic growth and building a bridge between the American people and representatives in Washington.
As Governor, Rendell is continually pursuing his passions with 34 years of public service and 24 years as an elected official under his belt. He has committed himself to making America a cleaner, more efficient place and to foster investment in our nation's crumbling infrastructure. Governer Rendell has worked with Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to create the organization, "Building America's Future," which focuses on the need for a more significant investment in American infrastructure projects to ensure that America maintains its place as a global economic power. Rendell is also heavily involved in the area of alternative energy, serving as a consultant or board member for several green and alternative energy firms.
Robert Herjavec and Kevin O’Leary are slated to present the closing keynote together on Thursday, Feb. 23, at 1:15 p.m. Both presenters are widely known for their roles on ABC’s Shark Tank, a business-themed show that allows entrepreneurs to pitch ideas to potential investors.
In 1990, Herjavec launched BRAK Systems, a computer company he later sold for $30.2 million, leading to him becoming one of North America’s most recognized business leaders. In 2003, he founded Herjavec Group, one of North America’s fastest growing technology companies specializing in managed security services, compliance, incident response and remediation efforts for enterprise level organizations. Herjavec is also a best-selling author, with his books Driven and The Will to Win.
O’Leary is a self-made millionaire, TV personality and a contributor to major news networks. Founder of the Learning Company, he sold the company in 1999 for $4.2 billion. O’Leary also co-hosts the Discovery Channel’s Project Earth, a show dedicated to daring and ambitious geo-engineering ideas to help the planet. He has written three best-selling books and sits on the boards of the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario and Boston’s 107-year-old Hamilton Trust.
Ginni M. Rometty, who will deliver the opening keynote on Monday, Feb. 20 at 8:30 a.m. is chairman, president and CEO of IBM.
She started her journey with IBM in 1981 in Detroit, holding many roles with the company, from leadership positions to senior vice president. At IBM Global Business Services, Rometty led the integration of PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting, which was the largest acquisition in professional services history. She led the global team of more than 100,000 business consultants and service experts. Rometty also serves on the Council on Foreign Relations, the board of trustees of Northwestern University and the board of managers of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.
Jodelle joined TriMed Media Group in 2016 as a senior writer, focusing on content for Radiology Business and Health Imaging. After receiving her master's from DePaul University, she worked as a news reporter and communications specialist.