Maryfran Johnson was named Editor in Chief of CIO magazine and events in January 2009. A longtime journalist and editor, she brings more than 20 years of experience covering IT leadership, technology and business trends to her role, along with an extensive network of CIO contacts from previous leadership positions at Computerworld and CIO Decisions magazine.

The Dallas Regional Chamber is proud to partner with CIO Magazine for CIO Perspectives, a one-day IT executive event packed with informative sessions and professional networking opportunities.  Maryfran will moderate the February 16^th event in Dallas, and we were fortunate enough to catch up with her to ask a couple questions about the latest buzz.

• The CIO Perspectives events are taking place in 9 U.S. cities in 2012. Why did you choose Dallas as your first stop?
  We’ve been starting our CIO Perspectives series out in Dallas since 2009 and it somehow sets the tone for the rest of the year.  The CIOs and the IT leader community here in Dallas is so friendly and welcoming, it’s always an incredibly upbeat, enjoyable day for us all. “We’re all like family here,” is how one CIO put it at our Dallas event last year, and everybody in the room nodded in agreement.

• What is at the top of every CIO’s mind right now?
  In my experience, CIOs are always thinking about three things: innovation, leadership and business strategy. Everything they do somehow connects to those big-picture topics, especially since the way companies use IT today can determine their success in the future.  The big tech trends that are having the greatest impact on businesses today – and therefore very ‘top of mind’ for CIOs – include “cloud” computing (what everyone used to call outsourcing), mobility, social media, consumer devices (smartphones and tablets, etc.) in the workplace,  and data security/customer privacy protections.

• What do you think the technology interface will look like in five years?
  Five years is like five lifetimes in the IT industry, so it’s awfully hard to predict anything at all. But I think we’re seeing the first wave of intuitive, human-friendly interface designs showing up on smartphones and tablet computers now. In five years, I’d guess that voice- and facial-recognition technologies will be much more advanced than today, which could make the whole interaction with our technologies so much easier. Personally, I’d love to see someone invent the “Replicator” from the TV series Star Trek Enterprise. Remember how the Captain could just saunter up to a hole in the wall and order “Earl Grey tea, hot?” And pffft, it would appear. Now there’s a technology interface to love!

•  Just last week SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect IP Act) were kicked into oblivion.  What is your take on the proposed bills?Oblivion can be short-lived in politics, and these bills could always resurface.  I think the lack of due process and government censorship aspects in both Acts had great potential for harm, and the massive, unprecedented online protests prompted a lot of second thoughts – even among supporters.  No law-abiding citizen is in favor of online piracy or theft of intellectual property, of course, but SOPA and PIPA were clearly not the right answer.

• What are CIOs worried about in the social-media world?
  Data security and privacy protections around customer information and intellectual property would be the No. 1 concern, followed quickly by the back-end integration complications that arise with some of these social technologies. What looks simple to us as consumers and users can be quite a tangled mess to deal with behind the scenes.  Most midsized to large companies have incredibly complex IT infrastructures and legacy systems (remember mainframes? 90% of corporate data still lives there) that were never built to manage all this “unstructured” data from multiple sources. But I have every confidence that CIOs will figure it all out – they always do!

Please join the Dallas Regional Chamber and CIO Magazine on Thursday, February 16^th for CIO Perspectives.  Event information can be found at www.cioperspectives.com/2012Dallas.  Qualified DRC members can register at www.cioperspectives.com/DallasChamber  for complimentary tickets.

Former Ambassador James C. Oberwetter, President and CEO of the Dallas Regional Chamber said,

“We are indeed very sympathetic with the position of American Airlines, with its people and all of those who are affected by the restructuring process.

“ We believe that the plan, which American’s chairman Tom Horton has set out,  will successfully reconstitute the airline transforming it into an outstanding competitor which meets the needs for domestic and world-wide flights to and from the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

“The airline business is a very competitive one.  Other more recently formed or previously restructured airlines have had distinct advantages over American.  We are confident that American’s leadership team along with those who lead and comprise its workforce will find ways to overcome the challenges in the times ahead.

“We are a region of 6.5 million people, the fourth largest metropolitan area in the United States, and the fastest growing.   We can be exceptionally pleased that American Airlines has announced its plan to become a profitable, growing and even stronger member of the Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan region and a great global world-class airline.”

(Aside:  DRC President Oberwetter serves on the board of the Greater Dallas Workforce Solutions board.)

Dallas/Fort Worth area entrepreneurs and the Dallas Regional Chamber announced the launch of Startup DFW, a regional initiative of the Startup Texas chapter working with the Startup America Partnership, the national organization dedicated to helping young companies grow in order to spur job creation across the country.

The Dallas/Forth Worth Metroplex launch of Startup Texas is the first step in helping create a collaborative ecosystem for the entrepreneurial community in North Texas. Along with partnerships with key organizations such as The Dallas Regional Chamber and the North Texas RCIC, Startup DFW will focus on uniting entrepreneurial leaders across the entire DFW metroplex, encouraging the use of shared resources, and creating a community of innovation and cooperation. Texas is one of the initial eight states that have launched Startup America regions across the country, and will be joined by nine additional regions today on Startup America’s one-year anniversary.

“The DFW area is a hotbed of entrepreneurial activity, from new technology startups to Fortune 500 corporations encouraging innovation in their current businesses.  We believe now is the perfect time to inject the resources, relationships, and capital that Startup DFW can provide,” said Jason Illian, CEO of Rethink Books and Co-Chair of Startup DFW.  Leveraging the national resources of Startup America, the goal of Startup DFW and Startup Texas is to create jobs and spur entrepreneurial activity across the state.

There will be a local event held in February for companies in the DFW area that would like to participate or support Startup DFW.  More details on this will follow as the event nears.

“We are excited that Startup DFW has launched as a part of the Startup Texas Region,” said Scott Case, CEO of the Startup America Partnership. “We are encouraged to see the collaborative spirit that the DFW metroplex is demonstrating as an example of how the entire state of Texas will work together to facilitate resources, relationships, and benefits to its thriving entrepreneurial community.”

By combining the power of the Startup America Partnership’s national network along with the local resources and capital opportunities across Texas, entrepreneurs will be able to access key tools which will provide business with a high potential for growth creating more jobs and a boom to the local economy.

Startup Texas will work to provide assistance to entrepreneurs in the following areas:

• Expertise: Connect entrepreneurs with training, mentors, advisors and accelerators
• Services: Provide entrepreneurs access to critical services at reduced costs
• Talent: Assist entrepreneurs in recruiting and training the people that can help them grow
• Customers: Help to scale startups through new and existing markets
• Capital: Highlight sources of capital available to entrepreneurs in various regions and sectors

“I am confident that by fostering a collaborative ecosystem through a solid network of resources, availability of capital and a strong community of entrepreneurial leaders that Startup DFW will propel the growing entrepreneurial community in DFW to a global stage,” said Trey Bowles, serial entrepreneur and Co-Chair of Startup Texas.

To get involved with Startup Texas and Startup DFW communities throughout North Texas, young companies, entrepreneurial leaders and potential partners should visit www.startuptx.us and http://www.startupdfw.org

About The Dallas Regional Chamber
The Dallas Regional Chamber(DRC) is the area’s leading membership-driven business organization committed to promoting economic prosperity by leading economic development, driving improvements in public education, influencing public policy, and catalyzing and advocating for regional partnerships. The DRC works to ensure the Dallas region will become the most economically prosperous region – and the most desirable place to live and work – in the United States. The DRC recognizes that an innovative economy is at the core of our region’s vitality and quality of life and is committed to developing, promoting and sustaining the Dallas region as a global leader in technology and innovation. Its activities bring together business leaders, universities, entrepreneurial organizations, accelerators and incubators, policymakers, and capital providers to engage in a dialogue on how best to build on regional industry cluster strengths while fostering new innovation and ideas. These initiatives, if successful, can attract capital investment into the Dallas region, create new companies or expand existing ones, and create substantial new job growth while increasing the region’s competitiveness and productivity. For more information, please contact the Dallas Regional Chamber at (214) 746-6600 or visit www.dallaschamber.org.

About the Startup America Partnership
The Startup America Partnership was launched at the White House in response to President Obama’s call to celebrate, inspire, and accelerate high-growth entrepreneurship throughout the nation. The Partnership is bringing together an alliance of major corporations, funders, service providers, mentors and advisors working to dramatically increase the prevalence and success of high-growth enterprises in the U.S. AOL co-founder Steve Case chairs the Partnership and the Kauffman and Case Foundations are founding partners. American Express OPEN, Dell Inc., Intuit Inc., and Microsoft are sponsors. The Partnership will identify, measure and report on the effectiveness of cross-sector collaboration in support of entrepreneurial ventures and its effect on job creation and growth. For more information on the Partnership, visit www.startupamericapartnership.org.

Media Contact
Trey Bowles
Startup DFW/Startup Texas
917.362.4231
trey.bowles@startupdfw.org

• An overview of the DRC’s priorities and objectives for 2012
• Listings of the Board of Directors and staff members
• Member benefits
• DFW Details – statistics about the region
• Alphabetical and categorical listings of DRC members

This directory is free to members and available to non-members for $54.13.  You can order online by clicking here.  Be sure to also check out the online directory for the most up-to-date listing of members, as this list is updated daily.

If you have questions about your listing, please contact Yolonda Henderson, Manager of Member Services at (214) 746-6613 or yhenderson@dallaschamber.org.

Word of mouth is a powerful advertising tool.  Does anyone remember the Faberge Organics Shampoo commercial?  “’When I first tried Faberge Organics Shampoo with pure wheat germ oil and honey, it was so good I told two friends about it.  And they told two friends.  And so on, and so on…’”  If you are just dying to step back into the 80’s, here’s a link to the clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcskckuosxQ.

We can all recall having a great experience with a company or product and wanting to share this information with friends, family and colleagues.  Referrals are extremely valuable to both the product/service provider and those seeking the product/service.  It lends credibility and a sense of comfort.

The Dallas Regional Chamber has been in the referral business for 103 years.  Referring DRC members is a daily practice, and anyone can view our list of members when looking for products and services.  This list is available online, in print, and by calling the DRC (214-746-6600).  We even track the number of times our members’ information is reviewed or requested online and through our switchboard.

Understanding the value of a referral, the DRC is excited to announce its Member-Get-A-Member membership recruitment program.  It is as easy as 1, 2, 3!

1. Share the benefits of DRC membership and your experience with a colleague, vendor, client or friend who is not a member.
2. Have them complete a membership application and return it with their membership investment to the DRC.  (Make sure your name is listed on the application as “Referred by.”
3. Receive a $75 DRC credit once the company is an active member.  This credit can be used toward any future DRC purchase in 2012…event ticket, sponsorship, membership dues, tuition, etc.

Member benefits and a list of DRC priorities and initiatives can be found on our website: www.dallaschamber.org.

Top recruiters will be recognized with prizes throughout the year, including gift certificates from member businesses, profiles in the Chamber Report and recognition at events.  If you have questions about this program, or DRC membership, please contact me at (214) 746-6729 or jschmiel@dallaschamber.org.

Growing our membership will not only strengthen our voice when advocating for business and the region, but it will help us achieve our mission of making the Dallas region the most economically prosperous region, and the most desirable place to live and work, in the United States.

I would like to introduce you to Emma, our new email-marketing partner. Starting February 1, we are launching a new email-marketing plan. Our goal is to send you messages in which you are interested. In order to do that we need YOUR help! Click here to update your profile and select the types of messages you would like to receive from us.

Here are some of the things you will get from us:

• Chamber Report – bi-weekly all chamber newsletter
• Events Email – bi-weekly calendar of upcoming chamber events
• Small Business Initiatives  – resources and events for the small business community
• Life Science Connection – a quarter update of the life science community
• Public Policy Pulse – bi-weekly public policy update from around the state (coming in mid-2012)
• Economic Development Updates – news of companies relocating and expanding to DFW (coming in mid-2012)
• Young Professional Updates – stay up-to-date on events and news from YP

Email marketing is a crucial communications channel in business today and Emma understands how important it is to you and your company. We have partnered with Emma to offer a 20% discount on all its services to our members. If you would like to take advantage of this offer contact our Emma Business Specialist, Jonathan Gesinger at 800.595.4401 x195.

I want to hear from you. Do you have suggestions on how we can improve our email marketing efforts? What has worked for you? What types of things would you like to see from us? Leave your comments below.

January is School Board Recognition Month in Texas.  It’s a time to formally acknowledge the efforts of our local school board trustees and thank them for their service to our communities and our children.  Local school board members invest countless hours each week, and serve totally as volunteers with no compensation.

Front row L-R, Bruce Parrott, Adam Medrano, Dr. Lew Blackburn, Interim Superintendent Alan King, Dr. Edwin Flores. Back row L-R, Eric Cowan, Bernadette Nutall, Carla Ranger, Nancy Bingham and Mike Morath

The nine Dallas ISD Trustees are tasked with the mammoth challenge of overseeing the 14th largest school district in the nation with a diverse population of more than 157,000 students in 225 schools, more than 20,000 employees, and a nearly a $1.2 billion operating budget.  Currently they are wrestling with important decisions around the issues of massive budget cuts, school consolidations and the selection of a new superintendent.

On behalf of the Dallas Regional Chamber, we say thank you to Dr. Lew Blackburn, Adam Medrano, Dr. Edwin Flores, Eric Cowan, Nancy Bingham, Bruce Parrott, Carla Ranger, Mike Morath and Bernadette Nutall for their service as Trustees of the Dallas Independent School District.

Many locally-elected school board members govern the public school districts we all live and work in across the region.  Reach out to them and say thank you also during this month of recognition.

L to R: General Kula, Harlan Crow, Mayor Rawlings, Mary McDermott Cook, Joel Allison and City Manager Mary Suhm.

Brigadier General Thomas Kula, Commanding General, southwest Division,  US Army Corps of Engineers focusing on Trinity River levees and flood control met with Dallas civic leaders today at Old Parkland Hospital.   The meeting, suggested by Michael Lunceford, Senior Vice President, Government Relations, Mary Kay Inc., provided Dallas leaders with the opportunity to hear about progress being made by the Corps on the Trinity levee project.   City leaders expressed appreciation to the Corps for listening to their concerns and noted the progressive attitude which the Corp was taking under Gen. Kula’s leadership. 

Other attendees at the meeting were:

• Captain Ian Minshew – aide de camp, Southwestern Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• Mike Fallon – Director, Programs Directorate Division, U. S. Army Corps of Engineers
• Martha Cencki – Chief, Public Affairs Office, Southwestern Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• Peggy Grubbs – Chief, Programs and Project Management Division, Fort Worth District, U. S. Army Corps of Engineers
• Mike Borman, Director, Trinity River Corridor Project, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• Kevin Bryant- General Counsel, Crow Holdings
• Judge Hill – Chairwoman of the Dallas City Council’s Trinity Committee
• Tony Gilbert – Chairman of the Stemmons Corridor Business Association, Vice President, Manufacturing Operations and Engineering Mary Kay, Inc.
• Ruben Esquivel – Vice President Community and Corporate Relations, UT Southwestern Medical Center
• Michael Lunceford – Senior Vice President Government Relations, Mary Kay, Inc.
• Gail Thomas – President and CEO of the Trinity Trust Foundation
• Jim Oberwetter  – President and CEO, Dallas Regional Chamber
• Jay Barksdale – Vice President Public Policy, Dallas Regional Chamber
• Craig Holcomb – Executive Director, Trinity Commons Foundation

The following is a sampling of the diverse funding opportunities available for cancer research arranged by organization:

Department of Defense
www.grants.gov

Small Grants Program for Cancer Epidemiology n 

Funding Opportunity Announcement Number PAR-12-039

This funding opportunity announcement (FOA), issued by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), encourages the submission of Small Research Grant (R03) applications for research on cancer etiology and epidemiology. The overarching goal of this FOA is to provide support for pilot projects, testing of new techniques, secondary analyses of existing data, development and validation of measurement methods, linkage of genetic polymorphisms with other variables related to cancer risk, and development of innovative projects for more comprehensive research in cancer etiology and epidemiology.Using the NIH Small Research Grant (R03) funding mechanism, this FOA focuses on different types of projects including, but not limited to: (1) pilot and feasibility studies; (2) secondary analysis of existing data; (3) small, self-contained research projects; (4) development of research methodology; and (5) development of new research technology. The R03 mechanism is critical for collection of pilot data that can be used for larger grant applications such as the Research Project Grant Mechanism (R01). R01 studies in cancer epidemiology usually require large sample sizes, complex logistics, extensive fieldwork, acquisition of bio specimens, and, sometimes, the acquisition of sensitive information such as reproductive histories.

Background

The main mission of the Epidemiology and Genetics Research Program (EGRP) is to increase our understanding of the determinants of cancer and cancer-related outcomes in human populations. This mission includes using an epidemiologic approach to facilitate movement of discoveries in the basic sciences and improved technologies to studies in human populations, discoveries about the determinants of cancer and cancer-related health outcomes after cancer into clinical and public health practice, and the movement of scientific knowledge from clinical and public health to human studies and basic biology. Cancer occurrence is usually measured by development of an incident cancer. Health outcomes after cancer include recurrence, survival, second primary cancers, new health conditions, and mortality. Determinants of cancer occurrence and health outcomes include behavioral, environmental, infectious, medical, and social and cultural factors and life events and experiences that have a health impact as well as genetic factors and other personal susceptibility factors.

The deadline for this funding opportunity is November 18, 2014

More information can be found at:

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-12-039.html

Science and Technology and other Research and Development Grant

In FY 2012, NSF in collaboration with the Office of Physical Sciences-Oncology (OPSO) of the National Cancer Institute will accept and review investigator-initiated proposals related to the application of physical and engineering sciences knowledge towards understanding cancer diseases.

The deadline for this funding opportunity is February 15, 2012

More information can be found at:

http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf12514

Validation of Molecular Diagnostics to Predict Patient Outcomes Using Specimens from Multi-Site Cancer Trials

Funding Opportunity Announcement Number PA-12-014

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), issued by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), encourages the submission of Exploratory/Developmental Research Project Grant (R21) applications from institutions and organizations to validate the clinical utility of new molecular diagnostics for determining prognosis or predicting response to therapy or toxicity for cancer.

The Cancer Diagnosis Program (CDP) and the Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program (CTEP) at the NCI are cooperatively sponsoring this FOA with the purpose to transition of candidate biomarkers from initial correlative observations into diagnostics that are suitable for use in clinical trials to assess the clinical validity of a marker. This program will support pilot research projects to improve clinical decision-making in the care of cancer patients and as such will support studies that use tumor specimens linked to specific treatment and clinical outcome information. This FOA is not appropriate for molecular diagnostics discovery projects.

The deadline for this funding opportunity is January 8, 2015

More information can be found at:

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-12-014.html

SBIR Phase IIB Bridge Awards to Accelerate the Development of Cancer Therapeutics, Imaging Technologies, Interventional Devices, Diagnostics, and Prognostics Toward Commercialization (R44)

Funding Opportunity Announcement Number RFA-CA-12-001

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) solicits Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) applications from small business concerns (SBCs) that seek additional funding to support the next stage of development for projects that were previously funded by NIH SBIR Phase II awards. Projects proposed in response to this FOA must be applicable to one of the following areas: (1) cancer therapeutics; (2) cancer imaging technologies, interventional devices, and in vivo diagnostics; or (3) in vitro and ex vivo cancer diagnostics and prognostics. The purpose of this FOA is to facilitate the transition of SBIR Phase II projects to the commercialization stage.

The deadline for this funding opportunity is March 27, 2012

More information can be found at:

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-CA-12-001.html

National Cancer Institute Program Project (P01)

Funding Opportunity Announcement Number PAR-12-005

With this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), the National Cancer Institute (NCI) invites applications for investigator-initiated program project (P01) grants. Proposed program projects may address any of the broad areas of cancer research, including (but not limited to) cancer biology, cancer treatment, cancer diagnosis, cancer prevention, and cancer control. Basic, translational, clinical, and/or population-based studies in all of these research areas are appropriate. Each Program Project application must consist of at least three component projects. The component projects must share a common central theme, focus, and/or overall objective.

The deadline for this funding opportunity is January 7, 2015

 More information can be found at:

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-12-005.html