Hungry for Professional Development

(Photo courtesy of AIM Institute)

Succeeding at Mutual of Omaha means being humble, hungry and smart. In his book “The Ideal Team Player,” organizational health consultant Patrick Lencioni explains hungry people stay motivated to seek new opportunities while remaining humble and supporting their team. The Information Services operation put that concept into full effect by sending the largest employer group to last fall’s Heartland Developers Conference (HDC) to sharpen skills and share knowledge.

HDC is one of the top software development conferences in the Silicon Prairie and is held annually in Omaha, Nebraska. For the past 15 years, the conference has been hosted by the nonprofit AIM Institute, whose mission is to grow a strong and diverse tech community through education, career development and outreach. HDC is sponsored and attended by many of Nebraska’s leading employers to continue expanding technical expertise and drive technical excellence.

In addition to sponsoring the 2023 conference and sending a large group of attendees, Mutual of Omaha Information Services sent three associates who shared their expertise on some trending topics in today’s technology:

• Software engineer Stephen Ivaskevicius shared a high-level framework of considerations companies should keep in mind when developing artificial intelligence software governance.
• Stacy Skradski, an Information Services manager, discussed the impact of creating dedicated, internal training to help teams more successfully adopt modern technologies.
• Melissa Pruch, vice president of Information Services Performance and Operations, participated in the Digital Innovation and Transformation Leadership Panel and talked about how Mutual of Omaha is continuing to encourage growth and modernize technologies.

Associates who attended the conference said they enjoyed the opportunity to increase their skills and knowledge and connect with colleagues. Overwhelmingly, they found the content was not only valuable and relevant to their work, but many also identified actions to bring back to their teams and implement immediately.

Attending the conference together were software engineer Nurik Makhmudzoda and his manager, John Glen. After having some spirited conversations with Glen during the conference, Makhmudzoda said HDC inspired him and provided the opportunity to broaden his horizons, professionally and socially.

“With numerous tracks available at the conference, each one was designed to enhance my technical skills and encourage a collaborative spirit,” said Makhmudzoda. “The experience was truly enriching.”

“Sending my associates to HDC was an excellent opportunity to learn through presentations and network with peers within the company and the community,” Glen added.

At Mutual of Omaha, leaders recognize learning comes in many forms. Encouraging associates to attend professional conferences like HDC is key in supporting their growth and development in a variety of ways.