The project management profession is rooted in a level of certainty that tasks, dates, resources are sound and stable.  Although project managers keep their eyes open to a healthy set of risks and unknowns, 2020 and 2021 have introduced a level of uncertainty beyond the norm. In the last two years, project managers have faced a constantly changing backdrop as the world shifted around the COVID-19 pandemic that continues to loom over us all.

How does this continual uncertainty affect our role as project managers?   What skillsets should we lean into, and where can we be more flexible? How does employee well-being play its part throughout it all? Are there tools out there that can help me?

If you are a project manager who's been grappling with these questions, you’ll want to join our September monthly program. As CEO of a digital communication agency, Pinaki Kathiari will moderate a discussion with four project management all-stars to identify the mindsets, skillsets, and toolsets to help us ascend our craft during these new layers of uncertainty.

Pinaki Kathiari is the CEO of Local Wisdom, a leader in digital communications, an international speaker on communications, and co-founder of Resource Hero. With this level of expertise, Pinaki has positioned Local Wisdom as the agency that gives clients the headspace to be strategic leaders by taking on the nuts and bolts of their communication strategy. As co-founder of Resource Hero, he has created a 5-star-rated Salesforce app aimed at helping managers forecast their team’s workload into the future to make better data-driven staffing decisions.   At close to two decades of experience working with global Fortune companies, conglomerate interactive agencies, and startups; Pinaki has mastered skills in audience awareness and employee engagement to boost brand reputation, sales, productivity, and quality. As a force in digital culture, Pinaki is very much driven by his ability to harness, mix and remix the collective wisdom in the room to create beautiful things and win-win scenarios. 

When he’s not doing all that; Pinaki enjoys spending time with his lovely wife and three children, fitness, being a gamer, listening to audiobooks, and honing his dj’ing skills.

Mark Barash, PMP has over 30 years of experience leading IT projects and programs across multiple functions, with the most experience in Supply Chain application development.  He has most recently been focused in PMO and Portfolio Management since 2006.  At Mondelez International, Mark currently leads the global IT portfolio for the Integrated Supply Chain, RDQ and Master Data, which involves digital investment strategy, portfolio, project execution and governance.

Mark has been a member of the PMINJ Chapter since 2010, where he currently holds the position of President, and previously was Vice President Membership and Director Administration Operations. 

Claudia Campbell-Matland, PMP, is currently a Consultant & Managing Member, CNCM Consulting LLC and Chairperson, PMINJ Life Sciences LCI. Claudia has over 30-years’ experience in the in vitro diagnostic and medical device industries managing a variety of business-critical programs/projects including new product development, Quality System remediations, post-market support and functional department integrations.

As an independent PM and quality consultant, Claudia works with start-up companies to manage translation of their research into a compliant design & development process and supports post-market activities for small medical device companies with risk management and other quality system expertise.  Claudia enjoys sharing her PM knowledge as a contract instructor for university continuing education departments. She launched PMINJ’s Life Sciences LCI (Local Community of Interest) in 2019 and leads its core team in developing content for Chapter members working and/or interested in the life sciences industry.

Christopher Hendrix has over 24 years of professional experience, and is currently working as a Manager, Global Sales & Client Operations at Tiffany & Co. Previously he worked at Local Wisdom.

Christopher says that his overall mission is to simplify complex problems into easily understandable solutions, setting into motion intentional plans for delivery.  His biggest achievement is the understanding that his favorite achievements are those shared with others through collaboration and Teamwork; because in this way, he broadens his knowledge and understanding of different points of view.

Jonathan D. Simmons, PMP is a Senior Project Management Consultant at Telesis7, a management consulting firm headquartered in St. Louis County, where he manages mobile IT projects for a large telecommunications company. He believes that servant leadership is a quintessential trait for the modern PM. Jonathan weathered most of the pandemic as a Client Strategy Project Leader at the Headquarters of brokerage firm, Edward Jones, where he shepherded the delivery of policies and tools to facilitate regulatory compliance and client attraction. He also served in the U.S. Air Force for almost two decades, leading strategic communication and organizational leadership programs.

Throughout his varied career, Jonathan has led teams in many roles, including combat camera team leader, and chief of staff. Jonathan is a servant leader who blends the art of people leadership and communication with the science of project management.