Ryder Kenerson
Hanover Research
Chief Information Officer
Personal Information
School: University of Virginia
Major: Psychology
Years at College Works: 2004 to 2006
Career Information
Company You Work For Now: Hanover Research
Title: Chief Information Officer
Industry: Technology
Brief Description of Duties / Responsibilities
Oversees technology program for mid-market information services firm. Responsible for managing portfolio of IT projects; hardware, software, and enterprise systems implementations; vendor contract negotiation and relationship management; network infrastructure and communication services; security and compliance programs; application development life-cycle; business process modeling and workflow restructuring. Also oversees desktop support, firm-wide infrastructure, and end-user resources. By prioritizing the customer experience and aligning IT's goals and objectives with corporate business strategy, I am able to create unique value to organizations seeking to improve financial and operational performance through technology.
What Has Been Your Proudest Accomplishment Post-CWP?
Becoming a senior executive for a 300 employee consulting firm by the time I was 27.
CWP Career Impact
In one sentence, what has CWP meant to you?
CWP allowed me to take a controlled risk and test my personal and professional interests to see whether I could deal with the stresses of being an entrepreneur.
How did your CWP experience impact your career? Immediately after graduation? Now?
Immediately after graduation it got me a job in sales at a start-up, which turned into a managerial role, which turned into an executive role. I was a top performer in sales thanks to much of what I learned while doing CWP and that opened up a lot of opportunities at my current company.
What do you want to tell your clients about what it meant to work with them and how it has helped you get to where you are today?
I hope you didn't have to get warranty work done.
What was the greatest lesson you learned from your CWP experience?
Setting customer expectations is EVERYTHING.
How has the friendships and networks you built during CWP affected you?
Tons of trips, been in one wedding about to be two, advice, business partnerships.... everything that CWP said could happen through networking with CWP actually came true.
Advice
What advice do you have for potential CWP participants? Current CWP participants?
Potential CWP participants - Ask yourself if you want to do the internship to make money or to learn how to run a business. If it's the latter, do it. If it's the former, go get a j-o-b. Current - The hardest parts of your CWP experience will turn into your greatest lessons.
Many college students struggle to choose between an internship specific to their target industry or doing CWP. What advice would you give them on this subject if they wanted to enter your career field?
I'm in technology now and never dreamed of going into technology while I was in college. I started my career (for the same company I'm with now) in sales. My advice would be that it doesn't really matter what industry you want to go into because chances are that will change anyway. If you have an interest in entrepreneurship or how small business works, CWP can help you understand both of those things.
What's your best advice for someone interested in entering your career field?
Start small. Get your hands dirty with all aspects of business technology (hardware, software, networking, project management, software development/coding, and find a mentor, preferably someone you work with very closely.
What's your favorite memory from CWP?
Don't have a specific memory - but I did make life long friends through the program. I am grateful for having made those connections that I'm positive I wouldn't have made elsewhere in college.
Last words of wisdom
Read Seven Habits of Highly Effective People and pay attention to your circle of influence.