Serving on the Cybersecurity Masters Steering Committee

Nicholson Associates is a consulting practice providing Information Technology, business development and marketing services for individuals and small companies. John Nicholson, owner, has over 30 years experience with IBM and Lenovo (IBM's former PC Division), has been a Sr. Marketing Manager, Senior Technical Staff Member for CTO, Technology Development Manager, with extensive experience in software marketing, product development and project management. Nicholson Associates' focus combines technical insight and business relevance to help clients derive value and market results from technology solutions.

In the Master of Engineering Management Program, I developed and mentored EGRMGMT 556 company sponsored Consulting Practicum projects with student teams. Until the fall 2017, I was the instructor for EGRMGMT 550 and EGRMGMT 551, the Internship and the Internship Assessment. Previously, I was independent study advisor (2016) for a software engineering management project involving machine intelligence and co-taught Managing Product and Services Development (2011).

Marketing plans and program management for Microsoft software. Software monetization for web and preload channels. Marketing lead for co-branded portal, lenovo.live.com with Microsoft.

Responsible for developing technology strategies for security, web services and pervasive computing. Create research proposals to develop technology solutions for adoption and introduction into product business units.• Implemented successful brand adoption for integrated fingerprint sensor and follow-on technology roadmap, which has shipped in millions of IBM/Lenovo ThinkPads since October 2004.• Performed research and implementation proposals including: web services, Web 2.0 technologies, services portals, pervasive data/content access, security, and biometrics. Author and editor for sections of company’s strategic technical plan.• Provided leadership in assessing joint technology opportunities with company's research lab in China in security and alternate operating systems to develop business unit implementation plans. Leadership in Trusted Computing Group (WW standards organization), which resulted in company's election to Board of Directors.

Responsible for developing technology strategies for security and OnDemand client computing. Perform technical evangelist role with other IBM divisions, customers, partners and industry analysts. Manage Personal Computing Division (PCD) Technology Development department to identify and prototype emerging technologies such as Wireless LAN, Bluetooth, and Trusted Computing to deliver to product development.• Managed Personal Systems Institute Mobile Computing relationship with IBM Research for projects such as integrated antenna design, biometrics, pervasive computing, and modular computing.• Security strategist responsible for PCD’s Fingerprint Sensors, Trusted Platform, Secure Authentication, and data protection initiatives.• Championed first-to-market technologies such as Client Security Solutions, Radio Frequency ID, fingerprint authentication, and the secure USB Flash Memory keys.• Mentored two IBM Extreme Blue technology incubation, recruiting and business development projects.

Responsible for product management of networking software products and technical staff management.• Managed first worldwide development and release of Personal Communications for Windows 95 networking software product.• Managed development, testing, planning, marketing, publications, and customer service for DOS and Windows APPC networking software products. • Expanded product acceptance for enabling client/server applications among IBM products and OEM customers. Received two awards, one for Windows product introduction and one for promoting software reuse in the division.• Managed technical staff for IBM Fellow (advanced workstation networking products). Successful advanced degree hiring program and improvements in local university research relations for the programming lab. • Formed the Interconnect Controller Programming Development department and managed the development of the first two releases of the software for a LAN interconnect controller.

Associate to Senior Level positions in Finance, Planning, and Market Analysis• Formed Local Area Network Market Planning department and led successful market strategy and business development for Token Ring LAN products.• Developed competitive financial analysis methodologies and made industry analysis recommendations to division executives.• Held staff and management positions in pricing, finance and business development.