Ilona N. Koti
SENIOR PROFILE: INFORMATION GOVERNANCE, RISK & PRIVACY OFFICER
C-Level global subject matter expert with 22 years in libraries and information governance encompassing privacy,
technology, compliance, risk, security, legal & eDiscovery and project management for Fortune 500 clients, non-profits
and international governments. Strategic, self-motivated innovative leader & trusted resource, able to discreetly
analyze complex situations and develop customized client-based enterprise solutions with solid implementation for
tangible & lasting results. Board member, teaching fellow, speaker, published writer & consultant.
CORE COMPETENCIES & LEADERSHIP AREAS
Information Governance  Privacy & Risk  Due Diligence & Research  Compliance  Strategic Intelligence
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Change Management  Knowledge & Records Management  Disaster Recovery  Business & Strategic Planning 
Policy/Procedure Development  Project Management  eDiscovery  Accomplished Researcher & Published Writer
PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE
ARK-IGC LLC – Pollock Pines, CA and Bedford Hills, NY – 2015 – Present
New information governance (IG) consulting firm focusing on ECM selection/integration with business process analysis,
program implementation due diligence/investigative research services and privacy & risk mitigation.
Principal Consultant: Deploy best-of breed-ECM solutions throughout the lifecycle; create innovative RIM/IG & compliance
programs/policies/procedures for legal, eDiscovery, regulatory, standards, privacy & risk initiatives and core business functions for high
profile clients. Staffing, strategic leadership, roadmaps & vendor negotiations. Key clients include:
Global Offsite Storage Firm – Enterprise records retention schedule consultant, consisting of foreign and domestic research
Big 4 Consultancy – Selected to advise a leading consulting firm in advising one of the Asian Governments regarding core
components of an information governance program as well as conducting gap analyses on existing policies and hosting briefing
sessions for government officials.
FileTrail – Subject matter expert and writer. Developed taxonomy and enterprise search webinar for their ECM system.
2-20 Records Management - Executive level records management advisor to a US based offsite document storage
management firm. Expert blogger and trainer/speaker.
CRYSTALVIEW CONSULTING GROUP – Pollock Pines, CA  2008 - 2015
Specialized consulting firm - information governance, records management, corporate compliance, data restructuring services,
privacy & security initiatives, retention schedules & end-user electronic document management system (EDMS)/enterprise
content management (ECM) implementation and training. RFP/RFI response & development; budget oversight.
Principal Consultant: Deploy best-of breed-EDMS solutions; create innovative RIM & compliance programs/policies/ procedures for
legal, eDiscovery, regulatory, standards, privacy & risk initiatives and core business functions for high profile clients. Staffing, strategic
leadership, roadmaps & vendor negotiations. Prime system experience includes: SharePoint 2007 & 2010, HP TRIM, Laserfische,
OpenText Livelink, Documentum, FileNet. Key Client Accomplishments:
Information Governance Conference (InfoGovCon) – Director of Information, Privacy and Governmental Affairs.
Tri-Pointe Homes/Chanico - Lead technology advisor on ECM vendor selection for a leading luxury home builder. Oversight of
all vendor engagement from RFI/RFP issuance, demo design, onsite-vetting and contract negotiation on behalf of the client. Saved
client $200,000 on system/implementation costs.
California Independent System Operator (CAISO) - Corporate Records Lead to implement SharePoint 2010 and all records
related activities for the California Statewide electrical grid. Foster enterprise wide RIM policies, procedures & digital strategy.
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Brought year-long overdue EDMS implementation project from red into green within a 90 day period
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Deployed SharePoint to 500+ employees in 87 departments within a 6 month time period
Managed Business Solutions – Principal records management advisor for an 8(a) Alaskan Native organization specializing in
data tape backup and restoration.
Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) – non-profit representing all 131 US & 17 accredited Canadian medical
schools, 75,000 students & 125,000 faculty. Built enterprise RIM framework, roadmap, policies & procedures and retention schedule
ARMA, International – Leading provider of RIM materials and educational services. Co-author and editor for global e-based RIM
training modules - electronic records management, audit, risk management, business continuity planning & disaster recovery
Intuit, Inc. – $3+ billion financial & tax preparation US Software Company. Provided 50% savings vs. OpenText direct
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Key RIM consultant, project manager & system trainer, deployment of OpenText’s Livelink v.9.7 EDMS and e-Room migration
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Front-end Livelink Developer - Contracts Management, Explorer for Email Management and Records Management
Modules, extensive troubleshooting. Engaged in backend development
UNITED NATIONS - WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME (WFP) - Rome, Italy 2011-2013
UN food assistance branch, world's largest humanitarian organization addressing global hunger. Provides food to 90 million
people yearly, including 58 million children.
Head of Due Diligence & Head of Information Management: Foreign diplomat, specifically recruited to restructure WFP's private
sector information governance and entire due diligence process, accountable to leadership team and executive director.
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Built the most prominent partner/donor screening and research risk mitigation program in the UN within 1 ½ years
Standardized research qualitative/quantitative methodology & logistics for a 115% increase to monthly donor research
Recruited staff for 400% increase to form diverse, global cross-functional research team in 8 months
First point of contact for all Syrian crisis NGO partner vetting against 1267 terrorist list, neutrality & corruption checks
SharePoint 2010 design, deployment, security and metadata/taxonomy capture for legal and private sector teams
Salesforce.com (CRM) oversight for private sector donors. Increased enhancements, metrics and quality controls for over
2,500 Salesforce cloud based accounts, increasing productivity by 45%, in tandem with privacy compliance
ACCESS SCIENCES CORP. – Houston, TX  2007 - 2008
$10+ million information & technology management consulting firm focused on oil, gas & energy sectors.
Consultant: Facilitated strong cross-functional international client relationships, identified knowledge gaps, processed sensitive data,
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olic procedure development and end-user training for global RIM project deployment & implementation. Client Accomplishments:
Big Pharma – Leading $13+ billion global biotechnology and medical research corporation.
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Lead taxonomy developer and information architect for OpenText’s Livelink v.9.5 and v.9.7.1 and risk & gap analysis
Implemented ISO 23081 and ISO 15489 (global metadata and records management standards)
Big Oil – $273+ billion global oil & energy company with 200,000+ employees and contractors.
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Developed global EDMS file plan for SharePoint platform. Created companywide policies & SME for international assignments
Delivered 200+ data gathering, design and review workshop sessions with an international team & responsible for $300,000 in
billing hours in a 1 year period as lead facilitator and trainer
JQD PROPERTIES, LLC – San Jose, CA  2004 – 2007
Start-up property management company focused on home turnover and rentals in the Western US.
Senior Partner: Lead project manager for all records programs & divesting capitol to new project.
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Directed all aspects of strategic and operational planning, competitive analysis of target markets
DIAGEO NORTH AMERICA & DIAGEO GUINNESS USA, INC. – Stamford CT  2000 - 2004
World’s largest $50+ billion multinational beer, wine and spirits company with 24,000+ employees.
Legal Project Manager: North American Legal; legal discovery assistance. Direct report to VP & Asst. General Counsel.
Primary point of contact for over 1,000 internal and external employees, distributors and vendors.
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Sole project leadership for implementing & executing OpenText Livelink v.9.0 & v.9.3, $600,000 global EDMS in
accordance with DoD 5015.2. Key advisor for legal billing system implementation and LRN software
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Drafted and co-negotiated 750 new contracts and 2,500 addenda for Guinness & Smirnoff Ice to US beer distribution
network, project accounted for 45 million cases and $50 million in sales. Initiated historical archive for US Smirnoff
documents/artifacts. Former Public Notary-Connecticut
EDUCATION & CREDENTIALS
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SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY– Syracuse, New York, Master of Science: Information Management (MS IM)
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY – Syracuse, New York, Librarian: Master of Library Science (MLS)
Graduate Intern - Intensive program, stemming across 7 European countries, analyzing business structure and economic impact
of 15 different global and local organizations, including UBS, Lloyd’s of London, Hewlett Packard, Georgia Pacific & European
Union
UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT – Stamford, Connecticut, B.G.S., Bachelor of General Studies (BGS)
- Literature & Women’s Studies; Women’s Studies Scholarship Winner
Institute of Certified Records Manager (ICRM) - Certified Records Manager (CRM)
Project Management Institute (PMI) & PMBOK - Certified Project Manager (PMP)
Coach Training Alliance – (CTA) - Certified Professional Coach (CPC)
CompTIA - Certified Document Imaging Architect (CDIA+)
International Association of Privacy Professionals – Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP) (2016)
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Fluent language in German, Basic Conversational French and Italian
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TECHNICAL SKILLS
SharePoint, Salesforce, Livelink/OpenText, HP TRIM, eRoom, Documentum/EMC, Hummingbird, LRN, Lexis/Nexis, FileNet,
Blackboard, PowerPoint, Access, Outlook/Office 2007 & 2010, Visio, QuickBooks, Adobe, HTML, XML
BOARDS, COMMITTEES & TEACHING
IIM (Institute of Information Management) Africa - Advisory Committee Member (2014-Pesent) & Fellow
University of Dundee, Scotland - Honorary Teaching Fellow - Electronic Records Management (2011-Present)
California Historical Records Advisory Board (CHRAB) Board Member (2010-Present)
ARMA Board of Directors (2011-2014)
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ARMA MPS Committee Member (2011-2013)
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ARMA RIM and Higher Education Task Force (HETF) Co-Chair (2011-2012)
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ARMA Generally Accepted Record Keeping Principles (GARP) Metrics Committee Member (2010-2011)
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ARMA RIM and Higher Education Task Force (HETF) Member (2009-2010)
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ARMA Education Development Committee (EDC) Member & Writer (2007-2009)
PUBICATIONS & LECTURES
Publications:
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2-20 Family of Companies – Information Governance Articles - Series of 20 (2014 - 2015)
Branching Out: Growing Your Career Beyond the RIM Environment - 2 Part Series (2012)
Making the Case for Merging Document Control and Records Management - Part 1 & 2 (2010-2011)
Lectures:
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The ID, the Ego and IG – Elements of Information Governance
Elements of Success for RIM Projects
Integrating Privacy Into the Information Landscape
California SHRAB: Stacking Up – Providing Education Beyond Traditional Archives
Executive Coaching for the Information Professional
How to Take and Pass Electronic Based Records Certification Exams
Vital Records Protection for the Small to Mid-Sized Business
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), Association for Records Managers & Administrators (ARMA), Institute
of Certified Records Managers (ICRM), Knowledge Management Institute (KMI), Project Management Institute (PMI), California
Economic Development Association of Pollock Pines (CEDAPP), Toast Masters International
As a former Director for ARMA, I would like to extend my involvement in the association by pursuing the
Presidential position. I believe that many of ARMA’s members are familiar with my past position as a
Director and with my writings. I have received encouragement from many ARMA members to run for the
office of the President as I have a great deal of international experience with extensive academic
credentials, whilst being an active practitioner and lecturer on records management and information
governance.
As someone who was a young professional in the not so distant past (albeit my 22 years between library
and information roles), I remember the challenges that I faced trying to enter the information profession
and I believe that with some guidance at the industry level, these challenges for upcoming professionals
can be mitigated. In tandem, there is an existing membership population that needs to be served and
ARMA needs to provide continuous value and educational opportunities through membership offerings to
serve, retain and ideally grow the association’s numbers and assure relevance for the association in the
future. If elected, I bring my credentials, my vast network of contacts and the ability to bridge the
generational gap for the organization. I like to think that I am an engaging and entertaining public speaker
who’s not afraid to work hard to take on challenging issues with other industry associations, vendors,
executives and government leaders.
RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS POSED TO PRESIDENT ELECT CANDIDATES:
What strategic steps should ARMA take to support our profession’s place in the broader world of
Information Governance?
I’ll break this section into my three key initiatives:
1. Build Strategic Partnerships - ARMA, under the direction of its new CEO, has taken immense strides
to reestablish itself as the leading professional organization for records and information management, a
core foundation of information governance (IG). I do not believe that ARMA needs to be all things to all
members in the IG arena. ARMA’s focus should be more on collaboration and building strategic
partnerships rather than on industry cannibalization and offering duplicative services that another
professional association may have already developed.
For example, there are several organizations such as the IAPP (International Association of Privacy
Professionals), SAA (Society of American Archivists) and the PMI (Project Management Institute) that
already have excellent methodologies in place for executing related IG initiatives. ARMA members can
benefit from a collaborative partnership with associations such as PMI, SAA and the IAPP for various
learning and growth opportunities.
2. Develop & Promote the Role of the Chief Information Governance Officer (CIGO) and Recruit
Young Professionals - ARMA should focus on assisting numerous professional associations with
enhancing their records and information management offerings so that collaborative growth and a joint
focus on expanding the acceptance of IG is fostered in businesses to create new senior level roles for
information practitioners, rather than spending time on reinventing the wheel. More insights into my
thoughts on the CIGO (Chief Information Governance Officer Role) are in the subsequent questions.
Additionally, recruiting young professionals is vital for the survival of ARMA. As we create executive level
roles for our records managers to transition to, we need to recruit new members to fill the places of our
information professionals who have either moved up or retired from the workforce.
3. Continue Timely Issuance of Publications, Workshops & Opinions on Key IG Developments There are certainly areas within IG in which ARMA can truly lead through publications, conferences and
workshops encompassing issues such as the following:
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Create guidance for legal/information professionals on how laws and regulations should be written
and/or interpreted to ensure compliance with information retention as well as defensible disposition
Promote proper digital preservation methodologies for long-term and permanent retention of core
records to ensure the creation of a virtual archive
Provide guidance for business analytics and strategic intelligence that is derived from processing
“big data”
Continue building a presence at governmental levels across the globe, therefore when an issue
arises such as, e.g. Safe Harbor being ruled inactive, what opinion does ARMA have? ARMA’s
formal opinions can then be incorporated by its members into memos to release to their senior
leadership for immediate attention
Further the term “information governance” so that hiring managers and executives in businesses
actually understand what IG is along with the value and ROI IG can bring to an organization
How will you strategically build on ARMA's global vision, core purpose and mission to continue to
advance the profession and the professional?
First and foremost, ARMA needs to have a significant focus on what the role of the information professional
will look like over the next few decades. The Information Governance Initiative (IGI) has made tremendous
strides in promoting the role of the CIGO (Chief Information Governance Officer). While the IGI has done
well and successfully ensured the creation of several new CIGO positons, ARMA now needs to ensure that
its members have both the tools and the training required to transcend into senior/executive level roles
rather than that of managers. It is not just enough to create the role of a CIGO, we need to ensure that
ARMA’s members will succeed in that role and ARMA needs to provide career roadmaps and training
strategies to professionals advancing in their careers.
Stephen Covey once said, “change the name, change the paradigm.” Why would human resources
representatives grant C-level privileges and the associated salary of an executive level role to someone
who has “records manager” as a job title? ARMA, for the sake of its own survival and to assert its position
as a leader in IG, needs to further and establish the role of the CIGO, otherwise, there are four other
factions of the information governance wheel leaving room for attorneys, security & technical experts,
privacy professionals and business majors to take on a role that will leave records managers out of the Csuite once again. While I may sound like a politician, at the end of the day it’s about creating jobs and
ensuring that there is a future for our membership, and hopefully a high paying future at that, especially for
the young professionals that are daring enough to enter our profession during such a transitory time. I am
confident that having a strong records and information background as an initial foundation will make a
better CIGO. ARMA needs to promote the CIGO role through active advocacy across various channels.
There is also no reason why the CIGO role cannot transcend country boundaries and be offered on an
international level. Having an international background myself, I believe in globalization to enhance
business. With the cloud and excellent ECM collaboration tools, information professionals should be able
to transcend international boundaries with ease. Although, I am aware that ARMA’s established presence
at the international level will take some time and additional strategic partnerships with respective records
and information management groups in regional areas is imperative to the success of ARMA’s international
strategy. Until then, ARMA offers excellent online publications and resources no matter where in the world
you may be.
Finally, we still need to focus on our long-term members, our relationship with the ICRM (Institute of
Certified Records Managers) and the ARMA Foundation. A recent survey determined that about 50% of
our existing membership will be retiring in the next 10 years! That’s not a lot of time left to recruit and train
new members to take the place of our seasoned professionals. However, as about 50% of members will
still have jobs for the next ten years, ARMA needs to carefully listen to what the existing membership
needs are. Not everyone is going to want to want to transition to the CIGO role, which is why we still need
to serve our records management population, but we do need to collect the vast amounts of knowledge
from our long-term professionals prior to retirement to share with the next generation and advance the
profession as a whole.
What do you believe will be the challenges for our members over the next few years?
While, I discussed the core issue of job placement, recruiting young professionals and the upcoming
retirement of many seasoned professionals in the questions above at length, there are several other issues
that information professionals will be facing in the near future.
Currently, our members lack a clear career path. With so many options to choose from in information
governance, we need to identify what interim roles are available before we can become a CIGO. If
someone would like to remain a records manager, what should they know about current trends and/or
technologies in addition to core records management functionalities? Whether it’s advancing your career
or maintaining your current position, ARMA needs to help its members identify what next steps will need to
be taken to achieve long-term career goals for its members.
The IGP (Information Governance Professional) exam will still pose some benefits and some challenges, at
least in the foreseeable future. While ARMA has done a good job of promoting the certification and having
over a hundred people become certified IGPs, more headway needs to be made in identifying the audience
for the exam as well as determining what is the right time in one’s career to become a certified IGP.
Finally, ARMA members should be receiving more membership benefits for their membership
dollars. While a discount on the online bookstore and conferences are nice-to-haves, organizations such
as the ALA (American Library Association) have incredible membership benefits with everything from car
rental discounts to insurance packages. I would be curious to conduct a survey to see what ARMA
members would specifically like to see as an increased value to their membership benefits.