Meet ISACA’s Leadership Team

Erik Prusch
Chief Executive Officer

Erik is an experienced CEO and board director for major tech companies. Prior to joining ISACA, he was most recently chief executive officer at Harland Clarke Holdings Corp., a provider of integrated payment solutions and integrated marketing services. He has also served as CEO for Outerwall, Lumension, NetMotion Wireless, Clearwire and Borland Software Corporation. Additionally, he has been a board member for RealNetworks, WASH, Calero Software and Keynote Systems. Previously in his career, Erik served as chief financial officer for a number of public companies, such as Identix and Borland, and for divisions of public companies, such as Gateway Computers and PepsiCo. He began his career at Deloitte & Touche (then Touche Ross). Erik holds a bachelor’s degree from Yale University and an MBA from NYU’s Stern School of Business.

Ajay Barot
Chief of Staff

For nearly 20 years, Ajay Barot has been committed to strategically serving global education and technology organizations to develop scalable learning solutions that address global learners' evolving needs. At ISACA, he is responsible for the product innovation process, helping to developing strategic positions for growth, and driving academic partnerships..

In addition to his role at ISACA, Ajay currently serves as an investment partner with Agrani Ventures where he is committed to supporting mission-driven entrepreneurs and companies alike that are dedicated to transforming markets with sustainable long-term business models. Ajay also serves as strategic advisor to the American School of Baroda in Gujarat, India, where he focuses on equity, access and outcomes for career readiness.

Outside of the office, Ajay loves to travel, hike, play or watch any sport and, most importantly, spend time with his wife and two beautiful daughters.

Chris Dimitriadis
Chief Global Strategy Officer

Chris is an experienced leader and board member with international authority in cybersecurity and a proven track record in developing and managing strategy, programs and initiatives. In his role with ISACA, Chris works toward the continuous alignment of ISACA’s strategy with the changing needs of our members, chapters and industries in more than 180 countries. He provides thought leadership in the digital trust space, identifies future directions in collaboration with the ISACA global community, and leads strategy implementation in terms of business planning and execution at a global level.

Chris has served ISACA as a volunteer for nearly two decades, including as Board Chair for two terms from 2015-2017. He is also a former Group CEO of INTRALOT a global gaming solutions supplier and operator active in 42 regulated jurisdictions around the world. From 2007 to 2021, Chris has served as Board Member, Group CEO, Group Chief Services and Delivery Officer, Group Director of Technology Operations and Group Director of Information Security. Prior to that role, he held positions in cybersecurity consulting firms. He also served as a member of the Permanent Stakeholders Group (PSG) of the European Cybersecurity Agency (ENISA) from 2012 to 2015. He earned a Ph.D. in information security and a degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Shannon Donahue
Chief Content and Publishing Officer

Shannon is responsible for leading ISACA’s learning and credentialing offerings, including the Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC), Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), Certified in the Governance of Enterprise IT (CGEIT), Certified Data Privacy Solutions Engineer (CDPSE), and the CSX Cybersecurity Practitioner (CSX-P) certifications. She also is responsible for leading ISACA’s content and framework development along with editorial and publishing efforts, including the ISACA Journal and COBIT suite. 

Shannon has more than 25 years of experience in IT and information security and 15 years of experience leading content development. Prior to ISACA, Shannon had roles as information security officer at Harper College, where she had responsibility for all of information security as well as voice operations, and as a senior technical architect with AT&T, where she spent nine years handling security and network incident response along with disaster recovery for global managed service customers. Shannon has a Ph.D. in Information Security and a master’s degree in Management & Systems, and holds active CISM, CDPSE and CISSP certifications.

Julia Kanouse
Chief Membership Officer

In Julia’s role as Chief Membership Officer, she is responsible for delivering on ISACA’s overall member and customer experience. Overseeing the membership and marketing functions, her team ensures every step of the member journey is positive and productive. Working closely with ISACA’s 224 chapters around the world, Kanouse leads the strategy on key membership initiatives – such as professional development, networking, education and advocacy.

Kanouse most recently was the CEO for the Illinois Technology Association (now 1871), which serves the local tech community in Illinois, particularly growth-stage technology companies. Before that, she held several executive roles in membership and marketing at the National Restaurant Association, where she led the development and execution of the National Restaurant Association’s annual marketing strategy, defined new brand architecture, and was responsible for the association’s digital presence.

Thomas Kyei-Boateng
Chief Financial Officer

Thomas is a seasoned finance professional with 18 years of experience in leading financial roles at globally renowned organizations, including Capital One Financial Corporation, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Corporate Finance, and the College Board. With expertise in strategic planning, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), and investments, Thomas has helped align ISACA's financial strategies with our overarching vision, driving investments that position the organization for accelerated growth. He holds an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan School of Management and graduated with first-class honors in Business Administration from the University of Ghana.

Simona Rollinson
Chief Operating Officer

Simona Rollinson is ISACA’s Chief Operating Officer (COO), leading ISACA’s technology team, driving the organization’s continuing digital transformation, and exploring new opportunities for harnessing technology to elevate the educational and professional development experiences for ISACA’s members and enterprise customers. She plays a key role in transforming ISACA’s learning technology platform to support the professional community at all levels and stages, from individual development to enterprise solutions.

Simona brings a wealth of technology leadership and strategy experience to ISACA, from her earlier roles as software engineer and developer, to president of Follett Software Company and later as CIO for Cook County Government in Chicago, Illinois—a role for which she was named CIO of the Year. Most recently, she served as CIO for Clayco, a real estate development, architecture, engineering and construction firm. Throughout her executive career, Simona has led successful complex digital transformational change and evolution. The hallmarks of her recent tenure are establishing an enterprise architecture capability, modernizing many foundational systems and legacy platforms and a focus on improved vendor and project management. She holds ISACA’s CISM, CRISC and CDPSE certifications.