SOX-online  Bios Gwen Thomas bio Where we've been Go ahead, quote me... Gwen Thomas Gwen Thomas is Founder and President of The Data Governance Institute, which is the premier provider of in-depth, vendor-neutral information about – and assistance with – tools, techniques, models, and best practices for the governance/stewardship of data and information. Gwen also serves as publisher of the web’s largest data governance resource, at www.datagovernance.com; The Data Governance & Stewardship Community of Practice, located at www.DataStewardship.com; SOX-online.com, the web’s largest collection of vendor-neutral Sarbanes-Oxley news and information; and the Master Catalog of Data Governance Software, at www.datagovernancesoftware.com. Gwen has personally helped companies such as BankUnited, American Express, Washington Mutual Bank (WaMu), Sallie Mae, NDCHealth/Wolters Kluwer, Wachovia Bank, Disney, and Coors to build or mature their Data Governance and Stewardship programs. Before governance got “hot” and she decided to focus entirely on data-related concerns, Gwen spent a dozen years working in the trenches and in management roles as a systems integration consultant and Knowledge Manager, helping large and mid-sized organizations in the areas of data strategy, data integration, Master Data cleansing/standardization, metadata collection/repository development, warehouses, search, portals, and content management. Prior to that she managed and governed content while serving as was a college teacher, a marketing/pr person, and a publisher of a literary magazine. Gwen is a frequent presenter at industry events sponsored by DAMA, the Institutional Investor, IRM UK, Wilshire Conference, DebTech International, and WBR. She frequently to IT and business publications and is also the author of the book Alpha Males and Data Disasters: The Case for Data Governance.