Chapter Officers | Southeast Michigan

The mission of the Southeast Michigan chapter is to develop and maintain standards for business analysis and the certification of its practitioners. This chapter is dedicated to bringing the Business Analyst Community together to help grow, connect, and evolve the profession of Business Analysis.

President

Michael White

Dr. Michael White has an extensive background in business analysis and training. He has brought his expertise to the chapter, assisting several members in earning their IIBA certifications. He has been a member of the chapter for several years at varying levels including speaker, committee member, and his most recent role serving as the Director of Education.

Michael is the founder of a global and award-winning business analysis training company, helping BAs worldwide reach their career goals. With over a decade of business analysis experience, he has driven innovation at some of the top financial institutions in the United States. Michael holds a Doctorate in Business Administration, a CBAP, and several other IIBA certifications.

Secretary

Cathy Warren

Cathy spent the first 10 years of her career as a systems analyst (business analyst) working on several DoD multi-service logistics modernization programs located at Wright Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio. Strategic planning and requirements definition were the main focus of her efforts. This work allowed Cathy to experience the benefits of visual representation to get stakeholder sign-offs. Her love of data and process modeling started during this work and has only increased.

Cathy has been working as a program director in the nonprofit health sector in Southeast Michigan for the last 20 years utilizing a business analysis framework for grant writing/management, event logistics, project management, and member support. Cathy has found a commonality between these two paths as each requires excellent skills in the areas of communication, collaboration, stakeholder management, interdepartmental coordination, strategic planning, process/data modeling, and process improvement.

Cathy has been an active member of the Southeast Michigan IIBA Chapter since 2018. She was the Vice President for the Chapter from 2020-2023 and has held the position of Chapter Secretary from 2020 to the present. Cathy is committed to ongoing professional development and has earned her Applied Certification in Business Analysis (ACBA) and Product Owner Analysis Certification (IIBA-CPOA) certifications.

Vice President (VP) Communications & Marketing

Chris Copeland

Chris has more than 30 years of professional experience working in the nonprofit, environmental, education, manufacturing, and utility sectors. He has been an active IIBA Southeast Michigan chapter member for several years. In his current position as a Senior Operations Analyst for the Lansing Board of Water & Light (Lansing, Michigan), he uses tools and frameworks from business process management, data analytics, and organizational change management to help his organization reach its strategic goals.

Chris holds Master's degrees in Theology and English Literature. Chris is passionate about helping other professionals. At work he mentors interns and co-op students, drawing on his five years of full-time college teaching experience. He makes a point of meeting and keeping in contact with folks from a large professional network.

Vice President (VP) Education

Olvin Pettway

Olvin Pettway is in the Strategic Services practice at Core BTS. She has over seven (7) years of experience in the information technology industry and has played key roles in several operations support, enterprise, and development projects. Olvin’s core skills include strategic planning/leading, adaptability, empathy, and collaboration.

In addition to an MBA in Business Administration and Strategic Leadership, Olvin also has significant experience in risk mitigation, enterprise architecture, process development change management, and vendor engagement.

Vice President (VP) Membership

Gina Tremaine

After two decades in retail management, Gina made the leap to Business Analysis in 2019. Following two years with a Mortgage Lending company, she landed in her current role. Now, she wears multiple hats, juggling BA, project management, and scrum master duties. Each day brings fresh, exciting adventures. She is thrilled that the SEMI chapter has provided her with an additional aspect to include in her BA Odyssey!

Vice President (VP) Technology

Nipa Khatlawala

Nipa started her career as a software quality analyst and worked with amazing business analysts which eventually led her down the path to be one of them! She has been a business analyst for 15 years and enjoys all aspects of it. She has led requirement analysis and implementation of several clinical and enterprise projects. Nipa values collaboration and the relationship she's established with her team, customers, vendors, and leadership. She has been a member of IIBA for several years and enjoys learning about new processes and methodologies.

Nipa has a Bachelor's in Biology. She pursued her MBA when she was pregnant with her daughter and graduated when she was 2. She is a mother to two wonderful children. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends. She is the unofficial event planner – whether it is a team outing, girls' night out, planning a trip, or graduation party. She loves her Excel sheets!

Treasurer

William Cooper

Will began his U.S. Air Force career at Barksdale Air Force Base, serving nearly six years as a Financial Services Specialist. During his service, he earned key distinctions, including the Air Force Achievement Medal, the Outstanding Unit Award with Oak Leaf Cluster, Squadron Airman of the Month, and a promotion to Sergeant. He holds an AAS in Financial Management from the Community College of the Air Force and a BS in Industrial Technology from Southern Illinois University, marking his entry into Industrial Engineering.

Building on this foundation, Will earned an MS in Information Systems from Lawrence Technological University and achieved professional designation as a Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) specialist. With over 20 years of international experience across the automotive, manufacturing, advertising, and non-profit sectors, he has developed a diverse and adaptable skill set.

In 2021, Will passed the Certified Business Analyst Professional (CBAP) exam and has been an active member of the IIBA Southeast Michigan Chapter since 2022, with recertification valid until 2027. As Treasurer, he spearheads initiatives to grow membership and promote diversity while leveraging his proficiency in Portuguese. Will applies his vast experience to advocate for innovative business analysis techniques, optimize system integration methods, enhance professional awareness, and encourage business analysis advancement.

Consultant (IIBA Chicagoland)

Marci Watts

Marci has over 25 years of experience working as a Business Analyst/ Product Owner/ Product Manager for Allstate Insurance Company in its auto and property insurance lines. Marci also has 25+ years of volunteer experience with organizations such as Junior Achievement and Community Threads.

Marci holds a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration with a minor in Economics from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, and an MBA from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management. She holds several SAFe Agile certifications and is working on her IIBA Agile and Product Ownership Analysis certifications.