Chapter Leaders

Heather Benson is a high energy, enthusiastic leader with 15 plus years of experience running projects and programs in both technology and operations.  She has implemented multiple project management methodologies leveraging the best fit for the team and how they work.

Project management experience includes projects in the areas of ERP, data warehouse, enterprise systems,  strategic reporting, custom development, deployment and process improvement.   She is passionate about understanding her customers needs and ensuring they are met while balancing and delivering on what is best for the company.  Her broad experience in IT and business enables her to build the bridge between process, people and technology.

When not working she enjoys travel, theme parks, volunteering and time with family.

Angelo retired from the workforce in 2021 after accruing over 15 years’ experience in project management. He worked in the IT industry for over 20 years and was also a social worker for 6 years before that.

Angelo earned his PMP certification in 2006 and continues to hone his PM skills.  He obtained his CSM certification last year.  His latest interest is in the use of AI for project management.   He has been active in the Huron Valley Chapter for the last 10 years and started volunteering for the chapter last year.  He gladly took on the role of interim VP of Communications for the chapter this month.

Angelo has been an avid tennis player and a tennis fan for most of his adult life, and has had to overcome some challenges in that area recently.  He was playing 3 times a week until July of 2022 when he had a knee revision surgery on my right knee.  Unfortunately, the cement did not properly adhere to the bone and he had a knee revision surgery in January of this year.  He also had a rotator cuff surgery to repair a chronic full tear in September of 2022.  He is currently in full physical therapy mode and his goal is to return to the courts by this summer.  He enjoys hiking and bike riding, which have taken on a more active role since his surgeries.  He also plays enough acoustic guitar and piano be able to accompany himself.

Angelo lives in Ann Arbor with his wife, Wendy.  Their children left the nest long ago, but they have a 9-year-old Portuguese water dog named Andy, who is a joy to them.  They also just took in a rescue poodle named Dina, who is 6 years old, and the newest member of the household. 

Angelo is blessed with a wonderful 34-year-old daughter, Emma, who lives in Chicago and is running her own personal growth and business consulting service.

Lindsay is Global Development Director for MovePlan, a global project and change management consulting firm that specializes in workplace changes. In her current role, she is responsible for the global development of internal programs, employee training, and MovePlan’s Toolkit® of services. She also directly consults with clients on complex move and change management strategies. Over the past 17 years, Lindsay has successfully delivered a wide variety of workplace, change management and relocation projects across North America over a wide diversity of industries with emphasis on education, finance, and medical research/pharmaceutical.

Lindsay has also been actively involved in PMI, attaining her PMP certification in 2012, attending meetings and volunteering for the Huron Valley Chapter, and was VP of Communications in 2019-2020. Lindsay loves the outdoors and tries to get outside every day. She also enjoys spending time with her husband, teenage son, and two cats.

Smitha is a dynamic leader across several cross-functional teams in the healthcare industry with an emphasis on technology. She is a passionate communicator focused on building collaborative relationships to provide innovative solutions and drive business results. She has implemented enterprise level systems for finance, human resources, fundraising, volunteer management and inventory management.

Smitha has a degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Mumbai and a Master’s degree in Information Systems from Eastern Michigan University. She is certified in PMP, Scaled Agile SAFe 5.0 and is a Six Sigma Black Belt.

She has been volunteering for the Huron Valley Chapter since 2018. As VP of Finance, she looks forward to supporting the chapter to grow its membership, provide excellent benefits to its members, and give back to the community.

Pradip Naik is a Digital Transformation Leader working for MIGSO-PCUBED Project Management Consulting Services organization. In this role, he develops and supports IT solutions focusing on the digital transformation of project management office (PMO), supports digital transformation strategy and project delivery as a senior IT program manager, leads the data and analytics capability within the US as a solution architect, and provides Digital PMO consulting services as a technical project management consultant.   

Pradip holds a Master of Business Administration with a Project Management specialization from Walden University, PMP certified since 2018, has been volunteering with the PMI-HVC chapter, and holds a variety of technology certifications. Pradip is a highly motivated, result-driven, and collaborative senior professional offering 20+ years of total IT experience while performing multiple roles including 10+ years as Solutions Architect, 9+ years as EPMO-enterprise portfolio management office Manager, 8+ years in consulting, delivery, and support functions for data warehousing solutions, 6+ years as Product Owner, 4+ years in presales, 2+ years as Product Manager, and 2+ years of experience in core firm accounting and finance. He had an opportunity to serve a variety of industries including automotive, banking & finance, capital markets, insurance, healthcare, telecom, and retail.

Pradip had volunteered as a 'Board of Director & Secretary' for the Homeowner Association; 'Vice-President & Head of Logistics' for a non-profit organization focused on preserving cultural traditions and encouraging youth to participate in planning and organizing events.  

Shannon works in the Department of Technology, Management and Budget at the State of Michigan as a Program Manager.  He works in the Project Management Office supporting the Chief Security Officer and the Chief Technology Officer.   In this position Shannon manages large enterprise-wide programs and projects.   Shannon has been working in IT for 33 years, starting as a COBOL Developer and later working as an Analyst and finally as a Project Manager.   He started his career in the private sector and has worked as a public servant for the past 18 years.  Shannon became PMP certified in April of 2021.  He is currently serving the PMI Huron Valley Chapter as the Vice President of Training and loves the work he is doing. 

If you get to know Shannon, you will quickly realize the importance of his faith.  When asked who inspires him, his immediate answer is his father - an honest man who loved his family and loved God with all his heart.  His favorite family tradition is praying with his children whenever they are travelling some place.  The last book Shannon read was 50 Days of Heaven by Randy Alcorn. This book was a gift from his pastor, after the passing of his father, and it describes what Heaven will be like in 50 short daily devotionals.   

Shannon has been married to his wife Michelle for 33 years and has two children.  His daughter, Ashley, is 29 and lives in Chicago, working as a sales representative.  His son, Jordan, is 27 and will graduate in May of 2023 with a Doctorate in Dentistry from the Creighton University School of Dentistry in Omaha, NE.  He is very proud of them!

A few quick facts about Shannon.  If he could visit anywhere in the world he would head to Hawaii or Paris, France.  His pet peeve is when people don’t listen to others or interrupt them.  Everyone has a secret talent; Shannon’s is that he can sing.  He is passionate about helping people with their relationships; he sets a fine example with a 33-year marriage.  He loves to take walks with Michelle, work out, and play golf. 

Chet is a well-rounded Project Manager with years of experience in various roles as a PM/BA/QA across the SDLC (Agile/Waterfall) in the Finance, Banking, Marketing and Food Service industries.  He has experience managing global project resources across multiple time zones. Other responsibilities included developing PMO documentation standards and training as well as undertaking strategic planning with Executive Management.

Chet has served as VP of Administration since 2021 and has volunteered with the chapter since 2018 - lending a helping hand during chapter events and as a member of the outreach committee which seeks to promote the project management profession to academic organizations, businesses, professional associations, and community interest groups that PMI-HVC serves.

He holds an MBA in International Business and Finance and a Bachelors in Accounting. Personal interests include Movies, Music and Sports. Chet also volunteers with Weso, Michigan Athletics, and Ann Arbor Cycles.