Next In Line

Next In Line Podcast

Next in Line is a podcast about what it really takes to lead and why it's time to pay it forward. Hosted by Cesar Jimenez, Founder/CEO of Prosource IT and Founder/Board Member at myBasePay, and co-hosted by Karina Jimenez, Founder of Social Kraft, each episode features unfiltered conversations with executives who’ve built, failed, and learned the hard way. They’re not here to impress; they’re here to share the truth with the next generation of leaders coming up behind them.

  1. 17h ago

    Episode 77: Richard Kelly, COO of Make-A-Wish Southern Florida, on Purpose Driven Leadership, the Power of a Wish, and Paying It Forward

    Richard Kelly, Chief Operating Officer of Make-A-Wish Southern Florida, joins host Karina Jimenez to share how his career journey led him from working with the Miami Dolphins to dedicating nearly three decades to creating life-changing experiences for children with critical illnesses and their families. Richard explains why a wish is far more than a single joyful moment and how it can provide children with renewed hope, motivation, and emotional healing throughout their treatment. They also discuss empowering teams, leading with energy and intentionality, celebrating wins, discovering your passion, and finding meaningful ways to give back to your community.

  2. Jul 16

    Ep. 76: Dr. Mark Campbell on Technology Leadership, AI, Career Reinvention, and Finding Your Purpose

    In this episode of Next in Line, Cesar Jimenez sits down with Dr. Mark Campbell, technology executive and CIO for the Houston Rockets, for a conversation on leadership, career growth, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, mentorship, and building a meaningful career through focus and continuous learning. Mark shares how his unconventional path began in the United States Army, where he developed structure, discipline, and an early interest in technology. From there, he moved through military contracting, networking, government leadership, professional sports, and major technology transformation roles before ultimately stepping into executive leadership. He reflects on becoming a first-time CIO with little transition time, managing difficult organizational decisions, leading through the COVID-19 shutdown with the Chicago White Sox, and supporting the complex technology demands behind professional sports teams and major entertainment venues. The conversation also explores how leaders can build trust, evaluate talent, manage organizational change, and help employees operate within their unique strengths. Mark explains why successful CIOs must listen before making decisions, understand the business before recommending technology, and communicate the “why” behind change. Mark also breaks down the growing impact of AI across every industry, the importance of cybersecurity awareness, and why professionals at every level must develop AI literacy to remain competitive. He offers practical advice for students, emerging leaders, and experienced executives on storytelling, personal branding, mentorship, focus, and walking in purpose. This episode is a powerful reminder that careers do not have to follow a straight path and that lasting success comes from staying curious, embracing change, building strong relationships, and remaining focused on where you can create the greatest impact.

  3. Jul 14

    Ep. 75: Aparna Mathur, Vice President of Global Information Technology at Nabors Industries, on Authentic Leadership, AI Transformation, and Building High Performing Teams

    In this episode of Next in Line, Cesar Jimenez sits down with Aparna Mathur, Vice President of Global Information Technology at Nabors Industries and an ORBIE Award-winning technology leader, for a conversation on leadership, AI transformation, career growth, and building strong technology teams. Aparna shares how her unconventional path took her from studying pharmacy in India to earning her MIS degree at LSU, spending more than a decade in consulting at Deloitte, and ultimately stepping into executive technology leadership at Nabors Industries. She breaks down why trust, authenticity, curiosity, and business understanding are essential for today’s IT leaders. Aparna also explains how leaders can build high-performing teams, create an environment where employees feel comfortable owning mistakes, and empower people to bring their best work forward. The conversation also explores balancing the pressure to move quickly with AI against cybersecurity, cost, data quality, governance, and change management. Aparna explains why companies must strengthen their processes and foundations before adding automation and why technology adoption requires ongoing support from both leadership and employees. Aparna also offers advice for young professionals entering technology, first-time managers moving beyond technical contributor roles, and women developing leadership styles that feel authentic to who they are. This episode is a powerful reminder that career paths do not have to be perfectly planned and that long-term success comes from staying curious, embracing change, building trust, and becoming a “learn-it-all” rather than a “know-it-all.”

  4. Jun 30

    Ep. 74: Sean Maraj on AI Driven Marketing, Technical Leadership, and Building a Career Through Experimentation

    In this episode of Next in Line, Karina Jimenez sits down with Sean Maraj, Chief Marketing Officer and technology-driven business leader, for a conversation on the changing world of marketing, AI, leadership, and career growth. Sean shares how his nontraditional path took him from engineering and IT into sales, marketing, executive leadership, and AI strategy. He breaks down why modern marketing leaders need to understand technology, how AI is reshaping teams and workflows, and why leaders must stay curious, keep experimenting, and empower their people with the right tools. The conversation also explores stepping away from a traditional CMO role, building more freedom and impact through consulting, the importance of personal brand, and how sales, marketing, product, and IT teams can work better together instead of operating in silos. Sean also offers advice for the next generation entering the workforce, encouraging them to find what makes them happy, build real skills, seek mentorship, network intentionally, and create value even before the perfect opportunity appears.

  5. Jun 23

    Ep. 73: Darryl Maraj, Chief Strategy Officer at Workato, on AI Strategy, Business Transformation and Creating Capacity for Growth

    In Episode 73 of Next In Line, Cesar Jimenez sits down with Darryl Maraj, Chief Strategy Officer at Workato, for a powerful conversation about technology leadership, business strategy, AI adoption and the importance of bringing people along through transformation. Darryl shares his journey from studying marketing and finance to building a career in technology, leading global technology initiatives and ultimately becoming Chief Strategy Officer at Workato. He explains why technology strategy must be directly connected to business strategy and how leaders can translate complex technical challenges into clear business outcomes. Throughout the episode, Darryl breaks down his “run, grow and transform” framework, shares a real-world example of using generative AI to process tens of thousands of aviation sales emails and explains how companies can move beyond AI experimentation toward scalable, production-ready business value. Cesar and Darryl also discuss the difference between management and leadership, treating trust as currency, creating safe environments for failure, mentoring the next generation and using AI as a thought partner rather than viewing it solely as a replacement for human talent. This episode is filled with practical lessons for aspiring technology professionals, first-time CIOs, entrepreneurs and leaders working to navigate the rapidly changing AI landscape.

  6. Jun 18

    Ep. 72: Robyn Doughtie, CIO: Leading Government Technology, Developing Future Talent, and Driving Innovation with Purpose

    In this episode of Next In Line, Cesar Jimenez sits down with Robyn Doughtie, an award-winning CIO and technology leader responsible for supporting a complex government organization serving nearly one million residents. Robyn shares her journey from growing up in a small Oklahoma town and discovering an early interest in computers to beginning her career as a junior programmer and eventually becoming a CIO. She opens up about the unexpected timing of her leadership opportunity, interviewing for the role shortly after maternity leave, and the lessons she learned while navigating one of the most memorable promotion processes ever shared on the podcast. The conversation explores the scale and complexity of government technology, including cybersecurity, infrastructure, digital public services, emergency response, customer experience, and the responsibility of managing taxpayer-funded innovation. Robyn also explains how she structures her leadership team, balances modernization with risk, and approaches emerging AI opportunities while establishing responsible guardrails for its use. A major focus of the episode is Robyn’s commitment to developing the next generation of technology professionals. Each summer, her organization welcomes more than 30 interns who gain hands-on experience across cybersecurity, application development, networking, GIS, project management, desktop support, and other critical areas of IT. Robyn and Cesar also discuss the importance of curiosity, consistency, integrity, mentorship, networking, and the intangible qualities that separate strong professionals from great leaders.

  7. Jun 16

    Ep. 71: Sumana Nallapati on Human-Led AI, Public Sector Innovation, and Leading as a CAIO, CDO, and Technologist with a Nuclear Physics Mind

    Episode 71 of Next In Line features Suman Nallapati , Chief Artificial Intelligence and Information Officer for the City and County of Denver. Sumana shares her journey from nuclear physics and ERP programming to becoming one of the leading voices in public sector technology and AI. She and Cesar dive into what responsible AI adoption really looks like, why data and governance matter, how Denver is using AI to improve resident services, and why leaders must balance innovation with ethics, accountability, and human impact. This conversation also explores the evolving role of the CIO, the future of human and AI blended workforces, the importance of starting small with AI pilots, and the mindset young professionals need to build meaningful, stable careers in a rapidly changing world. A powerful episode on leadership, public service, curiosity, hard work, and using technology to create real outcomes for people.

  8. Jun 11

    Ep. 70: Roderick Harris, Senior Director, Leading Transformation, Managing Change, and Knowing When It’s Time to Move Forward

    In this episode of Next In Line, Cesar Jimenez sits down with Roderick Harris, a Senior Director with more than 20 years of experience leading IT transformation and helping complex healthcare organizations move from strategy to execution. Roderick shares his journey from hands-on technology work to project management, governance, change leadership, and enterprise transformation. The conversation explores why change management is often underestimated, how organizations can overcome resistance, and why true transformation requires more than simply introducing new tools or upgrading systems. Cesar and Roderick also discuss the growing impact of AI on healthcare, governance, operating models, and workforce strategy. Roderick explains why AI is not solely an IT issue but an organization-wide challenge that requires literacy, leadership, guardrails, and a focus on the “vital few” priorities that meaningfully move the business forward. Beyond technology, Roderick opens up about leadership, failure, mentorship, executive presence, career growth, and the importance of recognizing when your influence has run its course. His perspective is grounded, honest, and deeply practical, from learning how to fail fast and building trust with teams to confidently stepping into rooms where you belong. This episode is a powerful conversation about transformation from the operator’s seat and a reminder that real leadership is built on empathy, integrity, relationships, and helping others reach the next level.

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About

Next in Line is a podcast about what it really takes to lead and why it's time to pay it forward. Hosted by Cesar Jimenez, Founder/CEO of Prosource IT and Founder/Board Member at myBasePay, and co-hosted by Karina Jimenez, Founder of Social Kraft, each episode features unfiltered conversations with executives who’ve built, failed, and learned the hard way. They’re not here to impress; they’re here to share the truth with the next generation of leaders coming up behind them.

Information

  • Creator
    Next In Line Podcast
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    78
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Next In Line Podcast
  • Show Website
    Next In Line