My Experience

Thomas Ackerman

Location: New York, USA

email: tom.ackerman@ackerman-advisory.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toackerman

My Background

I've spent my career at the intersection of technology and operations — not just designing systems, but running the businesses that depend on them.

I started on the manufacturing floor. As Plant Manager at a startup serving the electric utility industry, I built operations from the ground up, wrote the business plan, developed the cost models, and kept production running through 30% annual growth on a shoestring budget. I went on to manage production and engineering for a composites manufacturer, where I drove 50% growth while reorganizing the factory floor. Those early years gave me something most IT executives never get: a firsthand understanding of what it actually feels like to run a business under real operational and financial pressure.

From there I moved into enterprise technology — first as an SAP consultant serving Fortune 500 clients, then leading global business systems at Symbol Technologies, and eventually serving as Senior Director of Enterprise Architecture at Motorola Solutions. At Motorola, I led the IT architecture for one of the most complex corporate events in recent history: the separation of a $10 billion cell phone business from an $8 billion government and public safety business into two independent public companies, covering 400+ business applications and multiple global ERPs.

Most recently, as Executive Director of IT at Applied DNA Sciences, I built a proprietary high-throughput LIMS that processed over a million COVID-19 PCR samples for Stony Brook University Hospital and all 26 CUNY colleges across New York City. I developed an AI/ML model that replaced days of manual analysis with hours of automated processing. I migrated the entire company to the cloud and ensured compliance across FDA 21 CFR Part 11, NIST CSF 2.0, ISO 9001, and SOX. Today I continue as their fractional CIO, managing the technology transformation as the company transitions to a NASDAQ-listed crypto-treasury operation.

Along the way, I also spent two years as a Business Development Advisor at the N.J. Small Business Development Center, counseling technology startups on technical, marketing, and financing challenges — working with research universities, incubators, and venture capital firms to help entrepreneurs commercialize their ideas.

That full arc — from factory floor to Fortune 500 enterprise architecture to startup biotech to strategic advisory — is what I bring to every client engagement. I understand your operations because I've run them. I understand your technology because I've built it. And I understand the pressure of scaling a business because I've lived it, in capital-constrained startups and in global enterprises alike.

Today, through Ackerman Strategic Advisory, I work with a small number of clients at a time, providing the kind of focused, senior-level technology leadership that's difficult to find and expensive to hire full-time. Whether you need a fractional CIO to set your technology strategy, a seasoned architect to navigate an M&A integration, or a practical advisor to cut through the AI hype and identify what actually moves your business forward — that's what I do.

Areas of Expertise

  • Fractional CIO/CTO Services

  • IT Strategy & Roadmap

  • M&A IT Integration & Divestiture

  • IPO preparation (IT controls, audit, SOX))

  • Business Process Transformation

  • Biotech & Life Sciences IT

  • FDA 21 CFR Part 11 & cGMP compliance

  • LIMS & Lab Systems Strategy

  • Cloud Modernization (Azure, AWS)

  • AI/ML & IoT Solutions

  • Enterprise Architecture

  • Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM)

  • Supply Chain Track & Trace

  • Manufacturing and Distribution Systems (ERP)

  • Go-To-Market Systems (CRM)

Professional Experience

APPLIED DNA SCIENCES | Stony Brook, NY | 2013-2026

Fractional CIO

  • Transform to fully cloud based, compliant biotech and crypto-treasury company listed on NASDAQ (BNBX)

Executive Director, Information Technology

  • Architected a proprietary, high-throughput LIMS for COVID-19 PCR testing, processing over a million samples in the NYC/Long Island region for Stony Brook University Hospital, local schools and all 26 CUNY colleges across New York City's five boroughs during the pandemic.

  • Spearheaded the development of an AI/ML model to determine the origin of cotton samples from isotopic testing data, reducing analysis time from days to hours and creating a key competitive differentiator.

  • Ensured enterprise-wide IT compliance with stringent industry standards for a public company, including FDA 21 CFR Part 11, cGMP, NIST CSF 2.0, ISO 9001, and SOX.

  • Engineered proprietary IoT and PLC controlled systems to enable remote in-field equipment monitoring and process control.

  • Led the strategic migration of all legacy on-premise systems to robust cloud platforms including Microsoft Azure, Google Workspace, AWS, and Salesforce.com.

  • Directed the development of multi-level supply chain track-and-trace technologies, leveraging enterprise mobility, multi-tenant cloud architectures, and forensic authentication systems.

MOTOROLA SOLUTIONS | Holtsville, NY | 2008-2013

Senior Director, Enterprise Architecture

  • Led M&A / Divestiture IT Strategy: Served as lead architect for the monumental separation of Motorola into two public companies ($10B cell phone and $8B Government & Public Safety businesses), as well as subsequent divestiture of the Networks division. Defined separation strategies for over 400 business applications and ERP systems.

  • Developed Multi-Year Transformation Roadmaps for enterprise-wide functions including Supply Chain, Finance, and Go-To-Market operations, planning the global consolidation of multiple SAP and Oracle ERPs.

  • Architected integrated solutions for Go-To-Market operations, covering campaign management, sales forecasting, channel partner management (PRM), and quote-to-order (Salesforce.com, Oracle, SAP).

  • Designed end-to-end solutions for external partner integration, including collaborative supply chain planning with contract manufacturers and pipeline management for multi-tier sales channels.

  • Transformed the IT architecture process from a tactical workflow into a consultative, early-engagement model with senior business leadership, directly influencing key design decisions to ensure project success.

SYMBOL TECHNOLOGIES | Holtsville, NY | 2002-2007

Senior Director, Business Applications

  • Directed a global CRM implementation across 3 theaters and 29 sales areas, integrating worldwide sales pipeline management with demand planning processes to provide critical analytics to senior management.

  • Led a department of 40+ IT professionals and consultants responsible for all worldwide Sales & Marketing business systems for the $1.5B global leader in bar code scanning and automated data capture.

  • Managed the development and support of a complex portfolio of enterprise applications including Field Sales (SAP), Field Service & Customer Support (Clarify), and Depot Repair.

  • Pioneered enterprise mobility solutions for Symbol’s own sales force, utilizing Symbol handhelds for account, opportunity, and document management.

STANDARD MICROSYSTEMS CORPORATION | Hauppauge, NY | 1996-1998

Manager – Sales & Distribution Systems

Led the design, implementation, and support of SAP Logistics (SD/MM) for a $300M semiconductor manufacturer. Developed customized ABAP reports and info systems to provide management with critical analysis of bookings, billings, and margins.

SAP AMERICA, INC. | Parsippany, NJ | 1994-1996

Applications Consultant

Provided expert SAP R/3 consulting (Sales & Distribution, Service Management) for Fortune 500 clients including Lucent Technologies, Ciba-Geigy, and Westinghouse. Guided customers through project planning, business process re-engineering, configuration, and testing.

Earlier Career

N.J. Commission on Science & Technology / N.J. Small Business Development Center | Newark, NJ Business Development Advisor (1992–1994) Counseled technology-based startups and small companies on technical, marketing, and financing challenges. Coordinated a $7.3M statewide technology extension program proposal. Worked directly with research universities, business incubators, and venture capital organizations to promote technology commercialization.

Protective Coating Developments, Inc. | Tinton Falls, NJ Manager, Production & Engineering (1990–1992) Built and managed a startup manufacturing operation producing fiberglass-reinforced epoxy composites ($45M/yr revenue). Drove 50% annual growth while reorganizing existing operations to increase productivity by 20%+.

Fiberglass Pipe & Conduit Co., Inc. | Ocean, NJ Plant Manager (1984–1990) Full P&L responsibility for a startup manufacturer serving the electric and telephone utility industry ($20M/yr revenue). Created the business plan and built manufacturing operations from the ground up, sustaining 30% annual growth in a capital-constrained environment. Developed cost estimating models and production scheduling systems.

Education

MBA - RUTGERS GRADUATE SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

B.S. Industrial Engineering & Operations Research - SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY


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