Who Are We?

LuminaGroup® is an information technology and strategic advisory consulting firm. We are technology and vendor neutral, and focused on helping organizations large and small be as agile, safe, and competitive as possible in these challenging times. 

Our mission:

To help clients gain and sustain competitive advantage by achieving maximum leverage of their human and technological resources. Our focus is in the burgeoning field of business technology – ensuring that technology initiatives are aligned with and support organizational and business goals. 

We have gathered a network of independent top-tier consulting professionals, covering a wide range of areas that includes information technology, telecommunications, software engineering, trust, privacy, security, marketing, corporate communications, healthcare, public health management/policy, change management, knowledge management, online collaboration, and training and education. The result is that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. By providing these synergistic consulting resources, we greatly extend our effectiveness to the benefit of our clients. 

In addition to those below, we also have access to a broader network of experts in a variety of related fields, who we can call upon and collaborate with as appropriate.

Steve Olshansky, M.S. – Principal

Network Members:
Bert Bruns, M.S. | George Deriso, M.A. | William Lehr, Ph.D.
Gabor Molnar, Ph.D.  | Douglas Sicker, Ph.D. | Cathleen Wharton, Ph.D.
Stephen Wilson, B.Sc., B.Eng. | James Wood, M.A.

Steve Olshansky has more than 20 years of business and technology experience. His focus has been on online trust technology & policy, security, privacy, digital identity, federated identity and access management (IAM), and enabling and enhancing collaboration and knowledge management within and between organizations. His experience includes developing technology strategies in support of business goals, Internet-based business applications, large-scale website and corresponding information architectures, knowledge management and electronic performance support systems (EPSSs), online communities and social networking, and online training and education.

He has focused his career on integrating and aligning technology with business processes — providing support to organizations large and small. He has worked extensively in the public and private sectors, improving efficiency and productivity. He has successfully managed large IT consulting and software development projects, as well as high-visibility web development efforts, from initial design through deployment.

He worked for the Internet Society from 2014 to 2023, and was Director of Trust Technology, Policy, & Strategy. He worked on and led a variety of initiatives and advocacy projects focused on security, privacy, trust, identity & access management (IAM), and the Internet of Things (IoT), among others. This included outreach and community engagement, and cultivation of productive relationships with numerous stakeholders across industry, government, and academia. The Internet Society is a global non-profit organization dedicated to promoting an open, globally connected, secure, and trustworthy internet for all. It plays a crucial role in shaping internet policies, standards, and protocols through its various initiatives and engagement with stakeholders. It was founded in 1992 by the “fathers of the Internet” and has since been at the forefront of efforts to ensure that the internet remains a global public resource. It is also the organizational home for the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), the premier standards development organization (SDO) for the Internet. 

From 2001-2014 he was with Internet2, the U.S. Research and Education (R&E) advanced networking consortium, serving as the consulting program manager for their next generation security and federated identity and access management (IAM) initiatives. In 2011 he joined the staff of Internet2 as Director, Federated Technologies. He was working on a variety of projects focused on the development and deployment of next-generation federated identity and access management infrastructure, aimed at reducing the friction inherent in secure cross-domain collaborations and resource access for both public and private sector institutions. Most of the projects he managed at Internet2 were under the umbrella of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Middleware Initiative, and later the NSF Software Development for Cyberinfrastructure program. 

Steve holds a M.S. in Telecommunications from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and a B.A Political Science from Colorado College. His experience also includes:

• Consultant for a boutique eBusiness/Telecommunications strategy firm, providing strategic advisory services focused on applications of information technology, competitive positioning, and emerging technologies, for clients ranging from G2000/F500 to startups.

• Technical editor for the HP Security Handbook.

• Content and Business Development for US WEST’s Data Services Division (!nterprise). US WEST was one of seven Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOCs, also referred to as "Baby Bells"), created as a result of the antitrust breakup of AT&T. My primary role was conducting due diligence and negotiating best-of-breed content partnerships for all of US WEST’s IP-enabled services and platforms. In addition, performed technical evaluations of submitted business plans for the US WEST Business Development group, in search of investment opportunities in line with US WEST’s strategic business goals. 

• Led key projects for Digital Creators, a developer of Electronic Performance Support Systems (EPSS) and online corporate training and education. Developed the specification and requirements definition, design, and prototyping of an enterprise Knowledge Management / Electronic Performance Support System (EPSS) for a Fortune 150 client; the specification, design, prototyping, and production of an automated Web-based Ability/Skills Assessment tool; managed the design, production, and deployment of an interactive, on-line, multimedia corporate training and education project.

• Program lead for the early design, development, and expansion of the official State of Colorado government website and developed and delivered associated training programs for state agency staff.

With a passion for innovation and change, Bert Bruns has over 30 years of experience in the field. Cooperation with your organisation and where needed external parties is the secret to success. His business engineering, large-scale change management programs and management consulting have brought businesses forward in sectors like financial institutions, airlines, Internet companies and start-ups.

Bert has held senior positions with IT architecture and business strategy consulting firms such as KPMG, Nolan & Norton and Gartner Consulting. Currently he runs Bridges2Beyond, a management consulting company focusing on sustainability, innovation and strategic initiatives.

George Deriso has an abundance of experience in business as an executive, entrepreneur, consultant and professor. He has worked with companies of all sizes in different countries and industries.

Before founding his consulting company, Cosmos Partners, he worked for Falcon Venture Partners, a private equity firm in Colorado. He has been instrumental as an executive or founder in 9 technology startups and worked for global companies AT&T, Apple, and Gartner. He has lived and worked in Europe, North America and the Asia-Pacific region.

George recently concluded 18 years teaching entrepreneurship to undergraduate and MBA students at the University of Colorado’s Leeds School of Business in Boulder, Colorado, and at GEA College in Ljubljana, Slovenia as a visiting professor. He has been a board member, advisor and master mentor for high-impact ventures and enterprises around the world. 

William Lehr is a telecommunications and Internet industry economist and consultant with over thirty years of experience. He regularly advises senior industry executives and policymakers in the U.S. and abroad on the market, industry, and policy implications of events relevant to the Internet ecosystem. He is a research scientist in the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, currently engaged in a number of multidisciplinary research projects within the Advanced Networking Architecture Group in CSAIL. Dr. Lehr's research focuses on the economics and regulatory policy of the Internet infrastructure industries. He teaches courses on the economics, business strategy, and public policy issues facing telecommunications, Internet, and eCommerce companies, and is a frequent speaker at international industry and academic conferences. He is the author of numerous publications on such topics as the measurement of economic impacts of Information technologies, the economics of technical standard setting, the pricing of Internet services, and the implications of commercializing novel Internet and wireless technologies for industry structure and regulatory policy.

In addition to his academic research, he provides litigation, economic, and business strategy consulting services for firms and policymakers in the information technology industries in the U.S. and abroad. Dr. Lehr has advised information technology companies on strategic marketing, pricing, financial planning, and competitive strategy; and government agencies in the United States and abroad on telecommunications and Internet policy matters. Dr. Lehr has prepared expert witness testimony for both private litigation and for regulatory proceedings before the FCC, before numerous state commissions, and for a number of regulatory agencies abroad.

He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Stanford (1992), an MBA from the Wharton Graduate School (1984), and MSE (1984), BS (1979) and BA (1979) degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. 

Gabor Molnar is an engineer and an economist focusing on technological innovations, applied Data Science, and (big) data-driven policy making. He has over twenty five years of experience in business development within the high-tech industry. In addition to his affiliation with LuminaGroup, he is also an Associate Professor at the Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands, a faculty affiliate at the ATLAS Institute and a Silicon Flatirons Fellow, both at the University of Colorado Boulder. He also works as an independent consultant.

Prior to joining the University of Colorado, he was Regional Director for Sales & Business Development at GoBackTV, a cable headend and edge solutions start-up (acquired by Aurora Networks, now part of CommScope). He has a B.Sc. in economics from the Corvinus University of Budapest, an M.Sc. in electrical engineering from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, and an M.Sc. and a Ph.D. in telecommunications from the University of Colorado Boulder.

Gabor has published in several academic journals, including Applied Economics, The Journal of Industrial Economics, Discover Artificial Intelligence, Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence, and the Digiworld Economic Journal. He is a reviewer for the Journal of Information Economics and Policy and the Review of Industrial Organization.

Doug Sicker currently serves as the Vice Chancellor of Technology, Strategy and Innovation (CTO) and Professor of CS and ECE at the University of Colorado, Denver/Anschutz. In this role, Doug leads technology and IT efforts across the campus and also leads efforts to develop a campus-wide vision for interdisciplinary computing, which includes creating opportunities for broader access to programs in computational thinking, programming, AI, data science and other applications of technology within higher education. 

Doug is also the Executive Director of the Broadband Internet Technical Advisory Group (BITAG). Previously, Doug was the Lord Endowed Chair in Engineering, a Department Head in Engineering, the Interim Director of CyLab Security and Privacy Institute, and Professor in the College of Engineering and School of Computer Science with a courtesy appointment in the Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon University. Prior to this, Doug was the DBC Endowed Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Colorado at Boulder with a joint appointment in, and Director of, the Interdisciplinary Telecommunications Program.  

Doug served as the Chief Technology Officer and Senior Advisor for Spectrum at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). Doug also served as the Chief Technology Officer of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and prior to this he served as a senior advisor on the FCC National Broadband Plan.  Earlier he was Director of Global Architecture at Level 3 Communications, Inc. In the late 1990s, Doug served as Chief of the Network Technology Division at the FCC. 

Doug is an active member of Internet2, IEEE, ACM, AAAS and the Internet Society. He served as an advisor to the Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission, the General Accounting Office, the FCC and the Department of State; the Chair of the FCC Network Reliability and Interoperability Council steering committee; an advisor on the Technical Advisory Council of the FCC, and chair of a recent National Academy study on the Boulder Department of Commerce Laboratories. Doug has chaired numerous conferences as well as served on many program committees and several National Academy studies. Doug has published extensively in the fields of wireless systems, cybersecurity and network policy and has received funding from NSF, DARPA, FAA, Cisco, Intel, IBM and other sources.

Cathleen Wharton is one of those rare people that you can drop into a complex, troubled, or understaffed project, who has the ability to analyze the pieces, see the big picture, and put a solution in place to remedy any concerns while setting the project up for success.

Cathleen is a seasoned professional with consulting practice experience. She has served in technical roles as well as executive management and leadership roles in top companies and further supported Fortune 500 clients in industry and government institutions.

Her expertise includes hands-on Software Engineering Management, Requirements Analysis and Traceability, Change Management with Product Verification and Validation, User Interaction Design and Evaluation, User Training and Document Design, Cost Reduction and Operational Process Optimization.

She has worked in the verticals of Telecommunications (including Internet and e-Commerce), Healthcare, 100 Year Archives – all with an emphasis on software. She is a business leader and technical contributor who has successfully designed, delivered, and managed complex projects that include numerous customer-facing solutions, as well as products and services for the consumer and enterprise markets.

Cathleen uses and stays informed on the latest technologies.  She also has had training or certifications with the latest tools and technologies for managing engineering development releases, including:

• Confluence software (collaboration)

• JIRA software (agile project management)

• Professional Scrum Master I (PSMI) certification

• Professional Scrum Product Owner I (PSPOI)

• Overall ScrumMaster (CSM) certification

• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification

She has broad security awareness experience and knowledge of the cybersecurity ecosystem (CVE, CVSS, NVD), including how to establish and use best practices for preventing and managing security issues in an everyday product engineering environment.

Cathleen holds multiple patents, has published extensively in the computing sciences and human factors communities, and is frequently cited worldwide for her contributions to the Cognitive Walkthrough usability inspection method. Cathleen has formal education and training in the Computing Sciences and additionally Cognitive Psychology and Cognitive Science.  Her undergraduate degrees are from the University of Denver and her graduate degrees are from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Stephen Wilson is a strategic researcher, adviser and innovator, and one of the most original thinkers in Digital Identity in the world today. Since 1995 he has helped public and private organisations transform their approaches to digital identity, advising on platforms, architecture, policy, privacy, and governance.

He has built a unique body of real-world privacy research and synthesised a distinct position at the intersection of data protection and digital identity. His company Lockstep researches and develops unique privacy-enhancing credentials solutions and is one of very few non-American firms to be awarded an Identity & Privacy Program commercialisation contract by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Stephen has been retained as lead digital identity adviser by the governments of Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Macau, New Zealand and Singapore.

Stephen’s strongest skills are in the future of data protection, where data privacy is blending with the field of digital credentials to create fresh rules & tools for protecting the valuable properties of data. Here, Stephen has undertaken extensive original research into the interplay of privacy and cybersecurity. He has pioneered new privacy engineering methodologies and privacy enhancing technologies (PETs). He holds three current U.S. patents for privacy-preserving PKI.

• System and method for anonymously indexing electronic records (US 8,347,101)

• Authenticating electronic financial transactions (US 8,608,065)

• Decoupling identity from devices in the Internet of Things (US 10,164,966).

Stephen is an active member of the international privacy community. He is a past member of the Australian Law Reform Commission’s privacy technology committee, the World Health Organisation’s digital vaccination certificate working group, the U.S. National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC) privacy committee, and the New South Wales Digital Identity Ministerial Advisory Council (DIMAC). Since 2016 he has chaired the privacy & ethics track of the Identiverse / Cloud Identity Summit conference series. His privacy analyses have been presented at Harvard Law School, and published in Science, Nature and the British Medical Journal, among others.

In 2013 he took up a conjoint appointment with independent Silicon Valley-based Constellation Research where he leads the Digital Safety and Privacy business theme. He holds B.Sc. Physics & Computer Science, and B.Eng. with Honors in Digital Electronics from The University of Queensland.

James Wood is a strategic communications leader and reputation specialist. With more than twenty years of experience in driving change through high-impact communications, he has advised a range of big brand clients, disruptive start-ups, business leaders, and CEOs across the political, corporate, and non-profit sectors. James knows how to separate signal from noise and helps clients articulate their vision to key stakeholders to achieve their objectives.

Most recently, he served as Chief Communications Officer and Vice President Corporate Communications at global non-profit the Internet Society, where he had overall responsibility for corporate reputation, brand development, and the organisation’s internal and external communications strategy. In this role, he ran integrated communications programmes and directed a range of government-focused public affairs and policy advocacy campaigns designed to address complex global and regional Internet related issues.

His work at the heart of the Internet technical community helped strengthen the resilience of the Internet through policy change, advance the deployment of Internet infrastructure around the world, and provided new means of access to those who need it most.

Prior to this, James spent ten years at AxiCom, WPP’s only technology focused B2B public relations firm in the UK and Europe. There, he led accounts across the broadcast, telecoms, and IT sectors for some of the world’s best known tech brands including Dell, Nokia, Panasonic, and telecoms equipment manufacturer ZTE. He also established the agency’s policy and governance arm, where he provided strategic counsel for the International Chamber of Commerce’s BASIS initiative in support of its participation in United Nations multi-stakeholder Internet Governance Forum events. 

James holds an M.A. in Area Studies and Arabic from the School of Oriental & African Studies, University of London, and a B.A. in Modern European Languages from the University of East Anglia.