Last night, the Memphis Data Professionals brought the community together for a deep dive into a topic that often stays behind the scenes yet makes all the difference: 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞.
Although I couldn’t attend, the energy radiated far beyond the room. Shout out to Tasleem Shaik and Hamilton Williams for sharing powerful insights from the talk “𝘋𝘢𝘵𝘢 𝘎𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘙𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘚𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴” by Matthew Curtis. It’s a testament to the Memphis tech culture that even those not in the room can feel the impact.
Here’s what stood out:
Data governance isn’t just about control. It’s about 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭, 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠-𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞.
To do it well, organizations must:
▪️ Assign 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩
▪️ 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 into workflows
▪️ Rely on 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, backed by metadata and data catalogs
And the hard truths? They hit home:
❌ You can’t manage all the data.
❌ You won’t keep everyone happy.
✅ Perfection 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘺𝘵𝘩. Progress 𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘺.
But this is why spaces like these matter. They spark conversations and community growth. We need more rooms where real talk meets practical insight, especially for something as critical and transformative as data.
📚 Bonus takeaway: 𝘕𝘰𝘯-𝘐𝘯𝘷𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘵𝘢 𝘎𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 by Robert S. Seiner is a must-read if you want to rethink how your org approaches data strategy.
Big kudos to the hosts (Hamilton William and James A. Miller, CPA, CEPA) and to the FedEx Institute of Technology for being a cornerstone of Memphis tech momentum. Events like this remind us: our community is thriving. The best way to keep it moving is to show up.
If you're in Memphis and passionate about tech, data, or building smarter systems, don't miss the next one. Let’s keep the conversation going.
