About the Authors

Kim Heldman, MBA, PMP, is a senior IT director for the state of Colorado. Kim is responsible for overseeing technology services for four departments: Public Health and Environment, Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Local Affairs. She manages and oversees projects with IT components ranging from projects that are small in scope and budget to multimillion dollar, multiyear projects. She has over 20 years of experience in information technology project management. Kim has served in a senior leadership role for over 12 years and is regarded as a strategic visionary with an innate ability to collaborate with diverse groups and organizations, instill hope, improve morale, and lead her teams in achieving goals they never thought possible.

In addition to her project management experience, Kim has experience managing application development, web development, network operations, infrastructure, security, and customer service teams.

Kim is the author of the PMP: Project Management Professional Exam Study Guide, 6th Edition published by Sybex. Thousands of people worldwide have used the Study Guide in preparation for the PMP exam. Kim is also the author of Project Management JumpStart, 3rd Edition and Project Manager’s Spotlight on Risk Management and coauthor of CompTIA Project+ and Excel 2007 for Project Managers, all from Sybex. Kim has also published several articles and is currently working on a leadership book.

Kim continues to write on project management best practices and leadership topics, and she speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can contact Kim at [email protected]. She personally answers all her email.

Vanina Mangano is an executive member of Never Limited LLC, which owns a portfolio of companies, including The PM Instructors. The PM Instructors specializes in PMI certification exam preparation material and training. Through The PM Instructors, Vanina has authored courseware material within the subject of project management, including the most recent release: PMI Risk Management Professional Exam Preparation.

Over the past decade, Vanina has specialized in working with and founding startup companies, ranging from overseas technology-driven companies to recreation and fitness companies. Her experience largely focuses on the areas of project management, operations, and business analysis. Prior to her current role, Vanina served as the VP of business development for BHNET Software Solutions, focusing in the onshore/offshore outsourcing model within the Asian and European countries.

As part of her contribution to the community, Vanina has participated in various committees and organizations. Currently, Vanina is serving as a core committee member of the 5th edition update project for A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) through PMI. Her role as integrated content and change control lead involves heading integration, editing, and data flow efforts. Vanina also served on the board of the Orange County network of Women in Technology International (WITI), participated in formal mentorship programs by acting as a mentor to tenured professional women in the technology industry, and has spoken at alumni business conferences.

Vanina holds a dual bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Riverside, and holds the following credentials: Project Management Professional (PMP), PMI Risk Management Professional (PMI-RMP), PMI Scheduling Professional (PMI-SP), CompTIA Project+, and ITIL Foundation v3.

You may reach Vanina via email at [email protected].