DATA CENTER INVESTMENT CONFERENCE & EXPO (DICE): WEST

Arman Khalili is the Founder and CEO of Foundation Data Center and is a Board Member of Evocative and brings with him over 25 years of experience in Internet Infrastructure industry. Prior to joining the company, Arman served as a Principal at Industry Capital a real assets based private equity firm in San Francisco. He was the founder and CEO of CentralColo also known as Element Critical. Prior to that, he was the CEO of Black Lotus, a leader in DDoS mitigation company, which was acquired by Level 3, and was the Founder/CEO of UnitedLayer, the largest privately held colocation provider in San Francisco. He was the founder of Sirius – one of the first ISPs in Silicon Valley, as well as the Co-founder and CTO of MusicBank, the first music subscription company. He has held numerous senior consulting positions at Level3, AT&T and Apple Computers.

David Dunn is COO of H5 Data Centers. Mr. Dunn has nearly 15 years of experience managing significant growth and delivering outsized returns on investment in the Internet infrastructure space. Mr. Dunn most recently served as vice president at the Zayo Group where he was responsible for managing the wavelength and mobile infrastructure business units. Prior to Zayo, Mr. Dunn was senior vice president at CoreSite where he held leadership roles in mergers & acquisitions, leasing, marketing and strategy. Before joining CoreSite, Mr. Dunn held roles at several private equity firms including The Carlyle Group and J.E. Robert Companies. Mr. Dunn earned a B.S. in Finance from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Matt has 20 years of experience in telecom engineering, critical infrastructure acquisition, corporate banking, management consulting, and commercial negotiations. He spent the previous 12+ years at Google leading over $5B of global infrastructure acquisitions, and led data center site selection strategy, third-party data center leasing, utility interconnections, and land acquisitions across the Americas and Asia. While at Google, he recognized the need for a data center company that truly understood customer needs and founded Crane. Matt holds a B.S. from Georgetown University and an MBA from Washington University in St. Louis.

Matthew VanderZanden is the Chief Operating Officer of STACK Infrastructure and represents the voice of the end user, driving STACK’s relentless focus on continually innovating its business around the needs of enterprise and hyperscale clients. He heads development and location strategy, product development, marketing, and strategic partnerships. Mr. VanderZanden brings end-user expertise, having spent most of the previous 10 years scaling Facebook’s (now Meta’s) worldwide data center footprint. As Director of Global Data Center Site Selection, Mr. VanderZanden built Facebook’s location strategy program and has deep experience in data center and other critical infrastructure development, government relations, incentives, and location strategy. Before joining Facebook, he practiced real estate law at Paul Hastings, an international law firm, and remains licensed to practice law in California. Mr. VanderZanden received a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.S. in Economics, with distinction, from the University of Washington.

Shawn Ronda focuses his practice on commercial real estate transactions and digital infrastructure transactions. Shawn guides clients through virtually all aspects of real estate acquisitions and dispositions as well as finance, leasing, and real estate development, with an emphasis on real estate development for data center, student housing, mixed-use, and retail projects both in the Chicago area and throughout the United States. Shawn regularly represents developers, operators, institutional clients, private equity companies, investors, and joint venture partners. Shawn regularly advises clients on portfolio transactions across a wide variety of asset classes. He also advises clients with respect to the real estate related aspects of mergers and acquisitions, regularly handling the negotiation of asset purchase agreements and merger documents, as well as the implementation of related due diligence strategies and activities. Shawn is committed to serving the local community, having served on the Program Committee of ULI Chicago, and the Associate Board of the Chicago Committee for Minorities in Large Law Firms. Shawn currently serves on the Board of Directors of Family Rescue Inc., and the Development Committee of the Chicago Bar Foundation.

Nabeel Mahmood is a Technologist, Futurist and a Keynote Speaker. His career is driven by one question – what’s next? He is passionate about the power of technology to deliver competitive and transformational change and the need to develop digital leadership that will create the enterprise of the future. He believes strongly in simplification, with a purpose. Nabeel brings 18 plus years of experience leading large-scale global technology organizations through seasons of explosive growth via M&A, global expansion, implementing new business models and technology innovation. His expertise includes leading organizations through transformation changes, connecting IT to the needs of the business, technology innovation, Big Data, Cloud, ERP, IoT, Mobility and Data Centers. He brings a unique blend of experiences spanning the entire breadth of technology from Grid to Chip. At, heart he’s a true technologist and futurist, he is a proven strategist, winsome communicator and leader with extraordinary vision and operational expertise within very large, complex organizations. Nabeel is a strategic CIO identifying opportunities that are being underpinned by emerging technologies. He serves on multiple boards and is an advisor to CIOs and CEO across a number of industries.

Sara Neff is a Partner and General Manager of Sustainability for Microsoft's Cloud Operations + Innovation team. Prior to joining Microsoft, she was Head of Sustainability, Lendlease Americas, where she provided leadership and management oversight in developing, implementing and driving Lendlease's corporate sustainability framework in the Americas region. Prior to that role, she served as Senior Vice President, Sustainability at Kilroy Realty Corporation. Under her leadership, Kilroy was recognized as a leader among publicly traded real estate companies on sustainability in the Americas by GRESB for seven of the last eight years as well as being recognized by NAREIT, and achieved carbon neutral operations at the end of 2020. She is a LEED Fellow and holds a BS from Stanford and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

As Senior Director of Hardware Infrastructure at Cloudflare, I lead a team of managers and system engineers responsible for building hardware infrastructure for Cloudflare's compute and storage services, and rapidly expanding AI products. I'm passionate about delivering quality and innovative infrastructure solutions for exceptional products, and cultivating high-performing teams. Domain expertise in AI/ML hardware landscape and competitive strategy. Previously, led the product strategy and execution effort for an Intel top hyperscale customer with responsibilities that ranged from P&L ownership, product portfolio management, long range planning, pricing, execution and customer engagement. Strong hardware background, Engineering Manager with 10 years of experience in the SOC/ASIC design across multiple generations of Intel CPUs

Craig Compiano is the co-founder and President of Modius Inc. Craig is a successful executive and entrepreneur and has been our President since 2004. Craig has a passion for operational systems development and performance analytics for data centers. He brings 30+ years of business and technology expertise to his role. Before Modius, Craig was at Andersen Consulting and the co-founder & VP of Paymap, Inc. Craig holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Systems Engineering from USC and an MBA in Finance from UC Berkeley. He also holds a patent for an Electronic Payment Technology that is widely deployed in the banking industry. Craig is also a US Navy Veteran.

Brian is the Vice President at Stewart Title’s National Commercial Services group, where he and his team provide title insurance solutions for complex transactions across the United States. With over ten years of experience in the energy sector, Brian specializes in development, construction, and operations. He is an active member of the Houston community, co-founding the Renewable Energy Alliance (REAL) Houston and serving on its Board of Directors. Before his career in the energy industry, Brian served in the U.S. Army and completed a tour in Afghanistan.

As Bandwidth IG’s Chief Commercial Officer, Patton Lochridge is responsible for driving revenue and setting the company’s strategic marketing direction. He prioritizes putting the needs of BIG’s customers first to create custom solutions that will strengthen their ability to access mission-critical dark fiber routes that enable their businesses to operate. Lochridge’s lengthy experience in the communications infrastructure industry is instrumental as the company expands its low-latency dark fiber networks in the key data center markets of the San Francisco Bay Area, Greater Atlanta and Greater Portland. Lochridge comes to BIG from Zayo, where held several senior leadership roles managing Large Enterprise, Hyperscale, Wireless and Public Sector verticals. While there, he also served as Zayo’s Vice President of Fiber Solutions for the Mid Atlantic and East Regions and held positions in marketing and corporate development. Lochridge also brings experience from the utilities and renewable energy industries. Lochridge earned his MBA from University of Colorado Leeds School of Business. He resides in Colorado. When he’s not serving BIG’s customers, he enjoys spending time with his three children and exploring the state’s great outdoors.

Jeff heads our Real Estate and Communications practices in New York and has significant experience in general commercial real estate law. Jeff’s general real estate practice includes acquisitions, sales, development, leasing, and borrower’s side financing. He also has a particular focus on real estate challenges facing communications, technology, and energy companies, and represents property owners and telecom companies in telecom real estate matters, such as data center leases. His clients include both large national companies and smaller, local clients. He is frequently invited to speak on real estate, data center, and telecom topics. He also writes for several industry publications, and he is regularly quoted in national media. Jeff was a Commissioner of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and led many of its major real estate and telecom transactions.

Driven by a passion for merging technology with commercial real estate, my career has been focused on building projects at this intersection. With a proven track record, I have overseen more than $4.9 billion in commercial real estate transactions, contributing a wealth of expertise to numerous acquisitions and land development projects. Currently, as the Senior Acquisition Manager on Microsoft's Infrastructure Planning & Acquisition team, I lead efforts in the strategic development and acquisition of data centers, driving the expansion of our digital infrastructure. This role leverages my extensive experience gained at Amazon, where I was integral to a period of remarkable growth, more than doubling the company's real estate portfolio and establishing a robust logistical network. My contributions have been pivotal in shaping the infrastructure that supports the rapid scaling and market dominance of both Microsoft and Amazon in the commercial real estate and technology sectors. Prior, during my tenure at JLL and Bank of America, I honed my skills in brokerage and investment banking. This experience was crucial for mastering strategic partnerships and thriving in high-stakes situations, laying the groundwork for my success in tech-centric real estate. I'm passionate about building communities within and outside the CRE sphere. My leadership as Co-President of 'Women at Amazon' has propelled Amazon's largest ERG to support over 30,000 members globally. Within CRE, my involvement with NAIOP and CREW Seattle is multifaceted, encompassing leadership roles and active participation in committees and forums. This includes serving on NAIOP’s national Executive Board, being a Research Foundation Visionary, and engaging in National Forums, alongside my role as Events Director for CREW Seattle. These positions underscore my dedication to industry advancement and nurturing inclusive, vibrant community networks.

Samidha Thakral is a vice president and investment officer at Prologis. She is responsible for Capital Deployment and investment activities in the San Francisco Bay Area. Prior to joining Prologis in 2021, Samidha spent 14 years collectively at Hines, EQR and Lendlease where she led the ground-up development and acquisition of projects valued at over $5 billion including 1,400 apartment units, 6 million square feet of office and over 800 condominium units. Having lived and worked in three different countries on multiple real estate product types, she brings a unique perspective. Samidha has a demonstrated track record of creating successful projects that uniquely combine multiple product types that deliver real estate that is valued by both the end user and the investor. She is passionate about innovation and technology in real estate and currently serves as Co-Chair of the ULI San Francisco Innovation Council that brings together leaders in Real Estate, technology, and Venture Capital. Samidha has a Master’s in business administration from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, a Bachelor’s in Architecture from the Sushant School of Art & Architecture and a Masters in Music from the University of Delhi. When not at work, she enjoys cooking and pottery-painting with her two daughters and supports charitable initiatives in India that help educate children.

Raj leads Thor’s Data Center program across the Americas, bringing 20+ years of sr. management experience from Google and Deloitte. Before joining Thor Equities, Raj led Data Center acquisitions across the Americas for Google. During his tenure at Google, Raj also held roles as Global Lead of Economic and Community Development (ECD) and regional leadership roles overseeing Google’s Data Center acquisitions in the US-Central and Latin American regions. In leading Google’s ECD program, Raj led global programs in Economic Development, Public Affairs, Workforce Development, Social Impact and Content Development. Prior to Google, Raj was a Sr. Manager in Deloitte Consulting’s Real Estate and Location Strategy practice group where he advised a wide range of multinational Fortune 500 companies on global location strategy engagements. Raj holds a BA in Biology from Denison University and a JD from the University of Notre Dame. Raj lives in Pleasanton, CA with his spouse, 3 children and 2 dogs.

Austin Scheiber is the vice president of the West Coast region for the Aegis Companies, specializing in owner’s scheduling services and schedule program development and management. With over eight years of dedicated experience, Scheiber is an expert in working full-time with contractors and owners on mega construction projects and significant international data center programs. He takes pride in always maintaining a project-first approach, leading to improved quality and collaboration. Scheiber believes in the transformative power of schedule data and analytics to manage risks proactively. He has experience setting up and managing comprehensive scheduling programs, developing custom KPIs, and creating automated reporting solutions. These tools have enabled his clients to make informed, data-driven decisions throughout the project lifecycle. Scheiber holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Loyola Marymount University and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Southern California.

Peter Gross is a technology and energy internationally recognized expert whose career spans over three decades. He is presently the Managing Partner of PMG Associates a consulting and advisory firm. In addition, he sits on several boards of directors and boards of advisors for public, private and not-for- profit companies. Until recently, he was the VP of Mission Critical Systems at Bloom Energy, the premier supplier of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell systems. Before his Bloom stint, Peter Gross was Vice President and Managing Partner of HP Global Technology Consulting at Hewlett Packard. Prior to HP, he was the co-founder and CEO at EYP Mission Critical Facilities, Inc., a consulting company specialized in strategic technology planning, design and operations support for large-scale data centers. In this position, he has played a pivotal role in the rapid growth of EYP MCF’s business since its founding in 1997, leading to its acquisition by HP in 2008. Peter is recognized as a thought leader in the mission-critical digital infrastructure domain, has published numerous technical papers in the field, authored several patents and is a frequent speaker at international events. His focus centers on mission-critical facilities, high-reliability design, power quality, energy, and sustainability. Peter is the recipient of 2010 Data Center Dynamics "Outstanding Contribution to the Industry" award, is a Senior IEEE Member and was one of the contributors to IEEE Standard 3006.7-2013, “Recommended Practice for determining the reliability of 7x24 Power Systems in industrial and commercial facilities”. He also received the 2020 award for Outstanding Contribution to the Digital Infrastructure Community and was inducted in the Infrastructure Masons Hall of Fame.

Jeffrey is a Data Center Cooling Subject Matter Expert focused on Sustainability and Carbon Neutrality goals of Hyperscale Customers and Global Colocation companies. A Mechanical Engineering graduate of Cal Poly, Jeffrey has supported design, implementation, life cycle planning and maintenance of mission critical equipment and controls for over 20 years. Jeffrey has focused on the data center vertical market to ensure widespread adoption of sustainable and innovative cooling solutions across multiple architectures and regions.

Craig Pennington is Oracle’s Vice President of Data Center Engineering for Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI). In his role, he is responsible for the specifications and designs for datacenter infrastructure supporting OCI’s services in over 150 locations worldwide. His teams drive innovation, lead the rapid deployment of new regions, advance OCI’s sustainability stance. Prior to joining Oracle, Craig was Vice President of Design for Equinix, where he delivered improved quality and cost improvement for the company’s global portfolio of datacenters. He was also the engineering lead for support of Equinix’s sustainability goals and accelerated innovation in datacenter design, construction and management. Craig joined Equinix from NTT where he worked for 10 years in the European Managed Services business, eventually as VP of Operations overseeing the design, implementation and support of a wide range of customers and accreditation programs.

Vance Peterson is a Schneider Electric, Solutions Architect. Vance is an industry veteran with over 30 years’ experience with end users as well as OEM and Service Providers supporting Mission Critical Facilities and Data Centers. Vance’s strong background in both electrical and mechanical engineering along with the balance of risk and operational management make him a key contributor to designs, products and services supporting data centers. Prior to Schneider Electric, Vance deployed this knowledge and was an operating partner of a life cycle services company specializing in the design, build and operation of mission critical facilities and systems throughout North America. As a Solutions Architect Vance works closely with a team of highly talented professionals to provide cutting edge, innovative solutions for Data Centers. Vance also utilizes his vast experience and many relationships in the industry to help influence enhancements in existing products and services as well as innovate and create ideas for new ones. Vance is well respected in the industry and you may find him speaking at an industry event, providing thought leadership with Data Center Blogs or published articles.

With over 30 years of IT and data center, infrastructure and IT efficiency and optimization expertise, Greg has a proven track record of pushing the technology innovation envelope with the leading Thermal, Power, Monitoring and DCIM Solutions with Cloud Providers, Colocation Operators, End-Users and the Channel. As an evangelist for new technology, rapid change and continuous improvement, Greg has demonstrated a unique ability to coordinate disparate teams and bridge IT, Facilities and partner/vendor gaps while they work to solve the daily questions of Cloud, Colo, On-Prem, DR, EDG/IoT and whatever is next? All while ensuring reliability, resiliency, availability, optimal service and value to the business. Greg is Director of National Accounts and resides in Laguna Hills with his family!

Daniel is responsible for mission critical construction for new and existing Doxel customers. He and his team help clients identify use cases for Doxel’s AI solutions to reduce construction costs and accelerate progress. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and a Masters of International Business from the University of Florida. Outside of work, he enjoys surfing Ocean Beach in San Francisco and snowboarding in Lake Tahoe.

Allan Bedwell is the Chief Sustainability Officer for Clark Pacific, where he leads Clark’s continued drive towards zero for greenhouse gas, water, and waste in our prefabricated building systems for data centers, AI, chip fabrication, commercial offices, corporate campuses, hospitals, and sports centers. Clark Pacific is already achieving 50% less embodied carbon, 100% recycled process water, and 100% recycled batch waste in our products. Prior to that role, Allan served in a number of senior executive positions in businesses, startups, and government agencies focused on new technology, financial, and operational solutions to prevent climate change, reduce air pollution, protect water quality, eliminate waste, and improve human health. Allan holds a BS from Cal Poly Humboldt and an MPA from the University of Southern California.

John is a Principal at AVAIO with ten years of experience across private equity, investment banking, and energy engineering. Before joining AVAIO in 2018, John was an associate at Goldman Sachs in their Investment Banking Division. Prior to Goldman Sachs, John worked at CJL Engineering, an energy consulting and engineering firm focused on commercial building and data center projects. Within CJL’s Energy Solutions Group and as a LEED Accredited Professional, he consulted developers and owners on implementing cogen gas systems, energy efficiency solutions, and energy-use audits. He currently holds the Professional Engineer prerequisite EIT License. At AVAIO, John leads AVAIO’s new business initiatives, including energy and environmental transition. Within AVAIO Digital Partners, John is responsible for ensuring that each investment progresses in line with AVAIO’s investment case. John graduated magna cum laude from the University of Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a double major in Economics.

Tejo manages the design processes and leads the construction of Stream Data Centers’ expanding portfolio of Hyperscale Data Centers, Private Data Center™ facilities, Build-to-Suit Data Centers and Ready-to-Fit™ powered shells. Tejo leverages his design, construction and mission critical background to support Stream’s ongoing growth, driving alignment across the design and development of new data center facilities and bolstering success for customers seeking to expand their IT footprints and capabilities. Tejo holds a Master’s degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Stanford University.

On a mission to shape the future of design and construction by applying technology and innovative processes to attack waste and optimize project delivery, Shane Saltzgiver draws on his 15 years of real-world construction experience and familiarity with the challenges inherent to the industry to lead VEC. VEC provides VDC/BIM services to AECO firms and has grown to 140+ team members within a few years while supporting 225+ projects throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and across the US. Shane has directly managed or overseen a wide spectrum of project types including mission critical, aviation, commercial, healthcare, life science, and public works. Prior to founding VEC, Shane served as a project manager in electrical & low-voltage construction. He has received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Construction Management with a Minor Degree in Real Property Development.

Dagi provides architecture/design, engineering and construction leadership / expertise to internal and external resources for the delivery of IT capacity for greenfield, brownfield, retrofit and lease delivery projects globally. His deliverables include data center site selection, managing efforts of land technical due diligence, engineering/designing/constructing the building shell/core, power, cooling, telecom, and controls infrastructure, environmental and building permitting all to align with Salesforce’s IT capacity roadmap for critical infrastructure builds, M&A, migration, optimization, decommissioning and leases.

"Passionately dedicated to design excellence, Nyssa is an accomplished architect and seasoned design manager with a proven track record in successfully delivering projects across a spectrum of scales, from data hall fit-outs to expansive multi-building campuses. With over 8 years of specialization in data center architecture, she has amassed a wealth of experience, contributing to the completion of projects totaling hundreds of megawatts and millions of square feet. Her expertise has been instrumental in collaborating with leading data center developers and end users. Currently holding a pivotal role at Yondr, Nyssa spearheads all facets of the design process. Her responsibilities encompass the entire project journey, beginning with site selection due diligence, transitioning through design documentation, and extending to construction administration. Her leadership ensures the smooth orchestration of projects, culminating in a seamless turnover to the end user. Nyssa's commitment to pushing the boundaries of design, combined with her project management skills, continue to elevate her contributions to the data center industry."

Bruce Myatt is a Director in the Mission Critical Data Center Group. He offers over 35 years data center and power systems engineering, design, analysis, business/ project development and business operations experience, Bruce serves as a Project Advisor, Technical Director, and Client Sponsor for selected Data Center clients. He is responsible for the development and support of new client business and projects. He leads contractual negotiations and client relationships and he supports Enercon engineering teams with the delivery of complex and important projects related to data center design template design guidelines and equipment specifications, as well as on-site power generation and distribution.

Drew leads the commercial efforts at Polargy. He has a decade of experience providing infrastructure to the mission critical market and leading teams to achieve optimal results for the customer. Prior to joining Polargy, Drew was leading sales at DAMAC, where the majority of his time was spent in the hyperscale space creating custom tailored products. He thoroughly enjoys working within the space and is excited to watch the continued growth and new faces join as we all scale.

Kurt’s professional engineering career spans over 40 years. His expertise includes structural engineering design for Mission Critical Facilities such as Data Centers, Health Care Facilities such as Hospitals and Clinics and Life Sciences Facilities such as Biopharmaceutical Pilot Plants and Production Facilities around the United States and the World. His area of expertise is in designing buildings to be occupable after natural disasters including Tornados, Hurricanes and Earthquakes. He has been the structural engineer of record for conventional “fixed Base Buildings” ranging from 1-23 stories, “Base Isolated Buildings” ranging from 1-5 stories, and the retrofit and new construction of buildings incorporating Fluid Viscous Dampers ranging from 1-22 stories. He has published numerous papers on passive energy dissipation and presented the findings at various conventions in Boston, San Francisco and Milan. For over 23 years as the Founding Principal at PARADIGM Structural Engineers, Kurt spends most of his time developing new leaders at PARADIGM and mentoring staff in Chicago and San Francisco.

Dave Buckner has worked in the data center industry for over 18 years, 14 of which have been with Sabey Data Centers where he is currently the Director of Engineering. He and his team oversee the design, construction, commissioning, and delivery of new data center inventory. Previously Dave served a 21-year career in the United States Navy’s Submarine Force.

Alan Forster, Senior Director of Sales for Musashi Energy Solutions, has broad mission critical experience after more than three decades assisting clients designing, building, and maintaining power and technology infrastructure. Alan brings this expertise to help customers identify resilient, long-term, sustainable, cost-effective energy storage options for a variety of applications from hyperscalers to specialized data centers, high-performance AI computing, renewables, electrified transportation, healthcare, and more. Prior to joining Musashi Energy Solutions' new Americas operation earlier this year, Alan's background with companies including Green Cubes Technologies, UNIPOWER, Delta Electronics, and Active Power gives him a deep understanding of a wide range of power technologies to best address specific user needs.

Chris is an experienced energy executive that has spent more than two decades across conventional, nuclear, and renewable power generation, focusing on organized power and natural gas markets in the United States. His focus is working with customers to listen and truly understand their needs in order to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes, leveraging his deep experience in transactionalstructuring, M&A, and strategy development.

David believes good relationships and purpose affects one's life at every moment. He has been able to realize his calling to create teams that simplify and enhance people’s interactions within the world of technology. In the industry since 1997, his career has been anything but typical leading IT and technical teams in Hyperscale, Cloud, Hybrid IT, and Colocation. In his spare time, David enjoys boardgames with friends, family time with his wife and three teenage daughters, and perfecting how to grill.

Delvina is a visionary executive with a proven track record of driving impactful change in the transitional energy space. With a foundation in engineering, Delvina has successfully steered multiple companies from the startup phase to industry-leading operators. As a co-leader of Siren Energy, Delvina didn’t just help build a company—she led it to remarkable success, growing it from zero to a $78M acquisition in just 24 months. Her leadership in deploying cutting-edge CNG and hydrogen technologies has reshaped the industry’s approach to reducing carbon emissions, putting her at the forefront of the energy transition. Delvina’s love for engineering solutions led her to manage $250MM in drilling and completions operations in the energy sector. She led engineering teams to deliver groundbreaking results, such as designing and executing an 18,544-foot lateral well - three times longer than the industry standard at the time. Through her innovative approach, she consistently has advanced the industry's technological capabilities. Delvina Uka holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology, graduating summa cum laude, and completed the Energy Executive Management Program at Oklahoma State University

Steven represents energy project developers, private equity and infrastructure funds, commercial and corporate end users of energy, and clean energy trade groups across a broad spectrum of high-stakes legal and business matters. His practice encompasses handling federal and state regulatory issues involving the power sector, with a particular emphasis on matters involving wholesale power markets, advising clients on emerging issues in the energy sector, and counseling clients on energy transactional and project development matters. In his regulatory practice, he provides strategic advice and counseling, prepares Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) filings in support of transactions, and manages negotiations and dispute resolution proceedings. He also leads administrative litigation, rulemaking and ratemaking proceedings before FERC and state regulatory agencies, and has experience appealing FERC decisions to federal courts of appeals. Shparber also has a significant transactional practice that includes advising parties seeking to develop, own, operate, and finance utility-scale renewable energy projects, distributed energy resources, green hydrogen projects, microgrids, and EV-charging networks.

James Grice, co-leader of the global Data Centers and Digital Infrastructure Team, works with clients in high-growth potential industries, advising on transactions and projects around the world. Beyond his deep experience in general commercial real estate, Jim has distinguished himself in the data center and renewable energy sectors. No matter where his clients need him - or what they need - Jim skillfully pairs his intimate understanding of project finance with his exceptional experience with tax incentives to help clients structure deals to their best advantage. Public companies, REITs, private equity firms and real estate companies of all sizes rely on Jim to help them efficiently and effectively work through the many facets of their complex projects. Whether it be addressing state and local tax issues or working through the maze of entitlements, permitting and environmental approvals, Jim adeptly guides clients to great results.

With over three decades of experience in public safety and security, Greg is a seasoned executive with exceptional experience in both the public and private sectors. During his more than 20-year law enforcement career, he established himself as a dynamic and innovative leader, culminating in his role as the chief of police for his community. Beyond traditional law enforcement roles, Greg also took on the responsibilities of interim city manager, successfully guiding his municipality through periods of budget reductions, substantial growth and leading strategic planning efforts. Transitioning to the private sector, Greg has redirected his focus to the critical field of data center physical security. Recognized for his expertise, Greg serves as a regional leader and authority in deploying world-class protection in challenging and high-stress environments. His professional journey includes impactful roles with hyperscale data center giants Amazon and Meta (Facebook), showcasing additional expertise in the intricacies of leased data center environments. Having earned a Bachelor's degree in Public Administration from the University of San Francisco and a Master's degree in Leadership from St. Mary's College of California, as well a certification in Critical Infrastructure Protection, Greg demonstrates tremendous academic and professional accomplishments. His commitment to mentorship and leadership is evident through his guidance of law enforcement and military veterans transitioning from the public to the private sector. As a recognized expert, Greg frequently shares his insights as a podcast guest, shedding light on the challenges and successes of those navigating similar career transitions.

Altaf "Al" Bora currently serves as the Vice President of Data Centers for Metro One Loss Prevention Security Group. Al is responsible for expanding the security services for the data center portfolio and currently works with several national accounts to optimize and develop security strategy for the data center space. Al served 21 years as an Infantry Marine and an Intelligence Officer in the United States Marine Corps. Post active duty Al worked as an Operations Director for Redpoint Resolutions LLC where he planned and executed several security and medical evacuations globally for travelers stranded abroad. Al also worked as a Data Center Security Manager for AWS, managing the physical security of several AWS sites in the Bay Area. As a Counter-Intelligence Investigator for Lockheed Martin Space he supported the security of several sensitive facilities in the western United States. And most recently Al was a Data Privacy Investigations Manager at Meta where he managed a global team of investigators responsible for securing user data from bad actors. Al currently lives in San Diego, CA where he likes to surf and teach his daughter how to properly eat fresh tacos.

Jon Trout is a Navy veteran turned tech entrepreneur with a track record of successful innovation. From his early days as a service technician, he honed his ability to identify market trends and develop groundbreaking solutions. His entrepreneurial journey includes key roles in multiple successful startups, driving growth and delivering exceptional results. As CTO of TrendPoint Systems, Jon led the development of the patented Enkapsis platform, a revolutionary metering system for data centers. Following this success, he founded BitBox USA to address complex infrastructure challenges. Now, as founder and CEO of Chekhub, Jon focuses on leveraging technology to solve workforce challenges across various industries. A passionate advocate for AI and emerging technologies, he is committed to building innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of businesses.

After getting his B.S. in Chemistry Michael began his career in Industrial Water Treatment for 16 years. For the next 14 years he served in the Data Center industry, advising Data Center owners, engineers, and operators regarding cooling and power designs and solutions. Michael has managed multiple Data Center Design/Build projects, from greenfield to brownfield, including live Data Center upgrades. He has Top Secret DOD clearance and has performed Data Center energy and Tier Reliability audits for the US Government and private industry. He also has experience in doing forensic analysis of Data Center equipment failures and implementing solutions for remediation. In 2020 Michael joined Nalco Water in the Global High Tech business group, responsible for advising and supporting Data Center engineers and owner/operators regarding water related issues. This includes site selection water assessment, cooling system design, water consumption and treatment, water conservation, water reclaim, water pre-treatment equipment design, water related Capex/Opex, and newer sustainable water strategies and technologies. He also leads the Nalco CDCWT Certification effort to educate Data Center industry members about best practices with water and the wise stewardship of water. Michael is married with four children and serves on the leadership teams of two ministry groups.

Brandon’s practice focuses on commercial real estate transactions, including acquisitions, dispositions, financings, sale-leasebacks, leasing and developments of office, industrial, technology, data center and multifamily projects. His experience also includes the structuring of joint ventures and transfers of equity interests. Before joining Mintz Levin, Brandon practiced as a real estate associate in other law firms in California. While in law school, he served as Executive Articles Editor of the Washington Law Review. In his free time, Brandon enjoys endurance and mountain sports and reading about Russian history.

Jeff heads our Real Estate and Communications practices in New York and has significant experience in general commercial real estate law. Jeff’s general real estate practice includes acquisitions, sales, development, leasing, and borrower’s side financing. He also has a particular focus on real estate challenges facing communications, technology, and energy companies, and represents property owners and telecom companies in telecom real estate matters, such as data center leases. His clients include both large national companies and smaller, local clients. He is frequently invited to speak on real estate, data center, and telecom topics. He also writes for several industry publications, and he is regularly quoted in national media. Jeff was a Commissioner of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and led many of its major real estate and telecom transactions.