National DICE Construction, Design & Development - West

Kartik Atyam is a seasoned datacenter infrastructure delivery professional with a passion for excellence. With over a decade of experience in the industry, he has led design, implementation, and management of large-scale datacenter deployments. Kartik is known for his ability to build high-performing teams and collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality, cost-effective solutions that meet revenue growth targets. He currently manages over $2.5 billion of infrastructure deployment in the US and LATAM. Through his leadership of a highly matrixed organization, he has delivered edge capacity, whole datacenters, live site retrofits, and associated power and water infrastructure. His background includes investigation, design, and construction of large civil infrastructure projects in the Americas. He also lead the development and distribution of a schedule optimization software focused on the construction industry. Kartik has held leadership position titles that include End to End manager, Senior Consultant, Senior Project Manager, and Senior Product Manager.

Jonathan (Jon) Gibbs is the Senior Program Manager of Development at Cologix, North America’s leading network-neutral interconnection and hyperscale edge data center company. In this role, Jon is responsible for managing construction standards, facilitating new property acquisitions, and overseeing the preconstruction process. Jon has over 25 years of extensive construction experience including preconstruction, procurement, and project management. He began his career in electrical contracting and has completed a five-year electrical apprenticeship in 2002. Jon also holds certifications in estimating along with a degree in Construction Management.

Éanna’s strategic role ensures Yondr delivers solutions that enable our clients to flourish without constraints. He leads the investment, development, management of digital infrastructure assets across the Americas. Éanna joins Yondr from the Google Datacenter Delivery and Execution Leadership team where he was responsible for global cost management, risk management, scheduling, contracts and portfolio operations, he successfully deployed global strategies, built teams, developed cultures and delivered projects across five continents. Before Google, Éanna enabled owners in retail, education, healthcare, real estate, pharmaceuticals and technology to deliver their capital programs more efficiently in Ireland, United Kingdom and across the United States. Éanna is a leader in promoting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the workplace and is committed to continuing to advocate across the industry. Éanna championed supplier Diversity on the Google Datacenter program increasing diverse supplier spend by tens of millions of dollars. As a devoted father of two young girls, Éanna’s goal is to ensure that his children and all generations have equal opportunities during their professional careers. Éanna grew up on the west coast of Ireland and now calls California home. He is an avid sports fan and keen golfer. He graduated magna cum laude from Technological University Dublin with a dual major Bachelor of Science in Economics and Construction Management.

Carlos is an accomplished security customer-centric executive. He is an expert in building world-class customer-centric security experiences by providing the strategic direction necessary to create memorable outcomes. Carlos has a record of leadership success as a Disney World leadership team member and a Tech Global Security Leader. Under his leadership, security teams surprised and delighted millions of guests and employees worldwide. In the last 25 years, Carlos Francisco, CPP, has led the security teams of some of the largest corporations in the world. This includes Walt Disney World, Amazon, and Meta (Facebook). He also has had the tremendous responsibility of leading security teams during major international events such as Super Bowl 50, Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, World-Class Marathons, and many more. Carlos was a prior Deputy Sheriff and holds a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice with a Security Leadership certificate from the University of Central Florida, and a Master's in Disaster & Emergency Management from American Military University. Carlos is an accomplished security operations executive, a podcaster, and an Amazon #1 Release, "So, You Want to Get into Corporate Security?" with proven leadership in driving corporate security programs. Carlos created the moniker, "The Corporate Security Translator," which he uses to go out into the world and share his security knowledge.

Amy Dunton is a business development professional with a focus on developing business, relationships, and strategies with her customers. Her nearly 20 years of experience in the data center industry began with time spent punching down 66 blocks in a data center with her father. This experience served as the foundation for what now is a consultative wholistic data center approach. Her experience in structured cabling, power/cooling, connectivity, security, network, storage, and compute brings a well-rounded and unique perspective to the data center industry. Her roles have included working for distribution, manufacturing, manufacturing representatives, and a leading Enterprise IT Solutions provider. Her expansive network and understanding of IT infrastructure, Facilities and Data Centers has fuelled a passion for creating an environment with more collaboration as IT Infrastructure trends can greatly impact how we design and build our data centers. Amy is committed to her professional growth through continued learning and involvement in industry associations. She currently serves as a Boardmember of the Greater MN AFCOM chapter, is a member of Women in Data Centers, Women Leading in Technology, WiMCO and ASIS. Last year Amy also served as VP of PR for her Toastmasters group in Minneapolis.

Yuval Bachar is a leader in the data center industry and founder/CEO of ECL. He has held senior positions at Microsoft, Linkedin, Facebook, Cisco Systems and Juniper Networks and is recognized as a top influencer in data centers and Edge technology. Yuval is also one of the founders of the Open19 Project and president of the Open19 Foundation. His work focuses on sustainable, zero-emissions data centers with machine learning and artificial intelligence, predictive maintenance and hardware quality control. Yuval holds eight US patents related to data centers, networking, system design areas and three Cisco pioneer awards. He has a BSEE from Technion Institute in Haifa.

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.

Develops strategies for applications of precast/prestressed concrete building systems in the data center space. Leads the effort to engage technical staff in the design-assist effort of very fast-track projects, at the earliest stages of development. Works with end-users and their agents to create unique designs and unusual applications of precast concrete building systems. Drives Metromont’s practice of acting as a specialty precast subcontractor in the data center -- and not just the manufacturer of various precast parts and pieces. Metromont can self-perform 100% of the precast concrete work, beginning from structured design-assist engagement, through field erection of "all-precast" buildings. Leads the activities of Metromont’s VA Sales staff in pursuit of projects primarily in Virginia’s Data Center Alley, but across the U.S. Metromont has the capability of extending its reach beyond this area, on certain projects, where organizational strengths, financial capacity, and past experience -- particularly with regard to mission-critical projects -- are required. 35 years experience in the precast/prestressed concrete industry, including responsibilities for nearly every aspect of the ", get work" and "do work" functions. Directly involved in preconstruction through contract, in 20M SF of all precast data centers. Marshall is a 7x24 Exchange DC Chapter Board of Directors member and a member of the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA).

Adam has 13+ years of mission critical infrastructure experience. At Facebook, he led teams responsible for operationalizing some of the world’s largest and most advanced data centers. He has first hand experience in MEP and architectural design, construction, and operations. Prior, he led 1400+ person teams executing complex construction projects in excess of $75M at Shell. He holds an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech, an MBA from UC Berkeley, and is a licensed Professional Engineer.

Christine has over 20 years of experience leading teams across the West Coast. She provides a unique perspective to the projects she oversees, having spent several years as a design-build mechanical engineer and then as a data center developer before finding her calling as a general contractor. The bulk of her career has been focused on complex mission-critical projects for both enterprise and wholesale clients. Christine has built a reputation for listening, collaborating, problem solving and developing strong relationships across disciplines.

Kristen has been in the construction industry for over 20 years, working for a large General Contractor on various commercial projects including technical design-build federal projects, hotels & casinos, hospitals, prisons, stadiums and ultimately finding her passion with datacenters. You’ll often hear her refer to the book Ready Player One as it helped spark her interest into data centers many years ago. She recently made the switch to the Owners side and has filled the role of VP of Construction for Prime Data Centers. She has found the datacenter community to be incredibly inclusive and has enjoyed working alongside other innovative people. Kristen looks forward to seeing how datacenters evolve to address the various demands of the industry. Outside of work, she spends her free time with her family, going mountain biking, and doing charity work with her daughter through National Charity League.

Taylor Hawkins is an experienced and outgoing Data Center Development Project Manager leveraging technical knowledge of the mechanical, electrical, civil and structural engineering principles to support complex data infrastructure projects for the world's premier Cloud computing platforms. Ms. Hawkins has completed hundreds of megawatts of hyperscale data center builds on behalf of public and private sector clients, which include Bid-Build, Design-Build, and CM-at-Risk scopes of work, delivering 10 figures worth of construction of mission critical facilities. With a deep understanding of the intricate challenges and complexities of the data center industry, Taylor has successfully managed numerous projects from conception to completion, ensuring optimal efficiency, cost effectiveness, and adherence to strict timelines. Her expertise in overseeing the entire project life cycle, from planning and design to procurement and construction, has consistently resulted in the seamless delivery of state-of-the-art data center facilities. Beyond her technical proficiency, Taylor’s passion for diversity, equity and inclusion has set her apart as a true leader. Recognizing the transformative power of diverse perspectives and inclusive practices, she has actively fostered an inclusive work environment, championing diversity at every level of the project teams she has led. Throughout her career, Taylor has developed highly efficient recruitment programs for HBCU talent and continually uses her voice in the industry by advocating for equitable opportunities for all team members. By cultivating diverse talent and promoting equal opportunities, Taylor aims enhance team dynamics and productivity, but also ensure that projects benefit from a rich tapestry of ideas and experiences. Taylor’s dedication to the advancement of diversity and inclusion extends beyond her professional endeavors. She actively engages with industry associations and participates in speaking engagements and panel discussions on the subject, advocating for increased representation and equal access across the data center and technology sectors. Through engagement with various organizations, including Data Center Young Professionals (DCYP) DC, National Association of Women In Construction (NAWIC), and her co-founding of the Just Us Initiative, Ms. Hawkins ardently seeks engage and empower underserved communities and individuals, with the goal of making others feel seen and ensure their gifts are valued. A native of Washington, DC, raised in Prince George’s County, MD, Taylor Hawkins is a proud HBCU alumna, receiving her Bachelor of Science degrees in Mathematics and Civil Engineering from Spelman College and North Carolina A&T State University, respectively. In addition to co-founding the Just Us Initiative, she also participates as director of a nonprofit, youth dance program for inner city children in the DC metro area. Equipped with an innate ability to navigate complex project landscapes, a strong commitment to client satisfaction, and an unwavering dedication to diversity, equity and inclusion, Taylor Hawkins strives to be an invaluable asset to any development project team. With her unparalleled expertise and passion, he continues to drive the industry forward, delivering cutting-edge hyperscale data centers while fostering an inclusive and progressive work environment.

Saurabh Ladha is the Founder and CEO of Doxel, which provides automated progress tracking powered by AI. Inspired after seeing how construction delays impact lives and livelihoods, Saurabh brought his passion for cyber-physical systems to construction to help project teams stay on track in the face of constant change. Doxel powers construction on the world’s largest oil and gas facilities, mega data centers, hospitals, and other complex construction. Saurabh has been recognized by: Forbes 30 Under 30, 2018 Goldman Sachs Top 100 Builders + Innovators Award, 2019 Saurabh gives back to his alma mater Stanford as an entrepreneurship guest lecturer.

Micah holds a strategic position at Intel's Technology Development Construction group, where his primary responsibility is to deliver projects on time. As a leader across all project verticals, he spearheads initiatives to enhance planning and scheduling practices. His approach centers around transforming organizational culture while simultaneously leveraging cutting-edge technology and refining processes. Before joining Intel, Micah played a pivotal role in developing Google's Datacenter Delivery and Execution scheduling program. This comprehensive program encompassed infrastructure planning, vendor selection, contracting, project performance tracking, and post-delivery integration. Throughout his career, Micah has explored technology and advocated for its advancements. He co-founded the Computer Vision in Construction Team at Google, which provided essential applications, infrastructure, storage, and computational resources to turn digital concepts into tangible reality. Through automation, cost savings, and increased value, this team successfully saved tens of millions of dollars. Micah is deeply passionate about sharing his expertise and knowledge. Recently, he established Zero Float, a dedicated newsletter focusing on Construction Scheduling, Strategy, and Technology. Furthermore, he founded Plan Rich, a community committed to helping people land their first job, elevate their skills, and get promoted in Construction Scheduling. Micah holds a Master of Science degree in Project Management from Saint Mary's University of Minnesota.

Sam Rabinowitz is the CEO of LANTANA LED and has been delivering energy efficient and sustainable lighting solutions to the digital infrastructure industry for the past six years. Sam’s passion and keen focus on innovation, technology, and process optimization helps data centers improve efficiency and costs associated with installation, maintenance, and operations of illumination systems. Prior to becoming CEO of LANTANA LED, Sam served as the VP of Strategy and Administration for Project Frog, Inc., an industrialized construction and prefab pioneer, where he ran the Supply Chain, Corporate Strategy, Finance and Accounting, and Legal. Sam also worked as an analyst for Pharus Capital Management, LLC, a late-stage venture capital firm. In his free time, Sam is an avid cyclist and an active member of AGMA, singing regularly with opera and musical theatre companies in the Bay Area, including regularly with San Francisco Opera.