Workforce Development Series: When the Mission is Critical - Diversity, STEM Education and Veterans

For over 20 years, Heather has been developing internet infrastructure – from the first days of DSL to today’s scaled data center services. As Director of Business Operations, Learning, and Tools for Google Data Centers, Heather leads near-term strategic objectives for the global data center organization via program management for internal tools and systems, learning and development, and executive communications. Prior to Google, Heather was responsible for private cloud product management, data center commercial portfolio management, and business development for companies such as Microsoft and Earthlink. Heather earned both a bachelor’s degree and an MBA with honors from Gonzaga University. She is passionately involved in developing opportunities for women in technology through volunteering, mentoring, and driving corporate diversity and inclusion initiatives. As a founding member of WiMCO, the Women in Mission Critical Operations Committee national board for leaders in the data center, IT, and mission critical operations industries, Heather eagerly seeks out opportunities for industry leaders to partner on solving important topics such as talent development and diversity. “Invest in inclusion - not just diversity - creating an atmosphere where all voices are heard, creating an atmosphere of advocacy, an atmosphere of innovation.” A leader in the data center industry, Heather has been named on lists such as Data Economy's World's 50 Most Powerful Women in the Data Economy and Colocation America's Top 5 Women in the Data Center Industry.

Melvin Greer is Chief Data Scientist, Americas, Intel Corporation. He is responsible for building Intel’s data science platform through graph analytics, machine learning and cognitive computing to accelerate transformation of data into a strategic asset for Public Sector and commercial enterprises. His systems and software engineering experience has resulted in patented inventions in Cloud Computing, Synthetic Biology and IoT Bio-sensors for edge analytics. He functions as a principal investigator in advanced research studies, including Nanotechnology, Additive Manufacturing and Gamification. He significantly advances the body of knowledge in basic research and critical, highly advanced engineering and scientific disciplines. Mr. Greer is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and U.S. National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine, GUIRR. Melvin has been appointed to Senior Advisor and Fellow at the FBI IT and Data Division. Melvin is charged with acceleration of the FBI mission by supporting appropriate data collection, data analytics, discovery and visualization via advanced data science and AI techniques. Melvin is one of the 2018 LinkedIn Top 10 Voices in data science and analytics. He also received the Washington Exec inaugural Pinnacle Award as the 2018 Artificial Intelligence Executive of the Year. Melvin received the 2017 BDPA Lifetime Achievement Award and the 2012 BEYA Technologist of the Year Award which recognize his outstanding technical contributions that have had a material impact and high value to society as a whole. Melvin Greer has been appointed Fellow of the National Cybersecurity Institute where he assists government, industry, military, and academic sectors meet the challenges in cyber security policy, technology and education. Melvin is Professor, Master of Science in Data Science program at Southern Methodist University (SMU) and Adjunct Faculty, Advanced Academic Program at Johns Hopkins University, where he teaches the Masters of Science course “Practical Applications of Artificial Intelligence”.

Dr. Nicole K. Henley has worked in information technology for the past 20 years. She is the Site Server Operations Manager for Google Data Centers in Loudoun County, Virginia, focusing on deploying and maintaining Google's world class infrastructure. Dr. Henley has held technology positions in multiple industries such as banking, aviation, the Federal Government, and healthcare, and she was also enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. Prior to Google, she served as Vice President of Technology, overseeing the Data Center and Information Security Program for Emprise Bank. Dr. Henley has a successful track record of leading and recruiting diverse teams. She is passionate about the creativity, unity, and awareness that diversity brings to the workplace. Dr. Henley holds several degrees and certifications in Information Technology and Cyber Security. She holds a Bachelor of Science in information technology, Master of Science in information systems, and Doctor of Management in organizational leadership. She received professional recognition from the Wichita Business Journal for becoming a Certified Banking Cyber Security Manager.

Dean Nelson is a seasoned technology executive with 32 years of experience deploying $10B of digital infrastructure projects across 3 continents. Dean is currently the CEO of Cato, a software platform that unlocks stranded power in datacenters, the Founder and Chairman of Infrastructure Masons, a professional association of industry executives and technology professionals uniting the builders of the digital age, and the Founder and CEO of Dean Nelson Inc, a strategic advisory and consulting company serving startups, fortune 500 companies and investment firms. Previously, Dean led Uber’s Metal as a Service function supporting Uber’s ridesharing business delivering over 100 million trips a week in more than 600 cities spanning 6 continents, as well as UberEats, UberFreight, UberHealth, UberForBusiness, and Autonomous vehicle and UberAir development. Prior to Uber, Dean worked at eBay Inc for 7 years as the Vice President of Global Foundation Services, which served over 300 million active users enabling over $250B of enabled commerce volume annually. At the end of his tenure, his team successfully integrated, then split eBay and PayPal infrastructures into two independent internet companies. Prior to eBay, Dean worked at Sun Microsystems for 17 years in various technical, management and executive leadership roles. His final project was the consolidation of Sun’s multi-billion dollar global technical infrastructure portfolio of over 1,000 facilities. Dean holds four US patents.

Nancy Novak, Compass Datacenters’ Chief Innovation Officer, has over 25 years of construction experience and has overseen the delivery of over $3.5 billion in projects during that time. Prior to joining Compass, Nancy was the National Vice President of Operations for Balfour Beatty Construction which she joined after serving in a variety of executive positions for Hensel Phelps Construction Company. Ms. Novak is a member of the iMason’s advisory council and is actively involved in a number of organizations dedicated to the advancement of woman in business including Above the Glass Ceiling (AGC) who are working with Fortune 500 companies to aid in the advancement of women in STEM, Women in Government Relations (WGE), Women Construction Owners and Executives (WCOE), The World Trade Center Initiative, Fortune Media’s Most Powerful Women and the National Women’s Party. Nancy is a frequent speaker on the topic and has participated in the White House Womens and Diversity in STEM forums. Nancy holds a degree in Construction Engineering and Management from San Diego State University.

Lee has more than 30 years of experience in all aspects of information systems, strategic business development, finance, planning, human resources, and administration both in the private and public sectors. Lee has successfully led several technology startups and turnarounds as well as built and run world-class global operations. He is a trusted advisor and independent consultant for various organizations in the data center sector and provides interim leadership to emerging and transforming technology companies. His core technical competency focuses on improving the performance of critical infrastructure through sustainable solutions that reduce power and water consumption with application across all industries. Lee provides leadership from business strategy development through funding to execution and his focus on sustainable operations has repeatedly driven value to all stakeholders. Salute launched in 2013 and is focused on providing military veterans with job opportunities. By immersing the veterans and helping them gain experience and skills this initiative will deliver a feeder system to the data center industry and the first step in a career for the veterans. In addition to an MBA from University of Washington and further studies at Henley School of Business in London and Stanford University, Lee holds professional certifications in management and security (ITIL v3 Expert, Lean Six Sigma, CCO). He also serves as a frequent contributor for several industry publications, including Mission Critical Magazine, Data Center Management, Processor Magazine Network World and BusinessWeek. In addition to his many years as a successful technology industry leader, he has masterfully balanced a successful military career over 36 years (Ret. Colonel) and continues to serve as an advisor to many veteran support organizations.

Adam Knobloch has been involved in the commercial real estate event and media space since 2010, having held roles in sales, account management, production and coordination. He joined Bisnow Media as the Global Director of Data Centers after having led event sales and strategy efforts in the CRE space for nearly a decade. Since 2012, he has found a significant passion for the data center and technology sectors, while building an international network of active followers across numerous asset classes in the US, UK, Canada and Ireland. In his current role, Adam oversees Bisnow Media's event and sponsored media strategy for the data center sector, having expanded its Datacenter Investment Conference & Expo (DICE) Series event offerings to more than 15 markets, with an international presence in the UK and Canada. He previously held a board member role on the Telecom Exchange (TEX) Advisory Board, collaborating on content, speaker recommendations and event strategy. Additionally, he has made a point of promoting local and national organizations with a focus on STEM education and advancing the next generation into the technology sector through support, collaboration and ambassadorship. Notable organizations include the Nomad Futurist Academy, Infrastructure Masons, H5 Data Centers' STEM Fest and local chapters of both 7X24 Exchange and AFCOM. In his personal life, Adam is a musician, having toured the east coast as the drummer of The Gantry. He was a frequent member of the NYC folk/indie rock music scene and is currently the drummer for A.M. County. Adam holds a Bachelor's Degree of Business Administration from American University's Kogod School of Business, with a focus on Marketing and Public Relations.