GSA Technology Council

At the June 2012 GSATC Learning Lunch, Keith Hayes, Senior Vice President of Network Operations and Engineering Services at Charter Business, joined us to discuss the challenges and lessons learned running the network of the fourth largest cable operator in the US.

Keith Hayes is a 30 year industry veteran who is currently Senior Vice President of Network Operations and Service Assurance at Charter Communications, the fourth largest cable telecommunications company in the US serving almost 5 million customers. Prior to Charter, he served as VP of Operations and Network Planning at Adelphia, as COO of GTS, and a variety of other industry roles. A two-term Chairman of SCTE, he was the founding President of the SCTE Foundation where he continues to serve on the Board, and has received numerous industry awards and certifications, including the Star of Integrity award and Broadband Communications Engineer (BCE) certification.

Thanks to View Digital Media for providing this video from our Learning Lunch.

At the July 2012 GSATC Learning Lunch, Matt Dunbar, Managing Director of the Upstate Carolina Angel Network, joined us to discuss the shifts in the early-stage investing landscape, UCAN’s investment activities and what makes a company an attractive candidate for Angel Investment funding.

Matt Dunbar is Managing Director of the Upstate Carolina Angel Network, a group of accredited investors who support high-growth startup ventures in South Carolina and the Southeast. In his role as Managing Director, Matt is responsible for the day to day operations of the investor network, including the group’s efforts to screen, select, evaluate and structure early stage equity investments.

Thanks to View Digital Media for providing this video from our Learning Lunch.

At the August 2012 GSATC Learning Lunch, Stephen Brown, Vice President of Technology and Applications at Mitel, joined us to discuss the future of telephony and some practical advice on how you can bring phones, voice, data and PCs together in the coolest (and easiest) way possible.

Stephen is an expert in Mitel’s virtualized Unified Communications and Collaborations portfolio for North America. He is one of Mitel’s key voices into the Unified Communications and Collaboration market. He represents Mitel in numerous industry events, press interviews and spends as much time as possible in front of current and potential Mitel customers and Mitel Business Partners. Stephen currently serves as Vice President of Technology and Applications, reporting to Phil Keenan, EVP of North America.

Thanks to View Digital Media for providing this video from our Learning Lunch.

At the September 2012 GSATC Learning Lunch we held a learning lunch panel discussion and mini tech expo with Charter Business and GSA Business. We gathered four of the most advanced IT leaders of some of the largest corporations in and outside of the southeast to discuss current and future network requirements needed to stay ahead of technology game.

Guest Panel Presenters:

	Greg Dixon CTO of Scansource, Inc. Greg Dixon joined ScanSource at its inception in 1992, where he serves as Chief Technology Officer. In this role, Greg develops and manages strategic technological initiatives for ScanSource such as Solution City, RFIDEdge, SUMOpartner and many others.   Greg has more than 35 years of experience in the technology arena. He is known as a technologist and industry expert and has been a featured speaker at many industry events over the years. He also served on the Board of Directors for CompTIA and is now active in the Unified Communications and Cloud Communities.
	Jim Bagnato Director, Product Management of Charter Business In his current role, Mr. Bagnato develops and manages products for Charter Business voice services portfolio. Those IP-based voice products are built to serve small, medium, and enterprise level business customers. Jim is an Internet/Telecom industry veteran with over 11 years in bringing new products to market and developing then implementing product portfolio strategies with Charter, Turner Sports, Level 3, and EarthLink.   Jim earned an MBA from Duke University and a BS in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University.
	Jim Pepin Chief Technology Officer of Clemson University Jim Pepin started his duties at Clemson in February of 2007 and is responsible for campus and regional systems and networking architecture. He previously worked for University of Southern California (USC), starting in 1972 and implemented NCP and IP solutions on the ARPAnet. He was a member of several Network Working Groups in the early 1970s. He was director of the Engineering Computer Lab and was architect of the central engineering school facilities, including networking and timesharing systems.   Starting in 1987 he was Executive Director of University Computing Services (UCS). UCS provided campus wide support for all networking and central academic computing services. In 1999-2003, he had joint appointment with USC-ISI and was responsible for direction in High Performance Network infrastructure for the USC-ISD and USC-ISI. From 2004 on he was responsible for the design and implementation of high performance networks while being director of the center for High Performance Computing and Communications.
	Rich Rogers Vice President of Information Services and Chief Information Officer of Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center Rich Rogers is responsible for the planning, implementation, and management of information technology and resources supporting the hospital system. Rogers has over 20 years’ experience in health information technology management. Prior to joining GHS, he served as the Senior Vice President/CIO for Health First in Melbourne, Florida, the VP of MIS for Lakeland Regional Health System, St. Joseph, Michigan, and as a healthcare consultant with IBM.   Rogers is an active member in the College of Health Information Management Executives (CHIME) and the Health Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS). He received an M.B.A. from Pace University in New York and a B.S. in Business Administration from SUNY Oswego.

Thanks to View Digital Media for providing this video from our Learning Lunch.

At the December 2011 GSATC Learning Lunch we held our 8th annual Gadgetfest. For our 2011 Show and Tell for adults we had a thrilling line-up of gadgets including:

• The Sticstand (to hold your cigars on your drink)
• Retro Pop Handset for the iPhone/iPad/any phone
• Motorola MOTOACTIV fitness tracker/music player
• Korg Kaossilator the handheld device
• Korg iKaossilator (for your iPhone/iPad)
• Sharp Interactive Whiteboard (very cool)
• 8 inch electrical cord extenders with lights.
• Kindle Touch (and Kindle Fire)

Thanks to View Digital Media for providing this video from our Learning Lunch.

Join us this November for the 2012 Gadgetfest!

At our October 2012 GSATC Learning Lunch, Mike Watts, Serial Entrepreneur and Principal at Watts Engineering Labs, enthralled the entire room as he told us about his experience building innovative companies from the ground up. He covered his involvement in the early days of the microprocessor with his first company ($50 million in revenue in 6 years), the invention of DVR technology with his second company ($10 million in 2 years) and a pivotal technology in the Iraq War with his third company, Force Protection Industries Inc. ($1.2 Billion in 5.5 years).

If you missed this lunch then you’ll really want to watch this video. If you were there, you probably want to watch it too…

Thanks to View Digital Media for providing this video from our Learning Lunch.

At the March 2012 GSATC Learning Lunch, Deb Sofield, award-winning speaker and executive speech and presentations coach, joined us to discuss essential public and social speaking skills.

Deb Sofield is an award-winning speaker and executive speech and presentations coach who creates and trains world-class public speakers nationwide. She has personally coached scores of executives and elected officials to tap into their natural abilities, becoming capable and motivational speakers who deliver a message with lasting impact.

Read the March 2012 Speak Without Fear Newsletter to learn more speaking tips and sign up for the newsletter to stay up to date with Deb Sofield.

Thanks to View Digital Media for providing this video from our Learning Lunch.

At the June 2011 GSATC Learning Lunch, Gregory Pickett, associate dean for the Greenville Clemson at the Falls campus, joined us to discuss everything that is going on at the Clemson University’s satellite campus in Greenville.

Gregory Pickett is associate dean for the Greenville Clemson at the Falls campus. In this role, he is responsible for the continued development and operation of the college’s Clemson at the Falls location on the Reedy River, including the MBA program, Professional Advancement and Continuing Education, and the Arthur M. Spiro Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership.

Thanks to View Digital Media for providing this video from our Learning Lunch.

At the September 2011 GSATC Learning Lunch, Jimmy Earley, Director of the Division of State Information Technology in South Carolina, joined us to discuss just how much technology is needed to run the state.

Jimmy Earley serves as the Director of the Division of State Information Technology in South Carolina. Prior to his appointment to this position, he served as the Chief of Staff at the SC Department of Motor Vehicles (SCDMV) where he managed the agency’s Information Technology, Policy, Communications, Project Management and Customer Service Divisions.

Thanks to View Digital Media for providing this video from our Learning Lunch.

In April 2011 Ralph Heredia, Vice President of business development and co-founder of Zipit Wireless, joined us to discuss how the team at Zipit Wireless has leveraged their communications experience to reinvent the pager and create a brand new device.

Ralph Heredia is the Vice President of business development and co-founder of Zipit Wireless, Inc., in Greenville, S.C. He is directly responsible for all aspects of product development, innovation, research, marketing and customer/partner relationships. Heredia is also the inventor of Zipit’s first & second Wireless Messenger instant messaging devices for teens and pre-teens introduced respectively in late 2004 & and 2007.

Thanks to View Digital Media for providing this video from our Learning Lunch.