The Experts Conference

Joel is a senior product manager and SharePoint evangelist at Quest, where he is responsible for product direction and strategy. He is well known in the SharePoint community as an enthusiastic trainer, evangelist and architect, and he maintains a popular blog. Joel is a frequent speaker at popular technical conferences, such as Microsoft TechEd, and often presents to local SharePoint user groups.

BillBaer is a highly experienced Technology Architect with Microsoft SharePoint Online in Redmond, USA. He was previously an HP Technology Solutions Group MVP with a background in infrastructure engineering and enterprise deployments of SharePoint Products and Technologies. Bill is active in the SharePoint community through evangelism, fellowship engagements, and events such as Tech·Ed,TechReady, the Engineering Excellence Forum, and the Microsoft Office Developer conference. Bill has more than 10 years’ IT experience with Digital Equipment Corporation, Compaq, HP, and Microsoft.

Michael Brengs is a Managing Partner with Optimal IdM, L.L.C. and has over 18 years of experience in the software industry. He has been deploying identity management solutions since joining OpenNetwork Technologies in 2000 (acquired by BMC Software), and later with Oblix (acquired by Oracle). Brengs is a recognized identity management expert and is a frequent speaker at events and conferences. He has been a guest speaker at Oracle Open World 2006, Digital ID World 2008, the Directory Experts Conference 2008 and The Experts Conference 2009. He is a Microsoft Certified Professional holding the following certifications: Microsoft Certified Professional 2003, Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator 2003 and Security+.

Christian Buckley has worked with some of the world’s largest technology companies, including Microsoft, IBM, Matsushita, Hitachi, SBC, Hewlett-Packard, Solectron, Cisco, and Cadence Design Systems. In addition, he has participated in numerous startups as cofounder, team member, and advisor. He is currently a Technical Product Manager with echoTechnology (www.echoTechnology.com) in Seattle, Washington, a SharePoint ISV. Prior to echo, Buckley spent three and half years at Microsoft, first as a Senior PM within Microsoft Managed Services (now part of BPOS), the team that built out the first enterprise hosted SharePoint platform, and then as an engineering manager in advertising operations. Buckley has a background in product management and professional services, co-founding Red Hill Partners, a consulting firm, and the East Bay Innovation Group, a technology-focused non-profit, both in the San Francisco East Bay. Prior to Red Hill, he helped define and deliver a SharePoint-like hosted collaboration portal at E2open, managing deployments into Seagate, Hitachi, Matsushita, Nortel, Solectron, and other high-tech manufacturing leaders. As cofounder and CEO of Qoses, Inc., Buckley helped design and develop tools for software configuration management and visual modeling, eventually selling the assets of his company to Rational Software (2001). He continued to write articles for Rational and IBM until joining Microsoft, and published three books on Rational tools and project management best practices (through Addison-Wesley and IBM Press). He holds a BA in Marketing and an MBA in Technology Management, and sits on the boards of two non-profits. His blog is www.buckleyplanet.net.

Ben Curry (SharePoint MVP, CISSP, MCT, MCP, MCTS) is an enterprise architect specializing in knowledge management and collaboration technologies. As a Managing Consultant for Summit 7 Systems, Ben draws on his years of experience to manage the most demanding projects and system architectures while delivering powerful customized solutions based on the Microsoft Information Worker platforms. He has authored or co-authored 4 books on SharePoint Server, including SharePoint Server 2007 Best Practices and the forthcoming SharePoint Server 2010 Administrators’ Pocket Consultant, both by Microsoft Press.

Jeff DeVerter is the lead SharePoint Architect for Rackspace Hosting. He designed the technical product offering for both the dedicated and hosted SharePoint solution at Rackspace. DeVerter has been working with SharePoint since 2003 which is early in the “v2” product. He has been involved in the following disciplines within SharePoint: system planning and architecture, SharePoint governance and taxonomy, SharePoint end user development, SharePoint security planning and implementation, and SharePoint training. Before joining Rackspace, he worked with Fortune 100 Financial Services companies including World Savings (Golden West Financial) and USAA (United Services Automobile Association) where he worked as an Enterprise Architect over Collaboration and Enterprise Search.

Zlatan Dzinic’s primary role is an Enterprise Content Management Lead, System Architect/Lead Developer and an Enterprise Content Management/Enterprise Architecture Consultant. He also comes from an extensive Enterprise Content Management (ECM) product background – MS SharePoint 03/07, Opentext – Livelink, Identitech – FYI, Global 360, Meridio, K2.NET, Opentext – Domea (including Business Intelligence), working, providing solutions and managing projects for the public sector (local, provincial and national government) and also corporate sector with a strong business and technical background. He is a technical lead/system architect as well as project manager or a best practices consultant on large Enterprise Content Management projects and Enterprise Strategy Initiatives. His main focus is Developing and Architecting Enterprise Content Management, Document and Records Management, including Business Process Management, Business Intelligence and Performance Management Solutions as well as Office Business Applications (full blown end to end enterprise industry solutions). He’s a guest speaker at International and National Microsoft Conferences, and he also presents at local community events on the topics of Enterprise Content Management, SharePoint Server and Technologies, Business Intelligence and Office Business Applications.

Karuana Gatimu is a technologist with 18 years of experience in the enterprise content management and business process space. She is the lead SharePoint Architect for Skechers USA, Inc., a global footwear manufacturer and is the Principle Enthusiast at her blog, SharePointStrategist.com. As Vice Chair of SPUGS.org, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting SharePoint User Groups across the country, she collaborates with others in architecting solutions that meet business needs using SharePoint and other enterprise level applications. She is an AIIM certified Enterprise Content Management Practitioner, a contributing Guru at SharePointGovernance.org and a great cook in her spare time.

Ram Gopinathan is a SharePoint architect for Microsoft Consulting Services based out of the central region. His primary focus is on SharePoint Architecture, Web Content Management, Enterprise Content Management, Enterprise Search, and SharePoint Development. He has worked with SharePoint since version 2001 and is also a Microsoft Certified SharePoint Master for SharePoint 2007.

Susan Hanley, president of Susan Hanley LLC, is a recognized expert in the design, development and implementation of successful portal solutions, with a specialization in Microsoft SharePoint. She spent 18 years as a consultant at American Management Systems, wehre she led AMS’s knowledge management program. She left AMS in 2000 to lead the Portals, Collaboration, and Content Management consulting practice for Plural, which was acquired by Dell in 2003. In 2005, she established Susan Hanley LLC (www.susanhanley.com), a consulting practice dedicated to helping clients achieve high impact business outcomes with portals and collaboration solutions. Hanley is a frequent writer and speaker. She has an MBA from the Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland College Park and a BA in psychology from the Johns Hopkins University.

In between searching the planet high and low for the best skiing conditions, deepest powder and crazy “steeps,” Eric Harlan spends most of his time in the technology field. He has been in the I.T. industry for 10 years, and heavily involved with SharePoint for six years. Starting from a developer role, Eric has moved on to a more architectural role with a focus on configuration and server implementation. As Principle Architect for Sogeti Baltimore, he is the first on the ground to plan and initiate SharePoint engagements and guide them to fruition. He is involved with many volunteer organizations. He also does many speaking events revolving around SharePoint. Topics range from SharePoint Development, InfoPath development tricks and gotchas to basic SharePoint sessions for the end user.

Agraduate of Yale University and Thunderbird, Dan has spent 15 years as a consultant and trainer, delivering solutions to tens of thousands of IT professionals from the most prestigious organizations and corporations around the world. Dan’s company, Intelliem, is a boutique consulting and training firm with a Fortune-caliber clientele and deep expertise and experience in Windows, Active Directory, and SharePoint. From his base in beautiful Maui, Dan travels around the globe supporting customers and delivering Microsoft technologies training. Dan is also a contributing editor for Windows IT Pro magazine, a Microsoft MVP (Windows Server Directory Services, 2007, and Office SharePoint Server, 2008-2009), and the community lead of OfficeSharePointPro.com. Last year, Dan published two books with Microsoft: the Windows Administration Resource Kit and the training kit for the 70-640 MCTS exam, both of which are at the top of the bestseller list of Windows books. He is currently building SharePoint solutions to support the broadcast of the 2010 winter Olympics in Vancouver as the Microsoft Technologies Consultant for NBC Olympics, a role he played last year in Beijing and previously in Torino.

Becky Isserman has been a SharePoint Developer since 2005 when she attended the Portal University with Levi, Ray, and Shoup in Springfield, IL. She is a Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) and a Microsoft Certified Application Developer (MCAD). She has been a web designer/developer since she was fifteen, hand coding HTML 3.0 websites in NotePad. She enjoys working with SharePoint 2007, because she can perform the roles of administrator, developer, designer, and architect. She has presented at over 15 events in 2008 and 2009. She ran the Kansas City Office Geeks from December of 2007 until December of 2009. She has helped run the two SharePoint Saturday events in the Kansas City area. She currently lives in Olathe, Kansas working remotely for B&R Solutions. She has helped out with several other events in Kansas City, such as the Day of Dot Net and Coders 4 Charity. She will continue to help out in the New Jersey .Net and SharePoint Communities. She lives with her two cats, Gambit and Rogue, plus her boyfriend, Johnny in Somerville, NJ.

Gary Lapointe is a Senior SharePoint Architect for ShareSquared, Inc. and a three time SharePoint MVP. Lapointe has been planning and implementing SharePoint solutions since early 2007. A developer by trade, he spends most of his time developing tools that enable IT Pros to be more productive and to focus on solving business problems and satisfying their customers’ needs. He lives in Colorado Springs, CO, with his wife and 10-year-old daughter, and when he’s not architecting SharePoint solutions he’s usually playing ice hockey, skiing, or off on a hike somewhere.

Dan Lewis is a Senior SharePoint Consultant & Speaker at ettain group, where he is the lead for the SharePoint Practice within the Professional Services Organization. As an Information Technology Professional, he has 10 years of experience in development, design, architecture, and administration. He specializes in Microsoft SharePoint Technologies and other server products such as ISA, SSRS, and RMS. He is a Microsoft Certified Application Developer as well as a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist in the configuration of SharePoint. He is a frequent speaker on SharePoint topics at Conferences, SharePoint Saturdays, Code Camps, User Groups, Business Seminars, and more. Lewis is from Charlotte, N.C., where he is active in the SharePoint community and on the committee for the Charlotte SharePoint User Group. He enjoys public speaking and participating in the online community. His popular SharePoint Comic series and blog posts on SharePoint can be found on his site, www.sharepointcomic.com.

Mark Miller is Founder and Editor of EndUserSharePoint.com . He is a dedicated evangelist for the Information Workers, Site Managers and Site Collection Administrators of SharePoint. Mark is a frequent speaker at SharePoint Saturday events, national conferences and online webcasts. During SharePoint Conference 2009, he coordinated 30 live bloggers, sending out real time feed streams of audio, video and twitter from the exhibit floor and the conference sessions to over 3000 online followers.

Michael Noel is an internationally recognized technology expert, bestselling author, and well known public speaker on a broad range of IT topics. He has authored several major industry books that have been translated into over a dozen languages worldwide. Significant titles include SharePoint 2010 Unleashed, Exchange Server 2010 Unleashed, Windows Server 2008 R2 Unleashed, ISA Server 2006 Unleashed, and many more. Currently a partner at Convergent Computing (www.cco.com) in the San Francisco Bay Area, Michael’s writings and extensive public speaking experience across six continents leverage his real-world expertise helping organizations realize business value from Information Technology infrastructure.

Craig Roth is the Vice President and service director for Burton Group Collaboration and Content Strategies. He covers enterprise portals, content globalization, collaborative applications, and attention management. Prior to joining Burton Group, Roth performed duties as an IT analyst advising Global 2000 companies and held coding and management positions for executive information systems, call center systems, and advanced technology projects at a Fortune 500 financial services firm. With 20 years of IT industry experience, Roth’s research agenda focuses on the organizational, financial, and governance issues around knowledge and collaboration infrastructure with a special focus on enterprise portals, content globalization, and information overload. He was rated as a top 10 expert in portals and web services by an independent analyst rating firm. He is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and blogs at http://knowledgeforward.wordpress.com.

Paul J. Swider is a freelance consultant and the Enterprise SharePoint Strategist for OnClick Solutions. In addition, he is president of the Charleston SharePoint Users Group and an accomplished entrepreneur. Swider’s 17 years of software consulting experience combined with many Microsoft certifications and speaking credentials have made him an authority in the SharePoint Community. Swider also writes and teaches about enterprise collaboration concepts with demonstrated knowledge you can only get in “the trenches”. His specialties include enterprise SharePoint deployment, information architecture, SharePoint development best practices and social media integration.

With over 15 years of experience in Information Technology, Dux Raymond Sy has earned a reputation as among the leading experts in leveraging technology to enhance project management. He is currently a managing partner and the chief evangelist of Innovative-e, Inc., a Microsoft-certified, business technology consulting and services company that serves startups to Global 50 clients focused on assisting organizations to effectively manage SharePoint projects and leverage SharePoint as a project management platform. Sy has presented in various Microsoft and Project Management Institute (PMI) events worldwide. He is very much involved in the greater SharePoint community and is an event chair for SharePoint Saturday. He regularly writes about project management, SharePoint and globalization at MeetDux.com.

Rick Taylor is a SharePoint architect and has assisted numerous, large companies in their implementations in high profile industries such as Defense, Financial, Manufacturing, and Health Care. He is a published author, co-author, and contributing author including the Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Administrator’s Companion by MS Press. He worked for Microsoft in the Business Productivity Online Services division as a member of the SharePoint Platform Architecture Team. He is an avid Triathlete (Clydesdale class), enjoys playing chess and is active in the Boy Scouts of America.

Steve Walch has been a Lotus Notes and Microsoft technologist since 1993, and has built a number of successful products. In 2002, he founded Proposion Software with the mission of connecting Lotus Notes into the emerging Microsoft .NET development platform. Proposion eventually focused on Notes-to-SharePoint migration and integration tools and became the leading vendor in that market. Quest Software acquired Proposion in 2007. Walch currently is a product manager at Quest and continues to lead his development team.

Mike Watson (MOF, MCSE, MCSA, A+, i-Net+, Net+, CIW) is an enterprise SharePoint architect, entrepreneur, and instructor with a respected career within the IT industry and beyond. Watson’s top challenge at the moment is helping people keep SharePoint healthy and strong and is working with Quest Software as Senior Product Manager on a unique new solution. Watson is also tackling this problem through training, through guidance on his blog, and is currently co-authoring a SharePoint 2010 book with O’Reilly Media. He also speaks at user groups, regional SharePoint events, and conferences trying to instill SharePoint confidence in as many people as possible. When Watson isn’t working you can find him at the gym, fishing hole, trail, slopes, and more often than not, at the pub. Aspirations include riding around the world on his motorbike, fronting a mildly successful rock band, selling a software company for $$$, and leaping tall buildings in a single bound.

Phil Wicklund (MCTS) has years of experience architecting and administering corporate SharePoint environments. He taught Mindsharp’s 2003 and 2007 SharePoint developer course from 2004 to 2007. Today as a SharePoint consultant at RBA Consulting, he shares real-world insights and in-depth best practices with clients of all varieties. Prior to joining Mindsharp, Phil was the SharePoint Architect and Technical Lead at RSM McGladrey, a Fortune 500 accounting and business consulting firm. Phil provided leadership over McGladrey’s SharePoint environment including all application development, SharePoint administration, and server administration. Phil was also a key player in introducing SharePoint into the firm. He maintains an active SharePoint Blog at http://philwicklund.com.