Speakers
D.R. Carlson
Senior Director, Global Advisory
Equinix
D.R. Carlson
Senior Director, Global Advisory
Equinix
Jim Gwiazda
Vice President of Public Sector Growth
Equinix
As the Vice President of Public Sector Growth at Equinix, Jim Gwiazda plays a pivotal role within the company, supporting agencies that leverage Equinix as the place where they come together, enabling the innovations that improve the quality of life for the citizens they serve and keep our nation safe. With over two decades of experience in the technology industry, Jim is committed to fostering a culture of change, innovation, and excellence in service to the missions that his organization supports.
He is a decorated veteran of the United States Army and served as a Non-Commissioned Officer in the Corps of Engineers. Jim holds a Master of Business Administration from The George Washington University School of Business and a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Northeastern University.
John Hale
Chief of Product Management and Development
DISA J-9 Hosting and Compute
Mr. John Hale is an IT professional with over 30 years of experience in the Department of Defense and the Intelligence Community. He currently serves as the Chief of the Product Management and Development Office at the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) out of Ft. Meade, Maryland. He is responsible for developing the strategic and functional approach to cloud and hosting development and managing the agency's cloud-based solutions for the Department of Defense. Key programs in his portfolio include the Joint Warfighter Cloud Contract (JWCC), the DoD’s private cloud solution “Stratus”, cloud hosting solutions such as “Containers as a Service” (CaaS) and the virtual data center in a cloud solution known as “Olympus”, and more.
A graduate of The University of Maryland, University College. Mr. Hale served in the United States Air Force prior to beginning his civil service career in the office of the Director of National Intelligence. In 2009 Mr. Hale moved to the Defense Information Systems Agency within the Department of Defense and has served roles such as Chief Engineer, Chief of Enterprise Applications, and Chief of Strategic Communications prior to serving in his current role as the agency's unofficial “Cloud Evangelist”.