Speakers

Michelle Rudnicki serves as President of NetApp's U.S. Public Sector business, focusing on supporting the government's important and complex missions. She is passionate about and dedicated to helping public sector clients find technology solutions to manage their data most effectively and migrate to the cloud in this era of distributed, dynamic, and diverse data. She is responsible for leading the team to achieve strategic, financial, operational, and business objectives related to NetApp's public sector customers and channels. 

Before NetApp, Michelle served as the Vice President of Public Sector at Virtustream. Before that, she enjoyed a long tenure at IBM in leadership roles – including VP of Federal Systems - that spanned decades working with public sector clients to transform the way they interacted with their clients, citizens, and patients, progressing their digital services using technology such as analytics, cognitive computing, mobile, and cloud.

Sergio Alvarez currently serves as the acting project director for Enterprise Services (ES). In that position, he is responsible for leading the project office responsible for acquiring, fielding and performing lifecycle sustainment of enterprise-level services supporting many of the Army Chief Information Officer’s largest enterprise initiatives.

Before stepping up to fill the acting project director role in March 2024 — a position that he also held from October 2021 to February 2022 and May 2022 to July 2023 — Alvarez was deputy project director for ES. Prior to that, he served as the HQDA G-1 enterprise architect in the Technology and Business Architecture Integration directorate.

Alvarez also served as the product lead and deputy product lead for the Enterprise Content Collaboration and Messaging product office within the ES portfolio from October 2013 to September 2018.

Before that, he was the director for the Technical Management Division (TMD) for Product Manager, Army Knowledge Online from February to October 2013. During his tenure, he provided intranet services and a single web portal for the U.S. Army. From July 2011 to February 2013, he was an integral part of the team supporting the Program Manager, Power Projection Enablers (P2E). While there, he served as assistant product manager for Global Mission Network/Operation Guardian Enable, a $25 million project within the program manager’s portfolio, and later as TMD chief, where he defined technological strategies and managed a team responsible for the execution of $35 million in projects.

Before joining P2E, Alvarez served as services and operations support branch manager at PEO EIS from June 2009 to July 2011. In that role, he was responsible for the management of information technology (IT)/local area network, personnel security, facilities management, the Defense Travel System and execution of an annual budget of $15 million.

From February 2006 to June 2009, Alvarez was an IT specialist, test and evaluation manager and quality assurance manager in support of the PEO EIS Army Enterprise Service Integration Program and Reserve Component Automation Systems program. While there, he reviewed mission-critical test proposals and evaluation plans to determine the impact and compatibility with system architecture, and ensured compliance with DoD and Army regulations, providing oversight for testing activities from planning through execution.

Alvarez has a Bachelor of Science in information technology from the University of Phoenix and holds a practitioner Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act certification in Engineering and Technical Management.

Kwadwo Burgee is the Deputy Branch Chief of the Oversight and Enablement section of Capacity Building at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Mr. Burgee is seasoned leader with over twenty (20) years experience in the field of cybersecurity. Mr. Burgee leads supports CISA’s Binding Operational Directives (BODs), which aimed at improving the nation’s cyber infrastructure. A graduate of Drexel University, Mr. Burgee balances asking questions and applying solutions towards issues within cybersecurity.

Mr. Quentin McCoy is the Director of Procurement at the Department of Defense (DoD) Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO). In this position, McCoy serves as the CDAO Head of Contracting Activity and is responsible for the management of all procurement activities and the stand-up of the CDAO Procurement Office supporting the DoD’s enterprise adoption of AI from the “boardroom to the battlefield.” Prior to joining CDAO, McCoy was the inaugural HCA for the United States Cyber Command. While there, he helped to posture and mature the Command for its increased budget from $600M(FY18) to now more than $3B(FY24) in support of the delivery of the DoD's joint-cyber capabilities, to include the DoD's Joint Cyber Warfare Architecture, an enterprise-wide cyber weapons platform. Mr. McCoy has been a public servant for more than 23yrs, with over 19 years of acquisition and procurement experience, most notably within the Intelligence Community (IC) and as a Contracting Officer supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

Mr. McCoy is a native Washingtonian. He holds an MBA in Aerospace and Defense from the University of Tennessee – Knoxville and is Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) Level III certified in contracting. McCoy is a recent recipient of the GovExec “Federal 100” award recognizing the nation’s top 100 leaders in the Federal IT community.

Rob Diethorn is the Lead engineer and supervisor for the Backup, Storage, and Archive team at the University of Virginia. He has 28 years of experience in IT in roles ranging from desktop support to Linux administration to large-scale storage management across the non-profit, dot-com startup, health care, and higher education sectors. He lives in Charlottesville, VA with his wife and daughters and enjoys spending free time hiking and playing tennis. 

Jeremy Schatten is the Director of Identity and Data Management Services at American University and the co-author of the widely acclaimed book on computer security, SSL/TLS Under Lock and Key. Jeremy cut his teeth as a storage administrator managing block storage at scale. An avid indoorsman, Jeremy spends his free time cooking and making fresh pasta.  He lives in Rockville, Maryland, with his wife Kate.

Jeff Baxter serves as Vice President of Product Marketing at NetApp and is responsible for leading the team that handles product and solutions marketing. His aim is to generate customer and market interest in NetApp's hybrid multicloud portfolio, which includes flash storage, cloud storage, and integrated data services, while also creating a forward-thinking vision of innovation for enterprise organizations.

Previously, Jeff held various technical and strategy roles at NetApp. He served as Head of Product Management for NetApp ONTAP, Chief Evangelist for ONTAP, and Field Chief Technology Officer for the Americas.

Before joining NetApp, Jeff was the Manager of Enterprise Systems at George Washington University. Prior to that, he advised multiple government clients in the storage and IT architecture practice at Booz Allen Hamilton.

Jeff obtained both an MBA and a BA from George Washington University. In addition, he previously possessed numerous certifications including NetApp Certified Data Management Administrator (NCDA), VCP, SNIA, PMP, ITIL, and CISSP.

Austin Boone brings a wealth of experience and leadership to Red River Technology as the AI Technical Leader, following a distinguished 20-year career in the US Army. During his military tenure, Austin honed his skills in AI and software engineering in various roles that contributed to his deep understanding of data analytics, machine learning, and cybersecurity. Combined with his commitment to excellence, Austin’s background makes him an ideal fit to drive innovation in AI advancements at Red River.

Mark Bubb is the Sr Director of Solutions Engineering /Technical Specialist for United States Public Sector (USPS) at NetApp.  Mark has over 37 years of experience in the IT industry and has spent the last 22 years focusing on data management.  Mark utilizes his strong management/leadership skills and technical competencies to set objectives and develop strategies to ensure customer success.  Mark works with a broad internal team at NetApp and is a trusted advisor to NetApp Partners & Alliance Partners in developing a solid data management strategy to ensure success for all.

Prior to joining NetApp in 2004, Mark was a Regional Product Support Specialist and Technical Manager at EMC Corp.  Mark focused on several Major DoD Accounts.  Shortly after 9/11/2001 Mark played a pivotal role in Pentagon Renovation Program (PENREN).  A major part of Mark’s responsibilities was to ensure all tenants within the Pentagon had high-availability, business continuance and disaster recovery architect in place.

Prior to EMC Corp., Mark held various technical/engineering and managerial roles at Sequent Computer Systems Inc. and Prime Computer Inc.

With over two decades of experience in the IT industry, Brian Charles has spent the last sixteen of those years at Red River, contributing to our technical teams and expertise through various pivotal roles. Brian began his journey as a System Engineer, and over his time at Red River, he developed a strong foundation in systems management and spearheaded numerous high-profile projects, designing robust and scalable IT solutions. Currently, as the Cloud Practice Lead, Brian leverages his extensive experience to guide and implement advanced cloud strategies, driving digital transformation and efficiency for Red River and our customers.

Jim is currently a CTO at NetApp US Public Sector and has over 25 years of technology engineering and leadership experience supporting a variety of Federal and Department of Defense agencies. Jim has focused on Data Management, Storage, and Security for over 20 years including On-Premises, Hybrid, and Multi-Cloud Data Fabric technologies which include Multi-Domain Operations and Foreign Mission Environments. Jim has a passion for teaming with agencies, customers, partners, and colleagues to drive winning outcomes, and he thrives on helping customers architect optimal, cost-efficient, and secure data management solutions using NetApp technology.

Riccardo Di Blasio is Senior Vice President of North America Sales at NetApp. Di Blasio has over 25 years of experience building high-performance sales teams and leading business transformation for companies in the software, data protection and security industries. 

As SVP of North America Sales, Di Blasio leads direct sales, channel sales, and demand generation teams for the organization's largest region. Previously, Di Blasio led all revenue-related activities at Commvault as their Chief Revenue Officer. Prior to that role, Di Blasio held various GTM leadership roles with VMware and EMC. 

Di Blasio is also a partner at Cortical Ventures, a Bay Area VC specialized in AI technologies and was a member of the NASA iTech steering committee.

Matt Lawson is the Director for Solution Engineering for NetApp U.S. Public Sector focusing on State and Local Government, Education, and Healthcare. His areas of expertise include IT Management, IT Strategy, cloud, ITSM, disaster recovery and business continuity, enterprise IT, and green data centers. Prior to joining NetApp, Matt spent 20 years in IT management in a Higher Education environment. He is a former a CTO for a large state community college system and a former Higher Education VP for Information Technology. Matt is the proud father of seven daughters and one son and he calls Richmond, Virginia home.

John Sahlin is the Vice President of Cyber Solutions at General Dynamics Information Technology‘s defense division and Solution Owner for GDIT’s Everest Zero Trust Digital Accelerator program. He is a senior technology executive whose demonstrated expertise spans technical, program and business management.

His efforts leading the Everest program resulted in a first of kind field deployment of Zero Trust at the tactical edge with Army I Corps in support of USINDOPACOM’s missions in the Pacific Rim during exercise Talisman Sabre 2023 and Yama Sakura 85.

Dr. Sahlin concurrently works as an adjunct professor at The George Washington University. During his ten years of teaching at the institution, he has designed and delivered graduate-level systems engineering and cybersecurity courses. He currently teaches eight different courses in cybersecurity and information technology.

Before joining GDIT, Dr. Sahlin worked as the CTO of the Defense Group for Engility and was the CTO of two small defense contractors, ICI Services and Cabrillo Technologies.

For the greater part of his career spanning almost 30 years, Dr. Sahlin has balanced his corporate roles supporting commercial and public sector clients with various positions in the academia.

A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, he later earned his master’s degree and Ph.D. in systems engineering from GWU. Among his achievements includes winning the WashingtonExec 2023 Pinnacle Award for Cybersecurity Executive of the Year.

Kevin Sitto is the Chief Technology Officer with Flywheel Data, helping folks understand and address their technology needs. Kevin lives in Virginia with his wife and two kids and enjoys aking homebrew beer when he's not developing application pipelines. 

Brian Toy is a seasoned professional in the field of data-centric storage and data center design, boasting over two decades of experience. Currently serving as the Principal Technical Account Manager & DOD Sales Co-leader at CTG Federal, Brian leads with a wealth of knowledge and expertise gained through years of dedicated work in the industry.

Brian holds a deep understanding of the complexities involved in data management and storage, coupled with a proactive approach to addressing challenges and driving efficiency. His commitment to excellence and continuous improvement has garnered him respect among peers and colleagues alike.

Now on his second tour at NetApp across 12 years, Matt is a Senior Product Manager for Security, primarily focusing on cybersecurity, cyber resiliency, and data-centric portfolio security. This includes, but is not limited to, Zero Trust, Data Governance and Privacy Frameworks, Security Tools, Ransomware Protection, and Security Best Practices. He has 25 years of IT experience, with 19 of those years coming in the storage industry.

Zachary Widing served 5 years in the Marine Corps, from 2005-2010, doing Tactical & Enterprise communications covering many different technologies both in the States and deployed. He has been in many different positions supporting the DoD since leaving active duty, to include working at VMware for 4 years. As a CTO for CTG, he covers many different IT domains; DevOps, AI/ML, Global Mesh Networks, Hybrid Cloud, Backup & COOP, VDI, Zero-Trust, and Business Focused Operational Tech. He states, "My most important job is to honor God, be a great dad to my two kids, and a husband to my beautiful wife of 13 years.