In 2013, I graduated with a BFA and took my first job as a Junior Graphic Designer at a small, boutique ad agency. While there, my Creative Director warned me to never let anyone find out I could code, because if I did I'd be stuck doing it forever. I ignored his warning; it turns out he was completely right, but I've never been happier.

I currently work as a developer advocate on a wonderful team where I help people build web applications in React, design and maintain their UI component libraries, and desperately attempt to stop back-end devs from writing any more CSS.

In 2013, I graduated with a BFA and took my first job as a Junior Graphic Designer at a small, boutique ad agency. While there, my Creative Director warned me to never let anyone find out I could code, because if I did I'd be stuck doing it forever. ... Show more

Esther Barthel has worked in different roles and functions as an IT consultant after she finished her Master’s degree in Computer Science in 1997. She soon discovered that End User Computing combined servers, desktops, and user experience technologies into one and specialized in virtualization solutions, like Microsoft Remote Desktop Services, Citrix Virtual Apps & Desktops and Azure Virtual Desktops

Esther works as a Solutions Architect at cognition IT, where she combines her passion for designing and implementing End User Computing (EUC) solutions with her newfound love for DevOps automation, using Infrastructure-as-Code, Image-as-Code and DSC-as-Code templates PowerShell scripting, REST APIs and JSON payloads for process automation and the automated deployments of infrastructure focused resources for both on-premises and Cloud.

Ever since she hosted introduction days for technical female student candidates Esther has shared her passion and knowledge for IT. She also is a strong advocate of diversity and inclusion as one of the founders of the CUGC Women in Tech mentorship program.

In addition to her Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) award, Esther is also awarded as a Citrix Technology Professional (CTP), and Parallels VIPP.

Esther Barthel has worked in different roles and functions as an IT consultant after she finished her Master’s degree in Computer Science in 1997. She soon discovered that End User Computing combined servers, desktops, and user experience technologie... Show more

Markus Lintuala is a seasoned technical solution expert with over a decade of experience in the IT and cloud industries. He specializes in Microsoft Azure and Microsoft 365, with a strong focus on modern security practices and cloud-native solutions. Recognized as a Microsoft Security MVP, Markus is passionate about leveraging cutting-edge technologies to build secure, scalable, and efficient environments.

In the past seven years, Markus has concentrated on security-driven projects, ranging from implementing Zero Trust architectures to modernizing identity and access management. His earlier career includes roles in enterprise and solution architecture, as well as server and end-device management for high-profile organizations. He has also led numerous service and concept development initiatives, bridging the gap between technology and process innovation.

A natural educator and communicator, Markus has trained professionals, delivering engaging sessions in public and private webinars, conferences, and training courses. Whether it’s a concise 30-minute talk or an in-depth five-day workshop, Markus has a proven ability to captivate audiences and make complex topics approachable and actionable.

Beyond his professional endeavors, Markus is an advocate for continuous learning, automation, and mentoring the next generation of IT professionals. With a combination of deep technical expertise, real-world experience, and an engaging presentation style, Markus inspires his audiences to embrace innovation and excel in their fields.

Markus Lintuala is a seasoned technical solution expert with over a decade of experience in the IT and cloud industries. He specializes in Microsoft Azure and Microsoft 365, with a strong focus on modern security practices and cloud-native solutions.... Show more

Alex is an application development enthusiast since the late nineties and works as an architect, lead developer and mentor at large enterprises and small companies. He spends his time teaching other developers the details of the Microsoft development platform and frameworks, and coaches architects to design and build modern distributed applications at cloud scale. He has received the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional award for Visual Studio and Development Technologies since 2007. In his spare time Alex likes to participate in all kinds of sport, and loves playing and programming new and retro video games.

Alex is an application development enthusiast since the late nineties and works as an architect, lead developer and mentor at large enterprises and small companies. He spends his time teaching other developers the details of the Microsoft development... Show more

Jamie Taylor: A software developer with 14 years' experience, a Microsoft MVP, "Most Visionary Software Development & Consultancy Managing Director" awardee for 2023, and a skilled podcaster with 5 years in engaging content creation.

With a versatile tech toolkit, Jamie crafts tailored solutions, while his MVP status showcases his community commitment. His visionary leadership drives excellence, and his podcasting journey reflects his prowess in relatable communication. An inspiring multi-faceted professional, Jamie embodies dedication, innovation, and impactful change.

Jamie Taylor: A software developer with 14 years' experience, a Microsoft MVP, "Most Visionary Software Development & Consultancy Managing Director" awardee for 2023, and a skilled podcaster with 5 years in engaging content creation. With a versat... Show more

Aicha Laafia, a Java software engineer with a love for coding, an interest in sustainability, and a commitment to empowering women in tech.

I am a Women Techmakers and Girls Code ambassador, an IAmRemarkable facilitator, a member of the Moroccan Association of Computing Science and part of Jetbrains Community Contributor program.

I focus on creating software with minimal environmental impact while mentoring and supporting women in technology.

When I’m not coding, I enjoy exploring delicious food, phone photography, and watching Formula 1.

Aicha Laafia, a Java software engineer with a love for coding, an interest in sustainability, and a commitment to empowering women in tech. I am a Women Techmakers and Girls Code ambassador, an IAmRemarkable facilitator, a member of the Moroccan A... Show more

Marco is a Senior Security Engineer at HeroDevs.
Active contributor, releaser, and member of the Node.js Technical Steering Committee, he is a renowned international speaker and a former Microsoft MVP. Marco is actively involved in many projects within the Node.js ecosystem and also serves as a delegate in TC39.

Marco is a Senior Security Engineer at HeroDevs. Active contributor, releaser, and member of the Node.js Technical Steering Committee, he is a renowned international speaker and a former Microsoft MVP. Marco is actively involved in many projects wit... Show more

Je suis tombé dans la marmite Agile en 2018, après 17 ans de vie dans l'IT et la conception de produits.
D'abord Product Owner, puis Scrum Master. Aujourd’hui, j’accompagne les équipes dans leur découverte de l’Agilité.
Je me considère comme agnostique en matière d’Agilité. Pour moi les frameworks sont des outils utiles, à condition d’être bien compris et utilisés avec discernement.
Mon objectif est de rester fidèle au Manifeste Agile et à son esprit, tout en étant attentif aux impacts humains, organisationnels et environnementaux — notamment en promouvant un numérique responsable.

Je suis tombé dans la marmite Agile en 2018, après 17 ans de vie dans l'IT et la conception de produits. D'abord Product Owner, puis Scrum Master. Aujourd’hui, j’accompagne les équipes dans leur découverte de l’Agilité. Je me considère comme agnost... Show more

Mitchel Sellers is globally known as a 17-time Microsoft MVP, an ASPInsider, a DNN MVP, is an MCP (Microsoft .NET, ASP.NET and SQL Server), and CEO of IowaComputerGurus Inc. Sellers has a deep understanding of software development and when speaking focuses on proper architecture standards, performance, stability, security, and overall cost-effectiveness of delivered solutions. This message and his abilities resonate in the technical war room as well as the executive board room.

Mitchel is a prolific public speaker, presenting more than 400 sessions at user groups and conferences globally, such as DevUp, SDN, and Code PaLOUsa. Sellers has been the author of multiple books and a regular blogger on technology topics.

When Mitchel is not working in technology, you will find him flying his airplane, teaching others how to fly, or spending time with his family He is also actively involved in the Open Source Community working diligently to further the movement. Find out more about Sellers at his website http://www.mitchelsellers.com.

Mitchel Sellers is globally known as a 17-time Microsoft MVP, an ASPInsider, a DNN MVP, is an MCP (Microsoft .NET, ASP.NET and SQL Server), and CEO of IowaComputerGurus Inc. Sellers has a deep understanding of software development and when speaking f... Show more

AJ is a business leader and a decorated veteran of the Microsoft Partner community, bringing nearly two decades of experience as a trusted advisor to businesses seeking to maximize their AI and ERP investments.

He is an 8-time Microsoft MVP, awarded in two categories for his contributions to the Copilot Studio and Dynamics 365 Business Central communities. AJ is passionate about sharing his knowledge with the community and has spoken and at over 50 global industry events. Through his workshops, bootcamps, conference sessions and many online contributions, AJ has built a reputation for translating complex technical concepts into practical solutions for the Microsoft community.

AJ loves helping businesses unlock and harness the power of AI and process automation to streamline operations and improve decision-making, and he is regularly sought after for advisory engagements.

A mentor and an advocate for continuous learning, AJ is also an active community organizer, serving on the boards, planning committees and content committees of various Microsoft partner associations and user groups.

By day, AJ is the Chief Operating Officer at DSWi, an award-winning Microsoft Business Applications Partner since 2018. In his spare time, he is the Editor of the OnlyCopilotFans.com AI tech-news site, and the host of The OnlyBCFans Show, a podcast for the Dynamics 365 Business Central community.

AJ is a business leader and a decorated veteran of the Microsoft Partner community, bringing nearly two decades of experience as a trusted advisor to businesses seeking to maximize their AI and ERP investments. He is an 8-time Microsoft MVP, awar... Show more

Passionnée par la collaboration, j'explore depuis une dizaine d'années les nouveautés proposées par Microsoft et leur impact sur les utilisateurs.

Passionnée par la collaboration, j'explore depuis une dizaine d'années les nouveautés proposées par Microsoft et leur impact sur les utilisateurs. Show more

With 20 years of experience in web development, usability, and accessibility, Karl Groves is widely regarded as a pragmatic solution-finder and thought leader in the accessibility industry. In his role as accessibility consultant at AFixt, Karl focuses on pragmatic and efficient ways of improving the accessibility of websites and software.

With 20 years of experience in web development, usability, and accessibility, Karl Groves is widely regarded as a pragmatic solution-finder and thought leader in the accessibility industry. In his role as accessibility consultant at AFixt, Karl focus... Show more

Marco Dal Pino is working in IT for more than 30 years as Developer, Team Leader, PM and Cloud Architect.
He mostly experienced Microsoft dev Platforms around .NET, for LOB, Desktop, Mobile and embedded apps.
He is a Microsoft Certified Trainer and a Speaker at the main technical conferences all around the world.
He is part of the staff of DotNetToscana a community focused on Microsoft technologies.
He received many awards from IT companies as independent Advisor like:
Microsoft MVP, Intel BlackBelt & Innovator, Nokia DevChamp, Hackster Live Ambassador
He works in Microsoft as a Senior Technical Consultant.

Marco Dal Pino is working in IT for more than 30 years as Developer, Team Leader, PM and Cloud Architect. He mostly experienced Microsoft dev Platforms around .NET, for LOB, Desktop, Mobile and embedded apps. He is a Microsoft Certified Trainer and... Show more

Chris Woodruff, also known as Woody, is an Architect at Real Time Technologies and brings nearly three decades of industry expertise, having launched his career before the first .COM boom. Renowned for his contributions to software development and architecture, Woody is a regular speaker at international conferences, where he shares his deep knowledge on topics ranging from database development to APIs and web technologies. He is a Microsoft MVP in the areas of .NET and Web Development.

A dedicated mentor, Woody thrives on guiding fellow developers and enhancing their skills through his talks, written work, and digital content. He co-hosts the popular "Breakpoint Show" podcast and YouTube channel, which he uses to connect with and educate the tech community. He is also writing a book covering network programming with C# and .NET.

Woody's interests extend beyond his professional life, adding a personal touch to his character. He is a passionate bourbon enthusiast, often embarking on adventures along the Bourbon Trail in search of unique finds to savor and share with friends. Family time is a cherished part of his life, and he often shares insights from his professional journey on his blog at https://woodruff.dev. To stay updated on his latest projects and adventures, follow him on Twitter at @cwoodruff and Mastodon at https://mastodon.social/@cwoodruff, where he shares his thoughts and experiences, fostering a sense of connection with his audience.

Chris Woodruff, also known as Woody, is an Architect at Real Time Technologies and brings nearly three decades of industry expertise, having launched his career before the first .COM boom. Renowned for his contributions to software development and ar... Show more

Jakob Ehn works as a Cloud architecture and DevOps specialist at Active Solution. For more than 20 years, has has been building software solutions, educating developers and teams on Microsoft technologies through training, books, and conference talks.

Jakob is a Microsoft Azure MVP (former ALM/DevOps MVP). He is a regular speaker at various conferences and user groups around the world, such as NDC, Techorama, DevSum, CloudBrew, UpdateConf and SweTugg.

Jakob Ehn works as a Cloud architecture and DevOps specialist at Active Solution. For more than 20 years, has has been building software solutions, educating developers and teams on Microsoft technologies through training, books, and conference talks... Show more

John leverages his 10+ years of technical and government leadership experience to help Federal Agencies, and private sector clients utilize Microsoft products to their fullest potential. His certifications with Microsoft products offers customers a high rate of return when looking to invest in Microsoft solutions.

John leverages his 10+ years of technical and government leadership experience to help Federal Agencies, and private sector clients utilize Microsoft products to their fullest potential. His certifications with Microsoft products offers customers a h... Show more

Alyssa is an Senior Developer Advocate for Progress and a Google Developer Expert for Angular. She has spoken at over 50 conferences locally and internationally. She is the host of the Angular Air podcast and emcees ng-conf as well as Monorepo World. She enjoys gaming, scuba diving, and has a little one that fondly goes by "Mr. Milks".

Alyssa is an Senior Developer Advocate for Progress and a Google Developer Expert for Angular. She has spoken at over 50 conferences locally and internationally. She is the host of the Angular Air podcast and emcees ng-conf as well as Monorepo World.... Show more

Martin is a Developer Advocate at Honeycomb, o11y enthusiast, and a delivery-focused Developer from the UK. With over 20 years experience in development in the .NET ecosystem, he’s worked with many companies on scaling up engineering teams and products. The past few years have been spent working on solving complex problems with some of the UK’s big names, including e-commerce retailers and credit lenders.

Martin is a Developer Advocate at Honeycomb, o11y enthusiast, and a delivery-focused Developer from the UK. With over 20 years experience in development in the .NET ecosystem, he’s worked with many companies on scaling up engineering teams and produc... Show more

Vadym Kazulkin is AWS Serverless Hero and Head of Development at ip.labs based in Bonn. Vadym has been involved with the Java ecosystem for over 25 years. His focus and interests currently include the design and implementation of highly scalable and available applications in AWS Cloud with the special passion for Serverless, Generative AI and optimization of Java applications (also using SpringBoot, Micronaut and Quarkus frameworks) on AWS Lambda. Vadym is also the co-organizer of the Java User Group Bonn meetup, a frequent speaker at various meetups and conferences and a regular author of the articles in the different published magazines and on his online blog.

Vadym Kazulkin is AWS Serverless Hero and Head of Development at ip.labs based in Bonn. Vadym has been involved with the Java ecosystem for over 25 years. His focus and interests currently include the design and implementation of highly scalable and ... Show more

Mihail Mateev is an owner, Solution Architect, Senior Technical Evangelist at SoftProject, responsible for .Net, IoT and cloud solutions. Mihail currently works as a Senior Solution Architect at EPAM Systems. He also worked many years like a Technical evangelist in the Infragistics. Last years Mihail was focused on various areas related to technology Microsoft: Visual Studio , ASP.Net, Windows client apps, MS SQL Server and Microsoft Azure.

Mihail Mateev is an owner, Solution Architect, Senior Technical Evangelist at SoftProject, responsible for .Net, IoT and cloud solutions. Mihail currently works as a Senior Solution Architect at EPAM Systems. He also worked many years like a Techni... Show more

Jurgen is an experienced and enthusiastic IT architect at Luminis. In the last 20+ years he has accumulated a lot of knowledge and experience in IT. He likes to operate on the intersection of IT and the business, where his added value lies in translating the requirements of the business in technical solutions. He has a positive critical attitude during the process to achieve the most optimal result for each customer. Jurgen values the importance of knowledge sharing. He puts into practice by sharing his knowledge through the giving of training courses and workshops and organizing meetups.

Jurgen is an experienced and enthusiastic IT architect at Luminis. In the last 20+ years he has accumulated a lot of knowledge and experience in IT. He likes to operate on the intersection of IT and the business, where his added value lies in transla... Show more

Gianluca Hotz is a consultant, trainer and speaker specialized in architecture, database design, high availability, capacity planning, performance tuning, system integration and migrations for Microsoft SQL Server. He has been working as a consultant in the IT field since 1993 and with SQL Server since 1996. He is among the original founders of ugiss.org, where he served as vice-president from 2001 to 2016 and he is now serving as president, for his contribution to the community he has been a SQL Server MVP since 1998.

Gianluca Hotz is a consultant, trainer and speaker specialized in architecture, database design, high availability, capacity planning, performance tuning, system integration and migrations for Microsoft SQL Server. He has been working as a consultant... Show more

I am a Microsoft Azure MVP, working as a lead technical architect at Simplifai
For almost two decades I have worked with infrastructure management, automation, and monitoring. As this traditional role is changing fast, I am focusing my community contributions around modern IT-pro role.

By the way, I have a love/hate relationship with Kubernetes. 🐳

I am a Microsoft Azure MVP, working as a lead technical architect at Simplifai For almost two decades I have worked with infrastructure management, automation, and monitoring. As this traditional role is changing fast, I am focusing my community con... Show more

Being in IT business as a specialist for Linux, Martin Klier has been involved in the administration of Oracle Databases for about twenty years now. The integration of large Oracle-based high-availability solutions (MAA) with RAC and Data Guard were the first challenges. In the last years, he largely moved into performance analysis and tuning of complex systems with dynamically changing load profiles.
Skeptical needs assessments, thorough architecture planning, decent system sizing, critical benchmarking and experienced load-focused system analysis are Martin’s formula to success in avoiding production downtime.
For years now, Martin can be found speaking on topics regarding “Oracle Core, Performance and High Availability” on various national and international conferences, like COLLABROATE (IOUG), Oracle Cloud World, UTOUG, ECO, POUG or DOAG Konferenz.
Martin frequently blogs about recent issues and their solutions at http://www.usn-it.de and is known on BlueSky as @MartinKlierDBA.
Martin works a lot for the community, especially for the German Oracle Database Community “ora2know”, the Linux User Group Mitterteich, is an Oracle ACE Director (Database) and proud member of Symposium42.

Being in IT business as a specialist for Linux, Martin Klier has been involved in the administration of Oracle Databases for about twenty years now. The integration of large Oracle-based high-availability solutions (MAA) with RAC and Data Guard were ... Show more

Microsoft Data Platform MVP
Guatemala Tech Community leader,
Cloud Database Engineer.
Experienced in multi-platform databases on RDBMS MS SQL Server, Azure SQL DB, Oracle, MySQL, No SQL experienced in MongoDB as well.
Experienced in large-scale relational databases management support, passionate about K8S and Docker container tech-oriented to development and data platform.

Advanced Linux user, Gentoo distro fan since v.1.4.

In his spare time, Carlos is an enthusiastic swimmer and runner.

Microsoft Data Platform MVP Guatemala Tech Community leader, Cloud Database Engineer. Experienced in multi-platform databases on RDBMS MS SQL Server, Azure SQL DB, Oracle, MySQL, No SQL experienced in MongoDB as well. Experienced in large-scale ... Show more

Apasionada del análisis de datos y entusiasta de Power BI. Con formación en estadística y una curiosidad constante por encontrar formas de construir modelos claros, eficientes y útiles, así como visualizaciones que realmente ayuden a tomar decisiones con datos. Disfruto compartiendo conocimiento y aprendiendo junto a la comunidad técnica.

Apasionada del análisis de datos y entusiasta de Power BI. Con formación en estadística y una curiosidad constante por encontrar formas de construir modelos claros, eficientes y útiles, así como visualizaciones que realmente ayuden a tomar decisiones... Show more

I help developers make the most of their (fast) data, I make sure the core team behind QuestDB listens to absolutely every piece of feedback I get, and I facilitate collaboration in our open source repository.

I love data, big and small. I have extensive experience with SQL, NoSQL, graph, in-memory databases, Big Data, and Machine Learning. I like distributed, scalable, always-on systems.

Before working in Developer Relations, I spent 20 years developing software professionally and sharing what I learnt with the community.

I help developers make the most of their (fast) data, I make sure the core team behind QuestDB listens to absolutely every piece of feedback I get, and I facilitate collaboration in our open source repository. I love data, big and small. I have e... Show more

Ferdi Lethen-Oellers is a senior consultant in the area of Microsoft 365 and helps companies increase productivity in their everyday work. He likes to focus on the most important component in the process: people. Since the pandemic, Ferdi has been an avid jogger and regularly goes to soccer. Besides sports, his family is the most important thing to him. Ferdi is an expert on the topic of Microsoft 365 and is available for questions as well as consultations. Inquiries via mail to ferdi.lethen@outlook.de.

Ferdi Lethen-Oellers is a senior consultant in the area of Microsoft 365 and helps companies increase productivity in their everyday work. He likes to focus on the most important component in the process: people. Since the pandemic, Ferdi has been an... Show more

Wim is an Azure Technical Advisor and Trainer with over fifteen years of Microsoft technology expertise who specializes in helping companies transition to the Cloud.

Wim is also a Microsoft MVP in the Azure category, a founding board member of the MC2MC user group, and an active community contributor, sharing his experiences through blogs and speaking engagements.

Wim is an Azure Technical Advisor and Trainer with over fifteen years of Microsoft technology expertise who specializes in helping companies transition to the Cloud. Wim is also a Microsoft MVP in the Azure category, a founding board member of the... Show more

Joost is a Solution Lead Workplace at Pinkelephant and Microsoft MVP Intune. He loves to share his knowledge with others and give them a different perspective based on hands-on experience.
He helps customers, partners, and others to achieve more and empowers their Endpoint skills to ensure they are thriving on the Intune platform. His core area of expertise is Microsoft Intune.

As a technology enthusiast and a community member, he frequently shares his knowledge about experiences with Intune and other Microsoft technologies. Additionally, Joost is also a member of the Workplace Ninja user group.

When offline and not working, he enjoys having family time and riding on his road bike clearing his head "Feet in the pedals head in the cloud".

Joost is a Solution Lead Workplace at Pinkelephant and Microsoft MVP Intune. He loves to share his knowledge with others and give them a different perspective based on hands-on experience. He helps customers, partners, and others to achieve more and... Show more