TechNet Events Team

Before he applied to Microsoft in 1994, Chris freely admits that he hadn't heard of Bill Gates or his global little computer company. That's all changed now. Chris is an enthusiastic TechNet presenter who gets a huge rush when audience members realize, "I didn’t know I could do that!" If you’re lucky enough to see Chris in action, prepare to be entertained. He tells jokes, shows funny pictures and ensures that learning new technologies is always fast-paced and engaging. He's even working on some simple magic tricks, just to keep it fresh. Chris cites his father as his role model and would only trade in his IT badge for a second career as a limo driver. It would be fun peeking into the lives of people who "can't or don't want to drive themselves around," says Chris.

Dry, sarcastic humor is just one of John's personal trademarks. He's logged more than 100 TechNet Events and given multi-city presentations for the Office 2003 launch and the OEM System Builders Windows XP SP2 Roadshow. He's also delivered a variety of webcasts and live events that tackle Windows Server 2003 Active Directory and Group Policy, Systems Management Server 2003 and SQL Server 2005. As an IT Pro, John loves how new products and technologies are always lurking around the corner. That's also a major challenge, which is why he recently completed the Windows Server 2003 MCSE Upgrade certification and two security exams. John's role model, Yosemite Sam, is among the stranger ones on the books, but it's pretty easy to understand his ultimate career fantasy – owning and running a beachside scuba shop in Mexico.

Three words to describe Blain? Driven. Enthusiastic. Busy. In his 14 years at Microsoft, Blain has organized and delivered a wide array of educational programs. He's given over 800 live events and received six top presenter awards the last couple of years. Blain has also worked on Worldwide OEM System Engineering, headed up the Visual Basic support team and created the Microsoft Campus Connection program, which introduces college, university and technical students to emerging Microsoft technologies. In his presentations, Blain’s sometimes known as "the wig guy," who gets his audiences personally involved in every demo or event. He plays the drums in his downtime and taught pro-level snow skiing in Washington State before he moved to Florida. If he wasn't spreading the IT gospel, Blain says he'd build a recording studio and music label to help promote young artists. Given his track record, it's only a matter of time.

A Texan with years of IT Pro experience on a variety of hardware and software platforms, Keith doesn’t mince words. He enjoys working with both software and hardware, and thrives on helping customers solve thorny problems. The world has come to rely on e-mail, web servers and file servers, and Keith loves showing people how to make the most of essential and emerging products. His greatest challenge? Keeping up with the lightning pace of innovation, technology and information overload. No kidding. If he ever abandoned the server room for good, Keith would become your favorite driving range target – ducking golf balls in the cage tractor.

Chris is passionate about learning, sharing his knowledge, and best of all, he's extremely passionate about technology. He loves showing people how new tools and products can improve their businesses and especially, their lives. Chris has delivered thousands of live presentations and gave the keynote speech at the NPA Awards during Interop 2005. He's also active in the community, and is currently developing a television series to highlight great work in the not-for-profit sector. Chris has a diverse roster of role models, including George Washington, Steve Ballmer, Bill Nye the Science Guy and Victor Frankl. His other loves? Entomology, fly-fishing, "building things" and dessert. Chris claims he's on a lifelong quest to find the best steak and chocolate cake on Earth: "The only time I ever said 'no' to dessert was when I didn't understand the question."

Being an IT Pro means working with computers right where the magic begins, says Matt. He loves reaching out to users and customers in the local community and gets a thrill from installing a server that can send email or provide other valuable services. Matt is a seasoned TechNet presenter, an Exchange Server insider and he worked as an MCT for over eight years before joining Microsoft. A movie buff with a massive DVD collection, he also runs marathons and dreams of being a pro football player or joining the PGA tour. Matt cites his father as his role model: "The older I get, the smarter he gets." Funny how that works.

A prolific blogger, Kevin shares his thoughts, ideas and tips on the TechNet Events Bloggers site and the IT Pro community site. He's also a strong speaker and webcaster who's landed several times on Microsoft's top 10 webcast list and has delivered at least three top-scoring TechNet webcasts to date. Kevin has worked as both a developer and an IT pro, so he loves sharing helpful new solutions and technologies with his IT peers. At Microsoft, Kevin relishes the opportunity to generate fresh ideas and run them down to the end zone. It’s a joy he says more companies should offer to their employees. Kevin received his BA in computer science at the University of Minnesota (Go Gophers!) where he also studied music theory and composition.

Shawn's delivered over 500 live events to more than 25,000 IT Pros, partners and resellers in his distinguished Microsoft career. He's also a Certified Information Systems Auditor and a Certified Information Systems Security Professional. Shawn loves playing with new technologies in both hardware and software, but his greatest reward comes from helping other IT Pros solve problems and tackle unfamiliar products. "There's nothing more satisfying than showing someone how to save 30 minutes a day by using a new product or helping someone fix an issue that gave them headaches for a week," he says. Clearly, Shawn's also very honest. He considered choosing Bill Gates as his role model, but ultimately settled on his father. If NASA came calling, Shawn would jump at the opportunity to experience space travel and explore new planets.

Some may call John a geek. He prefers the term “technologist.” Truth is, John began working with computer games before PCs even hit the scene – and he’s probably got a dusty prototype stashed somewhere to prove it. He’s a fourth generation educator who loves to help people learn new technologies and relishes that magic moment when the light comes on in their eyes. Before joining Microsoft full time, he spent six years as an MCT, training people at a local college and getting new Microsoft hires up to speed. John holds more certifications than he can remember, but the list definitely includes MCSE, MCDBA, MCT, and CCNA. His favorite technology is SQL and he gets a special thrill from solving customers’ problems. For John, there’s nothing like coaxing people from panic to joy when a server goes down and he can help get the business back up on line. When he’s not working, John can usually be found sailing around Texas with his kids.

Harold studied hard to snag an impressive array of certifications, including MCSE, MCT, CNI, CNE and HP Engineering. He's also delivered "too many events to count," and loves talking to customers about technology, especially when it's connected to deployment and better business impacts. Despite his many technological accomplishments, Harold says his biggest challenge has been raising two children. He's a self-described Type A personality with a dash of perfectionism and a rare even temper – all the better for delivering top-notch events. If he wasn't working in technology, Harold says he'd love to get into the kitchen and start chopping, slicing, dicing and creating gourmet masterpieces as a professional chef.